Jing Zhi and Murong heard the sound and hastily stopped their playful scuffling, calling out respectfully in unison: “Eighth Miss.”

Shi Yutong arrived with two maids, without having anyone announce her arrival — in her view, there was no place in the Shi Family’s great courtyard that she could not freely enter and exit.

“What kind of behavior is this, all this roughhousing?” Shi Yutong frowned, clearly displeased.

Before Yan Qing could say a word, Ling’ai stood up. She had no patience for this arrogant and unreasonable young mistress.

“This courtyard belongs to Yan Qing. She can do as she pleases here. What right do you, an outsider, have to boss people around? Or perhaps you’re jealous that Yan Qing can get along so naturally with the servants, while you can only intimidate people by keeping a stiff face?”

“Where did you come from, you lowly woman?” These past days Shi Yutong had been convalescing, and now that she was finally able to go out, she hadn’t expected to immediately encounter someone so brazen. “This is the Shi Mansion. I am the Eighth Miss of the Shi Mansion. How dare you call me an outsider on Shi Mansion grounds?”

She stomped her foot in fury and shrieked at the two maids beside her: “What are you two standing around for? Quickly get someone to throw this lowly woman out for me!”

The two maids were so frightened they dared not move. One of them recognized Ling’ai — her father was Hui Cun, a man even the Marshal himself had to flatter and curry favor with.

She had been about to speak just now, but hadn’t managed to get a word in before her young mistress unleashed a torrent of speech, and hearing her call Ling’ai a lowly person over and over, the maid broke out in a cold sweat.

Yan Qing looked at the overbearing Shi Yutong, her gaze cool and clear. “I see that illness has addled your brain as well. Next time you go to the hospital for a follow-up, remember to ask the doctor to check whether water has seeped into your head and caused it to rust — it might need a good cleaning.”

It took Shi Yutong a moment to realize this was an insult, and she shrieked: “Yan Qing, how dare you curse at me! You actually dare curse at me?”

“Shi Yutong, listen carefully — you are standing on my turf right now, and I am the one who calls the shots here.”

“So what? You think you have the nerve to throw me out? Aren’t you afraid I’ll go back and tell my mother, and she’ll lodge a complaint against you in front of the Marshal?”

“Do I even need to lift a finger to throw you out?” Yan Qing gave a cold laugh and snapped her fingers with a sharp crack: “Er Dan.”

The words had barely left her mouth when a massive creature, its coat a mottled white and grey, suddenly leapt out from behind Yan Qing. In an instant it was right in front of Shi Yutong, its great jaws snapping open as it let out an earth-shaking tiger’s roar.

“Ah — a tiger!” Shi Yutong stumbled backward two steps and sat down hard on the ground.

Er Dan bounded over and planted his great meaty paws on Shi Yutong’s chest, and saliva dripped from his open mouth onto her face.

Shi Yutong felt a warmth spread beneath her, and a wet stain appeared on her clothes and on the ground, filling the air with the pungent reek of urine.

“Ahhh — help!” Shi Yutong’s screams rang through the entire Tiao Lan Courtyard, but no one paid her any heed.

“What are you all standing around for — quickly get this beast away from me!” Shi Yutong’s voice was trembling.

The two maids had nearly collapsed with fright when the tiger suddenly lunged out, and had no strength left to help chase Er Dan away.

Er Dan had long since grown larger than Jian Guo and was now a proper tiger in his own right — though he hadn’t yet reached the full size of an adult tiger, one pounce onto a person combined with his thunderous roar was more than enough to frighten a pampered young lady into wetting herself.

“Er Dan.” Yan Qing gently snapped her fingers. “Come back.”

Er Dan let out a warning growl at Shi Yutong and removed his plump paws. By the time he trotted back to Yan Qing’s side, he was already wagging his head and swishing his tail, begging for a reward — all trace of his earlier tiger’s might had completely vanished.

Yan Qing’s mouth twitched. She was somewhat regretting raising him together with Jian Guo.

Jing Zhi fetched a piece of fresh beef and fed it to him, then patted his head. Er Dan lay down at Yan Qing’s feet with the meat in his mouth and began eating with great relish.

“Yan Qing, just you wait — I’ll definitely tell my mother, and if you have any nerve, don’t go anywhere.” Shi Yutong scrambled to her feet, then realized with horror that she had been frightened into wetting herself. Her face flushed and paled in rapid succession, and her resentment toward Yan Qing deepened by another ten degrees.

Yan Qing wanted to laugh. That line sounded eerily like “if you’ve got nerve, don’t leave after school” — was this the kind of squabble primary school children had?

“Eighth Miss.” The maid beside Shi Yutong reminded her: “Eighth Miss, don’t forget what we came here for.”

Only then did Shi Yutong remember the purpose of her visit.

Though she was now thoroughly disheveled, thinking of the person in her heart, she hastily smoothed her messy hair and spoke with her nostrils still pointed in Yan Qing’s direction.

“During the poetry recital, I want to sit next to you.”

Yan Qing: “……”

“Did you hear me?” Shi Yutong’s tone was nasty.

Yan Qing toyed with the teacup in her hand. “Has Eighth Miss not learned to speak properly? Is this how you ask someone for a favor?”

“In any case, I want to sit next to you. Save me a seat — that’s final.” Shi Yutong shot her a withering glare. “If you agree, I won’t tell my mother about today’s matter, and you won’t face any punishment. How about it — a fair deal, isn’t it?”

