The first day back at the Jiang manor passed amid turbulent undercurrents beneath a calm surface. The second day brought excellent weather. Early in the morning, Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi went to inquire about Jiang Xinzhi’s affairs. Since Lu Zhu knew nothing about the Jiang manor’s past and couldn’t help even if she went, she simply stayed by Jiang Ruan’s side to handle matters around Ruan Residence.

Sunlight streamed through the latticed windows, filling the room completely. Lu Zhu sat at the doorway doing embroidery work while laughing: “The weather is only good once we reach the capital – even the sun is more comfortable, warming people so steadily.”

Jiang Ruan remained noncommittal. Ruan Residence’s courtyard was already quite remote with limited sunlight, far inferior to the former Meiqing Garden. The sunlight in Meiqing Garden was truly magnificent in its beauty. When Zhao Mei was still alive, she would lie against Zhao Mei’s knee watching Jiang Xinzhi practice swordwork as locust flowers drifted down everywhere – what a beautiful scene that was. Now everything had changed: Zhao Mei had long departed for the underworld, Jiang Xinzhi’s life or death was unknown, and of her blood relatives in this world, only she remained, lonely and pitiful.

Jiang Ruan tucked a strand of hair hanging before her eyes behind her ear and resumed reading the book in her hands. Just then, Bai Zhi hurried in and said in a low voice: “Miss, something’s wrong. Lian Qiao has gotten into a fight with people from Yanhua Garden.”

“What happened?” Jiang Ruan frowned: “Though Lian Qiao has a quick temper, she knows when to be tactful. How could she start fighting on the very first day?”

Lu Zhu also set down her embroidery and looked toward Bai Zhi.

Bai Zhi paused, looking at Jiang Ruan hesitantly before speaking with difficulty: “When this servant and Lian Qiao returned to the manor, we saw people from Yanhua Garden disciplining a servant. At first we paid no attention, but then Lian Qiao saw that person’s face… It was, it was Nanny Zhou.”

“Wet nurse?” Jiang Ruan said in surprise. Nanny Zhou was the wet nurse for both Jiang Xinzhi and Jiang Ruan, brought from Zhao Mei’s maiden home. During the period after Zhao Mei’s death, the manor said that seeing her mistress had passed, Nanny Zhou had begged to leave the manor to retire, and there had been no news of her since. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan had never seen Nanny Zhou again, yet now Bai Zhi was saying Nanny Zhou was still in the Jiang manor?

Lu Zhu was clever too, sensitively detecting Nanny Zhou’s importance from their conversation: “Why did Sister Lian Qiao fight with them? Could it be that Nanny Zhou was being bullied terribly?”

Meeting Jiang Ruan’s sharp gaze, Bai Zhi finally spoke with difficulty: “Nanny Zhou… has gone blind. When this servant and Lian Qiao saw her, she was emptying chamber pots. The people from Yanhua Garden said she had spilled night soil on new clothes Madam was preparing to wear when meeting the Prince Consort’s wife, and they wanted to punish her by forcing Nanny Zhou to eat what was in the chamber pot.”

Jiang Ruan’s eyes narrowed as her entire body suddenly radiated fury. Even Lu Zhu, who had never met Nanny Zhou, couldn’t help covering her mouth and saying angrily: “This is far too much!”

Jiang Ruan frowned tightly, her eyes blazing with rage. What a Yanhua Garden! What a Xia Yan! No doubt in her previous life, Nanny Zhou had also endured such inhumane torture right under her nose, yet she had known nothing of her suffering. Now that Nanny Zhou had reappeared before Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao, it was probably Xia Yan’s deliberate arrangement – to let her see Nanny Zhou living a fate worse than death in the Jiang manor, using Nanny Zhou to strike at her. Was this humiliation, or a test?

“Miss, Lian Qiao has a fiery temper and started arguing with the people from Yanhua Garden. Those from Yanhua Garden aren’t easy to deal with either – they have superior numbers. This servant saw that if this continued, Lian Qiao would surely suffer, so I came back to find you, Miss. Do you have any solution? The people from Yanhua Garden won’t let this go.”

“Lu Zhu, bring my clothes.” Jiang Ruan closed the book on the table and stood up.

“Is Miss going to rescue Sister Lian Qiao?” Lu Zhu handed Jiang Ruan her outer garment while asking: “Should we notify Master?”

“No need,” Jiang Ruan said coldly: “By the time he arrives, I won’t even be able to protect Lian Qiao.”

Bai Zhi was startled: “Is Miss going to confront the people from Yanhua Garden?”

“Others have bullied their way to our doorstep – should we be cowardly turtles?” Jiang Ruan glanced at her and said lightly: “Since she’s come to provoke, how can we not meet her head-on?” Xia Yan, I look forward to this first confrontation between us even more than you do.

The three quickly prepared themselves and followed Bai Zhi to the garden outside Yanhua Garden’s gates. From afar they could see a group of maids surrounding two people in the center – one collapsed on the ground, another protecting the fallen person. A strange odor permeated the air, and two chamber pots sat not far away, one already tipped over.

Seeing the three of them approach, the surrounding maids didn’t move until Lian Qiao called out: “Miss.” Only then did the leading maid turn around, speaking with apparent casualness: “Why has Eldest Miss come? These lowly people’s affairs shouldn’t dirty your eyes. Eldest Miss should leave quickly.”

Jiang Ruan recognized this maid – it was Lin Lang, Xia Yan’s head maid. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan hadn’t understood how the gentle and well-mannered Xia Yan could have such a sharp and bitter personal maid. Now she understood that Lin Lang was actually Xia Yan’s true nature – the words Xia Yan couldn’t say were all spoken through Lin Lang’s mouth. Like now, mocking Jiang Ruan.

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: “You speak reasonably, so you should leave quickly and not dirty my eyes.”

Lin Lang was startled, then looked at Jiang Ruan puzzledly: “What, are you not a lowly person?”

Her tone was gentle but her words sharp, her expression smiling but her upturned eyes like cold blades. Lin Lang unconsciously stepped back.

Jiang Ruan sighed: “So Lin Lang believes that maids are superior people, which is why you beat and kill other servants like this.”

“This servant did not,” Lin Lang panicked somewhat. Jiang Ruan’s words were saying she was a slave bullying her masters. Though she was favored by Xia Yan in the Jiang manor, the four words “slave bullying master” were something she couldn’t bear: “Eldest Miss, this servant truly did not.”

Jiang Ruan smiled lightly, ignoring her and turning to look at Lian Qiao.

Lian Qiao was surrounded by several maids, her clothes somewhat disheveled from what must have been an intense dispute. Seeing a clear handprint on her face, Jiang Ruan’s expression darkened. Looking at one of the maids who also bore a vivid handprint, Lian Qiao clearly wasn’t one to suffer losses quietly.

The person collapsed behind Lian Qiao had remained silent since Jiang Ruan’s arrival, only keeping her head down motionlessly like a lifeless statue. Only her completely gray disheveled hair was visible, along with clothing thin as paper.

Jiang Ruan extended her hand and placed it on the fallen person’s shoulder. The moment her hand touched, she sensitively felt the other person tremble violently.

Lian Qiao opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. Jiang Ruan looked at the woman with her head bowed and spoke gently: “Nanny, don’t be afraid. I’m A-Ruan. I have returned.”