“I’ll go check on my father,” he said, his expression slightly awkward. “Is Father still in the study?”

Madam Xie nodded.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine in a few days,” she stated placidly.

Chang Yuncheng withdrew.

Because of the incident with Concubine Zhou, Madam Xie had claimed to be upset and excused the concubines and children from morning greetings. Lord Dingxi, meanwhile, remained sequestered in his study day and night, supposedly in penance and fasting. Consequently, the vast dining hall held only Madam Xie, who sat before a table laden with delicacies, barely touching her chopsticks.

“Madam,” a maidservant entered and bowed.

“Well?” Madam Xie asked, her eyelids lowered.

“The Heir Apparent arrived outside the Marquis’s study, but the Marquis refused to see him, so the Heir Apparent returned,” the maidservant replied in a low voice.

Madam Xie remained silent, slowly picking at the braised fish tofu before her with her chopsticks, meticulously removing one tiny bone after another.

“He’s…” she murmured, “gone back to dine with that woman…”

Mama Su quickly gestured for the maidservant to leave, then picked up her own chopsticks to help Madam Xie collect the deboned fish meat.

“Madam, it was the Heir Apparent’s filial piety; he feared you would wait for him and miss your own meal,” she said with a slight smile.

Madam Xie laughed, but didn't accept the fish Mama Su offered. Instead, she took the entire plate toward herself.

“The Marquis refuses to see anyone these days, and he knows it,” she said. “He finally lied to me, and he did it for that wench….”

Madam Xie jabbed viciously at the exquisitely carved fish with her chopsticks, her agitation only seeming to ease as she picked out one bone after another.

Chang Yuncheng stepped into the courtyard gate. He saw all the maids standing outside, even Qiuxiang among them.

Upon seeing him enter, the group quickly bowed. Qiuxiang stepped forward to take his outer robe.

This turncoat, sycophantic wench—doesn't her gaze only ever seek out that woman?

Why isn’t she inside waiting on her?

He couldn’t help glancing toward the dining hall. It was quiet over there, lacking the liveliness that accompanied that woman’s meals.

Good, she has some sense, waiting until the master returns…

“Serve dinner,” he commanded.

Qiuxiang acknowledged him and relayed the message. The courtyard bustled efficiently, and the already prepared dishes were set out in sequence.

Chang Yuncheng strode into the rooms, heading directly for his own sleeping quarters, but his peripheral vision had already swept past the other area. His foot paused mid-step as he entered the main chamber.

No one?

He looked back; the place was empty.

In the washroom?

He hesitated, then deliberately increased the volume of his steps toward the washroom, yet he heard no sharp reprimand from that woman.

Chang Yuncheng stopped and looked back. Qiuxiang was standing at the doorway of his room, watching him. There was no hint of caution or dissuasion, only…

“My Lord, shall this servant assist you with freshening up?” Seeing Chang Yuncheng look her way, she asked respectfully.

Not in the washroom…

Chang Yuncheng grunted, a trace of awkwardness in his tone.

“Where is the Young Madam?” he asked, seemingly casually.

Qiuxiang had already brought out a set of clean, everyday clothes.

“The Young Madam has gone to the Second Madam’s residence. A message was sent back saying the Second Madam invited her to dine,” she replied.

Chang Yuncheng drew a deep breath, then heavily stepped into the washroom.

As Chang Yuncheng walked toward the dining hall, Qiuxiang shot a warning glance to all the waiting maids.

The Heir Apparent is in a foul mood, very foul. Everyone, tread carefully.

The atmosphere in the entire Pengcheng Courtyard instantly grew tense.

Meanwhile, in the West Residence, Madam Chen’s courtyard hadn’t been this lively in a long time.

“…Big Sister-in-law, Big Sister-in-law, what is this?”

Watching another dish being brought out, Madam Chen’s daughter, gathered around the large table, immediately asked, while the young boy seated beside her couldn't wait and stood up to serve himself.

“Second Brother, Mother hasn’t eaten yet,” Madam Chen’s daughter, fifteen-year-old Chang Yinglan, tapped the boy’s hand with her chopsticks.

Qi Yue stood nearby, watching them with a smile.

“Auntie cannot eat this,” she said. While speaking, she personally picked up a few pieces and placed them on a small side plate. “Auntie, please try this. It’s ‘Crab Roe Substitute’.”

Madam Chen leaned back in her chair, a thick blanket draped over her legs, watching the entire group eagerly sample the food with a constant smile. Hearing Qi Yue’s words, she looked over and reached out with a smile.

“Young Madam, our Madam’s doctor explicitly instructed her not to eat crab, shrimp, or similar items…” Cai Qing, standing nearby, hastily interjected when she saw the Second Madam reach for the food without a word of hesitation.

The Second Madam’s hand did not stop; she accepted the small plate.

“It’s been so long since I’ve tasted crab roe; I was starting to forget what it tastes like,” she said with a smile, popping a small bite into her mouth.

The young masters and ladies who had been watching the food—the children of Madam Chen—all stood up with expressions of worry.

“Mother…”

Qi Yue simply smiled and said nothing, nor did she try to dissuade her.

“Big Sister-in-law is a physician; if she says Mother can eat it, then she can eat it,” Chang Yunsheng said quietly, motioning for his younger siblings to sit down.

They finally sat down, still half-believing.

“How is it?” Qi Yue asked after Madam Chen had taken two more bites.

Madam Chen nodded, a hint of nostalgia in her expression.

“It’s delicious,” she said, looking at Qi Yue with a smile.

“It’s scrambled eggs!” Qi Yue laughed heartily, patting Madam Chen’s shoulder.

Everyone in the room froze.

“Scrambled eggs?”

