The next morning, Lixia sent Shangyuan to explain to Nanny Liang: she was feeling unwell and wanted to delay her home leave for a few days, switching her rotation with Shangyuan.

Nanny Liang naturally had no objections, and even sent someone to ask Lixia whether she needed a skilled physician to come examine her.

Lixia remarked to Seventh Miss with feeling, “Nanny Liang is truly a warmhearted person.”

Seventh Miss smiled. “If we were still living our days in the South Side Courtyard, do you think she would still be this warmhearted?”

That was the way of great households—people fawned over the favored and trampled the fallen. It was human nature.

If Seventh Miss hadn’t gradually gained the Grand Madam’s trust and affection over these past few years, Nanny Liang wouldn’t have allowed her to give her maids rotating time off at all.

Those who were favored found everything went smoothly; those who weren’t found every step difficult…

To maintain this situation would depend on Seventh Miss’s own efforts.

Early that morning, after entering to serve the Grand Madam her medicine and keeping her company for a while in idle conversation, following lunch, the Grand Madam sent Seventh Miss back to rest.

“It’s the New Year—you should rest yourself as well and have some fun with your sisters. I’m going to take my afternoon nap.”

Seventh Miss could only smile and graciously comply.

Just as she emerged from the room, she ran into Second Brother and Third Brother coming toward her.

“Second Brother, Third Brother.” Seventh Miss dared not be negligent and greeted them with complete propriety.

Second Brother and Third Brother smiled warmly as they greeted Seventh Miss. “Where are you headed, Seventh Sister?”

“Back for my afternoon nap.” Seventh Miss smiled. “Mother just went to sleep. Second Brother, Third Brother, your timing is rather unfortunate.”

Second Brother showed a trace of embarrassment. “We came at the wrong time.”

But Third Brother paid no mind to this, noisily pulling Second Brother along. “Let’s go talk with Fifth Sister.”

Third Brother’s birthday was only a few days apart from Fifth Miss’s. If one set aside the conflicts over adoption, their personalities were actually quite similar—both straightforward and efficient.

Seventh Miss’s eyes flashed. Her estimation of Third Brother rose a few notches.

This child looked innocent, but his mind was actually quite clear.

After all, he was already eleven years old…

Seventh Miss didn’t pay further attention to her two cousin brothers and returned to the West Side Courtyard with Bailu.

Bailu was also somewhat indignant. “Coming to our place every single day, yet they still know shame…”

“They have no choice in the matter either.” Seventh Miss casually sighed, then turned the topic to Xiaoxue. “How is Xiaoxue doing? Can she get out of bed and walk around?”

“That’s not difficult.” Bailu pondered. “She’s clearly wasted away and is very weak! But she hasn’t reached the point where she can’t get out of bed. However… if we summon her in for questioning, it will be noticed by others.”

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but sigh. “Living in the West Side Courtyard, nothing is convenient.”

Understanding the unspoken meaning, when Seventh Miss asked about Xiaoxue, she naturally wanted to meet this key figure.

To accomplish this while evading the Grand Madam’s notice would not be easy.

Seventh Miss contemplated for a moment, then looked at Bailu.

“Does Nanny Liang have a habit of taking afternoon naps?” she asked Bailu.

Bailu froze, reflexively glancing at Seventh Miss.

Seventh Miss’s expression was calm, her face showing this was perfectly natural.

Bailu naturally replied, “Winter days are short, and my godmother never takes afternoon naps… Right now she’s probably resting in the side room, waiting for the Grand Madam to wake from her nap before going in to report matters.”

“Then please ask Nanny Liang to come over.” Seventh Miss instructed Bailu.

Bailu crisply acknowledged and left the room, slowly entering the small path leading to the main courtyard.

Seventh Miss was becoming increasingly decisive… and increasingly unrestrained with her.

Previously, Bailu had felt that she and Seventh Miss were less like mistress and servant and more like neighbors living under the same roof. Although Seventh Miss’s clothing, food, housing, and daily needs were all managed by her, she had never interfered with her activities.

