Chang Yuncheng stood inside Qianjin Hall with a very unpleasant expression. When he saw Qi Yue walk out with her head down, not even glancing at him, his face became even uglier.

A’Ru, who was hurrying after Qi Yue, noticed with her keen observation.

“Prince!” she quickly stopped and called out loudly, hoping to alert Qi Yue.

Qi Yue walked out the door as if she hadn’t heard.

A’Ru looked at Chang Yuncheng’s expression and was so frightened she immediately knelt down.

“Prince, the Young Madam… she… perhaps she’s in a bad mood… You…” she said, kowtowing.

Chang Yuncheng didn’t even glance at her and strode out, then saw that woman standing in front of the door, staring at the street motionlessly.

The street was exceptionally crowded with pedestrians, with lanterns of all shapes hanging almost everywhere.

Qi Yue had never seen so many lanterns in broad daylight. The most she’d ever seen was during New Year temple fairs, and even then they were concentrated in one area.

A couple walked past them laughing, with the man carrying a small child on his shoulders. The child held a rabbit lantern no bigger than a fist, and though it was small, it was exquisitely lifelike.

Qi Yue’s gaze followed them, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

A’Ru watched nervously as the Prince approached Qi Yue, her heart in her throat. But she saw the Prince stop, walk past Qi Yue without saying a word, and quickly disappear into the bustling crowd.

“The Mid-Autumn Festival here is quite lively,” Qi Yue said from inside the carriage, looking at the bustling street outside while sighing.

Although material goods seemed scarce compared to modern times, the atmosphere was something she had never experienced in the modern era.

“There’s nothing much really—hanging lanterns, moon gazing, families having dinner together. Wealthy families hire opera troupes to perform,” A’Ru answered carefully, watching Qi Yue’s expression.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound, propping her chin on her hand as she leaned against the window to look outside. This beauty at the window quickly attracted attention from the street, and some frivolous young men pointed and gestured with crooked smiles in their direction. Some even wanted to approach, but stopped abruptly when they saw the insignia on the carriage.

“How do you celebrate Mid-Autumn?” A’Ru asked hesitantly after a moment.

Qi Yue perked up a bit, withdrawing her hand to sit properly. A’Ru took the opportunity to lower the curtain.

“Us?” Qi Yue thought for a moment. “Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday, but most of the time we’re on shift work. Even when it coincides with National Day holiday, we rarely go out to play. Work is usually too tiring, so we’re too lazy to go out. Even if we do, it’s packed with people. We just stay home for a few days, nothing special—just eating and sleeping, or maybe going karaoke. Hey, I’m quite the karaoke queen, haha. I’ll sing for you if I get the chance.”

A’Ru listened with wide eyes, not understanding a single sentence, but seeing that Qi Yue’s mood was much better than when they left Qianjin Hall, she still smiled and nodded as if interested.

When they returned home, although her spirits were still somewhat low, Qi Yue pulled herself together to go pay respects to Madam Xie. Though she could no longer use her medical skills, she absolutely could not leave this household, so to live more comfortably, she had to continue working hard.

Arriving at Madam Xie’s courtyard, she was once again refused entry as usual. Madam Xie now made no effort to hide her disgust for this daughter-in-law.

This disgust was actually understandable—an arranged marriage, an excellent son in her heart who was forced to marry such a daughter-in-law. Which mother-in-law would be happy about that?

However, when she left, that real Qi Yueniang should already be dead and wouldn’t return, right? This mother-in-law’s grievance could then be resolved.

For now, she’d have to endure for a while. She had no choice—even if she didn’t consider herself, she had to think of those around her. She had to protect herself and make her life more comfortable.

Qi Yue leisurely turned and left Rong’an Courtyard. After walking just a few steps, she saw a procession approaching—several old women carrying a sedan chair, seven or eight maids following with a large azure umbrella, surrounding the sedan chair with a woman sitting on it, moving slowly forward.

“It’s the Second Madam,” A’Ru said with some surprise.

“Second Madam?” Qi Yue didn’t recognize her.

“The lady from the West Mansion, the Prince’s aunt. Her maiden name is Chen, she’s a young lady from Duke Anyang’s family in the capital,” A’Ru quickly introduced in a low voice.

