Linlang assumed that after this, he would want to set her down and keep his distance as quickly as possible.

She was just about to muster more effort and say something else deliberately irritating and playful when Situ Sheng suddenly turned his head toward her.

Linlang had been speaking with great enthusiasm and hadn’t guarded against him turning back.

They were far too close — her cherry lips had barely grazed the man’s cheek, nearly brushing his lips entirely…

Linlang felt as though she had been struck by lightning. She immediately shifted her face away in embarrassment, regretting why she had ever thought to tease this man.

Now she had accidentally taken liberties with her employer. How on earth was she supposed to recover from this?

Fortunately, Situ Sheng still said nothing. He simply turned his head back slowly and continued carrying her steadily on his back, striding into the bedchamber with unwavering steps.

When he set Chu Linlang down before the dressing table, she didn’t dare look at him and instead hurriedly turned to face the bronze mirror, quickly smoothing her hair with a fine-toothed comb.

Situ Sheng leaned against the side of the dressing table, now perfectly free to watch the woman as she groomed herself.

Though her stature was not tall, her four limbs were slender and graceful. When her wrists rose lightly, her nimble long fingers grasped her hair and twisted it into a coil — black silk spinning and swirling, dazzling the eyes.

Though her arms looked slender, Situ Sheng knew that the parts that shouldn’t be thin were not thin at all.

This Madam Chu was not only fair-skinned; even her willowy figure was like a trembling block of fresh tofu — soft and tender.

These past few days, he had carried her everywhere since she had a foot injury. Every time she lay draped across his back, it felt like freshly made warm fragrant tofu had spread across his spine. He had to summon every last bit of willpower to suppress the urge to pull that soft mass of tofu into his arms…

Chu Linlang had no idea that someone was quietly craving tofu.

When she finished grooming and looked up, she found Situ Sheng still half-seated on the edge of the dressing table, arms crossed, gazing attentively at her as she fixed her appearance before the mirror.

His eyelashes were truly long. When he focused his gaze on someone, his eyes were like a deep autumn pool — calm and unrippled, yet capable of making one’s heart flutter with unease.

Chu Linlang cleared her throat and asked politely: “My lord, is there something else you need?”

She intended to pretend that what had just happened was merely an accident — as long as neither of them mentioned it, there would be no awkwardness.

But Situ Sheng was not so cooperative. He tilted his head and pointed to his handsome face, asking with refined courtesy: “You took liberties with me. If my future wife finds out, whatever shall we do?”

Chu Linlang had always been fond of beauty. It had already taken considerable effort to force herself to wear those old-fashioned, dowdy skirts every day. If she also went without makeup, life would be utterly joyless — so she applied a maple-leaf-red rouge to her lips each day.

And now, on one side of Situ Sheng’s cheek, there was an ambiguous red imprint…

This would be the death of her. How had she left such damning evidence? She hastily pulled out her handkerchief to wipe it away — but her hand was covered by Situ Sheng’s large palm.

His palm was scorching hot, like the charcoal brazier she had stepped on that day, burning hot enough to make one’s heart race.

Situ Sheng held her hand, and his face slowly drew closer. Just as it was nearly touching hers, he spoke: “If my future wife has a temper like yours, she’d probably come at someone with a kitchen cleaver, wouldn’t she?”

Afraid of pressing against his face again, Chu Linlang’s slender waist instinctively arched backward — but refusing to lose face, her mouth remained stubborn: “You… you find yourself a wife first before talking… What’s this, you’ve been feeling healthy lately and have started thinking about women?”

These words were practically pushing a man past his limits. Linlang regretted it the moment she said it.

She remembered she had once mocked him about a hidden ailment. He had responded viciously then, saying she would have no chance of finding out in this lifetime.

This time, she had no idea how he would retaliate with his sharp tongue. But since she had been the one to provoke him first, she supposed she would just have to take it.

Situ Sheng reached out to support her shoulder as she nearly toppled backward, and breathed a few quiet words into her ear: “So curious — would you like to find out for yourself?”

—

That day, when Situ Sheng stepped out of Steward Chu’s room with a refreshed and lighthearted air, a fine-toothed comb, a cosmetics box, and two plump socks came flying out behind him.

Dongxue happened to be walking over with a bowl of fruit broth and brushed past Lord Situ.

