Qiuyun smiled, and this time her smile was much more sincere.
“Of course, the first step is to resolve the matter Madam Jiang cares about most.”
Ten minutes later, Qiuyun emerged unscathed from Master Jiang’s study.
Jiang Yihua had indeed taken a liking to Qiuyun’s intelligence in reading situations and untangling problems. He had summoned her to discuss matters, only for her to turn the tables—instead of being drawn into his camp, she became an emotional mediator between him and his wife.
However, since this issue was something he urgently needed to resolve as well, he went along with her suggestion.
Under Sun Assistant Manager’s wary yet affable smile, Qiuyun strode gracefully out of the basement level.
She could well guess that her performance today had inevitably drawn the attention of those in power. The purpose of Master Jiang’s conversation with her was clear enough—he had taken note of her abilities and wanted her to be his eyes, ears, and enforcer within the inner household to mediate disputes.
But in Qiuyun’s view, since the wife had married into the husband’s family and the arrangement was set as “the husband handles external affairs, the wife manages the household,” the husband should not extend his hand into domestic matters.
Her sole employer in this house was Madam Jiang, not Master Jiang. If she wanted to stay securely in the inner quarters, she must never overstep her role.
Thus, before Master Jiang could even broach the subject, Qiuyun had deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere, pointing out that the most pressing issue for the main branch was for the master and mistress to reconcile and unite against external threats—not to continue their cold war and waste valuable time.
Back at Bright Moon Pavilion,
Sister Fang handed her a glass of warm water with a hint of eagerness. “I have to say, Xiaoqiu, you’re incredible! I heard Old Master Jiang himself praised the tea you brewed.”
Quite a few people had been present, and word had spread through the estate almost overnight—the Seventh Miss’s new assistant was a force to be reckoned with.
Qiuyun took the glass with a smile, still modest. “It’s only because the young master’s tea leaves were excellent. Old Master Jiang was simply being gracious.”
Sister Yuan asked, “I heard from Assistant Manager Chen that Steward Lin issued a notice, saying you’ll be accompanying Miss Jiang to the main building from now on?”
“Mm, I am Miss Jiang’s assistant, and since she’s still young, I ought to go with her.”
The fact that Old Master Jiang had specifically mentioned this was no doubt to allow her to come early and prepare tea for him.
“How lucky you are,” Sister Fang said enviously.
She had worked at the estate for seven or eight years and was still just a nanny. She wouldn’t even be recognized by the young master, let alone Master Jiang.
And Xiaoqiu, who had only been here two months, had already made a name for herself with Old Master Jiang.
Such was the gap between people...
Qiuyun smiled and went to the kitchen to rinse her glass and place it on the drying rack.
Having visited the study twice, it was already late at night when she returned to her room.
She sat at her desk for a while, lost in thought, before opening the wooden box beside her.
The moment she did, she sensed that something had been tampered with.
Her face darkened as she quickly pulled out the fan surface she had been embroidering.
The once-elegant orchid design was now ruined, sullied and tattered—the threads had curled and blackened from corrosion, and the silk backing had become brittle and frayed.
She brought it close to her nose and caught a harsh, pungent odor.
Tsk.
With Madam Jiang taking up residence, many people had been coming and going from Bright Moon Pavilion lately. Plenty of them knew she had accepted Madam Jiang’s commission to embroider that fan surface for her mentor. It was hard to pinpoint the culprit.
Qiuyun stared at the ruined fabric, a sinking feeling in her heart.
Whoever had done this had no idea what kind of trouble they were bringing upon themselves.
Fortunately, when she had purchased the embroidery fabric, she had cut a full strip of Moon Mermaid Silk—enough to make two fan surfaces. Otherwise, she would have had no backup.
Taking a deep breath to calm her anger, Qiuyun retrieved the remaining fabric from a brocade box in her wardrobe, split the threads, and began to lay down the foundation anew.
In modern society, privacy was heavily emphasized. Most villas had no surveillance beyond the entryway, laundry room, kitchen, and balcony. Exposing the culprit would be no easy task.
Who could it be...?
The next morning,
Qiuyun appeared in the guest dining room with red-rimmed eyes. Jiang Chuling was the first to notice.
“Sister Xiaoqiu, what’s wrong? Didn’t you sleep well?” the girl asked.
Qiuyun offered a reassuring smile. “Mm, I didn’t sleep very well.”
Jiang Chuling glanced at her mother, who was trimming flowers, and lowered her voice. “Did my father scare you last night?”
Qiuyun kept her voice low in reply. “No, Master Jiang saw that I have a mind of my own and asked how he could make peace with Madam Jiang.”
“Hmph.” Jiang Chuling pouted. “He can’t figure out how to make up with her himself, so he puts his hopes on you.”
Qiuyun was genuinely exhausted. She smiled and said nothing.
After all, this was still a child. She might complain, but deep down, she wanted her parents to reconcile. Sure enough, moments later, she pressed again. “Sister Xiaoqiu, have you come up with any idea to make them get along?”
Qiuyun mustered her energy. “I have one, but it depends on whether Master Jiang will consider it.”
Just then, Sister Zhou walked over with a peculiar expression and spoke to Madam Jiang. “Madam Jiang, Sun Assistant Manager is here.”
Yu Xiang paused mid-snip.
Privately, she wasn’t fond of her assistant manager. She wasn’t naive enough to miss the subtle disdain he held for her.
But he had been at the estate since he was a teenager—even longer than she had been with Jiang Yihua—and he had never made any outright mistakes, so she simply pretended not to notice.
“What does he want? Is Master Jiang asking for something?” Yu Xiang wiped her hands with a handkerchief.
Sister Zhou’s expression grew even stranger. “Sun Assistant Manager has brought along a safe, along with Director Zhang, Manager Chen, Manager Wang, the tax attorney, and the criminal attorney.”
Director Zhang was the head of the Jiang Family Office, Manager Chen was the private banker for the main branch, and Manager Wang was their investment fund manager. Both lawyers also worked exclusively for the main branch.
Yu Xiang’s frown deepened. “Tell Sun Assistant Manager to come in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Soon, Sister Zhou led Sun Assistant Manager and the entourage behind him into the room.
Once inside the main hall of Bright Moon Pavilion, Sun Assistant Manager first greeted Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang with a cheerful demeanor, then said, “Madam Jiang, I’m afraid you’ll need to clear the room for what’s to come. Master Jiang has entrusted me with a matter of great importance.”
Since the heads of the family’s core operations—the “Four Pillars” and the director of the family office—had all arrived, Yu Xiang understood this was serious. She dismissed the staff and sent her daughter upstairs to play.
Sun Assistant Manager’s expression was something between affable and strained. “Master Jiang also instructed that—Assistant Qiu, stay.”
Qiuyun, who had already taken a few steps away while accompanying Miss Jiang, raised an eyebrow slightly.
What she had pointed out yesterday was this: after observing the household these past days, it was clear that Madam Jiang, as the lady of the house, was kept largely idle during the summer break from school, merely arranging flowers, painting, appraising jewelry, and accompanying her daughter on hikes—doing nothing of consequence, however luxurious.
One, she lacked any sense of belonging to this home, living in either the basement suite or Bright Moon Pavilion without any real distinction.
Two, she had never truly been let into the family’s deeper conflicts. How could Master Jiang expect her to understand the hardships of his scheming outside?
Three, as a mother and wife, her child and husband followed arrangements and care dictated entirely by others—she had no role to play in their lives, which was, in itself, a form of subtle exclusion.
