Coming out of Leshan Residence, Seventh Miss asked with a smile, “Who wants to be led by me?”

Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master both cheered, scrambling to grab Seventh Miss’s hands. Xu Fengjia stood to the side with his arms folded, smiling. “Well then, who’s going to hold my hand?”

Since Fifth Young Master was closer to Xu Fengjia, he immediately rushed to Xu Fengjia’s side, giggling. “I want to, I want to.”

Xu Fengjia was quite tall, and bending down to hold a child’s hand wasn’t very convenient, so he simply picked Fifth Young Master up. Fifth Young Master then laughed down at Fourth Young Master from his elevated position. “Big brother is shorter than me!”

A flash of defiance crossed Fourth Young Master’s face. He glanced at Seventh Miss but didn’t say anything.

How could someone as perceptive as Seventh Miss not understand Fourth Young Master’s thoughts? She bent down and with some effort lifted Fourth Young Master into her arms. Fourth Young Master immediately became spirited. “Now I’m taller than you!”

The family chatted and laughed together. Midway, they detoured near Liushang Hall to admire the peach blossoms for a while. By the time they entered Mingde Hall, Duke Pingguo had already sent someone to deliver eight enchantingly beautiful serving maids. As soon as she entered, Seventh Miss felt dazzled and bewildered. She paused for a moment, then asked Lixia with a smile, “Why weren’t they brought to the quarters? What does it mean to have them standing here in the main hall?”

Lixia explained with a smile, “They were just delivered. I asked around—they haven’t even had dinner yet. I was about to ask the young madam whether to take them down for dinner first before bringing them back, or to select them now and send them directly to each household to make their own arrangements.”

Seventh Miss glanced at Xu Fengjia and saw he was acting nonchalant, already carrying Fifth Young Master and leading Fourth Young Master into the west wing. She revealed a satisfied smile.

With such beauty before him, to say he was completely unmoved—even she wouldn’t believe that. But Xu Fengjia truly was as good as his word. Over the past year or so, though he occasionally glanced at a few beautiful maids, in his actions he hadn’t given Seventh Miss even the slightest cause for complaint.

She looked around and saw that these eight young women, whether in figure or appearance, were nearly perfect, each with her own distinctive charm—it was impossible to say who was more beautiful. Even their demeanors were uniformly honest and dutiful, meek as quails. She casually pointed to the two beautiful maids with the most pleasant round faces and said, “We’ll keep these two to serve in Mingde Hall. Have Nanny Liu and Nanny Mao take this group to Zhishan Hall. After eldest brother and sister-in-law have made their selection, send them to fourth brother’s place. The last two remaining can be sent directly to Shensi Hall. Tell them they’re all about the same and we don’t know their temperaments yet, but since they were sent to us first, we got to choose first. If fifth brother and sister-in-law don’t like them, they can come exchange at any time.”

This arrangement was somewhat domineering. Duke Pingguo had sent the people to Mingde Hall because matters of the inner courtyard were now under Seventh Miss’s charge. But Seventh Miss being in charge didn’t mean the Sixth Branch could choose first. Lixia couldn’t help but show a worried expression. She glanced at Seventh Miss, wanting to speak but hesitating. Seeing Seventh Miss didn’t care, she smiled and turned around, beckoning to the two beautiful maids. “Let me send you to dinner first. Zhongyuan, come here.”

Then she led the remaining six maids out of the room. Zhongyuan also came running forward with a beaming smile, taking the two exquisitely beautiful young girls away. As she walked, she asked with a smile, “What are your names? Where are you from? How long have you been in the capital? Can you understand the capital’s official dialect?”

Zhongyuan had a lively personality and was very generous and naturally sociable. Having her sound out these two young girls was most appropriate. Seventh Miss smiled faintly and also entered the west three rooms. Shangyuan and the others naturally served her while she washed her hands and changed clothes. Guyu and Chunfen took Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master down to eat. When Seventh Miss came out from the washroom, Xu Fengjia had already washed up and was sitting cross-legged on the kang, holding a letter with a half-smile on his face as he examined it.

Though this letter had no wax seal, it hadn’t been opened either—the envelope flap was still slightly adhered together. Seeing Seventh Miss come out, Young Master Xu smiled and tossed the letter to her. “To engage in such clandestine correspondence—having me, the husband, deliver your letters for you—this is a first in my life.”