She stared in astonishment at the items scattered and flung across the ground, and quickly quickened her steps inside to ask: “What… what happened? Did his lordship bully you?”

Inside, she found her young mistress seated on a stool, cheeks flushed crimson, both feet completely sockless, her pale toes curling and uncurling with indignation.

Chu Linlang was currently searching for anything else nearby that she could throw. When she saw Dongxue come in, she reached out and took the fruit broth, gulped down two large mouthfuls, then asked: “Why isn’t it chilled? You should have kept it on ice!”

Dongxue said softly: “You forgot — the day before yesterday, his lordship invited the imperial physician from the palace to examine your foot, and the physician took your pulse and said you have a cold constitution that has somewhat depleted your vital energy. Lord Situ instructed Xia He and me that we are no longer permitted to give you anything cold to eat. If he sees us doing so, he’ll dock our monthly wages.”

Chu Linlang said nothing more. She drank another mouthful of fruit broth, let her temper cool slightly, then said: “I just had a few words with his lordship over practicing calligraphy — it’s nothing… go pick up the things on the floor.”

Dongxue had no reason to suspect otherwise; after all, Lord Situ’s words really could be quite infuriating at times. Besides, she felt that it was actually quite good that her young mistress was losing her temper and throwing things.

When the young mistress had lived in the Zhou household before, she had been so virtuous she never threw a single thing. But a belly full of suppressed frustration that couldn’t be vented — all held in by drinking cold things — had eventually worn her body down.

It was rare for Chu Linlang to be rendered so speechless that she resorted to throwing things. Now that she had calmed down, she brooded with regret: how had she let herself be stopped in her tracks by that tender young gourd still topped with its yellow blossom?

She should have shot back with “let’s try, then” — if he had dared to undo his trousers in her room, she would have respected him as a true man!

But the verbal battle had already been lost, and sulking was useless. Better for her foot injury to heal quickly — being carried around on his back like this was no way to live.

After recuperating for several more days, Chu Linlang was finally able to get back on her feet.

Perhaps because he had noticed the female steward’s difficulty moving about, Situ Sheng had hired a skilled cook through introductions from colleagues during those few days, along with a general-purpose servant who also served as a stable hand. He had additionally purchased a secondhand carriage and kept a horse.

This made transportation within the household far more convenient — no more spending money to hire carriages. Chu Linlang no longer had to waste time on domestic errands either.

By Situ Sheng’s habits, he would never have hired so many people for himself. Yet now he had arranged such a complete staff, as if it were specifically to lighten Chu Linlang’s burden.

The carriage in particular was something Situ Sheng had absolutely no use for — whenever he needed one for official purposes, the government office provided it.

Even Guanqi said the lord had no use for it, that it was simply a display of grandeur arranged for Madam Chu’s sake.

The idle annoyance born of her losing that quarrel with him was more than half dispelled by Situ Sheng’s way of making amends through actions.

And so Dongxue and the others noticed that their young mistress, who had spent three days giving Lord Situ the cold shoulder, seemed to have been coaxed back into good spirits. The two of them could sometimes be seen standing beneath a tree in the inner courtyard’s training ground, talking.

His lordship tilted his head with a faint smile — no one could tell what irritating thing he had said again — while their young mistress leaned against the freshly blooming plum blossoms, eyes wide and slanted sideways at his lordship, her lips curved into a smile far brighter than the plum blossoms behind her…

With the household of the ever-frugal Lesser Court Director spending so much more each month, Chu Linlang no longer had to manage three meals a day, but still had to be careful with money and keep a close eye on her employer’s purse.

Beyond household expenses, there were also social engagements outside the Situ residence that required spending.

Her foot had just barely scabbed over when the daughter born to Fourth Imperial Prince’s concubine was holding her one-month celebration banquet.

The Fourth Imperial Prince’s residence had sent an invitation card, inviting Situ Sheng to attend the wine banquet.

The Fourth Imperial Prince, whose imperial consort mother had recently been released from cold palace confinement and had regained imperial favor, now had a household bustling with visitors.

However, since it was the child of a concubine, this was the kind of social engagement Situ Sheng had no desire to attend. He had been regularly visiting Grand Libationer’s residence to play chess lately, and had no time for such a cup of watered-down wine at the Fourth Imperial Prince’s household.

