Though this was the Emperor’s third son and shouldn’t be considered particularly remarkable, the birth of the Third Imperial Prince was no less momentous than the birth of the Second Imperial Prince this spring. Not only was the Emperor’s dragon heart greatly pleased, rewarding the Yang family with considerable wealth, but even the Empress frequently bestowed favor upon Noble Consort Ning. Though there had been no official announcement yet, word had already leaked from the palace: at most, after the little prince’s full moon celebration, Noble Consort Ning would become Consort Ning.

Currently in the palace, there was only Noble Consort Niu holding the consort rank. If Sixth Miss could successfully be promoted, it could be said that to some extent, she would be on equal footing with Noble Consort Niu. Considering her humble origins, this matter was a far greater blow to Noble Consort Niu than to anyone else. When Second Miss came to the Xu residence for the full moon celebration, she specifically made her way to Seventh Miss’s table to tell her: “I heard Noble Consort Niu has been in a foul mood recently. And because the Third Imperial Prince is robust and lively—though just born, he’s already catching up to the Second Prince in size—she’s been losing her temper quite often.”

Due to the strict rules in the palace, and because Sixth Miss’s delivery had coincidentally fallen on the same day as the Fourth Branch’s Sixth Young Master’s third-day celebration, Seventh Miss had to remain home to manage household affairs. It was Madam Xu who entered the palace to offer congratulations, but she had been unable to see Noble Consort Ning or even Grand Consort Xu. Therefore, Seventh Miss hadn’t entered the palace for three or four months and naturally wasn’t as well-informed about palace news as Second Miss.

Hearing about Noble Consort Niu’s reaction, a knowing smile surfaced on her lips. “Her Majesty has finally vented this grievance.”

The silent war between the Empress and Noble Consort Niu had made Sixth Miss the greatest beneficiary. Therefore, in front of Seventh Miss, Second Miss didn’t avoid mentioning this. She smiled with pursed lips. “It’s also because Her Majesty is magnanimous that she so readily granted Noble Consort Ning the consort rank.”

After a pause, unable to hide her joy, she added: “The Crown Prince’s health is also getting better and better. Ever since Her Majesty devoted more attention to his education, the child has become much more sensible!”

The Crown Prince doing well was also good news for the Yang family. Seventh Miss quickly said: “This is a joyful matter—everyone benefits!”

The sisters exchanged a glance and both smiled with pursed lips. Fourth Young Madam came over smiling and said: “It’s clear that Madam Sun and our Sixth Sister-in-law are sisters—the two of you were hiding here whispering secrets. Come, Madam Sun, I toast you a cup!”

After giving birth, though she had become considerably plumper, her face glowed even more radiantly, and she was increasingly careful in her dealings with others. The several times Seventh Miss had visited her, she felt the atmosphere in Shendu Hall had undergone great changes—whether or not she’d been affected by Fifth Miss’s death, this time Fourth Young Madam had placed the small medicine jar in the corner of her sleeping chamber, with someone watching it around the clock.

After clinking glasses with Second Miss, Fourth Young Madam turned away to another table. Her laughter could still be heard from several zhang away: “Oh my, giving birth to this child was truly suffering. I heard the next time won’t be like this—I don’t know if that’s true…”

Seventh Miss and Second Miss exchanged a glance, and she looked meaningfully at Fourth Young Madam’s retreating figure.

“This Fourth Sister-in-law of yours is also good,” Second Miss said thoughtfully. “She only wants to live her own little life well. I think in the future she won’t bring you much trouble.”

With Fifth Young Madam gone, First Young Madam and she had formed an understanding. Fourth Young Madam actually had little conflict of interest with Seventh Miss. At least, before Fourth Young Master had other ideas, the two branches would remain harmonious.

Thinking of this, Seventh Miss said in a low voice: “Second Sister, come to Mingde Hall later—I have something to tell you.”

Second Miss couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised. She glanced at Seventh Miss and nodded imperceptibly.

Though Sixth Young Master was the Fourth Branch’s eldest son, he wasn’t the first grandson in the residence after all. Though the celebration was grand, it wasn’t excessively lavish. By mid-afternoon, guests began taking their leave. Near evening, Seventh Miss saw Second Miss out of Mingde Hall and instructed Xu Fengjia: “See Second Sister home safely.”

Because Second Miss had brought the young heir to the celebration, she bent down to pat the young heir’s head. “Playing with your two younger cousins—was it fun?”

The young heir rarely showed such a bright smile. “Fun!”

After a pause, he added: “Both younger cousins are very well-behaved. Seventh Aunt, next time can you let them stay at our house for several days?”

