Having just returned to her own courtyard, Mozhu walked up with a beaming smile: “Third Miss, the Old Madam requests your presence.”

Li Weiyang nodded with a smile. Her gaze turned slightly, and she saw a figure flash behind the parasol tree in the courtyard.

Baizhi frowned slightly but didn’t speak. That maid Huamei always lurked about like a persistent ghost, monitoring the young miss. The problem was she had been bestowed by the First Madam. If they dealt with her, others would likely think the young miss was dissatisfied with the First Madam. But keeping her around like this would eventually become a disaster.

Li Weiyang pretended not to notice, only smiling at Ziyan: “Baizhi and Mozhu will accompany me. You stay and guard the courtyard.”

Mozhu was bestowed by the Old Madam, so naturally she had to go along. But Baizhi and she herself had both come from Pingcheng, yet lately the young miss seemed closer to Baizhi than to her. Ziyan imperceptibly frowned, then saw Li Weiyang gazing at her calmly. Her heart immediately skipped a beat, and she said, “Miss, please go. This servant will certainly watch over the courtyard well.”

Li Weiyang brought the two maids and made her way to Hexiang Courtyard.

Just arriving at the entrance, she saw that Hexiang Courtyard had rarely opened its great hall. The laughter of the womenfolk carried far outside. Li Weiyang blinked and quickly walked inside.

In the great hall, the Old Madam and the ladies and misses from each branch were all present, each wearing expressions of joy, looking very pleased. As soon as Li Weiyang walked in, Li Changle stood up with a smile and said, “Third Younger Sister, look—Elder Brother hasn’t returned yet, but the gifts he sent have arrived first!”

Li Weiyang followed her line of sight and saw maids unfolding bolts of fabric and spreading them on the tables. Brocade, damask, silk, satin, and embroidered cloth filled the great hall like sunset clouds, dazzling everyone’s eyes.

Stewardess Sun Niangzi smiled so broadly her eyes could barely be seen, saying, “Everything the eldest young master sent back are fine goods. Old Madam, look—this is golden sparrow silk from Yunzhou, excellent luster and true color. This is rouge fragrance from Chengzhou’s weaving bureau, bright colors and even dyeing. I heard it was used to make clothes for the Empress Dowager! This is peony embroidery from Linzhou—the woman in charge of the embroidery is called the Weaving Immortal. And these are azure river clouds and purple damask brocade from Mozhou, sea cloud red and jade tower embroidery from Ningzhou, golden silk oriole feather yellow—the noble ladies in the palace wear this very fabric. It truly dazzles the eyes!”

The eldest young master was traveling abroad for his studies, naturally visiting many places, but he wouldn’t bring back so many gifts without reason. These things must have been someone using his hands to bestow favors upon the Prime Minister’s residence.

This person—needless to say, Li Weiyang could guess who it was.

Li Changle lowered her bright eyes like autumn waters. Her delicate jade-white hands gently caressed the embroidered brocade as she said, “Though the capital’s brocade is magnificent and splendid, it’s overly complex. These fabrics have their own unique charm and appear much more refined and elegant.”

Everyone looked at Li Changle, feeling that her devastatingly beautiful appearance gave them the illusion she was about to merge into these brocades, as if she were a flower embroidered on silk—so exquisite, so precious that people couldn’t tear their eyes away.

Li Weiyang’s eyes were pierced by such beauty, and she gently turned her gaze away. Some people were born with their parents’ favor, superior birth status, and heaven-blessed beauty. With just a light word, they could seize away everything others had worked hard to build.

The Old Madam smiled and said, “These colors are all too young for me. You young ladies should take whatever you like!”

Second Miss Li Changru’s face immediately showed delight. She stood up gracefully to express thanks, then hurried to select patterns. Her hand landed—whether by coincidence or not—on the bolt of golden sparrow silk that Li Changle liked, saying with a half-smile: “Elder Sister, I really like this one. The color suits me very well—”

Li Changle smiled faintly: “Then I’ll let Second Younger Sister have it.”

