Chang Yuncheng hadn't slept soundly all night. On one hand, he worried about Madam Xie; on the other, it felt as if he hadn't slept alone in ages. With one person missing from the room, it felt like half his heart was gone, leaving a hollow emptiness no matter what he did.
Chang Yuncheng first paced restlessly in his own room, then moved to the Luohan chamber. He tossed and turned until dawn broke, then hurried over to Madam Xie’s residence.
At the entrance, Chang Chunlan and Chang Shulan, among others, came to inquire after her. Of course, none of them entered, only asking the maidservants to confirm Madam Xie was fine before they relaxed.
Seeing their concern, Chang Yuncheng felt genuinely pleased.
Harmony among brothers, filial piety toward their mother—what could be better than that?
He stepped lightly into the courtyard. Servants were busy everywhere—sweeping, boiling medicine—the scene looked chaotic but purposeful.
“The Madam felt a bit unwell again this morning, threw up once,” Ah Luan whispered, her expression laced with worry.
Chang Yuncheng hurried inside. Madam Xie lay with her eyes closed, leaning against the bolster, while Su Mama gently wiped the dregs of medicine from her lips with a handkerchief.
The maids were readying mouthwash, taking away the medicine bowl, or replacing the chamber pot—all was tense and bustling.
Seeing him arrive, Su Mama quickly stood up.
“The Young Lord has arrived,” she murmured, keeping her voice low.
“Mother—” Chang Yuncheng began to speak, but Su Mama quickly hushed him.
He froze, momentarily bewildered.
Su Mama gave another soft shhh but then her face grew awkward; she said nothing more.
At that moment, the young maid holding the chamber pot somehow lost her grip, and the pot clattered onto the floor with a dull thud.
“You little wench, be careful! Don't wake the Young Mistress!” Ah Luan hissed softly.
Wake the Young Mistress…
Chang Yuncheng stiffened. He looked across the room; through the beaded curtain, he could vaguely make out the sleeping form of the woman in the inner chamber….
She had been watching over someone all night; it was only natural she’d sleep for a bit now….
Chang Yuncheng thought, and then he turned his head.
Madam Xie’s eyes had opened, and she looked at him with a cold, thin smile.
“Su Mama, go down and rest quickly. The Young Lord is here; he can attend to his wife for a while,” she said coolly. “You’re already old, and you have that eye ailment. After staying up all night, if anything were to happen to you, I couldn't face my sister.”
Su Mama was Madam Xie’s dowry attendant.
Chang Yuncheng glanced at Su Mama; indeed, she looked utterly haggard, with bloodshot veins visible in her eyes—clearly the result of sleeplessness.
He already suspected something, but he dared not fully believe it.
“Madam, to speak like that—this is this old servant’s duty,” Su Mama replied with a faint smile.
“Hmph,” Madam Xie hummed dismissively. “It is your duty, not my daughter-in-law’s.”
Chang Yuncheng felt prickles rise all over his body, making him restless.
“Madam, Young Mistress—the Young Mistress has surgery today. These matters are within my capability to manage. Let me attend to the Madam…” Su Mama offered sweetly.
Madam Xie hummed again.
“Yes, everyone else is important. I’m just an old woman; I won’t die either way, whether I’m cared for or not,” she stated flatly.
Chang Yuncheng lifted his foot and walked over to the other side.
Qi Yue felt an overwhelming desire to open her eyes, but she couldn't. It was a nightmare trapping her, urging her to wake up, wake up, force your eyes open, open them! Then, she felt a sudden coolness wash over her, coupled with someone gripping her arm.
Drawing on that strength, Qi Yue finally managed to snap her eyes open.
“It’s morning!” she said, rubbing her eyes, then quickly sat up. “How could I have slept so deeply?”
“You realize you slept so deeply, do you?” Chang Yuncheng growled low, his face a thunderous gray.
Qi Yue finally registered his expression. Why did he look ready to devour someone so early in the morning?
“What’s wrong?” she asked, confused.
Chang Yuncheng stared at her, the muscles in his face twitching. Finally, he said nothing, merely gesturing sharply toward the outer room.
