Qi Yue finally crossed the threshold of the Lord’s courtyard.

It was just a small threshold, yet crossing it had taken so much talk. Qi Yue couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—how utterly frustrating. Qi Yueniang, oh Qi Yueniang, your position really isn’t easy to navigate…

She fanned herself while walking and looking around, her eyes showing admiration. This courtyard was really well arranged—martial and grand yet not lacking in residential warmth.

“The Lord has been back for so long. First I was ill and couldn’t come out, then when I recovered I was busy with household affairs and had no leisure. Only today do I have time to see how well things are arranged and what might need to be added.”

Qi Yue said with a smile, her face returning to its calm and breezy expression, showing none of the sharpness from moments before.

Where do you need to worry about such things? The maids who heard this all thought simultaneously.

Qiu Xiang sneered even more coldly.

Regardless of what they thought, Qi Yue had already stepped up to the platform and headed straight for the main room.

This time Qiu Xiang didn’t block her. Instead, she rather hoped Qi Yue would stay longer—if you really have the guts, then wait until the Lord returns…

With this thought, she stopped the little maids from going to report to Madam.

Seeing that A’Ru had also gone in, Qiu Xiang finally entered herself.

Qi Yue had already made a circuit of the room, her eyes showing some surprise.

This was different from the descriptions of Jia Baoyu’s room in books. It didn’t look very luxurious, there wasn’t a hint of rouge or powder fragrance in the air—it was clean, generous, and quite comfortable.

She looked at the canopy bed in the bedroom. The hollow carved patterns were simple and beautiful, much more attractive than the bed in her own room. She couldn’t help but touch and examine it.

“Hey, A’Ru, what kind of wood is this?” she asked in a low voice.

“Rosewood,” A’Ru also answered quietly, tugging at Qi Yue, “Young Madam…”

“If this were brought back, it would be worth a fortune,” Qi Yue sighed, turning to look at A’Ru. “What’s wrong?”

A’Ru indicated with her eyes the four or five maids standing a few steps away, staring at them with undisguised mockery and disdain on their faces—the kind reserved for country bumpkins first entering the city.

Qi Yue coughed and straightened her posture, slowly pacing out to an ear room opposite. Here was arranged a daybed, with tables, chairs, and cabinets, paper and writing brushes laid out, and a pair of precious swords hanging on the wall.

“Not bad, not bad, arranged quite well,” Qi Yue nodded in appreciation, sitting on the daybed. The brocade mattress was soft and comfortable to the touch.

The Lord’s room looked unremarkable, but everything used was of the finest quality—truly the understated luxury favored by nobility.

“Young Madam, please have tea,” Qiu Xiang said with a smile.

Of course, this head maid wouldn’t personally serve tea to Young Madam. She just waved her hand, and a little maid came over carrying tea.

Qi Yue smiled at her.

“Thank you, Miss Qiu Xiang,” she said.

Qiu Xiang also smiled, accepting it naturally.

Qi Yue picked up the tea and drank, then began learning from scenes often seen in Dream of the Red Chamber and television shows, asking when the Lord slept and what books he read. Her questions made Qiu Xiang’s expression increasingly impatient, answering perfunctorily while occasionally glancing toward the door.

“A’Ru,” Qi Yue put down her teacup, seeming about to rise.

“Young Madam, please sit a while longer,” Qiu Xiang said hurriedly.

Don’t leave—the Lord hasn’t returned yet, and we haven’t seen the good show yet.

But Qi Yue just shifted position and sat differently, casually picking up a book from the small table on the daybed. Hearing her words, she looked at her with some puzzlement.

“Miss Qiu Xiang seems eager for me to leave?” she asked with a smile.

“This slave doesn’t dare,” Qiu Xiang said with a hurried smile, this time truly sincere.

Qi Yue smiled and ignored her, lowering her head to flip through the book in her hands.

“A’Ru, go have someone bring over bedding and grooming items first. We can arrange other things slowly,” she said seemingly casually.

Finally she said it! Finally heard it! A’Ru had been waiting for this sentence with her heart in her throat.

She stopped breathing for an instant.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room froze.

“Young Madam, what did you say?” Qiu Xiang asked in disbelief.

“I’m moving over to live here,” Qi Yue looked at her with puzzlement at her reaction. “What’s wrong?”

Qiu Xiang looked at her incredulously.

“You… you…” she stammered, unable to speak.

Qi Yue couldn’t be bothered with her and directly gave orders to the maids in the room.

“I’ve just recovered from illness and am busy organizing household affairs, so I won’t stay in that room anymore to avoid disturbing the Lord’s rest,” she said, pointing at the tabletop while looking through the open window at the courtyard, finally settling on a suitably positioned location. “Let’s clean out the third side room on the east.”

Has she gone mad? Qiu Xiang and the other maids stared at Qi Yue with only this thought in their minds.

“Young Madam, you must be joking?” Qiu Xiang asked stammering.

“Joking? What joke would I have with you, a maid?” Qi Yue snorted, returning her earlier half-smile expression.

This statement showed no face-saving at all…

Shame and anger flashed in Qiu Xiang’s eyes.

“Young Madam, then this slave will take it seriously,” she said, losing her smile and standing straight.

“Take it seriously—I’m not idle with nothing to do,” Qi Yue glanced at her dismissively, then continued speaking to A’Ru. “Don’t bother moving furniture back and forth. Get new things from the storeroom.”

A’Ru lowered her head in acknowledgment.

“Young Madam,” Qiu Xiang interrupted Qi Yue’s words, raising her voice.

Qi Yue stopped talking and looked at her.

“Young Madam, you cannot live here,” Qiu Xiang said coldly, looking at her.

