Chapter 12: Winning Over the Brother and Sister-in-Law

　　After walking for a while, the path still wound through secluded spots. Zhu Shuzhen’s garden felt like seclusion within seclusion. Her brother and sister-in-law’s residence, however, was open and spacious. When they arrived, Qianli Xun’s eyes brightened as the view opened up before her.

　　Zhu Shuzhen’s brother was named Zhu Jingyuan. His literary talent didn’t match his sister’s, but he could still pen a decent essay. As the family’s only son, he had his father, Zhu Xiyan, pull strings to secure him a civil post in Lin’an. He had also married Chen Wenxin, daughter of the Chen family—the richest family in Lin’an. The couple was quite harmonious. When Zhu Shuzhen married, Chen Wenxin was already eight months pregnant. She later gave birth to a son, who was now over six months old.

　　When Qianli Xun reached the outer gate of Zhu Jingyuan’s garden, she stopped, “Kuqiao, are my brother and sister-in-law easy to get along with?”

　　Kuqiao replied, “Though the eldest young master’s talent doesn’t match yours, Miss, he’s honest and kind to you. As for the young mistress, I’ve heard her tongue is a bit sharp, but as a person, she’s alright.”

　　“Heard? You haven’t met her?”

　　“I’ve met her a few times when accompanying you, Miss, but you didn’t pay her much attention, and she never had a chance to talk to you, so I haven’t seen it firsthand.”

　　“I ignored her before, but this time I’m the one who has to come begging at her door. Go knock.”

　　Kuqiao stepped forward and knocked on the garden gate.

　　The door opened from inside, and a maid peeked her head out, “Oh, it’s Kuqiao! I heard you came back with the Miss, but I didn’t believe it until now.”

　　Kuqiao greeted, “Hello, Sister. The Miss has finally come back for a visit and is here to pay her respects to the young master and young mistress.”

　　The maid turned to a page boy inside, “Quick, go tell the eldest young master that the Miss is here to visit!”

　　Opening the gate wider, the maid bowed, “You’ve come at the perfect time, Miss. The eldest young master just returned from his official duties. Please come in. I’ll show you the way.”

　　Qianli Xun shot Kuqiao a questioning look. Kuqiao understood immediately and whispered in her ear, “Her name is Yuegui. She’s the dowry maid the young mistress brought with her from the Chen family.”

　　Qianli Xun nodded, and the two followed Yuegui inside. The courtyard was massive, with numerous rooms built like a self-contained manor. Qianli Xun marveled that within the very same Zhu estate, each garden had such a drastically different style.

　　As they walked, a young man approached. He was quite tall, with handsome and proper features. When he smiled, he bore a striking resemblance to Madam Xiang. Qianli Xun guessed this must be Zhu Shuzhen’s brother.

　　Zhu Jingyuan was overjoyed to see his sister, “I already saw Mother when I got back, and she told me you were home! I was just about to change my clothes and play with Laibao for a bit before going to see you. I didn’t expect you to come in person—it saves me a trip.”

　　In her previous life, Qianli Xun had no siblings. Having transmigrated and suddenly gained a brother out of nowhere, she felt genuinely delighted. Mimicking the way servants curtsied, she smiled, “I haven’t been back in over half a year! Now that I’m finally here, of course I had to come see you, Brother, check on my eldest nephew, and chat with my sister-in-law.”

　　Zhu Jingyuan had already learned from their mother about Shuzhen’s “rebirth” and memory loss. But seeing it with his own eyes, he realized just how drastically she had changed. Before, she would never bow to him. At most, she would stiffly call out “Brother” and not utter a single word more. Zhu Jingyuan was used to it. He knew his sister loved solitude, poured all her soul into her poetry, and despised wasting breath on trivial talk—let alone casually “chatting” with people. Yet today, she was actively asking to chat with Wenxin. It was a staggering difference.

　　Still, Zhu Jingyuan stepped forward to support his sister, “Wenxin is inside playing with Laibao. Come, I’ll take you to her.”

　　Qianli Xun felt an inexplicable fondness for her new brother. Perhaps because she had always longed for an older brother, and now her wish had come true. In her excitement, she threw all decorum to the wind and immediately latched onto Zhu Jingyuan’s arm, “It’s so good to have an older brother. If anyone bullies me out there from now on, I have a brother to protect me!”

