Ye Yunniang’s chopsticks froze mid-air, the food slipping onto the table.
She barely noticed, her mind consumed by a single thought.
He was back!
The second young master of the Jiang Family had returned!!
What should she do?
"Sister, are you full?" Li'er asked, noticing Ye Yunniang had stopped eating.
"Oh, yes, I’m done." Ye Yunniang had no appetite left. She set down her chopsticks.
Li'er stood to clear the dishes, carrying the food box toward the main kitchen.
Ye Yunniang paced the courtyard, lost in thought. What should she do next?
No matter how much she pondered, no good solution came to mind.
Aunt Jinlan entered through the side gate, frowning at the sight of Ye Yunniang wandering aimlessly.
"It’s late. Why isn’t the wet nurse resting yet?"
"I’ll go now." Ye Yunniang didn’t understand why Aunt Jinlan always seemed to dislike her, but she had no energy to dwell on it now.
She turned and retreated to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Aunt Jinlan glared at the closed door, her eyes filled with disdain.
That night, Ye Yunniang barely slept, haunted by dreams of Jiang Mingzhe’s relentless pursuit.
She woke groggy, splashing cold water on her face to clear her head before sitting in the sun to warm herself.
The sunlight lulled her into a drowsy haze—until a commotion snapped her awake.
Curious, Ye Yunniang followed the noise.
Near the pavilion, two young maids were locked in a vicious fight.
"You shameless, motherless wretch! A whore who’ll bear sons without backsides—" A strikingly beautiful girl hurled one vulgar insult after another.
The other, less striking in appearance but fiercer in action, retaliated with scratches, pinches, and hair-pulling.
They tumbled to the ground, rolling and grappling.
A crowd gathered, laughing and pointing.
Li'er stood among them.
Ye Yunniang sidled up to her. "Li'er, what’s going on?"
"Best view right here!" Li'er made space for her. "You can see everything!"
No sooner had Ye Yunniang settled in than a shout rang out:
"The Black Guards are coming—run!"
Li'er grabbed Ye Yunniang’s hand, dragging her down a winding path until they were sure they’d escaped.
"Thank goodness we weren’t caught. If we had, this month’s wages would’ve been gone," Li'er panted, clutching her chest.
Ye Yunniang, equally breathless, asked, "What are the Black Guards?" Why did everyone fear them so much?
"They’re the Jiang Family’s patrol squad," Li'er explained.
The patrol usually operated at night, clad in black—hence the nickname.
Those caught breaking rules were sent to Zhuyun Pavilion, where Nanny Kong decided their punishment: fines, beatings, or expulsion.
No one left Zhuyun Pavilion unscathed.
"Why were they out during the day?" Li'er wondered. It was rare to see them in daylight.
"Doesn’t matter. Let’s just get back to Zhiyu Pavilion." Ye Yunniang glanced around nervously, unfamiliar with the area and wary of stumbling into more trouble.
Li'er, familiar with the estate’s layout, guided them back through twisting paths.
At the entrance of Zhiyu Pavilion, a maid awaited.
"Wet Nurse Ye, the mistress summons you."
Ye Yunniang checked her appearance—clothes neat, hair in place—before following the maid to Fanghua Courtyard.
Fourth Madam Jiang sat stiffly, her expression stormy.
"Did you truly tell no one about Jiang Mingyue’s matter?" she demanded.
Ye Yunniang thought of Jiang Tingjun. "I—"
"Speak the truth!" Fourth Madam Jiang slammed the table, fury sharp in her voice.
Terrified, Ye Yunniang confessed.
"It weighed on me. I was afraid to tell anyone else, but… when the young master was asleep, I muttered a few words to him. Just to ease my heart."
"Besides Tingjun, who else?"
"No one! I swear to the heavens. Only you and the young master know. If I lied, may I die wretchedly!" Ye Yunniang raised her hand in oath.
"Ye Yunniang, for Tingjun’s sake, I’ll believe you once more. If this happens again, there will be no mercy." Fourth Madam Jiang’s tone was icy, laced with quiet menace.
"It won’t! Never again!" Ye Yunniang vowed.
"Get out."
Back in her room, Ye Yunniang smacked her own lips in frustration. Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut? Some secrets should’ve stayed buried.
She recalled Cai Damei’s advice: Speak less, work more.
Reflecting on her recent carelessness, she resolved to be more cautious.
Li'er burst in, breathless. "Sister, something terrible happened!"
Ye Yunniang steadied her. "What is it?"
"Zi Yuan—the mistress dismissed her!"
"What? Why?" Zi Yuan was Fourth Madam Jiang’s most trusted maid, assigned to oversee Jiang Tingjun’s household.
"I don’t know," Li'er said. On her way back, she’d seen a dazed Zi Yuan being dragged away by a rough-looking woman.
Li'er had bowed. "Sister Zi Yuan."
The woman sneered, "She’s not ‘Zi Yuan’ anymore." She yanked at Zi Yuan—Zhang Daya now—snarling, "Move, you disgrace!"
"I won’t go! Third Young Master wouldn’t abandon me!" Zi Yuan struggled, trying to bolt southward.
But the woman overpowered her, landing five or six brutal slaps.
"Zhang Daya, your contract is mine. Obey, and I’ll marry you off decently. Keep fighting, and I’ll sell you to a brothel the second we step outside!"
Cowed, Zi Yuan fell silent.
The woman snatched up the fallen bundle, hauling her away while muttering curses.
"Stupid girl, reaching above her station. Who’d want a traitorous, shameful wretch like you? You’ve ruined your sisters’ prospects too! Should’ve drowned you at birth…"
Li'er, shaken, had rushed to tell Ye Yunniang.
The pieces clicked.
Zi Yuan must’ve leaked Jiang Mingyue’s secret.
The "Third Young Master" to the south was Jiang Mingyu of Zhenxia Pavilion.
So Zi Yuan had entangled herself with Jiang Mingyu, betraying Fourth Madam Jiang’s confidence.
No wonder the mistress was furious.
Her rivalry with Bai Xiuxiu over household authority was bitter enough—now compounded by a maid’s treachery.
Thinking of Bai Xiuxiu, Ye Yunniang suddenly remembered where she had seen that familiar figure in green by the pond before.
The first time Ye Yunniang visited Zhongle Courtyard, she had noticed a maid standing behind Bai Xiuxiu.
If this had happened before today, Ye Yunniang would have immediately reported it to Fourth Madam Jiang. But now, she decided against it—better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Still, that slap from Bai Xiuxiu was something Ye Yunniang intended to repay, given the chance.
