Chapter 4

Qin Bi looked at Lady Zhu, her heart aching: "Third Aunt, He Yan is a wife-killer."

She hadn't brought it up before, but now she had to say it out loud.

Did He Yan look down on her?

Just being a wife-killer was enough to kill a person.

Qin Bi spoke these words with great exhaustion; she was truly tired.

After transmigrating into this fictional dynasty, things were fine in her childhood, but after her legitimate sister became engaged to the Rong Wang heir, she was suppressed in every way; the heir claimed she was scheming and told her sister to guard against her.

In the entire Qin Yan Marquis Prefecture, having the Rong Wang heir suppress her was enough.

The Rong Wang heir had a fate of killing wives and bearing no children; her legitimate sister died before she even married.

He Yan looked down on her for having been previously engaged; this disdain made Qin Bi feel wronged. If He Yan and Rong Juan hadn't meddled back then, she would have married long ago. Never mind, Qin Han had already married that merchant family.

The merchant's son didn't like her; he fancied Qin Han. Even without breaking the engagement, it was a source of constant worry.

Lady Zhu froze, speechless for a moment, and only sighed. The Qin Yan Marquis Prefecture was still relatively harmonious, with the younger generation rarely plotting against one another; however, this time Qin Bi's engagement to the Yan Guogong heir was to pave the way for the second branch's illegitimate daughter.

In the end, Qin Bi was the one who gave up.

Qin He might not have had malicious intent, but Qin Bi was the one who got hurt.

Thinking of how close this child was to her, Lady Zhu's eyes grew wet; feeling Qin Bi's cold hands in the middle of summer, she pulled the quilt over her: "Perhaps you will be fine; you were fine during the last marriage negotiations."

It was the second branch's Qin He whose fortune value was not low; as soon as Qin Bi left Jingcheng with her family, Qin He vomited blood and collapsed, nearly dying, causing the engagement between the second branch and the Yan Guogong Prefecture to be called off.

What else could be done? Qin He was terrified.

Qin Bi understood the meaning behind her Third Aunt's words, and her heart grew weary: "I am sick right now."

The subtext was that she was being suppressed by He Yan's fate; Qin Bi and He Yan were currently discussing their wedding date, so as long as she felt unwell, they could blame it on He Yan, since he was a wife-killer.

What else could Lady Zhu do? She could only sigh; the Marquis Prefecture was in decline and still relied on the Yan Guogong Prefecture.

Having spent so much time together, Lady Zhu was indeed closer to Qin Bi than to her other nieces, but she did not have the final say in the Marquis Prefecture; she also had to think of her own children, and Qin Bi was a cut below her own offspring.

Lady Zhu stood up to leave, but Qin Bi called out: "Third Aunt!"

Tears burst forth; helplessness, grievance, and various emotions overwhelmed her, impossible to suppress.

Lady Zhu could not stay; she mumbled something and called Qin Lang away. Qin Lang turned back to look at his illegitimate cousin sister crying on the bed; his heart ached, but he knew this marriage could not be broken.

After lunch, Qin Di came over.

"Has your Young Lady eaten?" Qin Di asked the maid.

The maid shook her head: "No."

Qin Di stepped into the room; Qin Bi had no other way but to cry when she saw her relatives and vent her grievances. Qin Bi had only one goal: break the engagement. Pave the way for Qin He? Was she crazy? She could not swallow this insult.

Qin Di sat in the chair and spoke only after a long while: "The Yan Guogong Prefecture will not break the engagement; we cannot break it."

After speaking, Qin Di left. Although she was an illegitimate daughter, she was still his child; if He Yan's wife-killing fate had no effect on Qin Bi, that was good, but if it did, this child would be lost.

Qin Di was in a bad mood, did not eat dinner, and did not want to see Lady He.

Lady He sighed; the entire fourth branch was depressed.

Qin Tang's wife dared not make a sound and tried not to come near, lest her mother-in-law, Lady He, catch her and scold her.

