Mrs. Liu led Xiang Zhenzhu away, and no one said a word about Mrs. Wang’s suicide.

Xiang Minghou dismissed the crowd and had the steward handle Mrs. Wang’s funeral arrangements.

Ye Qianning returned to her room. ’Whether or not Xiang Zhenzhu gets to stay is a separate issue. Mrs. Wang’s suicide is highly suspicious. If she were just throwing a tantrum, you could say it was for the sake of her children’s future prosperity.’

’But committing suicide is a different matter entirely. She must have thought that if she died, Father would be soft-hearted enough to let Si Yan and Zhenzhu stay. Mrs. Wang really overestimated herself.’

’Xiang Siyan is just like Xiang Mingli—unteachable. And while Xiang Zhenzhu might still have a chance, a child who witnesses her own mother’s death will have her innocent heart changed. She can’t be allowed to stay, either.’

’The children may be innocent, but they’re also a liability. I just don’t know how Father will handle them.’

’I won’t interfere with Father’s decision. I’ll just have to wait and see.’

Zhan Yi led his wife back to their courtyard. As she thought about the scene that had just unfolded, Mrs. Zhan grew even more worried.

"Husband, why don’t we just take our granddaughter and leave? The Xiang family is in such a mess right now." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"So much has happened. If we take our granddaughter away now, it would seem heartless. Besides, she might not even want to come with us." Zhan Yi wished they could, of course.

"The little girl has barely left Xiang Minghou’s side these past two days. They’ve grown very close. Even if we asked, she probably wouldn’t leave with us."

"Seeing what happened with Mrs. Wang today... I just can’t rest easy. We have to take her back home."

"Let me think about it some more," Zhan Yi said.

"Mrs. Wang killed herself so her children could stay in the General’s manor. If Xiang Minghou actually lets them stay, I’m worried about what will happen to our granddaughter... In any case, what Mrs. Wang did was not normal. Even if the little girl refuses, I won’t be at peace until I bring her home." Mrs. Zhan was dead set on it.

"Don’t be so anxious. Let’s see how Xiang Minghou handles things first, and then we’ll decide."

Seeing he hadn’t agreed, Mrs. Zhan sighed. "Fine, we’ll wait two days. Two days at most. We can’t be careless about this."

"Alright."

Zhan Yi agreed, but his heart was filled with suspicion toward Ye Qianning.

’An adult might have nightmares after seeing Mrs. Wang commit suicide, yet that child, only six years old, went to examine the body with such calm composure. Is that normal?’

’What allows a child to witness a killing without even flinching?’

「Two days passed in a flash.」

The General’s manor remained quiet.

Ye Qianning ate all three of her meals with Xiang Minghou, after which she would tell him amusing stories about Nanyuan. She never mentioned the second branch of the family, the old madam, or Xiang Zhenzhu.

Thanks to Xiang Minghou’s strong constitution, the spatial medicine Ye Qianning administered, and the power of the Spiritual Spring, his condition had stabilized, and his wounds were healing rapidly.

Fourth Granny’s health and spirits were also gradually improving. Over the past two days, Mrs. Zhan had grown quite close to her, and loved listening to her stories about Ye Qianning’s life in Nanyuan.

Old Man Gu had been very busy for the past two days. He returned to the Gu family one day and came back the next with several construction crews. They immediately began demolishing the courtyards belonging to the old madam and the second branch, explaining that they needed to be rebuilt.

In his words, the original structures were no longer habitable—they brought too much bad luck.

A group of maids and servants in the General’s manor was also dismissed, and the new staff had all been hand-picked by the steward. The concubines, too, had scarcely left their own courtyards for the last two days.

After being taken back to her courtyard by Mrs. Liu that day, a doctor came to see Xiang Zhenzhu several times. He concluded she had only suffered a fright and was not seriously harmed. Whenever she was awake, all she did was cry.

Xiang Siyan, on the other hand, had thrown a tantrum for an entire day. At twelve years old, he had learned nothing of value from following the old madam and Xiang Mingli, but he had certainly mastered the art of cursing.

That afternoon, after eating with Xiang Minghou and changing his bandages, Ye Qianning stepped out of the courtyard. A cloud of dust immediately hit her in the face, making her cough several times.