As the master and servant spoke, the group had already approached. Qi Yue could clearly see the woman on the sedan chair was about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, with a fair complexion and gentle features. She wore an azure head wrap and a navy blue front-opening long robe. Except for a pale blue velvet flower in her hair, she had no other ornaments. Her entire appearance was very plain—not only compared to Madam Xie who was somewhat older, but even the stewardess wives around Madam Xie dressed more colorfully.

She leaned against the sedan chair with half-closed eyes, showing a somewhat sickly fragility. She hadn’t noticed Qi Yue—it was the old women beside her who recognized Qi Yue and stopped.

Second Madam Chen noticed and opened her eyes.

“Aunt has come,” Qi Yue said with a smile, bowing.

Under the autumn afternoon sunlight, the young woman stood gracefully with a bright smile. Second Madam Chen couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, suddenly sitting up straight.

“Yueniang,” she said with surprise and joy, signaling for the sedan to be lowered, reaching out to her. “I actually encountered you. I heard you’ve recovered completely. Come quickly, let Aunt have a look.”

This woman’s voice was gentle and her manner affectionate. Most importantly, her expression showed no pretense—it was genuinely sincere.

Since coming here, this was the first time Qi Yue had seen such an expression, and she couldn’t help but be stunned.

With Qi Yue’s stunned reaction, the woman’s outstretched hand became somewhat awkwardly suspended, then she coughed lightly, covered her mouth, and withdrew her hand.

“Second Madam, our Young Madam forgot some things and people after her illness,” A’Ru quickly explained. “She’s somewhat shy with strangers…”

Second Madam Chen smiled slightly.

“I heard about it. Really can’t recognize me anymore?” she asked with a smile, also inquiring whether they had consulted a doctor.

These words were still caring, but completely different from that momentary expression just now. Now it was like the habitual polite greetings of others.

Qi Yue even suspected she had seen wrongly just now.

“Thank you for Aunt’s concern. We’ve seen doctors who said to rest well, and with time it will naturally improve,” she answered with a smile.

Second Madam Chen looked at her with a smile and nodded, slowly leaning back against the backrest.

“Is your mother in?” she said.

Qi Yue understood her meaning and smiled as she stepped aside.

“Yes, Aunt, please go in quickly,” she said with a smile.

Chen Shi nodded with a polite smile. The old women lifted the sedan chair, and the group walked past.

Qi Yue stood there watching, seeing many people come out from Rong’an Courtyard to welcome them after receiving the news. When the sedan was lowered, Nanny Su personally took Chen Shi’s hand to escort her inside. From beginning to end, Chen Shi never looked back in this direction.

“Young Madam, let’s go,” A’Ru reminded.

“A’Ru, was I very familiar with this aunt before?” Qi Yue asked while turning to walk slowly.

“Not familiar at all,” A’Ru said. “After the Second Master passed away, the Second Madam also fell seriously ill and has lingering health problems. First, she’s a widow, and second, her condition requires quiet rest, so she rarely goes out. When you got married, the Second Madam only sent congratulatory gifts but didn’t attend personally. Daily interactions are very rare.”

Oh, that’s strange then, Qi Yue thought. Why did the Second Madam show such intimate feelings when they first met? But never mind, the people in this mansion are all complicated. Let them be.

The master and servant chatted and laughed a few times, dropping the topic.

Mid-Autumn Festival arrived as scheduled. This was Qi Yue’s first time celebrating a festival in ancient times, so she was quite interested.

Early in the morning, they first went to the Marquis Dingxi’s ancestral shrine for worship ceremonies. Here Qi Yue saw the Second Madam again. As a junior, Qi Yue stood behind her. They only nodded and smiled as a greeting without much conversation. After the worship, she took her leave. In the evening, she didn’t come over either, only letting the children come over for dinner and moon gazing.

They had met once in the morning, but with so many people, Qi Yue was dizzy and naturally couldn’t remember who was who. She could only clearly recognize Marquis Dingxi’s wife Madam Xie and Chang Yuncheng, along with those stewardess wives and maids, and that Third Young Master.

