Chapter 7.1

However, things did not go as smoothly as Qi Tianlei had hoped.

One day, Yuhu felt particularly uneasy. She didn’t understand why and Tianlei thought it was a sign of pregnancy, urging her to stay calm. But she believed it wasn’t morning sickness. She felt no discomfort, and her eating habits hadn’t changed. It was just a feeling of agitation.

Something was bound to happen!

Just before lunchtime, a maid hurried to the New Garden, looking as if she had good news.

“Third Young Mistress, the Old Madam asks you to come to the front hall. Your father has come from Yangzhou to visit you!”

Her father? Yuhu was stunned. How did her father know she was here? Even if he knew, he wouldn’t come to see her, right? Or… had they found out in Yangzhou, and the Yuan family had sent someone to the Li family to claim her, prompting her father to come? This seemed most likely! Did this mean Bingyan was safe?

As she walked to the front hall with the maid, she instructed another maid, “Go to the study and ask the Third Young Master to come to the front hall.”

The closer she got to the front hall, the more uneasy Yuhu felt. If her father came to Quanzhou, it must be to take her to the Yuan family. Compared to five thousand taels of gold and silver, she, a useless girl, was worth nothing. Would her father really take her to the Yuan family? Once the truth came out, her father, who lived for wealth, would be the first to run away if things went wrong. He wouldn’t bother coming to make any demands! Unless he couldn’t escape fast enough and was forced to come at knifepoint!

As she stepped into the side door of the main hall, she was shocked to see a figure that wasn’t her father, Li Shengming, but Du Zhixiang, Bingyan’s father!

The Old Madam, with sharp eyes, saw her and smiled, “Bingyan, come over and meet your father and brothers, so they can see how well you are doing in the Qi family! I have praised your wisdom and capability. Only Mr. Du could have raised such a good daughter! Sir, don’t you think Bingyan has become even more beautiful?”

Yuhu’s legs went weak. She braced herself to face Du Zhixiang’s shocked and disbelieving eyes. It was Du Zhongchuan, the second son, who first regained his composure and shouted, “Li Yuhu! How is it you? Where is my sister?”

“I—I—” Yuhu took two steps back, panicking. “There is a misunderstanding. I can explain—”

“Bingyan, what’s going on?” The Old Madam was surprised by the strange turn of events. The three visitors, instead of being happy to see their daughter, were glaring at her angrily. She didn’t understand what was happening.

Du Zhixiang pointed at Li Yuhu, trembling with anger, “You dared to impersonate Bingyan and live here as the Third Young Mistress! What have you done to my daughter?” A terrible thought crossed his mind, making his face turn pale.

“I didn’t mean to; it was the matchmakers who mixed up the sedan chairs. I—had no choice, and I didn’t harm Bingyan in any way!” She was pushed back several steps, almost falling out the door. It wasn’t the aggressive stance of the Du father and sons that frightened her, but the realization that the worst had happened! Bingyan hadn’t been sent home as the matchmakers claimed but had been mistakenly sent to the General’s household!

“If you didn’t harm Bingyan, how could you safely enjoy her wealth and status here? If we hadn’t come to Quanzhou, would you have lived a peaceful life forever? How could you do this? If you didn’t harm Bingyan, why are you here? Where is my daughter? She’s been missing for two and a half months! And you, a heartless woman, feel no guilt! Where is my daughter?” Du Zhixiang roared at her.

Yuhu stumbled backward, clutching her stomach in pain. Biting her pale lips, she could only shake her head and hold her belly.

“Yuhu!” Qi Tianlei, being led to the front hall by a servant, saw her fall and rushed over, scooping her up in his arms.

“Are you alright?”

“My stomach hurts…” She grabbed his clothes, her face twisted in pain, and said, “Bingyan… Bingyan is missing! She didn’t return…”

“Fetch a doctor!” Qi Tianlei shouted at the dumbfounded servants, scaring them into action. He then carried Yuhu back to the New Garden.

