When Gu Xi first heard these words, she hadn’t yet realized who was speaking with the Old Madam. Only when she heard a clear, pleasant voice did she suddenly realize it was Yu Tang conversing with the Old Madam.

Although she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help but prick up her ears to listen.

“Old Madam, please don’t say such things—you’re being far too kind to me,” Yu Tang said awkwardly. “I don’t deserve rewards without merit. I was just momentarily curious, but I never imagined it would cause trouble for Third Master. I’m truly filled with shame.”

She spoke from the heart.

It was probably because she had sent Shuang Tao to ask A’Ming about the cloak, and A’Ming had reported it to Pei Yan, who had simply told the Old Madam about the matter and asked her to help explain.

This was what led to the previous conversation.

Pei Yan had been forthright and aboveboard, yet it made her seem petty and anxious.

She felt somewhat unable to face Pei Yan again.

The Old Madam also felt Yu Tang was making rather too much of a small matter. However, Yu Tang was a young unmarried lady staying in someone else’s home—being cautious was appropriate.

She said: “It’s good that you haven’t taken it to heart. I’ve already reprimanded him and told him that in the future, whatever matters he has, he should just tell me. I don’t have much to do now anyway, so if he needs my help with anything, it’s just the thing to pass the time—I’d welcome it!”

The Old Madam had previously been the clan matriarch. Household matters both great and small—from weddings and funerals to quarrels between sisters-in-law—all came to her. She used to be so busy her feet never touched the ground, and all three of her sons had been raised by wet nurses. Now that she had suddenly become idle, she truly felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Only Pei Yan, knowing her loneliness, had the young ladies from the household frequently visit her to keep her company.

It was just a pity that all the young ladies were still quite young and couldn’t really converse with her properly, which was why she had invited Yu Tang into the manor.

Yu Tang didn’t know these reasons and simply thought the Old Madam was comforting her. Her heart grew even more bashful, and she was pondering how she absolutely must say a few words of apology when suddenly Nanny Ji’s voice came from outside: “Miss Gu, you’ve arrived!”

Gu Xi had been listening intently and was suddenly addressed. Her heart panicked, and her face inevitably showed some confusion. She quickly said: “I’ve only just arrived. For some reason, I didn’t encounter a single servant woman along the entire way. I was wondering what was going on and wanted to see what the matter was when Nanny entered.” As she spoke, her heart gradually steadied, and a smile surfaced at the corners of her mouth. She countered: “When did you arrive, Nanny? I thought there was no one in the courtyard at all!”

Pei Yan had just left.

Before that, the Old Madam had dismissed all the servants attending her.

Nanny Ji simply thought Gu Xi’s timing was too coincidental and didn’t think much of it. She smiled and said: “I also saw Miss Gu over here from a distance.” She added, “You’ve come to pay respects to the Old Madam, haven’t you? Wait a moment, I’ll go announce you right away.”

The Old Madam had already heard the conversation outside and didn’t stand on ceremony. She called out loudly: “Is that Miss Gu? Please come in and sit!”

Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief. While saying, “How could I dare accept such a formal invitation from you—you need only call me directly,” she walked in with a beaming smile.

Yu Tang rose to exchange greetings with her, and the two sat down on either side of the Old Madam.

Gu Xi then said to Yu Tang with playful reproach: “Why didn’t you call for me when you came over? You left me waiting anxiously in my room for quite a while.”

Yu Tang had abundant experience dealing with Gu Xi. She smiled and said: “Then I’ll remember to invite you to come together next time.”

And didn’t elaborate further on the matter.

Gu Xi felt as though she had punched cotton. She couldn’t help but feel a chill in her heart and began to regard Yu Tang more seriously.

Yu Tang was too familiar with her expressions and small gestures. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

She and Gu Xi truly had no affinity!

In her previous life they had been sisters-in-law, and with Li Duan’s improper intentions, there had been no helping it. In this life they were already so far apart, and she had tried her best to avoid Gu Xi—how had she still ended up being targeted by her?

