Chapter 63: South Corner Gate

Bao Ning looked up and saw Qiu Lingyan standing next to Madam Liu. She still wore that shy expression, but Bao Ning no longer felt any sympathy—only a sense of strangeness.

“Elder Sister.” Qiu Lingyan saw that Bao Ning wasn’t smiling like she used to and panicked slightly, calling out to her.

“Come in,” Bao Ning said as she patted the little lamb’s rump to let it go play, plucked the white fur from the brush, and stood to walk toward the house.

Madam Liu was oblivious to anything wrong. She remembered that Bao Ning used to be very fond of the seventh young lady, so why was she so cold today? Thinking Bao Ning was just in a bad mood, she advised Qiu Lingyan to speak cautiously and not upset her. Qiu Lingyan absentmindedly agreed, head down, and followed Bao Ning.

Bao Ning sat at the table, trying to keep her tone neutral. “Yan’er, I want to ask you something.”

“You… you can ask.”

“Have you ever taken anything from this table?” Bao Ning tapped the surface lightly.

“I…” Qiu Lingyan looked up abruptly like a startled cat, her eyes evasive. She wasn’t entirely bad—she did feel guilt over what she’d done and didn’t know how to hide it.

Bao Ning instantly understood, her eyes darkening with disappointment.

Back at the Crown Prince’s residence, that man called Brother Yuan had worn a jade clasp that once belonged to Pei Yuan. Bao Ning had long wondered how it had ended up with someone else. This morning, the truth struck her: the only likely suspect was Qiu Lingyan. She had suspected it before, but now that it was confirmed, she still felt deeply hurt.

She had treated her sincerely—how did it end up like this?

“Elder Sister…” Qiu Lingyan clutched the edge of the table, her eyes filling with tears. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees at Bao Ning’s feet and began to sob. “I’m sorry! It was my Sixth Sister who made me do it. I didn’t dare disobey her, really. She would beat me… I didn’t know what she wanted it for. She only told me to take something belonging to the Fourth Prince. I thought it wouldn’t matter, so I took it.”

“Enough. You don’t need to explain,” Bao Ning said, lips tight, turning her face away. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Qiu Lingyan knelt there, looking up at her in panic. “I swear every word I said is true. If I’m lying, then—”

“Whether it’s true or not, I don’t want to hear it anymore.” Bao Ning stood up, turning her back. Her voice turned cold. “You know in your heart whether what you did was right or wrong. I don’t need to teach you.

You’re young, you were manipulated, you had your reasons—I understand, but I won’t forgive. I can’t bring myself to punish someone I once cared about, so let’s just say I misjudged you. You don’t need to beg.

From now on, we’ll go our separate ways. Don’t come see me again. Leave.”

“Elder Sister…” Qiu Lingyan covered her face and wept. “I really had no choice.”

She rolled up her sleeves and ran to Bao Ning, showing her arm. “My Sixth Sister really does beat me if I don’t do what she says…”

Bao Ning glanced down. Sure enough, Qiu Lingyan’s pale arm was covered in bruises, some purple and frightening to look at.

Bao Ning hardened her heart and looked away. “That’s all the more reason to stay far away from me. What if next time she tells you to do something worse to me—will you do it or not?”

“Just get out!” Bao Ning snapped.

She shoved Qiu Lingyan out the door, then called for Madam Liu to escort her away. Bao Ning turned back into the room and shut the door.

Qiu Lingyan looked back, devastated and disbelieving, then collapsed on the ground in tears.

Bao Ning felt awful too. She took a deep breath and turned toward the inner room, forcing herself to ignore what was happening outside.

Madam Liu, distraught, helped Qiu Lingyan up. She didn’t know how to comfort her and didn’t dare let her stay. After a few soothing words and wiping her tears, she sent her away.

As Qiu Lingyan walked along the path behind the house, she continued to cry. She knew she had wronged Bao Ning, but she truly had no other option. She wanted to gather information from Qiu Lingjun to secretly share with Bao Ning, but her sixth sister never told her anything—only gave her orders. If she disobeyed, she was beaten.

Half a month ago, her sister had ordered her to steal the Fourth Prince’s jade clasp and gather news about someone named Meng Fan.

Just a few days ago, before the Crown Prince married a concubine, her sister gave her one more task: today, at noon, she must lure Bao Ning to the South Corner Gate.

That time was now.

