Chang Yuncheng didn’t sleep well all night. First, he was worried about Madam Xie, and second, it seemed like it had been a long time since he slept alone. With one person missing from the room, it felt as if half his heart was gone – everything felt empty.

Chang Yuncheng first stayed in his own bed, then moved to the arhat bed, tossing and turning all night without sleep. As soon as dawn broke, he hurried toward Madam Xie’s quarters.

When he reached the entrance, Chang Chunlan, Chang Shulan and others had also come to inquire about her health. Of course, they didn’t enter the room, only asked the maids and learned that Madam Xie was fine, which put their minds at ease.

Seeing them like this, Chang Yuncheng felt very pleased.

There was nothing better than brotherly harmony, filial piety, and maternal kindness in the family.

He stepped briskly into the courtyard, where maids were all busy – sweeping, brewing medicine – it looked chaotic.

“Madam was unwell again this morning and vomited once,” A’Luan said in a low voice, looking worried.

Chang Yuncheng hurried into the room. Madam Xie was lying with closed eyes against the pillow, while Nanny Su was wiping medicine stains from the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.

Maids brought mouthwash, took medicine bowls, and replaced spittoons – all tense and busy.

Seeing him arrive, Nanny Su quickly stood up.

“Lord has come,” she said in a lowered voice.

“Mother…” Chang Yuncheng began to speak, but Nanny Su shushed him.

He couldn’t help but be startled.

Nanny Su shushed him but then looked embarrassed, saying nothing.

Here, a little maid handling the spittoon somehow loosened her grip, and the spittoon fell to the ground with a dull thud.

“Little hooves, be careful, don’t wake Young Madam…” A’Luan quickly scolded in a low voice.

Don’t wake Young Madam…

Chang Yuncheng froze. He looked across the room – through the pearl curtain, he could faintly see the woman sleeping on the small bed…

Having watched all night, it was natural for her to sleep a while now…

Chang Yuncheng thought, then turned his head.

Madam Xie had already opened her eyes and was looking at him with a cold smile.

“Nanny Su, you should go rest. Lord has come – he can replace his wife for a while,” she said blandly. “You’re getting old and have eye problems. Having stayed up all night, if something happens to you, I couldn’t face my sister.”

Nanny Su was Great Madam Xie’s dowry servant.

Chang Yuncheng looked at Nanny Su and saw she indeed looked haggard, with red streaks throughout her eyes, clearly from staying up all night without sleep.

His heart was already vaguely guessing something, but he didn’t dare believe it.

“Madam, don’t say that – this is what this old servant should do,” Nanny Su said with a smile.

“Mm,” Madam Xie responded blandly. “It’s what you should do, not what my daughter-in-law should do.”

Chang Yuncheng felt prickly all over and restless.

“Madam, Young Madam has to perform some… surgery today. This old servant can handle these things. Let this old servant serve Madam…” Nanny Su said with a smile.

Madam Xie responded again.

“Yes, everyone else is important. I’m just an old woman who won’t die anyway – it’s the same whether I’m cared for or not,” she said blandly.

Chang Yuncheng strode toward the other side.

Qi Yue felt like she wanted to open her eyes but couldn’t no matter how hard she tried. This was sleep paralysis…

She kept shouting “wake up, wake up” and trying hard to open her eyes, then felt a chill on her body as someone grabbed her arm.

With this force, Qi Yue finally opened her eyes.

“It’s dawn!” she said, rubbing her eyes and hurrying to get up. “How did I sleep so deeply?”

“You still know you slept so deeply?” Chang Yuncheng roared in a low voice with a livid face.

Only then did Qi Yue see his expression – why did he look ready to eat someone so early in the morning?

“What’s wrong?” she asked in confusion.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her, the muscles in his face twitching. Finally, he said nothing and pointed outside.

“What good deed have you done!” he roared.

Qi Yue’s expression also changed.

“Chang Yuncheng, what madness are you having so early in the morning?” she asked.

“If you want to sleep, go back and sleep – no one’s stopping you. Since you said you’d stay, why are you sleeping here!” Chang Yuncheng roared.

Qi Yue trembled slightly from his shouting.

“Sleep…” she came to her senses and looked over there. “I… Mother was sleeping… I… I have surgery today, so… so I came to rest for a bit…”

Chang Yuncheng looked at her with a cold smile.

Before he could say anything, Madam Xie had already spoken with a cold laugh.

“So whether I live or die as a mother-in-law doesn’t matter?” Madam Xie laughed coldly.

Qi Yue hadn’t slept well and had a headache. Being suddenly shouted at by Chang Yuncheng made her mind even more confused.

“Mother, aren’t you fine?” she said with a frown, raising her hand to massage her head.

“When I’m in trouble, can I count on you?” Madam Xie shouted loudly, smashing the teacup beside her to the ground with a crash. “I only need my daughter-in-law at times like this – what? Are you already disgusted with me? If you’re like this now, when I’m seventy or eighty, paralyzed and blind, won’t you even be able to look at me once?”

Madam Xie’s sudden temper startled everyone in the room, and all the maids immediately knelt down.

In trouble? With your full-bodied voice, even if I had trouble, you wouldn’t!

Qi Yue felt her anger also rising.

Chang Yuncheng took a deep breath and looked at Qi Yue.

“Kneel down and apologize to mother,” he said.

Kneel down?

Qi Yue sighed and looked at Madam Xie.

“Mother, can we talk properly? Is there any point in acting like this?” she asked.

Madam Xie laughed.

“Look! Look! This is my good daughter-in-law!” she shrieked. “Get out! I don’t need you! I don’t depend on you!”

“Mother, I sincerely want to get along well with you. Can’t you…” Qi Yue took a deep breath and said.

