Volume One, Chapter Six: You—You Can Actually Fight?

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Nanny Zhao responded with a nod and took from the red box at the bedside a disciplinary whip about two fingers wide and three feet long. The whip was made of tough cowhide, its body gleaming with a cold, eerie sheen, and the tip was adorned with several slender red tassels.

Within the Marquis’s residence, Lord Qin was utterly disgraceful—skilled at courting trouble, gambling, and womanizing without exception.

The Marchioness, deeply wounded by Lord Qin, confined herself to her own courtyard, spending her days devoted to Buddhist prayers.

Thus, shortly after Shi Qingqian’s arrival, the matriarch of the Qin family entrusted her with the steward’s authority and the disciplinary whip. However, the original mistress was gentle by nature, and the whip was never wielded.

Today, Shi Qingqian intended to use this whip to discipline the worthless man. Just reading about it made her want to strike!

Qin Lang sneered as he watched Shi Qingqian approach with the whip in hand. “Shi Qingqian, what do you think you’re doing? Could it be you want to hit this young master?”

“I’m only doing what the young master said: if you want to lay a hand on Lady Lu, you must first be beaten to a pulp. Today, this family discipline will be enforced. If the young master tries to stop me, I wouldn’t dare strike you to death. But to make you powerless to interfere? That I can do.”

As she spoke, Shi Qingqian flicked the long whip, which cracked sharply through the air with a force that rivaled any man’s.

Qin Lang scoffed, utterly dismissing the frail woman before him.

“Shi Qingqian, you really think you can make me powerless to resist? Don’t daydream. If you have the guts, come at me—I want to see what you can do!”

Shi Qingqian said nothing further. She swung the disciplinary whip again, aiming directly at Qin Lang.

Qin Lang intended to dodge easily, but unexpectedly, Shi Qingqian’s strike, seemingly casual, was actually swift and fierce. Unable to evade in time, the whip struck firmly against his arm, immediately leaving a red welt, causing him to gasp sharply in pain.

“Shi Qingqian, you actually dare to strike me!” Qin Lang shouted, eyes wide with shock and fury.

But Shi Qingqian’s expression remained cold and unchanging. She replied icily, “Young master, I have long said this is in accordance with the Marquis’s family rules. Since you insist on obstructing me, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

With that, the whip in her hand lashed out again and again like a living serpent, striking Qin Lang relentlessly.

Qin Lang tried to dodge, but Shi Qingqian seemed to anticipate his moves, always striking where he tried to evade.

One lash after another, without mercy.

Soon, several vivid red marks appeared on Qin Lang’s body. His clothes were torn in places, thin streaks of blood seeping through, yet Shi Qingqian showed no sign of stopping.

The servants around were too frightened to breathe. They had never imagined the usually gentle Shi Qingqian possessed such a formidable side.

Though the matriarch felt sorry for her grandson, she knew well that if Shi Qingqian was not allowed to assert authority today, the family rules of the Marquis’s household would be disregarded forever. So she merely furrowed her brows and watched silently.

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Lu Hongzhao’s eyes flashed with a cruel light as she observed Shi Qingqian’s fierce demeanor.

Finally, Qin Lang, pushed to his limit, made a desperate move. As the whip struck him again, he snatched a sword from a nearby guard and swung it furiously at Shi Qingqian, shouting, “Shi Qingqian, do you even know the meaning of ‘a husband rules over his wife’?”

The sword, sharp and fierce, aimed straight for Shi Qingqian’s face.

“Lang’er! Stop!” The matriarch cried out in alarm, but Qin Lang was too close. In the blink of an eye, the blade was about to pierce Shi Qingqian’s head.

At that critical moment, Shi Qingqian’s figure flashed nimbly. With extraordinary agility, she sidestepped the deadly strike. Following through, she spun around, the disciplinary whip streaking through the air like a black lightning bolt, skillfully coiling around the sword in Qin Lang’s hand.

She pulled hard, and Qin Lang felt a tremendous force tug at the sword, nearly wrenching it from his grip. Shocked and enraged, he refused to give up, gripping the hilt tightly and struggling against Shi Qingqian.

Shi Qingqian’s eyes were resolute, her lips parted slightly. “Young master, family rules come first. They do not allow your reckless behavior.”

With that, she raised her delicate wrist and gave the whip a powerful yank. The whip, like a venomous serpent, instantly tightened.

At the same time, she leapt forward and kicked Qin Lang squarely in the chest.

Qin Lang felt as if a mountain had crashed onto his chest, and he was violently thrown backward, his body uncontrollably hurtling toward the bench where Cui’er was being punished outside the door.

At that moment, Cui’er had already passed away, her cold body lying across the bench.

Qin Lang’s collision was like a boulder rolling downhill, toppling the bench and Cui’er’s corpse with it.

In an instant, the silent air was filled with the clatter of the bench falling and the dull thud of a body hitting the ground.

Qin Lang struggled to rise, his clothes stained with Cui’er’s blood. His face was filled with disbelief as he blurted out, “You! You actually know martial arts?”

Not only Qin Lang, but everyone in the room—including Hongzhu and Nanny Zhao—had no idea Shi Qingqian was skilled in combat. Now, all their gazes brimmed with astonishment and surprise.

Nanny Zhao and Hongzhu exchanged a glance, both silent.

Shi Qingqian understood clearly that once her martial ability was exposed, it might seem trivial to others; but since she was not the original mistress, she could not hide this from Nanny Zhao and Hongzhu.

These two had served the household since the original mistress’s childhood— they knew perfectly well whether she could fight.

Yet Shi Qingqian was certain that, for now, they would not reveal her secret. How they would treat her going forward was uncertain; she could only take things one step at a time.

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After all, surviving under the control of two cunning and ruthless women required more than constant submission.

Since the secret was bound to be uncovered sooner or later, better it came out early.

The situation ahead would only grow more complex and unpredictable. The attitudes of Nanny Zhao and Hongzhu were crucial.

If they remained loyal, they would be a great support; but if they wavered because of her secret, Shi Qingqian would need to prepare countermeasures.

“Your Highness, I must admit, in my youth I did learn some martial arts,” Shi Qingqian said, moving her right hand slightly. Qin Lang’s body then collapsed stiffly to the ground.

“Qingqian! This…” The matriarch looked on with concern as Qin Lang fell.

“Madam, rest assured—I only struck his pressure point to put him to sleep. He’ll awaken after a few hours,” Shi Qingqian said with a cheerful smile.

The matriarch’s lips twitched. How was it that this girl had become so cunning? Instead of stopping her grandson from causing trouble outright, she chose first to beat him thoroughly, then to knock him unconscious.

Was she being pushed to extremes?

Still, the matriarch said nothing further. Her grandson had gone astray, and she was too old to manage him.

Having a capable daughter-in-law to keep him in check was probably a good thing.

With that thought, the matriarch fell silent, sitting quietly to observe the unfolding drama.

Shi Qingqian arranged for Qin Lang to be taken back to his room and had Cui’er’s body removed. Then she had a chair brought and sat beside the matriarch.

She glanced casually toward Lu Hongzhao…

Lu Hongzhao, still stunned by the recent events, shuddered as Shi Qingqian looked her way. She tried to flee but was blocked by a maid.

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