“What good deed were you doing over there!” he roared.
Qi Yue’s face changed instantly.
“Chang Yuncheng, what madness has taken hold of you this early?” she demanded.
“If you want to sleep, go back and sleep! No one is stopping you. If you said you were staying, why are you sleeping here instead!” Chang Yuncheng bellowed.
Qi Yue flinched slightly from his shouting.
“Sleep—” She gathered her thoughts, looking over there. “My mother was ill, and I have surgery today, so… I just came over to snatch a quick nap…”
Chang Yuncheng sneered at her.
Before he could say more, Madam Xie’s cold laugh cut through the air.
“So my well-being as your mother-in-law means nothing?” Madam Xie sneered.
Qi Yue hadn’t slept well, her head ached, and being suddenly yelled at by Chang Yuncheng made her mind even more chaotic.
“Mother, didn’t you say you were fine?” she frowned, instinctively raising a hand to massage her temple.
“When I am truly ill, can I count on you?” Madam Xie suddenly shouted, slamming the teacup beside her onto the floor with a crack. “I only need you, my daughter-in-law, at times like this. What? You already find me burdensome? If this is how you are now, when I’m eighty, paralyzed, and blind, will you refuse to even glance my way?”
Madam Xie’s sudden outburst startled everyone in the room; the maids immediately dropped to their knees.
Ill? With that booming vitality? Even if you were ill, you wouldn't be for long!
Qi Yue felt her own anger begin to flare up sharply.
Chang Yuncheng took a deep breath and looked at Qi Yue.
“Kneel and apologize to Mother,” he commanded.
Kneel?
Qi Yue sighed and looked toward Madam Xie.
“Mother, can we please discuss this calmly? Is behaving like this meaningful?” she asked.
Madam Xie started laughing.
“See! See! This is my good daughter-in-law!” she shrieked. “Get out! I don’t need you! And I don’t rely on you!”
“Mother, I genuinely wish for us to have a harmonious relationship. Can’t you just—” Qi Yue took a deep breath and began.
She didn’t finish her sentence before Chang Yuncheng pointed a finger at her.
“Kneel and apologize to Mother,” he hissed coldly. “Or get out immediately!”
Kneel your sister!
She spat the thought, turned, and walked out.
The maids standing outside were already pale with fright; Ah Ru was practically frantic.
What? Why has it devolved into this again, just when things seemed fine?
As the curtain swept aside, Qi Yue strode out, but just as she crossed the threshold, Chang Yuncheng grabbed her arm from behind.
“I told you to leave, and you listened. Why don’t you listen when I say other things?” he roared in fury.
The maids were in disarray; Ah Ru was on the verge of tears.
Mistress, please stop this! Now is not the time for this! You must cry, show weakness, and give the Young Lord a way out!
“Mother is the elder. How can you behave this way?” Chang Yuncheng shouted.
His hand gripped Qi Yue’s arm tightly.
“An elder? For an elder who acts like this, this is how I can only treat her!” Qi Yue shot back without restraint.
She looked at Chang Yuncheng, her lips drawn tight in defiance.
“What’s going on here? What are you doing?” A woman’s voice came from the doorway, and four or five people entered, led by none other than Second Madam Chen.
Seeing her arrive, Chang Yuncheng still hadn't released Qi Yue’s arm.
He thought if he let go now, this woman would truly bolt out the door….
He couldn't let her run off…
He couldn't!
Second Madam Chen hurried in, her attending maids struggling to keep pace. She reached out and grabbed Chang Yuncheng’s arm.
“Let go!” she exclaimed urgently.
Chang Yuncheng snapped back to attention. Prying at his hand, Chen shi carefully pulled his fingers open one by one.
“Yue Niang, are you alright? Were you hurt anywhere?” Chen shi anxiously pulled Qi Yue close, examining her back and forth. The unnatural flush of exertion stained her delicate face, and her breathing was uneven from the rush.
“No, no, quickly, help me support her, support her,” Qi Yue said, startled.