Before she could finish, Chang Yuncheng pointed at her.

“You kneel down and apologize to mother,” he shouted coldly. “Or get out immediately!”

Kneel my ass!

She spat and turned to leave.

The maids standing outside had long been frightened pale, and A’Ru was especially panicked.

How, how did things become like this again when everything was fine!

With the curtain rustling, Qi Yue strode out, but was immediately grabbed by the arm by Chang Yuncheng behind her.

“I said you should leave and you listen, but why don’t you listen to anything else I say?” he roared angrily.

The maids were all in chaos, and A’Ru was nearly crying.

Young mistress, stop making trouble! This isn’t the time to say such things – you should cry, show weakness, and give Lord a way to save face!

“Mother is an elder. How can you act like this?” Chang Yuncheng roared.

His hand gripped Qi Yue tightly.

“Elder? This kind of elder I can only treat this way!” Qi Yue replied without courtesy.

She looked at Chang Yuncheng, forcibly tightening her mouth.

“What’s happening? What is this about?” came a woman’s voice from outside the door, and four or five people entered, led by none other than Second Madam Chen Shi.

Seeing her enter, Chang Yuncheng still didn’t release Qi Yue’s hand.

He thought if he let go, this woman would really run out…

He couldn’t let her run out…

He couldn’t!

Second Madam walked urgently, and the servants supporting her could barely keep up.

She reached out and grabbed Chang Yuncheng’s arm.

“Let go!” she shouted urgently.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng come to his senses. Chen Shi pried at his hand, opening his fingers one by one.

“Yueniang, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” Chen Shi urgently pulled Qi Yue to examine her from all sides. Her frail face showed an abnormal flush from this hurried walk, and her breathing was also disordered.

“No, no, quick, support her, support her,” Qi Yue was startled and hurried to call out.

The servants crowded over to support her, but Chen Shi still held onto Qi Yue.

“It was one thing when you used to hit your brothers at home, but now how can you even lay hands on your wife?” she looked at Chang Yuncheng and shouted sternly.

Chang Yuncheng said nothing, just stood motionless with a tense face.

“He didn’t hit me, he didn’t,” Qi Yue hurried to say.

Chen Shi looked at Qi Yue with a sorrowful and anxious expression.

“Look, even at this time, she still won’t say a word against you and still wants to protect you,” she looked at Chang Yuncheng again and sighed deeply.

Chang Yuncheng remained silent, just stubbornly pursing his mouth.

This expression was all too familiar to Marquis Dingxi, who had arrived after hearing the commotion.

From childhood to now, whenever he made mistakes and was scolded, this boy was always like this – never arguing, just pursing his mouth and enduring the beating and scolding.

In Marquis Dingxi’s view, this was stubborn refusal to repent!

But Madam Xie always protected him, explaining that this was because he felt no one in this family would listen to him speak, and no one would protect him, so the child simply didn’t argue or defend himself.

Seeing him like this, then seeing Qi Yue’s wrist showing a circle of bruises as Chen Shi examined her, Marquis Dingxi’s anger rose rapidly.

Marquis Dingxi casually grabbed a flower pot from the courtyard.

Madam Xie had already rushed out of the room and blocked Chang Yuncheng.

“You dare, you dare! Try throwing it – I’ll die before your eyes!” she shrieked.

This only made Marquis Dingxi jump with rage.

The scene immediately became chaotic.

“Enough, enough,” Second Madam’s breathing had stabilized, and she hurried to mediate. “Which couple doesn’t quarrel? Don’t be anxious – it’s nothing serious.”

She also urged Marquis Dingxi to leave.

“Big brother, don’t interfere. This is a matter between the young couple – let them resolve it themselves. Go quickly. With you here, the two children feel embarrassed and can’t speak properly,” she persuaded.

As she spoke, she couldn’t help coughing.

Qi Yue hurried to support her.

“Father, it’s nothing, really nothing. Please go,” she also hurried to say.

“Look, look! They’re all protecting you, you ungrateful rebel!” Marquis Dingxi pointed at Chang Yuncheng and scolded.

When he scolded, Madam Xie stepped forward again.

“It takes two hands to clap!” she shouted hatefully.

“You…” Marquis Dingxi glared and pointed at Madam Xie, about to step forward to speak.

Chen Shi hurried to stop him.

“Big brother, big brother, this is the children’s affair. Don’t make it bigger. After all, this is a matter between the young couple in their room – it’s better for others not to interfere…” she persuaded. Because she had said so much, her breathing became even more disordered and she became somewhat unsteady.

Qi Yue carefully supported her.

“Look at you, getting worried too,” Marquis Dingxi sighed anxiously.

“I’ll take Yueniang over – they’ll be fine once they both calm down,” Chen Shi said, while urging Marquis Dingxi to leave.

Marquis Dingxi glared hatefully at Chang Yuncheng and finally left.

Chen Shi also pulled Qi Yue along and apologized to Madam Xie.

“I heard you were unwell and came specially to see you. Look, I encountered this situation. You should also go back to bed and rest. I’ll come see you later,” she said with a worried expression.

“Making you worry again,” Madam Xie said, looking at Qi Yue with even more hatred.

Chen Shi patted Madam Xie, glanced at Chang Yuncheng, and left with Qi Yue.

Chang Yuncheng’s gaze had been on that woman the whole time. Seeing her leave now, he couldn’t help but take two steps after them.

Madam Xie didn’t understand and thought he was still chasing to scold that woman, so she quickly reached out to stop him.

“My son, you always do foolish things. Even when you’re not wrong, people will pin blame on you!” she said heartbrokenly.

Chang Yuncheng was held back, watching Qi Yue disappear at the entrance with a group of servants.