Upon hearing this, Xiang Minghou glanced at Ye Qianning. She was just a little girl, yet she had to go through so much. It seemed there hadn’t been a single peaceful day since she’d arrived at the General’s Estate, and guilt gnawed at him.

"General Xiang, if you trust me, please leave the General’s Estate in my care for now." Mrs. Zhan stepped forward, her face full of worry and sincerity.

Xiang Minghou looked up. He had held Mrs. Zhan in high regard since he was a small boy and had often played around her whenever he visited the Zhan family.

No matter how wild his roughhousing with Zhan Chi got, or how fiercely the two of them fought, Mrs. Zhan never once blamed him. She would always speak to them gently and explain things.

"General Xiang, if you can’t bring yourself to trust me..."

"I trust you," Xiang Minghou interrupted.

Mrs. Zhan was rather surprised. ’Why did he agree so readily?’

But when she thought of Xiang Minghou as a child, a look of heartfelt concern crossed her face. She hadn’t seen him in many years, not since he’d grown into a young man.

’His father is gone, and now his own mother has hurt him this badly. He must be in agony.’

’The man has suffered a catastrophe. How could she possibly bring herself to ask about her granddaughter now? All she could do was help manage the estate’s affairs and wait until he was well again to discuss it.’

Ye Qianning was also puzzled. ’Dad is always so stern with Zhan Chi, so why did he hand over the management of the General’s Estate to Mrs. Zhan after just a few words?’

Zhan Chi figured Xiang Minghou must be past the point of no return. ’Is he so sick he can’t even recognize people straight?’

Zhan Yi stroked his beard, extremely satisfied. ’With my wife temporarily managing the General’s Estate’s affairs, we can just move in. Then we’ll be able to see our granddaughter every day.’

With the General’s Estate temporarily in Mrs. Zhan’s care, the first day passed with the maids and servants going about their duties as usual. As night approached, the crowd of citizens gathered outside the gates was also persuaded to go home.

Zhan Yi and Zhan Chi found themselves an empty room and moved in without Xiang Minghou’s knowledge.

Ye Qianning was quite impressed by Mrs. Zhan’s decisive efficiency. She’d heard that Mrs. Zhan had gone to see the Old Madam that afternoon and had berated her so thoroughly that the Old Madam couldn’t even raise her head.

’It’s hard to imagine that a woman as elegant as a hidden orchid could be so utterly formidable when she lets loose on someone.’

Xiang Mingli still hadn’t woken up. Although the two children had maids looking after them in the courtyard, they’d still heard some of the gossip. Every now and then, one could hear Xiang Siyan’s curses and Zhenzhu’s sobs.

Ye Qianning was also conflicted about what to do. She still hadn’t told her father that Xiang Mingli wasn’t a true member of the Xiang family, afraid the rage would overwhelm him. This matter would have to wait.

「The next day.」

At the crack of dawn, the citizens who had dispersed the day before gathered once more at the gates of the General’s Estate, cursing the Old Madam and demanding she be handed over.

The commotion grew louder and louder. With another day for the news to spread, even people from outside the city walls had heard. They had rushed to the General’s Estate overnight, and the crowd was almost double the size of the day before.

Mrs. Zhan was an expert at managing household matters, but this was a tricky situation. If the public’s anger wasn’t handled correctly, the consequences could be dire.

"Oh, what are we going to do?" Lady Liu stood beside Mrs. Zhan, panicking as she always did in a crisis.

"It’s all right. Let’s wait a little longer," Mrs. Zhan said.

Lady Liu was perplexed. "Wait for what?"

"I’ve already asked the staff. No one from the estate spread the news about yesterday’s events. The rumors were already out first thing in the morning, which means someone is pulling the strings." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Then... could someone be trying to harm the General? Mrs. Zhan, you have to think of something!" Lady Liu began to cry again.

"Don’t cry. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing."

Mrs. Zhan sighed inwardly. Lady Xiang was a good person, but her delicate nature was not suited to shouldering the responsibilities of a great house like the General’s Estate.

Standing a short distance away, Ye Qianning watched Lady Liu with a feeling of resignation. ’I hope she can learn something by staying close to Mrs. Zhan these next few days.’

’If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to teach her myself, bit by bit...’

’In the Capital City, the weak just get eaten alive!’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

A series of urgent knocks rang out.