Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Before Xie Tingyu could turn around, Xie Jingyuan's feather duster fell again. The bamboo stick pierced the air with a sharp whistling sound, leaving glaring red marks on his back.

Xie Jingyuan's eyes were red as he gritted his teeth and said, "You ungrateful bastard! Your grandmother is seriously ill, and your father is also ill and bedridden, yet you've been out of the palace for half a day and still have the leisure to stay with Jiang! Do you still have any regard for this family?"

Xie Qingyao covered the corners of her lips with a handkerchief, her voice filled with just the right amount of anxiety: "Father, calm down! My brother and mother have been apart for more than half a year, and it's only natural for him to miss them so much..."

As expected, these words not only failed to calm Xie Jingyuan's rage, but instead added fuel to the fire. He lashed out with the duster in his hand and shouted, "That lowly whore Jiang has been expelled from the family and has nothing to do with the Marquis's mansion anymore! If you dare to associate with her again, don't blame me for using the family law to break your legs, you unfilial son!"

Xie Tingyu had initially lowered his head in silence, allowing his father to punish him. Having practiced martial arts since childhood and possessing a strong physique, he figured it was merely a family discipline, so he would just grit his teeth and endure it, hoping his father would vent his anger before letting up.

But when he heard his father insulting his mother like that, he suddenly looked up, stared at his father's face which was distorted by rage, and gritted his teeth, but in the end he didn't utter a word.

He couldn't refute, couldn't resist. Filial piety was paramount. If he contradicted his father today, he would be labeled an unfilial person, which would not only affect his future but...it might also implicate his mother and Li'er.

Xie Jingyuan's heart trembled at his sudden, sharp gaze, and he unconsciously took a half step back. Realizing his own loss of composure, Xie Jingyuan hurriedly clenched the feather duster in his hand and shouted with forced composure, "Rebellious son! What are you looking at me with? Go to the ancestral hall and kneel down to reflect on your sins!"

Inside the ancestral hall, candlelight flickered. Xie Tingyu knelt on the cold, blue brick floor, his back straight. The chill seeped down his knees and into his bones, but it was nowhere near as intense as the suffocating feeling in his chest.

He couldn't understand why this family, which hadn't always been harmonious before, had at least maintained a semblance of peace, had become like this in just one year.

The night watchman kept ringing until they had knelt for two hours before a servant tremblingly came running in and whispered outside the door, "Master, the Marquis said...that you can go back now."

Xie Tingyu dragged his numb legs back to the yard and was about to treat the wound on his back when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door approaching.

When she looked up, Xie Qingyao had already walked in quickly, her skirt lifted. Her eyes were slightly red, and her voice was full of pity: "Brother, father has been in a bad mood recently, so..." She took out a white jade bottle from her bosom: "This is the imperial golden wound medicine given to Yao'er by the third prince. It is very effective in healing injuries..."

Xie Qingyao looked up at Xie Tingyu, her eyes filled with earnestness. If she could gain her brother's support, she wouldn't have to worry about taking down the Jiang family. By then, what would a mere daughter of the Cao family mean? The Third Prince would surely treat her differently.

Xie Tingyu didn't even bat an eyelid, and simply said, "Since it's a gift from the emperor, you'd better keep it well, second sister. I'm used to the hardships of life in the military camp, and I can't afford such precious items."

A sneer curled up the corners of his lips. Did this little sister, who had grown up under his nose, really think he didn't know who was fanning the flames in front of their father? Such hypocritical posturing really underestimated her.

Xie Qingyao bit her red lips lightly with her pearly teeth, and a mist suddenly appeared in her eyes. "Brother has loved Yao'er the most since she was a child, but now he is so distant from her. But what did Yao'er do wrong? Or...what did Sister Li'er say in front of Brother?"

Xie Tingyu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and every word was like a knife: "Everything in the past was just because of the relationship between brother and sister. Since you are not of my Xie family's blood, you should know your limits. If you dare to say anything against Li'er again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Xie Qingyao's pupils shrank suddenly, and her lips trembled slightly. She never expected that Xie Tingyu would be so merciless.

She suddenly sneered, her eyes blazing with resentment. "Who is Xie Qingli? Just a country girl who's not worthy of being on the stage! Brother is truly blind." She raised her chin, her voice boastful, "Father and grandmother treat me like a treasure, and soon I'll be marrying into the Third Prince's mansion."

She suddenly took a step closer and lowered her voice, "To be honest, I met a master who could see through the mysteries of heaven. He said that the Third Prince is the true Dragon Son of Heaven, and that I am destined to be the mother of the world."

Seeing Xie Tingyu's sudden change of expression, she smiled smugly: "How about it? Brother, are you willing to lend a hand to your sister? When I become the empress in the future, I will definitely not forget your contribution to the emperor."

Xie Tingyu recovered from his initial shock, a sneer curling up at the corner of his lips: "Second sister, are you crazy? How dare you say such outrageous words? Discussing the affairs of the crown prince is a heinous crime punishable by the death of nine generations of your clan!"

Seeing him so stubborn, Xie Qingyao's pretty face twisted. "Xie Tingyu, I'm giving you a chance out of kindness, but you're so ungrateful! If that's the case, when I ascend to the throne, I'll make you kneel down and beg for mercy!"

After saying that, she glared at Xie Tingyu fiercely, turned around and left quickly.

Xie Tingyu had just sat down on the chair when a chuckle suddenly came out from behind the screen, like pearls falling on a plate, crisp and with a bit of cunning.

His eyes suddenly darkened, and he said in a cold voice: "Who is hiding here?" He was secretly surprised and suspicious. With his martial arts skills, he didn't realize that there was someone else hiding in the house.

A graceful figure appeared from behind the screen. Xie Qingli walked out, holding a carved food box. Her eyes flickered, a smile playing on her lips. "Brother, it's me! I thought you were hungry, so I brought some food with me, but unexpectedly, my second sister came to visit."

Xie Tingyu's expression eased slightly, but his brows were still slightly furrowed. "Isn't Li'er living with mother? Why did you suddenly return to the Marquis' Mansion?"

Xie Qingli pursed his lips and smiled, then pulled out a small jade bottle from his sleeve. "How can I feel at ease knowing that my elder brother is being punished? This is an ointment personally prepared by the genius doctor of Miaoxin Hall. Hurry and apply it."

Xie Tingyu took the ointment and called his personal servant in to apply the ointment. When he returned, several exquisite dishes were already laid out on the table.

He lifted his robe and sat down opposite Xie Qingli, lowering his voice and saying, "Just now...did you hear what Yao'er said?"

Xie Qingli paused as she poured the tea, then nodded gently, "Not missing a single word." The aroma of tea lingered, and her voice deepened. "Li'er once had a long nightmare. In that dream, Xie Qingyao really... became queen."

Did Li'er also have a strange dream that foreshadowed the future? Xie Tingyu's pupils trembled violently, and his knuckles unconsciously clenched on the table.

Xie Qingli's voice was like an ice-hardened blade, each word piercing the heart. "Father reported my grandfather for treason in the Imperial Palace. The Jiang family was raided, the women pierced through the hearts by arrows from the Imperial Guards, and the men, young and old, were all killed. And my grandfather and my eldest brother... were hacked into pieces."

She suddenly leaned forward and spoke word by word, "Brother, that wasn't a dream... It was a life we ​​truly lived through in the cycle of heaven and earth."

She suddenly raised her eyes, cold stars flashing in them: "In this life, I want revenge and will destroy this mansion. Big brother, are you willing to help me?"