The maids crowded in to assist, but Chen shi kept a firm hold on Qi Yue.
“It was one thing when you used to fight the family boys, but now you’ve even struck your wife?” she demanded sternly of Chang Yuncheng.
Chang Yuncheng remained silent, standing stiffly with a grim set to his jaw.
“I didn’t hit her, I didn’t!” Qi Yue quickly interjected.
Chen shi looked at Qi Yue, her expression filled with sorrow and worry.
“Look, even at a time like this, she won’t say a single word against you. She still wants to protect you,” she said, then looked at Chang Yuncheng, letting out a long, weary sigh.
Chang Yuncheng still said nothing, stubbornly tightening his lips.
This expression was deeply familiar to Marquis Dingxi, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.
Since childhood, whenever he had done wrong and was scolded, the boy always behaved this way—never arguing, just setting his jaw and enduring the scolding.
In the Marquis’s eyes, this signaled stubbornness and a refusal to repent!
But it was always Madam Xie who shielded him, arguing that he only behaved this way because he felt no one in the household would listen to him, no one would protect him, so the boy simply stopped arguing or defending himself.
Seeing this familiar posture, and then spotting the bruised ring mark on Qi Yue’s wrist that Chen shi was examining, the Marquis’s anger flared instantly.
Marquis Dingxi casually snatched a flowerpot sitting in the courtyard.
Madam Xie, hearing the commotion, rushed out of the room and positioned herself in front of Chang Yuncheng.
“How dare you! How dare you! Smash it, I’ll die right in front of you!” she screamed shrilly.
This nearly sent the Marquis into a full tantrum.
The scene instantly became chaotic.
“Alright, alright,” Second Madam Chen said, her breathing finally steadying as she hurried to mediate. “Husband and wife must bicker sometimes. Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”
She then urged the Marquis to return.
“Big Brother, please stop interfering. This is between the young couple; let them resolve it. If you stay here, the two children will only feel awkward, and they won’t be able to speak properly,” she reasoned.
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but break into a coughing fit.
Qi Yue quickly moved to support her.
“Father, it’s fine, truly fine. Please go quickly,” she urged as well.
“Look! Look! They’re all protecting you! You ungrateful, ill-fated son!” the Marquis roared, pointing at Chang Yuncheng.
As he cursed toward him, Madam Xie stepped forward again.
“It takes two to clap!” she hissed venomously.
“You—!” The Marquis’s eyes widened, and he pointed at Madam Xie, preparing to take another step forward to speak.
Chen shi quickly stepped in to stop him.
“Big Brother, Big Brother, don’t let this escalate into a fight between the children. In the end, it’s a matter within the young couple’s room; outsiders are best not to meddle,” she persuaded. Because of this outburst, her breathing grew increasingly erratic, and she swayed slightly, struggling to stand steady.
Qi Yue carefully held her steady.
“See? You’re worrying yourself sick too,” the Marquis sighed in distress.
“I’ll take Yue Niang with me; they both just need a moment to calm down,” Chen shi said, urging the Marquis to leave.
The Marquis shot Chang Yuncheng a look full of lingering anger before finally turning and departing.
Chen shi also took Qi Yue’s hand, offering a brief apology to Madam Xie.
“I heard you weren’t feeling well and came specifically to see you. Look, now this has happened again. You need to go lie down, I’ll check on you later,” she said with great concern.
“I’m causing you trouble again,” Madam Xie replied, her gaze toward Qi Yue growing even more resentful.
Chen shi patted Madam Xie’s shoulder, glanced at Chang Yuncheng, and led Qi Yue away.
Chang Yuncheng’s gaze had been fixed on that woman. Seeing her depart, he couldn't help but take two quick steps after her.
Madam Xie, not understanding his intention and assuming he was going to continue berating the woman, quickly reached out to restrain him.
“My child, you always do foolish things. Even when you are right, people find fault!” she said with genuine heartache.
Chang Yuncheng, held back, watched Qi Yue disappear past the gate with the cluster of servants.
Recommended reading by Guigui Mengyou: Joy as Before This is a story of marriage preceding love in ancient times.