Noon, the sunlight cold.

Maids carrying meal trays came and went, occasionally glancing at the figure kneeling in the courtyard—some with sympathy, others with indifference.

Mo Zi’s face was pale as a ghost. Her hair on both sides was soaked with sweat, matted together, gleaming ink-black in the light. In contrast, her lips were dry, wrinkled, and grayish-pink, each breath heavy. She had knelt for a long time last night. With her good physical constitution, she could endure it, but by early morning today, her knees were also swollen. Though not severely, kneeling again—and kneeling on densely packed small iron pegs that didn’t draw blood but truly hurt—was agonizing.

Head lowered and back hunched, to others she looked like she could barely hold on, but she was actually watching shadows to calculate the time. As long as she could still feel pain, her legs could hold out. Deep breaths, one after another, were a slow-release agent for her spirit. She held in her mouth the ginseng pill A’Hao had given her, her palms still warm.

Wanting to take advantage of people being busy serving food to straighten her body and crouch a little, she underestimated that old lady’s capabilities. The moment she moved, a vicious-faced old woman would emerge from behind some pillar, shrilly saying she wasn’t allowed to move.

After ten minutes of kneeling, cold sweat poured from head to toe. She thought she couldn’t go on, yet unexpectedly endured another thirty minutes. This was probably breaking through her limits.

The problem was, breaking through limits didn’t mean she could kneel endlessly. Though relying on a soldier’s tenacity, she hadn’t cried out in pain once, but after setting her final time limit at ten minutes from now, she decided that when the time came, she wouldn’t endure another second—she’d confess first. This was being utterly conscientious!

“Ten, nine…” Counting silently in her heart, the pain reaching the degree of having her blood drained and soul forcibly stripped away. “Three, two, one!”

Opening her mouth, Mo Zi heard her voice becoming hoarse as a broken gong. “Old—”

“Grandmother, Sanniang has brought people.” A languid tone, a charming manner. Qiu Sanniang had arrived.

Hearing this, Mo Zi wanted to jump up. Unfortunately, her legs were useless at this point. Unable to jump, she toppled to one side. Just as her head was about to hit the ground, two pairs of hands caught her in time.

One pair was Xiao Yi’s, the other Lü Ju’s.

Lü Ju saw Mo Zi’s legs bent and body bowed, her face ghostly pale, and her eyes immediately reddened. Meanwhile, Xiao Yi, expression cold, immediately began rubbing and massaging her legs to restore circulation.

Mo Zi finally cried out in pain.

Qiu Sanniang crouched beside her, almond eyes narrowing. “Mo Zi, you weren’t just about to expose me, were you? Were you going to tell the Old Madam?”

Mo Zi’s voice was weak but her words weren’t, and she even chuckled. “You told me to endure until lunch. I hate watching others eat while I’m starving. I wanted to confess first to trick some food, then recant. Without strength, how can one endure torture?”

Qiu Sanniang didn’t laugh along. Her gaze moved to Mo Zi’s legs, then fixed on her sweat-drenched head. “Such a clever mind, yet it couldn’t escape this kind of punishment? Confess if you must—what’s the big deal? I’m not afraid of people knowing either.”

“Me confessing and you admitting it yourself—there’s a huge difference. Otherwise, why make me endure?” Restricted by her status, Mo Zi could only remain passive in actions before the mistresses of the Prince’s mansion, though strong in attitude.

If she confessed, it would mean putting Qiu Sanniang in a passive position too, and placing herself in the position of a betrayer. That would be a lose-lose situation.

The incident was sudden, without much time for Mo Zi and Qiu Sanniang to prepare. At such times, they relied on understanding and trust. Though Qiu Sanniang had some airs of a young lady, and her relationship with Mo Zi wasn’t like master and servant but more like the contradictory duality of rivals and confidantes, at critical moments, she was worthy of trust. Others couldn’t understand, but Mo Zi saw clearly as a mirror. Conversely, the same was true for Qiu Sanniang. She liked giving Mo Zi difficult problems, but she loved sharing her innermost thoughts with Mo Zi. Because only Mo Zi wasn’t surprised or astonished, accepting calmly and even supporting her.

