In the afternoon, the scorching sunlight made the willow branches wilt, and even the cicadas on the tree called out with a lack of energy. "Know..." After one cry, it took a long time to call out again. However, in the water pavilion by the Bi Bo Pool in the Chu Zhou Hou Fu, there was a gentle breeze, quiet and elegant.

  The lattice doors around the pavilion were all removed, so that the cool air of the pool water and the fragrance of the white lotus flowers in the pool could drift into the pavilion with the wind. Madame Bai held a book in her hand and leaned on the rattan bed, reading for a while and then smiling as she glanced at her son Pan Xuan, who was playing on the mat with his wet nurse, rolling around and having a great time. Seeing that her son's small feet were wrinkling the green silk edge of the white plain satin mat, she quietly reached out to smooth it out, and lovingly pulled down the red silk pants legs to cover his little plump legs.

  The wet nurse stood up nervously and smiled apologetically: "Milady..."

  Mrs. Bai smoothed her blue silk robe and waved her hand lightly: "Don't bother, children are naturally fond of playing, just be careful at night." As soon as she finished speaking, Pan Xiang suddenly sat up, grabbed her sleeve, and tried to snatch the book from her hand, with saliva dripping onto the blue silk and quickly spreading into a large stain.

  Madam Bai lovingly picked him up and placed him in her arms, smiling: "Does Ah Jue want to read books too? Come, Mother will teach you."

  Yu Ge entered with a delicate porcelain box in her hands and smiled, "Young Master is so young yet loves to read books and is also very intelligent. I think he will definitely be a refined and elegant person in the future."

  Madam Bai glared at her slightly and said, "Don't say such things to him. Jade must be carved to become a useful vessel; no matter how intelligent, one must be taught carefully." Seeing the porcelain box in Yu's hand, her expression suddenly turned solemn: "What is that?"

  Ni Yu smiled but didn't speak, only opening the lid and handing it over. Inside the box were neatly arranged pieces of incense cakes the size of copper coins. Madame Bai leaned in to take a sniff, her expression becoming somewhat dazed. Ni Yu asked with a smile: "How does the fragrance strike you, madam?"

  Madam Bai regained her composure and turned away to gently pat Pan Xing's head, saying softly: "It's nothing."

  Yu Rong deliberately pouted and said, "If the person who sent the incense knew that it took forty-nine days to make and still got such a comment from the mistress, I don't know how sad they would be. She just said that this incense is elegant and pure in nature, and the mistress will surely love it. I'll go return it now and say that our mistress doesn't even think much of it." After speaking, she really turned around to leave.

  How could she be so calm and composed? This doesn't sound like something Pan Rong, that flirtatious girl, would say. Madame Bai hastily called out to Ni Yu, her face stern: "You little wretch, how dare you try to deceive me! Quickly tell me who sent it, and I'll forgive your earlier impertinence!"

  She covered her mouth with a jade pendant and smiled lightly, handing over the porcelain box. "It was sent by Heiniang's personal maid, Yuhe. She said that after parting with you last time, she personally blended this Shengjing incense, stored it for the required period, and only dared to send it to you after testing it and finding it satisfactory."

  "It's been so many days since the Dragon Boat Festival... " Mrs. Bai said with a hint of melancholy, "She did have a good intention, let's try one piece first, where is she?"

  Yu's hands and feet moved quickly as she took a silver-gilt incense burner from the head of the bed, lit an incense tablet, and replied: "She is still waiting outside. Do you want to see her?"

  Madam Bai said, "I naturally want to see, after all, I have to return the gift, right?" She lightly sniffed the fragrance and thought to herself that although it was described as elegant and refreshing, in reality, it had a hint of desolation. It really suited her taste. He's family's Dan Niang, even if she pretended to be strong, actually felt the same desolation deep down, didn't she?

  Yu He followed closely behind Yu Ru, walking into the Water Pavilion without looking around, and greeted Madam Bai with a neat bow: "Madam is well, my master greets you."

  Madam Bai swept a glance at Yuhe, and saw that she was wearing a pale blue blouse with a moon-white long skirt. Her eyes were round and large, her mouth curved in a smile, and a dimple appeared on the edge of her cheek. Looking at her, Madam Bai thought she looked both lovely and neat, so she smiled and said: "Sit down, it's been a long time since I've seen your master, is he well?"

