Admonition
"No, Old Lady, that Wu County Magistrate is over thirty years old and already has a son and a daughter. If Qiuping marries him, she will only be his second wife. Please, have mercy!" Aunt Ma cried and begged.
Madam Huo's eyes held a trace of sarcasm as she pursed her lips. "What are you saying? A concubine's daughter becoming the wife of a county magistrate is already an excellent match. Besides, she already has a bad reputation. Whether or not the Wu County Magistrate is willing to take her is still uncertain."
"Aunt Ma, who do you think you are looking down on? He may only be a small county magistrate, but he still serves under the Wu family in the capital. Given your daughter's current reputation, this is already considered a high marriage for her."
"No, no! Master, Old Lady, Ping Jie'er is only seventeen years old. How can you marry her off to be a stepmother?"
"And what of it?" Madam Huo sneered. "Marrying into a household with children would be her blessing. Just like how I married into the Yu family and you secretly bore Sister Ping—did I ever say anything about it?"
Governor Yu's face stiffened slightly at this remark. "Madam, is this really the time to bring that up?"
Madam Huo merely cast a glance at her husband before continuing, "In wealthy families, having many children and descendants is considered a blessing. Once Sister Ping marries, she will gain a family. She should be grateful."
If the Old Lady hadn't intervened, Yu Qiuping's marriage would have been settled long ago. Initially, she had hoped to observe her a bit longer and arrange a match most beneficial to the Yu family.
But now... given the current circumstances, there was no need to delay any further.
Governor Yu remained calm. "Since Mother has decided, Madam, I will send someone to the Wu family tomorrow to formalize the engagement. We will keep the process simple and conclude the matter as soon as possible."
Aunt Ma's face turned deathly pale, and she nearly collapsed.
Madam Huo lightly pursed her lips, and a flicker of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of the discussion, Yu Qiuping, was still kneeling at the courtyard gate, completely unaware that her lifelong fate had been decided in just a few short words.
This was how large families handled such affairs.
The Old Lady had gathered everyone in the garden primarily for admonition.
As an outsider, Yu Linlang simply needed to observe in silence.
Yu Pianpian raised her eyes slightly and exchanged a glance with Yu Linlang. Seeing Linlang's indifferent expression, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
It seemed… she was hard to read.
People like her—cold, detached, and seemingly without desires—were difficult to control.
Governor Yu took a sip of tea, his voice steady. "Let's not speak of the money lost in Changle Gambling House. After all, it's hardly something worth boasting about."
"To be frank, there were early signs of this incident. Some well-informed individuals began asking the second manager of the casino to refund their money half a month ago."
"According to the testimonies, there were indeed certain insiders who used their connections to reclaim their capital first. However, the second manager still had access to a significant amount of money."
"When it came time to pay the month's profits, he decided to take advantage of the situation. He stole the remaining funds and fled. He must have already blended in with the refugee groups. Finding him among so many people will not be easy or quick."
"This so-called profit-making scheme was just borrowing from one place to fill another—a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. The owner used spare money from women and ladies, lent it out, and then took interest from those repayments. If the money was repaid, they profited. If not, they would cover the loss using someone else's capital, continuing the cycle."
"But in the end, once they could no longer sustain it, people like Ping Jie'er ended up in this situation—losing both their capital and any illusion of profit."
Yu Shishi spoke with a grave expression, emphasizing each word.
"Fortunately, this matter was relatively small in scale, and I will send someone to resolve it. But the family must remain vigilant—such mistakes cannot happen again."
The Old Lady nodded calmly. "Additionally, after discussing with the head of the household, we have decided to postpone the birthday banquet. The Master has too many responsibilities at the moment—he must manage the group of starving refugees outside the city while also handling multiple ongoing murder cases. It is impossible to find the time for such an event now."
"Mother is wise," Governor Yu bowed in gratitude before turning to the gathered women. "Given the current unrest in and around the city, it is best that the female family members stay at home and avoid unnecessary outings. We must not invite trouble, as my elder sister did."
After the lecture, the women dispersed one by one. However, the Old Lady called Yu Linlang to stay behind for a private conversation.
Once she had left, the Old Lady turned to her trusted maid and asked, "What do you think of that child?"
"She appears extraordinary, despite her unassuming manner," the maid commented with sincere admiration. "The Old Lady asked so many questions, yet still could not extract any useful information from her."
The Old Lady smiled knowingly. "She was raised outside, so it's natural for her to be more cautious."
"I heard that Madam Huo dislikes her for being too reserved."
A hint of sarcasm flickered in the Old Lady's eyes. "How could someone raised outside act as extravagantly as those born into nobility?"
"I noticed that the Master seems quite fond of the Third Young Miss."
"Huo is simply a foolish woman. Just look at the way she manages this household." The Old Lady scoffed. "And yet, the Master still had the audacity to blame Aunt Ma. What does a concubine like her know? It was Huo's failure to discipline her daughter properly—she is the one truly responsible for this mess."
"But at this point, there is nothing more to say. The eldest young miss is simply unfortunate. No matter what, she must bear the consequences."
---
A Confrontation
"Yu Qiuping, are you mad? Why are you grabbing my clothes?" Yu Pianpian pried her fingers off in disgust. "This is custom embroidery from Su Ji. The fabric is expensive and delicate—if you tear it, can you afford to pay for it?"
"Yu Pianpian, does this mean you're abandoning me?"
"What am I supposed to do? The Old Lady herself arranged your marriage. What power do I have to change it? What good will it do for you to make a scene here?"
"You promised me! You said you'd convince Madam Huo to find me a better match!" Qiuping's grip tightened on her wrist. "I helped you stop Yu Linlang from coming back. I did so much for you, and now you're going back on your word?"
"What did you even accomplish for me?" Yu Pianpian sneered, shaking her off. "Did you stop her? She's back, isn't she? Thanks to your aunt's incompetence, you failed completely. And yet, you dare to demand credit from me?"
"Yu Pianpian—!" Qiuping lunged, but her attempt was halted by Qingju, Pianpian's maid, who grabbed her arm and shoved her backward.
Qiuping fell to the ground, humiliated and defeated.
"Miss, do not speak nonsense," Qingju said coldly. "My lady never asked you to do anything. It was all your own doing." She took Yu Pianpian's hand and led her away.
"I should have known my place." Yu Pianpian smirked. "The Wu family is already too good for you. Why dream of an unattainable marriage? Living a stable life should be your real priority."
Yu Qiuping watched their retreating figures, her face pale with resentment.
She only wanted security—was that truly too much to ask?
The late afternoon sunlight cast dappled shadows through the trees.
Yu Linlang stepped out from the pond's edge, her gaze meeting Yu Pianpian's in silence.