Upon hearing her eldest son's address toward Lady Wen, Madam Lu furrowed her brows.
Xu Jingrong was about to shout something, but Madam Lu cut him off sharply, "Xu Jingrong!"
Madam Lu rarely called her sons by their full names, and her tone made it clear that she was angry.
Nanny Ji, who had just returned with Xu Yuxuan in her arms, along with the other servants, froze upon hearing the anger in Madam Lu's voice. They even held their breaths, their movements becoming cautious.
They had all heard of Madam Lu's methods.
A few of them grew anxious, thinking Madam Lu was angry at them for not taking good care of the young master.
Xu Jingrong was taken aback by his mother's anger and stood there stunned, a hint of grievance in his expression.
Madam Lu didn't even glance at him. Instead, she turned her gaze to Xu Yuxuan in Nanny Ji's arms and forced a gentle smile. "Give Xu Yuxuan to me. You may all leave now."
Nanny Ji and the others responded with a respectful "Yes" before quietly exiting the main hall.
Xu Yuxuan was familiar with Madam Lu, recognizing her as his aunt, so he didn't resist being held by her. However, he still refused to let anyone touch the slips of paper stuck to his face.
Upon noticing that the slips were merely pasted with a bit of flour paste, Madam Lu didn't force the maids to remove them, as they didn't seem to cause any harm.
Now, only Madam Lu, her sons, a few trusted servants, and the still somewhat oblivious Xu Yuxuan remained in the hall.
Madam Lu sat in the main seat with Xu Yuxuan in her arms, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
Xu Yuxuan fiddled with the slips of paper on his face, pulling them off and sticking them back on, amusing himself for a while without anyone paying him any attention.
The flour paste wasn't very sticky, and after a few tugs, most of the slips fell off, leaving little clumps of paste on his face, making him look like a little thief who had just sneaked a snack.
Children are just as perceptive as adults when it comes to their surroundings. Xu Yuxuan sensed that his aunt was upset and snuggled closer into her arms.
This was his usual way of comforting Madam Lu.
Madam Lu wasn't angry with Xu Yuxuan, but before she addressed the issue with her son, she needed to inquire about the matters in the west courtyard.
She gently pulled Xu Yuxuan out of her arms and faced him, asking softly, "Did you have fun with your mother today?"
Xu Yuxuan still had two slips of paper stuck to his eyebrows. He reached up to touch them, and his eyes suddenly sparkled as if he had remembered something. He pointed outside and called out "Mother" twice.
Seeing this, Madam Lu knew she didn't need to ask further. She instructed the maid, Bai Mei, to take Xu Yuxuan back to his room for his afternoon nap.
Only then did she turn her stern gaze to Xu Jingrong, who had remained silent below. "Do you know what you did wrong?"
Xu Jingrong, still upset by his mother's earlier scolding, stubbornly turned his head away and retorted, "I didn't do anything wrong!"
Seeing that he refused to admit his mistake, Madam Lu didn't press further. Instead, she said, "If you think you're not wrong, then you'll copy twenty more pages of your lessons."
"And when your father returns, I'll inform him of everything you've done today, word for word."
Xu Jingrong's eyes widened in disbelief. "Mother! You don't love me anymore! Ever since Uncle married that... woman, you've been scolding me all the time! What kind of spell has that... woman cast on you?"
With that, he stormed out of the main hall, leaving everyone in shock.
By the time Madam Lu reacted, Xu Jingrong was already gone. Furious, she immediately ordered Nanny Xian to fetch the Duke's whip.
Why wait for the Duke? She would discipline him herself.
Nanny Xian quickly tried to calm her down. "Madam, the young master is just acting on impulse!"
Madam Lu snapped, "Look at him! He's already eight years old and still so immature! Not only has he repeatedly disrespected his elders, but when did we ever teach him to speak so rudely in this household?!"
Nanny Xian replied, "The young master wasn't like this before. Perhaps you should calm down first, Madam."
Madam Lu gradually regained her composure. Nanny Xian's casual remark made her realize something was amiss.
Only Nanny Xian and Qingxue remained in the room. Madam Lu glanced at them and said, "I remember that after Xu Yuejia and Lady Wen's wedding date was set, Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin stayed at the Ding'an Marquis Manor for a while."
The Ding'an Marquis Manor was Madam Lu's maternal family home, where her sons' maternal grandparents lived.
At that time, Madam Lu was busy with the wedding preparations and couldn't spare much attention for her sons. When the boys mentioned missing their grandparents, she sent them to stay at the manor for a few days.
Nanny Xian nodded, "Yes, they stayed for about ten days, almost half a month."
Madam Lu fell silent for a long while.
After some time, she said, "Go and bring Xu Jinglin here."
Her two sons were inseparable, and perhaps she could get some answers from Xu Jinglin.
