Chapter 28 Poisonous Woman: Not Even a Thousand Cuts Would Be Enough

Chapter 28: The Venomous Woman – Even a Thousand Cuts Would Not Be Enough

The Su family could wait, but there were those who could not.

Jiang Yueyi waited patiently for over half a month, and as her postpartum confinement was nearly over, she still hadn't heard anything about Qi Hao and Su Hengniang.

But she wasn’t worried; news took time to travel, and they couldn’t simply appear out of thin air.

Still, if she waited any longer, things might take a turn for the worse. Qi Yuan hadn’t bothered her these past few days, but once the full month was up, he might continue with the previous matter.

Feng Shi had agreed with Qi Yuan that they would deal with it after Jiang Yueyi gave birth. If she had given birth to a son, Feng Shi might have spoken up for her for the sake of her grandson. But now that was impossible—Feng Shi wouldn’t even look at her granddaughter. Ever since the child was born, she had not come again.

Jiang Yueyi could only count the days on her fingers. Fortunately, she now had her daughter. Whenever she saw the little face, the days didn't feel so hard to endure.

Apart from Zhou Congshen, who came to check on her and the child and to help her recover, the place was nearly empty of visitors. No one even named the child, so Jiang Yueyi gave her a pet name, Tuan Tuan.

One morning, snow began to fall outside. The spring snow was biting, even more damp and cold than winter's.

Jiang Yueyi was watching as the wet nurse held Tuan Tuan and coaxed her to sleep when suddenly the sound of hurried footsteps rang out in the courtyard. Tuan Tuan, just about to fall asleep, stirred uneasily in the wet nurse’s arms and whimpered a few times.

Qing Lan was about to go out and check, but before she could, Yu Ju burst in, covered in dirt, snowflakes on her head and shoulders melting into water droplets as she entered.

She pointed outside, still gasping for breath. Cui Mei handed her a cup of tea, but Yu Ju brushed it aside and stammered, “In broad daylight, I saw a ghost! The master! The master has actually come back!”

Yu Ju was younger and had only heard bits and pieces of what was going on. Jiang Yueyi and the other maids hadn’t let her do much, so she was still confused. Qi Hao’s coffin was still in the mansion; why would Jiang Yueyi claim he wasn't dead? She couldn’t understand.

Now she had gone out to run an errand, and on the way back, she heard a commotion spreading through the estate. At first, she feared bandits in broad daylight, but the servants weren't fleeing or hiding; instead, they were all jostling toward Feng Shi's Shuyuan courtyard. Unable to resist, Yu Ju followed.

But instead of excitement, she caught a glimpse of Qi Hao.

Yu Ju immediately plopped down on the ground and screamed. Qi Hao also spotted her scrambling and stumbling back the way she had come. As she fled, Yu Ju glanced over her shoulder and caught the disgust in Qi Hao's eyes.

When Yu Ju finished speaking, the room fell into a dead silence, broken only by the rustling of snow falling from the trees as birds fluttered through the branches. After a long while, Jiang Yueyi let out a soft laugh.

“Dress me and do my hair,” she said, smiling but without triumph in her expression. “Take Tuan Tuan to the next room and don’t bring her out again unless necessary.”

Cui Mei and the others were puzzled, but Qing Lan caught on. She urged the wet nurse to take Tuan Tuan away quickly.

Zi Zhu exchanged a glance with Cui Mei. Being steadier than Cui Mei, she stepped forward and advised, “Madam has indeed forced the master to come forward, but he must be somewhat annoyed. If he comes looking for you... in my opinion, it would be better to keep the young lady here. Once the master sees his daughter, all his anger will surely fade.”

Jiang Yueyi said nothing. Qing Lan, unable to reveal the truth, sighed softly and fetched a set of clothes, helping Jiang Yueyi dress meticulously.

For months, Jiang Yueyi had been wearing plain mourning clothes. Knowing her disposition, Qing Lan had deliberately chosen a pink standing-collar long gown and a lotus-colored skirt, which made her skin appear white as snow and her figure light and graceful.

“Madam, when you see the master, try not to openly confront him. A head-on collision isn't worth it,” Qing Lan advised softly as she styled Jiang Yueyi’s hair into a loose bun. “After all, the master has returned. You've already succeeded, Madam.”

Jiang Yueyi said nothing. She picked a jade hairpin and inserted it into her bun. As she reached for a second, a sudden uproar erupted outside.

Her hand paused. She put the second hairpin back into the dressing case and instead picked up some rouge, lightly applying it to her lips. In the mirror, her beautiful face was now cold as ice.

She rose and walked out. By the time she reached the main hall, a lean but upright figure was striding toward her.

An even deeper smile spread across Jiang Yueyi's face.

Today, her grievances would be cleared, and she felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

She curtsied from a distance to Qi Hao. Before she could straighten up, he was already in front of her. Jiang Yueyi studied him carefully. There was no joy in seeing her husband again, nor even intense hatred in her heart—only a probing scrutiny.

Nevertheless, she said, “Has the master gone to see Mother? These days you abandoned her and left, Mother has been—”

“Slap!” Before she could finish, a sharp sound rang out. Jiang Yueyi felt a burning pain on her left cheek, followed by numbness.

Qi Hao had slapped her to the ground.

Jiang Yueyi hung her head, unsure of how she looked, but the taste of blood spread in her mouth. She had only ever seen Qi Hao as frail and weak, never imagining he could strike someone with such force—enough to knock a person to the ground.

