Qin Shuying withdrew her gaze from the peach blossoms, her tone calm as ever.

  “Lu Changxuan is a man of deep scheming and relentless ambition. His future is his lifeline—take that away, and he will be worse than a stray dog.”

  “To destroy a man’s future, there are only two ways: one, expose his crimes; two, cripple his body. If he loses both, he will be finished.”

  “Nanny, Ziteng, remember—Lu Changxuan must not die. I want him to suffer both fates.”

  Nanny Fu and Ziteng took in her words carefully, nodding in understanding.

  “Yes, Miss.”

  The crime—Qin Shuying had already id the groundwork for it, using the Zhou family’s fate as the means to condemn Lu Changxuan.

  As for crippling his body… That would be his true downfall.

  The Great Zhou had strict regutions—anyone crippled was forbidden from holding office.

  After exchanging a gnce, Nanny Fu and Ziteng excused themselves, leaving Qin Shuying to sit in quiet contemption.

  A moment ter, she rose from her seat, walked to the bookshelf, and retrieved a book.

  Flipping to the title page, she paused briefly before opening it.

  Then, with a brush in hand, she began transcribing.

  Zhengxi General’s Manor – Songtao Residence

  Liang Yanjun faithfully recounted everything he had seen and ter heard regarding Qin Shuying’s actions that day.

  As he finished, Liang Zhe’s brows slowly lifted, a rare trace of amusement flickering across his face.

  “This Qin Shuying…” he mused, “not only ruthless, but bold enough to act decisively.”

  Liang Yanjun frowned slightly.

  “Young Master, how do you know her?”

  Liang Zhe paced the study, his hands csped behind his back.

  He recalled an incident from the pace and recounted it to Liang Yanjun.

  “Some time ago, I was resting in the pace, avoiding unnecessary troubles. I was sleeping quite soundly when suddenly, I heard a pace maid by the Fifth Princess’s side causing a commotion.

  I was about to ignore it—who wants to listen to their endless chattering?

  But just as I sat up and stretched, I heard this Seventh Miss Qin speak—

  And what she said was so startling…

  It left quite the impression.”

  Hearing this, Liang Yanjun’s expression darkened.

  His master, a battle-hardened general, now confined within the pace—how suffocating must that be?

  For the past two months, his master had merely gone through the motions, aimlessly marking his presence at court.

  Sleeping during the day…

  That was unheard of for Liang Zhe since the day he was born.

  Suppressing his frustration, Liang Yanjun instead teased—

  “So, Young Master not only listened to her… but also remembered her name?”

  Liang Zhe let out a low chuckle.

  “Tell me—have you ever seen a young dy quite like her?”

  Liang Yanjun shook his head firmly.

  “Never.”

  “Good. Then let’s sit back and enjoy the show.”

  Liang Zhe smirked, reclining comfortably.

  “With nothing better to do, finding some amusement is not a bad idea.”

  Liang Yanjun’s chest tightened at those words.

  His master, a warrior, should have been on the battlefield—not idling away in the pace.

  Yet he forced himself to change the subject.

  “Young Master, neither the Lu family nor Madam Qin are decent people. Do you need me to step in and help?”

  Liang Zhe waved him off.

  “Let’s wait and see. That little dy seems to have everything under control—she may not need our help at all. Just keep your ears open and report back to me.”

  Pausing, he added with a grin—

  “If something particurly interesting happens… I may go see for myself.”

  Liang Yanjun sighed, resigned.

  “Understood, Young Master.”

  Lu ManorThe moment Lu Changxuan sent off his st guest, his expression darkened.

  Inside, Qin Feifei had already heard the rumors about Qin Yaoyao’s death.

  Her heart was a tangled mess, panic seeping into her every thought.

  She hadn’t expected people to speak of it in such a way.

  So, as soon as the st guest left and the doors closed, she hurried to the study.

  But Lu Changxuan did not go to her immediately.

  Instead, he first went to Cixin Hall to console the Old Madam.

  Only after ensuring her comfort did he reluctantly return to his study—his head throbbing.

  The moment he entered, Qin Feifei rushed forward.

  “Husband! That Seventh Sister is utterly outrageous!”

  Lu Changxuan’s cold expression softened slightly upon seeing her.

  “She is still young and foolish. No one will believe her, so there is no need for you to worry.”

  His voice was gentle, but his patience was wearing thin.

  “This matter—I will handle it.”

  Qin Feifei breathed a small sigh of relief, then asked,

  “How? Can you tell me?”

  But Lu Changxuan merely shook his head.

  “The time isn’t right yet. I’ll tell you when it is.”

  Qin Feifei’s worry remained.

  Lu Changxuan smiled, but in his heart, a wave of frustration built.

  For some reason, he suddenly thought of Qin Yaoyao.

  When problems arose, Qin Yaoyao never clung to him, demanding answers.

  Instead, she immediately took action, seeking solutions on her own.

  “Husband… please tell me. Perhaps I can help.”

  Help?

  She had gone back to her family multiple times, yet had failed to convince Qin Shuying to share the shops with them.

  Meanwhile, the Lu Manor’s finances were running dry.

  Without a solution, they had already begun dismissing servants and cutting expenses.

  And now, she wanted to help?

  Lu Changxuan sidestepped her without a word, walking past her toward his desk.

  He dismissively remarked,

  “You’ve just come out of confinement. You shouldn’t be worrying so much. Once you’ve fully recovered, I’ll tell you everything.”

  Qin Feifei wasn’t willing to give up.

  “But husband—”

  Lu Changxuan picked up a brush, cutting her off.

  “I still have matters to attend to.”

  Qin Feifei felt a sinking unease.

  He had never treated her like this before.

  Why now?

  Yes, he was worried—but why was he pushing her away?

  Lu Changxuan felt her gaze on him, but he didn’t look up.

  Instead, he simply focused on his writing.

  At the beginning, he had only wanted to divorce Qin Yaoyao.

  But Qin Feifei had opposed it.

  He had understood her reasoning—if Qin Yaoyao were merely divorced, she would still exist within the Qin household, a constant reminder that she had once been the rightful wife.

  Not to mention—such an action would not align with Madam Xu’s carefully crafted reputation of treating illegitimate daughters with kindness.

  In the end, they had locked Qin Yaoyao away, expecting her to "die from illness."

  But the woman had refused to succumb.

  Instead, their son, Feng’er, had died instead.

  Yet even then, Qin Yaoyao held on.

  Two full months, and she had shown no signs of death.

  Then—impatient, reckless—Qin Feifei had set the fire that killed her.

  Had she waited, none of this would have happened today.

  Lu Changxuan did not realize it, but resentment was creeping in.

  Qin Feifei was too impulsive.

  Too foolish.

  And too stingy—

  Despite her high status, she had refused to spend her own wealth, instead stealing from Qin Shuying to please the Old Madam.

  If not for that, Qin Shuying wouldn’t have turned on them so fiercely today.

  Qin Feifei paced the study anxiously, then sighed.

  “I’ll check on the child.”

  She hoped he would offer to go with her.

  But Lu Changxuan never looked up.

  “Mm,” he replied ftly.

  And kept writing.

  Qin Feifei left in utter disappointment.