When Qi Yue woke up, it was already broad daylight. The air around her retained the lingering atmosphere of their passion, and she reached out to feel around—the man wasn’t beside her.

Men really had more energy. Even after all that, he still got up on time every day to exercise. Wasn’t he tired? He seemed to get more energetic every day!

Qi Yue yawned and hugged the quilt, closing her eyes to continue sleeping.

She dozed drowsily for a while before being woken by Chang Yuncheng.

“You can’t skip meals,” he said, carrying the freshness of a bath and the vigor of post-exercise.

“Excessive desire harms the body” was really nonsense…

Qi Yue muttered, not getting up but reaching out to pull the man over and nibble on his face.

“Getting you all slobbery! You’re dressed up so smugly—what do you want to do!” she snorted, getting up just as Chang Yuncheng was about to enthusiastically reciprocate, calling for A’Ru at the same time.

Chang Yuncheng laughed heartily, kissed her once, and stood up.

A’Ru and Qiu Xiang entered with red faces and lowered heads to help Qi Yue get up.

“We’re going to the Great Buddha Temple today,” Chang Yuncheng said while watching her eat.

Qi Yue looked at him with her chopsticks raised, making Chang Yuncheng somewhat uncomfortable.

“Hey, are you really going to accompany me to play through everything one by one?” she asked with a smile. “Why such a rush? We have plenty of time in the future.”

She laughed as she spoke.

“You’re being unnaturally good to me,” she scrutinized him again. “And Mother too—she’s not even causing trouble… When things are abnormal, there must be demons…”

Chang Yuncheng darkened his face and put down his bowl.

“Do you only feel normal when I hit and scold you?” he glared.

“Try it,” Qi Yue smiled.

Chang Yuncheng glared at her, then picked up a piece of meat and put it in her bowl.

“Eat more!” he said.

After eating, Chang Yuncheng went to tell Madam Xie they were going out, while Qi Yue had the maids help her choose clothes for the outing.

“Young Madam!” Que Zhi shouted as she rushed in, startling them both.

Behind her was A’Hao, looking panicked.

“What’s wrong?” A’Ru asked hurriedly.

Qi Yue also turned around to look.

“Why do you look like that?” she asked, seeing the two maids’ pale faces.

“Young Madam, we seem to have heard…” A’Hao hesitated and was about to speak, but before she could, Que Zhi dropped to her knees with a thud.

“Young Madam, the Lord is taking a wife!” she shouted.

The room immediately fell silent.

Qi Yue looked at Que Zhi.

“What are you saying, girl? You call me Young Madam—how can he take another Young Madam?” she laughed, then looked at A’Ru.

A’Ru’s face also showed surprise.

“I just saw the wife of Deputy Inspector Yang coming over,” Que Zhi said hurriedly.

What wife? Qi Yue didn’t understand.

“This lady loves playing matchmaker most. By count, she’s arranged eighty-six marriages through her hands—accumulating good deeds and virtue. Everyone calls her Bodhisattva Grandmother,” A’Ru quickly explained. After finishing, she looked at Que Zhi again. “What about Madam Yang? What are you shouting about?”

Several young ladies and masters in the household were of marriageable age, so having a matchmaker come to the house was normal.

“Maybe we heard wrong,” A’Hao couldn’t help saying timidly, pulling Que Zhi’s arm. “I said to speak slowly, but you just shouted it out…”

It turned out that the two of them had gone to the storehouse to get silver to pay for the wood for Qianjin Hall’s expansion. Passing by the household storehouse, they encountered a maid from Madam Xie’s side with an unfamiliar maid, who was introduced as Madam Yang’s maid. They wanted to borrow a screen for decoration.

