"What are you looking for in my wardrobe, cousin?"
A soft voice drifted from behind her.
Qiao Manrou froze, a shiver of pure fright tracing its way down her spine. She whipped around, instinctively snatching her hands behind her back, her eyes wide with horror as she stared at the woman on the bed, who had awoken without a sound.
"N-no!"
She forced a smile, guilt radiating from every pore. "Didn’t you fall asleep, cousin? When did you wake up?"
Lady Su closed her eyes, weary of the pretense. She dispensed with the charade and called for the maids waiting outside.
"Search her. See if she stole anything from me."
She had set a trap, yes, but she had also given the woman a chance. If Qiao Manrou had simply left her be, she would have never made a move.
But Qiao Manrou had been relentless, determined to see her ruined.
An ungrateful heart, it seemed, could never be tamed.
"Cousin, how can you suspect me of stealing?"
Qiao Manrou was utterly stunned, her mind reeling. How had her gentle, kind-hearted cousin suddenly become so domineering?
No one answered her. A maid swiftly discovered the corset hidden in her sleeve and presented it to Lady Su.
Lady Su reached out a slender finger, gently tracing the three embroidered words in the corner: "Ye Xiwei." A chill settled deep in her heart.
[That vile woman got caught???]
[This isn't right. This isn’t how the plot was supposed to go. How did it fall apart so easily?]
The noise of the maids entering had already woken Su Mengyao. But since she was not truly a child, she didn’t cry or make a fuss. She simply watched the scene unfold from her cradle, her eyes wide.
It was then she realized things were not proceeding as they should.
Hearing that childlike voice in her mind, Lady Su turned her head. She saw a faint confusion clouding her daughter’s dark eyes, a look of complete bewilderment. The infant was clearly shocked by this deviation from the so-called "plot."
The expression was unbearably adorable.
[Could it be that heaven heard my cries and intervened? Whatever, the plot falling apart is a good thing!]
Lady Su’s heart melted. She couldn’t resist reaching over to gently stroke her daughter’s soft little face.
Foolish child, she thought. It wasn’t heaven that intervened. It was you. You are your mother’s little lucky star.
"Uh, cousin, I just thought this corset was pretty," Qiao Manrou stammered, panicking now that she was exposed. "I liked it so much, I only wanted to make one just like it. Surely you wouldn’t be so petty as to get upset over such a small thing?"
[This vile woman. To be caught red-handed and not only refuse to admit fault, but to blame my mother for being petty… truly shameless.]
[Mother, don’t believe her! This woman is vicious. She truly wants to destroy you.]
[You don’t know. She’s been lusting after my father for a long time. She even tried to sneak into his bed, but he threw her out. Father never told you because he didn’t want to affect your pregnancy.]
[When she couldn’t get to Father, she started scheming against you. She wrote to Shen Zixuan in your name, confessing an undying longing for him. She made him believe you still had feelings for him, and now he thinks of you day and night.]
[Because of that, Lady Shen grew to despise you. Goaded by this woman, she went mad when she found your corset with Shen Zixuan and rushed over to lash out, heedless of the reputations of the Duke Mansion and the Shen Mansion.]
Lady Su’s fingers clenched into a fist, her body trembling with a cold rage.
To think this was the Qiao Manrou she had taken into the Grand Marshal's Residence, the one she had treated as a sister, giving her the same food, clothing, and status as the Duchess herself. She had pitied her, cared for her, and this was how she was repaid.
Trying to seduce her husband. Writing to Shen Zixuan in her name.
How could she?
How could she possibly face her husband now?
"Is that so?" Lady Su’s voice was like ice. "If you merely liked it, why not tell me directly? Given our relationship, why resort to sneaking around?"
"I… I hadn't had the chance to say anything, cousin. You were already asleep. I called to you, but you were sleeping too deeply."
Qiao Manrou pouted, her glib tongue weaving a flimsy excuse.
Lady Su fell silent. If she had not heard her daughter’s thoughts, she might have actually been fooled, convinced this was nothing more than a trivial misunderstanding.
Who could have imagined that the cousin to whom she had shown such kindness felt not a shred of gratitude, but only a burning desire to harm her?
[Huh??? This woman is a master of shamelessness.]
[Mother, why are you wasting words on her? Just send people to search her room. There are several letters she wrote to Shen Zixuan in your name.]
[Besides, she’s taken a lot of gold and silver from you. An ingrate like her shouldn’t be enjoying our family’s money. Mother, take back everything she’s been given, give her a good beating, and throw her out!]
A faint curve touched Lady Su’s lips. Her daughter’s thoughts mirrored her own. They were perfectly in sync, a true mother and daughter.
"Someone, take this lady and lock her in the woodshed."
Before she could finish, Qiao Manrou’s shrill voice cut through the air.
"What? Lock me up? Are you insane? I am not one of your servants! You can’t just lock me up!"
She caught herself mid-rant, the realization of her rashness dawning on her. She forced a stiff smile, her tone softening.
"Cousin, don’t joke with your sister. You know how timid I am."
"…"
Lady Su watched the performance in silence. A small smile played on her lips, but it held no warmth, never reaching the cold depths of her eyes.
"To touch another’s private belongings without permission shows a complete lack of breeding. Lock her up. It is time she was taught some proper conduct."
At her command, the maids lunged forward, seizing Qiao Manrou by the arms and dragging her toward the door.
Qiao Manrou finally understood that Lady Su was serious. She began to struggle wildly, terror seizing her as she begged for mercy.
But the maids, already instructed, showed her no leniency. When she fought back, one of them delivered several sharp slaps across her face. The blows dazed her, and her resistance crumbled. Within moments, she was gone.
Back in the quiet bedroom, Lady Su instructed Nanny Li to search Qiao Manrou’s room and retrieve all the money and valuables she had taken from the mansion.
Not wanting to expose her infant to such sordid affairs, she didn’t mention the letters aloud, instead giving Nanny Li a sharp, meaningful look.
After years of service, their understanding was profound. Nanny Li gave a slight nod and departed.
[Wow, the vile woman got beaten, and the money is coming back. My mother is amazing!]
[That’s right! As long as my mother caught on to Qiao Manrou’s scheme, it wouldn’t be so easy to frame her. So wise and mighty! That’s my mother!]
[No, no, I almost forgot! The matter of the letters isn’t resolved yet!]
[Yes, yes, yes! If that nanny finds the letters and shows them to Mother, then she’ll know what unforgivable things that vile woman did behind her back.]
[Otherwise, what if the vile woman uses her silver tongue to talk her way out of it later? What if Mother has a moment of weakness and believes her?]
[She’ll just keep trying to harm Mother in the future!]
Seeing her little child so deeply worried, Duchess An chuckled helplessly.
It seemed that once Nanny Li found the letters, she would have to put on a small performance for her daughter. Otherwise, the poor thing would worry herself sick.