Xu Jinglin was in his room practicing his calligraphy. He had to write twenty pages, and if they weren't neat enough, his mother wouldn't accept them. He had been at it all morning and hadn't even finished half. Anxious, he had barely eaten any lunch before resuming his task.
When Qingxue arrived, she found the little boy sitting properly at his desk, his face scrunched up in concentration as he practiced his writing.
Her heart softened at the sight. She approached and said, "Young Master, Madam has asked you to come to the main hall."
Xu Jinglin shrank back. "I'm practicing my writing like I'm supposed to."
Qingxue understood his concern and smiled gently. "Don't worry, Young Master. Madam just wants to ask you about how you enjoyed your stay at the Ding'an Marquis Manor."
Xu Jinglin blinked his clear eyes. "Really?"
Qingxue nodded. "I wouldn't lie to you."
With a mix of nervousness and hope, Xu Jinglin made his way to the main hall, wondering if his mother had taken pity on him and decided to cancel the twenty pages of writing.
When Madam Lu saw her younger son, she immediately called out, "Jinglin, come here."
Although Madam Lu had punished Xu Jinglin with extra writing, he still felt closest to her.
Madam Lu hugged Xu Jinglin and asked a few caring questions before getting to the point. "Did you and your brother have fun at your grandparents' house?"
Xu Jinglin replied innocently, "Yes! Uncle was so nice to us!"
Madam Lu's youngest brother was only eleven, a lively boy who got along well with Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin.
Madam Lu continued, "And what else? Did your brother ever leave you alone?"
Xu Jinglin suddenly looked indignant. "Mother, Brother was so mean!"
Madam Lu's interest was piqued. "What did he do?"
Xu Jinglin clenched his little fists. "Grandma had Nanny Zhao make osmanthus cakes, and Brother ate them all by himself! He didn't leave any for me! He's so bad!"
Madam Lu: "......Anything else? Did anyone talk to your brother alone?"
Xu Jinglin: "Of course! Grandpa specially bought pastries from Furongji, and Brother didn't share any with me either!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach growled loudly.
Madam Lu: "......"
Was this really her son?
Xu Jinglin, realizing his embarrassment, quickly covered his stomach, his face turning red. "Mother..."
Madam Lu sighed in exasperation. She had Qingxue bring a small plate of pastries for Xu Jinglin before sending him back to the east courtyard.
It seemed she wouldn't get any useful information from her younger son. Madam Lu turned to the others and said, "Nanny Xian, go and investigate if anyone in the household has been whispering things into the young master's ear."
Nanny Xian understood immediately and replied, "I'll get right on it."
Madam Lu then turned to Qingxue. "Tomorrow, return to the Ding'an Marquis Manor and speak to my mother. Find out who the young master interacted with during his stay there, and report back to me."
Qingxue bowed. "Understood."
After Nanny Xian left, Madam Lu thought of Lady Wen in the west courtyard. She paused, then turned back to Qingxue. "Go to my storeroom and fetch two thousand taels, along with that pair of jade ruyi scepters. Deliver them personally to the west courtyard."
Qingxue understood that Madam Lu was compensating Lady Wen for the young master's disrespect.
*
After sending the little one away, Wen Ye didn't play for much longer.
She had calculated that today wasn't a lucky day for playing cards.
Tao Zhi, who was tidying up the cards, chuckled at Wen Ye's excuse. "It's not about luck, Madam. You're just not skilled enough. Even with the young master's face, there wasn't enough space to stick all the slips."
Wen Ye put on a serious face. "Tao Zhi, you're not getting any roasted pig trotters tonight."
Tao Zhi was not having it: "Madam, you're cheating! You said if I won ten games in a row, I’d get a share of the roasted pig's trotters!"
Wen Ye simply closed her eyes, refusing to meet her gaze, and sat cross-legged on the couch, saying, "As you said, I am the Madam, so what I say goes."
Tao Zhi choked back her words.
Yun Zhi came in with tea and, seeing Tao Zhi’s aggrieved expression, chuckled, "Enough, why are you arguing with Madam?"
Tao Zhi huffed, "Hmph!"
Yun Zhi didn’t try to console her further. Instead, she approached Wen Ye, poured her a cup of tea, and said with concern, "Madam, you’ve pasted little notes all over the young master’s face. I wonder if Madam Lu will be upset when she finds out."
She shared the same worry as Aunt Chang, fearing that Wen Ye, being a stepmother, would face judgmental looks when she arrived at the Ding'an Marquis Manor.
Everyone knew how precious the young master was.
Wen Ye opened her eyes, sighed inwardly, and said, "Don’t worry, nothing will happen."
Yun Zhi was still uneasy. "Should I go and find out more?"
It had been nearly an hour since the young master left the west courtyard.
Wen Ye replied, "No need. Your Madam is old enough now. At most, I’ll be confined to my quarters for a few days over such a trivial matter."
