Volume 1 Chapter 21 The Seeds of Murder

After returning to the manor, she headed straight for the ancestral hall.

Xie Wanqing was still kneeling there; this time, Lady Luo had been ruthless, vowing not to let her out until the Spring Flower Banquet arrived.

"What are you doing here? Come to gloat?" Seeing Xie Mingyue, Xie Wanqing’s eyes were filled with hatred.

Xie Mingyue watched her silently. Under the candlelight, her dark, piercing eyes made Xie Wanqing feel a chill seep into her very bones.

"Xie Wanqing, I always thought we were sisters by blood. That is why, even when you bullied me or framed me, I never exposed you to the family."

She stepped closer, looking down at her from above. Behind her, the spirit tablets of the Qi family’s ancestors loomed like a dark, oppressive mountain, weighing down upon them both.

"Bah! You are nothing but a fake, a child who was swapped at birth! Who would be sisters with you!" Xie Wanqing nearly ground her teeth to dust. "There is only one daughter of the Xie family, and that is me!"

"Is that so?" Xie Mingyue chuckled softly.

She glanced around. Aside from the two of them, the only other person present was Xie Wanqing’s trusted confidante, Nanny Zhang. The woman had been brought along from the Xie household; she had a dark mole near her lip that made her appear somewhat unphotogenic, but because she was capable, Xie Wanqing kept her close.

"Xie Wanqing, who is the fake—you and I both know the truth."

"I don't know what you’re talking about," Xie Wanqing said coldly, her eyes darting away.

Xie Mingyue narrowed her eyes, and realization dawned on her. Seeing Xie Wanqing’s reaction, she knew that she herself was the true one!

"For all these years, the Xie family hasn't even let you through their doors, yet you still harbor such delusions," Xie Wanqing said, her palms sweating as she felt Xie Mingyue’s gaze. "Xie Mingyue, you are the fake!"

"Hmm, I am the fake. But do you know? I have a birthmark identical to Mother’s."

Xie Mingyue’s expression remained unchanged as she intently watched for the slightest shift in Xie Wanqing’s face. This was a secret known only to their mother and Xie Wanqing, hidden from the rest of the Xie family. That was why, when she was driven out of the Xie household, Xie Wanqing must have played a hand in it.

"You’re talking nonsense!" Xie Wanqing’s voice cracked, and she instinctively glanced to the side. She looked at Nanny Zhang with intense anxiety, while the nanny stood frozen in place, looking utterly shocked.

"So, Nanny Zhang didn't know about this," Xie Mingyue’s smile widened. "What a pity. Xie Wanqing, the fact that you are the imposter is now known by more than just the two of us."

"Rubbish!" Nanny Zhang snapped out of her trance, a flicker of panic in her eyes as she shouted, "Madam, do not slander our mistress!"

Xie Mingyue smiled without a word. Xie Wanqing had been sensitive and suspicious since childhood; the matter of the birthmark could destroy her status, so the fewer people who knew, the better. Since she hadn't let Nanny Zhang in on the secret before, now, regardless of whether the nanny believed these words or not, Xie Wanqing could no longer tolerate her presence. And then there was the incident ten years ago when she had been drugged...

Xie Mingyue’s eyes turned cold as ice. The presence of Nanny Zhang meant she was complicit in that event as well. Therefore, they both deserved to die.

Xie Mingyue beamed. "And then there is the matter from ten years ago."

If the bond between mistress and servant was truly that deep, she would add another dose of poison to the mix.

"Nanny Zhang, I heard you even went to the woods to look for me back then. If others hadn't told me, I would never have known how much you cared for me."

As soon as these words left her lips, Xie Wanqing’s hands trembled, and she nearly bit through her lip. Xie Mingyue knew! After all these years, how could she have heard of it? Had someone seen Nanny Zhang?

Xie Wanqing looked up instantly, and Nanny Zhang immediately knelt, swearing oaths. "Madam, I was careful at every turn, and it was a deserted wilderness—it’s impossible that anyone could have seen me!"

