The news that the Eldest Miss had entered Rong'an Courtyard spread like wildfire throughout the Marquis’s residence.

When Zhou Yiniang received the news, she was in the middle of meticulously penciling her eyebrows; her hand jerked, and the fine line snapped midway.

“Was she summoned, or did she go of her own accord?” she asked, turning her head.

“She went on her own. And she was dressed exceedingly well, in clothes made from the fabric the Old Madam specifically ordered from the capital years ago…” Ajin reported. She had arrived late to the scene, only catching a glimpse of that bright, luminous back disappearing into the courtyard.

“I remember that fabric; it was part of the trousseau she received when she married, the kind that made all the maids in the household intensely envious. Third Sister only managed to beg a scrap from the needlework room to make a sachet, which she carries around like a treasure…” Zhou Yiniang chuckled, a hint of nostalgic reminiscence coloring her expression. “That fabric was truly magnificent. Even princesses and noble ladies wouldn't wear finer, yet she lets her beggar-girl…”

“It’s not just that. She also had A'ru retrieve the Nine-Tailed Phoenix Hairpin from the storeroom left to her by the Old Madam,” Ajin added, her voice buzzing with excitement.

Zhou Yiniang’s expression shifted to surprise, then settled back into a smile.

“What is she planning?” she mused, turning back to carefully adjust her makeup. “She’s meeting the Marchesa, not the Heir Apparent. She’s making a spectacle, dressing up as if for her wedding day. Relying on a pretty face won’t enchant her mother-in-law…”

Thinking of something, she paused.

“Is the Heir Apparent there?” she inquired, a smile dancing in her eyes. “Heh. It seems he’s finally seen sense. It would be a waste of that handsome face if he didn’t. The only thing she has to show for herself is him…”

“The Heir Apparent left early this morning to visit friends. He said he won't be back for several days,” Ajin replied.

Zhou Yiniang stilled her hand; the reflection in the mirror showed eyes full of bewilderment.

“Then she is…” she murmured, confused. “…intending to?”

The Eldest Miss, having vanished from sight for three years, suddenly appearing to see the Marquis—what was she planning? Everyone who heard the news shared this same question.

Was she truly going to complain on behalf of a punished maidservant?

Qi Yue watched as a maid, dressed similarly to A’ru, presented tea. This was A’luan, the Marchesa’s senior maid. Qi Yue gave her an extra glance. Noticing the scrutiny, A’luan puckered her lips in a slight smile.

“Eldest Miss, please have some tea,” she said, lowering her head as she retreated.

Qi Yue nodded but did not touch the tea. She turned her attention to Madam Xie, who sat rigidly opposite her.

Since the single opening remark upon entering, Madam Xie had not spoken another word to her, currently gazing downwards, her fingers turning prayer beads as if in deep meditation.

“Mother, I apologize for causing you worry while I was ill for the past three years,” Qi Yue said with a bright smile.

A faint, sardonic smile touched Madam Xie’s lips as she slowly raised her eyelids.

“So, you are well now?” she stated coolly.

“Yes. That is why I have come to pay my respects and let you see me,” Qi Yue replied.

Madam Xie indeed turned her head to look at her properly.

“I have seen you,” she nodded. “Your complexion is indeed better.”

“That is thanks to your thoughtful care,” Qi Yue said sweetly.

If one ignored the expressions and only listened, it would sound like the most harmonious conversation between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law. The maids in the room lowered their heads.

Madam Xie picked up her tea and sipped it slowly. Silence descended upon the room—an unmistakable hint to leave. Everyone present understood this, except perhaps the Eldest Miss.

“…Is Father at home? I didn’t personally pay my respects during his recent birthday celebration… I was worried about bringing my lingering illness to him,” Qi Yue asked with a smile.

“He is painting in the study. No one dares to disturb him,” Madam Xie answered curtly.

“Are my younger brothers well?” Qi Yue continued.

Madam Xie put down her teacup.

“The family is well. Now that you are recovered, you should focus on resting if you have nothing urgent,” she stated, directly issuing the command to depart.

Qi Yue maintained her pleasant smile, showing no sign of awkwardness or fear, and rose to her feet.

“Thank you for your concern, Mother. Being ill for so long must have caused you great trouble. I even heard you took on two helpers to manage the household; I am truly ashamed. Now that I am recovered, I should take back the management of household affairs from tomorrow onwards,” she announced.

When she uttered these words, not only Madam Xie, but even the maids and matrons who had been trying hard to appear invisible, could not help but look up in surprise.

“You said?” Madam Xie raised an eyebrow, almost amused. “You want to manage the household?”

“Yes. This was originally what the Old Madam entrusted to me, but my unfortunate health…” Qi Yue felt no amusement, nodding firmly. “Mother should be enjoying her retirement, yet you labor on my behalf. It is truly unfilial of me to allow Mother to continue this way now that I am recovered.”

Madam Xie stared at her for a long moment, then laughed.

“Very well. Since you have such filial intentions, I shall not stand in your way,” she conceded.

“Thank you for your approval, Mother,” Qi Yue thanked her without restraint, smiling, performing a slight curtsy in the manner of A’ru and the others, and then turned and left without another word.

Only after Qi Yue’s figure disappeared from the courtyard did the people in the room recover from their shock.

“Madam, this… this…” Mama Su whispered. “Her audacity is too great. This is sheer disrespect for her elders. How can one speak to a mother-in-law like that?”

Madam Xie remained expressionless, slowly continuing to sip her tea.

