If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

The situation reached a stalemate.

As everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, Lingxian slowly stood up, walked to the old lady's side, opened the sandalwood box in Taozhi's hand, and took out a pair of jade bracelets.

The jade is warm, smooth, and translucent; it is clearly a top-quality piece.

Qu glanced at it, then looked away.

Lingxian bent down, took the old lady's hand, and said softly, "Grandmother, you are so magnanimous, please do me the honor of having such an unfilial granddaughter?"

Ms. Qu smelled a refreshing fragrance, like a delicate orchid, which made her feel relaxed and happy.

Qu froze, and Ling Xian took the opportunity to slip the bracelet on.

"This jade has excellent translucency, and my grandmother's fair skin complements it perfectly."

Xi Lingxian was born bright and beautiful. When she spoke, her eyes softened and a faint, lingering mist appeared at the corners of her eyes.

It gives the impression that she cares about you a lot and is trying to appease you.

Not to mention others, even Zhang Mama, who was by Qu's side, couldn't help but feel a sudden jolt in her heart.

Madam Qu coughed lightly and snorted, "Only someone with water in their brain would think of filial piety. They've wasted all these years."

Lingxian lowered her eyes and smiled.

In her past life, every time Qu said this, she found it grating and unpleasant, feeling that Qu was insulting her in a sarcastic way;

After marrying into the Wang family, she truly experienced the mockery and humiliation from those who were genuinely malicious and had ulterior motives. Only then did she realize that the words Qu Shi had used to insult her weren't actually that harsh.

even……

It doesn't sound like an insult at all.

After leaving the old lady's place, Xi Yao, supported by Madam Yu's arm, returned to Changchun Garden.

Neither the mother nor the daughter looked well.

Dismiss unimportant people and keep only trusted confidants.

Xi Yao couldn't help but ask, "Mother, she said someone poisoned her. Is that true? Could it be you who did it?"

Madam Yu's face darkened. "How could I be so stupid? Your father treasures her like the apple of his eye. To do something to her right under his nose? Do you think I'm asking for trouble?"

Xi Yao breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a little disappointed. "That mother always says she can't get in my way. How can she not? As long as she's alive, I'll never get any good things in the family."

Madam Yu curled her lip and scoffed, "If something happens to her at her parents' home, your father won't let it go easily. He might even suspect me. If word gets out, it won't be good for our reputation either. It's not worth getting into trouble just to get rid of Xi Lingxian."

"But if she marries into her husband's family and dies depressed because she cannot please her mother-in-law and husband, then your father can't blame me."

Xi Yao's eyes lit up as she listened, "So that's what Mother was planning."

"If she is disliked by her husband's family, it can only be said that she is incompetent; even if she dies by being murdered, if my father wants to settle accounts, he will definitely look for her husband's family, not us."

Xi Yao clapped her hands and laughed, "Mother's move was truly brilliant."

Thinking of Xi Lingxian's unusual behavior today, Madam Yu said with pessimism, "Don't be too happy yet. Haven't you noticed that the girl's temperament has suddenly changed quite a bit?"

"Not only did they not contradict the old lady, but they also gave her such nice things?"

Xi Yao disagreed. "Perhaps she was frightened by falling into the water. With her father not in the capital, who else can she turn to besides her grandmother?"

"My daughter heard from her brother that she even went to the restaurant to see Xi Song yesterday, but she suddenly fainted halfway there and had to call a doctor in the restaurant's private room."

Mrs. Yu grasped the key point in her daughter's question: "Which doctor did you consult?"

"It seems to be Liuchuntang."

Yu's brows furrowed deeply.

Xi Yao: "Mother, is something wrong?"

Madam Yu's eyes were dark and unfathomable. "The two doctors we usually use in the manor both have the same tongue. If we had called a doctor from the manor, she would never have found anything out, even if she died. But... how could it be such a coincidence?"

Xi Yao: "...Mother, do you mean Xi Lingxian has sensed something is wrong?"

After saying that, Xi Yao denied it herself.

"Impossible, she doesn't have that kind of brain. Xi Lingxian is an arrogant and domineering good-for-nothing who knows nothing about cosmetics and jewelry. If she had that kind of cunning, would she have just watched you ruin Xi Song?"

Upon hearing her daughter's words, Madam Yu's expression softened slightly. "We still can't let our guard down. Someone, come here!"

The old woman behind her hurried forward. "What are your orders, Madam?"

