The people on the street had all dispersed. In Qi Yue’s office, A’Ru brought a cup of tea to the old woman.

The old woman’s hand still tightly held Yan’er’s, reluctant to let go for even a moment.

“Young lady, your guess was right,” she said, her breathing still somewhat unsteady as she looked at Qi Yue. “The Liu family has indeed had such children – the one I bore, no, the daughter that old bastard fathered!”

Qi Yue didn’t know what to say and gave an awkward laugh.

“Just call me Qi Yue,” she said. “I’m no longer a young lady.”

The old woman looked at her.

“You silly child, why would you let them off so easily? They made you unhappy, so why should you make them happy? Just don’t leave – let’s see who disgusts whom,” she said.

Qi Yue’s mouth twitched. This old woman really was…

“Don’t worry, leave it to me. Isn’t it just because you have no family to back you up? I’ll stand up for you. I’ll go to Marquis Dingxi’s mansion right now to scold them. If they don’t let you through the door, I’ll make that old bastard write things to humiliate Marquis Dingxi’s mansion. That old thing – this is about all he’s good for,” the old woman said hatefully.

“No need, no need,” Qi Yue said awkwardly.

The old woman let out a long breath, then turned to look at Yan’er with a doting expression.

“I want to take Yan’er home,” she said. At this point, she suddenly raised her eyebrows fiercely. “This Marquis Dingxi’s mansion actually drove out a widow and orphan. She may not care about her status as a young lady of the marquis’s mansion, but she’s still our Liu family’s daughter-in-law. Our Liu family’s daughter-in-law was driven out – there’s no such easy thing!”

Liu family’s daughter-in-law – actually, the divorce papers had already been written long ago…

Qi Yue thought to herself, but naturally wouldn’t say it out loud at this moment.

“It’s just that Yan’er…” she said.

Old Lady Liu interrupted her.

“Yan’er is a child of our Liu family. Naturally I must take her home,” she said, brooking no refusal, while looking toward the door and gripping Yan’er’s hand tightly. “Everything the Liu family owes Yan’er must be paid back!”

They owe you, don’t they… Qi Yue wiped sweat again.

Indeed, the more suppressed, the more twisted. This seemingly submissive old woman, when she erupted, was actually this fierce.

Now Old Master Liu would probably suffer for it.

However, this was truly cause for great celebration. Qi Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

That’s right – what’s owed must be repaid eventually.

Chang Chunlan and her daughter were ultimately taken away by Old Lady Liu.

Yan’er made a fuss about not wanting to leave Qi Yue, shouting that she wanted to study medicine.

“Study whatever you want to study,” Old Lady Liu replied without hesitation, holding Yan’er’s hand and looking at her as if she were a precious treasure. “Whenever you want to come, grandmother will harness the carriage to send you. Whatever you want to learn, we’ll learn. Wherever you want to go, we’ll go. From now on, you can walk sideways in our house. If anyone dares say a word about you, grandmother will tear their mouth apart.”

These words made even Chang Chunlan unable to listen anymore.

“Young lady, just wait – I’ll go to Marquis Dingxi’s mansion right now to scold them for bullying you…” the old woman said again.

This frightened Qi Yue into quickly waving her hands, urging Chang Chunlan to hurry up and take the woman away.

Watching the carriage disappear in the distance, Qi Yue stood at the door for a long time without moving.

This was the best outcome.

Divorced women really had a hard time in this era. After all, they were different from herself.

“How are they different? Aren’t you also a woman?” A’Ru didn’t like hearing this and said so.

Qi Yue laughed heartily but didn’t say anything.

“You miss the prince too, don’t you?” A’Ru hesitated, then asked quietly.

Qi Yue quickly waved her hands.

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense. You can think whatever you want, but don’t put it on me,” she said hurriedly.

Stubborn, aren’t you?

“If you don’t miss him, why do you call his name?” A’Ru blurted out.

Qi Yue reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Who… who called his name… I don’t talk in my sleep… you’re trying to trick me… you were eavesdropping again…” she stammered.

“The prince has feelings for you too. There must be a way, young lady…” A’Ru looked at her with some eagerness.

This actually made Qi Yue calm down.

“There’s no turning back once the arrow is released, A’Ru. Don’t think nonsense,” she smiled, patting A’Ru’s shoulder. “It’s black and white on paper – the matter is settled. If I turn back, wouldn’t everything I did before become a joke? Alright, stop thinking wildly. If you really want what’s best for me, if you really want me to be happier, then…”

A’Ru looked up at her.

Qi Yue touched her nose.

“Tonight, make a few more dishes and bring a small jug of wine…” she smiled.

A’Ru snorted and went inside first.

Despite Qi Yue and Chang Chunlan’s repeated attempts to dissuade her, Old Lady Liu still went to Marquis Dingxi’s mansion to make a scene afterward. Compared to Old Master Liu’s venomous tongue, Old Lady Liu’s shrew-like behavior was even more unbearable for Marquis Dingxi.

Old Lady Liu rarely appeared in public. In seven or eight years of being in-laws, Madam Xie and Marquis Dingxi were seeing this old lady for the first time. They had thought the old lady who hardly showed her face would be meek as mud, but unexpectedly she was a firecracker.

