Jindan was born and raised in Hou Manor, having served there since childhood.
In her memory, the eldest young lady had always been taciturn, gloomy, and timid—nothing like this domineering and arrogant demeanor.
Jindan still didn’t dare to yield.
The second young lady wasn’t present, and the Marquise hadn’t given any orders.
If she yielded, she wouldn’t escape punishment.
Jindan’s heartbeat quickened slightly.
Just as she was thinking of how to respond, she saw Qu Lianzhi arriving with a grand procession of maids and matrons from the Main Courtyard.
Unlike her earlier hasty retreat, the hatred blazing in her eyes was now directed straight at Qu Ling.
“Move my belongings to Linjian Courtyard,” Qu Lianzhi declared, chin raised.
Linjian Courtyard was where Qu Mingyue, the Old Madam’s only daughter, had resided before her marriage.
Qu Mingyue, deeply favored by the Old Madam, naturally lived in the finest quarters of the manor.
She had married the powerful and highly-ranked Duke of Su, and the couple’s harmonious relationship was the envy of many.
Qu Lianzhi had long wanted to move into Linjian Courtyard.
She hoped to emulate her aunt Qu Mingyue’s smooth and peaceful life.
But the Old Madam had never consented.
Qu Lianzhi recalled the Old Madam’s sudden change in attitude toward her earlier.
Resentment swelled in her heart.
“Second Young Lady,” someone sent by the Old Madam spoke up, “Linjian Courtyard belonged to the Eldest Young Lady. You cannot move in without permission.”
“Aunt is already married,” Qu Lianzhi retorted. “What’s the point of her occupying a courtyard in the manor indefinitely?”
Angry and unrestrained, she added, “Is she waiting to be divorced and move back in?”
“Second Young Lady, watch your words!” Jindan was the first to react.
If the Old Madam heard such words, it would be disastrous.
Even if it reached the Marquis’s ears, it would be inappropriate.
The Marquis had a close relationship with his sister.
Qu Lianzhi also realized she had spoken out of turn. She forced a smile and changed the subject. “What are you all standing around for? Moving to Linjian Courtyard is my mother’s order. She is the mistress of Hou Manor. Do as she says.”
After listening for a while, Qu Ling suddenly found it amusing.
Qu Lianzhi seemed utterly brainless.
How had such a person driven her to madness in her previous life?
“Since my sister has found a place to stay, that’s good.”
Qu Ling smiled faintly and entered the courtyard.
The two groups went about their tasks separately, not interfering with each other.
Qu Ling and Qu Lianzhi sat facing each other in the Drawing Room, sipping tea, neither speaking first.
“What’s the use of you seizing Nuanshan Residence? Your mother is dead. No one in this manor cares about you,” Qu Lianzhi couldn’t hold back.
She wore a faint smile, but her words were venomous.
Qu Ling remained unprovoked.
“After seizing Nuanshan Residence, I’ll just take everything else you have.”
“What do you even possess?” Qu Ling set down her teacup, her eyes sharp and dark.
“Your looks? Your mother? Your two younger brothers?”
Qu Lianzhi’s expression turned cold and fierce. “What are you trying to do?”
“Of course, to make everyone care about me,” Qu Ling leaned forward slightly. “How about starting by taking your mother’s position as the mistress of the manor?”
Qu Lianzhi’s face instantly changed. She stared sharply at Qu Ling. “You don’t have the ability.”
She added, “Father despises you. He just hasn’t had the time to deal with you. When he returns, he’ll punish you severely for injuring Mother.”
Qu Ling leaned back casually. “Grandmother will protect me.”
The room fell silent.
Qu Lianzhi was thoroughly enraged.
No matter how much effort she exerted, it felt like punching cotton.
“Aren’t you leaving yet?” Qu Ling raised an eyebrow at her.
Qu Lianzhi stood up, snorted coldly, and strode away.
“Li Momo,” Qu Ling didn’t idle either, “I’m going to see the Old Madam. Nuanshan Residence is entrusted to you.”
She brought Tingqin along and went directly to Yun Song Hall.
The Old Madam had already heard from the servants about Qu Lianzhi moving to Linjian Courtyard.
At this moment, she was in a furious rage.
“Song Shi goes too far, and even the daughter she gave birth to is utterly arrogant.”
