On the way back, Guyu cried the entire time, Jingzhe wore a gloomy expression, and only Jiang Fuyue remained calm. She had long anticipated this outcome and, though caught in the middle of it, was the most composed of the three.

  As soon as they finally returned to Shaoguang Courtyard and shut the door behind them, Guyu immediately exploded in rage:"Does no one in this marquis household have a conscience?! Madam has worked herself to the bone for three years, giving everything she had for them! And this is how they repay her? Not a shred of gratitude—now they even want to cast her aside? How can people be so heartless?!"

  When Jiang Fuyue had first married into the marquis household, the matriarch had thrown the responsibility of managing the household at her like a hot potato. Upon inspection, Jiang Fuyue discovered the estate accounts were a complete mess and the staff disorganized. There were even names on the roster for people who didn’t actually exist in the manor.

  These "phantom" employees were collecting saries from the estate without doing any work—nearly fifty of them!

  Worse still, many of them were reted to or favored by the matriarch’s trusted aides, making them especially difficult to deal with.

  Jiang Fuyue spent over half a year cleaning up the books and rooting out the parasites, often so stressed she couldn’t eat or sleep. The ordeal left her visibly haggard.

  Eventually, she managed to bring some order to the chaos. But even then, the people from Songshou Courtyard refused to behave. They constantly caused trouble—one stealing expensive ingredients from the kitchen to sell outside, another picking fights with the stewards over petty disagreements. All of them funted their affiliation with Songshou Courtyard, and the matriarch, ever the protective one, would scold Jiang Fuyue harshly whenever she tried to intervene. She accused her of favoritism and betrayal for not blindly siding with the family.

  Even now, the trouble from Songshou Courtyard never ceased, and Jiang Fuyue still had to personally step in to settle matters.

  Despite all that she had done for the marquis household, the matriarch didn’t acknowledge a single bit of it!

  The more Guyu thought about it, the angrier she became. She filed her arms at the air as if pummeling an invisible foe.

  Jingzhe sighed. “Madam, shall I send a message to the Jiang family? Perhaps they can step in?”

  “No need,” Jiang Fuyue handed Guyu a handkerchief, her tone calm. “What help could I possibly expect from the Jiang family?”

  Her mother had died early, and the entire household was controlled by her stepmother, who had always seen her as an eyesore. It was unrealistic to expect the woman to stand up for her.

  If the Jiang family didn’t join forces with the marquis household to suppress her, she would already count herself lucky.

  Jingzhe sighed again.

  “Then are we just supposed to keep swallowing this humiliation?” Guyu growled.

  Jiang Fuyue found her tear-streaked face a bit amusing. “Don’t worry. This won’t st forever.”

  Guyu blinked in confusion. Jingzhe caught on immediately and lowered her voice, “Madam… are we leaving the marquis household?”

  Jiang Fuyue gave a subtle nod.

  Jingzhe and Guyu were her closest and most loyal companions. She had no intention of keeping them in the dark.

  “Then… have you made a pn?” Guyu asked, voice hushed.

  “This isn’t something we can rush. We’ll need a careful pn,” Jiang Fuyue replied. “Right now, I have little power. If I leave the marquis household and return to the Jiang family, it’ll be just as the old woman said—I’ll be starving.”

  She didn’t want to escape one pit only to fall into another.

  Jingzhe and Guyu both nodded in agreement.

  “But we’ll still have to stay in the marquis household for some time,” Jingzhe said worriedly. “Now that things have completely soured with the old matriarch, life will only get harder.”

  Jiang Fuyue smiled, unfazed. “Even when we bowed and scraped to her, she never treated us well. What’s the difference now?”

  How much worse could it really get?

  “Exactly! Madam built her footing in the marquis household with her own strength!” Guyu had stopped crying by now and was ready to take on the world. “So what if we’ve offended her? What’s there to be afraid of?!”

  At this point, most of the household already respected Jiang Fuyue. To be blunt, the old matriarch was just a figurehead—nothing truly intimidating.

  Jiang Fuyue ughed and tapped Guyu lightly on the forehead.

  “Then… what about Schor Li?” Jingzhe asked.

  “No need to worry about him.”

  For the sake of the marquis household’s reputation, the old matriarch wouldn’t make a foolish move.

  “Yes, madam.”

  Jingzhe finally rexed and, seeing Guyu’s tear-and-snot-covered face, went to fetch water for her to wash up.

  —

  Shortly after Jiang Fuyue left, someone stationed at Moxiang Pavilion came running with a message: Schor Li had returned the betrothal gifts.

  Madam Liu, upon hearing this, immediately reported to the matriarch. “I checked the storeroom myself. Those items were all chosen from Madam’s dowry, but Schor Li didn’t keep a single thing. He sent it all back.”

  The matriarch was still fuming, her face dark and stormy. Madam Liu continued, “I think… we should open the storeroom and let Schor Li pick something himself. At least it’ll show that the marquis household still has sincerity.”

  Giving cash would seem crude, and if they offered nothing at all, it would not only offend him but also confirm to outsiders that the marquis household had fallen into decline. This way, they could save some face.

  The matriarch closed her eyes. “That’s our only choice, then. Go tell him.”

  “Yes, madam.”

  Once Madam Liu left to deliver the message, only the marquess and his mother remained in the hall.

  As soon as she was gone, the marquess couldn’t wait to speak up. “Mother, since that Jiang woman is so eager to break the marriage, why don’t we just give her the divorce papers and be done with it?”

  “What do you know?” the matriarch snapped. “Managing the household is messy and complicated. If that Jiang woman leaves, who’s going to handle everything? One of your concubines?”

  As much as she hated to admit it, Jiang Fuyue had done a fwless job with the estate management. She wouldn’t trust anyone else with it.

  The marquess’s eyes lit up. “Why not? Liao’er’s mother is literate. We can teach her!”

  “Teach? Who’s going to teach her? You?” the matriarch scoffed. “And besides, letting a concubine manage the household? What kind of example would that set?”

  The marquess looked embarrassed. “But that Jiang woman isn’t even afraid of a divorce! If we let her get away with today’s defiance, won’t she just walk all over us from now on?”

  The matriarch, irritated by the thought, closed her eyes again.

  After a long pause, just as the marquess was growing restless, she suddenly opened her eyes with a sly smile.“We may not be able to control her, but someone else can.”

  “Mother, you mean…”

  Just then, Madam Liu returned from delivering the message. The matriarch said, “Madam Liu, bring me paper and ink.”

  “Yes, madam.”

  “Mother…” the marquess still looked confused, unsure of her intentions.

  She waved him off. “Go enjoy yourself. Leave this to me. Rest assured—that Jiang woman won’t get far.”

  With that reassurance, the marquess gave up pressing and eagerly stood to leave. “Then I’ll leave it to you. Your son takes his leave.”

  “Go on, go on!”

  Only once her son had left did the matriarch finally retract her gaze, her smile growing even deeper.