Returning to the Wei manor with Chang Yue and Wan Yue, Chu Yu had just entered when she saw Chun’er standing at the door. Chun’er anxiously came forward and said, “Young Madam…”
Chu Yu stopped in her tracks, looking at her coldly, “You’re still here?”
“Young Madam,” Chun’er knew Chu Yu was using this as an excuse to scold her, but she couldn’t say anything. She just said, “You left too quickly after telling this servant to inform Second Madam. This servant couldn’t keep up…”
“Inform Second Madam?” Chu Yu curled her lips. “When did I tell you to inform Second Madam?”
Chun’er froze. Chu Yu calmly said, “I’ve already reported my schedule to Madam. Why would I have your report to Second Madam?”
Chu Yu’s demeanor carried a hint of arrogance. The people nearby who heard this exchanged glances, immediately understanding the implication in Chu Yu’s words.
Although Liang was called Second Madam, she was ultimately just a concubine. It was only because Liu Xueyang elevated her that she had a position. Chu Yu was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Chu family and the Wei family’s Young Madam. Only Liu Xueyang had the right to discipline her. There was no reason for her to report her outings to Liang.
Chun’er’s face froze, realizing she was caught in the crossfire between powerful figures. Chu Yu didn’t make things difficult for her, saying lightly, “Since you’re unwilling to serve in my chambers, go find Second Madam and have her arrange a place for you.”
“Young Madam…”
“Oh, and by the way, inform Second Madam that I’ve added two people to my chambers. I’ll tell Mother-in-law, but remind her not to forget to add four more taels of silver to my household’s monthly allowance.”
Although Chang Yue and Wan Yue were brought from the Chu family, their monthly wages shouldn’t come solely from Chu Yu.
After leaving these words, Chu Yu brought Chang Yue and Wan Yue back to her chambers. After settling Chang Yue and Wan Yue, she listened to Wei Xia’s report on the day’s routines and then saw Wei Qiu bring a letter.
“This is a letter from the front lines.”
Wei Qiu respectfully presented it. Chu Yu nodded and opened the letter.
She had thought it was Wei Yun’s reply to her, but upon opening it, she found it filled with messy handwriting that looked like a chicken scratch, covering the entire page. It began:
Sister-in-law, greetings. I’m Little Seven. Are you surprised? Big Brother is too busy, so he asked me to write to you on his behalf.
…
Seeing this opening, Chu Yu couldn’t help but twitch her mouth.
She clearly remembered that the Marquis of Zhenbei used to have excellent handwriting. She had seen it in Gu Chusheng’s study. The writing was exceptionally beautiful, neat, and solemn, with a fierce aura. The strokes were thin yet powerful, just like that lean and sharp young general.
How did it become like this now…
Chu Yu sighed, realizing what had happened between then and now, and felt a surge of sympathy.
If Wei Yun had always been that god of killing, she might not have felt much. But now knowing that before the Wei family’s upheaval, Wei Yun was such an ordinary, lively young man, the contrast made Chu Yu feel a heaviness in her heart.
However, she quickly adjusted her thoughts.
— It’s good that she’s here now.
She carefully read all of Wei Yun’s descriptions. Wei Yun was long-winded, detailing how Wei Jun woke up, ate, who he talked to and for how long, what he did, whether the weather was good, how he felt…
He reported everything, big and small, to Chu Yu.
From these scattered pieces of information, Chu Yu could vaguely see that Wei Zhong’s strategy was indeed very conservative, constantly defending the city without venturing out, planning to wear down the enemy.
“Sister-in-law, Big Brother has kept your instructions in mind. Any rash actions have been rejected. You can rest assured.”
After writing for a long time, Wei Yun finally wrote one serious, key sentence.
Chu Yu let out a sigh of relief. Beside her, Wei Qiu saw that she had finished reading the letter and smiled, “Does Young Madam want to reply?”
“Yes.” Chu Yu picked up a brush and wrote just one sentence: Practice your handwriting well, continue observing, and there will be a reward when you return.
After finishing all this, Chu Yu finally felt tired. She bathed and went to bed.
Before sleeping, she always felt a bit uneasy, so she took the letter out of the bedside cabinet and placed it under her pillow.