Now, Seventh Miss was treating her as a proper maid… when speaking with her, gradually adopting a tone of command.

Bailu smiled slightly and quickened her pace, entering the main courtyard.

She was indeed a maid to begin with. Ever since entering the West Side Courtyard, her fortunes and misfortunes had been determined by Seventh Miss’s circumstances.

Given Seventh Miss’s way of conducting herself, in the future, there would be plenty of opportunities for her to benefit from following Seventh Miss!

#

Bailu soon brought Nanny Liang into the West Side Courtyard.

Nanny Liang was somewhat surprised.

Though Seventh Miss was courteous to her, she rarely came to her with personal requests.

Speaking of the two most favored nannies serving the Grand Madam, Seventh Miss was actually closer to Nanny Wang.

This was natural—their half-year of keeping house together through shared hardships had naturally brought them closer.

But over these past two years, through Bailu, Nanny Liang and the West Side Courtyard had maintained cordial relations and developed some rapport.

“Seventh Miss.” Nanny Liang smiled before speaking and moved to bow.

“Nanny Liang, please don’t stand on ceremony with me.” Seventh Miss also smiled while stepping forward to personally help Nanny Liang up. “I’ve interrupted your rest.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Bailu brought over fine tea. “Godmother, please have tea…”

Nanny Liang couldn’t help but give Bailu an extra look.

She had watched this girl grow up. That she had taken Bailu as her goddaughter showed how close their families were.

Bailu had always been quite dear to her. After entering the main courtyard, not only had she not brought shame, she had climbed to the position of second-rank maid, serving under only Lichun in the Grand Madam’s rooms.

Yet because she was unwilling to become the Master’s bed-warming maid, she had found ways to leave the main courtyard and enter the West Side Courtyard…

This girl with such strong opinions had been won over completely by Seventh Miss in less than two or three years, wholeheartedly working for the West Side Courtyard.

Seventh Miss truly had ability!

Even the Grand Madam, with her suspicious and distrustful nature, had gradually let down her guard around Seventh Miss over the years.

Nanny Liang became even more courteous toward Seventh Miss, also feeling that the round stool beneath her wasn’t quite so comfortable.

Even as a favored nanny serving the Grand Madam, when facing a young miss, one still needed to maintain a servant’s proper bearing…

“Today I’ve asked Nanny to come over because there’s actually a matter I need to trouble you with.” Seventh Miss hadn’t noticed Nanny Liang’s discomfort. “Nanny Liang surely knows about Chushu’s death last twelfth month…”

Nanny Liang immediately showed surprise.

“There was such a thing?” She raised her voice.

Seventh Miss proceeded to tell Nanny Liang about Chushu’s death and Xiaoxue’s illness in detail.

Having spent years navigating the inner household, how could Nanny Liang not detect the irregularities here?

“This matter… should still be reported to the Grand Madam.” Her eyes flashed. “I fear…”

Seventh Miss let out a long breath.

“Nanny Liang, you also know that though Seventh Miss appears prosperous now, isn’t it all because of Ninth Brother?” She looked at Nanny Liang with some embarrassment.

This was actually Seventh Miss speaking from the heart.

“Seventh Miss, you’re mistaken,” Nanny Liang chuckled. “You entered the main courtyard because of Ninth Brother, true, but the Grand Madam cherishes you because of your own merits!”

After exchanging a few more courtesies, Seventh Miss carefully continued, “Though this matter certainly must be reported to the Grand Madam, if we can’t uncover any clear facts, I fear the Grand Madam will think Little Seventh is making trouble. Old grievances will be dredged up again… Moreover, Mother is still ill now, and I don’t want to add to her worries…”

Nanny Liang also felt Seventh Miss spoke reasonably.

These matters were always difficult to discuss—it was entirely possible that Chushu and Xiaoxue had fallen ill from shame and humiliation after being expelled from the main courtyard.

If they went to great lengths, turning everything upside down to investigate, only to find nothing conclusive in the end, given the Grand Madam’s temperament, she would certainly blame Seventh Miss.