“It’s just that arriving at the last minute every time is really nerve-wracking.” Mo Zi complained.

“There won’t be a next time.” Qiu Sanniang saw the curtain opposite lift. Unhurriedly, she took a handkerchief from her sleeve, stuffed it into Mo Zi’s hand, stood straight, and a perfunctory smile floated onto her face.

“Third Madam, the Old Madam and Her Highness invite you to dine with them.” After the maid came out to extend the invitation, she looked at Mo Zi getting off the needle mat. “As for this maid, the Old Madam said she’s unruly and unreasonable—she should continue kneeling.”

But no one paid her any attention.

Xiao Yi made no sound, just kept rubbing. Lü Ju pursed her lips, her lips moving silently: “In her dreams.” Hongmei acted as if she hadn’t heard, following closely behind Qiu Sanniang.

The one who came to invite was also a senior maid with the “Hong” character in her name. Serving the Old Madam who held the highest position in the mansion, she naturally had some pride. Beckoning with both hands, she called two servant women to force Mo Zi back onto the needle mat, while saying to Sanniang, “Third Madam, the Old Madam’s mood isn’t very good. Since last night, she hasn’t eaten well or slept soundly. We as maids inevitably must humor her a bit. Otherwise, the ones getting punished will be ourselves.”

Hongmei spoke on behalf of Qiu Sanniang. “It’s not that Third Madam favors Mo Zi—there’s a reason for doing this. Once Third Madam goes in and explains to the Old Madam, the Old Madam will understand. In any case, this person absolutely cannot be punished further. Sister, don’t insist too much. Go with the flow—it won’t offend the master either.”

That senior maid had originally been promoted from a second-rank maid and still held some respect for the former favorite before the Old Madam. Moreover, her words made great sense. Being sensible, she called back the servant women. “Third Madam, please don’t blame me. The Old Madam’s orders—this servant can’t very well disobey. If the Old Madam asks about it later, please put in a good word for this servant.”

Unlike Hongmei who greeted people with a smiling face, Qiu Sanniang’s expression was indifferent. Without waiting for anyone to lift the curtain for her, she waved her hand and walked in on her own.

The senior maid was stunned.

Hongmei knew how to handle people, helping to smooth things over. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Third Madam is kind and never gossips. Besides, I’ve served the Old Madam for so long—though harsh in words, she has a bodhisattva’s heart. Once someone pleads for mercy, even the greatest matters become small.”

The senior maid smiled bitterly and entered the room with Hongmei.

Qiu Sanniang didn’t sit at the table to eat. She took the chopsticks from a young maid’s hands from the side, saying, “I’ve already eaten. Grandmother, let me serve you for once. Since entering this family, the elders have doted on me—when eating, you’ve never let me serve a single dish.”

The Old Madam told the meal-serving maids to go out. Only a few senior maids and trusted old women remained in the room.

“Sanniang, you’re well-informed. Your maid was just brought back from outside the mansion, and you followed right after.” When elders spoke to juniors, there was no need to be too polite.

But Qiu Sanniang was someone who showed no courtesy to whomever she chose. She answered thus: “It’s not that this granddaughter-in-law is well-informed—it’s that Grandmother does things openly and aboveboard, not afraid of being known. Moreover, you retrieved the person last night, and I only got the news then. It can’t be considered following right after. If I’d been any later, that maid’s legs would probably be crippled.”

