Dong Huiying chuckled, "Alright, let’s go!"

Then the family climbed over the wall to avoid the eyes and ears of the Qin Mansion’s servants, following the sounds towards Yue Ning’s direction.

...

"What did you say?"

Inside the study, after washing her hands and shaking off the water, the Second Elder heard the report from the person behind her and suddenly frowned.

The Second Elder was a woman, and in terms of age, only slightly younger than Old Lady Qin. But in reality, if the two were placed together, there truly wasn’t much difference; after all, both were elderly women past the age of fifty with grayed hair.

Yet, if one really had to compare, perhaps the old lady might be a bit younger than the Second Elder. After all, recently Dong Huiying had prepared plenty of health-boosting medicinal diets, all of which eventually ended up in the old lady’s stomach, making her grow younger and younger, almost catching up with the goblins.

The person reporting was the old woman who earlier mistakenly brought Yue Ning instead of Yixuan to the Qin family.

"Second Elder, Young Master is getting angry over there, seemingly because of some issue with the dinner the servants brought."

The old woman cautiously glanced at the Second Elder’s face. When she learned about this matter, she already knew something big was about to happen.

The mere cold and neglected dinner over at the Young Master’s place could at most be seen as a joke, even if it caused a commotion.

But the old woman understood that the dinner wasn’t aimed at that foolish Young Master but at the Second Elder. It was someone covertly announcing their presence, almost like a declaration of war.

In short.

All the servants in Liang Yuening’s courtyard were arranged on the Elder’s side. The dinner prepared for Liang Yuening, albeit not exquisite, should at least have included cold dishes and a soup, rather than such an inadequate, perfunctory meal.

The Qin family was deeply divided internally, with the elders under Old Lady Qin harboring various intentions. The Second Elder assumed the courtyards were filled with her informants, unaware that moles from others had already been planted long before among their own ranks.

Regardless of who orchestrated tonight’s incident, it was undeniably a provocation to the Second Elder, almost like an open slap in the face: I know what you’re doing, don’t underestimate me. I’m fully aware of your ambitions, and you should start paying attention to me as your opponent.

Anyway, the overt and covert power struggle was intense and lively.

The old woman cast a glance at Second Elder’s expression, noticing her face had turned ashen.

"Tonight’s incident, there’s only one possibility!"

The Second Elder’s face hardened.

"The Third Elder wants to compete with me for power but maintains a harmonious façade on the surface. In such a situation, it would be detrimental for her to show herself. She wouldn’t provoke my anger without reason."

Therefore, only one possibility remains.

"That old sister of mine, she’s back!"

This was Old Lady Qin’s warning, and the handiwork could only belong to her.

It’s akin to a clear warning.

I know you’ve been mistreating my people, so prepare yourself.

The Second Elder sneered again.

"But by doing so, she has fallen into the inferior position, no different from exposing her own weaknesses. She must be held up by some issue, or perhaps it’s inconvenient for her to appear; otherwise, she would’ve broken into the old ancestral house already, and there’s no need for such covert warnings."

The Second Elder considered her deduction logical; Old Lady Qin must have encountered significant troubles, making it difficult for her to appear, even forcing her to keep a low profile.