After serving tea to each elder in turn, Seventh Miss naturally presented meeting gifts, and the two elders bestowed precious jewelry in return—these were all matters of proper etiquette that need not be elaborated upon. Since Grand Madam Ni showed clear signs of fatigue, everyone soon took their leave one after another. Madam Xu was the first to rise and bid farewell, then beckoned intimately to Seventh Miss with a wave of her hand, smiling as she said, “Come, accompany Mother for a chat at Qingping Courtyard.”

With just this simple gesture, Seventh Miss had already made her position as clear as daylight.

Madam Xu was her third maternal aunt. Regardless of what had happened to Fifth Miss, or what the relationship between Madam Xu and the Grand Madam might be, this family connection alone made Seventh Miss a natural ally of Madam Xu.

Moreover, this ally was a new bride who, on her very first day of paying respects, dared to give Grand Madam Ni the cold shoulder.

Though the Second Madam had already withdrawn to the northwest and retreated from the front lines of household conflicts, Second Madam’s past brilliance was still frequently recalled and savored by Seventh Miss.

Sometimes in the struggles within deep courtyards and high walls, whoever was most shameless held the advantage. If Second Madam had retained even a shred of dignity back then, she wouldn’t have forced Grand Madam’s thoughts toward adoption, causing the siblings to spend a period in fear and trepidation.

Daring to show Grand Madam Ni no deference now meant that in future conflicts, the old woman would genuinely use her seniority to suppress others.

But if one paid no heed to seniority, what could Grand Madam Ni do about it?

Whether it was Second Miss applying pressure, Eunuch Lian instigating from behind the scenes, or Sixth Miss’s handiwork—whatever the case, the palace had just yesterday bestowed a gold and jade ruyi to celebrate the new bride’s arrival, and this marriage had been personally proposed by Duke Pingguo himself. If Grand Madam Ni complained to Imperial Concubine Xu in the palace, what could Imperial Concubine Xu do? Would she really undermine the Empress or Eunuch Lian’s dignity just because her mother’s face had been slightly damaged?

As for appealing to Duke Pingguo—setting aside whether he would even care about such trivial matters, the relationship between the two families was already ambiguous, Fifth Miss had died under mysterious circumstances, and a politician would certainly never chastise his daughter-in-law over trifles at such a time.

This slight, Grand Madam Ni would simply have to swallow!

Though Seventh Miss was merely a new bride, the Sixth Branch had a son, her maternal family was powerful, and Xu Fengjia was accomplished… From the moment she entered the household, she had inherited the pride that Fifth Miss had only just begun to enjoy, trampling all her sisters-in-law beneath her feet!

Yet her conduct was so bold and domineering—causing such a scene on her very first day. How would the days ahead be endured…

The moment she set the tea bowl beside Grand Madam Ni, the expressions on her sisters-in-law’s faces must have been quite spectacular.

Seventh Miss had caught that glance and managed to capture some of its lingering effect.

The Eldest Young Master’s expression was serene, the Eldest Young Madam looked utterly disapproving, the Fourth Young Madam appeared incredulous, while the Fifth Young Madam’s face visibly darkened.

Indeed, the Fifth Young Madam had always been her primary suspect.

This Madam Zhang had always been favored. During the years when Xu Fengjia remained unmarried and Madam Xu was ill, she had managed the household affairs. Duke Pingguo’s estate was considerable, and its annual expenses must be equally substantial. The profits to be skimmed from these transactions—Seventh Miss knew well how lucrative they could be.

Zhang Shi’s dowry was also far less impressive than that of a Yang family daughter. Were she in Zhang Shi’s position, she too would hope her younger sister-in-law would wait a few more years before taking charge.

Fifth Miss had been unlucky—in her first year of marriage, her family was in turmoil with an uncertain future, while the Xu family was at its peak, so she hadn’t taken up the reins of household management. Then when she bore a son, she…

If the Fifth Young Madam’s actions had been too bold, given Fifth Miss’s temperament, she certainly wouldn’t have let the matter rest without making it a major issue.

Among the three sisters-in-law, she was the most suspicious. Though the others also had sharp conflicts with Fifth Miss, there was time ahead—no need to rush into action during her confinement. Only the Fifth Young Madam’s need had been most urgent.

She closed her eyes again and carefully recalled the Fifth Young Madam’s expression before reminding herself: You’ve only just arrived—don’t rush. First establish your footing, then act.

Fortunately, though Seventh Miss had immediately created a powerful enemy, she had also simultaneously secured a strong ally.