The Old Madam was infuriated by Qiu Sanniang’s directness and snorted coldly. “Crippled is crippled—she’s just a maid. Give her some silver and send her away. I originally heard you were very indulgent with your servants. Now seeing it with my own eyes, it’s truly the case. You child are still young after all and probably don’t understand the rules of the Prince’s mansion very well. In ordinary households, there may be maids and masters as close as sisters, but that won’t do in our mansion. Distinctions of rank must be clear, order of seniority maintained. That masters can have compassionate and merciful hearts is the servants’ good fortune. But everything has limits—one can’t let servants run wild because of this. Though she’s your dowry maid, once you married in, you became a woman of my Xiao family. Since you’re part of the Xiao family, it’s no problem for me, this old woman, to manage things a bit, is it?”

Qiu Sanniang nodded repeatedly. “Naturally no problem. This granddaughter-in-law also understands that Grandmother cares for me.”

“Good that you understand.” The Old Madam turned to ask her senior maid, “Well? She’s still obediently kneeling, right?”

The maid hemmed and hawed.

“Grandmother, I said to forget it. Mo Zi has a stubbornly obstinate temperament—she responds to kindness, not force. Even if you beat her to death, she might not let Grandmother have her way, and would only anger you instead. She just cried injustice to me, so I’m helping to ask. Exactly what wrong did she commit to make you so angry?” Qiu Sanniang feigned ignorance.

Hearing this, the Old Madam thought: Oh, playing dumb with me? I’ll just spell everything out plainly.

“This maid dressed as a man and privately climbed the wall to leave the mansion. With both witness and evidence present, she still dared to equivocate and deny it before me and your mother-in-law. So bold and unrepentant—how could I not punish her? Moreover, she’s seductive in her very bones, trying to seduce male masters. Do you know, last night your second uncle-in-law wanted to come plead for her? This morning, Wei’er came again. Does he think I’m blind and can’t see he came to probe? Outrageous!”

Qiu Sanniang heard this latter part as fresh news but it didn’t interfere with her prepared speech. “Grandmother, regarding Mo Zi dressing as a man and leaving the mansion—that’s my fault.”

The Princess Consort interjected with concern. “My child, don’t casually take blame upon yourself.”

Qiu Sanniang put down her chopsticks. In fact, she hadn’t served a single dish. Then she glanced toward Hongmei.

Hongmei immediately brought forward a soft cushion and laid it at Qiu Sanniang’s feet.

Qiu Sanniang gently knelt down. “This statement is true. Mo Zi leaving the mansion was at Sanniang’s instruction. Having reached this point, I dare not continue hiding it from the elders. When Sanniang was in Luo Zhou, I opened a wine house business called Wangqiu House. My family didn’t know about this matter. Though the Qiu family is a major merchant household, they also know it’s improper for women to conduct business. It’s just that Sanniang lost her mother at a young age, and Father was overly indulgent, always keeping Sanniang by his side. Influenced by what I saw and heard, I learned considerable business skills. What the two elders don’t know is that though my stepmother’s treatment of Sanniang wasn’t extremely vicious, she was very calculating. Sanniang had no choice but to plan for her own future, using a sum of silver my late mother left to establish the Wangqiu House business. Unexpectedly, Wangqiu House’s business grew better and better. Before my engagement to Third Master was even arranged, I had already made plans to open a second location in the capital—the head manager and location were mostly selected.

“After marrying in, I thought that Prince Jing’s mansion was different from ordinary families, with inconvenient comings and goings. Yet I couldn’t very well close this business, as a whole group of staff relied on the establishment to feed their families. So I had no choice but to hide it from you while having Mo Zi act on my behalf, handling some account matters. The wall-climbing was also unavoidable.”

“Then what about Hongyu Shipyard? Is that also managed by Mo Zi?” The Princess Consort “charged into battle.”

“Regarding this matter, I was just about to tell you. Hongyu was originally part of the dowry my father gave me. Before marrying in, I went to look at it once. It was just growing grass and rocks. Since I didn’t know the first thing about shipbuilding, I left it idle. Later, a fortune-teller said water was auspicious for me, so I had Mo Zi manage it, lest instead of bringing prosperity, it brought disaster.” Qiu Sanniang spoke very casually, glossing over it in one stroke. “Grandmother and Mother-in-law treat me like your own flesh and blood. I really shouldn’t have hidden this from you. It’s all because Sanniang was afraid—afraid of losing your affection—and never knew how to speak up. I didn’t expect it would reach such a state today. Sanniang requests punishment.”

