Everything came back to life in the spring of the third lunar month, with the willows turning green and the flowers red. Alongside the sound of orioles singing and the scene of swallows darting around, the earth became a vibrant place.

Yuxi watched the birds chirping happily in the trees and commented, “If we were at the hamlet, we could go flying kites right now.”

Zisu would not even want to sigh anymore. She just said, “Miss, Guye is going to attend the examination in three days, so you’ll have to show your support in any way, right?” The so-called support was to go to the mountain to worship the Bodhisattva or recite the scriptures at home. Whether it was useful or not, it was also a sign of concern for her fiancé.

Yuxi corrected Zisu’s mistake. “It’s too early to call him Guye when we haven’t been married yet.” Although it was said that the wedding was scheduled for the fifth lunar month, which was just over two months away, there was no marriage between them yet. It would feel odd if she started to hear the maids around her calling Chen Ran as Guye right now.

Zisu stated, “That’s what I’m calling him in private. Miss, do you truly want to go fly a kite?”

Mañjuśrī

Mañjuśrī

Image Credit | The rightful owner via Vajragoni (Mañjuśrī Teaches Prajñāpāramitā, Jan 20th, 2015)

Yuxi stopped teasing Zisu when she saw Zisu start to look flustered. Yuxi responded with a smile, “Mother said that the day after tomorrow, she will take me to the mountain to pay homage to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva.” In fact, Yuxi wasn’t worried at all. Even if she didn’t worship the Bodhisattva, Chen Ran would still pass the exam. However, as Zisu said, the appearance of her supporting him still had to be done. Otherwise, the Chen family would think that she didn’t take Chen Ran seriously!

Just at this time, Xuntao rushed over from outside and said, “Miss, this is not good. There’s a fight in the kitchen!”

Yuxi thought this situation was quite rare and inquired, “What happened? Who got into a fight with whom?” Qiu Shi was not a strict person, but Ye Shi was a bit sterner regarding housekeeping. It was the first time that a fight had ever happened. But according to the rules, they should punish those involved severely.

Xuntao answered, “Miss, it was the Third Lady’s personal maid Chunlan who got into a fight with Chef Fang, and it seems to be over a duck. Any more than that, this handmaiden doesn’t know.”

It was even rarer to fight over a duck. Yuxi smilingly said, “Let’s go to the Master Courtyard and see what’s going on?” She had been bored lately. She couldn’t miss this kind of action, so she had to go and watch it.

When they reached the Master Courtyard, Yuxi knew what was going on. It turned out that Wen Shi had always wanted to eat duck stew with caterpillar fungus, but the kitchen side kept saying there was none. As a result, when Chunlan went to the study today, she caught sight of a duck stew with winter melon simmering on a small stove.

Duck Stew With Caterpillar Fungus

Duck Stew With Caterpillar Fungus

Image and Recipe Credit | 寶媽小廚 via Meishichina

Duck Stew With Winter Melon

Duck Stew With Winter Melon

Image and Recipe Credit | 天山可可 via Meishichina

Chunlan felt aggrieved and scolded Chef Fang. Chef Fang Chef Fong was not an easy one to be pushed around either. The two of them got into a quarrel, which went out of hand and led to a fight.

Chef Fang knelt on the floor and said with a red, swollen face, “First Lady, this handmaiden told her that the duck stew was for Concubine Jia, but this maid insisted on taking it for the Third Lady to drink. When this handmaiden stopped her, she cursed and shoved the duck stew from the stove. This handmaiden was so angry that this handmaiden got into a fight with her.”

When Yuxi heard this confession, she raised her eyebrows. Surprisingly, Chef Fang admitted her mistake so easily, which was not like her usual style. Or should Yuxi say it wasn’t the style of the servants of the State Residence? Usually, when something happened, these people would desperately try to put the blame on others.