The evening banquet was held in the small garden behind Rong’an Courtyard. There was a small opera stage here, and it was spacious, suitable for moon gazing, listening to opera, and dining. A long table was set up, and the whole family sat together warmly without separating men and women, seated by seniority. When sitting down, Qi Yue was diagonally across from the young masters and misses. Her gaze naturally fell on the Third Young Master she had met once. Just as the Third Young Master also looked over, she smiled politely.

Chang Yunqi was somewhat surprised, hesitated, then still smiled back.

With the Marquis Dingxi taking his seat and saying auspicious words, the banquet officially began. Dishes, wine, and fruits flowed like water.

The Marquis Dingxi’s concubines were not qualified to sit at the table. Concubine Zhou, Concubine Song, and Concubine Liu stood behind the Marquis and his wife to serve food. Concubine Zhu, being pregnant, only sat briefly before taking her leave.

Just as everyone was eating happily, the Marquis Dingxi suddenly put down his chopsticks with a “crack.” Everyone was startled, not knowing what was wrong as they looked over.

The Marquis Dingxi turned his head. Concubine Zhou, quick-eyed and quick-handed, brought over a spittoon, and the Marquis Dingxi spat heavily…

“What is this? Are you blind feeding me this?” He turned around, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief while angrily scolding.

Concubine Liu, still holding chopsticks, looked panic-stricken and was about to kneel.

“This concubine didn’t see clearly and just picked it up,” she said tremblingly.

Everyone put down their chopsticks, looking over anxiously.

Madam Xie turned to look.

“The Marquis doesn’t eat coriander. How did this get picked up?” she asked sternly.

The kitchen stewardess standing nearby quickly knelt down, panicked.

“That… that… this old servant was confused,” she said, kowtowing.

Madam Xie squinted at her, seeming stunned for a moment.

“Who are you? Where is Stewardess Dong?” she asked.

Stewardess Dong was originally in charge of the kitchen and was among the people Qi Yue had dismissed. This old woman was newly promoted.

Qi Yue smiled and stood up.

“In response to Mother, Stewardess Dong no longer manages the kitchen. This is the newly appointed Stewardess Yuan,” she said.

“You changed people but should have given proper instructions. How could she not know the Marquis’s tastes and serve this dish?” Madam Xie said with a stern face.

When Qi Yue stood up, the Marquis Dingxi was stunned.

“Is this the eldest daughter-in-law?” he asked with some surprise. “How is it that you’re managing the household now?”

The Marquis didn’t concern himself with household affairs. He had seen Qi Yue twice in recent days, but since fathers-in-law and daughters-in-law shouldn’t meet and talk frequently, they had only nodded. Moreover, Madam Xie had deliberately concealed it. He knew Qi Yue had recovered but didn’t know she had taken over household management from Madam Xie.

Really troublesome, Qi Yue thought with some annoyance. This Madam Xie was really something, trying to make her look bad in front of the big boss, pretending to be innocent about not knowing about the staff change…

She hadn’t had time to study what kind of temperament this Marquis Dingxi had. She couldn’t help but look up at the Marquis Dingxi in the main seat. This man was extremely well-maintained, with a naturally refined and wealthy air. As her gaze shifted slightly, she saw a beautiful woman standing behind the Marquis Dingxi mouth something to her.

Qi Yue was stunned at first, then smiled in a flash of understanding.

At this moment, large horn lanterns hung around the banquet, and the moonlight in the sky was gradually brightening. Today Qi Yue wore a green-trimmed pink-blue waist-tied front-opening vest that A’Ru had carefully selected, with an elaborately layered hairstyle that A’Hao had arranged to dazzling effect, adorned with the gold and jade floral hair ornaments left by the Old Marchioness. With powdered face, arched brows, and red lips, under the combined light of lanterns and moon, her smile was radiant and dazzling.

The Marquis Dingxi was instantly mesmerized, his expression softening.

“Marquis, she just recovered and lived in that courtyard for so long. She’s young and managing things for the first time. She naturally looked at the menu, but the dishes don’t specify what seasonings like scallions, ginger, and garlic to add—how would she know?” Concubine Zhou said with a smile, smiling at Qi Yue again and beckoning. “Come, quickly apologize to your father.”