On a sunny spring day, Qi Xi sat under the flower arbor, stitching with her needle and thread. She would occasionally lift her eyes to look at the young girl sitting by the window in the front room, her eyes filled with deep concern.

It was no wonder she felt this way. the Eldest Young Lady had indeed gone through a tumultuous time recently. Duke An, whom she had always loved, not only publicly trampled on her affections but also set two dogs to chase her. Consequently, she fell into a lotus pond and got covered in mud, thus becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital.

After Qiao Yuyan returned, the Old Madam was furious and ordered her to be confined to her room. She didn't even summon a physician. Qiao Yuyan had a high fever for three days and only began to recover yesterday afternoon. However, once she regained consciousness, Qiao Yuyan remained silent and sat quietly in her room. She didn't allow anyone to attend to her, even during the night.

Unfortunately, during this time, the Madam had a disagreement with the Master and took the servant with her to the village. It was unclear when she would return.

Qiao Yuyan, who used to be so proud and confident, now seemed as wilted as a frost-damaged eggplant.

Most importantly, after this incident, it's uncertain how Qiao Yuyan's marriage prospects would be affected.

Just as she was sighing, she found that the person she was worried about had appeared under the eaves.

With her youthful figure just beginning to blossom, she possessed a remarkable grace. Her face was like warm jade, and her eyes sparkled like morning stars. When she stood there, she became a breathtaking piece of artwork.

Even though Qi Xi had been serving by her side since she was a child and Qiao Yuyan had grown accustomed to it, she couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful Qi Xi was.

"Miss!" She quickly put down the needle and thread in her hand and went up to her.

When the others heard the voice, they stopped what they were doing and gathered around their master.

Qiao Yuyan stood on the steps and looked up at the sky.

The sky above the exquisite courtyard was as clear as water, and even the sunlight shining through the branches and leaves was exceptionally clean and bright.

She allowed a faint smile to curl at the corners of her mouth, letting the sunlight shine directly on her face. She paid no heed to the maids' warnings about getting sunspots, feeling nothing but pure delight in her heart.

Who would have thought that she would come back?

"Young Lady, you'd better relax. I'm afraid there's some misunderstanding about Duke An. However, the Old Madam got angry after hearing a few remarks. It is clear that if you can marry Duke An, it will be a great honor for our Qiao family!"

The speaker was a young maid dressed in a turquoise robe and skirt. She had a round face, fair skin, and a small mole on the tip of her nose, making her look endearing.

Qiao Yuyan looked down at her with obscure eyes.

Yesterday afternoon, she discovered that she had actually been reborn. After she had experienced fear, shock, and immense surprise, her emotions finally stabilized.

Last night, a few maidservants were murmuring under the eaves, which suddenly made her realize what time it was. In fact, her destiny truly began to change at this moment.

Not only had she become the laughingstock of the entire Capital, but more importantly, her birth mother, the senior wife of the Qiao family, Mrs. Xu, was going to commit suicide very soon!

And the reason for her suicide was even more contemptible—it's because she had been caught having an affair with someone. Although this had been kept secret from the outside world, everyone within the Qiao family knew about it.

Since then, she has had the lowest position within the Qiao family. Not to mention the members of the nobility, even the servants look down on her.

It was precisely because of this that her once-proud temperament disappeared. Mrs. Xu gradually became self-deprecating and timid, and Wen Liang appeared as the light in her gloomy sky.

He came from such a good family background; he's exceptionally talented, and he himself was outstanding. There were plenty of noble ladies in the capital who admired him.

But he just took a fancy to her. He was good to her and always looked at her with such gentle eyes. He stood behind her and stood up for her all the time. So she fell into it and thought that this was the redemption given to her by God.

Who would have thought that it would be a complete scam from the very beginning!

Since God had given her another chance, she couldn't just sit back and wait!

Qiao Yuyan thought over the matter in her heart and then took a serious look at the girl who was talking.

The woman in front of her was someone she hadn't seen in a long time. After thinking for a while, she remembered her name was Mang Zhong. She used to be a favored first-ranked maidservant at Qingxi Terrace. Surprisingly, when she got married, she begged for some grace and was allowed to leave. Many people called her foolish at that time.