Madam Xu’s attitude toward her was clearly much warmer.

This noble lady’s health was poor. For the short distance from Leshan Residence to Qingping Courtyard, she had to ride in a bamboo sedan chair carried by two bearers, with Seventh Miss following on foot. Neither spoke much along the way.

Once they entered Qingping Courtyard, Madam Xu’s manner changed. She invited Seventh Miss into her bedroom.

She resembled Xu Fengjia in some ways—both seemed unconcerned with conventional propriety. Reclining against the kang, she had Seventh Miss sit across from her at the kang table and got straight to the point.

“In your opinion, when would be the best time to bring Silang and Wulang back?”

After all, she was a grandmother—her thoughts naturally turned to these precious grandsons.

Seventh Miss surveyed Madam Xu’s bedroom with a glance.

One could tell this was the bedroom of someone long afflicted by illness. Having attended to Ninth Concubine during her illness, she knew how a sick person’s bedroom differed from others—items like spittoons and medicine bowls must always be readily accessible throughout the room. There would invariably be screens arranged to facilitate physicians entering to take pulses…

Madam Xu’s health truly seemed very poor. Sending the pair of precious grandsons to the Qin family had been to allay Grand Madam’s suspicions and to ensure the children’s own safety.

Seventh Miss answered frankly.

“At least ten days to half a month—to have the courtyard thoroughly cleaned!”

She had no desire to evade the question of Silang and Wulang.

Grand Madam had sent her to the Xu family with essentially two tasks: find the true culprit and safely raise Silang and Wulang. Of course, the latter task was clearly more important than the former.

Raising children was difficult, especially in ancient times. With such poor sanitary conditions, perhaps three or four out of ten children died in childhood or adolescence. Madam Xu was also ill—whatever the case, there were bound to be taboos. When these children returned to the Xu household, they would certainly be placed under Mingde Hall’s care.

To Madam Xu and Grand Madam, this was probably still considered a favor to Seventh Miss: raising them from childhood meant the children would naturally only be close to her.

But Seventh Miss had no desire to invest effort in the children.

Regardless of what Grand Madam had done, she had treated Ninth Brother impeccably and irreproachably, yet Ninth Brother still had his own agenda… In these deep courtyards and high walls, only blood ties were the tightest bond. Seventh Miss didn’t want to end up in Grand Madam’s position. She was still young—she could take a few more steps before concerning herself with offspring.

Though she wasn’t enthusiastic about childbearing, it didn’t mean she didn’t love children, especially since Fifth Miss, despite their many complicated shared experiences, still maintained a deep sisterly bond with her. Silang and Wulang—she would certainly do her utmost to ensure they grew up safely. This was also her promise to Fifth Miss.

Madam Xu seemed satisfied enough with Seventh Miss’s answer.

“It must be cleaned very thoroughly!” She smiled faintly, then cut straight to the chase without a single wasted word.

“Last night—why didn’t you consummate the marriage with Fengjia?”

Seventh Miss was immediately stunned.

The mention of her and Xu Fengjia threw her into disarray. For a moment she stammered, not knowing how to respond.

Madam Xu looked at her and revealed a genuine smile.

She patted the back of Seventh Miss’s hand.

“Fengjia is far too wild—even I cannot control him.”

Speaking of Xu Fengjia, Madam Xu’s voice was full of pride.

“Xiao Wu’s temperament truly clashed with Fengjia’s… They might have gotten along, but she could never have reined in this wild horse. Fengjia must take over his father’s responsibilities, and there’s still much he needs to learn, but some matters absolutely cannot be mishandled. As for Mother’s health, you can see it clearly yourself. In the future, all the major and minor affairs of the Xu household will rest on you two as husband and wife. It will depend on your actions whether you can manage Fengjia.”

This was perhaps Madam Xu’s version of an orientation speech for her.

Seventh Miss found herself rather liking Madam Xu’s temperament—decisive when action was needed, with a crisp and straightforward efficiency.

Scheming was for dealing with outsiders, not for use within the family.

She also spoke with rare candor, “I fear that Cousin and I…”

The mention of “cousin” reminded her of what Xu Fengjia had said last night.

Indeed, she had never truly regarded Xu Fengjia as a cousin, nor had there ever been any familial affection between them as cousins.

She changed her form of address.

“The relationship between the Heir Apparent and myself may not be so harmonious for some time.”

Madam Xu immediately smiled.