Originally, it was nothing special, but as they passed by, they heard Madam Yang’s little maid joking and laughing with Madam Xie’s maid about something about “a new daughter-in-law entering the house.” Que Zhi couldn’t help but ask playfully which new daughter-in-law. Madam Yang’s maid, seeing Que Zhi’s fine dress and the storehouse matron’s respectful and flattering attitude toward her, mistook her for one of Madam Xie’s trusted people and said it was for the Lord. Que Zhi was shocked. When she tried to ask more, the maid was interrupted by meaningful glances from Madam Xie’s maid.

“When I asked again, she wouldn’t say, just smiled,” Que Zhi said, looking anxious. “Young Madam, she… she… how could the Lord marry a new wife again?”

“Right, how could he possibly marry a new wife?” Qi Yue smiled. “That maid must have misspoken.”

“Perhaps it’s about arranging a marriage for Third Young Master,” A’Ru said. “Third Young Master will surely pass the imperial examination this time, attracting all those families to compete for him.”

This made sense too…

Que Zhi stood up, hand on her chest.

“Oh my, I was so scared my heart was pounding—I almost fainted. I couldn’t hear clearly what that maid was saying after that. So we heard wrong…”

She looked at A’Hao again. “Didn’t you listen carefully either?”

A’Hao also looked distressed.

“I… I was also scared…” she said. “Now that I think about it, she probably wasn’t talking about the Lord but Third Young Master…”

Qi Yue frowned slightly, her hands stopping as she arranged her clothing.

Had they heard wrong? If they had simply misheard, could it frighten two maids like this?

Sometimes when people hear news they don’t want to believe, their brain receives the signal and engages in self-deception.

Here, Que Zhi and A’Hao became more convinced they had misheard as they talked, feeling both relief and laughter. A’Ru also quietly scolded them for being so rash.

The atmosphere in the room returned to normal, but Qi Yue stood to one side feeling somewhat distracted, slowly fingering the cloth buttons on her clothing.

“Hasn’t the Lord returned yet?” she asked.

The three who were talking stopped, and A’Ru quickly went to inquire.

“Yes, he’s still with Madam,” she said.

Qi Yue nodded.

“Come, I’ll also go pay respects to Madam,” she said.

This was for the best. Since the incident with the bed attendance, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hadn’t met. Although she had reconciled with the Lord, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hadn’t cleared things up. Issues between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, even small ones, wouldn’t fade with time if left unattended—they would only grow bigger with time.

“Young Madam, she is an elder after all. No matter what you say or do, you won’t be in the right before her,” A’Ru followed and whispered advice. “You must…”

“Must endure, right?” Qi Yue finished her sentence with a smile.

“Young Madam, I know you understand. You’re doing this for the Lord…” A’Ru said with a smile.

“Yes, I’ll endure what I can. I won’t stoop to her level,” Qi Yue said with a smile, turning to speak quietly.

A’Ru smiled with relief after hearing this, then suddenly frowned.

“Then, Young Madam, what do you mean by ‘what you can’t endure’?” she couldn’t help asking.

She remembered this wasn’t the first time Qi Yue had expressed this sentiment.

Qi Yue walked and smiled.

“That’s hard to say,” she smiled.

“Like kneeling?” A’Ru said reproachfully.

This Young Madam seemed particularly averse to kneeling…

Qi Yue smiled without answering.

As they spoke, they had arrived at Rongan Courtyard. The maids at the door showed surprised expressions when they saw her coming, and two of them immediately ran inside.

What was this? Like they’d seen a ghost?

But it was nothing new—she’d never been properly acknowledged by Madam Xie anyway.

“Young Madam,” the remaining maids smiled and blocked her way. “Madam has guests.”

Qi Yue stopped.

“Then I’ll wait,” she smiled.

The maids exchanged glances. Not letting her in was one thing, but not letting her stand here was beyond their authority to decide…

“…What guests?” Qi Yue asked casually.

“It’s Madam Yang,” the maids didn’t hide it and answered.

“Oh. What’s she here for?” Qi Yue asked with a smile.

Just then, a maid hurried over.

“Young Madam, you’re here,” she bowed and said. “Our madam would like you to come over.”