Yet the residence had no female family members to handle this kind of auspicious occasion of adding a new member to the household.

Chu Linlang could only step in as a substitute, preparing to lead the maidservants with a congratulatory gift to fulfill the proper courtesies.

The last time she had gone to Grand Libationer’s residence, she had very nearly been driven out the door.

She thought to herself that this time, going to the Fourth Imperial Prince’s residence on business would not result in being coldly snubbed by the Fourth Imperial Prince himself — but if she encountered stewards and servants from other residences, trouble might easily arise. So she planned to deliver the gift and leave promptly.

But to her complete surprise, the moment the Fourth Imperial Prince’s steward heard she was the female steward from the Lesser Court Director’s residence, his face broke into a full smile, and he insisted on inviting Chu Linlang to stay for a cup of wine.

It would have been rude to refuse such earnest hospitality. Chu Linlang could only thank him and decided to go through the motions — one cup and she would leave.

In a great prince’s residence of this kind, male and female guests naturally drank in the front hall together.

The higher-ranking stewards from various households, having settled their masters in and left maidservants and servants to attend to them, had retreated to the outer courtyard where wine was also being served.

But even this seating arrangement had its hierarchy. Stewards from households of lower-ranked masters mostly received some reward money in red envelopes. Those with close ties to the princely household might receive a large food hamper to take home.

Only the stewards from the most powerful and prominent residences in the capital could gain a seat at these three tables, each set with eight dishes and two soups.

When Chu Linlang was shown to a seat at the table, she felt a tiny prick of unease.

Looking around, it seemed her employer had the lowest rank of anyone here. The rest were all stewards from the Crown Prince’s residence, various ducal households, and princely households.

Furthermore, among all the people at these tables, Chu Linlang was the only female steward — all the rest were men.

What business did she have drinking with this crowd of seasoned old foxes, a young woman like herself?

The Fourth Imperial Prince’s steward only realized the impropriety at this moment and could only manage an awkward smile. There was no helping it — genuinely proper large households truly did not have female stewards.

Sure enough, a single fresh flower stood out conspicuously among the rest, and everyone’s gazes turned to focus on Chu Linlang.

Yet she searched for a long time and could not find her mother. When she asked a servant, she learned her mother had been confined to the Buddhist prayer hall by her father for self-reflection and was not permitted to receive visits even when her daughter came for a return visit.

Chu Linlang understood that the person least pleased to see the Fourth Imperial Prince revive from near-ruin and regain imperial favor was the current Crown Prince.

The Fourth Princess Consort, knowing that Madam Chu had caused an uproar at the Second Young Miss of the Xie Family’s wedding, received instructions from the Fourth Imperial Prince and specifically had her steward invite Chu Linlang to stay for wine.

Now that Madam Chu was deeply at odds with the Xie Family — perfect for exploitation! The Fourth Princess Consort could use this opportunity to play the rescuer and curry favor, winning the female steward’s gratitude and thereby planting a useful informant within the Situ residence for future use.

What kind of steward was this? In all of the capital, no one had ever seen a woman holding such a position!

But just as she was turning to leave, she saw the Fourth Princess Consort leading the Sixth Princess Consort, accompanied by a retinue of maidservants and nannies, dressed in splendid brocade and walking over together.

Since her husband wished to repair relations with his honored teacher, the female steward of the Situ residence was to be treated like a closer-than-blood bosom friend.

As the crowd of fashionably dressed noblewomen looked over at her with puzzled expressions, Chu Linlang simply smiled graciously between sips of wine, looking for any pretext to slip away.

But several people from the Crown Prince’s faction chimed in and deliberately burst into loud laughter, intent on watching the young woman be squeezed out and left writhing in shame and resentment.

These words were truly venomous — simultaneously striking at three households’ most sensitive points. Only the Crown Prince’s residence’s chief steward, arrogant and overbearing as he was, would have dared say such things without restraint.

The enmity of a stolen husband, the humiliation of an insulted sister — both could be reduced to ashes amid ladies’ elegant smiles and conversation.

As for the Sixth Princess Consort, having already been reprimanded by the Sixth Prince earlier, she had long since sorted out where her interests lay.

A divorced woman, relying on a few charms to ingratiate herself into a bachelor official’s home — and then parading about under the title of steward — how was she fit to share a table with them?

