Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: When Did Our Lady Ever Degrade Herself?

Nurse Sun said nothing further, only silently feeling a pang of sympathy for Qin Wan.

“Thank you, Nurse. Please convey to Grandmother that once I am feeling better, I will come to pay my respects,” Qin Wan said, finishing the medicinal tonic in one gulp and handing the empty bowl to Wanshuang.

Nurse Sun took it with a nod. “The matriarch said your recovery is most important, miss. Everything else can wait.”

“Many thanks, Nurse.”

Qin Wan lay back down, a warmth stirring in her heart. It seemed that in this household, only her grandmother truly cared for her.

No sooner had Nurse Sun left than Qin Lang and Su Yan’er entered.

Unlike before, Wanshuang immediately stopped them at the door.

“Second Young Master, Miss Yan’er, the young lady has already gone to bed. If you have matters to discuss, please wait until tomorrow.”

Without Qin Wan’s instruction, Wanshuang took it upon herself to block their way, thinking the young lady surely did not wish to see them again.

But Qin Lang ignored her and said, “When Nurse Sun brought the tonic, she was still awake. It’s only been a short while—how could she have fallen asleep so quickly?”

Qin Lang did not believe it; this was clearly an excuse to avoid them.

Su Yan’er glanced toward the flickering candlelight inside and instinctively rested her hand on Qin Lang’s forearm.

“Second Brother, I suppose Fourth Sister is still upset with me. Perhaps I shouldn’t go after all,” Su Yan’er said softly. The night was quiet, and her voice carried into the inner room, irritating Qin Wan who lay on the bed.

Qin Lang’s slender hand twitched reflexively, withdrawing from hers, leaving her hand suspended in midair.

A flush of embarrassment and unease swept over Su Yan’er. That had been a test, and he had pulled away—as if a barrier remained between them.

Qin Lang was surprised by his own reflex. When he was with Wan’er, no matter how much she tormented him or clung to his back, he never reacted this way.

Yet with Su Yan’er, he felt a stark unease—perhaps because she was not truly his sister.

Seeing Su Yan’er’s startled expression, Qin Lang’s heart softened. He realized he had been wrong. Father had said she was a daughter of the Hou residence, and thus she was his sister. Immediately, Qin Lang changed his tone to one of gentle reassurance.

“Yan’er, today the Fan Pavilion is hosting a play. The troupe invited is the best from Jiangnan. You haven’t seen them before. If you don’t go today, who knows when the next chance will be? Wait here for a moment.”

Qin Lang’s tender voice eased Su Yan’er’s heart. Tears that had been threatening to fall were held back, and she nodded in agreement.

Without heeding Wanshuang’s objections, Qin Lang hurried into the inner room.

Inside, Qin Wan lay face down on the bed, the candlelight flickering with the breeze that drifted in.

Though Qin Wan turned her head away, Qin Lang knew she was not asleep.

“Wan’er, Grandmother has lifted your confinement. You are no longer under restriction. Today the Fan Pavilion hosts a play, and your elder brother has asked me to invite you.”

Qin Wan was not deaf; she could discern that his tone now differed from how he spoke to Su Yan’er.

He had been patient and soothing with Su Yan’er, but now there was a blend of calm and impatience.

“If he wants me to watch the play, why doesn’t he come himself?” Qin Wan replied coldly, still not turning her head.

Qin Lang knew Qin Ye’s visit was meant as an apology for his earlier outburst, but had she done nothing wrong?

If she had not spoken those heartless words, would elder brother have struck her? He was not a violent man; he would not have acted unless pushed to the brink.

Qin Lang clenched his fists tightly, forcing down the surge of emotion, striving to remain composed.

“As the heir to the Hou residence, elder brother is busy with affairs and has no time to come himself. That’s why he asked Yan’er and me to invite you.”

“If he’s so busy, how does he have time to watch a play?”

Qin Wan’s sarcastic remark caused Qin Lang to lose some control. His tone shifted from calm to one laced with anger.

“Qin Wan, I know you’re upset, but if you hadn’t made Mother cry today and spoken ill of Yan’er, would elder brother have struck you?”

Qin Wan smiled bitterly. The one who struck was in the wrong, yet she, the one struck, was at fault?

Qin Lang continued, “Grandmother has already admonished elder brother. Asking you to attend the play today is his way of apologizing. If you refuse to go, then you are wrong.”

Her fault?

How had it become her fault?

Just for declining to join the play? For harboring resentment after being slapped?

Then, by their logic, she shouldn’t be angry, she deserved the slap, she deserved to be sent to Leishan Temple for reflection, she deserved the abuse from the nuns there?

All this was her fault—yet what exactly had she done wrong?

Qin Wan forced herself to sit up sideways. Seeing this, Wanshuang hurried forward to support her.

When Qin Wan turned her head to look at Qin Lang, he was stunned. He hadn’t expected her face to be so swollen. Was it just a slap? How could it be so severe?

A pang of anguish gripped Qin Lang’s heart, words caught in his throat but unable to be spoken.

“According to you, second brother, am I to wear this face to the Fan Pavilion and watch the play?”

The tickets for tonight’s performance had long sold out, and the hall was packed. Attending with such a swollen face would be like announcing to the entire capital that she had been beaten.

“How do you expect me to watch the play? Sitting through it? If I’m not mistaken, the performance will last at least two hours. You want me to endure this swollen face and my injuries just to ‘sit’ there?”

Qin Wan emphasized ‘sit,’ now even sitting sideways hurt her, let alone sitting properly.

If she was right, they certainly wouldn’t prepare any cushions for her.

Qin Lang was momentarily at a loss for words. He hadn’t realized her wounds had lasted so long without healing. Hadn’t he sent her military-grade ointment?

Those punished by military law recovered in days with the ointment. If her wounds still reopened, it meant she hadn’t used the medicine he sent.

This thought sparked a flash of anger in Qin Lang’s heart. She had always been fearful of pain and careful to use the best ointments to avoid scars. Yet now, she refused his medicine just to spite the family, to torment herself.

Qin Lang found himself increasingly unable to understand his sister.

“Qin Wan, I truly never expected you to stoop to such means to win the family’s sympathy. You degrade yourself like this just to make us feel guilty. I’m seeing you less and less clearly.”

Qin Wan was momentarily stunned, not understanding his meaning, but she knew it was not kind.

Wanshuang, who had held back for a long time, finally spoke up, unable to contain herself.

“What do you mean by that, Second Young Master? When has our young lady degraded herself? If you truly care for her, then leave now and let her rest. Or bring genuine medicine instead of these useless ointments to ease her pain!”