Admit fault? That was impossible for Lang Jiuchuan — she wouldn’t even lower her head.

Case in point: when Wan Fang’s people came looking for her, Lang Jiuchuan was still seated inside the ancestral hall, legs crossed, hands forming a Daoist gesture resting on her knees.

The sight of it made everyone’s hearts jolt uncomfortably. They nudged each other, each pushing the next to be the one to go speak to her.

Lang Jiuchuan did open her eyes, and upon hearing the reason they’d come, she thought it over and went to Wan Fang’s main courtyard. Lu Nanny greeted her with a face full of smiles and conveyed Madam Shen’s words.

As Wan Fang and Cui Shi listened, they heard an undertone in those words — what exactly was the meaning of this? It was as much as saying: if the Lang Family treated her poorly, Lu Yun would cherish her as her own daughter. If that wasn’t a slap to the face, what was?

Madam Shen was backing Lang Jiuchuan up.

She had been gone only two or three days, and already she had found herself such a backer — quite the capable young woman. It was worth noting that Shen Qinghe — that Shen Qingtian, that incorruptible pillar of justice — was cold and unyielding as iron, loyal to the throne like a direct remonstrator, not the sort to be won over through connections. Cross him, and he’d come after you regardless of who you were.

As for his wife — for all that she appeared gentle and gracious — who could have guessed that as a girl she had chased a young wastrel nine city blocks with a kitchen cleaver?

Madam Shen’s father was Lu Guangquan, who had just been promoted last year to the position of Viceroy of the Jiangnan region — with both power and wealth. No wonder that gift list was so extravagant.

As for Madam Shen’s show of support, Lang Jiuchuan received it with complete composure — her expression utterly unruffled by either glory or slight. Lu Nanny, watching her, privately thought: though she was raised on a country estate, that bearing of hers was no less than any young lady of the capital — and in truth, rather exceeded them.

So was the rumor about Lang Jiuchuan and the Lang Family being at odds true or not? What was the real situation?

Lu Nanny delivered the gifts and passed along the message, then took her leave. When she returned home and relayed everything to Shen Qinghe and his wife, both of them furrowed their brows. It did seem as though Lang Jiuchuan was not exactly having an easy time in the Lang household.

“In the future, once this child is out of mourning, be sure to look after her a little more.” Shen Qinghe said.

Madam Shen nodded. “I understand. But what is the Lang Family thinking? Do they truly not know what extraordinary abilities the ninth young miss possesses?”

She had heard that her husband had nearly lost his life — it had given her a terrible fright. Fortunately, Lang Jiuchuan had resolved everything, and though the price she asked was genuinely steep, as long as he was alive, nothing else mattered.

Her husband and her son — they were the most important people in her life, not to be lost. And now both of them owed Lang Jiuchuan a debt. Of course that debt had to be remembered and repaid — anything less would be the behavior of one who forgot kindness.

Shen Qinghe thought of Lang Jiuchuan’s slight, solitary figure and said, “There may be things we don’t know — but that she and her mother are not on good terms is surely true.”

Madam Shen gave a sharp hum. “Lady Cui comes from the Cui Clan — very proud of herself and her origins. I truly cannot understand how she could harden her heart to treat her only daughter so harshly.”

If it were her, with only one posthumous child, she would carry the baby in her heart and never let go. She couldn’t fathom sending such a child away to a country estate to be raised.

But regardless of all that, Lang Jiuchuan was their Shen household’s honored guest and benefactor — they would not allow anyone to bully her.

At this very moment, Lang Jiuchuan was being pressed by both Cui Shi and Wan Fang to explain why Madam Shen had sent such extravagant gifts, and what the veiled implication about marriage — something about a parent’s command — was all about.

Lang Jiuchuan’s expression turned strange. “You really do have vivid imaginations. What family head would look favorably upon a sickly, short-lived thing like me? Think about yourselves — would you choose a girl who might not be able to bear children, and may not live long, as a wife for your own son?”

Cui Shi’s face went green upon hearing this.

Wan Fang’s hands stiffened as well.

