May twenty-third marked the forty-sixth birthday of the Marquis of Dingxi. It wasn't a milestone year, so a grand celebration was out of the question, but after three years without any festivity due to the mourning period for the Old Madam, the entire household yearned for some cheer. Thus, not only was an opera troupe hired, but relatives and close friends were also invited for a gathering.

As it was the Marquis's birthday banquet, the menu had to be personally reviewed by him.

Rong'an Court, the private residence of the Marquis of Dingxi, was situated in the southeast main compound of the Marquis's estate. Its magnificent structure boasted carved beams, painted pillars, covered walkways connecting inner chambers, and imposing side buildings.

The entire estate had originally belonged to a Prince of the previous dynasty. This Prince had fallen out of favor before the dynasty's collapse, and the residence was seized by the court. Due to its high specifications, no one dared purchase it, and any grand dwelling, once abandoned, loses its vitality and begins to decay. Compounded by years of dynastic changes and warfare, when it finally fell into the hands of the current Marquis, it was already dilapidated. It took two generations of repair and expansion to restore it to the splendor it possessed in its prime under the former Prince.

The current wife of the Marquis of Dingxi, Madam Xie, was by nature averse to noisy gatherings, so her courtyard rarely echoed with loud voices. However, at this moment, outside the main hall of the rear corridor, a woman with a slender waist and sloping shoulders was berating someone loudly. Three small maids, trembling all over, knelt before her.

As Nanny Zhou was passing by, she happened to witness this scene. Recognizing one of the maids as the daughter of one of her own elderly attendants, she paused.

"...Tear that mouth off, and then receive a beating. Tell your parents to roll out of here immediately, and never set foot in Rong'an Court again..." the woman hissed through gritted teeth.

The little maids, terrified, kowtowed and begged for mercy.

"Is that settled?" Nanny Zhou inquired as she walked on.

Hearing the question, the woman turned. She was sixteen or seventeen, with a long, thin face, delicate features, wearing a crimson short bijiā (sleeveless jacket) over an off-white inner garment, cinched with an emerald-green sash.

Nanny Zhou recognized her as Jinchai, a third-rank maid in this courtyard.

"What are you doing, girl? The Marquis's proper birthday is approaching; must you throw such a fit?" Nanny Zhou asked.

Nanny Zhou was usually reserved and quiet, inconspicuous among the Marquis's numerous servants. Yet, since the first day she married the Elder Madam Xie, she had managed the mistress's storerooms. Even after ten years of the Younger Madam Xie's marriage, she still managed both their stores. With the Old Madam's passing, she was gradually taking over the estate's main treasury—a testament to the trust placed in her.

In Nanny Zhou's presence, Jinchai dared not be presumptuous. Her elongated face immediately broke into a smile as she curtsied respectfully.

"Nanny Zhou," she said, glancing at the weeping maids kneeling on the ground. "These little wretches not only shirked their duties but also gossiped amongst themselves. You understand, Nanny, the Mistress detests such chattering troublemakers..."

Nanny Zhou nodded, seemingly glancing casually at the kneeling maids.

"Yes, yes, we won't dare again, spare us this once..." one of them immediately seized this straw, kowtowing and weeping.

"You three as well. Since you are serving here, shouldn't you be disciplined?" Nanny Zhou spoke up.

The three maids immediately kowtowed to her again, even slapping their own faces.

"The Mistress is inside the room; don't cause a scene. If she hears this, it will only vex her," Nanny Zhou said with a frown.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Jinchai, taking the hint, quickly urged them.

The three maids seemed pardoned, kowtowing a few more times before rising and fleeing.

"Next time, I will not be so lenient," Jinchai called after them as she watched the three run off.

"Is the Mistress busy?" Nanny Zhou asked with a smile.

"Yes, she's reviewing the menu. Nanny Liu and Nanny Su are with her," Jinchai replied with a laugh. Seeing no one else around, she linked her arm tightly with Nanny Zhou's and hurried a few steps, whispering, "Nanny Zhou, have you heard about that person?"

Just moments after admonishing the small maids against gossip, she was now eager to indulge in it herself. Nanny Zhou pursed her lips and smiled.

"Which person?" she asked.

"That one..." Jinchai glanced around left and right, lowering her voice, "The one in Qiutong Court."

Nanny Zhou's heart skipped a beat; she had guessed what was coming.

Almost imperceptibly, a rare topic began to circulate in the secluded corners of the Dingxi Marquisate. Whether staying up late battling drowsiness or finally resting after a tiring day, the story of the Eldest Young Master's return from the dead in Qiutong Court was the hottest topic to invigorate the spirit.

Nanny Zhou gently, silently covered the censer. Wisps of white smoke diffused through the room, dispelling the stuffiness of the midsummer afternoon.

Lifting the screen curtain strung with small pink pearls, Nanny Zhou entered the east side room. A woman in her mid-thirties leaned against the kàng (heated brick bed), her eyes closed as if asleep. Her cheeks were slightly full, her figure ample, dressed in a casual grey-blue silk shirt with black satin trim and a round collar, and a pea-green silk skirt. Perhaps because she was napping, her hair ornaments were removed, leaving only a gilded hairpin adorned with kingfisher feathers.