“Then what does Seventh Miss have in mind?” Nanny Liang couldn’t help but seek Seventh Miss’s opinion.

“I want to question Xiaoxue first.” Seventh Miss frankly told Nanny Liang. “Whatever I can learn, I’ll then inform Mother. If I learn nothing, this matter can quietly pass without disturbing anyone.”

This was a prudent method that covered all bases—allowing both offense and retreat.

However, to interrogate Xiaoxue would require Nanny Liang’s arrangements.

Normally, the servants and women coming and going from the main courtyard were all coordinated by Nanny Liang. For a minor maid without duties like Xiaoxue, only Nanny Liang had the ability to quietly bring her into the West Side Courtyard.

Nanny Liang’s smile deepened. “Seventh Miss thinks wisely. The Grand Madam is unwell, so we must share her burdens… Whenever you want to bring Xiaoxue in, just leave it to this old woman!”

Seventh Miss smiled and chatted with Nanny Liang about household matters for a while longer. When the Grand Madam’s nap was nearly over, she saw Nanny Liang out.

Both Bailu and Lixia wore expressions of wanting to speak but holding back.

Seventh Miss explained, “Actually, there’s nothing about this matter that needs to be concealed. After all, when that mouthful of blood was vomited, it was in the West Side Courtyard.”

Seventh Miss had standing to inquire.

Lixia seemed to half-understand and went off to do her work.

Bailu hesitated repeatedly before finally asking, “I thought you wanted to use this matter as a pretext to pin it on Second Madam…”

Bailu was no fool either.

Over this past year or more, the undercurrents surging between Seventh Miss, Fifth Miss, Ninth Brother and Second Madam, the return of the three nephew young masters… all seemed to hint that the Grand Madam was wavering again in her choice of heir.

The Master was becoming more concerned about Ninth Brother’s studies with each passing day…

Though Bailu was a maid, she could discern the implications of all this.

She had thought that when Seventh Miss concerned herself with Xiaoxue and Chushu’s matter at this time, it was to find an opportunity from past events to make a big scandal of Second Madam instructing Fourth Concubine to poison them, causing Second Madam to lose all face so the Grand Madam wouldn’t raise the matter of adoption again.

Though this plan wasn’t bad, it was rather crude.

How could the Grand Madam fail to see through who was pulling the strings behind it?

Seventh Miss smiled slightly. Bailu’s view of matters was still too shallow.

She guided Bailu, “A few years ago, Second Madam also wanted adoption. At that time, why didn’t the Grand Madam listen to her?”

Bailu stammered, “Wasn’t it because of Ninth Brother…”

Wasn’t it because Ninth Brother had rashly put on women’s clothing and caused such a mess, making the Grand Madam suddenly realize that the little boy in her palm already had his own calculations?

Favoring Ninth Brother was originally because he had grown up by the Grand Madam’s side and was close to her.

Naturally, when things arose, he would stand on the Grand Madam’s side.

But the knife-wounding incident before Huansha Pavilion had precisely proven that Ninth Brother was not at all weak in character. At such a young age, he already knew how to think for himself.

What was more worrying was that to vent anger on behalf of his twin sister, he hadn’t hesitated to frame their cousin, showing no regard whatsoever for the friendship between the Grand Madam and Madam Xu.

Xu Fengjia might have taken the blame publicly, but how could it be hidden from his own mother privately?

Having suffered such great injustice, how could Madam Xu not harbor resentment?

If things went badly, this would be an opportunity for Duke Pingguo’s household to gradually become alienated from the Yang family.

Hadn’t Madam Xu indeed slowed down her talk of marriage proposals these past few years…

Even if it was unrelated to the incident before Huansha Pavilion, the Grand Madam had probably already connected the two matters in her mind.

So young yet already so ruthless, so meticulous, so reckless, so clever—what would he be like when grown? By then, what would the Grand Madam have to control this adopted son with?

One misstep led to more missteps. Because of that moment of softness years ago when she hadn’t thoroughly eliminated Ninth Concubine, the Grand Madam and Ninth Brother inherently had a sore spot between them.

