The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 24

“Eldest Sister is the most amazing!” Fifth Miss quickly ran up to Bai Qingyan, tugging at her sleeves and acting coquettish. Her eyes were filled with admiration, “When I grow up, I want to be as amazing as Eldest Sister.”

Bai Qingyan raised her hand and gently touched the small lucky charm on Fifth Miss’ head. Seeing her sister’s carefree and sweet smile, a warmth in her heart dispelled the chill from her body, making her feel warm all over.

“Eldest Sister, come and sit!” Bai Jintong pulled Bai Qingyan onto a stool, then she chased Fourth Miss, Bai Jinzhi, as well as Fifth Miss and Six Miss out to the kitchen to fetch some snacks for Bai Qingyan.

Early that morning, Bai Jinxiu had heard from Bai Jintong about what Bai Qingyan had said to Qin Lang the previous night. Her eyes were slightly red and she was choked with sobs, “Eldest Sister…”

Knowing what Bai Jinxiu wanted to say, Bai Qingyan took her hand and patted it gently, smiling gently as she spoke in a soft voice, “This morning, Qin Lang came to visit and begged Grandmother to enter the palace and help him relinquish the position of heir. Although Qin Lang will no longer have the title of heir apparent, it will let the world know that Jiang-shi is not a kind mother. This way, you can also use it as an excuse to move out of the Zhongyong Marquis’ residence and live a good life.”

Bai Jinxiu’s eyes reddened more after what Bai Qingyan said. She felt more and more ashamed from what her eldest sister had told her when she gave her the heirloom sword. She choked back sobs and nodded, “I know, Eldest Sister! Last night, I also told the Young Master this.”

Seeing Bai Jinxiu burst into tears, Bai Qingyan felt distressed and also teared up. She used a handkerchief to wipe away Bai Jinxiu’s tears, “When that time comes, let Mother and Second Aunt choose some capable servants for you. With no mother-in-law’s interference, everything will be get better! Don’t be afraid… Our Zhenguo Duke’s family and Grandmother will always be supporting you. No one in this capital city can bully the daughters of our Bai family.”

“I didn’t expect Qin Lang to have the courage to make such a decision,” Bai Jintong sat down beside Bai Qingyan and said with her eyes dark, “Hopefully, those two snakes from the Zhongyong Marquis’s residence who harmed Second Sister will understand the power of our Zhenguo Duke’s residence and not dare to provoke Second Sister again in the future.”

“Ingrained habits persist even after a decade. When one is evil by nature, changing is as difficult as reaching the heavens,” Bai Qingyan stretched out her hands to warm them by the fire. She looked at Bai Jinxiu with a gentle smile. “To make them obedient, you have to strike them hard the first time, break their backbone, and destroy their support! Let them know what pain is, what fear is, so that in the future, their legs will tremble at the mention of Second Sister’s name… Only then can Second Sister live in peace.”

“Support?! Is Eldest Sister talking about the Marquis’ wife, Jiang-shi?” Bai Jintong’s eyes lit up.

Bai Qingyan, once she takes action, will not be merely intimidating the Marquis’ wife and her daughters to settle the matter. People like the Marquis’ wife and her daughters who were skilled in dark schemes within the inner courtyard were the most annoying, akin to fleas. If not dealt with decisively, they will undoubtedly become more arrogant later and cause more trouble for Bai Jinxiu.

She did not want to leave any potential threats for Bai Jinxiu, nor did she want Bai Jinxiu to be involved in such dirty matters. Therefore, she planned to thoroughly handle the Zhongyong Marquis’ wife using this chance.

Bai Qingyan asked, “Where are the contracts for the dowry maids you brought with you?”

“In the bottom layer of my makeup box…” Bai Jinxiu knew that Bai Qingyan intended to use them, so she signalled Bai Jintong to get it. “The contracts for the dowry estate and dowry maids are all here. I originally planned to retrieve them when I returned home to visit.”

Bai Jintong got up and took out the contracts from the mahogany mother-of-pearl makeup box and handed them to Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan selected Mingyu’s contract, then handed the rest to Bai Jintong to put back. “Keep these contracts safe. They may be useful in the future.”