The Sixth Princess Consort was also a practical person who only kept in mind her husband’s instructions to treat Madam Chu well. She entirely failed to notice that her words had just implicated the Fourth Princess Consort-in-law — practically insinuating that her fourth sister-in-law had been neglectful of Madam Chu and had deliberately dumped her in a table full of men.

She had now married Liu Ling, and naturally her husband’s interests came first.

Seeing the flames of conflict ignited, those who had been quietly drinking with lowered heads also raised them now, watching the gossip unfold with bright, sparkling eyes — all waiting to see the fun at Chu Linlang’s expense.

With matters touching on imperial princes’ rivalry, no one dared pick up this particular thread, and everyone buried their heads in their drinks, secretly watching the drama.

Even if her father had forbidden her from coming home for a return visit, she could not care about that now — that very night she brought Zhou Sui’an back to her parents’ home.

For a woman to have such a magnanimous spirit only made those men who had been gossiping and wagging their tongues look rather like they had nothing better to do with their full bellies!

By then, she would play the gracious person and gently speak up in defense, which would further highlight how approachable and good-natured the Fourth Prince’s household was toward Madam Chu.

When she returned to her parents’ home after the visit, she was in an impatient hurry to find her mother and ask why the yamen had been so slow to arrest the culprit who had ruined her reputation.

And now, under the pretext of going to view flowers from the forcing greenhouse, she had brought the Sixth Princess Consort along as well — which had its own ulterior purpose.

The Sixth Prince’s chief steward also dared not pick up that thread. He simply picked up the enormous soup bowl like a washbasin, buried his face in it, and gulped down the soup noisily, pretending to hear nothing.

The Sixth Princess Consort, however, suddenly drew a deep breath, squeezed out a full smile on her face, and warmly took hold of Chu Linlang’s hand just as she was about to bow and take her leave. Smiling brilliantly at the Fourth Princess Consort, she said: “What is Fourth Imperial Sister-in-law saying? People who didn’t know better might think you were the old acquaintance of Madam Chu. Why, she and I grew close when I was in Jizhu with the Sixth Prince — the Sixth Prince and I even visited her home and ate dishes she personally cooked! I spent whole days embroidering and chatting with her — we hit it off at first sight, absolutely!”

Everyone must have been thinking: now that the Fourth Prince has regained imperial favor with an abundance of imperial grace, this Situ Sheng has really known how to work things — latching onto the Fourth Prince’s ship so early. He truly is someone who knows how to advance his own interests!

But Chief Steward Cui had clearly come just to make things difficult for the Fourth Prince’s household. Seeing Chu Linlang about to leave, he threw in another barbed remark in that yin-yang manner of his: “My, leaving already? Could it be that because there is a steward from the Sixth Prince’s residence at this table, Steward Chu feels a pang in her heart? Understandable — word has it the Sixth Princess Consort’s younger sister stole your husband, leaving you to go from a proper official’s wife to a lowly servant… Ah, in a gathering like this, you might run into your former husband any moment — no wonder you’re in such a hurry to leave.”

Who had ever seen a household’s old serving woman appear at this kind of social gathering?

Xie Youran was momentarily stunned, not knowing what error her mother had committed. Then her father suddenly appeared, didn’t spare her a single glance, and with an ashen face called her husband Zhou Sui’an into the study.

She was now nothing more than the minor chief steward of the Lesser Court Director’s household — yet she found herself being escorted and flanked by two princess consorts on either side, swept up to the main ladies’ table. Cups of wine were being offered to her one after another.

She had tried to please both parties, but all her conciliatory words were stuck in her throat and she could only laugh awkwardly while watching the Sixth Princess Consort, wondering what scheme this foolish sister-in-law was running today.

By the Fourth Princess Consort’s calculations, the not-very-clever sixth sister-in-law would surely be left without a way to save face — her expression would cloud over, she would turn cold and frosty toward Madam Chu, and if anything would most likely say something cutting.

When the old serving woman she had sent tripped and came back limping, Xie Youran truly regretted not going herself to publicly tear apart that woman surnamed Chu.

The Crown Prince’s chief steward, who had been the one to mock Chu Linlang the hardest, now wore an exceptionally colorful expression — bearing a touch of embarrassed indignation at being ignored.

