As if it were fate, Song Chuyi’s party of carriages and horses had barely reached the edge of Dingfu Manor when they ran into someone they shouldn’t have encountered. Luyi and Qing Tao in the carriage were covering their mouths trying not to laugh.

Even in theatrical performances on stage, there weren’t such coincidences. How was it that every time they went out, they would run into this young master from the Prince of Zhennan’s household?

After Ye Jingchuan exchanged greetings with Song Jie, he seemingly casually glanced behind him and smiled: “Brother Song, what a grand procession! Why do you need so many carriages when you travel?”

Song Jie couldn’t very well say directly that he was escorting his sister, so he smiled and claimed that female family members from home were coming to stay briefly at the estate: “What a coincidence running into you today. I heard that Second Young Master will soon be going to Fujian. I was originally planning to see you off sometime, but you’ve so often been away from the capital recently that there’s never been a chance.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ve been roughing it in the garrison army all this time. Only these past few days have I had the chance to come out for some air.” Having said this, Ye Jingchuan hooked his arm around Song Jie’s neck: “Let’s forget about those empty formalities of seeing me off. Right now I actually have a favor to ask of you. Will you help or not?”

The north wind blew so hard that the tree trunks all leaned to one side. Song Jie glanced back at the carriage behind him, somewhat troubled: “How about I first go settle things at the estate, then we can discuss it properly?”

Ye Jingchuan couldn’t have wished for more. He smiled exactly like a fox and agreed repeatedly: “Good, good! I happen to have nothing to do anyway, so I’ll just come along with you.”

Ziyun tested the temperature of the hand warmer for Song Chuyi while poking at the charcoal and smiling: “This young master is truly… somewhat different.”

Uncle Zhang had already led people to wait at the entrance. Seeing them arrive, he joyfully paid his respects and greeted them, first instructing several laborers to lead the horses to the trough in back to feed them, then removed the threshold and guided Song Chuyi’s carriage all the way through the second gate.

Nanny Xu was already waiting at the second gate. Seeing Song Chuyi’s carriage, she couldn’t help but feel her eyes grow hot. She hastily personally helped Song Chuyi down from the carriage.

“How is it you’re still eating so little and staying so small?” Nanny Xu turned her head back and began muttering: “Look at the girls on this estate the same age as you—they’re all much taller than you.”

Having said this, she turned back to reproach Luyi: “It must be because you haven’t taken good care of her. I imagine as soon as I left, you just let her throw tantrums and do as she pleased. She’s fallen back into her old habit of picky eating.”

Luyi pouted, feeling somewhat wronged: “Nanny Xu watches very strictly. If Miss doesn’t grow taller herself, what can I do about it?”

This made Nanny Xu laugh despite herself. She turned back to plead with Nanny Xu: “The nannies are all watching, and the palace matrons have all examined Miss. They say it’s normal for some to have their growth spurt later. It’s not because they haven’t been attentive.”

Song Chuyi quickly changed the subject to ask about Lianyi: “How is her health? Is the child well?”

Nanny Xu couldn’t help but wipe away tears at the mention, crying and laughing at the same time: “Good, good, good. She didn’t suffer much this time. Labor started in the evening, and the baby was born within an hour…” She realized it wasn’t appropriate to discuss this with Song Chuyi, so she switched to something else: “The little one is quite robust. In just a few days the red skin has faded, and now she’s plump and fair. She smiles at everyone she sees…”

Song Chuyi was happy to hear this, but thinking of Lianyi’s several children who had died young before, she couldn’t help feeling sad again—she shouldn’t have had to suffer such inhuman torment…

Thinking of this, she suddenly stopped and asked Nanny Xu: “How are those people doing?”

The Li family had later handed over Li Gui and all those people. Song Chuyi’s view was that these people had committed every crime against heaven and morality, and what was even more detestable was that they hadn’t even spared their own daughter. Even if they died immediately, it wouldn’t be enough to atone for their sins. Therefore, she had handed them over to Uncle Zhang, instructing him to sell them to the black mines to do hard labor.

Nanny Xu was stunned for a moment before realizing who she was asking about. Her face became covered with gloom: “Lianyi feels nauseous just hearing their names. She only had us find out where her children were buried… Just wrapped in swaddling like that and buried, three of them… They were actually so heartless and deranged that they could do such a thing! Even now, the estate manager’s wife still dares to shout that Lianyi has a cheap life, saying those children deserved to die…”

Qing Tao and Ziyun’s faces flushed as they listened, their eyes also turning red. Luyi clenched her fists and said hatefully: “Such people should go to hell!”

Song Chuyi didn’t speak for a long time. After a while, she finally asked: “Where are they now?”

“The men have all been sold to the black mines. Old Zhang has already informed the middleman that they mustn’t be allowed to die.” Nanny Xu kept her voice rather low, afraid that Lianyi inside might hear something: “As for the remaining women—one is that cursing and swearing mother-in-law of Lianyi’s, and the rest are Lianyi’s sisters-in-law. None of them spared any cruelty toward Lianyi. I couldn’t swallow this grievance, so I kept them all here on the estate and drove them to work in the fields just like the laborers.”

Nanny Xu sneered, rarely speaking up: “I heard that in the past they were also estate managers’ wives who ate and drank well and ordered people about. How could they be willing to do this kind of work?”

Song Chuyi hadn’t had time to interject when she suddenly heard Song Jie’s breathless shouting: “Jingchuan! Jingchuan!”

Then Ye Jingchuan led Song Jie running right up to their group.

“Between our two families, do we really need to observe such rigid rules?” Seeing Song Chuyi, Ye Jingchuan stopped running and turned back to complain first, glaring at Song Jie: “Even at home, I’ve met Sixth Sister before. What are you being so secretive about?”

Song Jie was left speechless by his retort. Song Chuyi smiled and called out “Second Brother,” then turned her head to look at Ye Jingchuan: “Second Young Master Ye should be quite busy now. How do you still have time to fool around with us?”

Ye Jingchuan felt embarrassed under her gaze. He rubbed his nose and turned his face to the side, talking about other things: “I heard everything you were just saying…”

Seeing Song Chuyi, Nanny Xu, and the others all staring at him intently, Ye Jingchuan quickly waved his hands: “Don’t misunderstand, don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that when it comes to dealing with these shrewish scoundrels, I have far more methods than you do. How about I think of a way to help you vent your anger?”

Nanny Xu and Nanny Xu flanked Song Chuyi on both sides, shielding her behind them as they looked at Ye Jingchuan with some displeasure—as one grew older, even though the two families were on intimate terms, there should still be some propriety. Look at their own second young master—he understood this principle.

Song Chuyi smiled and shook her head at the two nannies, poking her head out. Her glass-like eyes shone extraordinarily bright: “What method?”

“Our family has a fish pond at the estate. Why not have them harvest green algae from it to feed the chickens and ducks?” Ye Jingchuan’s eyes also sparkled: “In this weather, the lake surface hasn’t frozen yet, and there’s still green algae. I guarantee that after a month of this, they’ll be crying for their parents.”

Although deep winter hadn’t yet arrived, the weather was already quite freezing. Going to the fish pond at this time, leaving early and returning late, would indeed be extremely torturous.

Luyi tugged at Nanny Xu’s hand. Nanny Xu then said to Song Chuyi: “This would be good too. Seeing them around the estate is an eyesore anyway.”