The old matriarch’s body lay in state at the Xie residence for seven days before the funeral.

During those seven days, Xie Zhongcheng led many people in searching everywhere for Xie Shiwei’s whereabouts, but they couldn’t find even a trace of him.

Many commoners believed the Xie family had deliberately hidden him away, and their contempt for the Xie family deepened. Some busybodies went to the yamen to file a complaint, accusing the Xie family’s second young master, Xie Shiwei, of cruelly murdering the Xie family’s old matriarch.

Officials from the yamen specifically came to the Xie residence to investigate the matter.

Xie Jingyu was already ill, and upon hearing this news, he became so enraged that he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Yun Chu carried medicine into his room: “The old matriarch died with grievances unresolved. Only when the authorities uncover the truth can the old matriarch rest in peace. Husband, please don’t trouble yourself with this matter—just focus on recovering.”

She handed the medicine in her hands to Concubine Jiang, who was attending to him nearby.

Concubine Jiang carefully helped Xie Jingyu drink down the large bowl of black medicinal decoction.

“Wife…” Xie Jingyu began, “Could you please use the Yun family’s name to request an imperial physician to examine my pulse?”

He had an extremely unsettling feeling, as though his body was slowly slipping beyond his control.

“The Doctor Qiu I found for you is the most renowned physician in the capital for treating such conditions—even the palace imperial physicians can’t compare.” Yun Chu perfunctorily tucked in his bedding. “Doctor Qiu says you’ve consumed excessive alcohol, harbor stagnation in your heart, and have greatly disturbed your liver qi, which is why you’re like this. As long as you take your medicine properly and recuperate slowly, you’ll recover to normal… There are still matters to handle after the old matriarch’s funeral, so I’ll attend to them first.”

Xie Jingyu raised his hand and grasped her sleeve: “Wife, I’m only asking you for this one thing. I desperately need an imperial physician.”

Hearing this, Yun Chu smiled: “Is husband certain this is the only thing you’ve ever asked of me?”

Her smile made Xie Jingyu feel particularly stung, and his hand gradually loosened.

“Concubine Jiang, take good care of the master.”

Yun Chu dropped those words and turned to leave.

Concubine Jiang said softly: “Master doesn’t know, but these past few days with the old matriarch’s affairs, the mistress has barely slept day or night. Add to that the second young master’s disappearance and officials coming by from time to time—the mistress has been handling everything… This concubine also wishes to share the mistress’s burdens, but this concubine lacks the ability. Being able to serve the master well is already helping the mistress.”

Xie Jingyu closed his eyes and said nothing more.

Yun Chu returned to her own courtyard and had just sat down without even taking a sip of tea when a servant woman rushed in urgently: “Mistress, the eldest young miss is causing a commotion in the old matriarch’s courtyard.”

Yun Chu’s brow furrowed: “What commotion?”

“Well, the old matriarch has passed, hasn’t she? There are still many valuable things in the storeroom. The eldest young miss demanded that Nanny Zhou hand over the storeroom keys, but Nanny Zhou refused. As the argument escalated, Concubine Yu and Concubine Tao also arrived, and it’s become complete chaos.”

Yun Chu laughed coldly.

The old matriarch’s body wasn’t even cold yet, and the Xie family members were already fighting like this over such petty gains.

She said: “The grand madam is still here, and I, the mistress of this household, am also here. What right do they have to争 争 争 争 争 争 squabble over things? Tingshuang, go make a trip and give the storeroom keys to the grand madam. See what she says.”

Tingshuang nodded and went to handle it. She returned shortly and handed the keys to the Anshou Hall storeroom to Yun Chu: “The grand madam says that since the mistress now manages the Xie household, the old matriarch’s belongings should naturally be kept by the mistress.”

Yun Chu picked up the keys and toyed with them. She truly didn’t care for the old matriarch’s meager possessions.

She said: “Open my storeroom. I’ll select a few things.”

In the blink of an eye, Tingshuang was to be married.