Yu Tang felt somewhat displeased.

In her previous life, Gu Xi had done it to retain her husband’s heart—she could understand that. But in this life, she and Gu Xi had no grudge of a stolen husband or hatred of a murdered father. Was it really necessary for Gu Xi to act this way?

Yu Tang sneered inwardly and was no longer willing to be forbearing or evasive.

She lowered her head to drink her tea, thinking that if Gu Xi dared to provoke her again, she wouldn’t mind teaching Gu Xi a lesson.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the several young ladies from Pei Manor and the Second Madam all came to pay their respects. For a time the hall was filled with cheerful voices and laughter, very lively, washing away all traces of the petty thoughts between Yu Tang and Gu Xi.

But when Yu Tang returned to her room, Shuang Tao couldn’t help but ask in a low voice: “Must we really wait and go see the Old Madam together with Miss Gu later?”

Fourth Miss was still unwilling to give up and today was still clamoring to go roast meat. The Old Madam had agreed, and everyone had arranged to go roast meat under that century-old locust tree in the back garden in the afternoon. Thus everyone had lunch at the Old Madam’s quarters, then returned to their rooms for an afternoon rest.

Yu Tang smiled casually and said: “That was just something to say—you didn’t actually take it seriously, did you?”

Shuang Tao was dumbstruck.

Yu Tang smiled as she pulled the thin quilt up to her chest, closed her eyes, and said: “Sleep!”

Shuang Tao could only withdraw awkwardly.

But Yu Tang was thinking about Second Miss.

Gu Xi was clearly cultivating Second Miss’s favor. She wondered what about Second Miss was worth Gu Xi scheming over?

She had spent all morning circling around Second Miss.

And then there was the matter with Pei Yan—she had actually misunderstood him… Yu Tang’s face burned with embarrassment.

How utterly mortifying!

Should she just pretend nothing had happened and leave it at that? Or should she go apologize to Pei Yan?

Yu Tang thought about it drowsily, not knowing when she fell asleep.

When she woke, she found the sun had already shifted west.

How could this be?!

Yu Tang was greatly alarmed and repeatedly called out “Shuang Tao.”

Shuang Tao trotted in and said: “Miss, what’s the matter?”

Yu Tang’s face grew solemn as she said: “What time is it now?”

Shuang Tao grinned and said: “Miss, you don’t know—while you were sleeping, Nanny Ji from the Old Madam’s quarters made a special trip over to say that the Old Madam has matters to attend to this afternoon and none of the young ladies need come pay respects. I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you. I thought I’d wait and see if the young ladies from Pei Manor went to roast meat before saying anything. Who would have thought that none of the young ladies from Pei Manor came over this afternoon. I was afraid the young ladies had forgotten to call for you, so I specially asked Liuxu to go inquire. It turns out all the young ladies were kept at home by the Second Madam this afternoon to practice calligraphy and didn’t go roast meat at all.”

Yu Tang said in surprise: “How could that be?”

Shuang Tao looked left and right, and seeing no one else nearby, came forward and leaned close to Yu Tang’s ear: “I heard that someone came from the capital. They went first to the old residence, but Third Master wasn’t there, so Second Master accompanied them up the mountain. Fearing they might offend the distinguished guest, all the women of the inner quarters were kept confined and not allowed to go out.”

Yu Tang’s heart filled with trepidation.

What sort of person would come calling that would require the women of the Pei household to stay out of sight?

She thought for a moment, then asked Shuang Tao: “What was Miss Gu doing this afternoon?”

Gu Xi’s information was always more well-informed than hers. Deducing from her movements whether the visitor from the capital brought good or bad news was the simplest method she could think of.

Shuang Tao said: “She was embroidering with Second Miss in her room!”

“She was embroidering the entire time?” Yu Tang was somewhat surprised.