Though these words appeared to be making peace, they were in fact inflammatory. If it were truly goodwill, she should simply have avoided mentioning the Xie family wedding incident at all. By exposing the Sixth Princess Consort’s family scandal openly before everyone like this, how was anyone supposed to respond?

When Zhou Sui’an emerged, his face was ashen as paper, as though he had received some terrible fright.

He had just been mocking Chu Linlang for not daring to face the people from the Sixth Prince’s household — yet who could have known that this Madam Chu would have such a close personal friendship with the Sixth Princess Consort?

And as the steward of the Lesser Court Director’s residence, being received with such a grand welcome at the Fourth Prince’s household — even managing to secure a seat at the main table — this demonstrated that the relationship between the Lesser Court Director and the Fourth Imperial Prince was far from ordinary.

And Madam Chu was so beautiful — quite possibly she was the gentle breeze whispering at Situ Sheng’s pillow!

The first to open the conversation was Cui, the Crown Prince’s chief steward. He was a eunuch who had undergone castration, and his speech was always slow and measured: “I have long heard that the Lesser Court Director’s residence has a capable female steward. Seeing her today, she truly is a beauty of fish-sinking, goose-dropping grace… Only one wonders when did Lord Lesser Court Director grow so close to the Fourth Prince? His lordship’s eye for talent is truly discerning — he warmed himself at a cold stove so early, stoking the fire long in advance!”

Chu Linlang still remembered the grudge she held with the Xie Family. Seeing the Sixth Princess Consort, she immediately lowered her head, intending to slip away quietly without drawing attention.

Chu Linlang inwardly cursed at the old cunning fox — these maneuvers were truly impossible to guard against.

What a pity that the Sixth Prince had no perceptiveness and was still hoping to repair his relationship with his honored teacher. This was practically trying to steal his person right from under his nose.

The Fourth Prince’s household clearly intended to show those from the Crown Prince’s faction that Lord Situ and the Fourth Imperial Prince had a deep and close friendship.

So she continued to pretend not to hear, rose from her seat, and made to leave.

The Fourth Princess Consort’s smile grew even more strained, and she inwardly marveled in surprise: how had she never noticed before that this sixth sister-in-law was a master of playing the fool to hide her cunning?

Even a quick-witted person like herself was somewhat struggling to keep up, and could only let the Sixth Princess Consort lead her by the hand, smiling awkwardly.

What on earth was this supernatural situation? Even when she herself had been an official’s wife, she had never made it onto a table this grand!

And so the Sixth Princess Consort swiftly adjusted her expression and, smiling, said that seeing a beauty like Madam Chu, who could help but feel drawn to her? She herself had felt an instant connection upon their first meeting, as if they had endless things to talk about — so her fourth sister-in-law was absolutely right, they simply must have Madam Chu come to the front hall for a drink and a good long chat.

And so the originally low-profile Chu Linlang, to the wide-eyed astonishment of stewards from every residence, found herself — in her capacity as the Sixth Princess Consort’s old acquaintance from Jizhu, and the Fourth Princess Consort’s kindred spirit friend at first meeting — elevated in an instant to the main ladies’ table of the host household.

With such a lively scene of sworn-sister recognition unfolding, the stewards from the other households naturally had no way to get a word in.

The previous time she had seen Chu Linlang coming and going at Grand Libationer’s residence, fury had burned in her heart, and she had deliberately sent people to make trouble, hoping to humiliate Chu Linlang publicly.

It was because the affair at Zhou Sui’an’s wedding had stirred up such a great commotion — this former wife had even sent people to disrupt the marriage ceremony of Zhou the Court Physician, damaging the reputation of the Sixth Princess Consort’s younger sister everywhere, causing the Sixth Princess Consort Xie Dongli to lose face as well.

The Fourth Imperial Prince, enlightened by a few pointed words from Situ Sheng, had finally helped his imperial consort mother make a comeback from the depths. As for Situ Sheng himself, the Fourth Imperial Prince regarded him as a priceless find and was determined to secure his loyalty.

And in this courtyard full of noblewomen, there was one more person burning with rage, staring in disbelief at everything unfolding — that was Xie Youran, who had come with her husband to drink at the banquet.

Situ Sheng was not afraid of stirring up trouble and had actually taken in that fiery creature — a clear sign that he was furious about the Sixth Imperial Prince insulting his teacher, and was giving the Sixth Imperial Prince a hard slap in the face!

