The capital in early morning bustled with activity.

Xie Jingyu and Xie Shi’an sat in the carriage. The father and son looked as if carved from the same mold, even their temperaments were similar.

Passing through the most prosperous street, the carriage entered the most prime location in the capital. Those who lived here were all high-ranking officials and nobles, the lowest being second-rank officials.

“After we enter the prince’s residence, you must be cautious in word and deed.” Xie Jingyu instructed. “The prince’s residence has strict rules. You’re young, so don’t speak casually.”

Xie Shi’an nodded: “Father, I’ll remember.”

The two walked to the entrance of the prince’s residence. Just as Xie Jingyu was about to step up the stairs, the guards stationed on both sides of the main gate barked sternly: “Who are you? What business do you have? Do you have an invitation?”

Xie Jingyu cupped his hands: “I am Xie Jingyu, Vice Director of the Ministry of Finance. The other day, my humble wife offended your esteemed residence’s young lord. I’ve come specifically to apologize and make amends.”

“So you’re saying you don’t have an invitation?” The guard looked down at him with his chin raised. “Wait at the entrance. I’ll go in and ask first.”

Xie Jingyu’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

He was, after all, a fifth-rank official of the imperial court, yet this guard’s face was written all over with disdain, and made him wait at the main entrance. How could they treat him with such disrespect?

“So this is what they mean by ‘even a third-rank official must wait at the prime minister’s gate.'” Xie Shi’an said softly. “Great-grandfather was a scholar, Grandfather was a provincial graduate, Father passed the imperial examination as top scholar, and in just over five years became a fifth-rank official of the court. By my generation, I will certainly make the Xie Family into new nobility of the court. But when that time comes, I won’t let the Xie Family servants look down on anyone.”

Xie Jingyu’s face was full of comfort: “Your father’s efforts to cultivate you have not been in vain.”

Just as they were speaking, footsteps approached. The two stopped talking and assumed respectful waiting postures.

A powdery white little bundle emerged from the main entrance of the prince’s residence—it was none other than Prince Pingxi’s residence’s four-year-old young lord.

The moment he saw the two people waiting at the entrance, the anticipation on his exquisite little face turned to fury.

“Greetings, Young Lord.” Xie Jingyu lifted the cage in his hand and presented it with both hands. “This is an extremely rare iron-headed blue-backed fighting cricket. It has a fierce temperament and is extremely aggressive. Please inspect it, Young Lord.”

The little fellow stomped down the steps, took the cage, then violently smashed it to the ground.

“This cricket is ugly as death. I don’t like it!” The young lord’s face was full of anger as he pointed at Xie Jingyu’s nose. “Go back and tell that woman to come to the prince’s residence herself!”

What fine crickets hadn’t he seen? He only wanted the cricket that woman personally delivered.

Thinking of the woman he’d seen at the teahouse that day, his eyes suddenly reddened. He didn’t know why, but he just wanted to see her.

The more wronged he felt, the angrier he became, shouting loudly: “Tell her that if she doesn’t come, I’ll go find her!”

“Who are you going to find?”

A cold and sharp voice suddenly rang out.

Immediately after, a Ferghana horse stopped at the residence entrance. A man dressed in purple-black court robes dismounted in one fluid motion.

Xie Jingyu turned around, bending his spine to the lowest: “This humble official greets Your Highness and wishes Your Highness well!”

This was his first time at such close distance to Prince Pingxi.

This was an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with Prince Pingxi.

However.

Prince Pingxi didn’t even glance at him. He walked forward and lifted the little bundle with one hand.

His voice was extremely low: “Who did you just say you were going to find?”

“Father…” The little one shrank his neck. “I, I wasn’t going to find anyone. Father, you heard wrong.”

The man sneered coldly, raising his hand to toss him into the arms of a nearby servant: “If he steps one foot outside the prince’s residence, all of you attending to him need never enter the prince’s residence gates again.”

After speaking, he turned to look at Xie Jingyu: “Children’s play talk. Minister Xie shouldn’t take it too seriously. Don’t come again in the future.”