"Shut your mouth!" Xie Wanqing hissed. Why would she admit it so readily? She hadn't even spoken yet! As long as they denied it, it wouldn't matter how much Xie Mingyue raved. This Nanny Zhang was truly a senile old fool!

Xie Mingyue took in their reactions without missing a detail. It was enough. Xie Wanqing already had murder in her heart.

She returned to her courtyard with a faint smile. That night, Qi Jinshan did not come to see her, and Xie Mingyue had no heart for anything else. The truth she had learned today washed over her again and again. The gloomy, indifferent face in her memories grew fainter, replaced by other, warmer recollections. In her haze, Xie Mingyue wondered: if Qi Jinshan truly had not harmed her, should she accept him as her husband? Before she could reach a conclusion, she fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, the panicked voice of her maid broke the silence. "Madam! Madam, something terrible has happened! The ancestral hall is on fire, and there are servants trapped inside!"

Xie Mingyue snapped her eyes open, then regained her composure, calmly letting Wutong help her dress. Wutong was pale with terror. "Madam, the ancestral hall is such a sacred place—how could it possibly catch fire?"

A fire in the ancestral hall was no trifling matter. So many ancestors were enshrined there; if a spirit tablet were burned, the fortune of the Marquis’s estate would be affected. Furthermore, if outsiders saw that the Qi family’s ancestral hall had burned, there would be no end to the gossip!

"Who knows? If it isn't an act of God, it is the work of man." Xie Mingyue hung her head and smiled, walking toward the ancestral hall at a leisurely pace.

In the distance, flames soared into the sky, painting the night air a haunting blue. Black smoke billowed, and the acrid stench even drifted into Qionghua Courtyard. Such a massive fire—Xie Wanqing had truly staked everything on this.

Before the ancestral hall, the men of the house were leading the servants in fighting the blaze. Lady Luo arrived later; encountering Xie Mingyue at the crossroads, her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed. Xie Mingyue stepped forward to support her. "Marquis’s Lady, please do not be anxious. Take your time."

Take her time? How could she! Lady Luo was on the verge of fainting. Qi Xiuyu had long been away from the capital, and now, the moment he returned, the ancestral hall had burned to the ground. Did this signify that this son was an ill omen, rejected by the ancestors? The entire capital could see these soaring flames; what would the servants think? What would their political rivals think? And what of those in the palace?

Lady Luo frantically pinched her own philtrum. Xie Mingyue helped her to the front of the hall. The Marquis of Shunqing had already stepped back, while Qi Jinshan and Qi Xiuyu were further ahead, directing the servants to contain the fire.

The side hall had already collapsed. The parts already engulfed could not be saved, but they had to rescue the ancestral tablets.

Just then, Xie Wanqing stumbled over, her face smeared with soot, coughing violently. "Mother... Father..."

The sleeve on her left arm was torn, revealing charred, raw flesh—a truly pathetic sight. Unfortunately, no one present had the heart to appreciate her frailty. Upon seeing her, Lady Luo was consumed with rage and delivered a fierce slap to her face.

"Useless wretch! You were the one kneeling in the hall, and yet you let the fire grow this large? You are here to ruin the Marquis’s estate!"

Xie Wanqing clutched her swollen cheek, tears streaming down her face, but she dared not utter a sound. She had no choice. There were too many prying eyes in the inner courtyard; disposing of someone silently was harder than reaching the heavens. Only by burning someone to death in a fire could she permanently eliminate the threat. After Nanny Zhang died, she and Xie Mingyue would be the only ones who knew the truth.

Once she found the chance to get rid of Xie Mingyue...

Under the glare of the flames, Xie Mingyue looked at the venom hidden in Xie Wanqing’s eyes and smiled gently.

"Father, it is the end of April; this is hardly a season of dry winds. Besides, the side hall is paved with stone, and the pillars are plastered with lime mortar. Is it really so easy to set ablaze?" She walked to the Marquis of Shunqing’s side and spoke with calm poise.

The Marquis frowned. "What are you implying..."