“Please, Eighth Miss, go tell San Yitai right now. I’ll be waiting.” Yan Qing smiled.

“You… don’t be so stubborn. If I tell Mother, you won’t come to any good end. The Marshal will have that beast shot.”

“Eighth Miss, please.” Yan Qing lowered her head and took a sip of tea, ignoring her.

Shi Yutong hadn’t expected Yan Qing to take this attitude, and stood there for a moment before saying furiously: “Yan Qing, what exactly do you want?”

Yan Qing unhurriedly set down her cup, her sharp gaze striking from a distance: “Apologize to Ling’ai.”

“Apologize? Why should I apologize to a lowly person…”

“Er Dan.” Yan Qing’s voice turned razor-sharp, and Er Dan, who had been eating his meat, immediately stood up.

At the sight of this, Shi Yutong gulped audibly in fright. “All you know is how to sic a beast on people — what kind of ability is that?”

“I won’t repeat myself a second time. If you want to get close to your idol at the poetry recital, apologize to Ling’ai right now.”

Shi Yutong hadn’t expected the other party to have seen through her intentions so clearly. Despite her arrogance, she couldn’t help flushing crimson at this. It seemed her feelings for Jiang Zeluo were now common knowledge.

“Miss, that person is the daughter of Master Hui Cun.” The maid beside her finally found an opportunity to speak, and seeing the standoff, immediately raised her voice in reminder.

“What?” Shi Yutong naturally knew who Hui Cun was, but how had his daughter ended up with Yan Qing, and moreover defending Yan Qing at every turn? What on earth had happened during the days she had been bedridden?

“Miss, you had better hurry and apologize. Even if this matter were brought before the Marshal, you would be in the wrong, and the Marshal would only rebuke you.”

Shi Yutong stared at Ling’ai standing beside Yan Qing, and saw that she was smiling with eyes curved into crescents, though the arc of her lips carried a faint chill.

Shi Yutong was no fool, and naturally understood what weight Hui Cun carried in the Marshal’s eyes.

She also thought of how Yan Qing was a judge for the poetry recital, and would be seated beside Jiang Zeluo that day. If Yan Qing could bring her along, she would be able to get close to Jiang Zeluo — for her, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

After a moment of internal struggle, Shi Yutong finally turned her face to one side and said in a flat, insincere tone: “Sorry.”

“First, you left out the form of address. Second, your voice was too small.” Yan Qing raised two fingers. “Again.”

Shi Yutong had never suffered such humiliation, but she had no choice but to swallow it. She raised her voice until she was nearly shouting: “Miss Ling’ai, I’m sorry.”

Faced with this apology, Ling’ai smiled. “It’s all right. I hope Eighth Miss remembers to bring her brain with her next time she goes out.”

Shi Yutong’s eyes went wide. “You…”

“All right, you can leave now.” Yan Qing waved her hand dismissively.

The matter of Shi Yutong’s inability to bear children was known to all the masters of the Shi Mansion — everyone except Shi Yutong herself, who had been kept in the dark. Otherwise she would not have had the nerve to be so insufferably arrogant.

“Then you agreed?”

“Did I ever say I agreed?” Yan Qing blinked, caught off guard, and asked in return.

“Yan Qing, you — you actually go back on your word.”

Yan Qing propped her chin in her hand and smiled: “Eighth Miss, if your ears aren’t working well, you can ask the maid beside you — when exactly did I ever agree to bring you along?”

“You… then why did you make me apologize?”

“I made you apologize because you did something that warranted an apology. An apology is mandatory.”

Shi Yutong stared at her, yet couldn’t find a single word to say. Her powdered face turned completely red from suppressed emotion.

“Oh, and a friendly reminder — Jiang Zeluo won’t be attending the poetry recital that day because he’s ill.”

Shi Yutong was utterly stunned, and when she came to her senses, she demanded loudly in agitation: “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

Yan Qing blinked at her with an expression of innocence: “You never asked.”

Shi Yutong stamped her foot hard, her eyes carrying the desire to leap forward and throttle Yan Qing.

“Shi Yutong, if you had entered politely, I would certainly not have concealed anything from you. You brought this humiliation on yourself and gained nothing from it — you have only your own crafty arrogance and lack of manners to blame. In the Shi Mansion, perhaps no one dares to deal with you, but remember: the world is vast, and it is not all the Shi Mansion.” Yan Qing finished speaking, and waved her hand impatiently. She was confident that Shi Yutong had not taken in a single word she had just said — but so be it. Society would teach her in time.

Shi Yutong left in a huff. Ling’ai burst out laughing.

Yan Qing shot her a sideways glance. “What are you laughing at?”

“You people of Xin Guo have a saying — sharp-tongued and quick-witted. That must describe you, right?”

Yan Qing rapped her on the back of the head. “Don’t misuse idioms if you don’t know how to use them. This is called ‘golden words of imperial weight.'”

Now it was Jing Zhi and Murong’s turn to laugh — their young mistress certainly knew how to tease people, but “golden words of imperial weight” was hardly used this way either.

“Oh right, I’ve finished sorting out the teaching materials. Could you deliver them to Teacher Du for me?” Yan Qing handed Ling’ai the instructional materials she had been compiling over recent days. “Since you’re going to the medical college tomorrow anyway, I won’t make a separate trip.”

Ling’ai carefully took them. “Don’t worry — something this important, I’ll personally hand it over.”