But was she really stupid?

When Mang Zhong saw that Qiao Yuyan did not respond, She could not help but feel a little uneasy. She did not dare to raise her head.

As she was feeling anxious, she suddenly heard that melodious voice saying, "I wonder who's the one spreading false rumors in front of my grandmother!"

The tone was still as arrogant and conceited as ever. Hearing that, Mang Zhong felt relieved and thought about her own situation. She quickly said, "It must be Third Miss. Someone saw Third Miss heading straight to Ninghe Pharmacy as soon as she returned to the mansion. Recently, Second Miss hasn't been around, and she's the one who likes to visit Old Madam the most. She's always quick to seize opportunities to gain favor."

Qiao Yuyan couldn't contain her anger at these words. "What a nerve! The second branch relies on the eldest branch for a living and keeps comparing herself to me all the time. Does she even deserve it?"

Mang Zhong nodded in agreement, "Yes! I just saw Third Miss heading to the Old Madam's room. I think you should confront her now! On the day when you faced trouble, Third Miss was quite good at adding fuel to the fire from the sidelines. This kind of thing should be known to Old Madam. Why should you be the only one suffering?"

Qi Xi stamped her foot impatiently beside them. Why doesn't Mang Zhong have a single good word to say? Isn't she just afraid of causing trouble for everyone?

However, after hearing what she said, Qiao Yuyan did go to Ninghe Pharmacy. She was so anxious that she could only send someone to find the supervisor of the Qingxi Terrace, Nanny Wong.

Ninghe Pharmacy is Old Madam's residence, and it's also the largest and most spacious dwelling in the Qiao family.

From Qingxi Terrace, passing through Furong Building, they arrived at Ninghe Pharmacy.

The Eldest Young Lady, leading this imposing group of people, immediately attracted the attention of many maids and servants who gathered to watch.

After they passed by, there were inevitably whispers and finger-pointing behind their backs: "The Eldest Young Lady has no shame at all. After such a disgraceful incident, she's still flaunting herself like this."

"Sigh! That's why they say she's from the countryside! Just occupying the title of the eldest daughter and wasting that face. She doesn't have an ounce of the grace of a young lady. Who knows what kind of trouble she'll stir up this time?"

"While you're gossiping here, Old Madam fell ill a few days ago, and it's just been a day since then. This Eldest Young Lady doesn't seem to understand that she might cause chaos. We better hurry and inform Old Master; she might end up earning some merits."

As soon as someone understood what was going on, someone immediately ran to the outer courtyard to find Old Master.

When the young and old maids in Ninghe Pharmacy saw Qiao Yuyan coming over with her servants, they were all frightened.

No way around it; the Eldest Young Lady has always been spoiled. Her respect for Old Madam on ordinary days is just for show, and her morning and evening duties are inconsistent.

A few days ago, when that incident occurred, everyone thought there would be a big scene right then and there, but surprisingly, it passed quietly for two days.

But it was only two days later, and here she was, causing a commotion again with her entourage.

"Let her come in! I want to see what kind of trouble she's going to cause in my presence!" Qiao Yuyan had just reached the courtyard when she heard Old Madam's angry voice from inside Ninghe Pharmacy

Qi Xi was extremely anxious as Mang Zhong muttered, "It must be Third Miss saying something bad again. We haven't even arrived yet, and Old Madam is already angry. She shouldn't be showing such favoritism."

"Can't you keep quiet for a moment? What good does it do for you when the Eldest Young Lady and Old Madam get into an argument?"

"I'm just not happy for what happened to the Eldest Young Lady! These days have been so difficult; it might be better if we return to the south! Our Old Madam is so good to her!"

As the two maids were bickering, Qiao Yuyan didn't pay them any attention and walked straight in.

Inside Ninghe Pharmacy, it was indeed as Mang Zhong had said. Third Young Lady Qiao Yurong was sitting right beside Old Madam; not only her but also Second Madam, Mrs. Yao, was currently seated nearby.

As soon as they saw her enter, all eyes in the room immediately focused on Qiao Yuyan.