With those words, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

“Who’s tormenting whom?” Rao Chen Shi hadn’t expected to be accused in reverse and shouted dizzily in anger, “You surnamed Xie…”

Before she could finish her words, someone stepped out from behind Madam Xie, knelt down before Rao Chen Shi without speaking, and began crying with her hand covering her mouth.

Rao Chen Shi, with her sentence unfinished, felt dizzy with anger again.

“You shameless…” she pointed at Rao Yu Fang and said tremblingly.

“Who’s shameless?” Madam Xie interrupted her coldly, “It’s you sisters who first did shameless things, yet you call others shameless.”

Rao Chen Shi’s hand moved from Rao Yu Fang to Madam Xie, her face iron-blue, lips trembling.

“I…” she opened her mouth but couldn’t speak, then uncontrollably raised her hand to strike.

Duke Deqing’s wife quickly reached out to stop her, and the servant women also rushed over.

“Go ahead and hit me! Still hitting people! You Duke Deqing’s mansion has high position and power—if you hit me a couple times, so be it. I’ll accept it,” Madam Xie said coldly.

“It’s all my fault. Aunt, please hit me,” Rao Yu Fang cried, crawling on her knees to Rao Chen Shi.

The room immediately became chaotic.

“Let’s all speak nicely—what’s this about? We’re all relatives,” Duke Deqing’s wife said, having people help Rao Chen Shi sit down, then inviting Madam Xie to sit, and asking Rao Yu Fang to get up.

Except for Rao Yu Fang who refused to get up, both Rao Chen Shi and Madam Xie sat down.

The servant women in the room then asked Madam Xie’s servants to go rest.

Madam Xie’s servants hesitated and didn’t want to leave.

“Go ahead, it’s fine. We’re already in their house—if something really happens, you guarding me won’t protect me anyway,” Madam Xie said sarcastically.

Duke Deqing’s wife looked slightly embarrassed.

Only then did the servant women in the room withdraw.

“Madam Xie, what exactly is…” Duke Deqing’s wife began to ask.

Before she could finish, Rao Chen Shi, having caught her breath, spoke first.

“Your Marquis Dingxi’s mansion seduced my daughter, and you still have the face to come to our door…” she said angrily.

Madam Xie laughed mockingly.

“I was sitting at home, whether in your Shandong or here in the capital, separated by thousands of miles,” she said. “I’m really capable to seduce your daughter from so far away. I’d like to ask what’s wrong with your Rao family that you’d force a young lady to travel thousands of miles alone to seek refuge with relatives.”

She shook her head and made several tsk-tsk sounds.

Rao Chen Shi was again so angry her vision darkened, seeing Rao Yu Fang still kneeling and crying at her feet.

“You, you want to go to your maternal grandmother’s house? Fine, fine. Someone come,” she shouted. “Come, prepare a carriage and properly escort the young lady there. Tell the Duan family that I, as her aunt, am incompetent…”

Upon hearing this, Rao Yu Fang cried even harder.

Duke Deqing’s wife closed her eyes.

“Everyone speak properly!” she suddenly shouted.

The room was quiet for a moment.

“Worthy of being Duke Deqing’s wife—truly imposing and dignified,” Madam Xie said indifferently.

“Madam Xie,” Duke Deqing’s wife looked at her with a solemn expression, “You and I are relatives. Setting aside everything else, if my family has offended you in any way, tell me. I will certainly give you an explanation.”

After saying this, she looked at Rao Chen Shi.

“Sister, please give me, your sister-in-law, some face. Yu Fang’s situation is already like this—the most important thing is to discuss how to handle the aftermath. There’s no point in arguing about past matters,” she said.

Since she said this, and given her status, both Madam Xie and Rao Chen Shi somewhat suppressed their tempers and sat properly.

“Offended? I wouldn’t dare claim that,” Madam Xie said coldly. “I just want to ask this Rao family lady—since you promised the engagement initially and we arranged everything as you requested, why did you turn around and break the engagement?”

Duke Deqing’s wife didn’t know about past events, having only heard a vague summary from the daughters-in-law who came to whisper to her today. It seemed Chen Xue had acted as matchmaker, but somehow instead of a successful marriage, it had turned into enmity.

