Volume One, Chapter 10: Oleander

As soon as Madam Li spoke, Qin Siyu knew that going to Jingyi Courtyard would not end well for her. Yet, if she didn’t go, things would only get worse.

Madam Li gripped Qin Siyu’s hand tightly. With no other choice, Qin Siyu spoke up, “I only wish to ease Sixth Sister’s troubles.”

“Fifth Miss, such matters are best discussed with Madam once we arrive at Jingyi Courtyard,” Madam Li replied, dragging Qin Siyu along.

Inside the courtyard, Gu Shuya sat in the main seat, holding a cup of tea in her well-manicured hands. Though it was early spring, the weather outside still felt like the depths of winter—bitingly cold. The room was warmed by a brazier filled with silver-threaded charcoal, from which a faint fragrance wafted.

“Greetings, Mother,” Qin Siyu said as she entered.

Gu Shuya acknowledged with a hum and sipped her tea. “Siyu, your mother has always thought you a sensible child.”

At those words, Qin Siyu knelt down with a thud.

“If you truly wish to help Siyu, I shall say no more. But how could you harbor ill intentions toward her?”

Before Qin Siyu could respond, the steaming tea was hurled beside her leg. Even through her thick clothing, she felt the shards of porcelain scatter beneath her and the scalding heat of the tea. Yet she did not dare utter a word of pain.

“You misunderstand me, Mother. Sixth Sister and I grew up together. How could I ever wish her harm?” Qin Siyu gritted her teeth, enduring the pain as she explained.

Gu Shuya gave a cold laugh. “Siyu, your little tricks were already played when your stepmother was alive.”

“I told you before: if you obey, both you and your sister can live. If not, I have no choice but to sell her to the brothel district.”

The mention of “sister” startled Qin Siyu to look up sharply.

“Mother, it was my fault. I should not have spoken ill before Sixth Sister. Please forgive me,” she said, bowing deeply. She did not care that her smooth forehead bled from hitting the porcelain shards.

Her sister was the only family she had left in this world. Before dying, her stepmother’s greatest concern was for that child.

“I am giving you only one chance. If I discover you slandering or sowing discord before Siyu again, I will show no mercy,” Gu Shuya warned as she rose.

Having been preoccupied with matters concerning Song Xianwan recently, Gu Shuya had nearly overlooked reprimanding Qin Siyu, almost allowing her to slip through the cracks.

“Madam Li, take Fifth Miss back. Let her stay confined in her chamber for a while and reflect on her sins by copying the admonitions for women,” Gu Shuya ordered, casting a cold glance at Qin Siyu.

Every time Gu Shuya saw Qin Siyu, she recalled how, while pregnant, her husband favored another woman, shattering the perfect marriage she believed she had. To add insult to injury, the matriarch had arranged for Qin Siyu’s stepmother to stay at Jinghe Garden to bear a child. That child was Qin Siyu’s sister, born just a month premature and only a month older than Qin Siyu.

Gu Shuya could not bear such humiliation. She dealt with Qin Siyu’s stepmother with ruthless measures and faked the child’s death, secretly sending her out of the residence to be raised elsewhere.

As a mother herself, Gu Shuya knew exactly what Qin Siyu’s stepmother cared about most. That child was her leverage over both mother and daughter.

Madam Li escorted Qin Siyu back to her residence, Lingyu Pavilion, and even assigned a maid to watch over her to prevent any escape.

As the courtyard gate closed behind them, the maid Chunhong couldn’t help but mutter, “Miss, Madam is truly excessive.”

“Gu Shuya’s pride is too high. She wants nothing but the best in all things and will never tolerate any mishap involving Qin Siyu,” Chunhong said.

Qin Siyu entered her room and sat before her dressing table, staring at the injury on her forehead. The blood had dried, leaving a stark, dark red mark.

Qin Siyu was a fool—no trace of Gu Shuya’s cunning intellect. She only had a good mother and a respected background.

Thinking this over, Qin Siyu asked Chunhong to dampen a cloth and clean the blood from her forehead.

It did not matter. She would never remain someone oppressed by Gu Shuya. One day, she vowed, she would repay every bit of suffering inflicted upon her and her sister, bit by bit.

The news of Qin Siyu’s confinement reached Song Xianwan as she bowed her head, copying Buddhist sutras for the matriarch. Her calligraphy was neat and exquisite. Beside her, Fuling ground ink while speaking.

“She brought this on herself. Everyone knows how much Fifth Madam treasures her two children.”

Song’s mother sat nearby, stitching hand-warmers, shaking her head helplessly.

“Qin Siyu is not foolish. Compared to Qin Siyu’s straightforward temperament, she is far more clever.”

Song Xianwan lowered her gaze to the sutras in her hands, where a callus was visible on her thumb—not a writing blister, but one likely caused by years of wielding blades.

“Did you deliver the items to Liao Ting Courtyard? Did he receive them?” After finishing the last character, Song Xianwan set down her brush and looked at Fuling.

Fuling shook her head. “Young Master hasn’t been home these past few days, and the servants in that courtyard dare not accept packages for him.”

Qin Songting served at the Supreme Court. Apart from a brief period after returning home, he had become increasingly busy. His absence from the residence was normal.

Hearing this, Song Xianwan propped her chin on her hand and turned to gaze out the window.

The withered branches were already budding, and even the flowers that had slept through winter were beginning to unfurl, eager to greet spring.

A trace of solemnity crossed Song Xianwan’s eyes. Qin Songting was evidently a difficult man to deal with. Using him to achieve her goals would be no easy task.

“Forget it. I’ll think of another way. Has the poison on the hairpin been identified yet?”

After a long pause, she sighed.

Fuling nodded and quickly retrieved the hairpin wrapped in a handkerchief.

The green gemstone had been smashed; half was missing, and the other half lay on the cloth.

“The doctor said it’s oleander poison. A small dose won’t kill outright, but prolonged exposure will deteriorate the lady’s health until she eventually wastes away.”

“The gemstone was deliberately soaked in oleander sap, allowing the toxin to spread onto the pin. Over time, the poison seeps out and then...” Fuling trailed off, but the implication was clear.

Gu Shuya’s cruelty was truly vile.

“Even before I entered the residence, she was plotting against me. It seems she truly wishes me dead,” Song Xianwan said, narrowing her eyes as a cold light flashed within.

“Fuling, find out what grudge exists between Mother and Gu Shuya.”

Every grievance has its source. Gu Shuya’s relentless attempts to kill her could not be without reason. This hatred had likely been festering in her heart for a long time.

“Miss, I just remembered something that might help you,” Fuling said quietly.