“Mingyu, did she…” Bai Jinxiu tightened her grip on the silk quilt, “She…”

Not wanting Bai Jinxiu, who was already injured, to waste her energy on such matters, Bai Qingyan gently held Bai Jinxiu’s hand and reassured her, “Focus on recovering from your injuries. Don’t worry about these disloyal things. Leave it to capable people to handle.”

As she spoke, she turned to hand Mingyu’s contract to Chuntao, with an implied message, “Tell your cousin that Mingyu ungratefully betrayed her mistress. Although Second Sister is kind-hearted, some things go against the principles of heaven and cannot be tolerated. If he resolves this well, he will be rewarded substantially.”

It was also good to have the servants of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence open their eyes wide and take a good look to see the consequences of betraying one’s master.

With a nod, Chuntao took the contract with both hands and left the Qingzhu Pavilion.

That day, less than an hour after the Princess Dowager and Qin Lang left the palace at noon, news spread throughout the capital that the heir to the Zhongyong Marquis had voluntarily given up his position.

When the Zhongyong Marquis’ wife, Jiang-shi, received this news, her legs went weak and she sank into a chair, sweating profusely.

“Mother, this is a good thing! Why does Mother look so unhappy?” Second Miss Qin asked with a joyful expression, happily pulling Jiang-shi’s sleeve.

Qin Lang giving up his position as heir meant that their younger brother could now become the heir.

At this moment, Jiang-shi did not even have the energy to scold her daughter. She firmly pressed her hand against her chest, knowing that her reputation was completely ruined now. Her own reputation did not matter much, but her children were still young… Who would dare to marry a daughter of the Qin family, and who would dare to marry a son of the Qin family in the future?!

Overwhelmed by anger, Jiang-shi slapped Second Miss Qin, causing her to fall to the ground.

With one hand covering her burning face, Second Miss Qin stared at Jiang-shi with wide eyes, tears welling up, “Mother?! Why are you hitting your daughter?!”

“Idiot! If it wasn’t because you and Bai Jinxiu fought, how could things have escalated to this point?!”

After scolding her daughter, Jiang-shi forced herself to regain composure. As long as the explicit decree from the emperor had not yet been issued, there was still room to manoeuvre. It was already too late to enter the palace today, so she planned to enter the palace tomorrow to beg the empress to persuade the emperor to show mercy, and not to let Qin Lang give up his heir position. She would act as a good stepmother should. This would indicate that the Zhongyong Marquis’ residence could only have Qin Lang as the heir, and perhaps the situation could be salvaged.

“Aunty Wu!” Jiang-shi called out. When she saw the pallid-faced Aunty Wu enter from outside, she quickly instructed, “Hurry and deliver a message to the palace. Tomorrow, I will go to the palace to pay respects to the empress.”

After Aunty Wu bowed to Jiang-shi, she said, “Madami, something has happened! Just now, Steward Xu from the countryside estate came with a face full of injuries… He said that today, people from the Zhenguo Duke’s residence, accompanied by a group of thugs, rushed into your dowry countryside estate… They used Mingyu’s contract to tie her up and take her away!”

Jiang-shi fell onto the soft couch, nearly passing out.

“Madam! Madam!” Aunty Wu quickly supported Jiang-shi.

“Does the Zhenguo Duke’s residence know everything? Do they also know that we drowned those maids in our residence?” Jiang-shi clutched her chest, feeling breathless.

“While it’s not a big deal for wealthy families to kill a few maids, that Mingyu girl knows everything about the matter. If she spits out everything to the Zhenguo Duke’s residence, it will be difficult to explain to the Princess Dowager later…” Aunty Wu looked worriedly at Second Miss Qin who was crying.

“Mother!” Second Miss Qin was terrified at the mere thought of the Princess Dowager’s imposing presence. She cried as she clutched Jiang-shi’s clothes, “What should we do?! If the Princess Dowager finds out, she will definitely not spare me and Elder Sister!”