  A little maid standing by handed over a piece of brocade, Yuhe thanked her and sat down with a smile. She sniffed the familiar fragrance coming from the incense burner and felt relieved, her smile becoming even brighter: "My master is very kind. He has always been concerned about you, madam, but it's not convenient for him to visit in person, so he personally made this quiet incense, hoping you won't dislike it."

  Madam Bai smiled slightly: "She's got a good heart, I really like this incense. Just now, I heard Nian Yu say that it was stored for 49 days, I suppose you know the recipe?"

  Before the rain arrived, Yuhe had already received Peony's instructions and knew that these aristocratic families were particular about their incense. They would always ask for clarification before using it, but Madame Bai had taken it out and used it right away, which was a sign of her sufficient trust in Peony. Hurriedly gathering her spirits, she replied: "Yes, this is the first kind of incense my mother made after returning home. I attended to her while she was making it. Two taels of white honey were used, and water was added to remove its stickiness. It was then steamed over low heat for half a day and washed with warm water before being set aside. Two taels of Hainan sinking incense were cut into finger-tip sized pieces and mixed with four taels of cinnabar, which were then ground into powder using a horsehair sieve. The mixture was then blended with the cooked honey to create a paste, which was stored in a cellar for 49 days. After taking it out, Bai Lu Gao money, musk, and An Xi incense were added, and the mixture was shaped into an incense cake, thus creating this incense."

  Madam Bai smiled and said, "The formula isn't complicated, but the fragrance is exceptional. I heard about what happened on Dragon Boat Festival night last time, since I knew she was fine, so I didn't specifically go to visit her. What has she been up to lately?"

  Yu He Xin knew that as the wife of Bai, there were difficulties, so she bought a house and land on the banks of Huangqu River to build a garden and plant peonies. When Madam Bai heard that the garden was designed based on the draft of Monk Fuyuan's peony painting, she became very interested: "What does it look like now? I really hope it can be completed soon, so I can go and join in the fun."

  Yu He endured for several times, and finally followed Peony's instructions, not mentioning the difficulties of Ning Wangfu's farm manager, but said: "It's still early, probably next spring will be a little better. According to Master Fuyuan, even with careful management, it may take two years to see all the beautiful scenery."

  The two of them chatted for a while, and Pan Ling on the side started to doze off. Yu He hurriedly got up to bid farewell, and Madame Bai didn't stay much longer either. She just called out to Ni Yu to bring out two small ivory tubes with carved flowers and green dye, and said with a smile: "Your family has plenty of good incense, I won't bother making any more. These two tubes of lip balm are something I made myself when I had nothing better to do - they're very effective at moisturizing and the color is lovely too. You can't buy this kind of thing outside, she's young and should be dressing up, take these two tubes for her to try."

  Yu He got up and bowed to thank her, and then Yu Ni sent her out. The two walked to the second gate, where Yu Ni saw that there was no one around, took Yu He's hand warmly and said: "Sister, after you go back, remember to tell your mother that if she has time to go out for a walk, don't hesitate to come and invite our lady. She is always cooped up in this mansion, feeling bored. If the garden is built, be sure to let our lady know first." As a personal maid who had been serving by Madame Bai's side for many years, she was very sensitive to Madame Bai's fondness for peonies, and naturally hoped that Madame Bai could go out more often with people she got along with.

  Yu He smiled and said: "Sister, rest assured, I will go back and tell my mother. She has a high opinion of your character, but it's just that she doesn't like to visit in person."

  "Your mother's difficulties are known to all the ladies, and we've also heard those rumors. At the time, I even suggested to the lady that I go take a look at your mother. But she said, 'Your mother is a woman of high character, she won't put her mind on such trivial matters, it's better not to go.' It was only when I played polo last time and heard that she had fallen ill that I became worried, but in just two days, I heard someone say they saw her riding a horse down the street, so I guessed there wasn't much wrong."

