The meaning of these words would not be lost on someone like Mother Su. "Slap her," the smile vanished from her face, and she raised a slender eyebrow as she spoke.

Those few women immediately dropped to their knees—whether they were the ones who had just spoken or merely onlookers—and began striking their own faces, the sound of slaps rising in a disorganized yet crisp clamor. "Mother Su, this isn't quite right.

This was my doing, and as the saying goes, one doesn't blame those who don't know. To punish them so severely makes me seem petty," Qi Yue said with a laugh.

"Stop it now," Mother Su commanded, her expression softening with apology. "It seems my old eyes are failing me; I'm useless.

You lot, leave this place immediately. Do not set foot in the Inner Court ever again." This was worse than being slapped; the women burst into tears, begging and kowtowing.

To be banished from the Inner Court meant severing the livelihood of their entire families. "Mother Su, you are perhaps too severe," Qi Yue chuckled.

"Come now, don't be so harsh. They all have families, elders to support, and young ones to feed.

Even a tiger needs to doze sometimes; people are bound to be negligent. I have already corrected and warned them.

Mother Su, for my sake, spare them." "It is good that the Young Mistress is magnanimous," Mother Su sighed, glaring at the women. "Why are you still kneeling?

Thank the Young Mistress immediately, you blind fools." The women knelt and offered their deepest thanks to Qi Yue. "In that case, I shall take my leave now.

Mother Su, please see to your business," Qi Yue said with a smile, helping them rise. Mother Su immediately followed her out.

Only when Qi Yue had dismissed her, waving her fan with a cheerful smile as she and her maid, Ah Hao, walked away, did Mother Su straighten up, the smile completely gone from her face. "Get up," she said, looking at the women still kneeling where they were.

The women quickly stood. One of them, looking deeply aggrieved, was about to lodge a complaint.

"Enough. I am not deaf; I heard everything," Mother Su stated flatly, glancing at her.

"If you don't have the courage, then don't speak such insolent words..." The women kept their heads down, listening, none daring to speak. "Go now," Mother Su concluded, waving a hand with a hint of impatience.

The women dared not say another word, rising quickly and retreating in haste. "So, it seems Zhou wasn't just seeing things through blurred eyes," Mother Su murmured, looking again in the direction Qi Yue had gone—the figures of the mistress and maid were no longer visible.

Her gaze sharpened slightly. "She spoke more today than she has in the past five years combined, and so eloquently, too.

It seems the Young Mistress's illness is truly lifting..." She paused in contemplation for a moment, then delicately touched a stray strand of hair near her temple. "Go see if the First Mistress has finished her meal.

Is the Marquis still in his room, or has he gone to the study?" Mother Su turned and inquired. The young maid behind her acknowledged the order and left.

While Mother Su pondered, Qi Yue paid it no mind, reflecting on the preceding events and casually questioning Ah Hao about various household rules, finding the whole thing rather amusing. "...According to you, here in the residence, I hold the highest position besides the First Mistress?" she asked with a smile.

Although those matrons earlier couldn't entirely hide their disdain and slight toward her, they obeyed the command to kneel, accepted the slaps without retaliation, and offered kowtows, apologies, and thanks with proper deference. Internally, they might look down on her, but outwardly, they still adhered to the established order.

It was a peculiar contradiction—perhaps this was the inertia of ancient hierarchy? "Young Mistress, does that even need asking?" Ah Hao looked at her, finding the question rather silly.

"You are the Young Mistress. The heir-apparent will inherit the title; you are naturally the lady of the Dingxi Marquisate." "Then what about the young masters...?" Qi Yue inquired further.

"You are the eldest brother's wife," Ah Hao replied, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, Qi Yue noted with an 'oh-oh' sound of understanding, fanning herself lightly with a small fan as she smiled.

"So that makes me the second-in-command in the Inner Court?" she mused to herself. "But the second-in-command is always in an awkward position; it's not exactly a good post...

Do I need to ask Mother Su for a pass whenever I wish to go out?" She asked this trailing thought. "Of course not!" Ah Hao exclaimed, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"You just need to inform the First Mistress. How would a mere servant dare to manage your movements outside?" "The First Mistress?" Qi Yue frowned slightly, nodded, and said no more.

Upon entering their courtyard, the two still felt a measure of unease, worrying about Ah Ru. "...Ah Ru's parents passed away two years ago; she only has a younger brother.

They rent a place in the back alleys outside the residence. They say that even if they can't see Sister Ah Ru often, being near her makes them feel better.

The old madam used to allow her to visit on festivals since she was sold off so young, and her family didn't just forget their flesh and blood. However, since we moved into Autumn Maple Court, Sister Ah Ru rarely gets to go out.

When her parents died, if they hadn't pleaded with the First Mistress directly, she likely wouldn't have even seen them one last time..." Ah Hao recounted while sitting at a small table. Qi Yue sighed, paused for a moment in thought, and then stood up.

"Let's go see her. We might be able to help," she declared.

Ah Hao, who had been contemplating the same thing, jumped up in delighted surprise. "But perhaps I should go instead, Young Mistress.

Your body is too precious..." she quickly added, shaking her head. Precious body?

A beggar's maid is precious? Qi Yue couldn't help but laugh.

"You are both still children; if something arises, you might not be able to handle it. Besides, I am a medic...