Seventh Miss and Second Miss exchanged glances and both smiled. Second Miss dabbed at the corner of her eye and said softly: “As long as you obediently study, when we enter the twelfth month, we’ll have your cousins come stay for ten days, alright?”

Because Second Miss was in Mingde Hall, Xu Fengjia had been keeping away in the east wing of Mingde Hall playing with the children. He seemed quite fond of the young heir too, and suddenly picked him up. “Better yet, you come stay with your uncle for ten days and keep your two cousins company!”

Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master also ran out to see off Second Miss and their older cousin. Hearing this, Fourth Young Master giggled: “Then we’ll first go to Second Aunt’s house to stay with our cousin, and when we come back, cousin can come stay with us.”

Seeing the cousins get along so well, the elders were naturally happy. Second Miss gave Seventh Miss a meaningful look, and when Seventh Miss drew near, said in a low voice: “Don’t be anxious about this matter. Tomorrow I need to enter the palace to visit Her Majesty, and I’ll go see Jingren Palace then. Whatever it is, wait for word from me.”

Speaking of which, Second Miss and Fifth Miss were born of the same mother, so their relationship was naturally much closer than that between Fifth Miss and Seventh Miss. There was nothing to be done about Fifth Young Madam’s matter—the Xu family’s dignity couldn’t be offended too much. But regarding Fourth Young Madam’s matter, Seventh Miss couldn’t keep it from Second Miss.

She glanced at Xu Fengjia and nodded softly. “Then I’ll wait for Second Sister’s news.”

After all, this matter was only speculation. Seventh Miss had told Second Miss but not Xu Fengjia. After all, to Second Miss, Fourth Young Madam was just a symbol, but to Xu Fengjia, she was his fourth sister-in-law no matter what.

Second Miss squeezed Seventh Miss’s hand again, then turned to smile politely at Xu Fengjia before boarding the sedan chair with the young heir.

When Xu Fengjia returned to the room, his face showed some puzzlement. He asked Seventh Miss: “What were you and Second Sister discussing today? I saw Second Sister’s expression looked quite serious.”

Seventh Miss’s heart tightened.

If it were before, she naturally wouldn’t tell Xu Fengjia about this matter. But after that night, she had been trying to share her inner secrets with Xu Fengjia. The relationship between the couple had indeed improved greatly because of this.

But was this matter suitable to tell Xu Fengjia?

In a flash, countless thoughts whirled through Seventh Miss’s mind. She shook her head and said honestly: “Some things you’re not quite suitable to know.”

A shadow immediately passed over Xu Fengjia’s face. He hesitated, then asked: “Is it about Fourth Aunt?”

Seventh Miss knew he had misunderstood, so she went along with it. “In any case, it’s grudges between us women—if you knew, it would only make things difficult for you.”

Regarding past events, Xu Fengjia already knew quite a bit—even more than half of what Ninth Brother knew. With his intelligence, he could guess that besides the Grand Madam, there were many other masterminds behind Ninth Aunt’s death. Even the shadowy connection between the eunuch and Ninth Aunt, he wasn’t necessarily unaware of in his heart.

But many things, still covered by a layer of paper window, were better than having them punctured.

This time, Xu Fengjia hesitated for a while but ultimately swallowed the words in his mouth, only patting the top of Seventh Miss’s head.

“You still need to take care of yourself and not exhaust yourself scheming.”

Though he was already a mature young man, his usual speech still carried the careless habits of a capital dandy, with a somewhat flippant tone. But this sentence was spoken by Xu Fengjia very sincerely, with genuine regret and affection.

Seventh Miss immediately felt warmth in her heart. She heard Xu Fengjia continue: “I think, even if your birth mother were watching from below, she would rather see you happy and joyful…”

Unexpectedly, a thread of worry entered his words.

Seventh Miss didn’t blame him though.

Xu Fengjia wasn’t a saint, nor was he her puppet. He naturally had his own considerations and inclinations. No matter how badly the Grand Madam treated Seventh Miss, she was still Xu Fengjia’s own aunt. Since childhood, though the Grand Madam’s kindness to Xu Fengjia couldn’t be said to be without ulterior motives, at least that bond had been cultivated.

If just because he married her, Xu Fengjia turned his back on everyone and helped her hate the Grand Madam, that would be too unreasonable.

Therefore, regarding this matter, Xu Fengjia had always clearly indicated that he still hoped the two sides wouldn’t reach the point of complete rupture. He also vaguely hinted to Seventh Miss that becoming too estranged from her natal family wouldn’t benefit her either.

