The Xie residence was not particularly large, with only a small garden.

Yun Chu and the Yuan Shi mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair led a large group of ladies on a tour through the garden, but everyone seemed rather uninterested.

One lady hesitated before saying, “I heard that Madam Xie has planted many jujube trees in the residence. I wonder if the jujube trees are blooming this season?”

Yun Chu smiled and said, “Jujube blossoms bloom at the earliest in May.”

“Even without flowers, it doesn’t matter. Let us go see this curiosity.” Madam Hu spoke up supportively. “In feng shui, jujube trees signify abundant descendants. We should all go absorb some of that good fortune.”

The ladies’ family backgrounds and statuses were all inferior to that of the Yun family’s eldest young lady, so naturally they all followed suit in offering their support.

Yuan Shi spoke up, “The jujube trees are planted in the corner on the southeast side of the residence. If you ladies don’t mind that jujube trees are not worthy of admiration, then let us walk this way.”

The group followed along toward the southeast side.

This area had originally been a flower garden where different flowers were planted according to the season, with flower-viewing banquets arranged every spring and autumn. This year, it had all been replanted with jujube trees.

These were mature jujube trees that had been purchased and transplanted from the outskirts of the capital. Each tree grew higher than the courtyard walls, with lush branches and leaves.

Madam Hu said, “It looks like they will bear fruit this year. When the time comes, we shall visit the Xie residence to ask Madam Xie for some jujubes to taste.”

Yun Chu politely replied, “Once they bear fruit, the Xie family will arrange for people to deliver them to each residence. I only hope you ladies won’t mind if the green jujubes are astringent to the taste.”

“Eh? Why do I seem to hear some sound?” A lady with particularly sharp hearing spoke up. “In that direction.”

Yuan Shi looked over. “That is a small courtyard in the Xie residence where no one lives. Normally only maids go there to clean.”

As her words fell, a gust of wind suddenly blew over, carrying sounds from that small courtyard. Those sounds were simply unbearable to the ear…

The expressions of all the female family members changed in unison.

Among them was a lady whose husband was a political rival of Xie Jingyu. Both were fifth-rank officials, both eyeing that upper fifth-rank position.

Although the Xie family now had no real advantages, what if something changed?

She spoke up, “Those sounds are quite strange. Let us go see what they are.”

She took the lead in walking in that direction.

Yun Chu smiled slightly.

She had specifically reminded Xie Ping to add this Madam Yuan to the guest list. Madam Yuan indeed had not disappointed her.

Yuan Shi was a woman in her forties or fifties. How could she not recognize what those sounds indicated? Seeing Madam Yuan leading everyone in that direction, she was frightened considerably.

Yun Chu gently tugged at her mother-in-law and lowered her voice, “The Xie family servants would not be so bold. It’s impossible they would do such things in broad daylight. If we don’t let these ladies investigate thoroughly, who knows how they will gossip about our Xie family in the future. Let them go look.”

These words made sense, and moreover, today was the Old Madam’s birthday banquet. All the servants were busy with the banquet. It was impossible anyone would have time to hide here engaging in illicit affairs.

Since there was nothing going on anyway, if she acted evasive and secretive, giving people reason to pin a reputation of debauchery and impropriety on the Xie family’s inner quarters, that would be the end.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shi felt much more at ease. The key was that Yun Chu appeared completely composed, which gave her a backbone to rely on. She smiled and said, “I imagine it’s just wild cats making noise.”

The group of over ten people took just a few steps to reach that uninhabited small courtyard.

After entering, those sounds became even more obvious, causing several young ladies who had just recently married to blush with embarrassment.

“This is the first time I’ve heard wild cats in heat.” Madam Yuan quickly walked up the steps and pushed open the door before her. “Let’s see exactly what kind of wild cats they are.”

The door opened, and everyone clearly saw that on the bed platform inside the room, a man and woman with clothes half-removed were embracing each other.

When they saw clearly the faces of that man and woman, Yuan Shi stood frozen in place, her mind thundering as if struck by lightning, wanting nothing more than to faint on the spot.

