Zhou Shaojin couldn’t figure out what Old Madam Guo wanted to talk to her about.

She went to Hanbi Mountain Lodge feeling somewhat anxious.

Hanbi Mountain Lodge was being dusted. On the walkways, under the covered corridors, and by the window lattices were all maids and servants holding cleaning cloths, their faces unfamiliar.

Biyu told her with a smile: “They’re from Yunzhen Hall, here to help out.”

Zhou Shaojin said “Oh.”

Biyu led her to the recessed area behind the main room’s courtyard.

It was very quiet there with few people around. Old Madam Guo sat on an arhat bed, bending forward to speak with Nanny Shi who sat on a small stool.

Seeing Zhou Shaojin enter, the old lady amiably beckoned to her.

Zhou Shaojin stepped forward and curtsied to the old madam. Biyu brought over a brocade stool and placed it opposite Nanny Shi.

“I heard something happened in your family.” Old Madam Guo gestured for Zhou Shaojin to sit and talk, saying: “Your father isn’t in Jinling. For the authorities’ side, do you need your Uncle Jing to make an appearance and put in a word?”

Zhou Shaojin was quite surprised.

Old Madam Guo was famous for not getting involved in matters. For her to treat Zhou Shaojin this way was truly unexpected.

She quickly thanked Old Madam Guo: “…Uncle Mian has already been to the prefecture office, and the two maids have been imprisoned.”

The implication was that Old Madam Guo’s help was not needed.

Old Madam Guo raised her eyebrows, glanced at Nanny Shi, and said with a smile: “What an honest girl.”

Was this praise or criticism!

Zhou Shaojin was somewhat uncertain.

Old Madam Guo had already taken out a bright red embroidered pouch with auspicious cloud patterns from a nearby black lacquered box with gold designs and handed it to her: “Take this, for your New Year’s use.”

Zhou Shaojin was stunned.

The New Year hadn’t even arrived yet!

Old Madam Guo laughed and said: “New Year’s is New Year’s, but this is for you to buy snacks with.”

When an elder bestows something, one dare not refuse.

Zhou Shaojin thanked her repeatedly. When she received the pouch, she nearly lost her grip due to its heavy weight.

When she returned to Wanxiang Residence and opened it, she found it was full of gold beans.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Why didn’t Old Madam Guo give her twenty taels of silver like her grandmother did?

Silver could be used without worry, but what was she supposed to do with these gold beans?

When Madam Mian learned of this, she tapped Zhou Shaojin’s forehead: “You really are as Old Madam Guo said—truly an honest girl. How can your Uncle Mian’s influence compare to your Uncle Jing’s? Old Madam Guo meant well. You should have just accepted that calling card. Even if you don’t need it this time, you can use it next time something comes up!”

“Calling cards can be used that way?” Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.

Madam Mian said to Old Lady Guan with a smile: “Listen to this, just listen to this—what kind of talk is this? How did you raise her to know nothing about anything!”

Old Lady Guan chuckled and hugged Zhou Shaojin: “Don’t listen to your aunt. You did exactly right. Though we are women, we must still conduct ourselves openly and honestly, able to face heaven and earth, worthy of our every word and deed.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly.

This was exactly what she thought too.

What’s mine, I won’t give up. But what isn’t mine, I won’t covet—this way, even sleep is peaceful.

Madam Mian disagreed and said with a smile: “I only said one sentence, and you countered with ten. If I were to scold Shaojin thoroughly in front of you, wouldn’t you punish me by making me kneel in the ancestral hall? You’re too partial.”

Everyone in the room laughed.

Zhou Shaojin held Zhou Chujin’s arm and laughed too.

Her eyes held some moisture.

She liked this kind of grandmother, this kind of eldest aunt.

Everyone was like family, able to speak freely and laugh heartily.

Cheng Mian came to discuss New Year’s matters with Old Lady Guan: “…From the Minor Laba on the twenty-fourth of the twelfth month to the fourth of the first month, everything will be the same. On the fifth, He Shi will probably need to take Elder Brother and Second Brother back to Pukou—the eldest aunt from the third branch of the He family is spending the New Year in Pukou with several nephews this year and will return to the capital after the Lantern Festival.”

Madam Mian was a daughter of the He family of Pukou. In earlier years, it was a household of bells and cauldrons, but in recent years, apart from the third branch producing He Mianzhi who served as Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, there were no other outstanding figures. It was no longer as prosperous as before. The “eldest aunt of the third branch” that Cheng Mian mentioned was He Yizhi’s wife.

Before Zhou Shaojin’s rebirth, He Mianzhi had risen to become Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He was the one who told his brother-in-law about the Cheng family being raided.

Moreover, she knew that this time Madam Mian was taking Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi over to seek a marriage between Cheng Gao and He Mianzhi’s eldest daughter, He Fengping.

In her previous life, she only learned of this matter after Cheng Gao and He Fengping were betrothed.

But in this life… she looked at Cheng Gao and smiled with pursed lips.

Cheng Gao was baffled.

However, Cheng Yi tugged at her sleeve and said in a low voice: “Second Cousin, who was the guest in your room the other day? She’s really beautiful! Is she Miss Seventeen from the Gu family? I heard from Cousin Jia that you went to release river lanterns together during the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

So he was still thinking about Ji Ying.

Zhou Shaojin said with some schadenfreude: “She’s the head maid in Uncle Chi’s household, named Ji Ying.”

“Impossible!” Cheng Yi jumped up.

His voice was so loud it was deafening.

