Since the guests were men, they would be received in the outer courtyard, so the women in the inner courtyard were unaware of their arrival.

When Qi Yue woke up, it was still early. Chang Yuncheng had a habit of morning exercises, and although he was very careful, he still disturbed her. Moreover, today was the day of the surgery.

Sitting at her desk, she reviewed the surgical plan for the last time when A’Ru rushed in urgently.

“…Young Madam, Hu San came by just now,” she said.

“What happened?” Qi Yue was somewhat nervous. What was he doing here so early? Could there be some accident with the surgery?

“He said that Old Physician An from Shanning…” A’Ru began.

Hearing this, Qi Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

“He’s looking for trouble, isn’t he?” she interjected with a laugh. “Whatever, I’m relying on my position to bully others anyway, so I’m not afraid.”

“No,” A’Ru smiled. “Hu San said that person wants to become your disciple.”

“What?” Qi Yue stared in surprise, eyes wide. “Become my disciple?”

“Yes, Dr. Liu doesn’t know how to dissuade him either, so he had Hu San come and give you a heads-up, to let Young Madam be prepared,” A’Ru said, unable to hide her own surprise. “Young Madam, what does that Old Physician An want to do?”

“The secret formula,” Qi Yue said, setting down the papers in her hand.

“It’s about the illness of the old madam’s child…” A’Ru understood too.

“Yes, you see, when I told the truth, no one believed it,” Qi Yue laughed. “I already told him I have no secret formula, that this was the result of all the physicians working together, but he just won’t believe it. To obtain the secret formula, he figures he can only become my disciple. Really thinking too much.”

“What will Young Madam do?” A’Ru asked. “Will you take him as a disciple?”

Just as they were talking, a maid came in to relay the steward’s words.

“People from the eldest daughter’s husband’s family have come?” Qi Yue said, clicking her tongue twice. “What perfect timing, why did they have to come today of all days?”

“I just hope it won’t affect the little miss’s surgery,” A’Ru said worriedly.

“They wouldn’t dare!” Qi Yue snorted, then gestured with her hand and tossed her head. “Change my clothes!”

When Qi Yue arrived at the outer courtyard guest hall, Marquis Dingxi was in the middle of a great rage.

“Eat! Let them eat!” he shouted loudly.

“But we don’t have such things…” the steward said with difficulty.

“Father, what’s wrong?” Qi Yue asked.

“Yueniang, you’ve come. Wait a moment, the Liu father and son are still eating. After they finish eating, you can explain to them again,” Marquis Dingxi spoke gently to his daughter-in-law.

As they talked, Chang Chunlan also came over, but she didn’t dare enter the room, standing outside the door trembling with fear.

“What do they want to eat? Can’t the kitchen make it?” Qi Yue asked.

“They want to eat flatbread and pickled vegetables,” the steward said.

What?

“…What is this about?” Qi Yue laughed.

“They say that’s what their family eats, that they’re accustomed to simple food and drink and can’t enjoy the rich fare of our household. It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury but hard to go from luxury to frugality – if they eat our fine food and delicacies today, they’ll miss it when they return home and won’t be able to peacefully enjoy their poverty,” the steward said in a low voice.

Qi Yue laughed heartily.

“Is it because father said elder sister is suffering mistreatment at their house?” she asked with a smile.

Marquis Dingxi snorted from the side.

“That old fool is doing this on purpose! He eats simple food and drink! It would be more believable to say he’s vegetarian!” he glared and shouted.

Then he called to Chang Chunlan outside, “You come in! Does this old codger father-in-law of yours really eat flatbread with pickled vegetables at home?”

Such a way of addressing her father-in-law made Chang Chunlan panic. She naturally wouldn’t dare say such things, and didn’t know what to say either. Ever since hearing that her father-in-law and husband had come, she had been frightened out of her wits. Combined with her already fearsome father, it was already impressive that she could still stand here.

In matters of father-in-law and father quarreling, women naturally couldn’t speak.

Qi Yue quickly took over the conversation.

“Regardless of what he eats at home, since they’ve come, they’re our guests. The host should accommodate the guests’ wishes,” she smiled. “Father, don’t get angry.”

“I’m not angry. I just can’t stand that old fool’s pretense!” Marquis Dingxi huffed and sat down with a sweep of his sleeve.

Qi Yue gestured to the steward.

“We don’t have any?” she asked quietly.

“No, even what the lowest servants eat isn’t this poor,” the steward said in a low voice.

“Then the lowest servants’ homes should have it,” Qi Yue said.

The steward slapped his forehead – he’d been too flustered! Without another word, he hurried out.

Qi Yue pulled Chang Chunlan inside to talk, trying to help her calm down, but Chang Chunlan really couldn’t calm down.

“Look at your pathetic state! What’s there to be afraid of! You’re the one who’s been wronged, not the Liu family!” Marquis Dingxi said irritably.

Chang Chunlan was trembling even while standing.

A light cough came from outside – Old Master Liu had arrived.

Marquis Dingxi turned his head and stopped talking.

“Father,” Chang Chunlan quickly bowed to him.

Old Master Liu looked at her sternly and stepped inside.

Liu Chengyang followed behind. Seeing his wife, Chang Chunlan called out “husband” but finally lowered her head under Liu Chengyang’s angry glare, with tears falling to the ground.

“I won’t say much else,” Old Master Liu sat down and took out a paper from his sleeve. “This is a letter of divorce.”

At these words, everyone in the room was shocked.

Chang Chunlan broke down crying even more, kneeling on the ground and calling out “Father.”