According to Yun family customs, when a personal maid married, if the master prepared about a hundred taels of silver as dowry, it was considered very generous.

Yun Chu prepared a bank note for five hundred taels of silver, additionally selected a complete set of hollow-carved gold and jade hair ornaments, and added several bolts of fine fabric.

“M-Mistress!” Seeing these things, Tingshuang was so frightened her voice trembled. “This servant, this servant cannot accept such gifts. Please, mistress, take them back.”

“You can accept them.” Yun Chu placed the items on the table. “I’ve already had someone remove you from the servant registry at the yamen. From now on, you’re a free person.”

Tingshuang dropped to her knees with a thud: “Mistress, what virtue or ability does this servant have…”

Yun Chu helped her up.

In her previous life, the great fire at the Xie residence happened about two years later. In any case, in this life, she would never experience that fire again.

But that didn’t mean she would forget the scene of Tingshuang throwing herself over her without hesitation, shielding her from the falling beam.

“Tomorrow when you marry, I’m giving all the maids at Shengju Courtyard the day off to join the festivities at your new residence.” Yun Chu smiled and said, “After your marriage, rest for a month, then go work at the hot spring estate. At that time, you’ll manage the estate as a steward mama, and your wages won’t disappoint you.”

Tingshuang’s throat choked up, unable to say a single word.

The next morning, the wedding matron Yun Chu had hired dressed Tingshuang’s hair, changed her into wedding attire, and the bridal sedan departed from the side gate of the Xie residence, where Yu Ke was waiting.

Servant marriages were always like this. Being allowed to leave through the side gate was already tremendous face given by the master.

Yun Chu brought the maids and servant women from Shengju Courtyard to drink the wedding wine, but as the mistress, she feared her presence would make everyone uncomfortable, so she left after drinking a cup of congratulatory wine.

Tingxue and Tingfeng remained to enjoy the festivities, while she and Qiutong returned.

On the return journey, passing by a treasure pavilion, she remembered that among the gifts she was preparing for her younger half-sister Yun Ran, she still seemed to be missing an exceptional hairpin.

She lifted her skirt and descended from the carriage, walking into the treasure pavilion. It had been so very long since she’d browsed a jewelry shop that walking in nearly blinded her eyes.

The counter displayed many dazzling gold, silver, and jade items for anyone entering to view at leisure. If someone intended to purchase, the shopkeeper would lead them inside to bring out even finer goods for selection.

“This madam, these are hairpins newly arrived at our shop. Please take a look—is there anything that catches your eye?”

Yun Chu was actually only twenty years old. Although she’d been married for five years, she still enjoyed these things that women loved in her heart.

It was just that over these years, too many matters had diverted her attention. She’d basically never purchased jewelry or hair ornaments—what she still wore in her hair were gifts from the Yun family from five years ago when she married.

Seeing these jewels, her mood immediately brightened.

She now had several hundred thousand taels of silver on hand. Buying some things to make herself happy wasn’t excessive, was it?

“This one, this one, and this one…”

Her finger pointed at items in the tray.

The shopkeeper was delighted—buying so many at once meant encountering a major customer.

“Wrap up everything except these three.” Yun Chu looked at the shopkeeper. “Do you have more? Let me see more.”

The shopkeeper stood completely dumbfounded.

A single tray held twenty small hairpins, and this madam actually wanted seventeen of them, and moreover, it wasn’t enough—she wanted to see more.

He quickly nodded: “Madam, please wait. I’ll bring up the new merchandise right away.”

The shopkeeper hurriedly called the shop assistants to bring out all the recently arrived hair ornaments, hairpins, earrings, bracelets… everything, displaying them before Yun Chu.

She selected some for her mother and eldest sister-in-law, and also bought one for each maid in the courtyard.

Besides these, she also purchased two longevity locks.

One for Yu’ge’er, one for Changsheng—though she didn’t know when she’d see them again.

“Madam Xie!”

Just as she was about to board her carriage, a pleasant female voice called from behind.

She turned around and saw the wife of the Marquis of Xuanwu, Luo Shi.