Lady Qin’s jealousy and selfishness were infamous, for she had beaten to death three of her husband's concubines. Even Qin Hansi dared not challenge her. The other wives and sisters-in-law had to respect her as well, as she controlled the household finances. Thus, holding the highest power, she overlooked everyone, just like her husband.

    With the family's vast wealth seemingly inexhaustible, the Qin family indulged in lavish spending and frequent lavish banquets, each meal costing as much as the annual expenses of a whole village. However, recently, their funds began to dwindle as Song Tianyi had shut down their avenues for embezzlement. Instead of reducing expenses, Lady Qin began to sell off collectibles, claiming they had too many items and no place to store them.

    "This is Fengwei silk, smoother and finer than ordinary fabric, it took me three years to obtain this piece. It's rare and extremely valuable. Oh, and this is a Lianjin vase, painted by the master Chen Yu, truly priceless. And this is a pheasant hairpin made from Kingfisher’s feathers, see? It suits you perfectly. I'm sure you'll love it."

    After lunch, Lady Qin rushed to offer these items to Lady Wang, hoping to exchange them for cash to bribe Madam Ma, who, although the wife of a significant official, wasn't as flush with cash as Lady Qin expected. Lady Wang preempted her, saying,

    "If you're offering these as payment for the interest on the money you borrowed at the start of the year, I'll gladly accept."

    "Uh... no, I meant to sell them to you..."

    "Sigh, I'm not feeling well lately, and I'm quite unwell myself. I'm really sorry, sister, but I'm not interested right now." Lady Wang ended the conversation and excused herself to rest. Lady Qin had no choice but to leave with a forced smile, hearing Lady Wang loudly complain to a servant:

    "She borrows nearly ten thousand taels and never thinks of repaying. Still, she has the nerve to try and sell back the gifts I gave her."

    Lady Qin also grumbled in her carriage,

    "Ha! The Wang family is just a just a dirtbag, no foresight at all, no appreciation. If it weren't for my husband pleading for her husband's life back then, she wouldn't dare to be so proud today. A few thousand taels are nothing compared to my wealth. It's because of this shifty nature that I don’t want to pay off the debt.”

    Her anger stemmed from the other party mentioning old debts in front of servants, and she was also frustrated at not finding money for bribing Madam Ma. The upcoming husband's retirement party would cost at least two thousand taels, and she couldn't cancel it as invitations had been sent. Even the manor's servants hadn't been paid for two months. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

    "Delete the Wang family's name from the guest list. They are no longer welcome."

    "Yes, my lady. Where shall we head next?"

    "To the Jia Manor!"

    "Last time Lady Jia also... uh... asked for money."

    Lady Qin slapped her closest servant sharply and snapped at the coachman irritably, "To the Shi Manor!"

    During this period, Qin Hansi was cautious, given the scrutiny of the Inspectorate Office across from his manor, affecting the family's financial situation. Wet nurse Zhang knew some of this and thus pushed for the elder daughters to marry into the prestigious Liuyuan Palace, to align with the royal family. She hoped Song Tianyi of the Inspectorate Office would finally have to respect them!

    The obstacle that Wet nurse Zhang needed to eliminate was the problematic young lady, who absolutely could not be allowed to bring shame to her two sisters.

         Despite her mature age, Wet nurse Zhang moved energetically along the gravel path toward the thick bamboo garden. As the wind rustled through, the bamboo leaves made a swishing sound, adding a haunting aura to the surroundings. In the midst of this calm, there hid a small house, a place wet nurse Zhang had not visited for many years. She remembered that the Sky Bamboo House was just a small shack made of bamboo with a thatched roof, initially a shelter for workers, containing only a bedroom and a storage room. Lady Lan’er had to reside here, overlooked by everyone. Over the years, it probably had deteriorated to the point of being barely habitable.

