Chapter 28: Turning the Tables

"Say no more!" Doctor Li was clearly troubled, but Hua Qinci waved her hand resolutely, cutting him off.

"Heh! Do you really think that by refusing to speak, you can cover up your deceit? Let me tell you, Hua Qinci, dream on. Today, I will reveal your true face to everyone and show them what kind of sanctimonious liar you really are. Let’s see if people dare trust you again!"

"Liubingbing!" Qin Youtian’s voice was low and menacing, as if warning her.

"Cousin, you have no idea what’s really going on, so stay out of it," Liubingbing replied, completely ignoring his threat. She pressed Doctor Li, forcing him to tell the truth.

Doctor Li still couldn’t bring himself to speak, so Liubingbing stormed into the house, found the box that had held the ginseng, and dumped its contents out for all to see. The ginseng, now shriveled and unrecognizable, fell to the ground before everyone’s eyes.

The crowd stared in bewilderment, unable to comprehend what had happened. Some even wailed and scrambled to pick up the withered root.

"What happened? Can someone tell me what’s going on? Where’s the ginseng? How did it end up like this?"

Madam Wei, tears streaming down her face, snatched up the ginseng and rushed to Hua Qinci. "Daughter-in-law of the Qin family, look at this! How did it become like this? Is it still worth anything? What are we going to do?"

Madam Wei’s cries sent a ripple of panic through the crowd, and everyone began to talk at once.

Hua Qinci was so furious she could have slapped Liubingbing twice over. She took the ginseng, examined it, then strode up to Liubingbing, tossed the shriveled root at her, and delivered a resounding slap.

In that instant, not only was Liubingbing stunned, but the entire crowd fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Hua Qinci in wide-eyed disbelief.

"You hit me? What gives you the right to hit me?" Liubingbing finally blurted out after a long pause.

Hua Qinci slapped her again, the sound echoing through the room, leaving a bright red mark on the other side of Liubingbing’s face.

Not just Liubingbing—even Qin Mingyue and Qin Youtian were left speechless, utterly bewildered by what was unfolding.

"You dare hit me!" Liubingbing exclaimed, lunging at Hua Qinci, but before her hand could reach, Qin Youtian grabbed her wrist.

Hua Qinci pressed down on Qin Youtian’s hand, glaring at Liubingbing. "I hit you? Why shouldn’t I? It was bad enough you tried to coerce Doctor Li into slandering me, but you went even further and ruined the ginseng worth a thousand t