“Disrespect for elders? Having no regard for me as her mother-in-law? That is perfectly normal for her, isn’t it?” she said, a cold smile in her tone. “Now I understand. After the Old Madam died, that wicked woman only pretended to ease my burden and exempt me from many rules to give outsiders the impression that our family lacked proper filial respect toward elders. At the time, I thought that vile woman was intentionally isolating and suppressing me. Now I see—she was paving the way for her own granddaughter.”

Mama Su fell silent immediately.

The moment the Imperial Edict fixed the engagement between the Heir Apparent and Qi Yueniang, the Old Marquis had, in front of the entire household, handed over the authority to manage the estate to the future daughter-in-law. Their family had long grown accustomed to the Marquis staying out of affairs, so they hadn't been overly surprised by the decision. Moreover, the Old Marquis was still robust then; they assumed that if the granddaughter managed things, it would simply be under the Old Marquis’s support, making it no different than if the Old Marquis herself were in charge.

The young granddaughter, backed by the Old Marquis, supported by the loyal managers cultivated by the Old Marquis over years, holding the power of management, and being a daughter-in-law who was never required to follow the strictures of a mother-in-law—in such a setup, the mother-in-law in the home was merely a mother-in-law, nothing more.

“But Madam, that was only what the Old Marquis intended…” Mama Su murmured. “She may have intended well, but it was only an intention. Things are completely different now. Why must you bother with her?”

“This is fine, too. If she had settled down contentedly to eat and wait for death, I would truly be worried,” Madam Xie said with a laugh, rising from her seat. “Brother Cheng is already twenty-four. Other men his age have already established families, yet Brother Cheng is held back by her. With her still here, what well-bred young lady would agree to become a concubine?”

Mama Su also sighed. The Heir Apparent’s three-year absence was perhaps partly because he did not wish to face this marriage.

“That old hag—even in death, she wants to disgust Brother Cheng for his entire life. If I let her have her way, I would be failing my own deceased husband. May lightning strike me down in broad daylight!” Madam Xie ground out, her expression a mixture of sorrow and rage.

“Madam, such words must not be spoken,” Mama Su choked out, quickly reaching out to grasp her arm, revealing genuine emotion as she called Madam Xie by her maiden name. “The Eldest Miss does not appreciate how much you have done for her and her child…”

Madam Xie’s frame trembled slightly; she slowly exhaled, calming her turbulent emotions.

“Since she is so eager to jump out now, I will grant her wish, and the wishes of the little ghosts backing her. Those who do nothing cause no trouble; the more one acts, the more mistakes one makes. What if that old hag paved the road for her? I am her mother-in-law; no matter how you look at it, I rank higher. Can I really not discipline her? The old woman is dead; is she going to crawl out of the grave to support her?” Madam Xie laughed.

For some inexplicable reason, hearing the phrase “crawl out of the grave,” Mama Su involuntarily shivered. Realizing this, she managed a wry smile, forced to admit that the Eldest Miss’s carefully constructed lie about nearly dying on the journey to the Underworld had indeed taken deep root.

The news that the Eldest Miss had personally requested management authority from the Marquis spread like wildfire the moment Qi Yue stepped out of Rong’an Courtyard.

Everyone had expected her to at least cry to the Marchesa to save face. Who would have thought she would directly demand administrative power? This wasn't about saving face; this was slapping the Marchesa’s face!

“She actually dares to do that?” Zhou Yiniang laughed. When the young maid who had gone to inquire came back panting, Zhou Yiniang, who had been pacing restlessly, finally sat down. “Did the people from the main courtyard say this?”

“How could they? Nobody from the main courtyard came out. It was A’ru, the Eldest Miss’s maid, who said it. She even went to notify the managing matrons, saying the Eldest Miss expects them to convene a… a meeting… tomorrow at her residence…” the young maid reported.

Zhou Yiniang and Ajin exchanged a look.

“She’s serious, isn’t she?” Zhou Yiniang’s smile deepened.

“Madam Yiniang, what should we do…” Ajin couldn’t help but ask.

“We wait. Since the Eldest Miss is taking charge, she will surely have instructions. Once she gives them, we listen,” Zhou Yiniang interrupted her.

This meant waiting for the Eldest Miss to approach her; she would absolutely not approach the Eldest Miss first.

“Those managing matrons are all the Old Madam’s people, and every one of them is difficult to deal with. Perhaps we should go and gently advise the Eldest Miss? After all, she hasn’t interacted with the family for three years…”

“Ajin, although the Eldest Miss suddenly threw this tantrum because some wire in her head snapped, to outsiders, it appears as if someone is instigating her. Tell me, who will people assume is the instigator?” Zhou Yiniang said calmly.

Everything the Eldest Miss had today was given by the Old Marquis. Those who would naturally help her would be the Old Marquis’s faction. In the residence, the Old Marquis’s people could only be her maternal cousin, Zhou Yiniang thought.

“Whether she helps me or not, I don’t care. But I only pray she doesn’t implicate me…” Zhou Yiniang said lightly, lifting her hand to examine her newly painted nails. “I have persevered for so long; it wasn't easy…”

Saying this, she glanced at Ajin.

“I know you are a good girl, always remembering the Old Madam’s instructions. However…” She let out a slow breath. “…one must always look forward, not continue down the same path until the end, right?”

Ajin understood her warning, quickly nodding in assent, and lowered her head, saying no more.

】. div> BAIDU_CLB_LT_ID = "519311";