The two spent a long time organizing the room before moving to the living hall of the residence, where the Cheng household staff were quietly sitting and sipping tea, waiting. Similarly, the Mu household staff stood orderly on the other side, waiting.

    Seeing that it was time to leave, Su Ming reminded the young lady to return to the Mu manor. The Mu household staff then excused themselves to return to their residence, accompanied by Cheng household staff who saw them out with goodwill.

    As the carriage began to move away from the Cheng manor, Mu Yingying lifted the curtain to look back at the group of people at the entrance, particularly at Cheng Liting's position, and nodded slightly. Many people thought the young lady was bidding farewell to the third young lady of the Cheng family.

    However, Mu Yingying was actually signaling to two maids standing behind Cheng Liting, who looked up at Mu Yingying briefly before bowing their heads again unnoticed by anyone.

    Having successfully signaled her people, Mu Yingying let the curtain fall and smirked cunningly, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

    After the Mu carriage had departed, Mian Li ordered her staff to disperse to their respective quarters. Cheng Liting, accompanied by her selected maids, returned to her new quarters. While people were dispersing, the two maids who received signals from Mu Yingying split up.

    One followed Cheng Liting back to her new quarters, and the other headed to the quarters of the Eldest Young Lady, Cheng Fuyuan, who was currently confined to the ancestral hall.

    Unbeknownst to many, these two maids in the Cheng manor were actually spies planted by Mu Yingying, as per her instructions to Uncle Wang, to gather intelligence within the Cheng household!

    Second Furen’s Quarters, Cheng Family

    After the Mu household staff had departed, Mian Li immediately led her people back to relax in her quarters, her beautiful face showing a trace of fatigue. She allowed her close maid to massage her arms and legs while she sipped tea to ease the soreness in her body.

    "Second Furen, the Third Young Lady has returned to her quarters,"

    One of the maids reported respectfully. Mian Li nodded in acknowledgment, and her close maid named Qing Yue sent the reporting maid away, "You may leave now."

    "Yes, ma'am."

    With only the two of them left in the room, Mian Li leaned back, resting her head on her arm and closed her eyes for a brief rest while Qing Yue massaged her temples.

    "It was quite a trouble for you today, My lady. Had it not been for the master's orders, you wouldn't have had to personally welcome that Third Young Lady all day,"

    Qing Yue couldn't help but complain. Normally, the third young lady of the concubine wouldn't warrant the personal attendance of the mistress of the house all day, but due to the master's orders, the Second Furen had no choice but to comply.

    Mian Li listened to her close maid's continuous complaints without interrupting, agreeing with Qing Yue's sentiments silently. However, gaining control over the household affairs hadn't been easy for her, so she had to play the role of a compassionate mother to gain favor with her husband.

    "What will you do about the Third Young Lady now?" Qing Yue asked curiously.

    "Instruct our people to take good care of her. Make sure no one harms that girl!"

    Mian Li ordered firmly, surprising even Qing Yue. "Why, My lady?"

    Mian Li closed her eyes to hide her fleeting gaze. She had no particular interest in the girl but had her reasons for ensuring her well-being, reasons she couldn't disclose to anyone. Why she needed to protect the Third Young Lady was her own secret!

    Mian Li's sharp glance made Qing Yue quickly bow her head, sealing her lips. Just one look from the mistress was enough to convey that there were things better left unsaid.

    Satisfied that her maid understood her silent command, Mian Li changed the subject. "How was the Furen today?"

    "Our spies report that after hearing about today's events, the Furen took out her frustration on her chamber's furnishings again. I fear nothing in her quarters remains intact."

    “Hehe,” Mian Li chuckled in her throat, her beautiful face adorned with a mocking smile.

    "Let her destroy everything. The more she does, the more my husband hates her. It seems I must prepare a detailed report of the damages for my husband."

    Her eyes gleamed maliciously at the thought of her husband's disdain for the Furen and the downfall of a once proud woman like Cheng Furen. Mian Li's heart overflowed with joy.

    She had been looked down and stepped over by that woman. Despite being favored by her husband, Mian Li was bullied, belittled, and harassed by Cheng Furen every day. But all she could do was patiently wait for a chance to turn the tables on her adversary.

    And that opportunity had arrived!

    The major blunder committed by Cheng Furen several days before that enraged her husband and led to her confinement, Mian Li, as a concubine, was assisted by 'that person' to ascend to the position of the Second Furen of the Cheng family.

    Furthermore, 'that person' also helped her gain control over the household affairs!

    Even Mian Li herself couldn't fathom how 'that person' managed to assist her to reach this point, but one thing she knew for sure was that she couldn't afford to offend 'that person'.

    Mian Li smiled slightly and turned to give an order, "Don't forget to instruct our people to take good care of the Furen."

    "Yes, My lady,"

    Qing Yue replied with a cunning smile before she helped the mistress into her inner chamber to rest, and then retreated to attend to other duties outside. Therefore, in the spacious room, only Mian Li sat relaxing on a daybed by the window.

    Once she was sure she was alone, she reached under the daybed to find a hidden compartment, from which she retrieved a slender wooden box. Inside the box was a small scroll of paper and two hundred taels of gold in the form of promissory notes[1].

    Mian Li unrolled the paper to read its contents, then tossed it into a lamp to burn. She watched as the flames consumed the paper, turning it to ashes. She then turned her attention to the two hundred new taels of gold, and smirking.

