The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Xie family home.

After leaving the Xie family for half a month, Yun Chu naturally had to go pay her respects to the old madam upon returning home.

The old madam had been ill before, but after recuperating for a while she was much better. She sat leaning against the couch, and there were no ice blocks placed in the room.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it—no matter how frugal the Xie family was, they wouldn’t skimp on the old madam. The main reason was that after her illness, she was somewhat afraid of the cold and would rather endure the heat.

“Staying at your maiden home for half a month—you’re truly the first person in this dynasty to do so!” The old madam’s gaze was dark. “Outsiders will think our Xie family mistreated you somehow. Jingyu’s official career has also become troubled because of this. You’re truly a harbinger of misfortune!”

Nanny Zhou stood to the side, not daring to interject.

During this period, the old madam’s opinions about the madam had grown increasingly negative. She would curse at her from time to time, and if Nanny Zhou tried to persuade her, the old madam would scold even more harshly.

In her opinion, since the madam returned to the Yun family, the Xie family’s inner household had been managed by the eldest miss, and there were mistakes everywhere, forcing her at her advanced age to help the eldest miss manage household affairs…

“The Yun family is a centuries-old aristocratic family—how can they also be so lacking in propriety?” The old madam continued. “Letting a married daughter stay at her maiden home for so long—even the imperial family wouldn’t permit this. Madam Yun is determined to slap our Xie family in the face…”

“Old Madam’s words are wrong!”

Yun Chu walked in from the main entrance and stood before the old madam.

The old madam was so startled she shuddered. Over these past two weeks, Jingyu would go to the Yun family every few days to bring Yun Chu back, but Yun Chu had consistently been unwilling to return.

The old madam had thought this time would also be fruitless.

She hadn’t expected that while cursing someone in her own room, she’d be caught red-handed. Were all the servants and maids at the door dead?

“No matter how lacking in propriety my mother may be, she would never secretly bring illegitimate children into the manor behind my sister-in-law’s back.” Yun Chu paused in her tone. “Oh, I misspoke there too. No matter what, my elder brother would never keep a mistress behind his wife’s back, much less have children with a mistress.”

“You! You!”

The old madam’s blood immediately surged.

How outrageous! A junior actually dared to speak to her, an elder, in such a tone. Was she trying to rebel?

He Shi was already dead, dead for half a month, her body long cold. It was already in the past—why keep bringing it up? What was the point?

“Old Madam, please don’t be angry.” The corners of Yun Chu’s mouth held a smile. “Half a month ago, wasn’t I injured? I happened to be near the Yun family home, so I stayed there. You wouldn’t have wanted an injured person to endure the jostling of a carriage ride back, would you? If my injuries had worsened, wouldn’t you have felt distressed as well, Old Madam?”

She softened her tone, and the old madam could only suppress her fury.

What else could she do if she didn’t suppress it? At her age, was she going to argue back and forth with her granddaughter-in-law?

Moreover, it was the Xie family who was in the wrong to begin with—they had deceived Yun Chu and driven He Shi to her death…

“Since you’ve returned, rest well.” The old madam waved her hand. “Many matters are waiting for you to handle. Don’t overexert yourself.”

Walking out of Anshou Hall, Yun Chu returned to Sheng Residence.

She used to consider this her home, but after staying at the Yun family for half a month, she discovered that in her heart, her true home would always be the Yun manor.

As soon as she sat down, people from the rear courtyard all came to pay their respects. Even Concubine Tao, who had not yet completed her month of postpartum confinement, came as well.

Concubine Tao was young after all—twenty days after giving birth, she had recovered to almost her original state. However, her premature infant was in poor health, and worry clouded her brow.

“Hearing that Madam was injured, this concubine was truly beside myself with worry,” Tingyu spoke up. “I originally wanted to come serve Madam, but with my current status, it’s difficult for me to enter the Yun family’s gate again. Please forgive this concubine, Madam.”

Concubine Jiang looked at Yun Chu and said, “Madam has gotten thinner. If Madam doesn’t mind, for the next half month, this concubine will prepare nourishing soup for Madam every day.”

Yun Chu smiled and agreed.