The matron beside her tried to console her, “The eldest young lady is blessed. Who in the capital isn’t jealous? Even the madam is envious.”
The Old Madam felt somewhat comforted.
The matron continued, “The second young lady is your own granddaughter, raised under your care, and has always been filial to you. If she gains blessings and achieves greatness in the future, won’t it bring honor to you?”
The Old Madam’s anger gradually subsided.
By the time Qu Ling entered, no trace of her earlier rage could be seen.
“Why have you come so soon?” the Old Madam asked kindly. “Is the courtyard tidied up?”
Qu Ling curtsied. “Second sister holds grievances against you.”
She repeated verbatim the disparaging remarks Qu Lianzhi had made about Qu Mingyue.
“Everyone present heard it,” Qu Ling said. “If Grandmother doesn’t believe me, you can go and ask.”
The Old Madam swept the teacup beside her hand onto the floor. Matron Qi, who was attending to her, shuddered inwardly and cast a hostile glance at Qu Ling.
Qu Ling showed no fear.
“Did the people who went to Nuanshan Residence not report this to Grandmother?” she added fuel to the fire.
The Old Madam realized that those around her had deceived her.
“Fine!” she trembled, pointing at the maids and matrons kneeling on the floor. “Every one of you is currying favor with Song Shi, showing no respect for me!”
Matron Qi, terrified, tried to intervene, but Qu Ling spoke leisurely, “Grandmother should take the household authority back into your own hands.”
The Old Madam’s anger instantly vanished. These words struck a chord with her.
“But how would Song Shi let go?”
After all, she was a daughter of the Song Family, the Empress’s own sister.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to openly break with her.
“Grandmother, have them all withdraw,” Qu Ling had a plan.
Though half-doubting, the Old Madam still wanted to hear it.
Everyone except Matron Qi withdrew.
“She is my most trusted person. There’s no need to hide it from her,” the Old Madam said.
A flicker of mockery passed through Qu Ling’s eyes.
Most trusted person?
She had long been bribed by Song Shi.
“It will require some exertion from Grandmother.” Qu Ling took a porcelain bottle from her bosom and placed it before the Old Madam.
The Old Madam was shocked. “Are you trying to poison me?”
She instantly grew suspicious of Qu Ling’s motives.
Qu Ling opened the bottle, poured out the powder, and put it in her mouth. “It’s just rice flour.”
She said, “The Princess pities me and naturally hopes it would be better for the manor if you held the authority.”
The Old Madam was tempted.
Although, by marrying Song Shi, the Dingxiang Marquis Manor was tacitly aligned with the Crown Prince’s faction.
The Old Madam also believed that the Princess stood no chance of winning this power struggle.
But the Princess currently wielded immense influence.
Why not make use of it?
She set her mind at ease, understanding Qu Ling’s meaning.
“Leave it to you to handle.” She handed the porcelain bottle to Matron Qi.
Not long after, the bottle ended up in Song Shi’s hands.
“Madam must be cautious. The Old Madam, incited by the eldest young lady, intends to seize the household authority from you,” Matron Qi knelt on the floor and reported.
Song Shi’s arm wound throbbed faintly, her lips coated with rouge to conceal their pallor.
“Mother, Qu Ling cannot remain,” Qu Lianzhi said. “She is utterly vicious.”
Qu Lianzhi wished she could kill her right then.
Though Linjian Courtyard was nice, it couldn’t change the fact that she had been driven out of Nuanshan Residence.
“Don’t be impatient,” Song Shi soothed her daughter. “Isn’t she planning to poison the Old Madam? That works perfectly for us.”
Killing two birds with one stone – both old and young would be caught in the net.
When Mama Qi left the Main Courtyard, she still held the porcelain bottle in her hand, though its contents had been changed.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
The Lady had promised that once the Old Madam died, she would return her contract of servitude, arrange for an adopted son, and allow her to retire to her hometown.
It was pitiful – after serving the Old Madam for half her life, she had never married and had no children of her own.
Why should the Old Madam enjoy a house full of children and grandchildren while she remained alone and desolate?
Mama Qi’s gaze gradually hardened as she quickened her pace through the corridor, silently returning to Yun Song Hall.
As dusk fell, the Qu family’s two sons studying at Guo Zi Jian returned home.