    However, upon reaching Bamboo Sky House, She was struck dumb with astonishment. While the small, thatched cottage was indeed dilapidated as expected, a beautifully elegant, compact house with a small pavilion was unexpectedly built behind the old shack, as if deliberately highlighting and shaming the stepmother's lack of compassion.

    "What does this mean? Why is there a new house here without my mistress knowing? Did master order this house built for her?"

    "No, ma'am. The young lady ordered the construction herself," explained Mao Jun, following wet nurse Zhang with a tray at a distance. She didn't deliver the tray to the young lady but dumped its contents onto ceramic plates for the peacocks and pheasants in the bamboo garden to peck at, causing wet nurse Zhang to frown even more deeply in displeasure.

    "Why didn't you deliver the tray to your mistress?"

    "My lady doesn't eat the contaminated food from the great lady. She has been preparing her own meals for a long time."

    Doubting this, Wet nurse Zhang circled around to the kitchen at the back of the house. There, she saw meats, poultry, spices, and herbs of quality that rivaled the main household's kitchen. The arrangement was cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than that of the former. The dishes used were all expensive items, such as jade-patterned ceramic plates and tastefully matching kitchenware sets, some of which were rare items from distant lands, leaving wet nurse Zhang speechless.

    "The big mistress always wanted this set of dishes, but the pottery shop owner told her it had been bought by someone else. Why is it here?"

    "The young lady had reserved it first," Mao Jun replied. "Whoever pays the deposit first gets it first. Odd question."

    "And this set isn’t cheap at all."

    "That’s right. The third young lady has already broken several pieces too," Mao Jun added casually.

    Wet nurse Zhang grew increasingly perplexed. Lady Qin had withheld the young lady Qin Meilan’s maids' salaries for a year, yet the number of servants seemed to have increased to ten. The mere half tael per quarter the big mistress provided for the young lady's monthly expenses could not possibly suffice. How then could this lowly young lady live so untroubled?

    "Did the master secretly order her care?"

    "No, ma'am."

    "Then who?"

    "Wet nurse Zhang, what matter do you wish to discuss with the young lady? I will go inform her."

    "Oh…" Wet nurse Zhang was taken aback as she smelled the aromatic stew from the pot, causing her to instinctively cover her chest due to the shocking discovery while taking liberty to open the pot. It was a luxurious Abalone mushroom soup, an extravagance that would make anyone salivate. The table was laden with tantalizing dishes: smoked duck sautéed, stir-fried white cabbage, bird's nest soup with shredded mutton, and elegantly carved swan figures from green squash in a Dangui soup.

    "Where does she get the money for all this?"

    The old woman muttered to herself, lips twitching in displeasure. Qin Meilan had been orphaned by her mother at a young age, her life made miserable by abuse since childhood, even her father paid her no mind. Lacking any strong support, her elder sisters saw her merely as a burden, ensuring that neither would have helped her secretly.

    "The master doesn't know about this, nor did the great lady order it. It must mean she has been secretly stealing from the main house. Having a thief like this in the Qin family! I must deal with this matter thoroughly. Such a shameless girl! Fetch her to me immediately."

    "Wet nurse Zhang, who are you calling shameless?"

    A gentle voice sounded from the kitchen doorway. As Wet nurse Zhang turned around, she saw a charming young woman with a playful mole at the corner of her mouth. The lady was casually flipping a gold tael as if it were a mere pebble, rubbing it against the sole of her shoe until it shone brilliantly. It was Qin Meilan, the mistress of this Sky Bamboo House.

    "So, who's shameless? Tell me, who? You come into someone else's home and instead of greeting or paying respects, you make a racket, lacking all manners. You presume to barge into the kitchen to scavenge for food. Where did this hunger come from?"

    "Uh..." wet nurse Zhang was speechless, staring at Qin Meilan. Her late mother had been beautiful, but the young swan amid the bamboo forest before her was stunningly pure. Her clear, radiant eyes and her beautiful face, especially the mole by her mouth, added an untouchable allure, leaving the old wet nurse momentarily lost for words.

    Qin Meilan smiled gently, though her eyes did not.