Duke Deqing’s wife couldn’t help but look at Rao Chen Shi.

Rao Chen Shi’s expression was ugly.

“We broke the engagement? You did such face-slapping things—who would still dare arrange marriages with you! If you don’t want the marriage, fine! But there’s no need to bully people like this!” she also said coldly.

“What did we do?” Madam Xie demanded. “Clearly you went back on your word…”

“You even requested such an imperial decree—who would still dare marry into your family! Is your Marquis Dingxi’s mansion playing with people?” Rao Chen Shi stood up angrily.

Madam Xie was stunned.

“Our imperial decree—wasn’t it to elevate your daughter’s status as a respected wife?” she asked with a frown.

Rao Chen Shi spat.

“Your wife received an imperial decree for divorce—is that honor for us? That’s clearly meant to slap our faces! Who would dare marry into your family? That would be extending our faces for the Emperor to slap!” she shouted, pointing at her own face.

So that was the reason. Madam Xie suddenly understood—no wonder later matchmakers all avoided her!

Her anger immediately intensified.

“Good! So you sisters really had no good intentions, actually tormenting my family like this!” Madam Xie suddenly stood up with raised eyebrows and shouted.

Rao Chen Shi was even more furious.

“I tormented your family? You tormented my family! What were your intentions, requesting such an imperial decree! It’s fortunate we didn’t make it public then, or our entire Rao family would have been laughed to death!” she also stood up, pointing at Madam Xie with raised eyebrows.

Duke Deqing’s wife now understood the situation.

“Which of you actually requested that divorce decree?” she asked, looking between them.

“Her!”

Both Madam Xie and Rao Chen Shi pointed at each other simultaneously.

Then they were both stunned.

Duke Deqing’s wife also looked at both of them.

“Are we sick? Requesting two imperial decrees,” Madam Xie spat. “Our family doesn’t have that kind of influence.”

“I know you don’t have that influence,” Rao Chen Shi also spat. “Didn’t you have Xueniang petition for it? She has great influence in the palace.”

“What ‘us’? It was clearly you. Not wanting to marry into our family, you played us—you sisters schemed to get this decree!” Madam Xie immediately replied.

At this point, both stopped talking and looked at each other. Duke Deqing’s wife also slowly stood up, basically understanding the situation.

“Chen Xueniang!”

Both Madam Xie and Rao Chen Shi said in unison.

After speaking, they were quiet for a moment. Then one headed toward the door while the other looked at Duke Deqing’s wife.

“Call Chen Xue out and explain this clearly to me!” Madam Xie said, trembling with anger and patting her chest. “I, Xie Zhengmei, treated her wholeheartedly, so why would she treat me this way!”

“I’m going to find her and get this straight! I knew it was her doing! That black-hearted woman—does she have any familial affection left!” Rao Chen Shi also shouted, trembling with anger.

Just as her words finished and she had just reached the door, someone came from outside.

“Who do you want to get an explanation from?” The old lady of Duke Deqing stood tremblingly at the doorway, her expression somber as she surveyed the room. “Explain it to me first.”

While chaos erupted there, Qi Yue was unaware of it.

She slept peacefully until dawn, though she woke up feeling somewhat listless.

“Didn’t I tell you? You’ll definitely be able to go next time, certainly before the year ends,” A’Ru said with mixed amusement and annoyance.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound.

“I know, but my spirits need time to recover, right?” she said lazily.

A’Hao brought over rouge and powder to apply a layer.

“Then let’s use cosmetics to help. Look, now you look much more spirited,” she said, examining the mirror.

Qi Yue grinned at her reflection.

“Good, let’s get to work,” she said, clenching her fists.

Today was the opening day of Qianjin Hall, but since it was just for show, it was very simple. Now they were all busy with pharmaceutical business and had no staff to run consultations here.

After the firecrackers finished crackling, Liu Pucheng and others entered the building.

All necessary furnishings were complete, just lacking staff and doctors.

“If you wanted to hire people, the entire street would probably be lined up,” Old Physician An said with a smile, looking at Hu San. “Manager Hu probably doesn’t dare go home these days? Those waiting to curry favor have blocked your doorway.”