  Yu He heard this and thought to herself that Madame Bai was indeed a person with a cold face but a warm heart, who had been paying attention to Peony's affairs all along. She suddenly felt both grateful and sympathetic towards Peony, proudly saying: "Madame is truly wise, guessing correctly every time. When those words came out, everyone in the family was unhappy and felt it wasn't fair, but my mother didn't take it seriously at all. She ate when she should eat, slept when she should sleep, and went out to do her chores as usual the next day. When those people with ill intentions came up to greet her, she smiled and responded, with a heart even broader than that of a man! You don't know, these past few days we've been riding horses to the estate, although it's hard work, but not a bit boring."

  Yunyu was delighted and envious: "Really? That's great. The madam hasn't gone horseback riding in a long time, I'll ask her to take us to your estate another day." Although she often followed Mrs. Bai to attend various social gatherings at the mansions of high-ranking officials, it was always for the sake of socializing and putting on a show, with all sorts of annoying people around, making her feel uncomfortable and unable to relax, let alone have fun, unlike going out to the countryside where they could play freely and easily.

  Yu He exclaimed with excitement: "Absolutely! Behind our house, there is a peach and plum forest. Now some of the plums are already ripe, sweet and crisp. The peaches will be ready soon too, it's going to be so much fun!"

  Two people walked to the corner gate, just about to say goodbye, suddenly saw Liu Chuan and Pan Rong walking in from the side door, surrounded by a burst of fragrance. Liu Chuan caught sight of Yuhe's smiling face, his eyelids twitched, and he stood still.

  Yu He's eyes met Liu Chuan's, and she jumped in fright, silently cursing her bad luck for running into him the moment she stepped out. She exchanged a glance with Mo Yu, turned around to leave, but had only taken one step when Liu Chuan coldly said: "Halt!"

  Yu He just ignored the words and quickened his pace, almost running. Ni Yu secretly cursed, stepped forward to block Liu Cheng's line of sight, smiled and saluted: "The slave has seen Master Shi and Gong Yi Lang."

  Pan Xiang looked at Liu Cheng with a smile that was not quite a smile, and asked Yu Ru: "Who is that? Why does she look familiar, yet not like someone from our household? Not even half a courtesy, didn't you hear Gong Yi Lang call her? How can she be so frightening?"

  He sounded like he was blaming Ruiyu and Yuhe, but in fact he was mocking Liu Chong. Liu Chong seemed to have not heard at all, took a step forward and blocked the door, coldly smiling and staring at Yuhe: "What a good habit of pretending to be deaf and dumb! Rushing to escape like this, did you do something that can't be seen?"

  Yu He saw that she couldn't escape, so she hastily made a bow to him: "Your humble servant has seen Liu Fengyi Lang. You really know how to joke, this mansion isn't some casual place, where would it tolerate your servant doing something improper?"

  Liu Chong saw Yu He like a snake avoiding its skin, sharp teeth and mouth, and thought of the pitiful and pleasing look she had in front of him before. A taste that couldn't be described rose to his heart, and he pursed his lips without speaking. He didn't speak, so Yu He plucked up her courage and walked around him to continue walking outside. Seeing Yu He's actions, Liu Chong was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly exploding in anger, shouting loudly: "How dare you, you slave! Did I let you go?"

  Next to her, Yu thought that this was a task entrusted by the lady to their own family, and no matter what, they had to send the person away safely. She knew that arguing with Liu here would not be clear, so she might as well hurry back to get reinforcements. Who would have thought that just after turning around, she was stopped by Pan Rong: "You're troubling the lady with such a small matter, you really don't understand!"

  Yu Rong's face turned red, but she didn't try to please Pan Rong and hid the truth. She bit her lip and said: "She was ordered by the madam to send incense to the mistress, and the mistress instructed me to see her off properly." This is a guest of the Hou Mansion, not the Liu family. Now she only hopes that Pan Rong will spare White Madam's face and not let Liu Chong cause trouble in the Hou Mansion, or else it would be White Madam who loses face.

  As expected, Pan Rong still looked a bit lazy, but replied: "Alright, she'll definitely be able to live well and walk out of this door. If you're not at ease, just watch from the side, later when Madam asks, you can also give an account."

  Only the people at home know the temper of their own master, as long as Pan Rong said that he won't let Yu He get into trouble, it's definitely true. After getting this promise, Nian Yu also breathed a sigh of relief and gave Yu He a reassuring glance, standing guard on the side and watching quietly.

