Chapter 6: Chaos in the Silk Pavilion, Cultivation Advancement

Wenlan, a maid in the Heir’s courtyard, received her orders and left. The Heir’s wife coaxed her young daughter with forced patience, though her own heart was far from calm. If what the maid from Sixiang Pavilion said was true, then who could be so bold and reckless as to commit such an act?

The Marquis’s estate had always been heavily guarded. How had the evildoer managed to get in? Thinking that this time it was only stolen property, she couldn't help but feel a lingering fear about what might happen next. Looking at her young daughter, who was crying bitterly, she realized she would have to speak to her husband about this.

She would have to discuss it with him later; for the sake of safety, they needed to add more night guards to the estate. It would at least provide some peace of mind. As the mistress managing the household, if anything happened to the many women in the inner courtyard of this grand Marquis’s estate, she would be unable to escape the blame.

It would also tarnish the reputation of the Marquis’s estate. Feeling troubled and unable to clear her thoughts, she looked at her daughter, who was still weeping, and grew even more impatient. She simply called over the maid beside Yunyu and said, "Help the Second Miss back to Sixiang Pavilion and tidy her up."

"Look at the state of her; she doesn't look like a young lady of a noble house at all."

Inside Zhudi Residence, Yunyi sat in a languid posture, leaning against a soft couch, slowly sipping a cup of tea brewed with spirit spring water.

She figured that by now, Nanny Lin and the others should have finished the procedures to remove Lingxue and the others from the slave registry. Glancing around the room, she realized she wouldn't be staying here much longer.

Just then, the maid Yuezhu walked in quickly and said, "Miss, there was a huge commotion at Sixiang Pavilion this morning. I went to inquire, and they say that overnight, everything in the Second Miss's room was stolen clean."

"The Second Miss only discovered it after she woke up, washed, and was preparing to put on her makeup. She had the maids in the pavilion turn the place upside down, but they found nothing."

"The Second Miss and the manager of the courtyard panicked. The Second Miss had the night guards and the manager Nanny beaten, then ran to the Heir’s wife at Qingfeng Courtyard to complain, demanding that the Heir’s wife uphold justice for her."

"The Heir’s wife has already sent Wenlan to find the steward to investigate the matter. I expect they will be questioning us here soon. Miss, how should we handle this?"

Yunyi raised her eyes to look at the young maid who had been saved by the original owner and her mother. She looked quiet and gentle, and now it seemed she was quite steady in her work as well. She felt satisfied.

Seeing that her mistress remained silent, Yuezhu continued, "Nanny Lin and Sister Lingxue left the estate this morning. Will they suspect us? I’m afraid that when the time comes, we..."

Yunyi thought the girl was quite observant, so she asked, "What time did they leave the estate?"

Yuezhu replied, "They left at the end of the Mao hour (approx. 7:00 AM). I saw them off. They were checked and registered at the South Corner Gate."

Yunyi chuckled lightly, "Everyone who leaves the estate is checked and registered by the gatekeepers, and there are records. It has nothing to do with us; just watch calmly. Unless... hmph, that depends on whether they have the ability."

"When the steward brings people over later, don't stop them. Just let them in. Tell them that I have shown some improvement in my illness these past few days, that I am able to get out of bed, but that I still need to recuperate properly."

"As for other matters, just tell the truth. Keep the people in the courtyard under control; they are not allowed to get involved in the affairs of Sixiang Pavilion. Tell them all to behave themselves. Nanny Lin already spoke to the four of you yesterday about Lingxue and the others."

"From now on, the four of you will take over Lingxue and the others' duties of attending to me personally. Just do as you did when they were here. Keep an eye on the people in the courtyard. Alright, I’m tired. You go out and keep watch."

Yuezhu replied, "Yes, Miss. This servant will take her leave." After coming out, she closed the door and relayed the mistress's instructions to the other three at the door. Leaving Yuelan to guard the entrance, the others went to attend to their tasks.

However, Yuezhu couldn't help but feel that the Miss had changed. Although she hadn't served the Miss closely before, she had always been waiting nearby. Since recovering from this illness, the Miss had become much more assertive.

She also felt that the Miss's aura had changed. For a moment while she was speaking, her eyes had been incredibly sharp. *Sigh*, she let out a long breath, hoping that the Miss had truly changed this time and would no longer be bullied by the other courtyards.

After the maid left, Yunyi opened the map Nanny Lin had left for her and studied the general route before entering the space to continue practicing her mental cultivation technique.

If she wanted to live a brilliant life in this world, she needed sufficient means of self-preservation. Yunyi always remembered a saying from her grandfather: "In the face of absolute strength, any scheme is nonsense." After the marrow-cleansing, her body had recovered.

She needed to practice the skills from her previous life to restore them to their peak as soon as possible, and she also had to intensify her practice of this mental cultivation technique to make herself strong enough.

Yunyi already knew the power of this technique. Once she reached the third level, she would be able to achieve "the invisible defeating the visible" within a hundred-meter radius, moving over walls and roofs as if walking on flat ground.

Her speed would be unmatched, and she would even be able to decide the life and death of others without a sound through her mental power. She had only just entered the threshold, so she could only use her mental power like a radar.

Because her practice time was short, her divine sense could only monitor things within a hundred meters. Anything further was impossible. For the sake of future safety, Yunyi now spent every spare moment on cultivation.

By just past noon, with the help of the spirit spring water and the original owner's body—which could be considered a cultivation prodigy—she successfully broke through the entry level and officially stepped into the early stage of the first level of mental power.

