Chapter 15: Paying Respects

Following behind them were two young ladies, presumably her two "cheap" younger sisters. One wore a lake-blue pomegranate skirt, while the other wore a plain white pleated skirt; both appeared quite fresh and elegant.

After entering and exchanging greetings, Yun Yi had her maid serve tea before looking at them and saying, "What brings you, Auntie and my sisters, here today? Let us find a place to sit before we speak."

Once they were seated, Lady Jiang replied, "Yun Man hasn't been feeling well lately, so she hasn't been able to visit you. Please do not hold it against her, Third Miss. As soon as she felt better, she insisted on coming to see Third Sister. That is why she finally found the time to bring Seventh Miss and Eighth Miss along to see how you are doing. You look much better today, Third Miss; do you feel any discomfort anywhere?"

Yun Yi took a small sip of her tea before replying slowly, "I am much better, thank you, Auntie, for keeping me in your thoughts." Internally, however, she was thinking that people in ancient times were so troublesome—if they had something to say, they should just say it instead of dragging things out so much.

With a slightly evasive gaze, Lady Jiang said, "Is that not what I should do? I won't say much more, lest I cause Third Miss more heartache."

After much idle chatter about various matters, the two sisters had barely spoken since their initial greetings upon entering. The atmosphere was not particularly pleasant.

Then, Lady Jiang spoke up: "The Marquis and the Old Madam pity you, Third Miss. Knowing that your heart is heavy, they wish for you to have a change of environment. After discussing it with the Heir's Wife, they intend to arrange for you to recuperate at the Qingliang Mountain Villa. I hear the climate there is pleasant; you can simply treat it as a trip to clear your mind and get some fresh air. I wonder what Third Miss thinks of this?"

Yun Yi kept her head down for a long time before looking up at Lady Jiang with a light smile, saying, "I will follow whatever arrangements my Grandfather and Grandmother make." In Lady Jiang's eyes, that smile looked like a forced one; without the Second Madam to stand up for her, she was nothing more than someone others could mold at will.

Hearing Yun Yi's response, Lady Jiang finally felt half a weight lifted from her heart. She had been afraid the girl would make a scene and refuse to go. *Sigh,* in truth, she didn't want to go against Yun Yi; the Second Madam had treated her quite well when she was still around.

However, now that they were all merely making a living under the Heir's Wife, they had to plan for their own daughters. It was a matter of necessity, and she could only hope that Third Miss would not blame her in the future.

The next morning, Yun Yi arrived at Ronghui Hall at the usual time to pay her respects to her grandmother. After the maid reported her arrival, she led the Third Miss into the main hall.

When Yun Yi entered, the aunt from the Fourth Branch had already arrived with her concubine-born sons and daughters. Yun Yi exchanged greetings with the Fourth Branch, and they each sat down to wait for the Old Madam to emerge.

Before long, members of the other branches arrived one after another. Yun Yi also saw the members of the Zhan family from the original host's memories. They all exchanged greetings and expressed concern for her well-being; on the surface, everything seemed fine.

When the Old Madam emerged and saw Yun Yi, she began a flurry of affectionate inquiries, calling her "dear" and "treasure." Yun Yi could sense her grandmother's sincerity, which put her at ease; at least in this massive Marquis estate, there was one person who truly cared for her.

After a long period of pleasantries, Yun Yi knew the main topic was coming. Sure enough, once the Heir's Wife saw that the Old Madam and Yun Yi had finished their conversation, she spoke up: "Yun Yi, your Grandfather and Grandmother pity you. After discussing it, we wish to arrange for you to recuperate at the Qingliang Mountain Villa. I see that your health has mostly recovered; when do you think would be a good time to depart?"

The Old Madam had not expected Lady Feng to bring this up today. After all, Yun Yi's health had only just begun to improve; if she set out now and her condition worsened, it would be disastrous. Consequently, she felt a sense of resentment toward Lady Feng.

Upon hearing this, Yun Yi glanced at the members of the First Branch and then turned to look at the Old Madam. Seeing that the Old Madam's expression was somewhat displeased, she felt a bit more comforted; at least someone was looking out for her.

Since she had wanted to leave this place for a long time anyway, there was no point in arguing. She simply said, "I will follow the arrangements of Grandmother and Aunt."

(End of Chapter)