A very young maid, who had just had her hair pinned up, sat diligently fanning her.

Nanny Zhou took the fan from the little maid's hand, waved her away, and the maid quietly retreated.

"Are they all talking about it?" she suddenly asked.

The question was abrupt enough to startle someone, but Nanny Zhou showed no surprise, as if they had been chatting all along.

"Mistress," Nanny Zhou continued, still fanning, "With so much to worry about in this household, such petty tricks are beneath notice."

This woman was the Marquis of Dingxi, Madam Xie.

"First, hanging herself..." she said slowly, her eyes still closed. "The maids were wailing throughout the courtyard that she was dead, then they drew people in to look, and suddenly she was alive again, claiming she had walked the path to the underworld, drunk Meng Po's soup, and met the Old Madam. I won't argue; she was like a wooden mannequin before, but it seems she possesses the skill to weave such lies."

As she spoke, she opened her eyes and made a motion to sit up. Nanny Zhou smoothly and swiftly placed a large bolster pillow under her arm so she could lean comfortably.

"She claimed that old hag pushed her... that sounds quite clever. If she has been blessed by the deceased Old Hag, shouldn't she be held in high esteem in this household now?" A faint, almost ethereal smile touched Madam Xie's lips. However, the words she uttered, if heard by an outsider, would make them think they were dreaming.

The Marquis of Dingxi's mother-in-law, referred to by her as 'that old hag,' was spoken of with such casual disdain.

Nanny Zhou remained composed.

"No matter what she says, let her speak. It's just a passing storm, and it will be over," she said, bringing over a cup of tea. "Mistress need not concern herself."

"After three years of silence, she suddenly starts singing," Madam Xie took a sip of tea, delicately wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, her expression shifting to something between a smile and a sneer. "Perhaps she's calculating that now that Cheng Ge is here, she wants to make another move?"

Nanny Zhou was silent for a moment.

"If you have something to say, just say it," Madam Xie noticed her hesitation.

"I happened to pass by Qiutong Court that day and saw a small maid running. I asked what was happening, and it turned out that Su Mei, from Concubine Zhu's courtyard, was being punished by the Eldest Young Master kneeling down," Nanny Zhou recounted.

"Su Mei?" Madam Xie touched her hairpins. "The one who always dresses provocatively and flutters around the Marquis at Concubine Zhu's behest?"

"Yes," Nanny Zhou replied with a smile.

Madam Xie said nothing more, a faint, indifferent smile crossing her face.

"We are all too familiar with Miss Qi's temperament. Never mind making a maid kneel; she wouldn't even dare speak harshly to a servant. That's why when I heard about it, although it wasn't my place to interfere, I couldn't resist taking a look," Nanny Zhou continued. Although she hadn't mentioned it recently, the image of that woman smiling coyly from the doorway kept flickering before her eyes those past few days, causing her some unease.

"And what did you see?" Madam Xie asked.

Nanny Zhou looked up at her.

"It was as if... as if she had become a different person," she said.

Madam Xie looked at her, her expression strange, as if wanting to laugh and be angry at the same time.

"Are you suggesting that she truly drank Meng Po's soup, lost all her former memories, and was reborn into a new person?" she questioned.

Nanny Zhou felt embarrassed, unsure how to react; in truth, that was exactly what she felt.

"It seems what our Eldest Young Master said was not a lie," Madam Xie smiled again, stood up, and stretched her shoulders and back. "If even an old retainer like you, Nanny Zhou, believes these rumors, it shows that only a ghost could teach her such tricks. She must have truly gone down the Yellow Springs Road and met that deceased, old hag."

She began to laugh, unable to contain herself, bending over slightly.

"Mistress, your old servant is ashamed," Nanny Zhou mumbled awkwardly beside her.

"Investigate," Madam Xie suddenly stopped laughing, her eyes narrowing slightly. "In this world, the ones causing trouble are never ghosts, only people. Go investigate and see who is trying to stir up waves behind the scenes. It's quite resourceful, actually, to pick this good-for-nothing as a pawn."

Nanny Zhou soberly assented, feeling even more ashamed. She had been muddled; living this long, she hadn't considered this possibility. Yet, a flicker of doubt remained in her heart...

The aura, the bearing, and everything else emanating from the Eldest Young Master she saw that day—it didn't seem like something someone could teach easily. After all, even the Old Madam took her under her wing for two years, and the result was still...

"Aren't you going quickly?" Madam Xie frowned, interrupting Nanny Zhou's reverie.

Nanny Zhou dared not think further and hurried out.

Madam Xie gazed at the swaying bead curtain for a moment before sitting down again.

"That old shrew was always calculating well..." she murmured. "But as the saying goes, man proposes, heaven disposes. No matter how well calculated, it cannot overcome heaven deciding to keep her for just one more moment. Since heaven didn't keep her, and she's been dead for three years, someone still foolishly dares to stir up trouble under her banner. They truly overestimate their own abilities..."