First Madam and Xiao Yanyi also waited for him to speak, their expressions heavy.

Fourth Master Xiao pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping past the three of them and landing on the Grand Dowager’s face. His voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "She... lost the baby." As he spoke, his fist clenched tight. "Go in and sit for a while. She hasn’t woken up yet."

"What?!" The Grand Dowager’s body trembled at his words, and she could barely stand as she leaned against First Madam. Rubbing her forehead, she confirmed, "Mis... miscarried?"

First Madam and Ziwei and Bilian supported the Grand Dowager. First Madam tried to soothe her, saying, "Mother, please don’t worry." Then she looked at Fourth Master Xiao. "They said the horse pulling the carriage suddenly went mad. Have you found out the reason?"

"I’m just going to look into it. You all go in and sit for a while." Nodding to the Grand Dowager and First Madam, he clearly did not want to say more, and was about to go around them when Xiao Yanyi spoke up: "I’ll go with you." After speaking, he greeted the Grand Dowager, then silently followed Fourth Master Xiao out of the courtyard.

"How could this happen?" Supported by Ziwei and First Madam, the Grand Dowager hurried anxiously toward the room. "How could the carriage overturn..." Muttering, she entered. Bihuai and Biwu, one with her forehead bandaged and the other’s left arm broken and hanging from her chest, both had red-rimmed eyes and were standing on either side of the door. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Has she woken up?" The Grand Dowager lifted the curtain and peered inside. Bihuai replied, "Not yet, Nurse Zhang is still needling her." She came over to support the Grand Dowager. "Please sit and rest for a bit."

The Grand Dowager waved her hand. "How could I sit still?" She pushed away the hands holding her and paced back and forth in the room with her hands clasped behind her. First Madam glanced at Bihuai and Biwu and asked softly, "You two were with your younger sister-in-law. What exactly happened? The horse was fine—how did it suddenly go mad?"

Bihuai and Biwu exchanged a look, then said in a low voice, "We... we can’t make it clear either. A man suddenly darted out and blocked the carriage, saying he wanted to see Madam... but before he could speak, four or five men rushed out from the side and started fighting... The horse went mad and bolted into the alley."

First Madam listened in confusion and asked, puzzled, "A man, demanding to see your younger sister-in-law?" Bihuai and Biwu both hesitantly nodded.

The Grand Dowager knit her brows and turned to ask, "What did he say? Why did he want to see Miss Qiu?"

"He didn’t even get a single word out before men in black clothes and masks leaped out from the side. They didn’t say a word, just came at him with knives, vicious-looking... That man fought as he ran, but our horse was frightened!" Bihuai recalled the scene from that time and was still frightened.

First Madam and the Grand Dowager exchanged a look; they both found Bihuai’s words hard to understand.

How could a perfectly ordinary journey suddenly have someone rush out to block Xiqiu’s carriage, and then others, knives in hand, charge out in broad daylight... It was just like something out of an opera.

At this moment Bihuai and Biwu also did not understand. Madam and Miss Le had talked for quite a while, then Madam had personally escorted Madam Le to the city gate. On the way back, Madam said she wanted to stop by the medical hall, and they never imagined they would run into such a thing... that Madam would even end up losing the child.

Thinking of this, they were consumed with self-reproach. How could they have been so careless? Madam hadn’t had her monthly affairs for two months, yet they hadn’t thought Madam might be pregnant, and had still carelessly let her go out, which in the end led to this great disaster...

Bihuai’s eyes reddened, and she almost wanted to bash her head to death right there. It was all because of her carelessness that Madam had to suffer such torment. If anything happened to Madam, even dying a hundred times would not atone for this sin.

Fourth Master Xiao and Xiao Yanyi entered the study one after the other. Inside, Ziyang was still kneeling on the floor. When she saw Fourth Master Xiao come in, she hastily shuffled forward on her knees and said, "Fourth Master, this servant truly meant no harm. This servant did it all for Young Master Min’s sake!"

Xiao Yanyi looked over at Ziyang, his brows furrowing. He felt this maid looked somewhat familiar, but couldn’t recall where he’d seen her. He understood even less why she was kneeling here saying such things, so he simply sat down and waited quietly for Fourth Master Xiao to speak.

Fourth Master Xiao did not sit. He stood in front of Ziyang, blocking the light coming through the window, and the room instantly dimmed. He stared at Ziyang in silence for a long time before speaking, and it wasn’t to her: "Tianjing, I don’t want to see her again."

"Yes!" Tianjing came in, took hold of Ziyang, and pulled her out. Startled, Ziyang dropped to her knees and kowtowed, crying, "Fourth Master, Great Governor, this servant truly meant no harm. This servant did it only for Young Master Min’s sake, Fourth Master!"

Fourth Master Xiao turned his back to her and did not so much as glance at her.

Ziyang was dragged out by Tianjing and the guard waiting at the door. Xiao Yanyi stood up and asked, "Fourth Brother, what is going on?"

Fourth Master Xiao was silent for a moment, then explained, "Shen An has arrived in the Capital." Xiao Yanyi started, and his expression darkened as well. "You mean, what happened to Fourth Sister-in-law was done by Shen An? How could he..."

"No." Fourth Master Xiao waved his hand and said slowly, "Shen An wouldn’t be that brainless. It was Shen Ning." He slammed his fist down on the desk; the redwood writing desk, finished with red lacquer, immediately dented inward. "He acted on his own and tried to find Xiqiu to talk Min around... but he didn’t realize he’d long since been watched by people from the Shen Family. The moment he showed himself, men came at him from all sides to kill him..." He had warned Shen An, but he had not expected they would still do something so foolish.

Xiao Yanyi finally understood what had happened. Shen Ning had gone to stop Xiqiu’s carriage, wanting to talk with her and persuade her, as Min’s mother, to talk Min around. But he hadn’t expected that before he could even speak, he would be targeted by the Shen people—and drag Xiqiu down with him!

"Idiot!" Xiao Yanyi said coldly. "So what are you planning to do now?"

Fourth Master Xiao turned around, his gaze falling into the courtyard, his voice a little distant. "Since Min already knows about this, then we no longer need to hold back. Anyone who harms someone I care about—I’ll make him regret ever being born into this world!"

Xiao Yanyi was taken aback, but not surprised by Fourth Master Xiao’s stance. They had been brothers for many years; he knew very well what kind of person Fourth Master Xiao was.

"Do whatever you want, but you must discuss it with your sister-in-law. Min was raised by her own hand; you must not break her heart." Xiao Yanyi said mildly.

Fourth Master Xiao turned his eyes on Xiao Yanyi and looked at him deeply. The latter’s expression was firm, without the slightest hint of evasiveness. Fourth Master Xiao paused, then said coldly, "I know what I’m doing." With that, he turned and walked out.

Xiao Yanyi remained in the study and let out a long sigh.

"Has she woken up?" When Wan’er came out of the room, the Grand Dowager sprang to her feet. Wan’er nodded and replied, "She’s awake."

Before Wan’er could finish, the Grand Dowager had already gone in. "Miss Qiu." She took a few quick steps to the bedside. Seeing Xiqiu’s pale face on the pillow, her eyes immediately reddened and she grasped Xiqiu’s hand tight...

"Mother." Xiqiu felt as if her body had been hollowed out, even speaking cost her all the strength she had. "I’m sorry for making you worry." She then saw First Madam. "Elder Sister-in-law."