Everyone laughed at this.

Not just those waiting to be hired. The pharmaceutical business involved all aspects. Originally everyone went through Ministry of War connections, but unexpectedly this time the Ministry of War refused to speak up. Upon inquiry, they learned all authority was held by Qianjin Hall. A group of people flocked to Qianjin Hall, only to find it hadn’t even opened. So they all followed Hu San, inviting him to dinners, drinks, sending gifts and money—using every means possible, making Hu San so annoyed he hid everywhere.

Even Hu San, who usually enjoyed this kind of attention, couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Brother, don’t tease me. I’m about to die of frustration,” he said with a forced smile.

A’Ru glared at him.

“Old Physician An, Old Physician An,” Hu San quickly corrected himself. “Without those annoying people around, I don’t need to use Old Physician An’s reputation as a front.”

Old Physician An laughed heartily.

“It’s my honor,” he said with a smile.

“Since it’s an opening, we should celebrate properly at lunch. I’ve reserved the vegetarian restaurant at Great Enlightenment Temple—it’s quiet there, and we can pray for blessings and good fortune,” Hu San said.

Qi Yue’s eyes lit up, but then she thought of something.

“You all go. I’d better not,” she said.

Hu San became anxious.

“Master, anyone else can skip it, but you can’t,” he said.

Old Physician An also smiled and urged her.

“You can skip other times, but today you must go,” he said.

Everyone urged her, so Qi Yue had to agree. The group got into separate carriages and headed to Great Enlightenment Temple.

“What kind of medical hall is this? Why is it closing right after opening?”

People on the street crowded around, pointing and commenting curiously.

Two or three well-dressed people looked over and happened to see Old Physician An getting into a carriage. They frowned and looked at the shop that had just hung up the Qianjin Hall sign.

“Hey, isn’t that the old white-haired guy?”

“That’s him! He still dares to open a medical hall!”

“He’s tired of living! Let’s go tell the Little Prince!”

Several people squeezed out of the crowd and ran off.

Qi Yue, guided by young monks, entered the vegetarian restaurant. It was indeed empty with no one there, and only A’Hao followed behind her.

On the way here, first Hu San was urgently called away by the pharmaceutical factory, then Old Physician An had an old friend seeking treatment, and finally even Liu Pucheng and A’Ru were called away by Hu San.

Qi Yue had to come alone.

“Everyone’s so busy, yet insisting on eating this meal,” she said, sitting down.

“They’ll finish soon, and we definitely have to eat,” A’Hao said with a grin, then turned to the young monk. “What vegetarian dishes do you have? Where’s the kitchen? Let me take a look.”

“Oh, don’t be so troublesome. Just sit and wait,” Qi Yue called out.

A’Hao completely ignored her.

“I’ll just take a look. In case there’s something Miss doesn’t like, I’ll have them change it,” she said with a grin, and without waiting for more words, ran out with the young monk.

Qi Yue shook her head. In the vast pavilion, she sat alone by the window, looking at the magnolia tree outside.

There were no flowers now.

As she watched, a person strolled leisurely under the flower tree.

Qi Yue’s somewhat dull gaze swept over, then suddenly froze. She jumped up with a start. Looking again, the person under the tree had already passed by, walking calmly without looking sideways.

“Hey there!” she couldn’t help calling out. Was she seeing things? Or was it someone similar?

How could she have seen that person—it was Chang Yuncheng!

With her shout, the man who had walked several steps away stopped and turned back to smile at her.

Qi Yue slapped the table and was about to jump out the window.

What similarity! What seeing things! It was him!

Oh my goodness!

Just as she stood up, chaotic laughter suddenly erupted outside the door.

“Surprise!”

A’Hao jumped up and shouted, with A’Ru and Hu San behind her, and even Liu Pucheng was laughing along.

Qi Yue’s tears came down as she ran outside in two or three steps.

“You guys! This was my idea! My idea! You actually sold me out!” she shouted.

A’Hao and the others laughed and scattered. Chang Yuncheng had already walked to the doorway.

Qi Yue rushed over in a few steps. Chang Yuncheng quickly opened his arms and caught her steadily.

It really was real!