The Old Madam had been waiting for exactly these words. Qiu Sanniang’s humble attitude should allow her to naturally interfere with her outside business, especially the shipyard. The shipping industry was a nation’s lifeline, and the threshold for the shipping trade was extremely high. Even the Prince’s mansion couldn’t just casually open one. Who knew that Third Daughter-in-law’s dowry had brought this treasure?

“Sanniang, really. Although it’s unseemly for women to conduct business, we’re not ignorant of your situation. I often tell your mother-in-law that we should let you manage more household affairs, otherwise such good abilities would be wasted. Moreover, Wangqiu House was opened before you married out, and Hongyu was dowry given by your father. Even if you told the truth, how could we blame you?” Her old face was full of loving smiles. “It’s just that you’ve been too indulgent with Mo Zi. She’s just a maid—how can she be as capable as you, her master? Still dressing as a man and running outside. If people knew she came from our mansion, wouldn’t it damage the Prince’s mansion’s reputation? You know yourself that you can’t personally manage everything—that shows good sense. However, if you want to find someone to help, Prince Jing’s mansion has so many capable stewards—can’t we spare a few? Not only would they help you manage, they’d help you earn big money. Conducting business—that’s not something we can speak well of publicly, but knowing you’re putting forth such effort for the mansion, how could we shortchange you? To be honest, Si Niang already told us that those two places Mo Zi oversees outside might be your businesses. If you were determined to keep it hidden and let that girl outside be crippled from kneeling, we couldn’t say a word against you. It’s just that our hearts would become estranged from then on. Originally a perfectly good family, but this matter would tie a fatal knot.”

The brilliance of Qiu Sanniang—no, it should be said the brilliance of Qiu Sanniang and Mo Zi—lay precisely here. The matter must be spoken of by Qiu Sanniang herself. Why? To give the Old Madam and Princess Consort the good impression of someone who knows her errors and can correct them. Toward this type of face-conscious mistress, one could only hide needles in cotton. The more one outwardly acted tough and aggressive, the more ruthlessly they would respond.

“Si Niang?” Qiu Sanniang suddenly adopted an aggrieved expression. “Grandmother, Mother-in-law, I—”

“Don’t feel wronged. Since you’ve explained things yourself, we won’t blame you anymore. Deal with Si Niang as you see fit—your mother-in-law and I won’t say another word. As for those two children, once you have your own, let them live in a separate courtyard—you needn’t personally care for them.” The Old Madam, having fully exploited the chess piece, cast it aside.

“Thank you, Grandmother.” Qiu Sanniang smiled coldly in her heart. “Then Mo Zi—”

“Sanniang, you are a daughter-in-law of my Xiao family. Your affairs are the Xiao family’s affairs.” In other words, your silver is the Xiao family’s silver. “However, that maid—I, this old woman, am determined not to like her. Helping you manage business operations—that’s overreaching beyond her capacity. Seducing masters—that’s harboring ill intentions. If we don’t punish her severely, the maids in the mansion will follow her example—how could that be acceptable? In the future, you’ll be helping your mother-in-law manage the household. Consider it bearing the pain of parting with what you treasure—you cannot show favoritism. Deal with her.”

“Grandmother, it’s not that I’m feeling sorry for her—I just want to tell you I’ve already dealt with her. Without killing the chicken, how can we warn the monkeys?” After delivering this harsh statement, Qiu Sanniang had Hongmei bring Mo Zi in.

Mo Zi was carried in by Xiao Yi and Lü Ju. Just as she settled into position, she heard Qiu Sanniang say one sentence.

“I’ve sold this maid.”