Li Changxi’s room had a gloomy, heavy fragrance the moment one entered. Li Weiyang paused slightly, then stopped at the doorway to think carefully before stepping inside.

In the outer room, Fourth Concubine Zhou Shi came over with a beaming smile to greet her, then took the lowest seat to keep her company. Not a trace of anger or resentment could be seen on her face. Between Li Changxiao’s brows was an indescribable hint of worry, yet she said nothing, only sitting quietly to one side.

“Third Miss has come at an inopportune time today. Fifth Miss just went to rest.” Zhou Shi smiled, her almond-shaped eyes flowing like spring water. Though she was their birth mother, in front of others she had no right to call the young ladies by name.

Just went to rest? Li Weiyang smiled slightly. “It doesn’t matter. I only came to see Fifth Younger Sister and show my good intentions.” Her gaze swept lightly over Zhou Shi’s body. Zhou Shi wore a pure honey-colored brocade jacket and skirt, the hem inlaid with embroidered twin lotus flowers, revealing cherry-red shoe tips. She didn’t look at all like a woman who had borne two daughters—no wonder Father doted on her so.

Just then, a maid quietly informed Li Changxi in the inner room of Li Weiyang’s visit. She sprang up and threw a powder-glazed flower vase she had grabbed from the table toward the door, her voice carrying uncontainable resentment: “Get out! Tell her to get out immediately!”

The vase shattered, colored fragments and water splashing everywhere. The sound penetrated through the layers of bead curtains and reached the ears of everyone in the outer room. Zhou Shi’s expression showed a moment of embarrassment. Li Changxiao practically jumped up, then realizing her loss of composure, slowly sat back down, unable to hide the unease in her heart on her face.

Zhou Shi instinctively glanced at Li Weiyang, only to see her clear, bright eyes sparkling like water ripples, meeting her gaze directly. Zhou Shi froze for a moment. When she came back to her senses, Li Weiyang’s gaze already carried a light smile, showing not a trace of anything unusual.

Zhou Shi immediately concluded that this thirteen-year-old girl before her was definitely not as simple as she appeared.

Anyone encountering such a situation would feel somewhat embarrassed, yet Li Weiyang acted as if she hadn’t heard that command to get out at all, showing no awareness of the loud shattering porcelain. Unless she was truly dull and ignorant, she must be someone whose joy and anger didn’t show on her face. Zhou Shi believed it was the latter, but could a concubine-born daughter raised in the countryside really possess such depth?

Li Weiyang’s smile remained as usual, completely unaffected: “Fourth Concubine, just now I smelled a particularly familiar fragrance on you. Tell me, do you like Snow Fragrance very much?”

Snow Fragrance? Fourth Concubine was stunned. She had never heard of such a thing. Li Changxiao asked somewhat curiously, “What is that?”

Li Weiyang blinked and said, “Though Pingcheng cannot compare to the capital’s prosperity, it has quite a few novel things, among them this Snow Fragrance. Taking these medicinal pills can make a woman’s complexion become fair and delicate, and also has the effect of preserving youth.”

Fourth Concubine frowned upon hearing this. She had never possessed such medicinal pills—why would Li Weiyang bring this up?

Li Weiyang continued speaking: “However, though Snow Fragrance is a good thing, it’s not suitable for everyone. This is because the Snow Fragrance formula contains an ingredient called field branch. If a person has wounds on their body, the wounds will continuously fester and cannot scab over. Fortunately, Fourth Concubine has no wounds on her body, right?”

Hearing these words, Zhou Shi’s face turned slightly pale. Li Changxiao suddenly widened her eyes: “Third Elder Sister, is what you’re saying true?”

Li Weiyang nodded. “Naturally it’s true. The scent of Snow Fragrance is also quite uncommon. I only learned about it after smelling it on Concubine Mo, whom Uncle Li’s family most doted upon. I was curious and pursued questioning her before finding out.”

Uncle Li’s family referred to the head of the Li household where Li Weiyang had stayed. He had a beautiful concubine, Concubine Mo, whom he had taken from a brothel. Though she was already over forty, her appearance remained like that of a sixteen-year-old maiden—incredibly unbelievable. The matter of how Old Master Li had been completely infatuated by this woman had been passed around the Prime Minister’s residence as an amusing anecdote by people who had returned from Pingcheng.

Snow Fragrance was one of the methods Concubine Mo used to preserve her looks. However, Snow Fragrance’s greatest drawbacks were: first, long-term use would render one unable to bear children; second, if a person had wounds on their body, they would continuously fester and could not scab over. Young ladies from respectable families would never touch such filthy things—it was merely a secret weapon used by brothel women to keep men. Li Weiyang knew this deeply, yet deliberately pretended not to know, purposely saying, “Fourth Concubine, what’s wrong with you?”

Zhou Shi clutched her hands tightly inside her sleeves. Unable to control herself, her nails dug deeply into her palms. The fragrance in this room was clearly the Jade Beauty Cream bestowed by the First Madam, who said it would help with Changxi’s injuries. Who would have thought it was actually such a filthy thing!

Li Weiyang glanced at the area behind the bead curtain, where a woman’s delicate face was faintly visible—a pointed chin with terrifying wounds still on her cheeks. In her shock, the woman behind the bead curtain realized she’d been discovered and turned to leave. As she turned, only the corner of her red satin garment flashed briefly. The bead curtain suddenly made a piercing sound, and one entire string fell off, pearls rolling everywhere across the floor.

Li Weiyang watched as one pearl rolled right to her feet, then raised her head to look at Fourth Concubine’s horrified expression. She stood up, smiled, and took her leave.

Coming out of the courtyard, Ziyan still wore a completely baffled expression. She asked curiously, “Third Miss, why would Fifth Miss’s room have the scent of Snow Fragrance? Everyone says that Concubine Mo used this medicine and could never have children again. Fifth Miss hasn’t even married yet…”

Speaking to this point, she suddenly understood something and abruptly stopped, her eyes revealing deep panic.

“Many things are best just observed and kept to yourself. Act like you’re deaf and mute, understand?” Li Weiyang stopped in her tracks, looking at Ziyan.

“Yes.” Ziyan bowed her head deeply, her fingers trembling continuously.

But Baizhi sighed inwardly. This Prime Minister’s residence was far more terrifying than the Li family in Pingcheng.

Li Weiyang curved her lips upward, looking back at the deeply secluded Shuangyue Pavilion.

The First Madam clearly wanted Fourth Concubine and her daughters to form a mortal enmity with her, which was why she had specially sent this kind of medicine. First, to ensure Li Changxi’s wounds would never heal, making her forever hate Li Weiyang—this was also a heavy blow to Zhou Shi. Second, to make Li Changxi walk around in front of people every day with festering wounds, letting everyone know that Fifth Miss had been harmed by Li Weiyang. Third, even if in the future Li Changxi relied on being from the Prime Minister’s household to find a good marriage, a concubine-born daughter with half-ruined looks who couldn’t bear children would certainly have to obey her legitimate mother’s every word. Truly killing three birds with one arrow.

Unfortunately, the First Madam’s heart was too vicious—this was actually an unnecessary extra move. This time, even if Li Changxi was foolish, her own mother was not…

Originally Li Weiyang would have had to expend great effort to make Fourth Concubine and her daughters understand, but now she had to thank the First Madam for sending such “excellent medicine.”

The First Madam wanted to watch the fire from across the river, but she would likely end up getting burned herself. Li Weiyang raised her head, the golden sunlight dyeing a layer of fine, scattered brightness on her long eyelashes…