“With Fengjia’s temperament, who could he get along well with? After all these years of tempering, he’s become much more diplomatic with outsiders. With family, even I cannot hold him in check… This matter needn’t be rushed. In any case, his business in Guangzhou isn’t finished—he’ll have to go out again soon.”

This was the first time Seventh Miss had heard this news, and she felt a surge of delight.

But Madam Xu gave Seventh Miss another meaningful smile. “In my view, if you want to take over household affairs, you’ll still need to consummate the marriage before Fengjia goes to Guangzhou.”

Madam Xu’s words were truly golden advice.

With Seventh Miss’s intelligence, how could she not understand her meaning?

If Madam Xu could tell they hadn’t consummated the marriage, others could certainly see it too. Being merely the daughter of a provincial family, to establish herself in the Xu household wouldn’t be achieved through her family’s backing and her own boldness alone. To take control of the household’s authority, she still needed the support of one or two power holders within the Xu family.

Madam Xu was naturally her first supporter. The two took what they needed from each other—without discussing emotions, it was refreshingly straightforward, truly hitting it off at first meeting.

But for a new bride who hadn’t even consummated her marriage, gossip was inevitable. This was never a good thing, and it might give her sisters-in-law material for criticism.

Only this matter… wasn’t something she could accomplish just by wanting to. Though Seventh Miss wasn’t naive enough to regard her body as infinitely precious, she absolutely didn’t want to surrender her first time under extremely awkward circumstances.

Anything involving Xu Fengjia was invariably vexing.

Seventh Miss lowered her eyes and accepted Madam Xu’s hint. “Your daughter-in-law knows what must be done.”

Though she trotted out this all-purpose, all-effective verbal formula, truthfully, she had absolutely no idea in her heart what to do.

#

The mother and daughter-in-law naturally had much to discuss. Seventh Miss remained at Qingping Courtyard until the third quarter of the si hour. Seeing Madam Xu showing signs of fatigue, she finally took her leave.

She didn’t volunteer to play at attending the sick.

That approach might work with Grand Madam, but it wouldn’t necessarily move Madam Xu. Besides, even with the difference in seniority, she didn’t feel any need to bow and scrape before Madam Xu.

Being married was truly wonderful—however difficult the circumstances, at least she could still hold her head high.

Seventh Miss ate her noon meal alone in Mingde Hall.

Though as a new bride, she should properly spend the first year observing propriety and paying respects at the Grand Madam’s side, serving her meals… if Grand Madam didn’t summon her, she was happy to pretend ignorance. At worst, she had the get-out-of-jail-free card of attending to Madam Xu to brandish, and could flee to Qingping Courtyard. If the great-grandmother-in-law wanted to cause trouble, she’d have to torment the daughter-in-law first before reaching the granddaughter-in-law.

Perhaps even she disdained such crude tactics—after being rebuffed, Grand Madam was unusually quiet, making no other moves by mid-afternoon.

As evening approached, Xu Fengjia returned to Mingde Hall.

Mingde Hall occupied considerable space. The main hall alone wound through more than ten rooms, and the two attached side courtyards were now filled with Seventh Miss’s dowry. That afternoon, the Fifth Young Madam had sent three or four matrons to consult with Seventh Miss about how to arrange these dowry items. Each of these matrons was an experienced veteran well-versed in reading situations. Though respectful toward Seventh Miss, they maintained a distant manner.

Perhaps having seen too much at the Yang household, Seventh Miss found the Fifth Young Madam’s tactics utterly elementary.

She was too lazy to personally negotiate with several servants, so she summoned Lixia to inventory everything with the matrons, placing large furniture pieces in storage, and consulted with them about clearing out the small courtyard that had stored Fifth Miss’s dowry. Fifth Miss’s leftover silks and satins would be listed and sent back for Grand Madam to review and dispose of.

—If she didn’t find some task to keep the Fifth Young Madam busy, she’d probably panic and rush to create trouble.

She herself went to the western third room for a nap.

The eastern wing of Mingde Hall had stood cold and empty for a year and a half. Seventh Miss had no intention of moving in there to live. If Xu Fengjia was unwilling to share the western wing with her, she didn’t mind if he moved into the eastern wing instead. She only planned to set up a small Buddhist shrine in the room where Fifth Miss had lived in the eastern wing, with no other changes.

As for herself, the bridal chamber was arranged in the western third room—this would also be her bedroom going forward. Additionally, the first and second rooms of the western wing had been cleaned out and left unlocked. It seemed the Heir Apparent had reserved these two rooms for her use in receiving guests and daily activities.