This child — the way she spoke was truly without the faintest care for appearances!

How could she talk about herself like that, with not even a trace of sadness on her face?

Lang Jiuchuan returned to her own courtyard with a pile of gifts in tow. She had been gone only two or three days, but the once-sparse and empty courtyard had undergone a complete transformation. Various household items suited for a young lady had been added throughout, and the serving staff, beyond Jian Lan and the two others — Daman and Xiaoman — had been expanded: a coarse-work maidservant, a matron, and a head nanny had all been added.

Looking at the courtyard full of people, Lang Jiuchuan’s temples throbbed — enough to make every one of them feel a jolt of unease in their hearts.

That expression — did it mean she was displeased with them?

“This courtyard of mine doesn’t need so many people. You all know I’m a young miss with no favor to speak of. Serving in my quarters leads nowhere. If any of you have better prospects elsewhere, pack your things and make a run for it.”

Everyone’s mouths twitched as they looked at each other blankly. The way she put it — really rather coarse.

Jian Lan was the first to kneel. “This servant has nowhere to go. If the young miss does not keep me, the only option is to be sold off.”

Daman and Xiaoman knelt as well, pledging their loyalty. “We servants only wish to serve the young miss.”

Though they had known each other for only a short time, and the young miss’s manner was cold, she was not like other wealthy young ladies — demanding and difficult to please. By the standards of serving women, this was already a good mistress.

The two coarse-work matrons also spoke up. “Wherever we are assigned to serve is the same to us. Coming to the ninth young miss’s courtyard is fate — please do not send us away.”

The nanny, who appeared to be barely past forty, curtsied before Lang Jiuchuan and said, “This old servant’s entire family are in the Madam’s service as personal retainers. The young miss may address this servant as Li Sheng’s wife, or simply call me Nanny. My maiden family name is Gu. I have one son and one daughter, both married. I have one granddaughter, two years old. My husband Li Sheng manages a grain and rice shop on the Madam’s behalf. Our son helps manage a farm estate. They are all out on the estate at present.”

Lang Jiuchuan looked at her directly. “Since you are the Madam’s person, you know that she and I do not get along. And yet here you are, following me — so are you the informant the Madam has planted here to keep watch on me?”

Gu Nanny: “!”

Her composure cracked for just a moment. Had the rift between the Madam and the young miss truly gone this far? Mother and daughter as enemies — she wouldn’t even grant the title of mother.

Gu Nanny’s expression turned pained. She frowned and said, “How can the young miss make such assumptions about the Madam? You have only just returned to the household, and in the future you will need to move about in the capital’s social circles. Now that you are of age, it is proper to have an elder close at hand to guide you. The Madam sent this old servant to attend you, wishing to instruct you in proper conduct and to help you understand the social landscape — who belongs to which family, what to take note of when you meet them, so as not to cause offense.”

As she spoke, she presented with both hands a booklet she had been cradling against her chest. “For this purpose, this old servant has prepared a name register, which also includes the names, preferences, and other details of the ladies and young misses of each household.”

Lang Jiuchuan stared at the booklet and felt not a trace of pleasure — only a creeping numbness on the back of her scalp. She said to Jiangche, “This household is completely uninhabitable. We need to roll up our things and run.”

What name register? What did any of this have to do with her? Was she supposed to memorize all of this rubbish?

Jiangche had had its fill of watching the spectacle and said, “It seems you really are going to become a canary in a gilded cage. Stripped of freedom, you lose the wind—”

Lang Jiuchuan crumpled it into a ball, then gave a cold laugh at Gu Nanny. “So you really are a planted spy. And what if I refuse to memorize this register?”

Gu Nanny frowned and said, “Then this old servant will advise the young miss as occasions arise.”

“Enough. You can all serve here however you like, but do not try to manage me — you won’t succeed.” Lang Jiuchuan’s patience ran out. She waved a hand. “I am going to set up a study in the south side room. Other than that one place, which no one is to enter, the rest of the courtyard is yours to use as you please.”

She couldn’t escape — so she needed to stake out her own territory first.