The Marquis's Daughter Doesn't Play Nice - Chapter 1

Since the oh-so-upright Marquis of Yong’an refused to set so much as one foot inside a house of pleasure, Aunt Qiuxiang took us next door to the Drunken Fragrance Restaurant to talk.

Personally, I thought we were spoiling him. The restaurant belonged to Aunt Qiuxiang too.

Listening to their conversation, I finally learned the whole story.

Apparently, I was the daughter of the marquis and his principal wife.

Jealous of my mother’s position, one of his concubines had switched me with a beggar’s child, then dumped me in an unmarked graveyard to fend for myself.

Luckily, Aunt Qiuxiang had passed by and rescued me. Thanks to her, I had made it to sixteen.

At the thought, I hugged her arm, my eyes brimming with tears.

“Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll look after you when you’re old and see you properly buried!”

She rewarded me with a sharp rap on the head.

Then she turned to the Marquis of Yong’an, her expression serious.

“Spring Breeze House may be a lowly establishment, but my girls and I have raised Xueying with nothing but love. If you want to take her home, my lord, you’ll have to show some sincerity.”

Contempt crossed his face. “Name your price.”

Unbothered, Aunt Qiuxiang shook her head. “I’m talking about the concubine in your household who harmed her.”

His contempt vanished. For the first time, he gave Aunt Qiuxiang a proper look. After a moment’s consideration, he frowned and said, “Rest assured, miss. After what she did to my daughter, my wife won’t let her off.”

Only then did Aunt Qiuxiang nod in satisfaction.

Seeing them reach an agreement, I panicked. We still hadn’t found whoever had hired someone to kill me a while back. I had no interest in going off to become some genteel young lady!

But Aunt Qiuxiang clapped a hand over my mouth before I could speak.

“I won’t be dying anytime soon. Go home with your father. A marquis’s daughter will never want for pocket money.”

Then she drew me into a loose embrace and whispered in my ear.

“The person you’re looking for is in that household. Go get your own revenge. Don’t embarrass me.”

And so I went home with the Marquis of Yong’an.

As our carriage reached the gates, I peered through the curtain at the great crowd waiting outside. A grand old family indeed.

Mindful of Aunt Qiuxiang’s instructions, I would watch my words and actions. I mustn’t disgrace the teachers at Spring Breeze House.

The moment I stepped down from the carriage, Lady Yong’an hurried toward me.

She was very well preserved. Though in her thirties, she looked barely over twenty, and her dark green gown lent her an air of stately elegance.

There was some resemblance between her face and mine.

Tears shone in her eyes. For a long time, she choked on her words before finally managing, “My child. You’ve suffered so much.”

I patted her hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a slightly stooped old woman in the middle of the crowd. Over her graying hair she wore a dark red forehead band set with a deep green gem.

I stepped back and sank to my knees in a formal bow.

“Father, Mother, Grandmother. I have been an unfilial daughter and granddaughter, unable to attend you all these years.”

Satisfied that my smiles were measured and my manners proper, the old lady stopped scrutinizing me and helped me up.

“Good child. You’ve had a hard time.”

I studied the sea of faces one by one. Aunt Qiuxiang had said the person who wanted me dead was here.

Who could it be?

Among all those happy faces, a miserable-looking girl and a sullen young man at the very edge stood out.

They thought that, standing at the back, they would escape an ordinary person’s notice.

I was no ordinary person.

All smiles, I went over and took the girl’s hand.

“Why do you look so unhappy, Sister? Didn’t you want me to come home?”

Her pupils contracted as though my words had frightened her. Anyone would think I was bullying her.

The sullen young man immediately stepped forward and knocked my hand away. “Stay away from Baozhu!”

He had handsome features, but his vicious, gloomy expression spoiled them. A face that should have been a ten barely managed a three.

Mother hurried over and put her arms around me, as if afraid he had scared me.

I shook my head unconcernedly, cutting off the rebuke she was about to deliver. Still smiling, I said, “No need to get so worked up, young master. I wasn’t going to hurt your wife. I just thought she was pretty and wanted to get to know her.”

Everyone froze.

After a long pause, Mother explained, “You’ve misunderstood, Xueying. He’s Concubine Liu’s son, your elder brother, Jiang Yu. And this…”

Her hand hesitated as she pointed to the girl.

“This is your elder sister, Jiang Baozhu.”

My eyes held a knowing look. “Oh. My brother and… my sister.”

Of course I knew who they were. While I was packing, Aunt Qiuxiang had explained every relationship in this household to me.

Jiang Baozhu was the little beggar who had taken my place.

If there was one person who stood to lose the most from my return, it was her.

Naturally, she was my first suspect.

To catch a fox, you first had to make it show its tail.

I let a little innocent confusion creep into my eyes.

“But the way Brother looks at Sister is so strange. It’s just like the way Scholar Li looks at Sister Liuli. Oh, right, Mother and Grandmother, you don’t know them. They got married last month. I even had a handful of their wedding sweets. Hazelnut candy from Zhenxiang Pavilion. It was delicious.”