With this, the pot of water that was the capital city truly began to boil over.

Bai Qingyan placed the book on the black lacquered side table beside her and wearily pinched the bridge of her nose.

At the hour of Mao, when the sky had just begun to show the faintest hint of light, the bright moon still hung suspended in the sky above, with stars scattered sparsely and clearly across the heavens. With Chun Tao’s call of “The eldest miss has risen,” all the lights in the main chambers of Chunhui Garden lit up.

Maidservants bent at the waist and, standing beneath the corridors, entered in single file, carrying copper basins, towels, hot water, and spittoons.

The maidservants pulled open the hanging curtains and hooked them to both sides with twisted vine, gold-inlaid copper hooks.

Chun Tao tested the temperature of the steaming hot water and ordered the maids to add some cold water before quickly stepping through the hanging curtains. She moved lightly to hang the bed curtains on both sides of the bed frame. Seeing Bai Qingyan rise, she hurriedly knelt to put on Bai Qingyan’s shoes.

“Early this morning, the Fu family sent word that Old Madam Fu has passed away,” Chun Tao said in a low voice.

Bai Qingyan had already known about this matter last night.

Bai Qingyan stood up and accepted the mouthwash water from a maidservant: “Does grandmother know about this?”

“Second Madam just personally went to Changshou Courtyard to attend to the Grand Princess as she rose. She should mention it.” Chun Tao took the towel handed over by a maidservant. Seeing Bai Qingyan cover her lips and spit out the mouthwash, she quickly handed up the towel. “Second Madam said that last night some families already received the news. All the noble families in the capital sent people out to inquire about who would be going to pay respects, and several families inquired at our mansion.”

Bai Qingyan felt that Second Madam Liu Shi was probably unable to make up her mind at the moment, which was why she went to seek the Grand Princess’s guidance.

Bai Qingyan immersed her hands in the copper basin, bent down to wash her face, and asked: “Has Second Madam given any definite word to the mansion’s stewards?”

Chun Tao took a towel from the square tray held by a maidservant who was taking small steps and bowing as she approached, handed it to Bai Qingyan’s side, and shook her head: “It seems there’s been no word yet.”

Bai Qingyan nodded: “I’ll go have breakfast with grandmother.”

Chun Tao agreed and began combing Bai Qingyan’s hair as she sat before the dressing table.

·

At this time, Second Madam Liu Shi was also at Qinghui Courtyard attending to the Grand Princess’s morning ablutions. Seeing Nanny Jiang combing the Grand Princess’s hair, Liu Shi took the ginseng tea handed over by a maidservant and presented it to the Grand Princess: “With eldest sister-in-law away, this daughter-in-law has no experience with such matters. I incline to go pay respects, but everyone says that Fu Ruoxi drew her blade against the Crown Prince this time, and the Fu family will be hard-pressed to escape great calamity. Moreover, when our Bai family held funeral rites in the past, the Fu family didn’t come to pay their respects either. This daughter-in-law feels somewhat displeased in her heart, so I’ve come to trouble mother.”

Second Madam Liu Shi had always been someone with a fiery temperament who dared to love and hate. Since the Fu family hadn’t come before, this time… she didn’t want to go to the Fu family’s funeral! But… thinking that the Fu family would probably have few people going to pay respects, Second Madam recalled her own family’s situation and inevitably felt it was heartless not to go.

The Grand Princess, with her full head of silver hair, sat before the carved rosewood copper mirror inlaid with yellow flowers. She lowered her eyes and took a sip of ginseng tea, then raised her head to look through the copper mirror at Liu Shi standing behind her with furrowed brows, and smiled: “Mother knows you have a kind heart! You’re angry thinking about how the Fu family didn’t send people when our family had our great funeral, but when you remember the cold and desolate scene when our family held funeral rites, you empathize with their situation.”

Liu Shi nodded: “Mother speaks truly.”

The smile in the Grand Princess’s eyes deepened, and she said to Nanny Jiang: “Look at this… other families at this time are weighing pros and cons, but my daughter-in-law is considering her feelings.”