　　In her past, Qianli Xun was always the one doing the bullying. But deep down, she was still a girl who longed to be protected, especially by her own family.

　　Zhu Jingyuan was completely bewildered by this affectionately clingy sister. Noticing the bruise on her forehead, he assumed the injury was the sole cause of her memory loss and personality shift, “I didn’t expect you to change this much after marriage. Does your head still hurt?”

　　Holding onto Zhu Jingyuan as they walked inside, Qianli Xun said, “Kuqiao has already applied medicine, so the wound doesn’t hurt much. But it hurts in my heart. Lin Jue is completely prone to domestic violence. I really can’t continue living with him. Brother, you have to stand up for me!”

　　“Mother already told me everything. I am absolutely furious,” Zhu Jingyuan fumed. “He got my beautiful, flower-like sister as his wife—what more could he possibly want? To actually lay hands on you! It’s an outrage against heaven and earth. Don’t worry, Brother will definitely back you up. Let’s go inside and talk.”

　　As they spoke, the two walked into the house.

　　Entering the room, they found Laibao sitting in a small sandalwood crib, babbling and giggling. Chen Wenxin was holding a pellet drum, entertaining the baby, while a maid stood quietly by to attend.

　　Seeing Shuzhen enter, Chen Wenxin handed the pellet drum to the maid and stood up to welcome her, “Sister, what a rare guest! What brings you to our courtyard?”

　　Qianli Xun let go of Zhu Jingyuan and extended her hand. Kuqiao quickly placed the brocade box into it. Qianli Xun offered the box to Chen Wenxin, “Sister-in-law, this is a greeting gift for my eldest nephew. I was throwing a tantrum at Father during the baby’s one-month milestone and didn’t come back. Now that I’m here, I’m making up for it.”

　　This was the very first time Zhu Shuzhen had spoken so many words to Chen Wenxin, and she was doing it with a warm smile. Chen Wenxin was taken aback. She took the box, opened it, and saw a gleaming gold lock, “I didn’t expect you to change so much after marriage. It’s a beautiful gift. I’ll have your nephew wear it right away.”

　　Yuegui took the box, lifted the gold lock, and gently fastened it around little Laibao’s neck.

　　“Please, sit down, Sister,” Chen Wenxin said.

　　She then shot a sharp glare at the maid beside her, her voice rising sharply, “What are you standing there like a log for? We have guests! Hurry up and serve the tea!”

　　The scolded maid didn’t dare utter a peep and scurried off to prepare the tea.

　　Zhu Jingyuan gently pulled Chen Wenxin’s arm, “Don’t take your temper out on the servants. Come, sit down. Sister has finally come for a visit, let’s have a good chat with her.”

　　Qianli Xun sat down and observed the two before her. It seemed her brother treated his wife well—he was indeed a good man.

　　Once seated, Chen Wenxin eyed Shuzhen thoughtfully, “You usually don’t pay me any mind. Dropping by so suddenly today is quite the surprise. I’m guessing that besides seeing your nephew, you have other business?”

　　The maid came in, arranged the tea, and stood to the side holding the tray to attend.

　　Chen Wenxin’s temper flared again, “We masters are talking. Why are you still standing there like a statue? Get out!”

　　The maid felt incredibly wronged. Kuqiao, Yuegui, and the maid watching Laibao were all allowed to stay in the room—why couldn’t she? But no matter how unfair it felt, a servant couldn’t talk back to her master. She tucked her head down and slunk out of the room.

　　Only then did Qianli Xun speak, “Can’t I just come visit my brother and sister-in-law? It’s just that I was thoughtless before and neglected you, Sister-in-law.”

　　Wanting to cut straight to the chase, Qianli Xun deliberately put on an act, “Kuqiao, my wound stings a bit. Help me apply some more medicine.”

　　Kuqiao pulled a small wooden box from her sleeve, opened it, and right in front of everyone, used a silk cloth to dab medicine onto her miss’s forehead.

　　Chen Wenxin’s eyes immediately locked onto the injury, “Where did you hit your head, Sister-in-law? Is it serious?”