Seventh Miss accepted without ceremony. She immediately instructed Lixia to tidy them up, so by the time the matrons arrived that afternoon, they were perfectly ready for receiving guests.

The western third room was quite spacious. Her dowry rosewood bed dominated the center, and by the window was a small earthen kang. Come winter, this would be perfect for one person’s living needs. Since it was only September, the kang wasn’t yet heated, so chairs and cushions were arranged to create a daybed. Seventh Miss reclined by the kang, read a few pages, and somehow drifted off to sleep again.

When she next woke, she heard a series of footsteps entering the room, accompanied by Xu Fengjia’s impatient voice.

“How many times must I say it—too many people in the room is noisy. When I’m home, no one is to serve in the inner chambers.”

Even as he spoke, the Heir Apparent was already entering the inner room. Lixia couldn’t help but show a hint of grievance—in all these years, Seventh Miss had never once raised her voice at any of these maids.

Still, she obediently closed the door behind Xu Fengjia.

As Xu Fengjia walked, he was already unfastening his garments, tossing his outer cloak onto a chair to reveal the tiger-emblazoned official robe beneath. He removed the beam-shaped crown from his head, exposing the topknot bound with blue cloth underneath, then reached to unbuckle the gold belt at his waist—glancing at Seventh Miss, he complained casually, “Still so hot even in September—I’ve sweated through several layers!”

While hanging his ceremonial sword on the golden hook beside the standing cabinet, he turned to open the door and call out, “Bring water! From now on, have hot water ready the moment I arrive home!”

Lixia and the other maids had to bustle about again. Seventh Miss couldn’t help raising an eyebrow and asking Xu Fengjia, “Aren’t you going to pay respects to Grandmother?”

Morning and evening attendance—paying respects twice daily—was the most basic etiquette in great families. Xu Fengjia had rushed to the palace this morning without visiting Xiao Cuijin, and if he didn’t go tonight either, it would seem rather improper.

Xu Fengjia glared at Seventh Miss.

“Grandmother developed a cough this afternoon and told us all not to enter Leshan Residence tonight to avoid catching her illness!”

Though his tone was somewhat stern, it also concealed a trace of amusement. “Yang Qi, your capabilities are considerable—you’ve made Grandmother fall ill the very day you arrived!”

This wasn’t Grand Madam falling ill with a cough—it was clearly her way of making things uncomfortable for Seventh Miss, with the intent of escalating matters.

Seventh Miss dismissed it with a laugh. She simply rose and called Lixia in to undo her elaborate hairstyle and re-style it into a casual household bun. When Xu Fengjia emerged from the washroom after bathing, she too went to wash and change into more comfortable home clothing.

Thus Lixia lit the lamps, Shangyuan set the table and poured wine, and when food and drink were all prepared, the maids withdrew from the room, leaving this husband and wife—in name only—seated across from each other at the table to eat their first dinner after the wedding.

The meal was eaten in complete silence.

“No talking while eating or sleeping”—though Seventh Miss herself didn’t care about such rules, she didn’t want to breach etiquette before Xu Fengjia.

She set down her chopsticks. Seeing Xu Fengjia also cease eating and instead pour himself wine with the apparent intention of drinking alone, she finally spoke to him.

“Was the ruyi bestowed by the Empress, or…”

Xu Fengjia raised an eyebrow and looked toward Seventh Miss.

He had already drunk several cups, and his features had taken on traces of intoxication, so this glance carried an unintentional allure.

“Yang Qi, your capabilities are indeed considerable.”

Another non-answer. Seventh Miss couldn’t help frowning.

But Xu Fengjia was already turning the wine cup, gazing at its exquisite and ornate patterns.

“You must have come to the Xu household with some purpose… However, I don’t care about other matters, but your Fifth Sister’s affair—you cannot touch it.”

Unlike yesterday’s anger while slightly drunk, today’s Xu Fengjia remained quite calm.

But these words shocked Seventh Miss far more than all of yesterday’s cold sarcasm.

No matter how much she avoided Xu Fengjia, she had always maintained a high opinion of his character and had never doubted that Xu Fengjia would harbor thoughts of sheltering a murderer.

But could it be that…

Seventh Miss’s eyes gradually turned cold.

“How coincidental.” She too picked up the empty wine cup before her. “I was just about to tell the Heir Apparent. Yang Qi has indeed come with a purpose—I can refrain from interfering in all other matters, but Fifth Sister’s affair is one I absolutely must investigate.”