    "It's been a long time since we met wet nurse Zhang. You still carry yourself with dignity, unlike some old women who don't know how to distinguish right from wrong, only bullying those weaker than themselves. An old servant, yet acting like a mistress, dragging her worn-out body around to disturb others. Keeping that kind of old servant around is just a waste of food and drink, don't you think?"

    "Indeed," the servants from Sky Bamboo House chimed in agreement.

    "Hmph!"

    "Ah! When you meet a young lady like me, why don’t you greet me properly? You should know what is appropriate. Don't take a bad example and follow it," Qin Meilan instructed sternly.

    "Yes, young lady..."

    The main house's servants looked at each other, some only just realizing that there was another young lady in the manor. The bamboo forest was eerie during the day and freezing at dusk, especially terrifying at night, which is why they never ventured near it before. Now that they had seen the third lady, who carried herself with an air of grace, dressed beautifully as if from a painting and spoke softly, the servants from the main house felt genuinely pleased.

    "Greetings, Lady Meilan," they bowed in respect, all except wet nurse Zhang who stood sullenly alone. Qin Meilan tossed the gold chunk she was playing with to the main house's servants.

    "You know propriety, I like that. Take this gold chunk and share it as a reward."

    "Uh... even combined, our yearly wages altogether don't even add up to this chunk. We're afraid that..."

    "It's my gold, earned honestly, so don’t hesitate. I heard the head big mother has been delaying your salaries for two months now to fund her loans, isn’t that right? It's sad that while the masters live well, the servants suffer like this. Take this gold, and if any old hag has a problem, she can come talk to me directly."

    The main house's servants looked at each other again, noting that the Sky Bamboo House's servants all wore fine clothes and carried quality items, and thus they changed their demeanor, bowing deeply in thanks. "Thank you, third Lady... We've heard rumors for a long time about a Bodhisattva living in the bamboo garden, it turns out all the rumor was true."

    "Who dares to take that gold? I will tell the great lady to order everyone’s hands to be broken!"

    Wet nurse Zhang snatched the gold tael and pocketed it herself. The last time she saw Qin Meilan was five years ago, recalling a face marred by scars and bruises from the beatings ordered by the big mistress almost daily. The clothes she wore were hand-me-downs from her elder sisters. Yet, Qin Meilan had grown into a strikingly beautiful woman, elegantly dressed, adorned with jade bracelets finer than those the great lady wore. Wet nurse Zhang now realized that it was true; Qin Meilan had grown into a stunning beauty far surpassing what anyone expected.

    "Such an honor that an elder like wet nurse Zhang visits this humble abode. May I know what matter brings you here to instruct me?"

    Qin Meilan stood impassively at the kitchen door, not inviting wet nurse Zhang to sit inside, signaling that the hostess was not inclined to welcome her. Wet nurse Zhang was filled with irritation and confusion, wondering how the neglected young lady could live so comfortably, with money and wealth at her disposal, unknown to those in the main house.

    "To ensure nothing here has been taken from the main house without permission, I must unfortunately intrude, Lady Meilan... Everyone, search!"

    Wet nurse Zhang looked disdainfully at Qin Meilan and then glanced around to signal the servants she had brought to begin a thorough search. They did not spare even the personal belongings and quarters of the Sky Bamboo House’s servants. Wet nurse Zhang wanted to investigate, and Qin Meilan did not object, letting them proceed at will.

    "You search over there, and the rest of you, follow me."

    Wet nurse Zhang commanded and took the opportunity to scrutinize everything to report back in detail. The luxurious house behind the dilapidated structure was impeccably beautiful, its roof tiles gleaming under the light, blending seamlessly with the bamboo garden, fragrant as if it were a celestial realm. She estimated that a substantial amount of labor and money had been required to construct such an exquisite residence. Yet, Qin Meilan preferred spending her time in the older, modestly decorated dwelling, which was filled with books, resembling a scholar’s home more than a young lady's. The surrounding bamboo garden offered nothing suspicious, only a large chest that Qin Meilan sat upon, sipping tea.