When Chu Linlang paid her respects to the two princess consorts, the Fourth Princess Consort, ever adept with her long sleeves, smiled enchantingly and said to the Sixth Princess Consort: “Sister-in-law, for my sake, please do not trouble Madam Chu today. She is a woman of difficult fate, and our Fourth Prince has instructed me to treat her well.”

Chu Linlang had absolutely not anticipated that the princess consort who, the last time they had met, had accused her of damaging the Xie family’s reputation and refused to forgive her, would now speak to her in such a gentle and agreeable manner, as if suffering from complete amnesia.

Chu Linlang did not want to have any conflict with the Crown Prince’s people. If she had spoken her fill and vented her feelings, wouldn’t that just bring trouble to Situ Sheng?

When Situ Sheng eventually had a proper mistress of his household, the first person to be sold off would likely be this alluring female steward!

She had been careless for a moment and been made to look foolish by this simpleton.

No wonder the Fourth Imperial Prince’s steward had insisted on inviting her over — so this was the trap all along.

The Fourth Imperial Prince thought there was no harm in working on the people close to Situ Sheng, allowing this foolish Sixth Princess Consort to offend the Situ residence’s chief steward.

Having said this, the Sixth Princess Consort turned to Chu Linlang with a smile: “You always feed me at your table, yet the last time you came to my residence, I failed to be a proper host and didn’t keep you for a meal. Today works out perfectly — I’m borrowing my fourth sister-in-law’s banquet to properly invite you for a cup of wine.”

The onlookers seated nearby were also quietly astonished.

But Chu Linlang had no desire to wade into the murky waters of princes jostling for power.

She pretended not to understand, only smiled modestly, then raised her wine cup to toast Chief Steward Cui, drank two mouthfuls, rose, and bid farewell to all the chief stewards present.

Yet who could have expected that this woman, with her silver tongue, had actually turned the tables and made quite an impressive showing before Grand Libationer’s face.

Who could have known the Sixth Princess Consort would suddenly suck in a deep breath, force out a full smile on her face, and warmly take hold of Chu Linlang’s hand just as she was about to bow and take her leave.

Seeing the battle ignited, those who had been silently drinking with their heads down also raised them now, watching the drama unfold with bright eyes — all waiting to see Chu Linlang made a laughingstock.

In matters touching on imperial princes’ rivalry, this kind of strange talk went unanswered by all as everyone buried their heads in their drinks and secretly watched the spectacle.

She had no choice but to let her own nanny quickly bring two maidservants and escort Xie Youran into the Sixth Prince’s carriage, then send her back to the Zhou household.

Even a woman of such broad-minded magnanimity made those men who had been thoughtlessly gossiping look as though they had nothing better to do with themselves!

The one who had originally mocked Chu Linlang most viciously — the Crown Prince’s chief steward — now wore an especially vivid expression, bearing a touch of humiliated indignation at being overlooked.

And so the originally plan to play the gracious rescuer and gently speak up in her defense — all those conciliatory words she had prepared — were completely blocked in her throat. She could only laugh awkwardly and watch the Sixth Princess Consort, wondering what scheme this foolish sister-in-law was running today.

By the Fourth Princess Consort’s calculations, the not-very-clever sixth sister-in-law would surely be left without a way to save face, her expression clouded over, cold and frosty toward Madam Chu — and quite possibly would say something cutting to boot.

She had been at a momentary loss and ended up being outmaneuvered by this simpleton, made to look utterly foolish.

What kind of strange supernatural situation was this? Even when she herself had been an official’s wife, she had never managed to sit at a table this grand!

And so she quickly readjusted her expression and smiled, saying that seeing a beauty like Madam Chu, who could help but feel drawn to her? She herself had felt an instant connection upon first meeting her, as if there were endless things to say — so her fourth sister-in-law was absolutely right, they simply must have Madam Chu come to the front hall for a drink and a proper chat.

Chu Linlang kept a gracious smile on her face, composedly managing the social situation, while inwardly berating herself for not having shaken her oracle shell before leaving the house today.

Chief Steward Cui’s sharp tongue was too lazy to be concealed — he was plainly criticizing the Court of Judicial Review’s Associate Director for favoriting the Fourth Prince, which was openly working against the Crown Heir.