Li Changle’s expression clearly showed reluctance, yet she still had to act magnanimous. Li Weiyang secretly laughed inwardly, lowering her head to drink tea as if she hadn’t seen anything.

Li Changle’s hand then fell on a bolt of radiant sea cloud red, but Li Changru’s hand simultaneously landed on that same bolt. Three times in succession, the situation was identical.

No matter how good Li Changle’s composure was, she couldn’t maintain her smile anymore.

The Second Madam laughed and said, “Eldest Miss is the most considerate. Your younger sister is still a child—everything looks fresh to her. Let her have her way a bit. Another day, Second Aunt will give you a set of gemstone hair ornaments.”

She had plenty of gemstone hair ornaments, but this kind of fabric was not often available. Li Changle’s face turned somewhat pale, but she couldn’t openly contradict an elder’s words.

Li Weiyang lowered her eyes. These fabrics were all brought back by the eldest young master, supposedly for the whole family, but in reality, the first branch should naturally take the best. Unfortunately, both the Second Madam and Second Miss were thick-skinned, which left Li Changle speechless.

The First Madam said coolly, “Changle, they’re just a few bolts of fabric. If you fancy any particular one, just have your elder brother bring back double portions next time.”

Though her tone was light, the meaning in her words was clearly jabbing at the second branch.

The Second Madam’s expression changed, and she couldn’t help but make some sarcastic remarks in return.

While the first and second branches engaged in their verbal sparring, the Third Madam sat to one side with a slight smile, her gaze falling on Li Weiyang. In all fairness, though the Li family already had the devastatingly beautiful eldest miss, the dazzlingly gorgeous second miss, and later the charming and lovely fourth and fifth misses, Li Weiyang somehow always managed to gradually release her own unique temperament—having an edge without being sharp, slowly moving people’s hearts.

Just then, Li Weiyang raised her head and looked directly into the Third Madam’s eyes. The two shared a smile, with a faint sense of mutual understanding.

After Li Weiyang had rescued the third young master, she had undoubtedly secretly formed an alliance with the third branch. This point, however, the First Madam knew nothing about. She only felt that those two nannies had been incompetent, throwing the person into the water before he was even dead, and that the third young master had merely been lucky, escaping by chance. She hadn’t thought that Li Weiyang had saved him.

The room full of silks and satins made people’s hearts stir involuntarily. Even the usually wooden Fourth Miss Li Changxiao couldn’t help but walk over to browse. Only Li Weiyang sat there without moving. At this moment, the Old Madam suddenly said, “Weiyang, don’t just sit there. Go and make your selection too.”

Li Weiyang smiled, stood up and said, “Thank you, Old Madam.”

Li Weiyang had just picked up a bolt of golden silk oriole feather yellow to examine carefully when suddenly a gust rushed in from the direction of the curtain. Then she heard a maid cry out in alarm. She suddenly felt something sharp scratch across the surface of her embroidered shoe. Her heart jumped in alarm, and she instinctively took a step back.

It was a Persian cat, completely snow-white with one blue eye and one yellow eye, looking at her with smug satisfaction.

Li Changle’s snow-white hands reached out smoothly to scoop up the cat. She laughed and said, “Did it startle Third Younger Sister? This is the mandarin duck cat that Elder Brother specially brought back for me. Look how beautiful it is!”

Li Weiyang naturally recognized this cat. In her previous life, this cat had been Li Changle’s beloved pet, accompanying her into the palace. It was quite arrogant and domineering, and had once scratched Yuli’s delicate hands until they were covered in wounds.

She could never forget in this lifetime the words Li Changle had said while holding the cat: “Third Younger Sister, my mandarin duck cat loves sunbathing in the garden most, but it doesn’t like strangers. You should tell the Crown Prince not to get too close to the Imperial Garden!”

Beneath her long sleeves, Li Weiyang’s fists quietly clenched tight, but the smile on her face became even more radiant: “Elder Sister, what an adorable cat!”

In the brief moment while speaking, a plan had already flashed through her mind like lightning!