Volume 1, Chapter 19: The Regent: Where Has Your Mistress Gone?

"Nanny, tell me, is my... is my sister—" Xiao Rongli shook his head, choking back sobs. He bit down hard on his own fist, trying his best to keep from making a louder sound.

The seven-year-old boy’s display of such endurance tore Nanny Rong’s heart to pieces. She beat her chest and stamped her feet, filled with regret. The young master was still so small; he shouldn’t have to know such a soul-crushing truth.

"Young Master Li, the eldest miss is quite well. I was speaking of someone else—"

"Nanny, do not treat me like a child." Xiao Rongli raised his eyes to look at Nanny Rong, his gaze filled with tear tracks. "I only want to know, who is she?"

He was asking about Mu Wanting. He wanted to know, if she were not his sister, why did she give him such an eerie sense of familiarity, as if they had known each other forever? It felt as though she, too, was meant to be his sister. Why? Why? He could not understand.

"She is also your sister, Young Master." Under the pressure of Xiao Rongli’s shattered, piercing gaze, Nanny Rong finally yielded. She could not continue to deceive him; she felt Xiao Rongli had the right to know the truth. She was old, and now Lady Fang had her eyes fixed on her; she might not be able to help Mu Wanting forever. Since Young Master Li already suspected the truth, she might as well tell him everything she knew. That way, if she were gone, Young Master Li would be there to help Mu Wanting, and she could die in peace.

In these past days, she had seen clearly that while Mu Wanting appeared cold, she was, in reality, deeply starved for familial love. Otherwise, she would never have risked her life to take the eldest miss’s place in this man-eating Marquis’s manor to seek revenge. Xiao Rongli, having relied on the eldest miss since he was young, viewed his older sister as a mother figure and had poured all his love into her. Otherwise, he would not have been willing to become a servant just to ensure she had a proper burial. Both of these siblings were pitiful children, so desperate for affection that they craved it with such intensity.

"She is the eldest miss’s twin sister, and your sister as well. Her love for you is no less than the eldest miss’s!" Nanny Rong carefully weighed her words, stating everything as calmly as she could. "Young Master Li, being a twin is a grave crime, intolerable to the Imperial family. If outsiders were to discover this, we would all be executed."

"This was not my intention to deceive you, but fate is cruel, and we had no choice. From now on, treat her as you did the eldest miss. Respect her just as you respected her, because—she is worth it!"

Xiao Rongli stared blankly at Nanny Rong, nodding silently. Though he was young, he was not without a heart. These past few days, he had seen Mu Wanting’s actions with his own eyes; she protected him and cared for him just as his previous sister had—

"Wuu..." He sobbed silently. "Nanny, I have a sister again. How fortunate I am!"

That one sentence nearly crushed Nanny Rong’s heart. Such a pure and kind young master, yet the Marquis of Wu’an could be so cruel—it was clear they were courting their own destruction. She pulled Xiao Rongli into her arms and whispered, "I know. I have always believed that good people are rewarded. Your blessings, and the eldest miss’s, are yet to come."

Xiao Rongli’s face was serious, his eyes filled with resolve. "Nanny, I do not want blessings. I want my sister to rest in peace, and I want to avenge her just as my other sister is doing!"

He meant the late Xiao Qingqing when he said "sister," and Mu Wanting when he said "the other sister." Nanny Rong understood. She wanted to urge the young master to live a happy life, knowing that revenge would leave no room for sunlight in his heart, but looking at his resolute gaze, she knew his mind was made up.

"Very well. From now on, the young master and I will follow the eldest miss’s lead."

Xiao Rongli smiled, a smile mixed with bitterness and sweetness, but mostly with hatred. He would demand justice from their wretched father for both his sisters.

The night breeze rustled. Nanny Rong had just coaxed the young master to sleep when she heard movement by the window. Thinking it was Mu Wanting returning, she hurried to greet her.

"Eldest Miss—" Her voice cut off abruptly. She stared blankly at the person before her, cold sweat breaking out across her back. "I... I pay my respects to the Prince Regent."

The visitor was none other than Xie Tingmo.

"Is your mistress not here?" he asked, frowning. Where could she have gone so late? Why would she enter through the window instead of the door? Seeing Nanny Rong bowing her head low, he did not press the matter, only continuing, "Is she well?"

The nanny shook her head. "Your Highness, the eldest miss—she is far from well."

Her tone was heavy with heartbreak and helplessness. Xie Tingmo’s heart was instantly gripped.

"Speak. What has happened to her?"

Nanny Rong lowered her eyes, pondering for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "Your Highness, the eldest miss refused your protection yesterday, but in truth, she did not want you to worry. You are already overwhelmed with affairs of state—"

Xie Tingmo did not want pleasantries. "Get to the point!"

Nanny Rong appeared startled, but inwardly, she was delighted. The Prince was indeed worried about the eldest miss; this would make things much easier.

"Your Highness, my mistress was already covered in wounds before returning to the manor. She was then treated as an omen of bad luck by the Madam and the Old Matron. Helpless, she had to grit her teeth and bathe in cold water. Then, a fire broke out in the manor tonight, and the eldest miss was forced to endure the night air with wet hair. We thought the Marquis would seek justice for her upon his return, but instead, she was punished by being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall. With old wounds unhealed and new illnesses added, she has fallen gravely ill from shock and fear."

Seeing the dark, ominous look on Xie Tingmo’s face, Nanny Rong decided to fan the flames further. She rose and brought out a blood-stained handkerchief Mu Wanting had used, sobbing softly. "Your Highness, look. This is the handkerchief she used. She was so afraid I would worry that she specifically hid it from me."

The bright red blood on the white fabric was blinding. Xie Tingmo’s eyes narrowed, and his fists, hidden within his sleeves, creaked. *Fine, Marquis of Wu’an. I ordered you to handle this with justice, and this is how you do it?*

"Why did she bathe in cold water?" he asked in a low voice, a point he had been unable to fathom.

Nanny Rong’s expression was sorrowful as she hesitated before speaking. "Your Highness, this is a common tactic in the back chambers of noble households. When a matriarch wishes to punish a young lady without damaging her own reputation, she instructs the servants to cut off the hot water, forcing them to use bone-chilling cold water. Women are naturally sensitive to the cold; a light case leads to a fortnight of illness, while a severe case can leave permanent damage, affecting their ability to bear children—"

Nanny Rong emphasized the word "children," clearly implying something more.

Having heard this, how could Xie Tingmo not understand? The manor was acting in defiance of his orders, playing dirty behind his back. By torturing Qingqing this way, they were trying to ensure she would never conceive his heir. He was filled with uncontrollable rage as he looked toward the Marquis’s manor, a cold, mocking sneer on his lips.

*Playing schemes with me? The Marquis of Wu’an has a lot of nerve!*

At that moment, he wanted to raze the sinful manor to the ground, leaving no soul alive.

He calmed his internal fury and said in a cold, thin voice, "Where did your mistress go?"