Hearing him say this, Seventh Miss immediately knew it was a letter from Feng Jin. She raised her eyebrows with some puzzlement. “With cousin’s status, it’s fine for him to correspond clandestinely with me, but secretly passing you letters—if someone found out, wouldn’t it compromise both of you?”

“That’s not really a problem.” Xu Fengjia smiled coldly. “The two of us now have an acknowledged friendship in public view. The one above understands this in his heart… Feng Zixiu doesn’t have many relatives or friends. One more maternal family connection is good for him too.”

Seventh Miss’s mind was crystal clear. Ever since Noble Consort Niu gave birth and Sixth Miss became pregnant, the Emperor hadn’t summoned anyone to his bed for several months. Instead, Feng Jin frequently entered the palace—though it was unclear whether he stayed overnight, everyone had a good idea of what was happening.

As she opened the letter, she said, “By the way, about those two young girls who just came in—how do you think we should arrange them?”

But Xu Fengjia reached over and pinched her cheek before saying, “Don’t you find it pointless to ask that question? Whatever you want to do with them, just do it. Even if you want me to send them back right now, I’ll do it immediately.”

“I do want you to send them back immediately.” Seventh Miss said with a half-smile. “However, father-in-law’s expression is already so unpleasant. If you send them back again, and with mother-in-law not at home, I’ll have no foothold in this household at all. How about I send them to live with Concubine Mao—would that work?”

Xu Fengjia’s face immediately darkened. “Father is so advanced in years—does he really not respect his own dignity, actually making things difficult for you?”

He’d been busy with official duties and rarely home these past days. Seventh Miss also rarely troubled him with household matters, so it wasn’t strange that Xu Fengjia would ask. Seventh Miss shook her head with a smile. “On the surface, things are still harmonious, of course. But in private his expression is unpleasant—that’s all.”

Xu Fengjia’s expression immediately grew gloomy. He snorted resentfully but didn’t say anything more. After a while, he finally said, “Endure it if you can. The old man is getting on in years—his temperament is bound to be a bit odd.”

Just looking at how, despite Xu Fengjia’s status as the legitimate son, he still had to go to the front lines and prove himself through merit before being granted the title of heir, showed that Duke Pingguo would never be very close to him. Seventh Miss had no intention of sowing more discord to make them even more distant. She smiled. “Father-in-law feels sorry that I have you tightly controlled. Making things a bit difficult for me isn’t such a big deal. After all, he can’t force you into someone else’s bed. A little unpleasantness—I can endure it.”

As she spoke, she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. After reading just a few lines, she couldn’t help but straighten her spine, her face showing alarm.

Xu Fengjia had been about to say something more, but seeing Seventh Miss react so abnormally, he immediately fell silent. Seventh Miss also immediately came to her senses and handed the letter to Xu Fengjia, saying in a low voice, “Read it yourself. Do you have any impression of this person?”

Xu Fengjia glanced at the letter, at first somewhat dismissive, but when he focused and read carefully, he also showed astonishment.

#

Early the next morning, the Fourth Young Madam caught up with Seventh Miss in Xiao Cuijin.

“Father-in-law’s arrangements are really something.” The Fourth Young Madam’s face was full of indignation. “That man of mine just got them last night and immediately bedded one. As if afraid people wouldn’t know I’m not virtuous, wouldn’t take concubines for him…”

Seventh Miss’s mind was full of other matters. Only when she heard the words “chamber maids” did she remember last night’s business of Duke Pingguo sending people to various households. She couldn’t help but laugh with a hint of mockery and consoled the Fourth Young Madam. “Fourth sister-in-law, you should focus on nurturing your pregnancy first. Don’t get too emotional, lest the child in your belly senses it and becomes restless.”

A few words turned the Fourth Young Madam’s anger into joy, revealing a smile. “You’re right—nurturing the pregnancy comes first!”

She winked at Seventh Miss with a knowing smile, then turned back to ask, “How about sixth brother? Was he enchanted by those little temptresses? My people say that even Yangzhou’s finest ‘thin horses’ can’t compare to the beauties trained by the Prince of Minyue…”

Seeing Seventh Miss’s calm and composed expression, her voice lowered. Unconsciously, her face filled with envy again. “Alas, I don’t know how you trained him. How can sixth brother be like a monk, able to sit unmoved in the presence of beauty?”