Chunlan’s face was not only swollen like a pig’s head, but blood was also spilling out from the corner of her mouth. When she heard what Chef Fang said, she instantly countered angrily, “My family Lady has been asking for duck stew with caterpillar fungus for more than ten days, but your kitchen kept saying that it was not available. Then where did this duck come from? It was because this handmaiden was upset on behalf of my family Lady that this handmaiden argued with her. This handmaiden didn’t push that soup over either. It was Chef Fang herself who accidentally knocked it over.”

Yuxi leaned back in her chair, and a smile appeared on her face upon hearing these words. If the child in Concubine Jia’s belly were a boy, he would be the future heir to the State Residence. How could Wen Shi be so shameless as to think that the child in her belly was more valuable than Concubine Jia’s child?

After hearing this, Qiu Shi threw the teacup on the table on the floor and coldly said, “I didn’t know that the children in Wen Shi’s belly were even more valuable than my grandson?”

Chunlan’s complexion turned pale.

When Yuxi saw Qiu Shi standing up and looking like she was going to fight, she hurriedly stopped her, “Mother, let’s try to talk calmly. don’t get angry.” Turning towards Li’s mother, she said, “Fighting in residence is a bad influence. Both of them will have their monthly salary deducted for one year each.”

With a year’s worth of monthly money gone, it was equivalent to cutting the flesh of two people. Cheng Fang was fine with it. Although she was heartbroken, she knew the status of the Fourth Miss in residence. Thus, she did not dare to disagree. Chunlan, however, didn’t have this apprehension. When she heard that she would be docked that much, she muttered that she was Wen Shi’s maid and Yuxi had no right to deal with her. T

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Yuxi sneered. “When you arrive at the Han family, you become the servant of the Han family. As a servant, you dare to contradict your master. So drag her off and slap her mouth.”

As soon as Yuxi said this, Mama Li went up to cover Chunlan’s mouth and dragged her out. When Chunlan struggled, Liuyin saw that this action from Chunlan wouldn’t do. Hence she went to help Mama Li.

Chef Fang lowered her head to the ground in fear. Luckily she hadn’t retorted just now. Otherwise, her fate would certainly not be much better than Chunlan.

Qiu Shi waved her hand and said, “All go down.” Only when everyone had gone did she say, “What are you doing meddling in this? No one would have said you are poisonous.”

Yuxi poured a cup of tea for Qiu Shi and said with a smile, “No one will dare to talk nonsense. Mother doesn’t need to be angry either. It’s just a little thing.”

Qiu Shi took the tea, drank half a cup, then put it down and complained, “Today she wants to eat abalone with ginseng. Tomorrow, she wants to eat a shark’s fin with a bird’s nest. The day after tomorrow, she wants to eat duck and chicken with caterpillar fungus. Which pregnant woman has ever become as fussy as her?” When she was pregnant with Jianming, she wasn’t this squeamish either.

Yuxi smiled and pointed out, “It’s not like Mother doesn’t know that Wen Shi is a shallow one. So why bother with her?” Seeing Qiu Shi’s bored look, she said, “If Mother is really impatient, it’s actually very easy to deal with her.”

Qiu Shi’s body straightened as she asked, “Tell me, what can I do?”

Yuxi’s method was simple. “Separate the family. Now that Dage is in charge of the State Residence, Mother has enough reason to propose a separation.” Yuxi preferred the once-and-for-all method of either keeping quiet or getting to the root of the matter.

Qiu Shi’s heart jumped. She turned to shake her head and said, “Your Grandmother will not agree.” It was true that splitting the family would solve the problem. Even if Wen Shi wanted to eat dragon’s liver and phoenix bladder after the split, that would have nothing to do with her. It was just that there was no way the Old Lady would agree to the separation of the family.

Yuxi said with a smile, “Mother, it doesn’t matter if Grandmother disagrees with the division of the family, as long as San Shu wants to, then that’s fine.” The most important thing for people in the career path was reputation. As long as people in residence said a few words about Han Jingyan eating and using his nephew, he would unquestionably take the initiative to split the family.

Qiu Shi had some doubts about this method. “Will it really work?”

Yuxi smiled. “This time, Chunlan’s fight with Chef Fang can be used as a trigger. As for whether it’s useful or not, we’ll know after we try it.”