  But Yu He saw Liu Cheng and thought he was intentionally venting his temper on her, while Pan Rong had a look of watching the excitement. She stood up straight and calmly faced Liu Cheng: "I am a servant of the He family, today I came to the mansion to deliver something, now that things are done, my master is waiting for me to return. Why does Liu Gongyi stop me from leaving?" Nowadays, he has endless bad temper, it's better to keep it at home and vent it on those who like to endure it, don't bother her with it.

  Liu Chuan was speechless for a moment. Why did he always feel uncomfortable when he saw people related to Peony? Did he have the habit of getting angry whenever he saw Yu He? Last time, he said he was sick, but he was still waiting for the He family to come and beg him again. He had been waiting anxiously, but hadn't seen anyone coming, just about to send someone to investigate, when he saw them walking on the street, laughing more brightly than anyone else. Only then did he realize that Peony had been pretending all along! From then on, she didn't need to beg him again! They were all using him and throwing him away after they were done with him. Just thinking about it made him tremble with anger.

  Yu Hei, this dead girl, used to dare to pretend to be pitiful and confront him, now she is even more lawless and arrogant, looking down on everyone. Even if she is no longer a slave of the Liu family, he is still an official! Shouldn't she show respect to him? It's true that there are servants for every master! But can he just find an excuse to whip Yu Hei a few times and make her wail with tears at the gate of the Hou Mansion?

  Pan Xiang stepped forward, standing between him and Yu He, and shouted at Yu He: "You dog slave! What's with the 'who's family' nonsense? If you know to call him Fengyi Lang, then you should understand that he's an official! Shouldn't you be showing respect and courtesy? How dare you speak so boldly and disrespectfully?! It's simply asking for a beating! Even I can't stand it, if I don't teach you a lesson, it would be unbearable!"

  Yu He was not afraid of Pan Rong at all, but stared at Liu Cheng, seeing his expression change suddenly, and he was also afraid that he would suddenly go crazy. It's true that he couldn't eat it himself, and he still had to give Peony a boost, which was not worth it. Just as he was thinking about this, he suddenly saw Pan Rong making eyes at him from the side, and hurriedly said: "I was rude just now, please forgive me, Liu Gongyi Lang Jun. If you have no other instructions, I will retire." He deliberately walked around Pan Rong's side and slipped away quietly.

  This time, Liu Chang didn't stop Yu He, watching as she quickly flew out of the corner gate with a ghostly pursuit behind her, disappearing in an instant. Suddenly, he lost interest in going in to drink tea and chat with Pan Rong, and said blandly: "I'm going home."

  Pan Xiang thought he would go after Yu He to make things difficult for her, but instead he was pulled back by someone who said: "Now that we're all here, why bother? Since you became an official, we rarely get to meet up. It's not often that we get a chance like this, don't let that kind of person ruin the mood."

  Liu Chuan glanced at him and saw his innocent and diligent face, saying lightly: "Don't worry, I'm not that bored."

  Pan Xiang blinked her eyes and made a puzzled expression: "Huh? What did you say?"

  Liu Chang saw him pretending to be stupid and softly sighed: "I just... can't stand it."

  Pan Xiang laughed and said: "Is that all you've got? She's just a woman with a pretty face and a bad temper, why are you so obsessed with her? Go ahead, go! Don't bother about her!" After finishing speaking, she turned around and walked away. Seeing Liu Cheng leaving the door, she turned back to look at Ni Yu with a playful smile: "Where is your wife? I was just pretending to be angry for her sake, surely she won't give me the cold shoulder?"

  Seeing Pan Rong like this, An Yu secretly sighed for Madame Bai, murmured a few words of discontent, made a gesture of respect, and led the way forward without mentioning it again.

  Liu Chang returned home, just changed his clothes, and Xian Su was dressed up, fragrant and charming, holding a bowl of green bean ice to offer: "Master, it's hot outside, you try this first." As she spoke, she leaned into his arms, took a silver spoon and scooped a spoonful to feed him.

  Liu Chang impatiently pushed her away and coldly asked: "How is your body, wife?"