The two sisters-in-law were chatting when light footsteps sounded behind them. Turning to look, they saw it was the Fifth Young Madam.

Seeing the Fifth Young Madam, the Fourth Young Madam’s face immediately showed displeasure. She snorted and greeted her reluctantly. “Oh, it’s fifth sister-in-law. What’s this? Fifth brother didn’t come in this morning—could it be that last night he obtained—”

Seventh Miss frowned and tugged at the Fourth Young Madam’s elbow, saying quietly, “Fourth sister-in-law!”

In great families, no matter how much conflict there was, there was no need to go this far.

The Fourth Young Madam shook off Seventh Miss’s hand and instead became more energized, raising her voice. “Sixth sister-in-law, don’t pull me. Our fifth sister-in-law is famously virtuous—how could she be like us, petty and prone to jealousy? She can’t wait for fifth brother to climb into someone else’s bed every day!”

Even with Seventh Miss and the Fifth Young Madam’s composure, they couldn’t help but show slight embarrassment at the Fourth Young Madam’s crude words.

The Fifth Young Madam certainly couldn’t just meekly accept the Fourth Young Madam’s backhanded compliments. She raised her eyebrows and covered her mouth with an elegant laugh. “Fourth sister-in-law, that’s not a nice thing to say. Alas, it’s my fault too. All these years, besides Hezhi, I haven’t given the Fifth Branch even half a child. Seeing how old fifth young master is getting, how can we not add a few more chamber people?”

Her tone remained leisurely and meandering, her voice affected and full of twists and turns, as if the Fourth Young Madam’s words hadn’t angered her at all.

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. In verbal sparring, the Fourth Young Madam truly couldn’t compare with the Fifth Young Madam. Wasn’t every one of the Fifth Young Madam’s sentences an indirect jab, mocking the Fourth Young Madam for not conceiving all these years?

But the Fourth Young Madam was certainly no pushover either. She glanced at Seventh Miss and also smiled. “Fifth sister-in-law, your meaning is very clear to fourth sister-in-law. You’re blaming me for having no news all these years.”

She also imitated the Fifth Young Madam’s manner, covering her mouth and smiling slightly. “But your fourth brother has been guarding the frontier all these years, and I, like mother-in-law was back then, waited in the capital. With the couple separated, having no news is unavoidable. Fifth sister-in-law, are you mocking me or mocking mother-in-law?”

Before the Fifth Young Madam could respond, she continued, “Oh, I almost forgot—even grandmother back then was thirty years old when she had auntie. Fifth sister-in-law, your words are quite interesting!”

The Fifth Young Madam’s expression immediately changed.

A little conflict between sisters-in-law, some bickering—that was normal. But if elders were dragged into the dispute, the implications became very different. The Fourth Young Madam had forcibly associated herself with Madam Xu and the Grand Madam, making it seem as though the Fifth Young Madam, who had been living with her husband all these years without children, was speaking without understanding hardship—mocking military wives—which made her appear both petty and harsh.

More worryingly, Seventh Miss, Madam Xu’s direct line, was right there listening. If she repeated this to Madam Xu, and Madam Xu became angry—especially since her health had improved recently—making things difficult for a daughter-in-law would be as easy as turning her hand.

She couldn’t help but glance at Seventh Miss, feeling somewhat regretful. She hadn’t expected Mo Shi to be so petty…

But Seventh Miss also recalled what the Fourth Young Madam had confided to her about the past.

A pregnant chamber maid—she had also used schemes to eliminate her, not hesitating to trade favors for it, framing the First Young Madam by spreading the news about her reviewing the accounts, allowing the Fifth Young Madam to successfully rise to power…

Though the Fourth Young Madam usually seemed crude, she was actually quite astute—otherwise she couldn’t have become the Xu family’s Fourth Young Madam. She always paid attention to maintaining appearances. Even though she competed with the Fifth Branch for favor, she rarely mocked the Fifth Young Madam so openly to her face.

It seemed the Fourth Young Madam’s sore spot truly was just those three words: “chamber people.”