It was truly strange – how could a firecracker remain silent for half a lifetime? And why did she suddenly explode? Moreover, why did she explode at their Marquis Dingxi’s mansion?

“You drove out my daughter-in-law, fine. But you also drove out such a good daughter-in-law from your own family. Truly, having a stepmother means having a stepfather,” Old Lady Liu sat in the main hall, saying with a cold laugh.

Now Marquis Dingxi had returned to his old way of dealing with troublemakers – one simple word: hide.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Naturally, Madam Xie accompanied the female visitor. What Madam Xie most taboo was the word “stepmother” – her already iron-blue face became even more iron-blue.

The saying goes “don’t hit the face when fighting, don’t expose shortcomings when scolding,” but this Old Lady Liu completely ignored this basic social principle. No, she should be said to completely follow this principle, just in reverse.

“Our family’s affairs are not your business. Mind your own family’s business,” Madam Xie said coldly.

“The world’s affairs are everyone’s business – why can’t others interfere? If you dare to do it, you should dare to let people talk about it! When the emperor first ascended the throne, he quarreled with the empress and wanted to depose her. All the court ministers submitted memorials criticizing the emperor. The emperor and empress’s affairs were also family matters, weren’t they? So what, did those interfering ministers become busybodies? Are your family’s affairs more important than the emperor’s?” Old Lady Liu snorted.

Madam Xie stood up abruptly. This woman! This old woman! What nonsense was she spouting! How did she drag the emperor’s family into this!

One pedantically nauseating, the other crudely disgusting – they really were a matched pair!

Madam Xie trembled with anger. She finally understood why Marquis Dingxi had avoided Old Master Liu like a snake or scorpion.

Then she thought of that time when Old Master Liu had scolded Marquis Dingxi and Qi Yueniang in the main hall, while she had listened happily from the back hall. Now that woman would surely be laughing just as happily.

If not for that woman! How would this old hag have come to make trouble!

Wretched servant!

Madam Xie clenched her fists.

“Enough. You’re just here because you owe someone a favor, having eaten their food and taken their money, so you came to bark a few times to curry favor,” she said coldly. “Don’t wave big banners here.”

“I repay favors when I receive them – that’s natural law. People would pat their chests and praise me for being loyal and righteous. How about that? I’m still better than you – disloyal, unfilial, heartless, and unjust,” Old Lady Liu said with a curl of her lip.

Madam Xie trembled with anger.

“You…” she pointed at Old Lady Liu.

“You – I’m talking about you,” Old Lady Liu seized the initiative, also standing up from her chair. “Don’t be foolish. If you’re smart, bow your head and say some soft words, invite Lady Qi back, and this matter will be over. If you keep making trouble, everything will be ruined. With your kind of family, who would want to marry their daughter to you? Don’t wait until you’re old and don’t even have a filial daughter-in-law to wear mourning clothes for you…”

Madam Xie’s body swayed, fortunately Nanny Su was quick to support her.

“That’s none of your concern. Our family is about to arrange a marriage,” Madam Xie took a deep breath and said with a pale face. “Soon there will be a new daughter-in-law entering the door. Tell that woman to give up hope in this lifetime. If she wants to wear mourning clothes for me, she should try again in the next life.”

What?

“Arrange a marriage? What marriage are you arranging?” Old Lady Liu was stunned and asked.

This wasn’t right – it seemed different from her intended purpose for coming…

Madam Xie took several deep breaths, straightened her spine, and looked at her with a cold smile.

“Didn’t that woman tell you why the emperor gave her the divorce decree?” she said with a cold laugh. “It’s because the emperor wants to arrange a new wife for our Yuncheng.”

Old Lady Liu’s eyes widened. That couldn’t be possible…

“Go tell that woman to stop jumping around and making trouble. She should never dream of entering our family’s door again in this lifetime,” Madam Xie raised her chin and said with mockery, looking down at her.

“Oh my, as if anyone wants to enter,” Old Lady Liu recovered and immediately snorted without backing down. “With you as a stepmother mother-in-law, who would want to serve you! If you want a good daughter-in-law like Lady Qi, you should try again in the next life.”

Madam Xie was so angry she nearly fainted.

Old Lady Liu swaggered out of the marquis’s mansion gate, but as soon as she got into the carriage, she immediately lost her triumphant expression and began sighing heavily.

“Terrible, terrible. This time I helped the wrong way,” she said, slapping her leg. “I originally wanted to back up Lady Qi and make the marquis’s mansion invite her back, but I only focused on my own satisfaction. How did I force that stepmother mother-in-law to talk about marrying someone else? This is terrible now…”

She blamed herself repeatedly, sighing heavily.

“Old lady, should we still go to Qianjin Hall?” the servant woman asked.

“Go for what?” Old Lady Liu glared. “How can I go claim credit now? Hurry up and go home.”

So Lady Qi inexplicably took the blame for you…

The servant woman thought to herself.

Old Lady Liu obviously also thought of this, her expression embarrassed.

“Lady Qi is so good – finding another good family wouldn’t be certain anyway,” she said.

As if…

The servant woman thought to herself, but smiled and agreed on the surface.

“Hurry up, hurry up,” Old Lady Liu quickly lowered the carriage curtain and urged.

The carriage disappeared from Yongqing Prefecture in a flash.