Madam Chen was also very surprised. She raised her hand in a gesture, and Cai Qing quickly picked up a bit more for her.

“It really does have an eggy flavor,” she said after carefully tasting it. “But…”

The other children all urged their maids to pick some up for them.

“It really is…”

“But it really tastes like crab roe…”

“Big Sister-in-law, quickly tell us how you made it?” Chang Yinglan rushed to Qi Yue’s side, shaking her arm and asking repeatedly. “I’ll make it for Mother every day from now on.”

“It’s very simple: just stir-fry raw chicken eggs and preserved salted duck eggs with wine, sugar, and vinegar,” Qi Yue replied with a laugh.

“That simple?” Chang Yinglan looked doubtful. “Big Sister-in-law, please teach me…”

“Yinglan, sit down quickly, let your sister-in-law eat. She prepared all these dishes and hasn't eaten yet,” Madam Chen said, looking at her daughter.

Chang Yinglan stuck out her tongue and quickly returned to her seat.

The servants then set chairs, bowls, and chopsticks for Qi Yue.

“We have troubled Big Sister-in-law,” Chang Yunsheng said in unison with his younger siblings.

“Not at all. Cooking for those you love is a blessing. It’s a very joyful thing,” Qi Yue smiled. She pointed to the dish she had made. “Come, try this boiled fish. I must warn you, you all must pick up a tiny piece first to confirm you can handle it before eating any more.”

This warning only piqued the interest of everyone present. They were skeptical and deliberately picked up large chunks, putting them straight into their mouths. The feast instantly descended into chaos.

Some were spitting it out; others were reaching for water; some were crying.

Madam Chen, watching her children’s disarray, showed no concern at all. Instead, she laughed.

The three Chang Yunsheng siblings escorted Qi Yue to the door. As they reached the entrance, the three of them called out “Big Sister-in-law” in unison to Qi Yue.

Qi Yue turned to look at them. The light from the lanterns held by the maids illuminated her serene face.

“Thank you, Big Sister-in-law,” the three bowed together.

“It’s just a meal; no need for such formality. If you want to eat it, you can come to my place anytime,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

“Thank you, Big Sister-in-law, for your hard work in cooking that made my mother so happy,” Chang Yunsheng said seriously, his excitement barely concealed. “Since Father’s passing, this is the first time Mother has been this joyful…”

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, unable to finish the sentence.

Qi Yue smiled faintly at them.

“And thank you for letting me cook for you,” she said. With that, she waved her hand and turned, walking slowly away.

Watching the woman enveloped by the dim light of the lanterns gradually recede into the distance, the three people at the gate remained standing, unmoving.

“Why does she need to thank us? Thank us for letting her cook?” Chang Yinglan asked, confused.

This was her first true interaction with the renowned Young Madam of the Heir Apparent. The impression she received was contrary to the rumors, and the thought that surfaced was: No wonder Old Madam Xie likes her so much.

Chang Yunsheng watched the departing figure of the woman and sighed softly.

“Because over there,” he murmured, “she must be terribly lonely and isolated.”

In that household, apart from Old Madam Xie, no one cared for her.

To possess such culinary skill, yet have no one who wished to eat her cooking—how sad and solitary that must be.

This was a commonly accepted truth. The three of them couldn't help but sigh and look toward where Qi Yue had disappeared, now swallowed by the night.

When Qi Yue entered her rooms, the lamps were already extinguished.

Qiuxiang looked at her, awkward and worried.

“My Lord usually… sleeps early…” she stammered out an explanation.

Qi Yue waved it off with a smile.

“Then I’ll use your room and Ah Ru’s to wash up,” she said. “I won’t disturb My Lord’s rest.”

Chang Yuncheng, inside the room, heard this and felt an inexplicable sense of… wistful loss.

He stared at the canopy in the darkness, suddenly recalling the time that woman had shamelessly lodged herself in his rooms, peering everywhere, fluttering about like a startled bird, ready to explode at the slightest touch…

It seemed like a long time since he had heard her shriek, or heard her call his name in that raised voice.

No one else ever called him by his full name like that…

Simple, direct, all her emotions laid bare in that single utterance.

Chang Yuncheng! Chang Yuncheng!

Hearing it spoken aloud now, it sounded… strangely… intimate?

The door creaked softly, followed by the faint sound of footsteps, deliberately softened.

That nearly imperceptible, delicate fragrance gradually spread, seeping in through the cracks under the door.

A light flickered on somewhere, then was immediately dimmed again, as if someone had deliberately shielded it.

“We should really hang a curtain here; otherwise, it might disturb My Lord’s rest…”

“I’ll see to it tomorrow…”

Chang Yuncheng heard the woman’s low voice from the other side.

Then came the sound of delicate footsteps retreating, the door closing, and quiet returned to the room, save for the faint glow of the hidden light.

Chang Yuncheng rested his hands behind his head, remaining silent for a moment before abruptly rising.

Qi Yue frowned over a line in her book.

“What does this mean?” she murmured, picking up the nearby goose quill, dipping it in ink, and writing on the paper. “I suppose I’ll have to ask the tutor tomorrow; truly, one profession is vastly different from another across ages and millennia.”

“It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep?”

Chang Yuncheng’s voice suddenly rang out, startling Qi Yue.

She looked up and finally saw him standing at the doorway of the opposite sleeping chamber.

She had been so engrossed in reading that she hadn't heard him open the door.

“Did I disturb you?” Qi Yue asked with a smile, putting down her book. “I couldn’t sleep, so I read a little. I’ll go to sleep now; I won’t read anymore.”

Saying this, she rose from the desk and reached out to extinguish the lamp.

However, Chang Yuncheng strode forward.