The girl’s voice was very light, like a wisp of thin snow on a mountain peak, cool and crystal clear, impossible to ignore.

Li Guangshu looked over upon hearing the voice.

The girl wore plain skirts and a jacket, her hair in a simple double bun, but the cinnabar mole between her eyebrows made her face instantly bright and captivating.

Li Guangshu stared at the girl for quite a while before realizing: this was his elder brother’s second daughter, his niece.

After recognizing the girl, Li Guangshu wondered inwardly: Strange, this niece had been just an ordinary little girl in his impression. Although she was well-born, children from wealthy families who were carved from powder and jade were everywhere—what was so outstanding about her? But having grown accustomed to someone like Bing Niang’s beauty, looking now, he found it somewhat remarkable.

Li Guangshu examined the girl again with an appraising gaze.

Compared to several years ago, the little girl’s features seemed largely unchanged, just having grown up some, yet for no apparent reason, she had become eye-catching.

“Is Bing Niang from an official family?” Qiao Zhao asked again.

This Second Uncle had sinister eyes and was a person of considerable scheming.

Qiao Zhao was somewhat puzzled.

Given the old lady’s style, her father’s character was normal—how had this Second Uncle grown so crooked?

“You’re Third Girl, aren’t you?” Li Guangshu asked.

“I am—”

Li Guangshu frowned and interrupted Qiao Zhao: “How have elder brother and sister-in-law been raising Third Girl? After not seeing me for several years, she doesn’t even know how to call me Second Uncle.”

Upon hearing Li Guangshu criticize his daughter, Li Guangwen immediately became displeased and snorted coldly: “What about you? After not seeing me for several years, you started fighting with me at the family gate!”

Li Guangshu’s face darkened: “Elder brother struck first—”

Li Guangwen laughed coldly: “The elder brother is like a father. What’s wrong with me hitting you? You dared to hit back? Who taught you these manners?”

Li Guangshu was nearly enraged to bursting by Li Guangwen’s three consecutive questions, yet couldn’t refute them.

Although a prefect wasn’t a high official, prefectures posted were far from the emperor’s reach and were quite important figures locally. Who would have thought that after enjoying comfortable days for several years, he would return to suffer such humiliation?

Seeing Li Guangshu no longer retorting, Li Guangwen snorted coldly, then turned to show his daughter a smile: “Zhaozhao, ask whatever you want to ask.”

Li Guangshu was so angry that his vision darkened.

What kind of elder brother was this? Smiling at his daughter like an idiot, yet putting on airs with a brother only a few years younger!

Qiao Zhao gave a slight curtsy to the stern-faced Li Guangshu and said with a smile: “Just now, Second Uncle asked if I was Third Girl. I was about to say ‘I am, Second Uncle,’ but unexpectedly you interrupted me.”

“So you’re saying it’s Second Uncle’s fault?” Li Guangshu asked coldly.

“If it’s not your fault, whose fault is it?” Old Madam Deng’s cold shout made Li Guangshu’s scalp tingle.

Toward this old mother, he held deep reverence and fear; after all, both he and his brother had been raised single-handedly by their widowed mother.

“I told you to kneel and speak. Who said you could stand up again?”

Li Guangshu suppressed his anger and knelt once more.

“What Third Girl asked is also what I wanted to ask. Why would a perfectly good county magistrate’s daughter become your concubine?”

Li Guangshu lowered his eyelids, his tone calming: “Mother doesn’t know—the environment in Lingnan is harsh, resources are scarce, and most families live in poverty. Although Bing Niang is a county magistrate’s daughter, she’s only a concubine-born daughter. Her father has over ten concubine-born daughters alone. It’s not strange for him to give a concubine-born daughter to a superior as a concubine. Bing Niang herself was willing.”

“Is Bing Niang a county magistrate’s daughter?” After Li Guangshu finished explaining, Qiao Zhao asked again.

The instant he heard this question, Li Guangshu’s eyes tightened, his gaze at Qiao Zhao suddenly becoming sharp: “Third Girl, Second Uncle doesn’t understand what you mean.”

Qiao Zhao smiled inwardly.

She had been coldly observing Bing Niang earlier and felt that her every gesture carried an indescribable quality. That temperament and bearing couldn’t be cultivated by a small county magistrate’s family, especially not one with over ten concubine-born daughters.

In that case, either Bing Niang’s background was problematic, and Second Uncle was blinded by beauty and didn’t know, or…

Qiao Zhao sneered inwardly: Or Second Uncle knew but was concealing something to make grandmother accept Bing Niang!

Indeed, when she asked twice whether Bing Niang was from an official family, Second Uncle’s reaction was the indignation of being offended by a junior. But when she merely added the word “really” to the original question, Second Uncle’s emotions changed.

This was enough to verify her guess: regarding Bing Niang’s identity, Second Uncle was lying!

“Why is Second Uncle so nervous? I’m just curious—Bing Niang looks different from ordinary girls from official families.” Qiao Zhao said with a smile.

The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, her expression innocent, as if it were just thoughtless words from a young lady.

Li Guangshu looked at Qiao Zhao with some confusion again.

“Different how?” Li Guangshu didn’t speak, but Old Madam Deng opened her mouth.

“I can’t say exactly how she’s different, but I just feel she is. Looking at Bing Niang, I feel like she could bewitch one’s soul away.” Qiao Zhao blinked.

She could ask Shao Mingyuan to investigate Bing Niang’s identity, but before getting clear answers, it didn’t hurt to plant a thorn in grandmother’s heart.

“Little girl, talking nonsense.” Old Madam Deng glared at Qiao Zhao, but her heart sank.

Third Girl was right—that Bing Niang did have something strange about her, not simply being beautiful.

“Nanny Rong, take some servant women to clean up the West Side Courtyard at Jinrong Courtyard. Pick two sturdy, capable women to serve Bing Niang from now on.”

Upon hearing this, Li Guangshu felt something was wrong and said with a stern face: “Mother, your son brought back several servant women and maids from his post. There are enough people.”

“Brought back from your post?” Old Madam Deng frowned and said lightly, “Nanny Rong, then don’t bother with the West Side Courtyard for now. Go contact a broker to come sell the servants, Second Master brought back from his post.”

“Mother, how can this be?”

Old Madam Deng looked at her second son with heavy eyes.

The childish words of her once powder-puff-like youngest son still echoed in her ears: Mother, when I grow up, I’ll become a high official and earn you an imperial title, then you can enjoy good fortune.

Now, looking at her youngest son before her, he seemed so strange.

“Why not? You know the family is poor and can’t afford to keep so many servants! If we don’t sell the ones you brought back from your post, should we sell the ones serving me?” Old Madam Deng retorted.

“Your son has money—”

“How much?”

Li Guangshu quickly said, “Twenty thousand taels of silver in cash.”

The real amount naturally couldn’t be revealed, but such a large sum of silver was sufficient reason to dispel his old mother’s idea of selling the servants.

Li Guangshu thought this way, glancing around the room from the corner of his eye, and indeed saw Li Guangwen’s shocked expression.

He couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

His foolish elder brother had probably never heard of so much silver, right?

Speaking of this, wouldn’t the entire West Residence have to rely on him to support it? Elder brother had no self-awareness—surely mother understood this point?

Li Guangshu was pondering this when he heard Old Madam Deng say lightly, “We haven’t divided the family yet, so how can you keep private savings? Nanny Rong, don’t rush to call the broker either. Have the accountant come first to count and store Second Master’s twenty thousand taels of silver in the treasury.”