Zheng Qian lay quietly on the kang by the window, letting her hair dry, her mind flickering through the events of the day.
First, she thought of her mother, Madam Pan, and her cold indifference. Then she recalled how Zheng Yutan had been manipulated into creating opportunities for her—would she regret it tomorrow enough to want to strangle her?
Her thoughts wandered to Third Madam's fleeting glance.
And to her eldest brother, now disabled.
When Zheng Qian first crossed over to this world, she had gone to see him to quickly understand her surroundings.
He lived in a courtyard in the southwest of the Marquis House—old and a little dilapidated, with peeling outer walls, far from the grandeur elsewhere. That day, Prince Ancheng, Xiao Mingyu, came to visit her eldest brother.
Prince Ancheng was the same age as her brother, a former classmate at the Imperial Academy. They were on good terms.
But could a mere school connection sustain an eight-year friendship with a busy prince controlling several of the capital's largest trading houses? Hardly.
Her brother also had a young attendant—highly skilled in martial arts.
That day, Zheng Qian had tried to eavesdrop on their conversation. From a great distance, no normal ear could hear, so she relied on her personal terminal to "cheat."
She had barely caught a few words before her brother's attendant noticed her.
A sharp young attendant—was he a permanent member of the Marquis House?
"Those who jump about in the open aren't worth noting. But those hidden in the shadows, quiet and unnoticed—those are the ones to watch," Zheng Qian muttered to herself, or perhaps to her cat.
The cat seemed asleep.
Zheng Qian buried her face in its belly; it didn't move, letting her lean against it.
Like this, they lazed away the afternoon, both resting deeply. Even after dinner, they continued sleeping, undisturbed.
Yet that night, many were restless.
The first to lose sleep wasn't the injured Zheng Run, but Zheng Qian's own mother, Madam Pan.
Late at night, she went with her mute maid to visit her eldest son Zheng Chi's courtyard, avoiding prying eyes, and mother and son talked through the night.
The second restless was Second Miss Zheng Yutan.
Ever since Zheng Qian had administered anesthetic to Fifth Young Master, easing his pain, Yutan felt uneasy. Perhaps she had unwittingly set the stage for Zheng Qian to steal the show.
"Do you think she really knows medicine?" Zheng Yutan sat at her desk, refusing to sleep.
Her maid, Ju Zan, replied cautiously, "Impossible…"
"What did she give Fifth Young Master? Why doesn't he feel pain? Could she really know sorcery?" Yutan pressed.
Ju Zan remained silent, afraid to answer.
Yutan had pushed Zheng Qian forward to ruin her, not to offer her a chance to shine.
"Ever since she woke from the hanging incident, nothing has gone as I wish," Yutan said darkly. "Could it be… she's dead, and the being in her body now is a demon?"
Ju Zan shivered violently.
At this late hour, Second Miss speaking such words was terrifying; Ju Zan felt cramps in her calves.
"Second Miss… how could a ghost possess someone?" she tried to comfort her.
But Yutan only smiled coldly.
She was stunning, her eyes larger and darker than others'. By the flickering candlelight, her gaze was eerie. To the maid, she seemed more possessed by a spirit than Zheng Qian ever could.
"I will find a time… to see what she really is," Yutan said icily.
Ju Zan did not respond.
Unable to sleep, Yutan's thoughts were entirely consumed with Zheng Qian, not Fifth Young Master.
At the same time, two others also couldn't sleep: Marquis Jing'an and his concubine, Zhou.
They changed and lay down but couldn't drift off.
"Marquis, I want to check on Run'er. If he has a fever tonight, I wish to stay by his side," Zhou's eyes were still red.
Marquis Jing'an said, "Didn't we instruct the maids? If Run'er develops a fever, they will inform us immediately."
"But… his wound is so deep, washed by Miss Qian and cut quite extensively. His condition could worsen. I don't know what sorcery she used—he didn't feel pain then, but it might be abnormal later," Zhou said.
Her words stirred Marquis Jing'an; he sat up.
Zhou hurriedly rose: "Marquis?"
"Go see Run'er," he said.
It was already late at night.
That morning, Zheng Qian had treated Zheng Run's wound. Initially, he felt no pain. By mid-afternoon, he cried out constantly—it must have been unbearable.
Such a deep injury—surely he'd have a high fever tonight. Could he withstand it?
Now, in the later hours, it should be happening.
When Marquis Jing'an and Zhou arrived at Zheng Run's courtyard, it was quiet.
Two night-watch maids sat drowsily on the kang in his room, half-asleep.
The sudden arrival of the marquis and his concubine startled them.
"You dared fall asleep! No one's watching you, yet you behave so recklessly!" Zhou scolded, voice low.
The maids knelt immediately.
Jing'an, irritated, told them to rise, then approached the bed, asking softly: "How is Fifth Young Master's fever?"
Alert, the maid jumped up: "Marquis, Fifth Young Master has no fever. He's sleeping very well."
Jing'an froze, staring at her.
The maid quickly repeated, confirming: "The young master indeed has no fever, which is why we dared relax for a moment…"
Zhou didn't believe it; neither did Jing'an.
She lifted the bed curtain and touched her son's forehead.
Zheng Run's forehead was slightly cooler than her palm—not the slightest sign of fever.
Jing'an mirrored her actions, checking himself against the boy's temperature.
No fever.
Such a serious wound, subjected to Zheng Qian's chaotic treatment—cutting, washing, stitching—and yet no fever.
Inconceivable.
"This…" Zhou could only conclude one possibility: Miss Qian really knows medicine, and she is extraordinarily skilled.
Jing'an remained silent.
They sat for another hour.
During this hour, Zheng Run slept soundly, still no fever.
The maids insisted: "It's late, Marquis, Madam—please take care of yourselves. You should rest. We'll remain vigilant over Fifth Young Master."
Jing'an, full of questions, finally admitted his age was catching up. After instructing the maids, he left, Zhou following closely behind.
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