Qi Yue felt none of that; she hadn't been aware of what had just transpired, nor did she receive any messages or inquiries about clothing, nor did she feel anything at all.

At that moment, she was in the room, practicing movements with a scalpel and similar instruments in the air. She heard A'Hao, who was honing her culinary skills in the kitchen, call out for Sister A'Ru. Then she heard the sound of a curtain moving, presumably A'Ru entering the room. Just then, the courtyard gate was slammed open, followed by a young maidservant shouting for A'Ru.

"Sister A'Ru, the peddler brought you a message—your brother is dying in the street!" the maid called out in a rough voice.

A'Hao, who had been enthusiastically preparing her culinary practice in the kitchen, immediately sat down hard on the floor. As soon as she processed the news, she saw A'Ru burst out crying and run toward the door. Qi Yue was startled by the alarm; the phrase "is dying" immediately triggered her professional instincts, and she snatched up her medical kit and followed them out.

A'Ru and the maid had already vanished.

"Go see quickly!" Qi Yue urgently called to A'Hao, who was coming out while steadying herself against the doorframe.

A'Hao responded with an affirmative and bolted out like a phantom.

Meanwhile, Qi Yue waited restlessly. Before long, A'Ru rushed back in, sobbing. She immediately fell to her knees before Qi Yue upon entering.

"Miss, please, let me go see him," she choked out, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Of course, you must go," Qi Yue said, pulling her up quickly.

A'Hao also ran back, breathless.

"...He was working as a manual laborer in the street, competing for work, and someone slashed him with a knife…" A'Ru relayed the specific details she had heard from the peddler.

"Then hurry home," Qi Yue said. "Are you still staying here?"

"This servant cannot see Mother Su. I beg the Miss to grant the token for Mother Su…" A'Ru kowtowed.

It means a leave request, Qi Yue noted mentally.

"Good, no problem," she nodded, then turned to A'Hao, "I—"

The Mistress had lost her memory, so naturally, she didn't recall these procedures. A'Hao understood immediately.

"I will take the Miss's token to find Mother Su," she said.

"Hurry, hurry," Qi Yue waved impatiently.

Qi Yue watched A'Hao take the token and drag A'Ru out like a fleeing shadow. After a short wait, a small maidservant rushed in.

"Miss…" she peeped tentatively from outside the doorway.

Qi Yue was in the courtyard and immediately looked at her.

This was a girl of about eleven or twelve, dressed similarly to the maid who had tried to grab the lotus on that other day, though this one was thinner and frailer. Seeing Qi Yue look, she lowered her head as if startled.

"A'Hao and A'Ru are crying over there, and they can't see Mother Su…" she whispered, then spun around and ran off, seemingly afraid of being seen.

This child had come out of kindness to deliver a message. Upon hearing this, Qi Yue immediately got up to leave, but only once outside did she realize she had absolutely no idea where she was going.

"Where are they?" she called out in a panic. "I don't know the way—"

Fortunately, the little maid hadn't run too far. She stopped and beckoned Qi Yue to follow her.

Qi Yue quickly followed, unable to admire the scenery of the ancient Marquis's residence. After walking along a path for a stretch, the little maid kept running ahead, occasionally glancing back to ensure Qi Yue was keeping up, still acting as if afraid of being noticed. They passed through two gates and arrived at another courtyard. From a distance, A'Ru's cries could be heard. The little maid pointed in one direction, then turned and ran away.

"Please, Sister-in-law, tell Mother Su that this is our Mistress's token, and the Mistress has already agreed to it…" A'Hao pleaded, grasping the sleeve of a stout woman.

Meanwhile, A'Hao was continuously kowtowing, her forehead already smeared with blood.

Four or five women stood at the courtyard entrance, looking utterly indifferent. Two or three were cracking melon seeds, while another two were berating them for it.

"...You creatures of sin, you always scatter your filth wherever you sweep, scattering seeds everywhere you go…" the woman laughed and scolded.

"...Are these even melon seeds?" The three women laughed, "These are from the Great House. I answered my duties well, and Miss A'Luan gave them to me from the table. These are the kind of melon seeds only found in the Imperial Palace in the capital…"

"Then you must tell everyone! You can't just sweep up the shells and chew them again…"

Everyone burst into laughter, drowning out A'Ru's weeping nearby.

"Sister-in-law…" A'Hao cried out in desperation, "Please, tell Mother Su... A'Ru only has this one relative..."

"What a thing for you to say," finally, one of the women turned and looked directly at her, pouting with a half-smile. "You are a second-rank servant, yet you say such ridiculous things—calling someone a relative? Miss A'Ru sold herself under a lifetime contract; how can she still have relatives? Our household is her home now. Where would an outsider relative come from? If she valued relatives so much, why did she covet a few taels of silver?"

"Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Teacher—even if sold for a few taels of silver, the bond of birth and blood cannot be erased. Are you suggesting that a mere few taels of silver can erase the Sovereign, Teacher, and kin?"

A voice suddenly interjected.

The words were scholarly, and the matron, having little education, didn't grasp the meaning, but she understood it was a challenge—a challenge on behalf of these two maids. To dare stand up for them! She must be blind or overfed to invite such trouble!