Qiu Shi stroked Yuxi’s head and advised, “Yuxi, I am pleased and relieved that you can help Mother to solve this problem. But when you get to the Chen family, you must not stand out in everything, do you understand?” She was there to protect Yuxi while Yuxi was still in the Han family. Therefore, it didn’t matter what Yuxi did here. But in the Chen family, it was different. Yuxi would be the second son’s wife. The most important thing for a second son’s wife was to behave herself. If she were too strong, her mother-in-law would not like her. Nor would the sisters-in-law get along with each other.

Yuxi smiled as she assured her, “Mother doesn’t need to worry about me.” When she arrived at the Chen family, it was enough to mind her own piece of land. When Chen Ran had completed three years at the Hanlin Academy, she would go on a foreign assignment with Chen Ran and would not have to be locked up in the mansion all year round.

Qiu Shi nodded and said, “You have always acted in a measured manner. So I won’t say more.” If she could, she wanted to keep Yuxi with her longer. It was just that a girl had to get married when she reached an age. Although Qiu Shi couldn’t let her go, there would always be that day.

After leaving Chunlan, Mama Li asked her to be sent back to Biteng Courtyard. When Wen Shi saw the disfigured Chunlan, she fainted from shock.

The old woman servant beside Wen Shi was sent there by the Old Lady. When she saw this scene, she felt terrible and hurriedly ordered a young maid, “Quickly have someone go get the physician.”

The physician came over and finished taking Wen Shi’s pulse as he reported, “The Third Lady was surprised, and it caused her to have pregnancy complications. But it’s not serious. Just take some medicine to prevent miscarriage.”

The Old Lady was furious when she found out and inquired, “What is going on? Why did she have pregnancy complications?” Wen Shi’s pregnancy had been well-nourished, but she had never thought that there would be a problem.

Mama Luo had already inquired about the causes and consequences, so she told the Old Lady everything word for word. “And I didn’t expect the Third Lady would suddenly suffer pregnancy complications?”

The Old Lady said with an ugly look on her face. “Has the Fourth Girl been getting bolder and bolder? She even dares to beat up the maids around her Shenniang? What else does she not dare to do? Just because she’s getting married, she thinks I don’t dare to touch her?”

Mama Luo explained, “Old Lady, originally, Fourth Miss punished them with a year’s monthly payment, it was Chunlan who said that she was the Third Lady’s maid and Fourth Miss was not qualified to deal with her, which angered the Fourth Miss.” Mama Luo was up to her eyeballs in this. One, to say that Wen Shi didn’t yet consider herself a member of the Han family, and two, to say that Chunlan was the one looking for a fight. Wouldn’t it be considered like that when the maid even dared to irritate her other master?

The Old Lady also knew that Mama Luo was right. Still, Yuxi’s behaviour also made her uncomfortable: “Go to the Taoran House yourself and tell that girl to copy the Heart Sutra fifty times.” Yuxi was about to get married. Punishing her with house arrest and scolding would not work, so she had to use this method.

Mama Luo nodded and then asked, “Old Lady, when the Third Lord comes back in the evening and knows about this, it is estimated that there will be another storm.” The Third Lord was very excited about the child in Wen Shi’s belly. If he knew that the Fourth Miss had caused the Third Lady to have pregnancy complications, she was afraid it would not end up good.

The Old Lady also felt a headache. Yuxi and her youngest son must have been enemies in their previous life. Otherwise, why would father and daughter have gone to this extent?

Mama Luo was worried and said, “Old Lady, the Third Lady will certainly tell this matter to the Lord. When the Third Lord is angry, he will beat the Fourth Miss up. What should we do then?” This time, the situation was different. If the Third Lord dared to lay a finger on the Fourth Miss, the First Lady would fight the Third Lord to the death.

The Old Lady assured her, “Yan-er would not be so uncontrollable.” His anger would absolutely be there, but saying he would hit Yuxi would not be the case.

There were things she could say, but she had to stop herself. If she went too far, she would be disliked by the Old Lady.