Not only could she check the situation within a hundred meters at any time through her divine sense, but she could also hear sounds clearly. It was truly the essential artifact for palace intrigue in ancient times.

Soaking herself in the green hot spring pool, her whole body felt refreshed, as if every pore was breathing. She felt extremely comfortable.

After leaving the pool and tidying herself up, Yunyi discovered that perhaps because she had practiced the technique, she could now teleport within the space. This was truly a "buy one get one free" surprise!

She squeezed out some fresh milk, boiled it, and drank a cup, preparing to eat some fruit to get rid of the milky taste. She had only eaten half when she sensed a group of people approaching from a hundred meters away.

Yunyi finished the rest in two bites, rinsed her mouth, tidied herself up, and exited the space. She leaned back on the soft couch again, picked up a book from the side, and sat waiting for them to arrive.

Before long, a group of people entered the courtyard of Zhudi Residence. Without waiting for Yuelan and the others to announce them, they pushed their way into the main room, ignoring all attempts to stop them. Leading them were Li De, the steward of the Marquis’s estate, Wenlan, the first-class maid beside the Heir’s wife, and Nanny Zhang, the Heir’s wife’s wet nurse. After they entered, Yuelan, the maid who hadn't been able to stop them, knelt on the ground.

Nervously, she said, "Miss, this servant is incompetent; I didn't have time to announce them." She couldn't continue.

The mental cultivation technique Yunyi practiced was truly a good thing; without any effort, she made her complexion appear pale, and she also feigned the sickly state of someone who had recovered but still needed to recuperate.

The people who entered all looked at Yunyi. Li De, the steward, thought to himself, *This Third Miss of the second branch is truly lucky. Everyone said she wouldn't make it, but who would have thought that someone unloved and uncared for would actually survive.*

*And she has inexplicably recovered. Although she looks very sickly now, she is finally able to get out of bed. In this cannibalistic Marquis’s estate, without a mother's care, I don't know how far she can go. Fortunately, her maternal family in the capital still carries enough weight.*

*At the very least, the estate wouldn't dare to make a move on her openly; what happens in the shadows is hard to say. I hope this legitimate daughter of the second branch can be resilient and protect herself.*

While they were still stunned, Yunyi spoke up: "I don't know what business brings you all here. Ever since my mother passed away, I have been bedridden, and it is only in these last few days that I have barely been able to get out of bed."

"I didn't know that the rules of this estate had become like this. I wonder if Grandmother knows about this, or if you feel that since the second branch no longer has a mistress and my father doesn't manage affairs, I, the only legitimate daughter, am no longer a master?"

"Or is this the intention of the Eldest Aunt, the Heir’s wife? That because I have lost my mother, you don't have to treat me as a master of this estate and can let people trample on me at will?"

"This is truly chilling. I wonder if my maternal grandfather's family knew that I was living like this in the Marquis’s estate, they would go to the Imperial Court to file a complaint and seek justice for me, an orphaned girl who has lost her status."

The group was startled and quickly knelt down, saying, "This servant (old servant) greets the Third Miss."

Yunyi didn't tell them to rise. She heard the steward say, "Please forgive us for our rudeness just now, Third Miss. It is because this servant has not seen the Third Miss for a long time."

"I was so focused on seeing if the Third Miss was well that I forgot my manners. We truly deserve to die."

The others echoed, "Please forgive this servant (old servant) for losing our manners."

Yunyi only wanted them to understand that although she had no mother and was not close to her father, she was still a master of this Marquis’s estate. They shouldn't think they could treat her lightly. She didn't want to make enemies of them; there was no need.

She needed to guard against and deal with the masters behind them, not them. They weren't qualified to make her waste her energy. She said softly, "Everyone rise and speak." She then put down the book in her hand.

She raised her hand to pick up the teacup on the table and said, "Tell me, why were you so forgetful of manners today that you didn't even wait for a maid to announce you before barging in? What is the matter that made you so urgent that you couldn't even bother with respect and etiquette?"

The group looked at each other, feeling that this Third Miss was a bit different. She was no longer as weak and easy to bully as before; her speech was clear and logical, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Steward Li De stepped forward and said, "Third Miss, the situation is this: the Second Miss's courtyard was robbed last night. The Heir’s wife ordered this servant to investigate the matter, so I am here to understand the situation."

Yunyi said with a hint of displeasure, "Oh? And what does the steward want to understand? Could it be that you are implying that our Zhudi Residence has the ability to steal from the Second Sister's Sixiang Pavilion? Your words make me laugh."

"My courtyard is separated from the Second Sister's by a lake and two other courtyards. There isn't even a single man in this courtyard. Could it be that the estate's guards and soldiers are just for show? Looking at the way you brought so many people here today, are you intending to search Zhudi Residence?"

"If you suspect us, Steward Li, if you don't give me a clear explanation today, this matter won't end here. Although I have no proper elders to protect me right now, Grandmother will not watch me be humiliated and do nothing."

"The Duke of Wu's estate will not stand by either. No matter what, I am the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Marquis’s estate; I am not someone you can manipulate at will."

Steward Li De knew that what the Third Miss said was reasonable, and he knew it was impossible for it to have anything to do with her. Since the Third Miss was so difficult to deal with now, it was better to take a step back.

So he said, "Third Miss, you have misunderstood. This servant only came to ask about the situation and see if any suspicious people had appeared in the courtyard. I have truly disturbed your recuperation. This servant will take his people and leave now. I hope the Third Miss will forgive me."