Xie Jingyu was about to say something when Prince Pingxi had already stridden into the prince’s residence with large steps.

The two gate guards closed the doors of the prince’s residence.

Xie Jingyu’s face was full of disappointment.

Such a good opportunity, yet he had failed to seize it.

Xie Shi’an spoke: “Why not let Mother—”

Xie Jingyu pressed his lips together: “No need.”

He was a grown man. If he couldn’t handle even this small matter and still needed his wife to step forward, it would be truly disgraceful.

However, Yun Chu was not a fool who knew nothing.

The driver who sent Xie Jingyu and Xie Shi’an to the prince’s residence was one of the Yun Family people she’d brought into the residence. He recounted everything that happened at the prince’s residence entrance to her in complete detail.

“Let our madam personally go to the prince’s residence?” Tingshuang’s face was full of shock. “The prince’s residence has no princess consort. For the madam to call at their door would be truly improper. How can the young lord make such a request?”

The driver lowered his head: “Prince Pingxi severely scolded the young lord and told the Xie residence people not to come calling again.”

Tingxue breathed a sigh of relief: “It seems this matter is now considered settled. Prince Pingxi is indeed reasonable. He knows this matter was the young lord’s fault and won’t make things difficult for our madam.”

Yun Chu nodded slightly.

Prince Pingxi had always been a reasonable person. In her previous life when the Yun Family was in dire straits, only Prince Pingxi was willing to run around helping…

Just as they were speaking, Tingyu walked in from the entrance: “Madam, this is soup I specially prepared for you. Please drink it while it’s hot.”

Yun Chu’s voice was very bland: “I’ve already had soup. You may take it away.”

Tingyu’s lips moved awkwardly. She spoke with uneasy restraint: “Madam, have I done something wrong, or has Yun’er broken some rule?”

These past days, the madam had heavily punished the eldest young master and second young master. She feared that Yun’er had also committed some error that displeased the madam, which was why she had driven them, mother and son, out of Yusheng Residence.

When living at Yusheng Residence, she attended closely to the madam and had considerable face in the Xie residence.

Since moving out of here, not only had her food, clothing, and daily necessities become somewhat inferior, but those senior maids and matrons in the residence even dared to give her ugly looks…

So she had boldly come to ask the madam what exactly was going on.

Yun Chu looked at her: “Since giving birth to Yun’er, you haven’t attended to the master again. After much thought, I still feel it’s better to set aside a separate courtyard for living. It will also be more convenient when the master stays overnight.”

Tingyu bit her lower lip.

Yun Chu picked up the account books and opened them. She knew the madam was about to get busy, so she could only lower her head and withdraw.

Just as she reached outside the courtyard, she heard a mocking laugh.

“Oh my, if it isn’t our Concubine Yu?” Tingfeng said with a cold laugh. “Concubine Jiang and Concubine Tao both stay obediently in their own courtyards. Only you like to crowd around in front of the madam. Don’t tell me you think that because you attended to the madam growing up, you’re different from the other concubines? From the day you climbed into the master’s bed behind the madam’s back, the madam stopped regarding you as anything. Her current civility toward you is only for Third Young Master’s sake. You should be grateful you bore a good son…”

Tingyu explained with difficulty: “That night I truly didn’t intend to… It was the master who was drunk…”

“Don’t explain such bedchamber matters to me, an unmarried maiden.” Tingfeng pulled at the corner of her lips. “I’m just a maid and can’t accept explanations from a concubine like you. Concubine Yu, take your time leaving. I won’t see you out.”

Tingyu bit her lip in humiliation and turned to walk out of Sheng Residence.

Yun Chu sat on the couch somewhat distracted.

Tingshuang was twenty this year, and even the youngest, Tingfeng, was sixteen. It was time to find husbands for them.

In her previous life, after Tingshuang died, Tingfeng and Tingxue had vowed to remain unmarried for life. In this lifetime, she couldn’t let these girls follow her into lonely isolation again.