Shuang Tao nodded and said: “Before, Hexiang would walk about here and there, but this afternoon she didn’t leave the room at all.”

Which meant the visitor’s status was truly very distinguished—at the very least, impressive enough to intimidate even Gu Xi.

Who possessed such authority?

Yu Tang guessed for a long while but came up with no leads. She simply set the matter aside, thinking she’d find an opportunity to ask the Old Madam directly.

Everyone ate dinner in their respective quarters that evening.

Early the next morning, the news spread.

The visitor was Zhang Shao, the eldest legitimate son of Pei Yan’s teacher Zhang Ying.

He had recently been appointed Provincial Governor of Jiangxi and had specially made a detour on his way to take up his post to visit Pei Yan.

But surely that wouldn’t require all the women of the household to stay out of sight?

Yu Tang felt Zhang Shao’s visit was not so simple.

She asked Nanny Ji, who had come to bring her a hair ornament: “Was it to prevent us from offending Lord Zhang?”

“No!” Nanny Ji smiled and said, “The Zhang family and our family have been family friends for generations. When Lord Zhang came, he spoke with the Old Madam for a long time, and dinner was also kept and served in the Old Madam’s quarters, so it wasn’t convenient to invite the young ladies over.”

Really?!

Then the relationship between the Zhang and Pei families was truly very good.

A simple teacher-student relationship couldn’t explain such intimacy!

Yu Tang suppressed her doubts and selected a budding yellow camellia, smiling as she said: “Does the villa have a hothouse?”

Nanny Ji smiled and said: “There is a hothouse, right next to the plum grove. If Miss wishes to go, you can tell me in advance. Several orchid plants belonging to the First Madam are kept there, and the First Madam often goes to the hothouse to tend to the flowers and plants.”

Yu Tang smiled in acknowledgment, rewarded Nanny Ji with a red envelope, and personally saw her out.

Shuang Tao asked in confusion: “Why reward Nanny Ji? Nanny Ji has always been very considerate toward us.”

During this time, besides learning etiquette from Liuxu, she had also been observing how Nanny Ji and Nanny Chen conducted themselves.

Yu Tang felt this was a good thing and encouraged her greatly. When she had questions in her heart, she would ask them straightforwardly.

She taught her softly: “What did you hear in what Nanny Ji said?”

Shuang Tao thought for quite a while, then shook her head.

Yu Tang said: “She was telling me not to casually go to the hothouse.”

Shuang Tao let out an “ah.”

They had been staying at the villa for several days now, and apart from that one day, they hadn’t seen the First Madam again.

Clearly the First Madam’s relationship with the Old Madam was just as rumored—not very good. Since she had entered the manor because of the Old Madam, it was best not to have dealings with the First Madam.

Shuang Tao came to understand.

While Yu Tang had received this news, Gu Xi had also received it. Unlike Yu Tang’s calm composure, Gu Xi’s heart was in turmoil, hesitant and undecided.

The Pei family was actually family friends with the Zhang family.

No wonder her elder brother wanted to marry her to Pei Yan.

Zhang Shao’s father Zhang Ying need not be mentioned—his great-grand-uncle had once been Imperial Tutor, his grandfather had served as Grand Secretary of the Hall of Military Eminence and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, a capable official whose name would be recorded in history. He also had a younger brother currently serving as Junior Minister in the Court of Judicial Review, and a cousin serving as Registrar in the Ministry of Personnel. It could be said that the Zhang family was one of the most illustrious official families of the current dynasty.

This excited her greatly.

But she had been here for so long, and though the Old Madam seemed easy to talk to, she hadn’t accomplished a single thing she had set out to do.

The safest approach would be not to participate in the Pei family’s internal conflicts.

But she didn’t have much time.

New Year was approaching soon.

She couldn’t very well actually stay at the Pei household for New Year, could she?

The First Madam often went to the hothouse, and the First Madam didn’t get along with the Old Madam. Should she try to make use of this matter?

Gu Xi paced back and forth in her room.