    "Recently, items have been disappearing frequently from the main house, and we couldn't catch the culprit. It seems it might be related to Sky Bamboo House. I'll give you a chance to confess now, to reduce your punishment from severe to mild."

    Wet nurse Zhang spoke arrogantly, eyeing the chest. Qin Meilan then stood up, unlocked the chest, and emptied its contents: brushes, ink stones, and sheets of blank paper. In another chest locked with a chain, she unlocked it to reveal money, gold, pearls, fine jade, and several bank drafts.

    "Where did you get these valuable items?" Wet nurse Zhang's heart nearly stopped, her eyes greedy and excited. "I will report to the great lady to confiscate all this money."

    Qin Meilan smirked,

    "Go ahead, make sure you hurry. After you finish searching, don't forget to return that gold tael to the servants. I've given it to them already. It would be shameful if people started saying you were hoarding the youngers’ money."

    "Nonsense!" Wet nurse Zhang, undeterred, grabbed Qin Meilan's sleeve and shouted as she recognized it as resembling the dress of the younger mistress that had gone missing. "Let me see this pattern clearly!"

    Slap!

    Qin Meilan's hand struck wet nurse Zhang's cheek, causing her to stagger from the force. Everyone gasped in shock. Wet nurse Zhang trembled with anger and received another slap.

    "Why is the main house’s servant this rude? Who are you to grab my clothes?"

    Qin Meilan spoke calmly, sitting back down with regal ease. Mao Jun, her close servant, brought her a fresh cup of hot tea, which she took gracefully, wiping the rim slowly and blowing on the steam. Wet nurse Zhang had served the family since she was the master’s wet nurse, and no one had ever dared to confront her so boldly—not even the lady Qin. And yet, this young milk-tooth girl dared.

    "Your father drank from my breast. That master grew up and gave birth to a wicked child like you. The least you could do is show some respect!"

    "Wet nurse Zhang, the slap I gave you is already a sign of considerable forbearance. Why do you insist on claiming gratitude? You yourself sold your milk for money, didn't you? Don’t pretend as if the Qin family begged for your milk. It’s been decades since your milk dried up. Why then do you shamelessly bring your entire family to cling to the Qin family like this?"

    Qin Meilan said this with a sharp, razor-like glare in her eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Don’t think I’m unaware of your collusion with the big mother, secretly giving my mother drugs that caused her to miscarry and bleed to death. And you still have the audacity to order me to respect you..."

    Her voice turned icy and commanding.

    "People like me return kindness with kindness. But to those who harm me, I will fight back to their death."

    "I... I didn’t know."

    Wet nurse Zhang shook her head incessantly. Originally, she was a mastermind, constantly pressuring various concubines, arranging for beautiful women to marry into the family, and whispering to them to mistreat the pregnant second lady. Overwhelmed by his new favorites, Qin Hansi neglected the second lady, allowing the great lady to seize the opportunity to drug her abortive medicine. Qin Meilan's mother thus lay in agony for seven days before her death. By the time Qin Han Su learned of this, her body was hastily buried.

    Wet nurse Zhang never flinched at these deeds, blaming the heaven for the fragile health of the second lady instead. But today, meeting Qin Meilan's chilling gaze, wet nurse Zhang was terrified because she knew Meilan was capable of doing as she said. The old wet nurse would turn back to report to the great lady, but Meilan interrupted her smoothly.

    "Wet nurse Zhang... Why are you so hurry? Why don’t you apologize to me properly first?"

    As she spoke, the servants of Sky Bamboo House blocked the exit. Wet nurse Zhang, though already intimidated, still posed defiantly.

    "Why should I apologize?"

    "You trespassed into my house, accused it of harboring a thief. I proved my innocence by allowing you to search, and you found nothing. You, knowing right from wrong, should remember your manners. But perhaps you’ve forgotten, so I just reminded you."

