Seeing Qiao Nian rebuff Lin Yuan's show of kindness, Lin Ye immediately suppressed his nascent sense of guilt and said coldly, "There's no need for you to be so sarcastic. If you had injuries, why didn't you say so earlier? Are you dumb?"
If she had spoken up earlier, he would surely have gone to the Imperial Hospital to get some medicinal plasters for her!
"I was about to say, but the Young Marquis didn't give me the chance," Qiao Nian replied calmly, finally withdrawing her hands from Lady Lin's grasp.
Lin Ye's eyes darkened. Even though she was back in the mansion, she still refused to call him elder brother?
His anger unabated, he snapped, "I'd like to ask. You're supposed to be a young lady of our Marquis' Mansion. You've been learning martial arts from the mansion's martial arts master since childhood. So, who exactly were those extraordinary people in the laundry bureau who could wound you like this?"
His words hit Qiao Nian like a blow to the chest.
She lowered her eyes and pulled down her sleeves. Her gentle voice carried a chilling tremor. "I did resist at first. As the Young Marquis said, those palace maids were indeed no match for me. But when they couldn't beat me, they resorted to underhanded tricks in the dark. For example, they would pour basins of cold water on my bed while I was asleep. When it was time for meals, while others were served soup, I was given swill. They would throw the clothes I had painstakingly washed into the latrine or shift the entire workload they were supposed to do onto me."
At this point, she raised her eyes to look at Lin Ye. Her cold gaze, seemingly devoid of any emotion, made Lin Ye's hands tremble involuntarily.
"I also sought help from the steward matron, but all I got in return was a severe whipping and nothing else. Gradually, I stopped resisting. If the bed was wet, I would sleep on the floor. If there was swill in the food, I could still eat it. Once, the matron whipped me so hard that I almost died. Perhaps out of consideration for the Marquis' Mansion, she wasn't as ruthless afterwards."
Seeing the incredulity in Lin Ye's eyes, a sardonic smile curled at the corner of Qiao Nian's mouth. "So, does the Young Marquis think I deliberately endured all that just to evoke your guilt and regret?"
"Don't be naive. How could I not know my place? You may feel guilty, but you will never regret it. After hearing all this, you're probably just glad that it was me who was sent to the laundry bureau three years ago, and not Lin Yuan, right?"
Meeting the accusatory look in Qiao Nian's eyes, Lin Ye felt as if a hand was ruthlessly tearing at his heart.
Yet, he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
"Nian Nian, stop talking!" Lady Lin covered her chest, her sobs making her breath ragged. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry to you."
"Lady Lin has done nothing wrong to me," Qiao Nian said in her usual gentle voice, which sounded soft and tender.
But this tenderness was completely different from Lin Yuan's.
Lin Yuan's tenderness was the kind that made people feel pity and comfort.
However, Qiao Nian's tenderness was like a soft sword, each word cutting deeply and drawing blood.
"Lady Lin raised me for fifteen years. She has the grace of nurturing me. Whatever she does is well - deserved."
"But you resent us in your heart!" Lin Ye spoke up again. The searing pain of being torn at in his heart made him inexplicably irritable.
As if he could see through Qiao Nian, he sneered coldly, "Everything you're doing now is on purpose. You're deliberately being cold and distant towards us. You deliberately fell in front of Mother. Did you also use this trick in front of Xiao Heng to win his pity and get a ride back in his carriage? Qiao Nian, you should know that Xiao Heng is no longer your fiancé. He's now Yuan'er's fiancé, and they're about to get married!"
Looking at Lin Ye's angry face, Qiao Nian couldn't help but sigh. After all, having been her elder brother for fifteen years, every word Lin Ye said hit right at her heart.
Fortunately, her heart, having been tempered for three years, was now immune to such barbs.
"The Young Marquis is a busy man. Perhaps you've forgotten that you pushed me off a small building three years ago. I sprained my ankle then. Before it could fully heal, I was sent to the laundry bureau. Over these three years, my ankle injury has often flared up. Today, when the Young Marquis kicked me out of the carriage, I sprained it again. That's why I really lost my balance just now. As for General Xiao... Why would the Young Marquis think he would feel pity for me? Do you overestimate me or underestimate Miss Lin?"
Her words left Lin Yuan feeling thoroughly ashamed.
Lin Ye couldn't help but cast a worried glance at Lin Yuan before snapping at Qiao Nian, "Stop trying to stir up trouble here. I know your nature best. Even after three years, you're still as vindictive as ever! I'm warning you. As long as I'm here, you won't be able to bully Yuan'er!"
"Brother..." Lin Yuan's voice, tinged with sobs, rang out. "Don't be like this. Elder sister has never done anything to me."
"Yuan'er, you're just too kind!" Lin Ye's brows furrowed tightly. He pointed at Qiao Nian. "But she's different from you. She has the most scheming mind and bears grudges the most. We left her in the laundry bureau for three years without a word. Now that she's out, she's bound to take revenge on us! Knowing that Mother dotes on her the most, she deliberately keeps a cold distance and shows off her injuries in front of Mother. Look at how Mother is crying!"
Lin Yuan looked at Lady Lin beside her. Indeed, Lady Lin was in a pitiful state, leaning on a maid beside her, gasping for breath.
Hearing Lin Ye's words, Lady Lin seemed to want to refute. She raised her hand and waved it, but couldn't utter a single word.
Lin Yuan thought that she had never seen her mother like this before. Even when Qiao Nian was sent to the laundry bureau, her mother had only shed a few tears and had even comforted her!
But now...
Could it be that, as her brother said, all of this was Qiao Nian's doing on purpose?
Did Qiao Nian really have such scheming?
She couldn't help but look at Qiao Nian again. Qiao Nian was also looking at her. Her eyes were as cold as frost, yet extremely sharp, like a knife cutting deep into her heart. Lin Yuan dared not look any longer and quickly averted her gaze.
Qiao Nian, however, merely bowed to Lady Lin. "It seems that I'm not suitable to see Grandmother today. Please convey my apologies to her, Lady Lin. I'll come to visit her tomorrow."
With that, Qiao Nian turned and left, not sparing a single glance at anyone in the Lin family.
But her limping figure was deeply imprinted on the hearts of every member of the Lin family.
Including Xiao Heng.
It was after Lin Yuan sent Lady Lin back that Lin Ye noticed Xiao Heng.
He was standing under the cloister not far away. He must have witnessed everything that had just happened.
Lin Ye furrowed his brows in a slightly agitated manner and then stepped forward to greet him. "Why are you here?"
"His Majesty the Emperor has bestowed several precious medicinal herbs. Thinking I have no use for them, I've come to pay my respects to the Dowager Lady Lin," Xiao Heng said unhurriedly, his expression as calm as ever.
But Lin Ye seemed to sense something. His brows knitted tightly as he sized up Xiao Heng. Then he asked, "Tell me the truth. Did you come here because of Qiao Nian?"