Chapter 2: The True Face

Xie Yun’s face turned pale, a sense of foreboding gripping her heart.

She glanced around and whispered, "But you clearly told me three days ago that the medicine was still in your hands. Now that Grandmother is in critical condition and desperately needs that precious ginseng for her treatment, you promised me that if I relinquished my position as the lady of the house, you would provide the medicine. How can you say this now? Are you not afraid that the entire Prime Minister’s household will find out?"

Xie Yuming gave a scornful laugh and waved at Yixiang, signaling for everyone else to be dismissed.

"Xie Yun, I’ve already forgotten what I said three days ago. Besides, do you have anyone else who can testify for you?"

"And as for the Prime Minister’s household, I am the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister, while you are merely the daughter of a schoolteacher. Do you truly believe they care for you that much?"

Years ago, the Prime Minister’s wife was strict and often resorted to physical punishment. While traveling to a rural estate for the sake of her pregnancy, she encountered bandits and fled with her wet nurse to a dilapidated temple. After the shock, she went into early labor. Coincidentally, a common woman in the temple was also about to give birth, and the nurse swapped the two baby girls.

This secret was not revealed until three years ago, at which point the Xie family immediately brought Xie Yuming back.

However, the newly returned Xie Yuming was petty, and her temperament and conduct were completely at odds with the noble ladies of Yanjing, let alone Xie Yun, who had been personally praised by the Emperor himself.

Xie Yun had been raised in the Xie family for fifteen years. The old matriarch of the Xie family cherished her like a pearl, holding her as dear as the apple of her eye, and refused to let her leave the household under any circumstances.

The Prime Minister, considering the reputation Xie Yun had built for the family, allowed her to remain in the residence, with Xie Yuming officially designated as the second daughter who had just returned after recovering from an illness.

Later, Xie Yun taught Xie Yuming the six arts and how to manage the household, leading her step-by-step into the social circles of Yanjing’s noblewomen. The two appeared to be very close, and everyone in the Prime Minister’s house was satisfied.

It was not until Xie Yuming married into the Pingjing Marquis’s estate that she stopped caring about the life of her own grandmother.

Xie Yun had one lingering doubt, so she looked directly at her and asked, "But she is your own flesh-and-blood grandmother. How can you be so heartless?"

At the mention of this, Xie Yuming’s expression shifted instantly.

"She is my grandmother, but she sided with you, an outsider, at every turn! Once she dies, there will be no one left in the Prime Minister’s mansion to protect you. Who will care if you live or die?"

Xie Yun finally realized the truth. Xie Yuming had intended to kill the old matriarch all along.

The old matriarch of the Xie family held great weight in Yanjing, and her status within the family went without saying. Xie Yun had essentially been raised by her. In the household, only the old matriarch treated Xie Yun with genuine affection; the Prime Minister, Xie Huaishu, and his wife, Madam Xu, had always remained indifferent toward her.

Fortunately, Xie Yun was capable. Gifted since childhood, she was proficient in household management at a young age. She had organized numerous banquets in Yanjing, and Xie Huaishu would often treat her with a pleasant demeanor for the sake of his own reputation. After all, he cared deeply about his image.

Three years ago, when Xie Yun learned of her true heritage, it was the old matriarch’s desperate pleas that convinced her to stay. Now, as Xie Yuming said, if the old matriarch were gone, the Prime Minister’s household might no longer see her as worthy of notice. After all, she was not the true daughter of the house—Xie Yuming was.

Xie Yun’s pupils constricted. She muttered, "So that is your scheme. To see my downfall, you would not hesitate to sacrifice the life of your own grandmother..."

"Does she even deserve to be called my grandmother? Since I returned to the Xie family, when has she ever shown me a kind face? She said I was unworthy of the public eye and insisted that the marriage intended for the true daughter of the Xie family be given to you. She looked down on me in every way while doting on you. It is clear she has grown senile and forgotten who her real granddaughter is!"

Xie Yuming stepped down the stairs, gripped Xie Yun’s chin, and hissed viciously.

"Xie Yun, I might as well tell you: even if I had the medicine, I wouldn’t send it to the Prime Minister’s mansion. That old woman has already been poisoned by me; she won’t live much longer!"

Xie Yun’s eyes widened in horror, and she glared at her. "Xie Yuming, you are truly beyond saving."

Her red-rimmed eyes were filled with overwhelming hatred. Xie Yuming seemed to relish her rage, her smile growing even more radiant.

Lifting her chin, she continued to gloat, "I doubt that old woman ever imagined what your life would become, even in her dying moments. She left the marriage into the Pingjing Marquis’s house to you, thinking it would ensure your happiness. Tsk, tsk. Cheng Shaoqian was holding me and telling me I was his favorite long before I even entered the house. As for you, he finds even looking at you disgusting..."

Her smile was smug. She did not notice that the person before her had made a sudden decision; Xie Yun closed her eyes for a split second, then abruptly pulled the silver hairpin from her hair and plunged it into Xie Yuming’s neck!

Xie Yuming shrieked, clutching her throat as blood gushed out, and stumbled back in panic. "Someone! Help! Someone come and beat this poisonous woman to death!"