Thwack! Thwack!
The strike of the cane weighed heavier with endless, torturous sting in each strike. Madam Minq raised her stout, wooden cane high up in the air, mercilessly landing it on the base of her leg with determination. Madam Minq was only on the tenth strike and her leg was already swollen and reddened with the impact of the cane.
The hands fisting her maid's robe trembled from the pain. Every strike had her biting back any cry of pain threatening to spill out. Moreover, the pain from Madam Minq's cane couldn't compare to the one clutching at her chest.
No pain could compare to her heartbreaking discovery a few moments ago.
Madam BinYi wasn't her real mother.
When Madam Minq raised her cane for the 60th stroke, her breathing was ragged and her hand wobbled unsteadily. She flung the cane to the corner of the room and fell to the ground, struggling to control her breath.
"You stubborn girl, why don't you ever cry?!"
Madam Minq said in short breaths.
"Girls," she signaled to the other maids. "Take her to the store room and lock her up."
Two maids in the same robe as Ri Sun stepped forward, grabbed her and helped her up.
As they led her outside the maid's residence, she saw Madam BinYi from the corner of her eyes, watching her with that familiar menacing, cold stare.
Sun signaled a halt before BinYi to the girls and they did.
"Leave us alone." BinYi instructed the girls as if she had had a feeling Sun was about to address her recent discovery.
The girls abandoned Sun on the floor as she was to weak to keep a standing stance, and walked away.
Ri Sun was now left with BinYi, her supposed mother.
"Mother," Ri Sun called out weakly. "Who is my real mother?"
BinYi crouched low to level with Sun and angled closer to whisper into her ear.
"Your mother was Late Lady Dai."
Sun's heart leaped in her throat at the information, threatening a burst through the ribcage. She stiffened on the ground.
"Your mother, the late Lady Dai, and I fortunately had our child at the same time. She had asked the midwifery nurse to tend to me first because I lost a lot of blood when I plotted that plan."
A tear slid down Sun's eyes.
"I just wanted an easy life for Yua. Her father, my former husband, was a farmer and he lived a miserable life. I didn't want her to follow that path. I wanted her to taste luxury and then, come to me when it was time. I swapped you with her. Just that simple task. But, your mother just had to be smart and made a notice. It was too late, though. I already poisoned her herbal tonic."
Sun's world began spinning. Her mind raced, struggling to take in BinYi's words.
"They didn't suspect a thing, thankfully. They thought she died due to child birth. Not even your father, Lord Jiang Lu, suspected a thing. And, he still hasn't. Such a clueless fool."
"You evil thing! You took me away from my family and—!"
"Shh. I'm done here." BinYi cut in and jerked to her feet. "Girls?!" She called out and the girls that had been hurling Sun away emerged.
"Take her to the store room and lock her up. No one gives her water to drink or food to eat until I instruct so. Am I clear?"
"Yes, madam." The girls responded in unison and continued hurling Sun away.
"You wicked, vile thing! I will expose you! You will not get away with this!"
Sun yelled as she is hurled away. The last thing her gaze caught before she is flung into the store room by the girls was BinYi passing a victorious smile to somebody at the far end.
Jiang Yua.
Jiang Yua took her place. She was meant to be the 'Jiang'. She was meant to live the life Yua was living and enjoy the privileges she currently enjoyed.
She was meant to be addressed as Young Lady Jiang and attended to by over 40 servants. She was meant to receive the fatherly love Yua presently received.
BinYi swapped her fate. BinYi stole her lifestyle and her parents.
She clenched her fist into her ruffled robe until they were reddened.
BinYi can't get away with this. She had to do something.
She must reach out to Lord Jiang Lu and let him know.
How had she even failed to recognize him as her birth father all along? She had once noticed they possessed the same side-eye smile but, she had ignored it. She supposed they wouldn't be the only one in the world that had that feature.
Either way, he must know about BinYi's evil plotting and Jiang Yua being a willing accomplice.
On wobbling, weak legs, Sun jerked to her feet and limped to a corner that had stools in a pile on a table.
She unloaded the table and dragged it to the high, miniscule window of the store room. She managed to climb atop it and peeked out.
It was bedtime which meant Madam Minq was set to wash Lord Jiang Lu's feet and put out all his laterns in his residence.
She waited, glued to the wall and threw her gaze around to catch a sight of Madam Minq.
Once she caught sight of Madam Minq stepping out of the Golden Lotus Villa, Lord Jiang Lu's residence, she picked a bead and threw it at her. Few more throws caught Madam Minq and she immediately abandoned the bowls and the towel to attend to Ri Sun.
"Are you really bent on putting me in trouble, you this silly girl?!"
"I need a big favour from you, Madam Minq." Ri Sun pleaded through the miniscule window of the store.
"I'm sorry, I can't do any favour for you again. You almost put me in trouble the last time."
"I owned up the last time and I will own up this time. Please, help me."
Madam Minq cleared her throat, processing her thoughts.
"What is it this time?" she managed to let out.
"I need to meet Lord Jiang."
Madam Minq jerked her head up at Sun.
"Have you lost your mind, you this girl? Do you really wish to have me kicked out of the mansion? Is that your plan?"
"Madam Minq, I promise you, this is very important. Its about my life. Please, help me."
"I can't. Find another person."
Madam Minq swirled around and fetched her bowl and towel off the floor.
"Wait!" Sun calls out, halting Madam Minq on a spot.
"This cost really expensive in the capital market. You can sell it." Ri Sun says, taking off the Jade bracelet and hair pin Jiang Yua got for her.
"Are you bribing me?"
"It's more like a plea for your help. I'll get you more if you want. Please, help me, Madam Minq."
Few moments later, Madam Minq successfully delivers Sun's letter to Lord Jiang Lu by sneaking it into his freshly washed clothes.
Now, she had to let fate decide.
If Lord Jiang Lu finds the letter and orders for her to meet with him, she would be lucky enough to reclaim her position Jiang Yua and her mother stole. However, if Lord Jiang doesn't…
A thumping on the door caught her attention and she limped to the door.
It was Madam Minq, who threw her gaze around before she sneaked a letter through the small space in the door.
"You owe me big for this one." She said before turning away on a tiptoe.
Sun carefully flipped the letter open and the bold written words on it had her heart full.
"Meet me at the Garden in Golden Lotus Villa. From Lord Jiang." the letter had said.
She held the letter to her chest, her lips spreading apart in a victorious smile.
Fate had indeed decided. Fate had proclaimed her the victor.