How could Seventh Miss not understand Xu Fengjia’s meaning?

How to deal with the Grand Madam, how to deal with the Grand Master—Seventh Miss herself had no answers.

After all, it was still the Grand Master who had carried Ninth Brother to the Grand Madam’s rooms back then. Though he hadn’t directly harmed Ninth Aunt, when he sent Ninth Aunt’s greatest protection to the Grand Madam’s courtyard, he had essentially given Ninth Aunt a suspended sentence. To only retaliate against the Grand Madam while letting the Grand Master off lightly seemed to smack of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

But how to retaliate against the Grand Master without involving Ninth Brother—Seventh Miss had no ideas at all. Though she had already openly displayed her disdain for the Grand Master, she also knew her disdain couldn’t hurt him at all. And the only thing he valued was precisely Ninth Brother, whom Seventh Miss cared about.

In this life, often not every matter had an answer that could satisfy everyone, nor was every choice clearly right or wrong.

But every time she wanted to let this matter pass, she would think of Fifth Miss.

Fifth Miss was unfortunate, yet also fortunate. Her death had touched many people’s hearts—they grieved and raged over her death, willing to spare no effort to avenge the murderer.

But Ninth Aunt’s death was mourned only by her and Ninth Brother. This mourning had to be suppressed under life’s pressures. Someone in Ninth Brother’s awkward position might never be able to express it openly for all eternity.

Seventh Miss knew that just as Ninth Aunt was Ninth Brother’s inner demon, her birth mother’s silent death was also her long-held, unforgettable fury.

How the Grand Madam treated her, she actually didn’t mind. After all, she was only a concubine-born daughter. The Grand Madam wasn’t her real mother—her kindness or cruelty was entirely up to her own mood.

But she absolutely could not accept someone’s health or even life being cruelly stripped away merely due to conflicts of interest. She would never be willing to deprive another person of breath based on her own will and wishes.

Though this meant cowardly avoidance, unwillingness to sign off on or arrange death sentences, Seventh Miss still almost naively preserved this remnant of humanity, this remnant from her past life. It seemed only this way could she have the right to accuse the Grand Madam of truly making a mistake in her decision back then.

Otherwise, what wrong had the Grand Madam committed? Nothing more than eliminating a concubine who would soon pose a threat to her… If Seventh Miss, like Fourth Young Madam, was willing to make deals for the sake of removing thorns in her side and flesh, exchanging interests for a servant’s death, then how was she essentially different from the Grand Madam? What standing would she have to accuse the Grand Madam?

But even now when she had the moral ground to accuse the Grand Madam, Seventh Miss knew the Grand Madam would never feel ashamed.

Just as Fourth Young Madam wouldn’t feel guilty about that servant’s death, just as Fifth Young Madam would never think eliminating Little Luowen was wrong. This suffocating society had already transformed these noblewomen into blood-stained monsters at the corners of their mouths. Talking to them about guilt was like playing music to cows. Even this society itself would never think they were wrong. Though everyone claimed human life was paramount, for those in positions of power, wasn’t disposing of a few lives the most commonplace thing?

Perhaps the best revenge on the Grand Madam was simply an eye for an eye, using divine incurability to let her also taste the flavor of slowly dying… But divine incurability ultimately wasn’t truly incurable—with Quan Zhongbai around, the Grand Madam would eventually recover. Besides, Seventh Miss couldn’t lower herself to the Grand Madam’s level to deliberately and maliciously harm another person’s health. This ultimately crossed her bottom line.

The more she understood about past events, the more confused she seemed to become. She seemed to have to admit that in this human world, she ultimately had limits to her capabilities. Retaliating against the Grand Master was one matter; finding the truth of Ninth Aunt’s life back then seemed to be another.

“I’ve gotten my way too long,” Seventh Miss sighed softly to Xu Fengjia. “Many times, I forget that I’m also just a person.”

Being a person meant having regrets, meant having moments of helplessness.

Xu Fengjia extended his arm and gently embraced Seventh Miss, saying in her ear: “You should look forward now.”

Yes, for Xu Fengjia, Fifth Miss’s matter had already become the past. He still wanted to look forward, wanted to see the infinite possibilities for the two of them in the future…

Seventh Miss’s eyes couldn’t help but slowly mist over. She immediately thought of Fourth Young Madam’s blissful smile.

If one day she too had to be forced to share a husband with others like Fourth Young Madam… would she one day also become as ruthless as Fourth Young Madam, or slowly transform into another Grand Madam?

She raised her eyes and gazed deeply at Xu Fengjia, then lowered her head, pressing her forehead against Xu Fengjia’s chest.