Qin Bi was both angry and aggrieved; she was truly sick now. She felt her body failing; after sleeping and waking, she was too lazy to move, her mind foggy. She knew what was happening but was helpless.

The Eldest Lady-in-Waiting visited Qin Bi every day, but Qin Bi's crying made her feel terrible.

Hearing about this, He Yan came over. Upon entering Qin Bi's bedroom and seeing her red eyes, He Yan paused, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately went over to take her pulse.

Lady He sat down nearby. Qin Di asked: "How is it?"

He Yan said nothing, took a token, and sent someone to fetch a Physician.

The Physician took her pulse for a moment and stated plainly: "Her heart qi is depressed, damaging her spirit; I fear it will harm her lifespan."

Qin Bi stared at the quilt; she knew her lifespan was damaged. She could feel it herself; her body felt heavy, her mind foggy, as if separated by a layer of illusion, feeling somewhat unreal.

Qin Di's voice trembled slightly: "Prescribe medicine; let us nurse her back to health."

Qin Di and his wife went to the living room with the Physician. He Yan had something to say to Qin Bi; once everyone had gone to the living room, He Yan sat by the bed, looking completely different from his cold and fierce demeanor that day.

He Yan spoke gently: "Are you still angry? I was speaking in anger; you took it seriously."

Having said this, He Yan reached out, wanting to touch Qin Bi's hand.

Qin Bi moved her hand away. He Yan paused in his action and had to coax her: "Next time, I won't give gifts to Qin He."

Qin Bi did not feel happy: "Break the engagement."

He Yan lowered his gaze: "Once you recover, we will marry."

He Yan had no intention of breaking the engagement; Qin Bi's head throbbed painfully.

He Yan stood up and left, sending someone to deliver precious medicinal herbs. With less than a month until the wedding, Qin Bi lay in bed counting the days, her heart in a panic. When her father and brothers and legitimate mother came to see her, Qin Bi decided to go all out.

"Father, Brother, is the future really that important? This family looks down on me; the heir is marrying me only for Qin He. They have insulted me to this extent, yet you cannot even break the engagement." Qin Bi, aggrieved and complaining, cried: "Do not blame me for complaining; I can only turn to you when I am wronged. If I don't turn to my father and brothers, who else is there? Why give birth to me if you cannot protect me?"

Qin Di's heart ached painfully, and Qin Tang clenched his fists.

Lady He was also angry at her natal family but could not ignore her son's future. Qin Bi's words made Qin Di and Qin Tang feel terrible; although they had little affection for her usually, these words struck Qin Di's heart with pain.

Lady He also felt bad: "Your grandfather and eldest uncle will not agree to you; this marriage cannot be broken."

Pausing for a moment, Lady He spoke plainly: "From your eldest cousin onwards, our Marquis Prefecture will not be able to inherit the title."

Qin Bi understood this as well; she compromised: "Fine, do not break the engagement, but after the wife-killing fate is broken, I will divorce and return; you must support me." Saying this, Qin Bi's tears fell like rain: "I have nowhere to go."

Qin Tang was about to speak, but Qin Bi cut him off: "Do not talk to me about the wife-killing fate. I ask for nothing else. Father, you gave birth to me; can you and my brother protect me just once?!"

Qin Di's eyes turned red, and he called Qin Tang out.

Qin Bi cried herself to exhaustion and fell into a drowsy sleep. Waking up unable to sleep again, Qin Bi knew that even if she did not die, her lifespan would likely be harmed. She was thinking that this was a fictional world of luck and fortune.

Where was her luck?!

Qin Di and his son went to find the Old Marquis Qin; no one knew what was said. The Old Marquis Qin sent Qin Yan, the Marquis, to the Yan Guogong Prefecture to propose divorcing after the wedding.

Qin Bi knew that for the declining Marquis Prefecture, it was already very difficult for Qin Yan, the Marquis, to make this trip.

Qin Bi appreciated the gesture, and the heaviness in her chest eased somewhat; she now only waited for a reply from the Guogong Prefecture.