    "These valuables are the proofs! How can anyone know? Maybe someone here sneaked them in. I represent the senior mistress and am merely following her orders. From today, she has tasked me specifically to keep things in order for third lady. You are the one who should listen to my teachings."

    Qin Meilan laughed sarcastically, not saying much more, taking a pot lid scrubber from Mao Jun and caressing it in her hands.

    "You guys, close the door. I'm going to deal with this stubborn old thief."

    "Yes, ma'am."

    Wet nurse Zhang immediately shouted, "What thief? Don’t slander me!"

    "My chunk of gold had disappeared, many have seen you tuck it in your sleeve. Still denying it? Maybe a few strokes with a rod on the knees will refresh your memory."

    Qin Meilan slowly stood up, holding the pot lid scrubber in her hand, her eyes compassionate yet stern. "Remember the old days? You used to discipline me with a pot scrubber like this. Ah, what did I do wrong then? Oh... I used my last coins to buy medicine for my mother, but you accused me of using coal without permission... Hmm... then you threw away my medicine and beat me all over. Sigh, I was such a naughty child then, daring to steal the big mother’s coal."

    Qin Meilan swung the scrubber at Wet nurse Zhang’s joints, hips, and mouth.

    "Ouch..."

    "If the young lady gets beaten black and blue for stealing coal, then as a mere servant who's audacious enough to steal her master's gold, you deserve to be beaten to death, have your face smashed, and thrown out for the crows to feast. Go get a knife; I shall carve up this old hag to feed the fish."

    "Ow, ow, I yield, please don't hit me, I am old already." In truth, Qin Meilan was just making a gesture to hit, but the old woman was so startled that she screamed out of turn, hurriedly throwing the gold piece back to the servants and bowing in apology. She cowered on the floor, losing all her bluster, prompting giggles from the serving girls. Wet nurse Zhang regained her senses, feeling so humiliated that she harbored deep resentment.

    "This matter won't just end easily, I assure you!"

    "I don't want it to end easily either, old hag," Qin Meilan glared back, her eyes emitting a fierce pressure that made wet nurse Zhang flustered. She hastily ordered her servants to help her up and threw the stick aside, crashing down to sit, legs akimbo. Mao Jun quickly came over to expertly massage her shoulders.

    "Miss has scared wet nurse Zhang off; the great lady will surely cause trouble for Miss now."

    "Let her come. I've been waiting for this a long time."

    Like a rabbit hid until the predator has passed, so it did not graze around its hole. But now, the rabbit had grown fangs and claws, and Qin Meilan purposefully cleared the grass around her hole to show her readiness. Over the years, she had diligently accumulated wealth on her own, without relying on the scraps the big mother tossed her way. She had been preparing to leave the Qin manor for a long time, bound only by being born a Qin. The only way out was to change her family name.

    "She might force you to marry some unworthy man."

    "Ha, she calls me a bastard child. Who would dare take a bastard like me into their home? If married, I'd just be an outlet for a depraved man's frustrations. Better to become a nun. And before I take my vows, I intend to deal thoroughly with my beloved big mother and kind sisters."

    "Ah..."

    Qin Meilan had been hinting at becoming a nun quite often lately. Mao Jun, a decade older and formerly a servant to a second lady, had cared for the third lady since birth. Despite her father's neglect and her stepmother's deliberate abandonment, not to mention her maternal family not recognizing her, Mao Jun was proud of how strongly her lady had grown up, skilled in literature and well-versed in poetry. If she really had to leave the Qin surname behind to become a nun, Mao Jun felt a deep ache for the departed senior mistress.

    Changing one's family name was not just about becoming a nun; getting married changed it too. Who could be a worthy match for my young lady?

    …

    Mao Jun pondered deeply. Her young lady, beautiful and radiant, was like a night pearl hidden in the bamboo forest. Anyone who saw her sweet, charming smile was spellbound. The problem was that her fiery spirit didn't match her delicate appearance.

    Ah... What to do now?