Somehow, with the letter under her pillow, she suddenly felt at ease, as if Wei Jun had returned, Wei Yun was still a youth, the Wei family was fine, and her life was also fine.
Chu Yu slept very well that night. The next morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, she asked Wan Yue, who came to serve her, “Has Second Madam sent someone to look for me?”
Wan Yue was a bit surprised, not knowing why she asked this, but honestly replied, “No, she hasn’t.”
Chu Yu nodded and praised, “She’s quite patient.”
Wan Yue didn’t quite understand, but she was never one to question her mistress’s affairs. She just followed Chu Yu’s instructions, helping her dress and wash up, then accompanying her to greet Liu Xueyang.
Chu Yu never failed to greet Liu Xueyang punctually every morning.
Liu Xueyang woke up early, and when Chu Yu arrived, she was already having breakfast. She invited Chu Yu to sit down, smiling as she said, “You don’t need to come to greet me every day. We don’t have such strict rules here. Coming every day must be tiring for you.”
“Daughter-in-law is used to waking up early. Now that Young Master is away, I have nothing to do. It’s good to come to keep you company more often.”
Chu Yu smiled as she watched the servants set out bowls and chopsticks, chatting casually with Liu Xueyang about trivial matters.
Their interests were quite different, and after talking for a while, both felt the awkwardness of speaking at cross purposes. Liu Xueyang was somewhat unwilling to continue the conversation but felt too polite to say anything, just waiting for Chu Yu to finish eating.
Chu Yu glanced at Liu Xueyang and understood her meaning. She felt that this mother-in-law indeed lacked spirit, no wonder a concubine managed the household while the principal wife was still alive.
After pondering for a while, she finally said, “I came today to discuss household affairs with my Mother-in-law. Now that I’ve married into the family as the Young Madam, I should help my Mother-in-law share some duties. I wonder what my Mother-in-law plans for me to do?”
Hearing this, Liu Xueyang’s face broke into a smile. “You don’t need to worry about that,” she said reassuringly. “Second Madam has always been in charge of household affairs. I’m not burdened at all.”
Chu Yu: “…”
This mother-in-law was truly carefree to the extreme.
But she had already guessed this, so she put on a surprised expression and then pressed her lips together.
This series of expressions made Liu Xueyang uneasy. She hesitantly asked, “Does A’Yu find this inappropriate?”
“It’s… not really anything,” Chu Yu said with difficulty, seeming extremely reluctant. She pondered for a moment, then looked up at Liu Xueyang and said, “It’s just that I don’t know how to explain to other madams when I go out in the future.”
The young madams of other families would all learn to manage household affairs from the main madam, and when the young master inherited the title, the authority over the household would be handed over to the young madam. Only extremely unfavored young madams would not manage anything.
Hearing Chu Yu’s words, Liu Xueyang finally realized. She nodded and said, “That’s right, I’ve always avoided socializing with them and forgot about this custom. How about this,” Liu Xueyang said to Chu Yu, “You and Second Madam can manage the household together. You can observe how she does it first and learn from her.”
This “observing” was exactly what Chu Yu wanted.
She nodded and then asked, “If I find some people unsuitable, can I replace them?”
“For such small matters, you can discuss it with Second Madam,” Liu Xueyang frowned slightly. “It’s just changing a person, what’s the big deal?”
“Thank you, Mother-in-law,” Chu Yu smiled. “I knew Mother-in-law cared for me.”
Hearing this, Liu Xueyang couldn’t help but smile. She waved her hand and said, “Go do what you need to do. I’m going to copy Buddhist scriptures.”
After bidding farewell to Liu Xueyang, Chu Yu brought her people to Madam Liang’s chambers.
Madam Liang was now nearly forty, and her figure had become plump, making her appear especially approachable. When Chu Yu arrived, she came forward to welcome her. If it weren’t for Chu Yu having just put her in her place yesterday, one couldn’t tell from her actions that there was any tension between them.
Chu Yu and Madam Liang exchanged pleasantries for a while before Chu Yu finally explained her purpose.
After hearing Chu Yu’s words, Madam Liang’s expression froze for a moment before she said, “That’s right, Young Madam will be managing the household in the future. It’s good to start learning now.”