Cheng Mian and others who were talking with Old Lady Guan all looked over. Cheng Mian said sternly: “How old are you? Still so impulsive and unable to contain yourself! Copy the ‘Encouraging Learning’ chapter of the Analects one hundred times for me.”

Cheng Yi answered “Yes” in a low voice without a word of protest. He stood there dejectedly with his head lowered, alone and dispirited, until everyone was about to disperse. Only then did he silently follow Cheng Gao out of Jiashu Hall.

Was it because her words were too harsh?

But she hadn’t really said anything!

Zhou Shaojin returned to Wanxiang Residence feeling uneasy.

However, early the next morning before she had even gotten up, Cheng Yi arrived.

He wore a purple-red robe with blue silver-threaded auspicious cloud and flower patterns, his face glowing, spirited and vigorous. He stood in her hall with his head held high and said to her: “Second Cousin, I’ve decided. So what if Ji Ying is the head maid in Uncle Chi’s household? It’s not unheard of for elders to give their personal maids to juniors as concubines.” Fearing Zhou Shaojin wouldn’t believe him, he pulled out a copy of the family genealogy from somewhere and pointed to a page: “Look, the birth mother of the seventh-generation ancestor’s eldest son by a concubine was bestowed by a clan uncle. I can ask Uncle Chi to give Ji Ying to me.”

Another one who thought Ji Ying was Uncle Chi’s bed servant.

Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Yi sympathetically.

She felt that if Cheng Yi spoke to Uncle Chi this way, even if Uncle Chi said nothing, Ji Ying would give him a thorough lesson.

Just like how Ji Ying knew about “lighting human candles.”

She asked Cheng Yi: “When are you planning to go?”

“I’ll go in a bit.” Cheng Yi stepped back a few paces and pointed at his clothes: “How do I look? Presentable, right?”

“Then have breakfast at my place first!” Zhou Shaojin said. “If you go at this hour, Ji Ying might not even be up yet!”

“Really?” Cheng Yi said doubtfully. “Isn’t she the head maid in Uncle Chi’s household?”

“Do head maids not have shifts?” Zhou Shaojin asked him impatiently.

“That’s true!” Cheng Yi’s clothes had creased. He carefully sat down on an armchair to the side: “Then just have the maids bring me a bowl of plain porridge… No, better bring some steamed dumplings, in case I need to use the privy later.”

Zhou Shaojin went out and quietly instructed Shi Xiang to quickly fetch Madam Mian. Then she had the maids bring breakfast before returning to the hall, saying calmly to Cheng Yi: “You sit for a while. I’m only halfway through fixing my hair!”

“Good, good, good.” Cheng Yi said with delight: “Go wash up quickly. I’m fine on my own.”

Zhou Shaojin said “Mm” and returned to the inner room, keeping her ears alert for sounds from outside.

Madam Mian arrived quickly and dragged Cheng Yi out of Zhou Shaojin’s room by his ear.

Cheng Yi screamed “Ow!” and loudly accused Zhou Shaojin: “You actually betrayed me! From now on, we’re cutting ties, never to see each other again until we die…”

“What did you say?” Madam Mian said viciously. “Who are you cutting ties with and never seeing again? Just try it—I’ll tell your father to break your legs…”

Cheng Yi and Madam Mian left Wanxiang Residence amid their quarreling.

Cheng Chi burst into laughter: “Did Cheng Yi really say that the birth mother of the seventh-generation ancestor’s eldest son by a concubine was bestowed by a clan uncle?”

Huai Shan was terrified.

Fourth Master had been quite irritable these days. What if in a fit of displeasure he really gave Ji Ying to Cheng Yi?

He couldn’t help but purse his lips and said carefully: “As for what was passed along, who knows if it’s true or false?”

Cheng Chi gave him a noncommittal glance.

Huai Shan broke into a cold sweat.

Cheng Chi said: “Those two maids really killed Zhuang Shi?”

“Absolutely true.” Seeing him change the subject, Huai Shan relaxed: “Zhou family’s steward Ma Fushan bribed a prison guard. That guard arranged for a woman who had beaten her daughter-in-law to death to share a cell with the two maids. When the woman saw that one maid had damaged hand tendons making her half-crippled, and the other was thin as bamboo with little strength, she quickly began bullying the two maids… This was what the woman got out of the two maids after beating them into submission.”

Cheng Chi listened and lightly tapped his fingertips on the table: “After returning home from the Duanxing Festival to worship their ancestors, the sisters frequently left the residence and finally discovered the real cause of their birth mother’s death. They even managed to trick that maid into returning… Do you think this is coincidence?” he asked Huai Shan.

“I don’t know.” Huai Shan said honestly: “I don’t think the two young misses of the Zhou family seem like devious and cunning types.”

“Is that so?” Cheng Chi said indifferently: “Deviousness and cunning that can be seen isn’t really deviousness and cunning.”

Huai Shan wanted to speak but hesitated.

Cheng Chi didn’t even glance at him and changed the subject again: “Have the things for Liu Yong all been delivered to him?”

“Delivered.” Speaking of proper business, Huai Shan became alert: “Liu Yong said to thank you, and when you go to the capital, don’t forget to visit his villa. He also said regarding the Wan Tong matter, he asks for your forbearance—that’s just his character. You throw him a papaya, he returns jade. Your losses—he’ll make them up to you no matter what, so you can rest assured.”

Cheng Chi curled his lip disdainfully: “My losses? How can he make them up? At most, he’ll speak with the Huai-Yang Salt Distribution Commissioner to give us all of this year’s salt certificates. But the Jiangnan region is so large—if we took them all, wouldn’t those censors spit themselves dry? Go tell him compensation isn’t necessary. I want a fourth-rank position.”