Once this suspicion took root, the seeds of doubt couldn’t help but sprout…

After all, Ninth Brother was still young and acted rashly, giving Second Madam an opportunity.

That’s why Second Madam desperately promoted her two sons, saying they were “very obedient, completely under their wives’ thumbs,” “couldn’t squeeze out a fart with three beatings,” and “quite ignorant, still needing much guidance from their uncle.”

“So we need to make the Grand Madam interpret that incident before Huansha Pavilion differently.” Seventh Miss smiled. “This is the method that treats the root cause… Going after Second Aunt?”

That would be a matter for the next step.

#

On the afternoon of the eighth day of the first month, also during everyone’s nap time, Xiaoxue was brought into the West Side Courtyard by two cold-faced nannies.

“Seventh Miss.” She lowered her eyes submissively, performed the complete ritual properly, and knelt before Seventh Miss, executing a full formal bow.

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity.

Not having seen her for two years, Xiaoxue had completely transformed, becoming a different person.

Her originally appealing round face had thinned to a melon-seed shape, with sunken cheeks and sallow complexion…

She was as thin as Ninth Concubine had been before her death, wasted away to nothing but bones.

Especially her originally bright and lively large eyes—now dull and yellowed, bloodshot throughout, making one unable to bear looking at her directly!

No wonder when Bailu mentioned Xiaoxue, she had been so full of regret.

Seventh Miss sighed and gave Lixia a look.

Lixia somewhat awkwardly stepped forward to greet the two nannies, leading them out of the main hall into the west wing where servants lived to be entertained.

Seventh Miss rose and brought Xiaoxue into the west inner room.

Bailu personally stood guard outside the door.

For a moment, the two were relatively speechless.

“Chushu is dead!”

After thinking it over, Seventh Miss decided to be direct.

Xiaoxue’s body visibly trembled.

“It happened last twelfth month, but there hasn’t been time to report it to the Grand Madam yet.” Seventh Miss examined Xiaoxue carefully.

Xiaoxue kept her head lowered, looking at her toes, maintaining a posture of obedient listening.

However, at this moment, the myriad emotions flickering across her face could not be concealed.

“I heard she’d been ill for several years, falling sick right after leaving. Last year when Bailu went to visit her, Chushu was already too ill to speak!”

Seventh Miss calmly added details.

Though Xiaoxue’s expression was complex, she appeared completely unsurprised by Chushu’s death.

“Chushu… what a pity!” Xiaoxue’s lips moved. After a long while, she squeezed out just this sentence.

Seventh Miss’s expression shifted. Just as she was about to continue probing, Xiaoxue began coughing violently.

She quickly buried her head deep into her arms, trying to muffle the unseemly sound as much as possible.

After quite some time, she reddened and apologized to Seventh Miss. “I really couldn’t help it… I’ve offended Seventh Miss.”

Seventh Miss’s heart stirred. She shook her head without speaking, but reached out and grasped Xiaoxue’s hand.

Xiaoxue’s hand was ice cold.

She finally showed an expression of undisguised horror.

“This isn’t illness—it’s poison, isn’t it!”

These words came out shallow and urgent, sounding less like a question to Xiaoxue and more like a question to herself.

Xiaoxue smiled bleakly and frankly acknowledged it.

“Seventh Miss speaks truly… According to this slave’s guess, this should indeed be poison, and the dosage might not be light…”

A large teardrop slid down her gaunt, sallow face.

“That day I didn’t understand the meaning in Seventh Miss’s words and shouldn’t have eaten that bowl of cream cheese…”

Seventh Miss now completely understood.

Actually, ever since learning of Chushu’s death, she had anticipated this outcome.

For young girls in the bloom of youth, even if one had bad luck and died of severe illness, there was absolutely no reason for both to fall gravely ill just after being expelled from the main courtyard.

But what shocked her was not this matter itself.

Rapid weight loss, darkened complexion, clouded eyes, unstoppable coughing, plummeting body temperature…