The beloved daughter of the Houfu is seven years old

Chapter Three – Trouble in the Inner Courtyard

Who among those present had ever seen a seven-year-old child dare to kill someone?

Especially this ominous child—lacking strength, she couldn’t pierce through on the first stab and ended up stabbing Yue Mei several more times, until her own face was splattered with blood. Everyone stood frozen in place, too shocked to move. Even Madam Liu, holding a handkerchief to her tears, looked at her daughter in utter disbelief.

Shen Qingqiu gave her a single glance, then turned and ran straight out through the side gate. The Shen family’s servants had yet to catch up.

In this rural area, the separation between men and women wasn’t strict, and besides, Shen Qingqiu was only seven or eight years old. It was normal for her to play outside. But today, her face was pale, her forehead bloody, and with her naturally delicate, jade-like features, she looked like a disfigured little goddess.

She had a divine appearance, but her gaze was fierce and deadly. Shen Qingqiu scanned the street as she walked until she spotted a crowded place. Without hesitation, she plopped down on the ground and began to bawl. Her appearance was adorable, and her sobs were pitiful. It didn’t take long for curious onlookers to gather.

“Isn’t that the Seventh Miss from Governor Shen’s family? I’ve seen her before, playing in my courtyard.”

“Yes, yes, I remember her. She’s bought snacks from my stall before… What happened? She’s covered in blood! Poor thing—she might be scarred for life!”

“Looks like there’s serious unrest in the Shen family’s inner courtyard.”

Shen Qingqiu had started off faking her crying, but her young throat was too delicate. Soon, she began coughing for real. It was just then that the Shen household’s people arrived. Madam Liu, being a concubine, couldn’t leave the residence, so the ones who came were the steward and several servants.

“Seventh Miss, please come back with us!”

Shen Qingqiu managed to stop coughing and immediately lifted her head to say, “Why are you dragging me back—so I can die to pay for Yue Mei’s life?”

“Seventh Miss!!” The steward’s eyes widened in alarm.

“I’m the daughter of the esteemed governor,” she said, her young eyes dark and serious. “But I feel like I’m worth less than a servant! It was clearly Yue Mei who stole my hairpin, yet they accused me of stealing from her.”

She pointed to the bloody wound on her forehead. “Am I my father’s real daughter, or is Yue Mei? She hurt me like this, and yet I was expected to apologize to her? She’s just a maid, and they wanted her to beat me to let out her anger?!”

“Let’s say—even if I did push her into the water, so what? Does that mean I have to die for it?!”

With such a delicate appearance, such a shocking story, and being just a little girl, the crowd couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

“What’s going on here? Over a hairpin, they let a maid beat a young lady? Is this how things are done in the Governor’s household?”

“Even if the young miss took the hairpin, was that really a reason to go this far?”

At this point, it wasn’t about who took the hairpin—it was about the power imbalance between master and servant. The Shen family’s behavior toward their own daughter was harsh enough to suggest disorder and poor governance. And if a man couldn’t manage his own household, how could he govern the people?

The steward felt a chill in his heart. He realized this had escalated and tried to save face quickly. “Miss, that’s not how it is at all! You were wronged, so of course we were going to punish Yue Mei. Please, come home with us…”

Shen Qingqiu had never cared about playing nice. People say that family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public—but if the Shen family didn’t treat her as their daughter, why should she protect their reputation?

Her brows lifted and her sneer deepened. “If you want me to pay for Yue Mei’s life—fine, I already have!” Then, she dropped to her knees and slammed her head hard against the ground. Her small body trembled, and she passed out cold.

The steward trembled like a leaf in the wind and immediately ordered someone to carry the unconscious Shen Qingqiu back.

Once the main figure was gone, the crowd, still murmuring in outrage, began to disperse. But two figures remained in the back, watching the direction Shen Qingqiu had gone, deep in thought.

One was a man dressed as a servant. He said, “This little girl looks a lot like our master when he was young—and she’s just as clever. That head injury was genius. The Shen family will have to keep her alive now, or they’ll be publicly disgraced. To have such wit and courage at such a young age… besides our master, I’ve never seen the like.”

The man he referred to as “master” shot him a cold glance, and the servant immediately lowered his head. “Forgive me, I spoke out of turn.”

Perhaps the scene had stirred some old memories. The man closed his folding fan with a snap, turned, and walked away. “Let’s go. No matter how clever she is, she’s still someone else’s daughter. What does that have to do with your master?”