Do not blame Lin He for her petty suspicions; Mrs. Wen was truly a difficult person. When Wen Ningxuan was so young, she already resorted to such tactics. Now that Lin He has been married for only a month, Mrs. Wen has brought up this matter of Ning Nuo. The future stretches long, and who knows what else she might do to the couple. Holding onto a leverage point feels safer.

With that thought, Lin He casually flipped through the account books, then instructed Zi Qing and Zi Yu to put away the volumes she had reviewed, saying she would take them to the study later for the Young Master to look over as well.

After Zi Qing and Zi Yu had neatly organized the account books one by one, Lin He saw that the day was growing late and went downstairs with them to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal.

Upon reaching the kitchen, she was surprised to find quite a few people already there. Besides the two old maids who managed the kitchen, Xiang Yun and those other maids were all present, and they were preparing to cook with the ingredients Zi Qing and Zi Yu had already set out. Lin He stood at the doorway, letting out a cold sneer internally—these girls were clearly impatient.

Lin He showed no outward emotion, leading Zi Qing and Zi Yu into the kitchen. The two kitchen maids looked startled when Lin He entered and hastily bowed, one of them immediately offering an explanation: "Young Mistress, I thought you were still feeling unwell, so I let Xiang Yun and the others come in to prepare the meal."

The maids who had been busy with their backs turned to Lin He instantly turned around to curtsy when they heard the kitchen maid speaking. Except for the eldest, Xiang Yun, the others all wore expressions of panic, not daring to lift their heads.

Ever since Lin He had entered this courtyard, although it had never been explicitly stated, these maids had never been required to work in the kitchen for so long; they usually only managed the heavy chores around the courtyard. That midday, it was because the Young Mistress had previously instructed that if she did not return, someone should cook for the Young Master. Since the Young Mistress hadn't specified who, and the two kitchen maids were worried about delaying the Young Master’s mealtime, Xiang Yun led them to lend a hand—that much could be excused.

But this evening, with the Young Mistress present in the courtyard, them coming in to cook for the Young Master without seeking instruction was a clear transgression, and they knew it, which accounted for their current apprehension.

These maids, ordinarily, would not have dared to be so bold; it was Xiang Yun who had summoned them, claiming the Young Master and Young Mistress were having a quarrel and certainly wouldn't come down to prepare the Young Master's meal.

Furthermore, Xiang Yun had mentioned that they had served the Young Master during the midday meal, and nothing had come of it. The other maids thought Xiang Yun made sense, so they all came to the kitchen intending to cook dinner.

When the two kitchen maids first saw these girls entering, they had tried to quietly persuade them otherwise, mentioning that the Young Mistress would be coming tonight and the ingredients were already prepared. But Xiang Yun, relying on her status as the head maid, completely ignored the kitchen maids’ advice and rushed into the kitchen to start working. Seeing Xiang Yun act like this, the other maids followed suit. Now, seeing Lin He enter, they were naturally feeling guilty.

However, Xiang Yun displayed not a trace of panic. After offering Lin He a brief curtsy, she stood before Lin He, neither subservient nor overbearing, and stated, "The Young Mistress is unwell; please return upstairs to rest. We will prepare dinner and will not delay the Young Master's mealtime."

Lin He looked at Xiang Yun standing before her, then at the other maids still kneeling with bent knees. She couldn't understand who had given Xiang Yun the audacity to be so presumptuous—and this was not the first time Xiang Yun had acted so defiantly.

The very first day Lin He entered the household, Xiang Yun had already tested her once. At that time, Lin He reasoned that these maids were merely sent by Madam Wen; they were pawns, and Lin He herself had no choice, so she let Xiang Yun off the hook without punishment.

In the time since, Lin He was always attended closely by Zi Qing and Zi Yu, or sometimes by the two younger maids, Qing Yun and Qing Zhu. These other maids rarely appeared before Lin He, and Lin He hadn't noticed them committing any overt transgressions.

Although Lin He occasionally noticed that these maids would intentionally or unintentionally linger near Wen Ningxuan—for instance, when Wen Ningxuan awoke in the morning, these maids would be sweeping the courtyard early; or when she and Wen Ningxuan took walks in the courtyard, they would invariably bump into them—Lin He never paid mind to such minor maneuvers.

After all, these maids were assigned by Madam Wen precisely to be concubine-servants, a fact they were all aware of. It was hardly unreasonable for them to seek Wen Ningxuan's attention. As long as they didn't cross any serious line, Lin He always chose to turn a blind eye, acting as if she saw nothing.

Moreover, in Lin He’s view, when it came to taking concubines or keeping attendant maids, the primary factor rested not with the maids themselves, but with Wen Ningxuan. If Wen Ningxuan desired it, no matter how she tried to prevent these women, he would always find a way. If he did not desire it, even if countless women threw themselves at him, he would never waver.

Wasn't the situation between Wen Ningchen and Ning Nuo proof of this? The same woman, the same circumstances, yet the outcomes were vastly different for the two men, Wen Ningxuan and Wen Ningchen.

Therefore, even knowing these maids harbored intentions, she never sternly lectured or suppressed them. She simply thought that perhaps once these maids saw Wen Ningxuan's attitude clearly and gave up their hopes, she, as the mistress of the courtyard, certainly wouldn't treat them unfairly.

Perhaps this tolerance was precisely what emboldened Xiang Yun, causing her to repeatedly challenge Lin He's patience today. First, there was the midday incident with the cooking. Lin He didn't blame them for that; after all, Wen Ningxuan needed to eat even when she wasn't home, and anyone could have done the cooking.

However, when Lin He returned and stood outside the main hall, she clearly knew that among the four maids inside the hall, only Xiang Yun had noticed her presence outside. Furthermore, while serving food to Wen Ningxuan, Xiang Yun had shot her a provocative glance.

In the evening, even though Zi Qing and Zi Yu had clearly prepared the ingredients, Xiang Yun deliberately brought the others in to cook. And even when Lin He was standing right in front of her, she maintained that attitude. This finally angered Lin He. It seemed her prolonged forbearance had perhaps fostered an attitude ill-suited for the current rules of survival.

Lin He listened to Xiang Yun's words but remained silent, only narrowing her eyes slightly and staring coldly at Xiang Yun for a long moment. Afterward, she asked softly, "Xiang Yun, do you enjoy working in the kitchen so much?"