"Can you speak human language? If not, then—" The matron spat dismissively, squinting as she looked around to see who was the insolent one.

"A'Hao," Qi Yue said.

A'Hao, who was holding the woman's sleeve, instantly raised her hand and slapped the woman upon hearing the call.

She had firmly remembered what Qi Yue had said earlier: If there's a chance to get even, take it, and worry about the consequences later. Hearing that single call, she didn't hesitate to strike.

The sharp sound of the slap instantly silenced the boisterous laughter.

"Where is the Mistress?" A'Hao shouted, then quickly ran back to Qi Yue's side.

Qi Yue couldn't help but wipe a bead of cold sweat. She looked at A'Hao, feeling slightly uneasy. This was not what she intended by striking someone, though she certainly didn't approve of the matron's attitude either...

"Mis... Mistress," finally, one of the matrons saw who had arrived, rubbing her eyes. She recognized her, yet also seemed unsure, stuttering as she tested the title.

The matron who had been slapped was stunned. "You little slut, how dare you hit me—" she started to jump up and shout, but the cry died in her throat as she heard the title.

Everyone stared blankly at the woman standing before them.

They hadn't seen her for three years; everyone's memory was hazy, as if they recalled her, yet also as if they didn't...

"Did you just say I spoke inhumanely?" Qi Yue looked at the matron and asked.

"Mis... Mistress, your old servant didn't mean—" The matron hurriedly apologized. After the initial shock, a trace of defiance crossed her face. Covering her face, she continued, "I was speaking to these two girls. Your servant didn't say that if she sold herself under a lifetime contract, she could just visit relatives whenever she pleased…"

"I think it wasn't what I said that was inhuman language, but rather that you couldn't understand human language," Qi Yue smiled, glancing at the matron. "Did I ask you that—"

The matron was momentarily stunned by her sharp tone.

"Then... then what did the Mistress ask?" she stammered out reflexively.

"Did you just say what I said wasn't human language?" Qi Yue pressed.

This was confusing. The matrons felt a mixture of tears and laughter. After being presumed dead, she had become bold, but she still spoke in such nonsensical ways.

"This old servant didn't mean the Mistress—" The matron became annoyed. In front of so many people, she was being shamed by a Mistress who was supposed to be dead.

"Just answer yes or no? Why all the nonsense?" Qi Yue cut her off.

A matron beside her tugged at the woman's sleeve.

"Yes, this old servant said it wasn't human language," the matron bit out, lowering her head.

"There, that's settled," Qi Yue said, waving her hand, her voice softening. "Since what I said was human language, then you all understood, correct? Even if this maid sold herself under a lifetime contract, the kindness of nurturing and the affection of siblings cannot simply be erased. Now that her kin is in trouble, refusing to allow her a visit would show a beast's heart."

The matrons looked at Qi Yue with strange expressions.

Is the Mistress insulting us? Yes, she must be.

"Are you done?" A voice called from within the courtyard, followed by the sound of rustling garments and footsteps as a woman emerged.

This woman was about forty, wearing a bluish-purple beizi jacket. Her face was round and fair, her eyebrows delicately drawn, and she wore light powder. As she walked, she raised a hand to smooth her temples, revealing two thin gold bracelets on her wrists and a bright emerald ring on her finger.

She was speaking as she walked out the door, and her gaze immediately fell upon Qi Yue standing at the entrance. She paused, startled.

"Mistress!" She hurried forward a few steps, her face filled with surprise. "You are out? In this harsh sunlight... If there was something to say, you should have sent a maid! Can your constitution bear this? Where is the maid? Was the girl being lazy?"

She spoke in a rapid rush, her expression shifting seamlessly from astonishment and joy to confusion and sternness, as natural and unforced as flowing water.

Qi Yue couldn't help but offer a smile; she felt an unexpected sense of warmth toward her.

Could this be Mother Su, the one who manages all the miscellaneous affairs, the primary attendant to Lady Xie of the Marquis's household—the chief manager of the inner court, akin to the Grand Eunuch serving the Emperor?

"Mother Su," A'Hao called out.

"Mother Su, it is like this. A'Hao…" Qi Yue interjected with a smile, extending a hand toward A'Hao. "Give me the token."

A'Hao hurried to hand it over.

"What is needed?" Mother Su asked quickly.

"This maid of mine, A'Ru, has a brother at home. Someone just delivered a message at the gate—there's been an accident, and it's likely serious. She wishes to see him…" Qi Yue said with a smile, handing over the token.

Mother Su immediately understood the situation.

"Take the token and escort the girl out. Get some money ready, and fetch a reputable physician," she commanded, turning to her attendants.

The two maids following her immediately responded. One unhooked a token from the heavy cluster of assorted tokens hanging from her waist, while the other went to pull up A'Ru, who was kneeling and weeping on the ground.

"Come, let's hurry," they said, their faces anxious, as if this were their most urgent matter.

A'Ru kowtowed to Qi Yue, wiped her tears, and staggered away.

Qi Yue then turned and smiled at Mother Su.

"This token has been kept too long; it's gathered dust and grown old…" She looked at the token in her hand—carved sandalwood, exquisitely detailed, bearing her name, glowing with a soft luster in the sunlight. "I was worried the maids presenting this might not be recognized, so it was better for me to come in person."