I am your mistress; I am your guardian. If I don't look after you, who will?" she reasoned aloud, making up her mind.

She turned, fetched the medicine chest from the room, and resolved to go immediately. Ah Hao had no choice but to lead the way.

"We must inform the First Mistress first..." she reminded her. If the Marquis saw this...

From the fragmented information gathered in recent days, it seemed the 'mother-in-law' figure didn't favor her much... Qi Yue’s thoughts were complex yet tinged with curiosity.

However, the situation unfolded unexpectedly. She hadn't even reached the First Mistress's courtyard gate before Mother Su, whom she had just met, was there to greet her.

"The Marquis is taking his afternoon nap inside. Perhaps the Young Mistress should visit later.

If there is anything important, you can tell this old servant, and Young Mistress needn't trouble herself with the journey back and forth," Mother Su said with a pleasant smile. Qi Yue was delighted, letting out a breath of relief.

"Ah Ru has been with me for several years; I am still worried about her family. I will just go take a look.

It's not far, just in our back alley; I'll be quick," she replied cheerfully. "Oh, my!

How blessed that little maid Ah Ru is to receive such attention! Young Mistress, you'll wear yourself out doing this," Mother Su hastened to say.

Qi Yue merely smiled. "Mama, please relay my regards to the First Mistress," she requested, refusing to engage further or utter another unnecessary word.

Mother Su paused, slightly taken aback. She was the mistress, and this woman was a servant.

She could certainly convey messages to the First Mistress, but to be dismissed so curtly by the Young Mistress—with a single sentence—felt unusual. "Shall I send a few men from the gate to accompany you..." she replied with a smile, her heart churning with mixed feelings.

Since the Old Marquis passed, she had grown accustomed to having only one mistress to serve in the residence, enjoying the flattery of maids and matrons, and the respectful demeanor of the concubines and young masters. She had become so accustomed to this that she had almost forgotten there was actually someone in the residence who could speak to her with such straightforward authority.

Qi Yue, already turning away, didn't look back. She gave Mother Su a small wave with her fan, indicating no escort was needed.

Mother Su watched the receding figure for a moment before turning back to enter the residence. Rong'an Court was hushed.

The few young maids standing beneath the eaves had eyes heavy with sleep but dared not close them. Mother Su lifted the curtain and stepped inside.

The Marquis was not in the room. Instead, Madam Xie knelt before a small Buddhist statue, chanting sutras, while a senior maid burned incense beside her.

Mother Su waited silently until Xie put down her prayer beads, then immediately stepped forward to assist her. "So quick to run around, after only a few days of showing teeth and claws," Madam Xie said faintly, sitting down on the large kang in the side room and taking a sip of the tea offered by a maid.

"Let her go. Let her wander wherever she pleases.

We'll see what kind of spectacle she manages to create." Mother Su assented. "The Marquis left the study, encountered Concubine Zhou's little maid on the way, and went straight to Concubine Zhou's quarters without a word," she reported.

Madam Xie let out a cold laugh. "See?

She's already stirring up trouble," she remarked, setting down her tea. "Isn't Concubine Zhu trying to promote that maid of hers?

Go tell her to prepare the ritual to officially recognize that maid." Mother Su acknowledged the order. Madam Xie leaned back against the bolster, letting out a breath.

"One person isn't enough; we need a larger cast for the drama to truly take shape. It needs to be lively," she said slowly, closing her eyes.

Mother Su and the maid helped remove her shoes and ushered her to lie down before quietly departing. Meanwhile, Qi Yue and Ah Hao, without further delay, passed through two or three courtyards straight to the back gate, where three or four matrons were sitting and chatting idly.

"Which courtyard do you belong to, girl? Who ordered you out?

Where are you going?" one matron asked lazily. "Autumn Maple Court," Ah Hao replied, presenting Qi Yue's pass token.

"This isn't right. This isn't Mother Su's pass token..." The matron, unable to read, only recognized the color.

"What courtyard uses this color?" The matron next to her leaned closer. "Crimson-purple...

Oh, heavens above..." she exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at Ah Hao and Qi Yue, her gaze finally settling on Qi Yue. The woman before them had her hair piled high, wore a goose-yellow gown with scattered floral patterns, and a white skirt, possessing a delicate beauty and graceful figure.

Qi Yue offered her a small smile. "Young...

Young Mistress...?" The matron's eyes widened in disbelief. Qi Yue nodded, still smiling.

"I need to go out. My maid Ah Ru's family is having trouble.

Mother Su already issued a pass for her, but I am worried. Since it's after the meal and I have nothing else to do, I decided to check on them," she explained.

The four matrons before her remained frozen in shock. "May we leave now?" Ah Hao asked.

"Yes, yes! Young Mistress, have a safe trip!

I'll go call a carriage for you..." the matrons snapped out of their stupor, some opening the gate, others chattering excitedly. "No need.

It's just in the back alley, only a few steps away," Qi Yue said with a smile, stepping outside. Watching the mistress and maid exit, the matrons exchanged glances.

"Heaven's mercy, the Young Mistress actually went out..." "She's truly alive..." "Look at her complexion; it's better than before..." "She drank the Draught of Oblivion and the Old Madam personally sent her off—is she a ghost immortal now?..." "Will the Young Mistress take charge of the household for the Old Madam?"