“Madam…” After hesitating for a while, Concubine Tao said, “I heard that Madam previously consulted Divine Physician Si. I wonder if you could help request the divine physician to examine Brother Kang’s pulse as well?”

Yun Chu said indifferently, “Divine Physician Si has already left the capital. Even the imperial family cannot summon him, let alone me.”

In her previous life, Xie Shikang was born weak. After Concubine Tao nursed him for several months, the child’s health grew worse and worse, so he was sent to her care.

To save the child’s life, she had traveled with Brother Kang through exhausting journeys for over two months to Qingzhou in the south to find a divine physician…

It was during that time she was away from the capital that something happened to the Yun family, and her sister-in-law lost the baby in her womb. Later when she asked her mother about it, she couldn’t get any answers.

“Madam, what is Brother Kang to do?” Concubine Tao began to cry. “He vomits whenever he nurses, can’t keep anything down, doesn’t gain weight, and keeps getting thinner and smaller. This concubine cannot keep Brother Kang alive…”

She hated He Shi to death. If not for that wretched woman, she wouldn’t have had a premature birth, and Brother Kang wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

He Shi just died like that, but Brother Kang still had to struggle to live.

“Concubine Tao, you are Brother Kang’s birth mother. If even you cannot raise him, others will have even less ability to do so,” Yun Chu spoke. “The child is small, so you must have more patience. From now on, you need not come for morning greetings. Spend more time caring for Brother Kang properly.”

Concubine Tao sobbed.

Even Madam wouldn’t help anymore, and the master cared even less. Her Brother Kang was suffering so much.

Yun Chu lowered her head to drink tea.

In her previous life, Xie Shikang only survived because she visited famous physicians everywhere, gradually transforming him into a normal child. But what did the child she single-handedly saved do for her?

Forget it. Things that couldn’t happen in this life were better left unmentioned.

Yun Chu waved her hand, dismissing everyone in the room. Xie Ping stayed behind to report to her in detail about the household affairs of the past half month.

Yun Chu listened absentmindedly, and when it was finished said, “Sister Ping has made great progress. You’ve done well.”

A smile appeared on Xie Ping’s face.

Nanny Zhou had said her conduct lacked method and was always pointing fingers at her, making her truly believe she was incompetent.

Fortunately, her mother gave her encouragement. She would definitely learn more household management skills, so that when she went to Prince An’jing’s manor, she could establish a firm foothold there.

Thinking of Prince An’jing’s manor, Xie Ping’s smile immediately vanished. She pinched her fingers and said, “Mother, the dowry Father previously prepared for me was all recorded on a list, but these past days it’s all been taken away. On my dowry list, only ten sets of wedding bedding remain…”

Yun Chu looked at her. “And then?”

“I—I’m the future Princess Consort of An’jing!” Xie Ping was almost in tears. “As a princess consort, with so little dowry, won’t people look down on me? If they look down on me, that’s one thing, but I fear outsiders will look down on our Xie family…”

Yun Chu smiled ambiguously. “Sister Ping’s meaning is that you want me to prepare a dowry for you?”

Xie Ping didn’t dare meet her gaze and lowered her head.

For a mother to prepare dowry for her daughter—wasn’t that only natural? But with Mother questioning her like this, she was at a loss for what to say.

“Your father’s official career has not been going smoothly lately,” Yun Chu’s voice was bland. “The Xie family is merely a humble family. What dowry could there be for a daughter’s marriage? If the dowry is too lavish, it will certainly attract the attention of the Censorate. You wouldn’t want your father to be impeached, would you?”

Xie Ping mumbled with her lips.

No matter how humble the family, it shouldn’t be impossible to prepare a decent dowry.

Even families selling tofu on the street could prepare sixteen palanquins of dowry when their daughters married, yet she…

Mother wasn’t at all afraid of impeachment from the Censorate—she simply didn’t want to spend money on her, because Mother knew she was born of Concubine He…

Originally Mother had been wholehearted toward her, teaching her everything. Now it had suddenly changed.

It was all He Shi’s fault. Why did she give birth to her but couldn’t secure a good future for her? Why didn’t she die cleanly before the matter was discovered…