Vilins get their comeuppance, whether by fate or the heroine's hand. Rest assured, they won't remain free to do as they please.

  _____

  Qingzhou's scenery was a world apart from the grandeur of the capital. As they traveled along the official road into the city, the views were spectacur, with rolling green mountains cloaked in snow and a rising sun painting the eastern sky and half of the mountainside in a warm glow.

  Old Lady Song lifted the curtain to take in the sight, feeling some of the fatigue from the long journey ease. A faint smile graced her face.

  They had traveled tirelessly, and now they were finally in the pce where her daughter resided. The trepidation she had felt melted away, repced with a joy that filled her heart at the thought of reuniting with her beloved child, her "precious pearl."

  On the rural paths, farmers with hoes occasionally passed by. Third Master, riding up to her carriage, respectfully asked through the curtain, "Mother, would you like to find a pce to freshen up first, or..."

  He had been to Qingzhou before and had even arranged to buy a private vil nearby for added convenience and security for his sister.

  Without a moment's hesitation, Old Lady Song's expression turned cold. "Straight to the Prefect's residence," she said with a wry smile after a pause.

  Their family had always presented themselves with dignity, yet the Xiang family hadn't shown her daughter even an ounce of courtesy. No amount of finery would change anything now, especially for people as unworthy as the Xiang family.

  With her command, the Third Master ordered the procession forward, heading directly to the Prefect's residence.

  But as he approached and saw the two rge white nterns hanging by the entrance, billowing in the wind, his heart sank, leaving him momentarily speechless.

  Luyi curiously peeked out through a crack in the curtain, startled by the sight of the white nterns. She lowered the curtain and stammered to Song Chuyi, "Miss, the prefecture has... white mourning nterns hanging outside..."

  White nterns?

  An ominous feeling surged within Song Chuyi, and it was soon confirmed.

  Xiang Yunzhang, who had hurried out to greet them, stood rooted in pce, his face filled with grief as he reyed news that was incomprehensible to the arriving guests, especially Third Master, who had arrived far earlier than expected. "Linng... she passed away st night."

  Passed away?

  Third Master was too stunned to respond. After a long pause, the eyes of this man in his thirties stung with tears. He stood there, motionless, on the unusually silent morning street.

  Xiang Yunzhang's heart was uneasy as he wiped his eyes, his voice strained. "Please... Mother-in-w and Brother-in-w... come inside to talk."

  Third Master swallowed and forced down the burning pain in his throat, finally responding in a ft, hoarse tone, "Very well, let's speak inside."

  After removing the threshold, they guided the carriages into the courtyard. Song Chuyi alighted first and went to assist Old Lady Song down from her carriage.

  The elderly dy swayed, barely able to stand even with Song Chuyi and Yushu supporting her. Her voice quivered, as though doubting her own ears, and she turned to Song Chuyi, asking, "What did your third uncle just say? Who... who passed away?"

  Yushu's grip on her tightened, her hands faintly trembling. If this news struck Old Lady Song too hard, they feared she might not be able to withstand it.

  Song Chuyi bowed her head in silence, then finally patted her grandmother's hand gently. "Grandmother, let's go see Auntie first."

  Her words nudged Xiang Yunzhang, who gave the young girl a surprised gnce before offering, "I'll guide Mother-in-w and Brother-in-w over."

  The Song family didn't spare Xiang Yunzhang a single gnce as they solemnly followed him into the hall.

  It was only upon seeing her daughter lying still in her funeral attire, face pale and tinged with a bluish hue, that Old Lady Song could finally believe the truth: her daughter, whom she hadn't seen in over a decade, was truly gone, forever separated from her in this world.

  Third Master, on the verge of breaking down, turned away after a single look, then lunged forward, grabbing Xiang Yunzhang by the colr and dragging him to stand before Linng's coffin. Choking back tears, he demanded, "We're here now! Look at my sister, and tell me what happened. Speak! Tell me, how did she die? Tell me!"

  Overcome with rage, the Third Master tightened his grip, practically choking Xiang Yunzhang as he forced him face-to-face with Linng's lifeless form. Xiang Yunzhang's eyes widened in horror, and in his daze, he seemed to see Linng's eyes suddenly opening. He let out a terrified scream, struggling free and stumbling backward, clutching his neck as he gasped for breath.

  This was the first time Song Chuyi had ever seen her third uncle so enraged and her first time ying eyes on Linng. In both her past and current lives, she was meeting her ill-fated aunt for the first and st time, here in the mourning hall.

  Supporting her grandmother, Song Chuyi watched as the old woman, trembling, reached out to touch Linng's face. Heart aching, she turned her gaze away.

  "Linng..." Old Lady Song cried out, her voice breaking as she called to her daughter, "Mother's here to see you..."

  She had intended to act a bit stubborn upon her arrival, hoping to make Linng realize her mistakes, thinking she would put on a motherly air and wait for Linng to come to her, pyful and apologetic. But now... there was nothing left. Her daughter was gone. The child she had cherished and spoiled for so many years would never open her eyes and call her "Mother" again.

  Sobbing, Old Lady Song bent down, struggling to press her face to Linng's as tears fell onto her daughter's face. "Why couldn't you wait a little longer? Why couldn't you wait for your brother..."

  Tears streamed down Third Master's face as he kicked Xiang Yunzhang, sending him stumbling forward. The mourning hall filled with the sound of grief as Yunshang, kneeling nearby, nearly fainted, wailing, "She was fine when I left! She was fine... it hasn't even been a month... how could this happen..."

  "How could you do this to us, Xiang Yunzhang? How could you betray us like this!" Third Master's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked, his rage boiling over. "This is how you took care of her? This is how she ended up dead at twenty-nine?!"

  The words Xiang Yunzhang had once spoken in earnest when he came to propose now felt like a cruel joke, mocking them for having been so painfully naive.

  Song Chuyi's gaze turned icy as she looked around the room. Lowering her head, she calmly asked Yunshang, "Weren't there supposed to be two experienced nursemaids by my aunt's side? And didn't Yunhe return to the household to help as well? Why aren't they here?"

  Xiang Yunzhang's eyes widened in shock, gncing in disbelief at the young girl before him. Even Old Lady Song and Third Master, lost in their grief, hadn't noticed this detail...