"Find a way to tell Granny Zhou not to make any noise for a while, just observe and wait for my news."

"Yes."

……

Qiluan Pavilion

The room, now furnished with new bedding, felt completely refreshed; everything was new and exciting.

Lingxian took a short nap and was woken up by Taozhi, who told her that the second young master had arrived.

Xi Song, dressed in a snow-white brocade robe, stood with his head down under the corridor. Only after being announced by a maid did he reluctantly enter.

Lingxian noticed that there were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well last night.

Xi Lingxian and Xi Song are twins, a boy and a girl, and the two siblings are the same age, but Xi Song is more than a head taller than Xi Lingxian.

The siblings share a resemblance in their eyebrows and eyes, both possessing beautiful and delicate peach blossom eyes.

When Han passed away, the siblings were only three years old; six months later, Yu was betrothed to her father and became his second wife.

Xiao Lingxian and Xiao Xisong were initially wary and disliked their stepmother, after all, no stepmother would genuinely be good to her children;

But Madam Yu put a lot of effort into caring for the two siblings. She never took their hostility to heart and personally prepared their breakfast every morning. When Xiao Lingxian caught a cold and had a high fever, she stayed by her bedside day and night without taking off her clothes. Even when Xiao Xisong contracted a contagious disease, Madam Yu never showed any disgust or avoidance. She personally cooked soup and medicine every day until Xisong recovered.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood, especially those of two mothers who have just lost their children.

Who would have thought that such a gentle and beautiful exterior concealed a heart as venomous as a snake?

Thinking of this, Xi Lingxian, who had been blaming herself for being foolish in her previous life, suddenly felt relieved.

She shouldn't be too hard on herself back then.

You can harm others for a thousand days, but you can't guard against them for a thousand days.

Such sweet words would be hard to resist even for the most cunning person, let alone a child who was only a few years old at the time.

Xi Lingxian looked up at her younger brother, whose eyes were clear and bright.

Poison her, ruin Xi Song, and take away the elder brother's leg.

The debt that the Yu family owed her could not be offset by her killing Xi Yao in her previous life.

Looking at her sister, who was alternating between sadness and sneer, Xi Song couldn't help but wonder if she had really lost her mind the day the ship crashed.

"Sister?"

He called out.

Lingxian paused, the smile fading from her lips, and looked up to ask, "Where are you in your studies?"

Xi Song: "?"

After not showing him any concern for centuries, he suddenly starts asking about his studies.

Xi Song was not happy. "I can't get into those books. Besides, with our family's status, if I want to become an official, it's just a matter of my father's word. I don't need to study hard for years."

The Nine-Rank System for Officials has always been the greatest asset of aristocratic families, and also a major concern for the emperor.

Xi Lingxian's brow twitched. "So what have you been doing every day lately?"

"Drinking wine, appreciating flowers, strolling in the garden, and engaging in leisurely conversation."

A typical day of eating, drinking, and having fun, typical of a scion of a wealthy family.

Xi Lingxian couldn't immediately determine whether her younger brother was currently useless or not.

"From today onwards, you are no longer allowed to eat, drink, and have fun with Xi Hui and his bunch of drinking buddies. Stay home and study hard."

"It's true that your father can get you an official position, but how high you can go depends on your own abilities."

Xi Song's eyes widened, her lips twitched slightly, and after a moment, she smiled, her lips moving slightly. "No, sister, do you even know what you're saying?"

"You're starting to tell me what to do now?"

"I didn't even mention your chasing after men, and you're lecturing me? Let's keep to ourselves, I won't bother with you, and you shouldn't bother with me either!"

"What did you say? Say it again!"

"You're the one who's bored and has nothing better to do than try to tell me what to do, otherwise I wouldn't bother saying anything to you."

"Xi Song!"

"Xi Lingxian!"

"What did you call me?"

"...Sister."

Ling Xian's eyes suddenly reddened, and she slumped back into her seat at the table, sniffing softly.

Xi Song was a little dumbfounded, "...I, I didn't even look for you much, and you're crying? You were the one who whipped me, not me whipping you."

Xi Lingxian ignored him. She had been pampered and protected by her father and brothers since she was a child, and had never been spoken to harshly.

Judging from Xi Song's attitude just now, if he weren't her younger brother, she would definitely have the servants tie him up and whip him severely.

The resentment and grievances that had been reborn suddenly surged into her heart like a tidal wave, and her soft sobs gradually turned into loud wailing.