Ziyu was about to say more, but Ziqing nudged her, signaling her to stop. Did the girl not see that the Young Mistress was beside herself with anger tonight? Did she want to court death by speaking further?

Ziyu pouted, falling silent. Ziqing looked at Lin He’s furious expression and quickly smoothed things over with a smile. “Fine, Young Mistress, we won’t say another word. We are your maids, and we always will be. No matter what, our hearts are entirely with you. Please don’t be angry anymore. Go wash up now, and I’ll get the bedding laid out for you.”

Ziyu, standing nearby, quickly nodded in agreement, earnestly pledging loyalty. “Yes, Young Mistress, no matter what happens, we are on your side.”

Lin He glanced at the two maids, then nodded with satisfaction, heading to the washroom to clean up.

Ziqing and Ziyu exchanged looks of resigned amusement and went to tidy up the bedding for the **. As they were folding things away, Ziyu’s sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase. Both girls brightened instantly, thinking it must be the Young Master arriving.

Ziyu hurried toward the stairs, only to be disappointed when she saw that the person approaching was not the Young Master, but Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao saw Ziyu standing in the doorway and said, “The Young Master sent me to invite the Young Mistress over to rest.”

“No need to invite. Tell the Young Master that the Second Young Mistress will be sleeping here for the next few days,” Ziyu deliberately said loudly. She then peered back into the room, ensuring the Young Mistress was still in the washroom, before lowering her voice. “Tell the Second Young Master that the Young Mistress is very cross. If he wants to invite her over, he’ll have to trouble himself to come up personally.”

Ling Xiao twitched the corner of his mouth, watching Ziyu act like a conspirator, yet he stated in a low voice, “The Young Master says if the Young Mistress refuses to come, he won't sleep tonight either.”

Ziyu rolled her eyes and whispered, “We’ll tell him that later. The Young Mistress is inside now; she won't hear it anyway. Do you even know what this is all about today?”

Ling Xiao glanced at Ziyu, his expression slightly relaxing. He replied, “I don’t. The Young Master isn't saying anything on his end either, and he refuses to sleep, just sitting by the table, insisting he must bring the Second Young Mistress over, no matter what.”

“Ah, the Young Master is really something. Why did he have to provoke the Young Mistress like this? Isn’t he just making things difficult for himself? It seems if the Young Master doesn’t come himself, the Young Mistress’s anger won’t subside. He knows exactly how stubborn she is,” Ziyu sighed and muttered in gentle complaint.

Ling Xiao flicked a glance at Ziyu, wondering why this girl never learned. She even dared to complain about the Young Master. It was no wonder she was always the one being punished. However, the girl wasn't entirely wrong; the Young Master was truly reaping what he sowed. The Young Mistress wasn't someone one could simply take anger out on. Look—the Young Master was about to get angry, and before he even spoke, the Young Mistress had already preempted him, fleeing up to the upper floor to stay. In the end, he was the one left fuming.

Yet, Ling Xiao dared only to think these things; he wouldn’t voice them for all the tea in China. But since the Young Master had given orders, he had to wait for the Young Mistress’s reply before he could report back.

Ling Xiao stood by the stairwell for a moment, then heard Lin He’s voice call out from inside the room. “Ziyu, why are you standing at the door? Close it. I’m going to sleep.”

Ziyu quickly replied, “Young Mistress, the Young Master sent someone to ask you to rest in the main quarters.”

There was no reply from inside after Ziyu finished speaking. A moment later, Ling Xiao saw the Young Mistress appear at the doorway. “Ling Xiao,” she said, “Go tell your master that if he likes being angry, he can stew in it for a few more days. When he’s had his fill, we’ll settle this score properly. I’ll be staying in the upper floor these few days. I’ll send someone over to attend to him tomorrow.”

Without waiting for Ling Xiao’s reply, Lin He called out to Ziyu, who slammed the door shut with a sharp snap. Ling Xiao had no choice but to retreat.

Before he’d taken two steps, he heard a voice from behind the closed door. “Ziyu, secure that door tightly. The Young Mistress is exhausted today. Do not let anyone disturb me for any reason, or you will be held accountable.”

This was aimed at Ziyu, but it was clearly intended for Ling Xiao’s ears—or more precisely, for someone in the main quarters.

Over in the main quarters, Wen Ningxuan hadn't slept either, his anger burning just as fiercely. He kept recalling the look that little woman had given him earlier, which left him feeling suffocated. Did she truly see him as such a heartless man in her eyes? Someone who would just stand by and watch his elder brother be beaten to death without saying a word? After being together for so long, she still didn't understand him—she deserved a good scolding. Worse yet, the little woman was angry on behalf of another man, looking down on him like that. She was going to drive him mad with frustration.

Moreover, after all that time in the main quarters, even Ziqing and Fifth Uncle had noticed he was angry, but she hadn't noticed a thing until she needed to beg him for help, only then remembering he existed. And she had angered someone without even realizing the cause.

When he returned earlier, he’d intended to give her the cold shoulder, letting her reflect on her mistakes. But look at this—not only did she fail to see her error, she actually ran away herself. It seemed she was genuinely furious. This little woman had been spoiled rotten, her temper had grown this enormous. Wait—had he spoiled her? Wen Ningxuan thought, frowning slightly in frustration.

Although it was late and he had the shops to attend to first thing in the morning, looking at the empty room, Wen Ningxuan had no sleepiness in him at all. He kept picturing the little woman in the upper building, wondering if she could sleep alone. She had a habit of being sensitive to new beds; she always struggled to sleep well when first arriving somewhere new.

In all the time since they married, he had slept beside her every night. Although she sometimes spent time in the small house on the upper floor, she had never spent the night there except for the time he was drugged.

And she had another problem: if she didn't sleep well one night, she would suffer a headache and feel completely drained the next day. Thinking of this, Wen Ningxuan nearly couldn't stop himself from going over, but the memory of the look on the little woman’s face in the main house made him halt his steps. Anxious, he paced back and forth in the room, waiting for Ling Xiao to return.

After pacing for a while, he heard Ling Xiao’s returning footsteps and immediately sat back down at the table, picking up the teacup and pretending he had been sipping tea all along. Ling Xiao entered and saw his master holding the teacup, maintaining a facade of calm indifference, though inwardly, he must have been frantic. Otherwise, how could he not even notice the teacup was empty?

Ling Xiao’s eye twitched slightly. He didn't say much, simply relaying every single word the Young Mistress had spoken. After finishing, he added, “The Young Mistress has retired for the night and said not to disturb her for any reason.”