　　Qianli Xun remained silent. She knew her brother would do the explaining for her.

　　Sure enough, Zhu Jingyuan sighed, “I haven’t had the chance to tell you yet. Ever since Shuzhen married Lin Jue, she has been a frequent victim of his violence. That wound was caused by Lin Jue. Because of that hit, she lost all her previous memories and her entire personality shifted. Mother says it’s a rebirth.”

　　“What? Rebirth?” Chen Wenxin was shocked but quickly regained her composure. “Well, I actually think this amnesiac, reborn version of you is much more down-to-earth. You’re much more pleasant to be around. Rebirth is rebirth, and losing some memories is no big deal—what matters is that you’re alive. However…” She paused, her expression darkening. “For Lin Jue to actually strike a daughter of the Zhu family is going way too far! Father-in-law needs to teach that brat a severe lesson.”

　　Hearing this, joy bloomed in Qianli Xun’s heart. It seemed both her brother and sister-in-law were firmly on her side. Seizing the moment, she said, “Sister-in-law, we are both women. We know how crucial it is to marry a good man. I wasn’t as lucky as you to marry a wonderful man like my brother. Instead, I married a scumbag like Lin Jue who beats women. I truly cannot live with him anymore. I plan to seek an amicable divorce. When the time comes to negotiate, I need you and Brother to stand behind me and back me up.”

　　As Qianli Xun spoke, Chen Wenxin looked fondly at her husband. Though Zhu Jingyuan wasn’t a literary genius or a high-ranking official, his true strength lay in how well he treated her. He listened to her and valued her highly—making him a thousand times better than most men of their era. A look of genuine happiness graced her face.

　　“A man like Lin Jue… you really can’t stay with him,” Chen Wenxin agreed firmly. “A mutual divorce is a good choice. Once you leave him, you can still find a decent family to marry into.”

　　“So, do you and Brother agree to step forward and support me when I confront the Lin family?” Qianli Xun pressed.

　　“Is that even a question? Of course I agree,” Chen Wenxin declared.

　　“If your sister-in-law agrees, Brother definitely agrees,” Zhu Jingyuan echoed loyally.

　　Overjoyed, Qianli Xun stood up and threw her arms around Chen Wenxin, “You are so good to me! I’m so incredibly lucky to have a sister-in-law like you.”

　　“Actually,” Chen Wenxin smirked, “I should be thanking Lin Jue.”

　　Qianli Xun pulled back, confused, “What do you mean?”

　　Chen Wenxin laughed, “Him beating you is despicable, yes. But if he hadn’t hit you, you wouldn’t have turned into a version of yourself that I actually like! Before, you were aloof, arrogant, and icy. You barely spoke and always kept everyone at a distance. Now, you actually act like a normal human being.”

　　“Sister-in-law,” Qianli Xun pouted playfully, “the way you say that makes it sound like Lin Jue deserves credit for hitting me!”

　　Chen Wenxin chuckled, “Alright, alright, I’m not joking anymore. Lin Jue is exactly the kind of… what did you call it?”

　　“Scumbag.”

　　“Yes! Scumbag!”

　　As the two women were bonding, Yinxing’s voice called out from beyond the door, “Young Master, Young Mistress! The Master has returned. He heard the Miss was here and sent me to invite her over to have dinner with him and the Madam.”

　　Zhu Jingyuan nodded seriously, “Father is back and wants to see you. Make sure you explain exactly how Lin Jue hit you. I know Father will definitely stand up for you.”

　　Her brother’s confidence made Qianli Xun feel grounded, “Aren’t you two coming over for dinner as well?”

　　Looking at his amnesiac sister with a mix of pity and affection, Zhu Jingyuan gently explained, “Father only asked for you, not me and Wenxin. We can’t just invite ourselves over and disturb him.”

　　Having no other choice, Qianli Xun bid her brother and sister-in-law farewell.

　　When she stepped out of the courtyard, the sky was already growing dark. One day was nearly gone. She only had two days left. As long as she could win over Zhu Shuzhen’s formidable father, everything would fall perfectly into place. Filled with newfound hope, Qianli Xun followed Yinxing. Guided only by the faint, flickering light of the maid’s lantern, she continued to navigate the depths of the sprawling Zhu estate.