Some thin-skinned young wives retreated repeatedly.

Women like Madam Yuan in their thirties had seen all manner of situations. She immediately began speaking loudly.

“How is it Lord Xie!”

“On Old Madam Xie’s birthday, what is Lord Xie doing hiding here with a maid from the residence?”

“During the banquet, Lord Xie was nowhere to be seen. So he was actually pulling and tugging with a servant in an unclear and improper manner. If we had come any later… tsk tsk.”

Many ladies looked upon Xie Jingyu with contempt while simultaneously feeling full of sympathy for Yun Chu.

Yun Chu stood there woodenly as if unable to believe it, with no reaction whatsoever, until Yuan Shi tugged at her.

Yuan Shi’s voice trembled. “Chu, Chu’er, what should we do, what can be done…”

Yun Chu seemed to finally regain her senses. She quickly walked up the steps, bent down to pick up the clothes on the floor, and draped them over Xie Jingyu and He Shi.

She blocked the two of them and looked toward everyone, saying, “Ladies, you have misunderstood. This person is not a maid of my Xie residence. She is Concubine He. She is very skilled at singing tunes. Just now I called her to go to the front courtyard to sing opera for entertainment, but her health is poor. She must have felt unwell halfway there, which is why my husband carried her here to rest briefly…”

Yuan Shi’s trembling heart finally stabilized.

Being intimate with a concubine was still better than coupling with a maid.

She once again admired this daughter-in-law. In such a chaotic situation, she could still think of a reason to resolve it. The Xie family simply could not do without Yun Chu.

But this reason made the ladies present feel even more sympathy for Yun Chu.

During the banquet, the husband and concubine hid here entangled and pulling at each other. This completely disregarded the legitimate wife.

They had long heard that Madam Xie could not bear children. Now she didn’t even have her husband’s respect. One could imagine how difficult her days must be.

Clearly Madam Xie was heartbroken to the extreme, yet she still had to stand up to preserve her husband’s and the Xie family’s dignity. The Yun family’s treasured pearl had actually fallen to such a state…

“Madam Xie must still have a pile of matters to handle. We shall take our leave first.”

“Madam Xie, please attend to your business. We shall gather again in the future.”

The group of ladies, very perceptively, all proposed to take their leave.

Walking to the front courtyard, those ladies who were still watching the opera didn’t understand what had happened. They exchanged meaningful glances, and so everyone proposed to depart.

Only after reaching outside the Xie residence did everyone dare to discuss openly.

“You ladies who were watching opera earlier don’t know yet, but Lord Xie and a concubine were caught by us doing that thing in the rear courtyard.”

“In broad daylight, how could they hide away to do such things? Were they really that impatient?”

“That concubine must be incomparably beautiful. Otherwise, Lord Xie wouldn’t be so confused.”

“Now that you mention it, I recall that concubine looked somewhat older, and her appearance was nothing remarkable. She was a hundred thousand leagues inferior to Madam Xie.”

“So Lord Xie likes older women…”

When what happened in the rear courtyard reached the Old Madam’s ears, she was so angry that her ears rang thunderously on the spot, nearly fainting.

Madam Yun Lin Shi’s face was as dark as water, as if she might explode at any moment.

She only knew that the Xie residence had Concubine Yu, Concubine Jiang, and Concubine Tao. When had there been an additional Concubine He?

Xie Jingyu had actually coupled with a maid in the rear courtyard on the day of the birthday banquet, and even made her daughter, whom she cherished in the palm of her hand, help smooth things over.

What great grievances her daughter must have suffered!

“Mother should return home first.” Yun Chu personally escorted the Yun family members out. “Sister-in-law, please persuade my mother well. I’m fine.”

Liu Qianqian’s gaze was full of worry.

The men of the Yun family also took concubines, but taking a concubine required the legitimate wife’s consent. They would absolutely never couple before that. This completely disregarded the legitimate wife.

Today, with the Yun family people present here, Xie Jingyu still dared to behave this way. Who knows how much he must disregard Yun Chu on ordinary days…