The Fourth Princess Consort had received instructions from the Fourth Prince to win over the Court of Judicial Review’s Associate Director, so naturally she could not fall behind others in this.

Who had ever seen a household’s inner-courtyard matron appear at this kind of social gathering?

Xie Youran was momentarily stunned and did not know what wrong her mother had committed. Then her father suddenly appeared, didn’t give her so much as a glance, and with an ashen face called her new husband Zhou Sui’an into the study.

She was now nothing more than the minor chief steward of the Lesser Court Director’s household — yet she found herself being escorted by two princess consorts on both sides, swept up to the main ladies’ table, with cups of wine being offered to her one after another.

All those conciliatory words she had prepared for both parties were stuck in her throat, leaving her with nothing to do but laugh awkwardly and watch the Sixth Princess Consort, waiting to see what scheme this foolish sister-in-law was running today.

By the Fourth Princess Consort’s calculations, the not-very-shrewd sixth sister-in-law would definitely find herself without a way down from her high horse, and would surely show displeasure toward Madam Chu — cold and icy — quite possibly even throwing out a few cutting remarks.

When the old serving woman she had sent stumbled and came back limping, Xie Youran truly regretted not going herself and publicly tearing apart that woman surnamed Chu.

The Crown Prince’s chief steward, who had been mocking Chu Linlang most fiercely, now wore an exceptionally vivid expression — bearing a touch of indignant embarrassment at being overlooked.

These words appeared conciliatory, but were in fact stirring up strife. If it were truly goodwill, she should simply have refrained from mentioning the Xie family wedding incident at all. By exposing the Sixth Princess Consort’s family scandal in front of everyone like this, how was anyone supposed to respond?

The enmity of a stolen husband, the humiliation of an insulted sister — both could be reduced to ashes amid ladies’ elegant laughter and talk, as if burning to nothing like a great fleet of warships.

As for the Sixth Princess Consort, having earlier been reprimanded by the Sixth Prince, she had long since sorted out where her interests lay.

A divorced woman, relying on a bit of beauty to go ingratiate herself in a bachelor official’s home, then parading about under the title of steward — was she worthy of sitting at the same table as them?

The Sixth Princess Consort was also a practical person, keeping in mind only her husband’s wish that she treat Madam Chu well. She entirely failed to notice that her own earlier words had implicated the Fourth Princess Consort — practically suggesting that her fourth sister-in-law had neglected Madam Chu and deliberately dumped her at a table full of men.

Having now married Liu Ling, she naturally placed her husband’s interests first.

Seeing the conflict ignited, those who had been quietly drinking with their heads down also raised them, watching the gossip unfold with bright, sparkling eyes — all waiting to see Chu Linlang made a laughingstock.

In matters touching on imperial princes’ rivalry, no one dared pick up this thread. Everyone buried their heads in their drinks and secretly watched the spectacle.

Even though her father forbade her from coming home for a return visit, she couldn’t care about that now — that very evening she brought Zhou Sui’an back to her parents’ home.

For a woman to have such a magnanimous spirit only made those men gossiping thoughtlessly look like they had nothing better to do with their full bellies!

The one who had been planning to play the gracious rescuer and gently speak up in defense — all those conciliatory words were completely blocked in her throat. She could only laugh awkwardly and watch the Sixth Princess Consort, wondering what this foolish sister-in-law was up to today.

And now, under the pretext of going to view flowers from the forcing greenhouse, she had brought the Sixth Princess Consort over as well — with ulterior motives.

The Sixth Prince’s chief steward also dared not pick up this thread. He simply picked up the enormous soup bowl like a washbasin and buried his face in it, gulping down the soup noisily while pretending to hear nothing.

It seemed that on second thought, the Sixth Princess Consort was the one person who laughingly held the entire scene together: “Madam Chu, do you remember the embroidery patterns you taught me when we were in Jizhu? I could still do them then, but not having practiced since we parted, I’ve forgotten more than half. When we’re drinking later, you must explain the needlework technique to me again… Oh my, why are you sitting here drinking with all these men? Whoever arranged this? A full table of men — how uncomfortable that must be. Come! Join me in the front hall for a drink!”

Chu Linlang kept a gracious smile on her face, composedly managing the social niceties, while inwardly feeling quite vexed that she hadn’t shaken her oracle shell before leaving the house today.

