Chapter One

  "Who did you say is dead?" The string of pearls in Madame's hand fell with a crisp sound on the floor.

  "It's... it's Chen Nian's wife..." A young servant, not very old, was kneeling on the ground, looking timid and stuttering slightly, but still speaking clearly in a soft voice.

  The old lady sat back in her chair, her eyes wide with incredulity as she repeated: "How could it be? How could she have died?"

  Zeng Yiniang stood behind the madam, initially startled, but then overjoyed. Although she had never thought of killing Chen Yiniang herself, only wanting to suppress her in the mansion, now that it was done without her having to dirty her hands, Chen Yiniang was dead. This was like a pie falling from the sky for her. However, she glanced at the madam, who despite any differences with Chen Yiniang, had been together with her for over ten years until today. To say they didn't have feelings would be impossible. So she quickly stepped forward to support the madam and sternly asked the young servant, "Did you see it with your own eyes? How could this possibly be true?"

  The young servant got the news from the back door, where did he dare to fabricate, seeing Zeng's wife like this, he quickly kowtowed and said: "I don't dare to deceive you, madam, it's really a message from Chen's house."

  "What... exactly is going on?" The madam closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, asking Zeng Nianiang.

  "It was said that she accompanied Old Lady Chen to burn incense, but on the way, they encountered robbers. To protect Old Lady Chen, both Chen's servant and the carriage were taken away by the robbers. Afterwards...the yamen people found the remains of the carriage and...Chen's corpse at the back cliff of the Taoist temple." The young servant's whole body shook as he spoke to the end.

  "How is my mother?" Hearing that it was for the sake of her own mother that she had suffered hardship, Madame rose to her feet and temporarily put aside Chen's nurse.

  Xiao Shun hastily replied, "Madam Chen only suffered a fright. The bandits wanted to kidnap Madam Chen for ransom, so Chen's nurse and Madam Chen exchanged clothes. Madam Chen was able to escape."

  The lady's heart tightened, and the first thing that came to mind was not Chen's loyalty, but rather her worry that Xianyi could no longer be married off as a concubine to her son. After all, Manager Yao had risked his life to save the old master back then, and now Chen had sacrificed herself to save her own mother. If she were to force Xianyi on her son again, it's likely that no one would dare to be loyal to her in the future. This was probably also what Chen considered before making her choice. With this thought, the lady felt less grief over Chen's passing and more resentment instead.

  Madam's thoughts, Zhen Mama naturally understood. Although she couldn't take the fairy dress out of the mansion, Chen Mama had already moved this big mountain away. The fairy dress was just a small piece of cloth, and it wasn't worth worrying about. Moreover, when Chen Mama left the mansion earlier, she should have already tasted the bitterness of losing power. Now that Chen Mama was gone, what qualifications did she have to stand with the main house, to stand with the Jin Mansion? So, it's better to just let the fairy dress go for now and wait until Madam forgets about her, then deal with her again. Besides, even if Zhen Mama wanted to show mercy, Yun Shuang that maid wouldn't let things go easily.

  "Chen Mei is really pitiful..." Zeng Nainai pretended to wipe away tears with her handkerchief, making it seem like they had a very close relationship.

  Madam Wang, in a state of anxiety and distraction, ordered a lavish funeral for Granny Liu, then dismissed the junior servants. She also instructed someone to prepare the carriage, intending to personally return to her parents' home to comfort her frightened mother.

  Sitting in the carriage, Mrs. Yu thought to herself, feeling resentful. Seeing that there was no one else in the carriage except for her and Zeng's nurse, she couldn't help but complain: "I sent away Chen's nurse just so my family could persuade her, and also because with her not around, I could put some pressure on Xiang'er, best if that girl would nod her head herself, then everything would be fine... who knew this thing..."

  Even though Zeng knew that the madam was selfish, she couldn't help but feel a chill upon hearing this. Chen's family had served the old lady and the madam for generations, and Chen herself had been widowed at a young age and devoted her life to serving the family. Yet, in the end, the madam didn't even express any gratitude, instead worrying that she hadn't had the chance to marry off Chen's daughter as a concubine. If this got out, who would still be willing to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the family? But anyway, Zeng was also only serving for wealth and power, no one would truly care about the madam.

  "Madam, this matter must not be mentioned again. Chen's wife has passed away, and Xian's temper is not soft either. If it really gets awkward, everyone will look bad. It's better to put it off for now. Anyway, that girl is still young, if we drag it on for a few more years, she'll get anxious herself." Zeng's wife covered her eyes with disdain and smiled as she advised.

  The lady leaned against the soft pillow and could only helplessly agree.

  Madam Chen was indeed just frightened and not seriously injured, but after all, she was old, and her body was not as good as before after the fright. When Madam arrived, she could only lie in bed to rest and couldn't get out of bed. Seeing her daughter come for the first time, Madam Chen felt comforted, but thinking of Chen Qiang who had always been by her side, she still felt uncomfortable. She pulled her daughter over and asked her to take good care of Xianyi, and also put aside some of her worries.