Anything more, and it wouldn’t just be her who’d be embarrassed.
Besides, she was due to return to her family home the day after tomorrow. Even if Madam Lu were truly angry with her, she’d have to wait until after the visit.
Not long after, Liuya came in and announced that Qingxue from the main courtyard had come to see her.
Yun Zhi immediately felt that her fears were about to come true.
Wen Ye reassured her with a few words, then got up from the couch, put on her shoes, straightened her dress, and walked out of the inner chamber.
Liuya had already led Qingxue into the main hall to wait.
Wen Ye sat down and asked calmly, "What brings you to the west courtyard, Qingxue?"
Qingxue bowed respectfully and said, "Madam sent me to deliver something to you, Second Madam."
After speaking, she glanced back, and a maid holding a brocade box stepped forward.
Qingxue opened it.
Wen Ye was puzzled at first, but when she glanced inside, her eyes were immediately drawn to the contents.
It was two thousand taels in silver notes and a pair of jade Ruyi scepters.
Qingxue explained, "The young master is in the main courtyard... These are gifts of apology for you, Second Madam."
The matter hadn’t been fully investigated yet, so it wasn’t appropriate to speak too plainly, for the sake of both the Second Madam and the young master.
Wen Ye raised an eyebrow. "For me?"
Qingxue nodded. "Yes."
Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi were still confused, but Wen Ye had a rough idea. She guessed that the young master had said something unfavorable about her in front of Madam Lu.
These items were Madam Lu’s way of making amends.
Wen Ye had seen her fair share of mischievous children. She glanced again at the silver notes in the box and thought to herself that she was a magnanimous person.
Wen Ye instructed Tao Zhi to take the silver notes and jade Ruyi scepters, then said, "I understand Madam’s intentions."
Qingxue didn’t stay long in the west courtyard. After she left, Wen Ye immediately handed the two thousand taels in silver notes to Yun Zhi, saying, "Find an opportunity to exchange these for silver coins later."
Silver notes were too thin and easy to misplace.
Tao Zhi’s imagination ran wild. "Why would Madam Lu give you these? Could it be that she approves of you pasting notes on the young master’s face?"
Wen Ye glanced at her and replied, "Perhaps?"
Qingxue’s attitude reassured Yun Zhi.
She said, "As long as nothing’s wrong, that’s what matters."
Wen Ye nodded, though she felt a twinge of regret. Why wasn’t Madam Lu angry?
The silver notes were indeed tempting, but if Madam Lu had confined her to her quarters for ten or fifteen more days, that would have been even better.
When it came to dealing with children, Wen Ye was truly not interested.
*
Since the morning’s family introductions had ended, Wen Ye didn’t see Xu Yuejia again until late in the afternoon.
As far as Wen Ye knew, Xu Yuejia had five days of wedding leave.
However, seeing her husband occasionally was enough.
Therefore, Wen Ye wholeheartedly supported Xu Yuejia’s decision to throw himself into work the day after their wedding.
"Will you be having dinner in the west courtyard, my lord?" Wen Ye casually put down the novel she was reading and walked out of the west study.
Xu Yuejia glanced at her, his expression indifferent. "Yes."
Wen Ye instructed the maid to prepare dinner and then walked past him into the inner chamber.
Now that Xu Yuejia was back, the west study no longer belonged to her.
Wen Ye sat on the couch, leaning back and letting out a deep sigh. Then, she suddenly felt as though she had forgotten something.
A few moments later, she abruptly sat up, threw off the blanket covering her knees, and hurried out of the inner chamber toward the west study.
By then, Xu Yuejia had already picked up the novel Wen Ye had casually left on the desk.
"Wait!" Wen Ye nearly choked, but she managed to stop him in time.
She snatched the book from Xu Yuejia’s hands, which he had already opened, and said gently, "This one isn’t suitable for you, my lord."
As soon as Xu Yuejia entered the study, he noticed an additional bookshelf. Then, he saw a copy of *The Analects* on the desk. However, when he opened it, he found that it wasn’t *The Analects* at all but a popular novel sold in bookshops.
Before he could examine it further, Wen Ye had taken it from him.
"Xu Yuxuan came by at noon. I was worried this novel might influence him, so I covered it with a different cover," Wen Ye lied smoothly, pausing slightly before looking up at Xu Yuejia with a gentle, timid expression. "You don’t mind, do you, my lord?"
Given their current relationship, it wasn’t the right time for him to know the contents of the novel.
Although Xu Yuejia hadn’t seen the novel’s contents, his years at the Ministry of Justice had taught him how to recognize when someone wasn’t telling the truth.
Xu Yuejia’s gaze lingered for a moment before he said, "I don’t mind."
Wen Ye tucked the novel back onto the bookshelf and then turned around with a completely different demeanor.
"Dinner is ready, my lord. Please join me."
Xu Yuejia: "..."