Chief Steward Cui’s sharp tongue was too lazy for concealment — he was plainly blaming the Court of Judicial Review’s Associate Director for siding with the Fourth Prince, which amounted to openly opposing the Crown Heir.

The Fourth Princess Consort had received instructions from the Fourth Prince to win over the Court of Judicial Review’s Associate Director and naturally could not fall behind.

Who had ever seen an inner-courtyard matron appear at this kind of social gathering?

Xie Youran was momentarily stunned and did not know what wrong her mother had committed. Then her father suddenly appeared, didn’t spare her a single glance, and with an ashen face called her husband Zhou Sui’an into the study.

She was now nothing more than the minor chief steward of the Lesser Court Director’s household — yet she had been swept up by two princess consorts, one on each side, to sit at the main ladies’ table, with cups of wine being offered one after another.

She tried to please both parties, and all those conciliatory words were blocked in her throat, leaving her with nothing to do but smile awkwardly and watch the Sixth Princess Consort — waiting to see what scheme this foolish sister-in-law was running today.

In the Fourth Princess Consort’s calculations, the not-very-clever sixth sister-in-law would definitely be left without a way down from her high horse, and would surely show displeasure toward Madam Chu, cold and icy, and quite possibly would even throw out a few cutting remarks.

When the serving woman she sent stumbled and came back limping, Xie Youran truly regretted not going personally and tearing that woman surnamed Chu to pieces in public.

The Crown Prince’s chief steward, who had been mocking Chu Linlang most harshly, now wore an especially vivid expression — with a touch of embarrassed indignation at being overlooked.

These words appeared conciliatory, but were in fact inflammatory. True goodwill would have meant not mentioning the Xie family wedding incident at all. By exposing the Sixth Princess Consort’s family scandal before everyone like this, how could anyone respond?

The Sixth Princess Consort was a practical woman who only kept in mind her husband’s wish that she treat Madam Chu well. She entirely failed to notice that her own words had implicated the Fourth Princess Consort-in-law — practically suggesting that her fourth sister-in-law had neglected Madam Chu and deliberately left her sitting in a crowd of men to drink.

Having married Liu Ling, she naturally placed her husband’s interests first.

Seeing the battle ignited, those who had been quietly drinking with their heads down now raised them, watching the gossip unfold with bright, avid eyes — all waiting to see the joke play out.

In matters touching on imperial princes’ rivalry, no one dared pick up this thread. Everyone buried their heads in their drinks and secretly watched the drama.

She had no choice but to have her own nanny quickly lead two maidservants and escort Xie Youran into the Sixth Prince’s carriage, sending her back to the Zhou household.

For a woman to have such broad-minded magnanimity only made those gossiping men look as though they had nothing better to do with themselves!

The Crown Prince’s chief steward, who had been the one to mock Chu Linlang most viciously, now wore an especially vivid expression, bearing a touch of embarrassed humiliation at being overlooked.

These words looked like peacemaking, but were in fact inflammatory. If it were truly goodwill, she should simply have refrained from mentioning the Xie family wedding incident at all. By exposing the Sixth Princess Consort’s family scandal in front of everyone like this, how was anyone supposed to respond?

The Sixth Princess Consort, meanwhile — having earlier been reprimanded by the Sixth Prince — had long since sorted out where her interests lay.

A divorced woman, relying on a bit of beauty to ingratiate herself in a bachelor official’s home, then parading about under the title of steward — how was she fit to sit at the same table?

The Sixth Princess Consort was a practical woman who kept in mind only her husband’s wish that she treat Madam Chu well. She entirely failed to notice that her own earlier words had implicated the fourth sister-in-law — practically suggesting that the Fourth Princess Consort had neglected Madam Chu and deliberately left her sitting in a table full of men.

Having married Liu Ling, she naturally put her husband’s interests first.

Seeing the battle ignited, those who had been quietly drinking with their heads lowered also raised them, watching the drama unfold with bright eyes — all waiting to see Chu Linlang made a laughingstock.

In matters touching on imperial princes’ rivalry, this kind of strange talk went unanswered, and everyone buried their heads in their drinks, secretly watching the spectacle.

She had no choice but to have her own nanny quickly bring two maidservants and escort Xie Youran into the Sixth Prince’s carriage, sending her back to the Zhou household.

—