“Mother is injured?” exclaimed Qu Heng, the elder twin.
The younger twin Qu Yi also wore a worried expression. “Who hurt you? I’ll make them pay.”
Seeing these two sons filled Song Shi’s heart with comfort.
“It’s nothing, I was just careless…”
“It was Qu Ling,” Qu Lianzhi said. “She’s back, and with the Princess backing her, she injured Mother.”
“Lianzhi,” Song Shi frowned, “don’t speak nonsense.”
She truly didn’t want her two sons involved in this.
Inner household matters should be resolved within the inner household.
Men should focus on their studies, imperial examinations, and official careers – those were the proper pursuits.
“They should know,” Qu Lianzhi said, though displeased, she had to admit, “Their words carry more weight with Grandmother and Father.”
Qu Heng and Qu Yi exchanged glances.
As the legitimate sons of Hou Manor, dealing with Qu Ling wouldn’t be difficult.
The Main Courtyard was filled with harmonious joy.
When Qu Cheng returned and saw this scene, the gloom in his heart dissipated somewhat.
Though Song Shi could be foolish, she had given her all for Hou Manor.
Looking at the lively scene in the room, Qu Cheng couldn’t help but think of Qu Ling.
In his youth, he had genuinely loved Xu Zhaoyue.
Otherwise, with his top scholar talents, why would he have sought to marry an orphaned daughter of a deceased Earl’s household?
Qu Ling greatly resembled her mother.
But their temperaments were worlds apart.
Qu Cheng sighed.
That child needed proper guidance.
She must not be allowed to grow closer to the Princess, lest it displease the Crown Prince and bring disaster upon Hou Manor.
“The Marquis has returned.” Song Shi was the first to notice him.
The three children came forward to pay their respects.
Qu Lianzhi wisely refrained from mentioning the Nuanshan Residence matter.
Instead, Qu Cheng asked, “Where has Lianzhi’s courtyard been arranged?”
“Linjian Courtyard,” Song Shi said.
Seeing Qu Cheng’s slight frown, she quickly added, “We hoped she might share some of her eldest sister’s fortune – may Lianzhi marry as well as her eldest sister did, and may A Heng and A Yi achieve scholarly honors like her sons.”
Qu Cheng’s expression indeed softened considerably.
“Scholarly success comes from diligent study, not from such superstitions,” he said, though he didn’t pursue the Linjian Courtyard matter further.
Song Shi and Qu Lianzhi exchanged covert glances – the matter was settled.
After changing clothes and freshening up, Qu Cheng led everyone to Yun Song Hall.
He Shi from the second branch had already arrived with her children.
Amidst the continuous greetings rising and falling, Qu Ling remained composed and sat beside the Old Madam, quietly observing everyone in the room.
They were all here, not a single one missing.
In her previous life, apart from the legitimate daughter of the second branch, Qu Lianjia, who had already married out, everyone else had died by her hand.
The meal was dull and tasteless.
However, the Old Madam kept putting food into Qu Ling’s bowl, saying, “You’ve been away from home for a long time; you’ll gradually get used to it again.”
She then said to Qu Cheng, “A-Ling has copied scriptures and offered them in my Buddha hall. She is a filial child.”
Qu Cheng had originally prepared a bellyful of words to reprimand Qu Ling but now felt it inappropriate to voice them.
He also praised her a few times.
He Shi, rarely seeing the Marquise Song Shi at a disadvantage, wanted to speak up several times but was stopped each time by her daughter, Qu Lianjia.
After the meal, everyone returned to their quarters, but the Old Madam kept Qu Ling behind to talk.
By the time Qu Ling left Yun Song Hall, it was already completely dark, and the lanterns under the corridors had been lit.
The March wind still carried a chill. Wrapped in her cloak, she walked through the long corridor toward Nuanshan Residence.
On the way, she was stopped.
“You just returned home and dared to harm my mother, and even seized my sister’s residence? Who gave you the audacity?” Qu Yi emerged from somewhere, eyeing Qu Ling with ill intent.
Tingqin quickly stepped in front of Qu Ling, saying, “Please step aside, Second Young Master. Our young lady needs to return.”
“She won’t be going back today.”
Qu Yi sneered coldly and strode toward Qu Ling.