“Venomous woman!” Qi Hao even spat at Jiang Yueyi on the ground, clearly consumed by rage, casting aside his usual composure and upbringing.

Qing Lan and Cui Mei immediately knelt and crawled to Qi Hao’s feet, begging him, but he pushed them away. Then, as if still unsatisfied, he viciously kicked the two maids several times.

Qi Hao had never struck or scolded servants before. Today, he broke his own rule.

But it still wasn’t enough. Despite Qing Lan and Cui Mei’s attempts to stop him, he pointed at Jiang Yueyi and roared, “Venomous woman and wicked servants! What have you and your underlings done? Even a thousand cuts wouldn’t be enough!”

Jiang Yueyi looked at him calmly, saying nothing. Zi Zhu helped her up from the ground and moved her away from the enraged Qi Hao. As she moved, her bright and alluring attire stung Qi Hao’s eyes.

“You think you’ve won?” Qi Hao said coldly. “Give it up. Even if you force me out, I will never return to you.”

Jiang Yueyi saw his gaze linger on her clothes, and a vengeful satisfaction welled up inside her. Smoothing the wrinkles in her gown, she smiled back at him. “You tricked me into wearing mourning clothes for months. Today, I’m going to wear something pretty.”

Qi Hao’s face turned pale with rage. At that moment, Feng Shi and the others arrived.

Qi Hao had first gone to see Feng Shi when he returned. At first, the servants saw him as if they had seen a ghost, thinking his spirit had manifested in broad daylight. No one dared to stop him. Later, the more quick-witted realized it wasn’t a ghost, but by then Qi Hao had already made his way unimpeded to Feng Shi.

Feng Shi, too, thought she had seen Qi Hao’s ghost. At first, she just held him and cried, paying no attention to anything else. Only when Qi Hao confessed to faking his death did she falter. Whether from shock or joy, she fainted on the spot.

Qi Hao didn’t bother with Feng Shi any longer. He directly asked someone to take him to Jiang Yueyi.

Zhou Congshen, upon hearing the news, wanted to intercept Qi Hao first, but by the time he reached Shuyuan courtyard, Qi Hao had already disappeared. With Feng Shi still unconscious, Zhou Congshen revived her. As soon as she woke, she cried for her son, so Zhou Congshen simply brought her along.

When Feng Shi saw her son, she threw herself at him and wept, completely oblivious to what was happening. Zhou Congshen, on the other hand, noticed the red swelling on Jiang Yueyi’s face as soon as he entered.

Zhou Congshen couldn’t quite define his emotions, but felt a twinge of regret. He stepped forward and asked Qi Hao, “You hit her?”

Qi Hao pried Feng Shi off him and handed her to the maids. He glanced at Zhou Congshen and said, “Shouldn’t I have?”

Zhou Congshen opened his mouth but found himself speechless.

Fortunately, Qi Yuan had also arrived, hot on the heels of Feng Shi and Zhou Congshen.

He didn’t notice Jiang Yueyi in the corner. Upon entering, he only saw Feng Shi weeping against a maid and Qi Hao standing there, furious for some unknown reason.

His supposedly dead elder brother now stood alive and well before him. For a moment, Qi Yuan felt as if his head had exploded.

He had spent so long investigating the anomalies surrounding Qi Hao’s death, only to find out that Qi Hao had never died.

Qi Hao had fabricated this massive lie, abandoning his mother, wife, and daughter. It was absurd!

After a long pause, Qi Yuan took a deep breath and asked Qi Hao in a low voice, “What is this all about?”

Seeing Qi Yuan, Qi Hao regained some composure. Feng Shi was also staring at him with wide eyes. He closed his eyes and recounted the whole story.

Jiang Yueyi listened as Qi Hao spoke. When he wasn’t confronting her, his tone, though urgent, was still gentle.

As his words matched her conjectures point by point, a faint smile played on Jiang Yueyi’s lips, but her hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled uncontrollably.

So Qi Hao had been in a hurry to leave the Chengping Earl’s Manor because Su Hengniang was also pregnant. Su Hengniang no longer wanted to wait, and Qi Hao couldn’t bear to let her remain outside without a proper status. Since Feng Shi had never liked Su Hengniang, Su Hengniang didn’t have any particular desire to enter the manor. She and Qi Hao had long agreed to leave together when the time was right, to live a life of companionship. Originally, Qi Hao had planned to leave after Jiang Yueyi gave birth, but the unexpected pregnancy had sped things up.

He had orchestrated the fire in Xingyun Courtyard, using it as a guise to slip away from the manor. The charred corpse was that of a death-row inmate he had procured through connections, and he had paid the inmate’s family generously.

Upon hearing this, Feng Shi couldn’t help but curse, first blaming Su Hengniang for stealing Qi Hao away, then blaming Qi Hao for being heartless. But she didn’t scold for long—now that her son was finally back, she was afraid that harsh words might drive him away again.

Qi Yuan asked, “Then why did Xing An accuse my sister-in-law of plotting to kill you? And what about the arsenic found in her room?”

“I don’t know,” Qi Hao sneered, glancing over at Jiang Yueyi. “Perhaps she offended Xing An with her harshness.”

Jiang Yueyi’s blood boiled at his words. Her body had not yet fully recovered, and she felt her hands and feet turning cold while her vision went dark. Clenching her teeth, she said, “You don’t know? Then you should hear what your good brother did! If not for him, I would never have forced you out. I was driven into a corner with no way out!”