The Old Madam shouted angrily, “Mr. Du! If my great-grandchild suffers any harm, I will hold you accountable! You three men are bullying a weak woman. I don’t care if she’s your daughter or an imposter. She is carrying the Qi family heir, making her the rightful wife of the Qi family! As for why your daughter didn’t marry into my family, maybe she ran away because she thought my grandson’s life was too fragile! Find out the truth before coming here! Has the doctor arrived? Also, have the kitchen prepare the herbal decoction for protecting the pregnancy. Dr. Liu left a few prescriptions last time. Hurry up!” With a series of commands, the Old Madam ignored the Du family and hurried to the New Garden with the help of servants. At this point, the real identity of the Third Young Mistress didn’t matter; the important thing was the child she carried. If anything happened to the baby, the Old Madam would make the Du family pay dearly.

The hall was left with the Du family alone. The servants had all gone to their duties. Only a steward politely but firmly told them, “Please leave now.” The Du family had no intention of staying. The most important thing was to find out what had happened! Matchmaker Li had dared to come for a red packet after returning to Yangzhou, claiming the task was completed. She must be involved in this too!

“Father, what should we do?” Du Zhongchuan asked.

“Quick! We must return to Yangzhou and question Matchmaker Li and Matchmaker Zhang! They must give us an explanation! Let’s find out who is playing tricks!” Du Zhixiang, without further delay, led his sons out of the Qi family gate, feeling a deep sense of dread about his daughter’s fate. Where had Bingyan been for the past two and a half months?

As they left in a hurry, Du Zhixiang recalled his brief glimpse of the Third Young Master Qi, who easily carried a person. How could he be so frail? Moreover, he was exceptionally handsome. If Bingyan married him, they would be a perfect match. Marrying someone like Li Yuhu was a waste!

Having just arrived in Quanzhou, the father and sons immediately rushed back to Yangzhou.

After confirming the baby was safe, the Old Madam and Lady Qi were finally relieved. Qi Tianlei told them about Yuhu’s situation—adding many favorable words about her. The elders were deeply moved, believing that Yuhu, despite being mistakenly married, did not reveal her identity and instead chose to stay with him out of sympathy for his illness, wanting to bear his child, not for wealth and glory. Since Yuhu was originally supposed to marry a powerful general, she had no need to endure hardship here. Such a woman touched the Old Madam and Lady Qi even more, making them adore her more.

Yuhu knew well that the baby in her belly was her lucky star. Otherwise, she would have faced severe consequences from the Old Madam. How else would she have the current situation where everyone was at her command?

Now feeling better, she sat by the stone table in the plum grove, eating plums. Tianlei had stayed with her for two days but left early this morning with the Old Madam to the business. A significant land transaction last month had gone wrong, with Ke Shizhao handling it. Sent a few days earlier to negotiate with the seller, he only made things worse, and a large sum of money was maliciously swallowed up. This incident had made Qi family’s finances tight. Additionally, the shipbuilding business had run into trouble. Due to manufacturing issues, buyers were unhappy and refused to pay, resulting in a huge loss from the ten expensive ships they built!

These two issues alone made the Old Madam restless, dragging Qi Tianlei everywhere. Meanwhile, “Hongtu” kept competing with the Qi family in every business venture, leading to a large outflow of capital and a temporary cash flow crisis. At the end of the month, the payroll was a substantial amount. If they couldn’t come up with the money, other businesses would seize the opportunity to spread rumors, shaking the employees’ confidence and potentially reducing orders. This was a serious matter! And the one who caused these blunders was none other than Ke Shizhao, whom the Old Madam relied on! Initially, Aunt Fang had pushed for the land acquisition, using some trick to buy forested land at a low price, thinking they made a huge profit. However, the other party had drafted fake contracts, backed by the authorities, and turned against the Qi family, accusing them of oppressing good people and seizing land!

Even forcing good people into prostitution… If this escalated, it would be disastrous! The whole household was busy, except for Yuhu, who, being pregnant, could stay cool and relaxed.

She wasn’t worried, knowing this was Tianlei and Brother Liu’s plan. Only now did Yuhu suddenly realize that Tianlei’s target was the Old Madam, not the scoundrel Ke Shizhao! It was indeed bold, fighting against the Old Madam required immense courage and determination.