Saying this, Madam Liang suggested, “How about this: next month is Madam’s birthday. Why don’t we let Young Madam take charge of organizing it? I will assist from the side. What does Young Madam think?”
“I think that’s not appropriate,” Chu Yu spoke directly, smiling at Madam Liang. “A’Yu is young and still needs to learn a lot. Taking charge of such a big event right away seems inappropriate. For now, A’Yu will just follow Second Madam and learn. Whatever Second Madam does, A’Yu will learn.”
Hearing these words, the smile on Madam Liang’s face completely disappeared. However, Chu Yu’s smile didn’t diminish. Madam Liang knew she wouldn’t back down. After a long while, she took a deep breath and said, “Alright, then please pay attention and learn well, Young Madam.”
“Don’t worry, Second Madam,” Chu Yu bowed respectfully. “A’Yu will learn diligently.”
Chu Yu was true to her word. After lunch, she came to the Second Madam’s chambers, waiting for the Second Madam to “teach” her.
Wherever Madam Liang went, Chu Yu followed closely. Madam Liang became irritated, but when Chu Yu saw her annoyance, she didn’t say anything. She just followed her like this for a whole day. When it got dark, Madam Liang finally tired and sent Chu Yu away.
As soon as Chu Yu left Madam Liang’s door with Chang Yue and Wan Yue, she immediately led them to climb over the wall out of the Wei manor.
“Where are we going, Miss?” Chang Yue and Wan Yue were a bit confused.
Chu Yu took out a string of keys from her pocket: “To make copies of these keys.”
Wan Yue was stunned for a moment, while Chang Yue instantly realized, “So that’s why you had me put the soul-calming incense in Second Madam’s room!”
Chu Yu looked at Chang Yue with a “the student can be taught” expression and nodded.
“Let’s hurry, we need to put them back before dawn.”
“Alright!” Chang Yue cheerfully exclaimed, praising Chu Yu profusely, “Miss, you’re so clever! I was wondering how we were going to get Liang to let us check the accounts!”
“You knew I wanted to check the accounts?” Chu Yu felt Chang Yue had improved; she had always been better with her hands than her head.
Chang Yue sheepishly said, “Wan Yue told me.”
Wan Yue had guessed her intentions, which didn’t surprise Chu Yu. She nodded at Wan Yue but then asked, “So do you know why I didn’t take on the birthday banquet matter?”
“The mistress is the principal wife, while Liang is a concubine. It’s only a matter of time before the mistress takes back control of household affairs. Liang can’t stop it. So Liang wanted to find an opportunity for the mistress to mess up, to show the Wei family that only she, Liang, can manage household affairs well.”
“Mm.” Chu Yu nodded and sighed, “Wan Yue, I won’t worry about you when you get married in the future.”
Hearing this, Wan Yue blushed and said, “Mistress, it’s too early to say that.”
“It’s not too early,” Chu Yu winked. “You’re already sixteen, aren’t you?”
Wan Yue was so embarrassed by Chu Yu’s words that she couldn’t speak. Chang Yue teased her from the side, and Wan Yue couldn’t help but make a move towards Chang Yue. The three of them played and joked around as they found a locksmith near Weapon Street. After watching him make copies of all the keys, they played around on the streets for a while before sneaking back to their chambers.
The three thought they were being cautious, but as soon as they climbed over the wall, they saw Wei Qiu in the courtyard, looking at the three girls climbing in with a somewhat helpless expression.
Chu Yu felt a bit awkward and greeted him, “Um, good evening.”
Wei Qiu sighed, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back.
Chu Yu thought that was the end of it, but the next evening, she received a pigeon message from Wei Yun.
The chicken-scratch handwriting looked even more messy, clearly showing the person’s worry.
“Sister-in-law, don’t randomly climb over walls to go out and play. There are traps on the Wei family walls, some places can’t be climbed!”
Chu Yu looked at this letter that had flown thousands of miles, then raised her head to look at Wei Qiu, who was standing nearby looking at his toes.
After holding back for a long time, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are carrier pigeons expensive?”
Wei Qiu kept his head down and said softly, “Quite expensive.”
“Alright,” Chu Yu said with a stern face, “Then let’s have roasted squab instead.”
Wei Qiu: “…”
He knew that Chu Yu didn’t want to roast the pigeon, but him.