Song Chumi was finally brought back to the capital on a selected date, with the family expining that she'd spent the st two years at an estate recovering from illness. Though only two years had passed, it felt like a lifetime. She had resigned herself to living a lonely, isoted life at the country estate, never expecting she'd be able to return. Once back, she clung to her mother, Lady Yun, and cried her heart out.

  The ordeal had taught her a harsh lesson, making her more understanding of her mother's struggles—had Lady Yun not spent three years lowering herself, pleading and finding every possible way, Song Chumi's life would have been finished.

  When Song Chuyi and Xiang Mingzi encountered her in the Old Lady Song's presence, Song Chumi rose to greet them, her manner entirely different from the former Fourth Miss Song they remembered. However, a glint in her eye lingered when she looked at Song Chuyi.

  Deep down, Song Chumi still held resentment. While Lady Yun may have had grand ambitions, all Song Chumi had wanted was to live quietly with the man she loved. But Song Chuyi had not spared her any dignity, tearing the matter wide open before Old Master and Old Lady Song. If not for this, her life wouldn't have turned out so bleakly.

  People often forget pain once the wound heals; when she was at the estate, all she wished for was to return to the capital. But now that she was back, she couldn't help but feel resentful once more—Song Chubin had received a good marriage proposal from a prestigious family, her twice-divorced second sister had also found a respectable match, and even Xiang Mingzi, an outsider, was treated like a precious gem. Yet she was to marry a poor schor with no influential family background.

  Once that thought arose, it refused to be silenced, filling her with bitterness. She developed painful sores on her tongue from the tension, making even drinking water difficult.

  The Old Lady saw her barely concealed discontent and, noticing that Song Chuyi chose not to engage, felt increasingly uneasy. She called Lady Yun to her side and spoke bluntly, "Allowing her to return was already a compromise, risking our family's reputation. If she doesn't learn to keep herself in check, it's best she return to the estate before she brings shame to the Song ancestors when I'm gone!"

  Lady Yun's eyes reddened immediately. With a heavy heart, she suppressed her old pride and ambitions—she knew the Old Lady's words were true. In a typical family, a girl who committed such a mistake would likely have been quietly strangled and her body dumped in a remote pond. Allowing Song Chumi to live and even arranging a marriage for her was already a mercy she should be endlessly grateful for.

  Fortunately, the Old Lady hadn't said these words in front of the First Lady, but it was clearly a warning. Nervous, Lady Yun left the room, looking at her daughter with a heart full of conflicting emotions. Though furious, seeing her daughter's thin face quelled her anger. Pulling Song Chumi into her arms, she softly conveyed the Old Lady's message, adding at the end, "If not for yourself, then at least think of your father and me. If you cause any more trouble, how do you expect your mother to survive?"

  Song Chuyi could guess Song Chumi's feelings. Seeing her cold expression, Song Chuyi chose to ignore it, as her fourth sister had never truly harbored ill will toward her in the past. In her current state, Song Chumi was unlikely to stir up any real trouble.

  Qingying, however, was quietly concerned and whispered to Ziyun, "There's more than just a bit of resentment in Fourth Miss's eyes when she looks at our young dy."

  Ziyun, who was busy tying a ruyi knot for Song Chuyi, gnced around before nodding slightly. "If things keep on like this, who knows what she might do. It'd be wise to remind the young dy to be cautious."

  While they whispered to each other, Bilian approached cheerfully from the corridor. With a bright smile, she greeted them as sisters and added, "The Old Master has returned!"

  This was big news. They had sent people to wait at the dock for days, but there had been no word until now. Ziyun stood up immediately, asking, "Are you certain? How do you know?"

  With a mischievous smile, Bilian replied, "I saw the servants bringing in boxes at the main entrance, and I caught a glimpse of the Second Young Master. Since he's back, surely the Old Master has returned too. I thought you might not have heard, so I came to tell you."

  In the past, Qingtao and Luyi would have been the ones to gather news, but they were now older, having been promoted to first-tier maids, and were no longer expected to frequently leave the household.

  Hearing this, Ziyun gave Bilian an approving nod, smiling. "You're a clever one."

  Before long, Zihui arrived personally, smiling as she urged Ziyun and Qingying to quickly help Song Chuyi prepare to head to Ningde Courtyard, announcing that Old Master Song had indeed returned.

  When Song Chuyi arrived, Xiang Mingzi had yet to make her way over—she had moved to Cuiming Pavilion the previous year, a bit of a distance from Ningde Courtyard. The First Lady was also out preparing for the evening meal, instructing servants to tidy things up, so only Old Master and Old Lady Song were in the room.

  Old Master Song smiled as soon as he saw Song Chuyi. After she paid her respects, he raised her up immediately. "There's not much in Yangzhou, but the powder, rouge, and jewelry there are more delicate and refined than those in the capital. I brought some back for you all. I also heard you've started learning to py the zither, so I got you a guqin from Changyin Pavilion—see if it suits you."

  Despite his long journey, he looked in good spirits, which put Old Lady Song at ease. She then asked him, "How did things escate this much?"

  After all, the Zhang family matriarch had once nursed the Emperor himself, and he had even bestowed upon her an honorary title. How had things gone so wrong?

  Old Master Song sighed, "Initially, the reports were kept internal, but every eye in the capital was on that position. Even if the Emperor didn't want to intervene, he had to. Besides, the Zhang family was truly overindulgent in their greed... With so much evidence against them, no one would let them off."

  He paused, sipped his tea, and shook his head. "Even that wasn't the worst part. When the Zhang family's downfall was imminent, the Han family swiftly withdrew from their engagement, well before the Zhangs' assets were seized. They acted so quickly that people called it a noble dispy of cutting ties with the guilty, but everyone knew it was self-serving. The Zhang family's daughter hanged herself the next day... The Han family was truly heartless."