  The silk fabric lost its luster, and she withdrew the silver spoon, gazing at Liu Cheng with infinite resentment and grievance: "This slave is indeed willing to serve the mistress wholeheartedly, but with this humble status of mine, how can I enter the main hall to attend to her? Even Biyu sister, who was originally serving by the mistress's side, had to go take care of Yutong sister when she wasn't feeling well."

  Liu Chang automatically skipped her nonsense, hid twelve heart-reading words, and directly asked: "Who is serving beside the lady?"

  "It's Jade's sister." Xian Su saw that Liu Chong didn't care about her own affairs, and she was disappointed to the extreme. She had thought that when the new wife entered the house, the other party being a junzhu, if she wanted to make further progress, it would be impossible in a short period of time, so she might as well take advantage of Liu Chong's sympathy before the junzhu entered the house and resolve things. But it seemed that this was hopeless after all. However, there was also some exciting good news - when Liu Chong heard that the pregnant Yu Tong was unwell, he didn't react at all! This is great, if being pregnant doesn't get any favor, then not being pregnant would be even more unable to stir up trouble!

  As Liu Chang got up and walked out, she hurriedly followed him: "Master, what do you want to eat tonight? I've prepared a few dishes..." Before she could finish speaking, Liu Chang had already walked far away without looking back, leaving her so distressed that she bit a corner of her handkerchief wet.

  Liu Chang walked to the outside of Qi Furen's room, and Nuer hurriedly lifted the curtain and reported inside: "Madam, Master is here."

  A loud crash was heard, followed by the sound of porcelain shattering from inside the house. Madame Qi's shrill voice immediately rang out: "Get him out! What did he come here for? Is it to see if I've been driven to death by him? Get out!" This was soon followed by Yu'er's soft and gentle consolation.

  Niang Nu'er looked at Liu Chong with a worried expression. Ever since the Qinghua County Master fell off his horse, Qi Furen had been in high spirits for a while, and even the offerings to the Buddha were more exquisite than usual. She couldn't wait for the Qinghua County Master to hurry up and kick the bucket. Who would have thought that he would wake up, and before it was even confirmed whether he was paralyzed or not, Liu Chong would say such things in front of the imperial family! Immediately after, the edict of marriage was issued, which made Qi Furen so angry that she fainted! From then on, she took to her bed, adding a new complaint of chest pain, and her temper became even more violent. The old master was so scared that he didn't dare return home, often staying overnight in the government office, which further exacerbated Qi Furen's illness.

  Liu Chong furrowed his brow, slammed the curtain open and stood at the door, shouting loudly: "Now that things have come to this point, what do you want me to do? Others may not understand me, but you're also pressuring me! Fine, you don't want to see if I'm willing or not? I'll leave!" At that time, Qinghua County's injuries were unclear, and she had the audacity to scheme against him in front of many members of the imperial family, pressing him for an answer as to whether he was tired of her and didn't want her anymore. Did he dare say no? Unless he never wanted to mix with them again.

  Madam Qi heard him say this and felt a bit unbearable in her heart, but she couldn't bring herself to call him back. She spat at Yuer's face: "You're seeking death! Don't you know to hurry up and persuade him to stay?"

  Yu'er endured the humiliation and bowed heavily, only daring to wipe the saliva from her face after turning around. She quickly caught up with Liu Cheng, pleading bitterly: "Lord, Madam is ill... she's always thinking of you in her heart... it's also because she's worried about you that she fell ill..."

  Liu Chang stood still and let out a sigh, saying impatiently: "Madam is in a bad mood, seeing me will only make her condition worse, let's wait until she's feeling better before talking!"

  Before she had finished speaking, the increasingly plump Zhu Yaoyao came rushing over in a flurry: "It's all over, Rain Tao has had a miscarriage."

  Madam Qi, who was inside, heard this and suddenly flew into a rage: "What's going on? How could she have had a miscarriage all of a sudden?" Yu'er was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she kept backing away, eager to get out of the way of these troubles as soon as possible.

  Liu Chang had just left the hospital when he was intercepted by a maid who was serving beside Yu Tong, crying and asking him to go see Yu Tong, saying that Yu Tong didn't want to live anymore. Liu Chang felt like a heavy hammer was pounding in his brain, almost shattering his head.