Song Chuyi woke early again. Seeing the increasingly severe dark circles under her eyes, Nanny Xu couldn’t help but lecture her with a stern face. “The days are long and nights are short now. I see the other young ladies all sleep until a quarter past the hour of the dragon. But you? You sleep late and wake early!”

Yet even as she scolded, she still fetched pearl cream to carefully apply to Song Chuyi’s face.

Song Chuyi smiled. “Don’t worry, Nanny. Once I get through this busy period, I’ll lie down and sleep soundly every day, alright? It’s just that eldest brother is setting off for Qingzhou today, and I have some things to say to him. Since I can’t sleep anyway, I might as well get up.”

Mentioning this made Nanny Xu even more worried. First Madam was still upset about the eldest young master having to travel far away. If Song Chuyi went over now, wouldn’t she just get scolded again?

However, she knew that Song Chuyi had become more decisive lately, so it wasn’t appropriate to discourage her too forcefully. She could only help her dress properly, though she still felt uneasy. “Miss, why don’t you take Luyi and Hong Yu instead?”

She really couldn’t trust Huang Yao’s temperament.

Just as she spoke, Huang Yao had already pushed the door open cheerfully, her face showing a smile she couldn’t conceal. “Miss, something happened at the East Garden!”

Earl Changning’s Manor had two gardens. One was the West Garden with a lake between the Second Branch and the main house. The other was the East Garden that Huang Yao mentioned, near Changfang Garden where the Fifth Branch resided.

Song Chuyi’s steps paused, and she asked with some surprise, “What?”

Only then did she realize that since she had been reborn, she still hadn’t seen anyone from the Fifth Branch.

Huang Yao’s cheeks were flushed red, her eyes darting around excitedly, almost bouncing with excitement. “Just now I saw Fifth Miss crying as she ran toward Ningde Courtyard. I was curious, so I asked Caiyue who was chasing after Fifth Miss. That’s when I learned that Fifth Madam is causing trouble again! This time it’s quite serious—I heard Fifth Madam even beat Seventh Miss…”

This was absolutely absurd!

Song Chuyi glanced at Qing Tao who had just entered and made an immediate decision. “Qing Tao, go make a trip to First Madam’s place.”

Nanny Xu was worried. “Miss, this matter has nothing to do with you. Better not to get involved.”

They already had a pile of troubles of their own—how could they spare the attention to manage others’ affairs? Besides, Fifth Madam had been this way for more than just a day or two, and even First Madam didn’t dare truly use heavy-handed discipline…

Song Chuyi pressed her lips together, her eyes looking at Qing Tao as sharp as arrows.

Qing Tao’s face turned pale under her gaze. Without thinking, she turned and ran outside.

The East Garden was already in complete chaos. When Song Chuyi arrived with Huang Yao, she happened upon Fifth Madam striking Song Chuyou’s face intermittently.

Song Chuyou was the same age as her. At this moment, she could only helplessly hide behind her senior maid Qing Ying, her eyes already swollen from crying.

Fifth Madam’s method of beating was quite systematic. She would raise her hand and slap heavily on Qing Ying’s head. When she couldn’t reach the head, she would slap the neck. When she couldn’t reach the neck, she would strike the face. Qing Ying was beaten until she retreated continuously, shrinking back as she protected Song Chuyou while backing away, unable even to cry anymore.

In her previous life, Song Chuyi knew that this fifth aunt was difficult to get along with, but she had never truly interacted with her and naturally hadn’t witnessed this behavior. Now she was seeing it with her own eyes.

How was this different from a shrew on the street?! Moreover, she was beating her own biological daughter!

“Enough!”

Before Song Chuyi could speak, she heard an explosive shout. Then she saw Song Jie rush out from somewhere and position himself in front of Song Chuyou.

Song Chuyou was young. Clutching Song Jie’s hem, she cried so hard she could barely catch her breath.

Fifth Madam’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. She numbly pushed Song Jie aside and reached out to grab Song Chuyou’s face again.

“Fifth Aunt!”

Song Chuyi couldn’t watch anymore and stepped forward to pull Song Chuyou behind her. She used too much force and nearly pulled herself down as well. By this time, Song Jie had already gotten up from the ground. Not bothering to check whether Song Chuyi was injured, he quickly spread his arms to block in front of his two younger sisters, frowning as he looked at Fifth Madam. “Stop acting crazy! We… we’re your children too!”

By the end, Song Jie’s voice carried a wronged sob.

“Who wanted to give birth to you?!” Fifth Madam looked at him mockingly, as if looking at beggars on the street. “Who wanted to give birth to you useless things!”

“They may be useless, but what are you?” Song Chuyi walked out from behind Song Jie, looking at Fifth Madam with a cold laugh. “What deep hatred could there be that you must humiliate them like this?!”

Fifth Madam had been causing trouble all morning and only now noticed there was an unfamiliar girl. She couldn’t help but turn to look at the servants behind her.

“Madam, this is Sixth Miss…” Tang Yuan, the senior maid behind her, quickly spoke up to remind her.

Huang Yao stared with bright eyes at Song Chuyi, whispering to her, “Miss, miss, Fifth Madam’s expression is so frightening. She won’t beat us too, will she?”

Fifth Madam looked at her with a complex expression for a long time, then snorted coldly. “So you’re the daughter of that short-lived ghost Cui Tingting…”

Cui Zhanmei’s childhood name was Tingting.

Song Chuyou had already reached out to grasp Song Chuyi’s hand, her voice low as she urged her to leave. “Sixth Sister, forget it…”

Unlike Song Chuyi and Song Chuning, Song Chuyou was truly just a seven-year-old little girl—timid and innocent, at a loss when beaten by her mother.

Song Chuyi had always been arrogant and domineering, but her heart had always been good. In her previous life, she had felt considerable pity for this seventh younger sister.

Huang Yao probably saw this quality in her, which was why she had incited her to meddle in the Fifth Branch’s affairs.

Song Jie’s face turned pale with anxiety, fury surging from his eyes. “Mother! How can you insult Second Aunt like this?”

Fifth Madam pointed a scallion-white finger at Song Chuyi’s forehead, the mocking smile on her face deepening. She turned her head toward Song Jie. “This little girl isn’t anxious—why are you?”

“True, I’m not anxious.” Song Chuyi raised her hand to brush away Fifth Madam’s hand, staring into her eyes as she spoke word by word. “I consider anything said by someone like Fifth Madam as if I didn’t hear it. A person who doesn’t even regard her own biological children—I never expected ivory to come from a dog’s mouth. Since I don’t expect ivory from a dog’s mouth, naturally I won’t be anxious over your words.”

Fifth Madam Wang Shi came from Duke Chengguo’s Manor and was Duke Chengguo’s legitimate daughter. From childhood, she had been raised in the palace by Grand Empress Dowager Rongxian, growing up as a precious noble daughter with an exalted status.

Unfortunately, Duke Chengguo’s Manor fell from grace overnight. The once prosperous and glorious place instantly became a field of carnage. Fortunately, because of the Grand Empress Dowager, Wang Shi had been raised in the palace from childhood and thus avoided punishment. Finally, the Grand Empress Dowager arranged her marriage, and she married into Earl Changning’s Manor.

However, this marriage was not as happy as Grand Empress Dowager Rongxian had hoped. Not only did it fail to become a good match, but instead it created a bitter couple bound by resentment.