Chapter 442

Chapter 449: Obsession (Part 1)

Xu Siyu stared at Qin Yi, who was laughing hysterically, and felt his heart pounding violently. From a very young age, he had heard people sigh that if Aunt Tong’s child had not died, it would have been the eldest son… But he had never doubted—Qin Yi had lit an eternal flame for Aunt Tong and held memorial rites for her every year. He had once asked Qin Yi who Aunt Tong was. Qin Yi had said that Aunt Tong was her dearest sister, describing how beautiful she was, how exquisite her needlework was, how gentle her temperament was, and how kind she was to others… To this day, he still remembered the tender, reminiscent expression on Qin Yi’s face at the time.

But now…

A chill ran through his heart, and he instinctively grabbed Qin Yi’s arm, calling out, “Aunt,” wanting to ask something but unsure how to phrase it.

Qin Yi, however, ignored Xu Siyu’s gesture.

She laughed to herself for a while before her face abruptly darkened, and she murmured, “I was so envious of Biyu. She could master anything at a glance, and every word she spoke was gentler than mine. The elder madam liked her, the second madam liked her, and even the marquis favored her. When I heard the madam say her belly was pointed, meaning she was carrying a son, I thought to myself—how could someone be so fortunate, always one step ahead in everything?”

“Back in her room, she said she wasn’t feeling well and asked the maids to fetch water for her to soak her feet. Those maids were newly arrived in the household, dim-witted and slow. Every time they fetched water, it was either too hot or too cold, and I had to teach them. Even after multiple attempts, they still couldn’t get it right. That day, I was exhausted too and didn’t want to wait on her hand and foot like some lowly maid, so I went to Lady Wen’s place instead.”

She leaned back against the bed’s headboard, then fumbled for the blanket and pulled it over herself.

“And then…” Qin Yi’s voice dropped to a whisper. “When I returned to her room, her lower body was already covered in blood… The matron the madam had sent wasn’t a midwife but a household manager. She had no idea how to save someone—she just gathered all the maids and older women in the room to discuss how to evade punishment… I had no choice but to waddle heavily pregnant to the main house…”

“The madam ignored me outright, and the maids even shoved me toward Madam Tao’s quarters… That night, there was no moon, only a few stars in the inky black sky. I was pregnant too, terrified something might happen to me… so I begged the maid to at least inform the madam… But she mocked me, asking if I’d lived in the same courtyard with the two concubines for so long that I thought I was one of them, acting all high and mighty when I couldn’t even order a servant around… I burst into tears… Crying all the way, I stumbled toward Madam Tao’s room… but deep down, I felt so wronged… I could never compare to Lady Wen… and I was indeed no match for Aunt Tong. But no matter what, I was carrying the marquis’s child. Besides, whenever the three of us were together, I was always the one doing things—how was I putting on airs and pretenses?”

“At that moment, I swore I had to give birth to a son. If I had a son, the elder madam would surely elevate me to concubine for the sake of her grandson. Then I’d show them—I was a proper concubine too, not some domineering woman who flaunted her pregnancy. And it had to be the eldest son…”

Here, her voice faltered.

Xu Siyu’s throat was parched as if scorched by fire, his voice stuck as though choked by smoke. He couldn’t utter a word for a long moment.

“The path to Madam Tao’s quarters was dark and long,” Qin Yi muttered. “Holding my belly with one hand and steadying myself against the gray bricks lining the narrow passageway with the other, I inched forward cautiously. It was dead silent, with only the sound of my own footsteps.” Her emotions grew agitated. “The farther I walked, the more frightened I became, and the angrier I grew. Aunt Tong’s bleeding wasn’t my fault—I was just trying to help by reporting it, yet I was given such a dressing-down for no reason. Knowing full well I was pregnant, they still sent me to fetch Madam Tao. If it had been Lady Wen going to report, would the madam have ignored her? Would that maid have dared to lecture her like that? In the end, they were just bullying me because I was a mere chambermaid… Besides, if something happened to Aunt Tong, it wasn’t just my fault. As the mistress, wasn’t the madam at fault too? Weren’t the maids on duty also to blame? If they weren’t panicking, why should I? Since they told me to fetch Madam Tao, I’d just go fetch her…” Qin Yi trailed off again.

This time, her pause was longer, her lips pressed into a tight line, her brow furrowed with stubbornness.

Xu Siyu trembled inwardly. His instincts screamed at him to stop here, that nothing good lay ahead—but his overwhelming curiosity drowned out the warning.

In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Then… what happened next?”

“Then…” Qin Yi’s lips curled slightly, revealing a contemplative smile. “A pregnant woman like me, walking alone late at night, naturally had to brace against the wall and move slowly…”

That smile was so piercing it made Xu Siyu’s eyes burn. He couldn’t help but snap, “How could you do that?”