    She didn't know who 'that person' was, but she simply had to fulfill tasks for them in exchange for their assistance and wealth. So far, she had accumulated nearly a thousand taels of gold from this arrangement!

    Such a favorable situation was not something Mian Li was willing to let slip through her fingers...

    Yet, she couldn't help but wonder why that person had ordered her to specifically look after the Third Young Lady. Could there be a connection between the two of them?

    Furen's Quarters, Cheng Family.

    Crash!

    The continuous sound of objects breaking came from within the quarters. The servants outside, tasked with various chores, shivered with dread due to the fury emanating from their master inside. Even the maid responsible for delivering the day's meals hesitated to enter, merely trembling at the doorway.

    Crash!

    Thud!

    Bang!

    The sounds of rage persisted, and if this continued, there might soon be nothing left intact.

    The servants exchanged helpless glances, unsure of how to proceed. Who among them dared to confront the Furen in her wrath?

    No one was that brave!

    Just as the servants outside stood with trepidation, waiting for orders, the door swung open, revealing Wei Xin, the Furen's trusted maid.

    To the other servants, her appearance was like a ray of hope in the darkness, for if anyone could calm the Furen, it was Wei Xin, who had grown up alongside her.

    Wei Xin glanced at the tray of food brought from the central kitchen with a heavy heart. Today's meal was yet again vegetable dishes, without a single piece of meat. She knew the Furen's temper might flare even more at the sight.

    Sighing deeply, Wei Xin resignedly took the tray, having no choice but to personally deliver it to her mistress.

    With the mistress in such a foul mood, no servant dared approach, fearing either a scolding or outright dismissal. Only Wei Xin had a chance to soothe her mistress's temper.

    Wei Xin carried the tray into the inner room. Navigating through the debris of shattered pottery and vases, she placed the food on the table before assisting the panting middle-aged woman sitting on the daybed.

    "My lady, you haven't eaten a bite today. Please, have some dinner," she softly urged, her voice filled with gentle concern. Cheng Furen, having cooled down slightly, complied with Wei Xin's request. However, upon seeing the meal before her, her anger reignited.

    "This is food?!"

    "All vegetables! Do they think I'm a pig?"

    "Day by day, that wretched Mian Li grows bolder, completely disregarding me!"

    Cheng Furen cursed in rage, her face contorting with anger. Despite her high status and dignity as the mistress of the city governor's manor, she was reduced to this humiliation by a mere concubine!

    Her authority was also usurped by that woman!

    The pain of this realization was unbearable!

    She reached out to sweep the food off the table in frustration but was stopped by Wei Xin's firm grip. "No, My lady!"

    "If My lady loses her temper again, there will be no dinner left for you to eat,"

    Wei Xin warned her mistress with good intentions, but it seemed the other party had not yet regained her composure. The fierce look in her eyes remained unchanged.

    "Wei Xin! Let me go!"

    "My lady, if you don't eat anything, it will harm your health. If you won't consider for yourself, please think of the young lady. What would she do if something were to happen to you?" Wei Xin reminded her mistress once more, and this time it had a good effect.

    As soon as Cheng Furen heard these words, she thought of her daughter enduring hardships in the ancestral hall. The pain in her heart was so intense she had to press her hand against her chest. The anger she had felt turned into heart-wrenching sorrow.

    "Yuan'er...sob…sob…my Yuan'er"

    She allowed tears to flow, lamenting her daughter's suffering. Why did her daughter have to endure such hardships?

    She felt powerless to help her daughter, wondering what she could possibly do.

    She felt like a terrible mother, only able to watch as her daughter was punished, unable to assist in any way!

    Wei Xin watched Cheng Furen's rapidly changing emotions with concern. Seeing her mistress in tears, she too felt a deep ache. "My lady, please eat something. You need to be strong when the young lady returns from the ancestral hall."

    "Yes, yes, I must eat. I must eat. For Yuan'er won’t worry when she returns,"

    Cheng Furen nodded vigorously, picking up her chopsticks to shovel the rice into her mouth in large bites. At that moment, she seemed almost out of her senses. Wei Xin, standing by, could only silently sigh.

    At least the Furen was eating something...

    Cheng Family’s Ancestral Hall

    In a small, dim, and stuffy room, a small wooden table stood in a corner with a girl's silhouette reflected by a nearby lit lantern, providing light for her. The girl sat upright, focused on copying texts with a brush in her hand. Beside her, a pile of more than one hundred completed textbooks lay stacked.

    Thump!

    As soon as the maid finished reporting the day's events in the household, the girl, who was copying texts, flung her brush down forcefully. The lantern's light revealed her malevolent face, causing the nearby maid to tremble with fear.

    "Hmph! So that wretched Liting has returned to the household? And she's been given a new house too?"

    "Hehe...What a comfortable life she leads!"

    Cheng Fuyuan sneered with resentment, her eyes flashing viciously. She crumpled a half-written paper in her small hands before discarding it carelessly.

    Both that wretched Liting and that despicable girl Mu Yingying, what rights do they have?!

    Despite causing her so much suffering, how dare they live happily!

    She refused to accept this!

    Cheng Fuyuan clenched her jaw, her face distorted unsightly. "Just wait until I get out...I'll make sure to repay you dearly!"

[1] Promissory notes or Flying cash (Chinese: 飛錢, pinyin: Feipiao), was a type of paper negotiable instrument used during China's Tang dynasty invented by merchants but adopted by the state. Its name came from their ability to transfer cash across vast distances without physically transporting it.