Marquis Dingxi was so angry he jumped up. This old fool – pulling out a divorce letter now! If he had brought it out earlier, he wouldn’t have gotten even flatbread and pickled vegetables!

“A divorce letter – I ask you, which of the seven grounds has she committed?” he glared and shouted.

“Excessive speech,” Old Master Liu answered blandly.

Marquis Dingxi spat.

“Excessive speech! If she had excessive speech, you father and son would never have been able to set foot in my Marquis Dingxi’s mansion gates years ago!” he said loudly. “She has excessive speech? What excessive speech has she had? Go with me to the magistrate and explain – when her flesh and blood are about to be forcibly separated, can she not speak a word? When her young daughter is about to be sent to die by her own relatives, can she not speak a word? If she didn’t speak up about even this, Surnamed Liu, you wouldn’t need to divorce your wife – I’d personally tie her up and bring her back to drown her myself. Even tigers don’t eat their own cubs – what would I want with such a creature worse than animals?”

After Marquis Dingxi spoke these words, everyone in the room stared at him with wide eyes. Even the usually composed Old Master Liu’s expression changed slightly, and Liu Chengyang, whose cultivation was decades behind his father’s, was even more wide-eyed and flustered.

Though he had visited his father-in-law’s house only a handful of times, he had never felt the father-in-law before him was so strange.

Good, well scolded!

The steward standing outside the room breathed a sigh of relief and looked around at the young servants.

“Go on, go on. It’s nothing,” he said easily.

With Young Madam in charge, even a cat could become a tiger.

Chang Chunlan crawled forward on her knees, crying and kowtowing to Old Master Liu.

“Father, Father, Yan’er is really too young. I beg you, Father, let me go to the temple with Yan’er…” she cried.

Before Old Master Liu could speak, Marquis Dingxi, still not satisfied, took over.

“He dares! Surnamed Liu, I’m not dead yet! You dare try sending my daughter to a temple – I’ll tear down your Liu family if I don’t stop being surnamed Chang!” Marquis Dingxi declared resolutely.

In such a tragic and angry scene, Qi Yue didn’t know why she suddenly wanted to laugh, and since she wanted to laugh, she actually did smile with pursed lips.

“Father’s words are wrong,” Chang Yuncheng’s voice came from outside.

Qi Yue watched her husband stride in, still carrying the sweaty scent from his morning exercises, his damp clothes making his solid muscles faintly visible – he looked good from every angle.

Even though there were so many people in the room, Chang Yuncheng wasn’t being deliberate, but he still immediately felt Qi Yue’s gaze. Especially that woman’s undisguised joy and heat…

Really, this woman… doesn’t know to restrain herself in front of others…

Looking at people like that, so… so embarrassing…

“…It should be said that unless everyone in our Marquis Dingxi’s mansion dies, even if only a small child remains, we won’t let our Chang family bloodline suffer such humiliation,” Chang Yuncheng continued.

Though Chu has only three households, Chu will surely destroy Qin – this meaning isn’t used in this context, is it?!

What’s with all this talk of death and life? Have these father and son gone mad? Why say such things!

Really disgracing scholarly decorum! What nonsense!

Liu Chengyang couldn’t help but step closer to his father, continuing to maintain his angry stare.

Old Master Liu had already recovered from his slight surprise and slowly stroked his unchanging beard.

“So the Marquis and the Lord think the same way. That puts my mind at ease,” he said blandly.

Marquis Dingxi, who had been proudly excited, was stunned by this remark.

What is this old fool going to say now?

“The so-called – if filth and corruption are not removed, the household will not be peaceful,” Old Master Liu spoke with solemn bearing, looking sternly at the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion. “For the health and smooth fortune of the Liu family descendants, I would rather suffer the pain of severing a limb than remove this corruption. I dare ask, Marquis, if I am willing to personally consume my own child to protect children – to protect more children – if in your eyes this makes me worse than animals, then I accept it.”

Marquis Dingxi suddenly felt as if he were standing before his childhood teacher again, being asked whether this matter was right or wrong, correct or incorrect.

He just couldn’t understand why this old man always had this unchanging sage-teacher appearance. He really didn’t know when he would be able to tear through this constant mask!

A female voice rang out in the room.

“So this is what Old Master Liu is doing this for,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

Hearing the female voice, Old Master Liu didn’t even glance over, and naturally, his son Liu Chengyang didn’t look either.

“Yan’er, Yan’er, come in,” Qi Yue beckoned outside.

Everyone was surprised and looked toward the door.

It turned out that at some point, A’Ru had been standing outside the door holding Yan’er’s hand.

Liu Chengyang looked at his daughter with complex emotions – she still had her mouth and nose covered as she did at home.

Come in? He knew his own daughter – she had never seen so many people in daily life, let alone dared to come forward.

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he saw his daughter release the maid’s hand and run in with quick steps.

Qi Yue opened her arms, and Yan’er seemed quite familiar, immediately rushing into them.

“Oh my, good, you’re a bit heavier than yesterday!” Qi Yue said, lifting her up with a smile.

“I didn’t eat this morning, or I’d be even heavier,” Yan’er said.

This… Liu Chengyang could no longer maintain his stern expression. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief at his daughter, then in disbelief at the woman holding his daughter.

She… she’s not afraid?

Qi Yue had already set Yan’er down and smiled at Old Master Liu again.

“Actually, Yan’er’s condition is an illness,” she said. “This has always been recorded in medical texts – it’s not some evil spirit.”

Old Master Liu still didn’t look at her, but looked at Marquis Dingxi instead.

“Not having visited for years, I didn’t know the Marquis’s mansion had changed its female head,” he said blandly.

What?!