His harsh tone startled Qin Yi. Defiantly, she retorted, “I didn’t! I didn’t kill Biyu! It was the madam—the madam killed her! I just didn’t want her to have the eldest son, that’s all.” Her expression turned obstinate. “Besides, the madam herself said that even if they called a doctor, the child couldn’t be saved. The madam was the one who killed Biyu. She watched as Biyu bled all over the bed and didn’t even summon a physician. It wasn’t until the elder madam and the second madam arrived that someone was sent for a doctor.”

Xu Siyu gazed at the distraught woman before him with mixed emotions before slowly lowering his head.

For a moment, the room was silent except for Qin Yi’s ragged breathing.

Behind the embroidered curtain of the bed canopy, Xiao Luzi and Lian Jiao trembled, not daring to make a sound.

The oppressive silence unnerved Qin Yi.

“It was fate!” she blustered, her voice sharp but hollow. “When she felt unwell, she just endured it silently. But when I saw the madam’s face turn ashen, I pretended to collapse. So I safely gave birth to the eldest son, while she died… without even a chance to seek justice!”

Her hands flailed in the air before clutching Xu Siyu’s lapel.

In a hushed voice, she repeated, “It was fate.” Her tone carried a pleading note, as if begging Xu Siyu—who had always dismissed her words—to understand this time. “I hid in the second madam’s quarters, not daring to step outside, until I finally gave birth to you. But then the elder madam ordered the second madam to tell the madam to take us back. I was terrified—afraid she’d get her revenge on me later or harm you. I couldn’t sleep at night, burning incense every day, praying to the Bodhisattva to spare us from returning. And then…” She laughed. “The madam said she was unwell, needing rest, and with so many household affairs, she couldn’t manage. She asked the second madam to continue looking after us for a while longer.” Her sightless eyes sought Xu Siyu’s face. “See? That’s fate!” Not waiting for an answer, she rambled on, “Later, when the marquis returned, he had a huge fight with the madam. Then he discovered Lady Wen had been secretly doing business with her family behind the Xu household’s back. Enraged, he moved to the Half-Moon Pavilion. I started fasting on the first and fifteenth of each month, praying for the madam to live peacefully with the marquis till old age…”

Xu Siyu remembered. Back then, he was his father’s only son. His stepmother treated him coldly—whenever he went to pay respects, she would merely nod before having his wet nurse take him away. Later, on the second madam’s suggestion, the elder madam gave him his own courtyard. Qin Yi remained with the second madam in the elder madam’s new residence, sneaking over to see him occasionally. Yet despite that, she was always overjoyed whenever they met—unlike later, after his stepmother gave birth to Xu Sizhun. Though Qin Yi moved to the courtyard in front of his, she more often wore a frown than a smile. It was also around that time she began saying things the second madam called “overstepping her station,” and the second madam started teaching him *The Rites* to make him understand how far he stood from the heir’s position…

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard Qin Yi grumble irritably, “Who knew Qiu Luo would suddenly appear?”

Xu Siyu's heart leaped into his throat.

Qiu Luo ended up much like Concubine Tong—she perished, and her child died young too!

His face turned ashen as he stared at Concubine Qin, who slightly furrowed her brows and said, "I was beside myself with worry, but completely powerless. And this time, the Elder Madam behaved completely unlike herself—not only did she show Qiu Luo unusual care, but she even assigned Madam Tao to personally attend to her. Neither Lady Wen nor I could get a word in edgewise. Not long after that, Qiu Luo became pregnant."

Her voice held a hint of disappointment.

"I counted down the days until she gave birth, praying every day that she would deliver a girl… When the midwife arrived at the estate, I went out of my way to cozy up to her, hoping for an opportunity to see Qiu Luo."

"So, did you manage to see her?" Xu Siyu heard himself ask nervously.

"The midwife told me that if the baby was a girl, the Elder Madam would surely be disappointed and leave immediately. If it was a boy, she would definitely take the child to show the Marquis and the Grand Dowager. In either case, her attendants would follow. That would have been my chance to see Qiu Luo." Concubine Qin’s expression turned peculiar. "I gave that midwife fifty taels of silver. But on the day of the birth, I was kept in the room by the Second Elder Madam to grind ink for her. From the moment Qiu Luo began having contractions in the morning until she gave birth to a son, I spent two full days and nights grinding ink for the Second Elder Madam."

Xu Siyu was stunned.

After a long pause, he asked, "Two days and nights?"

The memory of that day remained vivid in Concubine Qin’s mind.

She shook her arm and said, "The Second Elder Madam even assigned Jiexiang to watch over me. I could nap or loaf around, but I wasn’t allowed to leave the study. Even when I used the bathroom, Jiexiang followed me."