Qi Yue put down the book in her hands.

“Why?” she asked with a smile.

“Because the Lord won’t let you live here,” Qiu Xiang said, raising her chin.

“Is that so?” Qi Yue wasn’t hurried or annoyed, just looking at her with a smile. “That can’t be right. How could that be?”

Qiu Xiang felt like her teeth might shatter from grinding.

The Lord simply doesn’t like you, looks down on you—what are you anyway? A beggar, an orphan. You should burn incense just to have a place to sleep in Marquis Dingxi’s mansion, yet you shamelessly dare to say you’re moving into the Lord’s courtyard. Really… shameless!

Don’t force me. If you keep forcing me, I’ll really say it out loud! But you’ve already lost all shame yourself!

“Because the Lord has given orders,” she squeezed these words through her teeth.

Qi Yue still smiled.

“How come he never told me?” she said with a smile.

Because the Lord doesn’t even want to see you, let alone speak to you—dream on! Qiu Xiang shouted inwardly.

“It’s fine. When he returns, I’ll ask him,” Qi Yue said nonchalantly, waving her hand.

Qiu Xiang was stunned. What did she say? Wait for the Lord to return and ask?

Looking again, Qi Yue had already lowered her head to read again… read? How many characters could she recognize? It was said that Old Madam had specially hired good teachers to teach her reading and writing, but according to people from Old Madam’s courtyard, she still couldn’t recognize many characters as big as ladles.

“Sister Qiu Xiang, what should we do?”

Qiu Xiang retreated from the room and was immediately surrounded by other maids and women. They had heard the conversation inside, and that A’Ru had really gone to fetch bedding.

“Is she really moving over?”

Everyone asked in succession.

Qiu Xiang felt like a stone was stuck in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

She turned to glance at the room, then thought of today’s incident that the whole courtyard knew about. She had been laughing and watching the excitement with the little maids earlier, never expecting this excitement would come to them so quickly.

Everyone said this Young Madam was someone who didn’t even dare cry loudly, more timid than a cat. But what they saw today—where was there any cat? This was clearly a tiger, a tiger descending the mountain, fierce and determined to succeed.

“We are all carefully selected by Madam for the Lord. With the Lord absent, we can’t even guard the door properly and let this person defile it. What face do we have to stay here?” Qiu Xiang twisted her handkerchief and said through gritted teeth, waving the handkerchief in her hand. “Block the door—absolutely don’t let them in!”

At this time in Rong’an Courtyard, Madam Xie handed a bowl of soup to Chang Yuncheng lying on the kang.

“Get up and try this,” she said with a smile, patting his raised leg. “What kind of posture is this? Be careful your father sees and scolds you for being unrefined again…”

“Refined? What use is being refined?” Chang Yuncheng propped his hand under his neck, looking completely unconcerned.

Madam Xie showed no displeasure, her eyes full of smiles.

“Enough, stop talking nonsense and get up to eat,” she said.

Chang Yuncheng sat up straight, cross-legged at the kang table.

“What I missed most outside was Mother’s egg drop soup,” he said with a smile, picking up the bowl and pouring it directly into his mouth without using a spoon.

“You child, it’s hot,” Madam Xie said in alarm, hurrying to stop him.

Chang Yuncheng had already drunk half the bowl, laughing heartily at Madam Xie.

“Outside we could eat anything hot or cold,” he said carelessly.

Madam Xie looked at him with reddening eyes.

“You suffered so much,” she said, stroking Chang Yuncheng’s sharp-featured face. “Your mother underground must be so heartbroken. It’s all because I’m useless…”

“Aunt,” Chang Yuncheng grasped her hand seriously. “If you speak like this again, you’ll be shortening my life.”

Madam Xie smiled then.

“Alright, eat quickly,” she said, patting Chang Yuncheng’s hand and sitting nearby to watch him finish in a few bites.

Mother and son chatted casually when they heard low murmuring voices of maids and women outside, chattering as if somewhat agitated.

“What’s going on?” Madam Xie said sternly through the window.

The noise outside stopped, and A’Luan quickly walked in, looking anxious and hesitant to speak.

“What is it?” Madam Xie asked.

Chang Yuncheng had finished eating and lay back down, completely ignoring the additional person in the room.

“Madam, at the Lord’s courtyard, Young Madam is somehow causing trouble,” A’Luan said in a low voice, glancing at the young man half-lying on the kang.

Chang Yuncheng’s just-relaxed body stiffened.

“What?” He sat up, frowning at A’Luan.

“What happened?” Madam Xie also frowned.

“It seems Qiu Xiang somehow offended Young Madam. Young Madam’s maids came over, and both sides are making trouble in the courtyard!” A’Luan said, her own face reddening.

From the maids’ descriptions, the scene there was quite lively. This was truly the rarest event since Marquis Dingxi’s mansion was established. Speaking of rare events, quite a few had occurred in just these few days, and each one involved this Young Madam.

“The world has truly turned upside down,” Madam Xie said, standing with an iron-blue face.

Chang Yuncheng was even faster.

“This stinking woman,” he said through gritted teeth, rolling off the kang and striding toward the door. “Mother, I’ll go take a look.”

Before his words finished, he had already disappeared, leaving only the swaying pearl curtain.

Madam Xie’s expression softened as she slowly sat back down.

“Madam, should this slave go take a look?” A’Luan asked hesitantly.

The Lord’s temper was violent—if he got angry, he was capable of anything.

“No need. She brought this shame on herself—she deserves it,” Madam Xie said with a faint smile, picking up the prayer beads nearby and slowly fingering them. “Later, when that woman is driven away by Cheng-ge, then you go. Take people and send her to the estate overnight.”