Qi Yue recognized this as a maid from Second Madam’s side.

“What’s wrong?” she asked hurriedly. “Is Aunt feeling unwell?”

“Yes, so she wants Young Madam to take a look,” the maid said.

Patient matters came first. Qi Yue immediately started walking, having A’Ru go back to get the medicine box. A’Ru hurried off while Qi Yue followed the little maid toward Second Madam’s place.

As soon as she passed through the door, she saw Chang Yinglan standing in the corridor looking at caged birds, with a worried expression and long sighs.

“Yinglan,” Qi Yue called.

Chang Yinglan was startled and looked over, seeing Qi Yue beckoning to her.

“Sister-in-law,” she almost jumped down from the platform directly, then lifted her foot and pulled it back, hurrying down the steps properly.

“Oh my, what’s wrong with you?” Qi Yue was also startled and laughed. “What’s the rush?”

Chang Yinglan couldn’t be bothered to answer, grabbing Qi Yue’s hands and looking her up and down, making Qi Yue unconsciously touch her face.

“Did flowers grow on my face?” she asked with a smile.

Chang Yinglan, seeing her genuine smile, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sister-in-law, I’m relieved you can think it through,” she said.

“What?” Qi Yue laughed, confused.

Chang Yinglan continued sighing, grabbing Qi Yue’s hand and shaking it.

“Sister-in-law, I’m relieved you can think it through. That woman is scheming, but you don’t need to fear her. As long as Big Brother truly respects and treats you well, even if she’s on equal footing, you entered the house first. Don’t fear her—she can’t surpass you…” she said hurriedly.

Qi Yue looked at her and slowly stopped smiling.

“Your mother is fine, right?” she suddenly asked.

Chang Yinglan was somewhat confused by this topic change.

“Mother? What about Mother? She’s fine. She just went to see Great Aunt earlier,” she said.

“Yinglan!”

Here, Chen Shi heard the commotion and hurried out, beckoning to Qi Yue. “Yueniang, come here, I have something to tell you.”

Qi Yue looked at her and smiled.

“Aunt, please wait a moment. There are some things I want to hear from the person who should be saying them,” she said, then turned and walked away.

“Yueniang! Come back, listen to me first…” Chen Shi called out anxiously from behind.

Unfortunately, her weak body couldn’t match Qi Yue’s pace. By the time she chased down the steps, Qi Yue had already gone far.

Qi Yue walked faster and faster. The two maids behind her didn’t know what had happened and didn’t dare ask, hurrying to follow.

A’Ru came toward them carrying the medicine box.

“Young Madam…” she had just opened her mouth to call when Qi Yue passed right by her, seemingly not seeing her.

A’Ru stood there stunned.

“Young Madam?” she hurried to catch up.

Qi Yue said nothing, just walking rapidly. A’Ru saw her expression was wrong and kept asking what was wrong.

“Where is Chang Yuncheng?” Qi Yue suddenly stopped and asked.

“He just returned to his room,” A’Ru said. She was about to say more when Qi Yue started walking again.

A’Ru’s heart couldn’t help pounding, feeling waves of panic.

She had never seen Young Madam with such an expression…

“What happened?” she hurried to ask the two following maids. “Is Second Madam in trouble?”

“No, Young Madam just spoke a few words with Miss Yinglan, didn’t even see Second Madam, then turned and came back…” the maids said anxiously.

“What did they say?” A’Ru asked, pressing her hand to her chest.

“They said… don’t know what they said… Miss Yinglan told Young Madam not to be sad… something about thinking it through…” one maid said stammering.

A’Ru felt her vision darken and her body sway.

Indeed, they hadn’t heard wrong…

The two maids were frightened and rushed to support A’Ru.

“Young Madam… Young Madam…” A’Ru steadied herself, dropped the medicine box with a clatter, and stumbled after them.

Qi Yue had already entered the courtyard gate.