The moment Jiang Ruan spoke, the person on the ground trembled and finally slowly raised her head. Jiang Ruan’s breath caught as she gradually clenched her fists.

Nanny Zhou’s weathered face was deeply lined with wrinkles, so thin she was nearly skin and bones. Her once slightly plump cheeks had sunken deeply, but most horrifying were her eyes – only dried eye sockets remained, clearly having had her eyeballs gouged out by someone.

Lu Zhu gasped “Ah!” then covered her mouth, unable to bear looking further. This elderly woman had obviously endured many painful experiences, her entire body emanating a putrid, foul odor. Blind, she only stared upward blankly, moving her lips and saying in a trembling voice: “Eldest Miss.”

“It’s me.” Jiang Ruan paid no mind to the strange looks from those around her, bending down to embrace Nanny Zhou. Her eyes were cold as ice, yet her voice held a strange magic as she comforted: “Nanny, A-Ruan has returned.”

Time seemed to instantly retreat to several years ago, when she and Jiang Xinzhi were still children who knew nothing of the world. Whenever they angered Zhao Mei, it was always Nanny Zhou who helped mediate. When she and Jiang Xinzhi got into trouble and were punished with kneeling, it was Nanny Zhou who secretly brought them food to the ancestral hall in the middle of the night. Childless her entire life, Nanny Zhou had treated them as her own. Now those eyes that had always been kind and smiling were reduced to empty sockets – how could anyone remain unmoved!

Lin Lang frowned: “What is Eldest Miss doing? Don’t dirty yourself. This slave has committed a grave error, and this servant must quickly carry out master’s punishment. If Eldest Miss has no other business, please step aside.”

Before Jiang Ruan could speak, Lian Qiao said: “Since Miss is here, let Miss decide matters concerning the servants. How can you, a mere slave, interfere in your master’s affairs?”

Lin Lang smiled, and another maid beside her said: “Those words are wrong. We all act on our master’s orders. Sister Lin Lang’s master is Madam, and though Eldest Miss is also a master in the manor, it’s Madam who currently manages the household. No matter how high Eldest Miss’s status, she still cannot supersede Madam. Please don’t make things difficult for us servants, Eldest Miss.”

“You…” Lian Qiao was about to speak further when Jiang Ruan already said: “You speak correctly. It seems you’re all acting on Madam’s orders to punish this servant who made an error.” Nanny Zhou in her arms was still trembling slightly. Jiang Ruan patted her shoulder and smiled: “You’re acting on your master’s orders, which is indeed correct. I’m just somewhat puzzled – regarding the Jiang manor’s rules about servants who make errors having to eat night soil, I wonder which family rule that is? Lin Lang, you’re also an old hand in the manor. Could you tell me exactly which rule that is?”

Lin Lang was startled, not expecting Jiang Ruan to play word games with her. It was just casual prevarication – where were there any actual family rules? Unable to think of a response for a moment, she simply said: “Eldest Miss, this servant doesn’t remember either. This servant was just doing what Madam said.”

Passing the buck to Xia Yan, Lin Lang’s thinking was simple – she just didn’t think Jiang Ruan would dare oppose Xia Yan. Today she was standing up for Nanny Zhou, probably already offending Xia Yan’s taboos. But since it was already clear that playing deaf and dumb wouldn’t work, how could things be resolved without making a big scene? Xia Yan had opened this game, but the ending wasn’t up to her to control.

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: “So Lin Lang, you mean that Madam made an error, is that right?”

“This servant doesn’t mean that.” Lin Lang was somewhat anxious: “Eldest Miss, why quibble over a mere servant?”

Jiang Ruan shook her head: “You’re wrong there. My Jiang family has an excellent reputation in the capital and cannot do things that confuse right and wrong. Even for a servant, we cannot wrong or blame them falsely. If they committed an error, they should be punished strictly according to family rules. Otherwise, how can we maintain proper order? If everyone could apply punishment arbitrarily, wouldn’t the Jiang manor fall into chaos? So this matter must definitely be clarified.”

“What does Eldest Miss intend to do?” Seeing Jiang Ruan’s firm attitude, Lin Lang also sensed something different and stopped entangling, her attitude becoming somewhat aggressive. Just as Jiang Ruan was about to speak, she suddenly felt the person in her arms go limp – Nanny Zhou had fainted. Her expression darkened: “Bai Zhi, take Nanny Zhou back to my courtyard and immediately fetch a physician.”

“Eldest Miss,” Lin Lang blocked the way: “This doesn’t conform to propriety. She hasn’t yet received her punishment, and she’s not a servant from Eldest Miss’s courtyard. Eldest Miss probably doesn’t have this authority.”

“Lin Lang, do you have the authority to block my way?” Jiang Ruan said coldly: “Bai Zhi, hurry up.”

Lin Lang still wanted to obstruct, but seeing Jiang Ruan’s icy expression, she couldn’t help but freeze and didn’t dare say more, watching helplessly as Bai Zhi helped Nanny Zhou back to Ruan Residence. Jiang Ruan looked at her and said lightly: “Lin Lang, there are some things I don’t have authority over, and I don’t know if Madam has authority either, but there’s one person who definitely has authority.”

Lin Lang stared at her blankly.

“Lin Lang, go fetch Madam. We’ll meet at Guilan Courtyard.”

Guilan Courtyard was Madam Jiang’s courtyard – Jiang Quan’s legitimate mother. Jiang Quan was born to a noble concubine of the Jiang family, and after the noble concubine died, he was raised under his legitimate mother’s name. The two had a loving mother-son relationship, and Madam Jiang’s position in the Jiang manor was unquestionable. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan wasn’t familiar with this old madam, because Xia Yan and Jiang Susu always said this old madam had a strange temperament, so she rarely approached her. In her memory, Madam Jiang was someone who placed extreme importance on propriety. Though she hadn’t been warm toward Zhao Mei initially, when Jiang Quan married Xia Yan and spent all his time in Xia Yan’s courtyard, Madam Jiang had also severely reprimanded him. In her previous life, when she came of age, everyone agreed she should enter the palace in place of Jiang Susu, only Madam Jiang opposed it. But at that time, her body was already declining and she was bedridden, so no one listened to her words.

But now, several years before her coming of age, it was still the glorious period when Madam Jiang managed the Jiang manor’s major affairs. She wondered if Xia Yan’s methods would be sufficient in the eyes of Madam Jiang, who had been shrewd and forceful in her younger days.

Guilan Courtyard was in the western part of the Jiang manor, farthest from Jiang Ruan’s Ruan Residence. The maid who went to announce her return brought back Cai Que, the head maid by Madam Jiang’s side. Seeing Jiang Ruan, Cai Que was also greatly surprised. In the past when Zhao Mei was alive, this least-favored eldest miss had been extremely distant from the old madam – why had she come to the old madam’s place right after returning to the manor?

Jiang Ruan smiled at her: “Sister Cai Que, is Grandmother still resting?”

“The old madam has long been awake,” Cai Que put aside her inner doubts and said kindly: “Please follow this servant, Miss.”

As Jiang Ruan walked, she chatted with her: “I was afraid of disturbing Grandmother’s rest. I didn’t expect Grandmother to be so energetic, rising so early. It makes me quite ashamed.”

Speaking thus, she had already stepped one foot through the doorway. She smelled a heart-refreshing sandalwood fragrance slowly drifting over. Looking ahead, she saw an old madam with silver hair reclining on a couch with closed eyes, holding a string of prayer beads in silent meditation.