Seventh Miss smiled and tried to smooth things over. “Alright, it’s just joking around. Are you two sisters-in-law taking it seriously? It’s almost time—let’s hurry into Leshan Residence.”

She also glanced at the servants nearby, saying quietly, “If even a word of today’s matter gets out…”

The Fourth Young Madam and Fifth Young Madam both immediately came to their senses.

If such an embarrassing matter got out, no one would have any face left.

Both sides followed Seventh Miss’s lead, apologizing to each other while sternly instructing their attendants, “If you mention even a word of this to anyone—”

Seventh Miss asked knowingly, “Speaking of which, why don’t I see fourth brother and fifth brother this morning?”

“It’s the new moon court assembly today—did sixth sister-in-law forget?” The Fifth Young Madam jumped to answer. “Even father left early this morning. What’s this? Didn’t sixth sister-in-law get up to see the heir off?”

Seventh Miss felt somewhat embarrassed. “I went to bed late. This morning I was in a daze—I seemed to hear him get up but wasn’t woken.”

The Fourth Young Madam laughed. “Sixth brother really cherishes sixth sister-in-law!”

Before long, the three sisters-in-law were again all smiles and harmony.

#

After paying respects to the Grand Madam in Leshan Residence, the Fourth Young Madam and Fifth Young Madam both left first. The Grand Madam had Seventh Miss stay behind to discuss Yu An’s dowry.

“This child is so sensible.” The Grand Madam sighed with some emotion. “She doesn’t mind the Second Young Master Fan’s appearance—she’s more considerate than either Yu Qiao or Yu Ping. I’m thinking of giving her a more generous dowry, including all the things Yu Qiao didn’t get to use. What do you think?”

Unexpectedly, besides getting her wish, Yu An had also earned the Grand Madam’s favor. This was an unexpected bonus.

Seventh Miss readily agreed. “Yu An is low-maintenance. Mother also mentioned wanting to give her a more generous dowry, so the Fan family won’t look down on her… Since grandmother feels the same way, I’ll draft a list and send it to grandmother for review.”

The Grand Madam hummed in agreement, then said, “However, Yu An is the younger sister. With Yu Ping not yet betrothed, having her marry first doesn’t look good. Your fourth sister-in-law isn’t in a position to worry about this recently, so you’ll need to pay more attention. These next few months, it would be best if you could find a marriage prospect for Yu Ping as well. And Yu Ning and Yu Tai have also reached marriageable age. As the heir’s wife, you mustn’t slack off on this.”

She looked Seventh Miss over, then asked with a smile, “How about it? Does the heir find those two chamber people satisfactory?”

So it was about Yu An’s dowry on the surface, but really she was waiting here for this. Openly and covertly, always targeting this soft spot of hers, jabbing at it endlessly…

Seventh Miss felt a wave of disgust in her heart. She said lightly, “From the heir’s expression, he seems quite satisfied. But the command post has been busy recently—he doesn’t have the mind for such things.”

The Grand Madam also hummed lightly, her expression showing neither pleasure nor displeasure. “That’s good. You’re a virtuous person—I won’t say more than necessary. You know in your heart what you should do.”

Seventh Miss tugged at her lips without continuing this topic. She stood to take her leave. “There are still many matters at home…”

“Go, go.” The Grand Madam also smiled. “There are many household matters, and your thoughts run deep. You must take good care of yourself—don’t fall ill!”

Just from this statement, it was clear the Fifth Young Madam had indeed passed Quan Zhongbai’s words to the Grand Madam’s ears.

Seventh Miss acted as if she hadn’t understood the Grand Madam’s meaning, slowly left Leshan Residence, and strolled back to Mingde Hall with Shangyuan.

As soon as she entered Mingde Hall, her expression changed. She asked with something close to anger, “Where are they? Have they been brought into the manor?”

Lixia quickly came forward and said quietly, “Eighteen people in total—all brought in. They’re all locked in the side courtyard now.”

Seventh Miss’s face was like still water. “Go prepare. As soon as the morning business is finished, I’ll go to the side courtyard.”

She snorted coldly. “If we don’t make some noise, I’m afraid some people will truly forget that I didn’t come into the Xu family just to be kneaded and manipulated by them!”