Liu Shi was not someone who liked to play scheming games. Hearing the Grand Princess say this, she thought going would be disadvantageous to the Bai family. She gripped the silk handkerchief in her hand tightly and hurriedly asked: “Mother, would going at this time be disadvantageous to our Bai family?”

“It wouldn’t come to that. Don’t be anxious! Now that A’Bao appears to outsiders to have joined the Crown Prince’s faction, in a moment, you can send someone to ask A’Bao whether going or not going would have any impact on her,” the Grand Princess said.

Liu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t put on airs, nodding: “Alright, then this daughter-in-law will go ask A’Bao in a moment.”

Just as Liu Shi finished speaking, they heard a maidservant from outside announce that the eldest miss had arrived.

Nanny Jiang had also finished combing the Grand Princess’s hair and smiled as she set down the jade comb, saying: “We were just talking about eldest miss, and eldest miss has arrived.”

“A’Bao came so early, she probably hasn’t eaten yet. Have someone prepare breakfast,” the Grand Princess said as she stood up with Nanny Jiang’s support.

“Ah! This daughter-in-law will go have someone prepare breakfast,” Liu Shi smiled as she withdrew from the main chamber.

When Liu Shi lifted the curtain and came out of the main chamber, Bai Qingyan had just stepped up the stairs and bowed to Liu Shi: “Second Aunt.”

“Your grandmother has already risen!” Liu Shi instructed Qing Shu, who was standing in the corridor, to prepare breakfast, then entered the main chamber together with Bai Qingyan before speaking: “A’Bao, what do you think about the Fu family sending someone to announce the funeral news? Should our family go or not?”

Bai Qingyan’s steps paused, and she turned to look at Liu Shi, saying: “A’Bao believes Second Aunt need not be concerned about how the Fu family, like other families in the capital, didn’t come early to pay respects in the past. The Bai family’s tradition has always been upright. At the very least, in the eyes of the common people… the Bai family would rather have all under heaven wrong us than for us to wrong all under heaven!”

Earlier, when the Bai family had not yet moved back to Shaoyang as a whole, Bai Qingyan had intentionally pushed the Bai family’s reputation to its peak and had made such a statement. So… whether considering emotion, reason, or… weighing pros and cons, the Bai family should go.

Liu Shi nodded: “Then it’s settled. I’ll go personally in a moment.”

“I’ll accompany Second Aunt.”

As Bai Qingyan spoke, she entered with Liu Shi, walking around the screen, and bowed to the Grand Princess.

The Grand Princess looked at Bai Qingyan, who, after sleeping through the night, appeared much more spirited than the day before, and asked: “You’ve been tired these past days escorting the Crown Prince back. Why don’t you sleep a bit more?”

“I wanted to pay respects to my grandmother first, then go to the Fu family to pay respects to Old Madam Fu. Old Madam Fu… was a heroine among women. This granddaughter truly admires her,” Bai Qingyan said.

Hearing Bai Qingyan’s words, the Grand Princess’s lips parted slightly, and she was momentarily lost in thought.

Yesterday, after Old Madam Fu came to see Bai Qingyan, she went to the Crown Prince’s mansion. Later, news came that Old Madam Fu had died in prison. How could the Grand Princess not guess that perhaps Old Madam Fu had reached some agreement with the Crown Prince, sacrificing her life to ensure the safety of the entire Fu family?

With Bai Qingyan speaking this way today, the Grand Princess became even more certain.

Old Madam Fu had sacrificed her life for the entire Fu family…

While she could be said to have watched helplessly as her children and grandchildren perished in Nan Jiang.

The Grand Princess’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she showed some signs of dejection. Her gaze turned toward Bai Qingyan, wondering in her heart whether her granddaughter still blamed her.

But seeing Bai Qingyan’s clear and bright gaze, she knew she was overthinking.

Perhaps it was guilt that made her think of it constantly. The Grand Princess set aside the hot tea beside her and nodded: “As long as it doesn’t affect the Crown Prince’s opinion of you, after breakfast, you may go with your Second Aunt without concern.”

Soon, Bai Jinzhi and Miss Lu also came to Changshou Courtyard to pay their respects. Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, breakfast was laid out on the round table in the outer chamber.