But Bao Ning didn’t trust her anymore. She wouldn’t come.

Her sixth sister hadn’t returned, and neither had the two senior maids Songlan and Shaolan. Qiu Lingyan didn’t know what they were doing—only that getting Bao Ning to the appointed place was crucial. If she failed, she’d be beaten to death when her sister came back.

Qiu Lingyan, torn between guilt and desperation, circled the South Corner Gate area multiple times. Her eyes landed on the lotus pond nearby. She clenched her teeth, and a plan formed.

—

Bao Ning was napping in the inner room when, half-asleep, she heard urgent voices outside.

Then Madam Liu began wailing, slapping her thighs as she rushed to the door, knocking in panic. “Madam! Madam! Something terrible has happened! The seventh young lady fell into the water!”

Bao Ning frowned. At first, she didn’t hear clearly. Madam Liu called out a few more times before she snapped awake, threw on her clothes, and ran out.

“How did she fall in?” Bao Ning asked, shocked.

“I don’t know! A maid looking for help said she saw the young lady looking upset by the lake. Maybe she slipped and fell in. She can’t swim, so they came running for help. Since we’re closest to the South Corner Gate, they came to us first. I said we didn’t have anyone available, so the maid ran off to find others,” Madam Liu explained anxiously.

Hearing that, Bao Ning began to feel guilty.

Had she been too harsh earlier? She had told a nine-year-old child to “get lost”—could that have hurt her feelings so badly?

Bao Ning couldn’t bring herself to ignore it. She sighed, went back inside to quickly dress properly, then said to Madam Liu, “Let’s go take a look at the South Corner Gate.”

Madam Liu agreed, and they hurried over. But as they went farther, something felt off. That maid who went for help—shouldn’t she have found someone by now? Yet the path was empty and eerily quiet.

Bao Ning felt a flicker of doubt but pushed it down—someone’s life might be at stake. She kept going.

The lakeside was completely still. The lake itself was silent.

A chill ran through Bao Ning. Was the maid lying? Was this some trick of Qiu Lingyan’s?

Madam Liu was equally confused. “Wha—what’s going on?”

“Circle the lake,” Bao Ning ordered, her expression dark. “If there’s still no sign, we’re leaving.”

Madam Liu nodded and rushed off to investigate.

Bao Ning stood in place, her emotions in turmoil.

Suddenly, a sound came from behind her. She turned and looked toward the direction of the South Corner Gate, where she saw a shadow flicker behind a tall silk tree. The figure wasn’t very tall—it looked a lot like Qiu Lingyan.

Bao Ning narrowed her eyes and walked over, calling out as she approached, “Seventh Young Lady?”

No one responded. She took a few more steps. Just as she neared the gate, she called again, “Seventh Young Lady, are you there?”

Just then, the side gate creaked open behind her. Bao Ning turned around—and saw Meng Fan standing there. An old servant was beside him, holding the door open and smiling. “Young Master Meng, this is the place.”

Bao Ning and Meng Fan stared at each other, both clearly surprised.

Bao Ning asked, “Young Master Meng, what are you doing here?”

Meng Fan replied, “I was invited. A young lady from the General’s manor sent me an invitation, asking for help designing a unique hair ornament. She said she couldn’t come to the shop herself due to mobility issues, so I came here personally. The meeting place she gave was the South Corner Gate.”

How could it be such a coincidence?

Bao Ning was momentarily stunned, but something immediately felt wrong. She turned to leave, and as she lifted her head, she suddenly saw Pei Yuan standing just a few steps away, fists clenched at his sides, looking at her furiously.

—

Wei Meng had suddenly come to fetch him because Gongsun Zhu, taking advantage of a moment’s inattention, had committed suicide by slamming into a pillar. Pei Yuan rushed there to handle the situation and quickly returned afterward.

But when he arrived back at the residence, everything inside was quiet—there wasn’t a soul in sight. His mind immediately flashed to the note hidden in the hairpin, and a surge of dread washed over him. He raced to the location mentioned in the letter.

There, he saw Bao Ning standing opposite that man called Meng Fan. They stood facing each other, seemingly deep in conversation, emotions sincere—he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

In that instant, Pei Yuan felt his heart twist in agony. His ears rang.

Bao Ning rushed toward him in a panic, seemingly trying to explain something. But he couldn’t hear a single word.

He was beyond furious.

Sansukini: He needs to trust her more or he’ll lose her.

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