  Looking at her daughter's disbelieving expression, as well as her daughter's inexplicable reliance on Zeng Nian, Madame Chen felt very worried and said to the old nanny beside her: "My daughter is getting more and more muddled as she grows older."

  The old aunt was a companion to Madame Chen, and her feelings were no different from others. Madame Chen had been trained by her own hands, and now that she had not yet turned gray, she had passed away first. The old aunt was naturally heartbroken, and afterwards when she saw the young mistress being so indifferent, she couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. However, after all, the other person was the master, and she could only advise: "Miss is a resolute person, I think that although Zeng's maid has a bad heart, she doesn't have any great abilities."

  Madam Chen shook her head sorrowfully and lay back on the bed, saying nothing more.

  In the Jin Fu, except for Jin Fenghua, no one knew that Xian Yi had actually known that her mother would encounter trouble. The seemingly dangerous commotion was actually orchestrated by Jin Fenghua himself. Xian Yi had always been puzzled as to how Jin Fenghua could get Chen's nanny out of the Jin Fu, but she never thought he would use the tactic of feigning death. She could even imagine her mother's fear and heartache when facing danger, yet she could only stay in the Jin Fu anxiously waiting, unable to send even a single message. However, she had to endure it and definitely had to endure it, simply because Jin Fenghua explicitly told her that if Chen's nanny wanted to leave the mansion, this was the only way. She couldn't understand, but could only choose to believe.

  When the madam formally informed her that Chen Nian's nanny had met with misfortune, Xiang Yi had already received a letter from Chen Nian's own hand, knowing that she was in a hidden villa, and her heart was at ease. She no longer had any worries and could fully devote herself to acting, crying so hard on the spot that even the madam couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

  Because it's not easy to wear mourning clothes in the mansion, Xianyi secretly let out a sigh of relief. After all, Chen Ayi wasn't really dead, and even if she pretended to wear mourning clothes, she would still feel uncomfortable in her heart. So she followed the rules and wore plain-colored clothes, also starting to eat vegetarian food, which was a way of secretly paying respects to her mother.

  After several more days passed, the Jin family held a funeral for Chen Ayi, and Xianyi fainted on the spot, then fell seriously ill, officially staying in her room to recover. As for this, no one in the mansion could say anything on the surface, not even the eldest lady, who sent Zeng Ayi several times to deliver medicine and ask after her health, showing a master's consideration for a loyal servant.

  However, seeing Zeng Ayi becoming more and more prominent, with a smiling face eliminating all of Chen Ayi's influence, Yun Shuang stepped closer to taking over the position of head housekeeper, even taking over all of Chen Ayi's previous tasks. Xianyi couldn't help but secretly sneer in private.

  The Chen family lost a nanny, except for those who had a good relationship with Nanny Chen in the past, everyone else seemed to be going through the motions. On the surface, they were sad for a few days, but soon they would forget about it and start fawning over Nanny Zeng again, or flattering Yun Shuang. Those people who used to try to curry favor with the heavenly family by clinging to their legs were now nowhere to be seen.

  Xian Yi had a premonition about this, and even if her living standards plummeted, she was only grateful that she wasn't ill, and didn't put anything else to heart, because Chen Nainai herself was fine, but Jin Fenghua's mother, Han Yiniang, really couldn't take it anymore.

  It's hard to say whether it was a coincidence or the work of Golden Phoenix, but Xian Yi found an excuse to stay at home and indulge in laziness for a while after falling ill. When she returned to the main house, her troubles had already disappeared. However, even if Yun Shuang were capable, she was only a third-rate maid, whereas Xian Yi was a genuine second-rate maid. Madame felt embarrassed, not wanting to belittle Yun Shuang, whom she had promoted, nor did she want to humiliate Xian Yi. After consulting with Zeng Yiniang, they decided to send Xian Yi to Han Niangniang's courtyard, under the pretext that Han Niangniang was unwell and there was no proper maid in charge of her household.

  Xian Yi smiled and bid farewell to Qiu Jing, Xiu Zhu, and Xue Shuang, carrying her belongings as she left the main house without any hesitation. After all, her mother was not here anyway. She would rather go serve Madame Han than stay and watch this group of people who were full of schemes. Who knows, if she served well, Jin Fenghua might still appreciate her kindness.

  Standing at the gate of Han's mother-in-law's courtyard, Xianyi hugged her bundle and took a deep breath. From now on, she was likely to be tied to Jinfenghua.

  "What are you staring at the door for? Can't you hurry up and come in?" Jin Fenghua pushed aside the curtain and came out, only to see Xianyi standing foolishly at the entrance of the courtyard. He couldn't understand Xianyi's tangled expression, so he shouted directly.

  Xian Yi looked up at Jin Fenghua, whose appearance was stunningly beautiful but had a heart as dark as a demon's. She suddenly felt the urge to run away. However, things had already gone this far, and she could only steel herself and continue walking in.

  "Xianxian greets Third Young Master on behalf of the servant. From today onwards, the servant will take care of Madame Han under Madam's orders."