“I really don’t know what you like about me!” she said softly. “I’m boring, materialistic, scheming, and…”

Xu Fengjia laughed heartily, suddenly interrupting Seventh Miss’s melancholy.

He had just said, “You’re getting smarter and more self-aware now,” when he suddenly cut off, pulled out a letter from inside his robe, and handed it to Seventh Miss. “This is from your cousin who asked me to pass it along. He said he was also delivering it for someone else. He said your embroidery teacher from back then heard you were looking for her and wrote you a letter. When I came in earlier, you were with Second Sister, so I didn’t give it to you.”

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but sit up straight. She almost snatched the envelope from Xu Fengjia’s hands, tore open the letter, and began reading eagerly.

Embroiderer Huang’s handwriting was still as elegant as before, and the letter wasn’t too long.

“Greetings upon reading this letter. I heard Shanheng has been searching for my whereabouts for several years, but I have never mustered the courage to meet with Shanheng. Hearing that you finally gave up searching, I felt both relieved and compelled to say a few words. Perhaps these words couldn’t be spoken while you still hadn’t given up searching for me.”

“Your mother and I have known each other for a long time. In the first few years of our acquaintance, we could be said to have mutual understanding and admiration. Later we fell out due to certain reasons. The past events involved—I imagine you’ve already heard the general outline from Madam Feng, Madam Yang and others. This matter is my life’s regret and I do not wish to speak of it further. Please forgive me, Shanheng. However, after your mother gave birth to you children, we had completely reconciled. Before your mother went to the Northwest, knowing she might not live long, she entrusted me to secretly look after you somewhat after her death, when you returned to Suzhou. I have no other skills in this life, only teaching you pearl-needle embroidery and raised embroidery techniques to give you means of livelihood. Actually, with Shanheng’s capabilities, you didn’t need much care from me. Your mother privately told me that you returning to Suzhou involved much effort on your part. At such a young age, to have such scheming—I felt both admiration and fear. Therefore, for many years I tried to avoid mentioning past events, fearing you harbored thoughts of revenge. Using a petty person’s heart to judge a gentleman’s intent—please forgive me, Shanheng.”

“I still remember when I first met Feng Hong, she said something to me that I still cannot forget. She said that in this life, everyone swims against the current, everyone has endless difficulties. She once pressured me due to her difficulties, and I once pressured her due to mine. We held grudges against each other. But ultimately, it was all for the sake of survival.”

“After Ninth Brother was taken to the main courtyard, I went to see Feng Hong. At that time, she had just been rewarded with a bowl of medicine by the Grand Madam and thought her life was finished. I asked her if she hated me, hated her heartless brother, hated the Grand Master, hated the Grand Madam. She said surprisingly she felt no hatred in her heart, only regret. She had spent too much time loving Zheng Lianji but used too little effort caring for her family. That things had come to this with her family—she deeply regretted it. She regretted even more not having her feet on the ground, pursuing power and glory and vanity, wanting to seize the Second Branch Madam’s position, thereby angering the Grand Madam and ending up in this state, unable to watch her children grow up. She said the hardest thing in life is contentment—she hadn’t achieved it. She hoped I wouldn’t follow in her footsteps, always chasing things I couldn’t see.”

“Shanheng, though saying this carries suspicion of self-justification, I also sincerely hope you won’t chase past events and regrets you cannot see, thereby missing what’s before your eyes.”

“After more than ten years, what remains in my heart from our time together are only these brief fragments of words, which seem worth recording. Now I pass them on to you, which settles a matter from my past. I am now married, and though life is hard, I remember the words about contentment and my days are quite stable. I also hope Shanheng is well. Take care.”

Seventh Miss put down the letter. Without realizing it, her face was streaked with tears.

Every word and sentence in Embroiderer Huang’s letter carried Ninth Aunt’s tone.

She admonished Seventh Miss not to chase invisible past events, yet simultaneously brought forward what Seventh Miss had been yearning to pursue.

Pursuing the rights and wrongs of the past was nothing more than wanting to find the person Ninth Aunt might have hated and despised most.

Among the many hands that pushed her into life’s abyss, Seventh Miss thought Ninth Aunt must have hated one person most—perhaps because that person deprived her of what she valued most, or perhaps because they placed the final straw… And this person would become her main target of revenge. Even if it meant sacrificing some important connections, cherished friendships, she wouldn’t hesitate. This would perhaps be her reckoning with herself. After all, to retaliate against everyone completely, Seventh Miss didn’t have that much power or determination.

She just hadn’t expected that in the end, this answer would be so simple.