hand. Though there were no bloodstains on the blade, the stench of blood was overwhelming. In an instant, the room seemed like a hellscape of demons, or a battlefield strewn with corpses. 。She could s...Today's morning and evening routine is still as usual. Because of the tree matter, the old mistress has been in a rather tense state, looking at everyone with a scrutinizing gaze, like they are all thieves.

But she knew about this, while others did not. The tree-felling took place quietly at night, hidden from outsiders and even the servants in Fulu Courtyard. So her behavior seemed strange, leaving everyone puzzled as to what was wrong with the old matriarch.

Aunt Grandmother Tang also came, but she wasn't here to pay her respects to the elderly mistress. She was here to sit beside the elderly mistress and enjoy the feeling of being addressed with respect by everyone, including herself.

This made the family members who came to pay their respects feel amused. Whether it was the eldest or second house, they all thought the same thing: how unpopular this aunt-in-law was in her hometown of Shushan County. Did no one ever greet her Why did she act like she had never experienced such a scene before It was truly embarrassing!

But Mr. Tang remained oblivious, still finding great pleasure in this feeling. After the greetings were exchanged, he added with a smile: "Well then, that's good. You all may rise now. You are all good children."

Xiao shi gave her a withering look and calmly returned to her seat. Mu shi also didn't pay much attention, and she sat back down with Ye Qingmei and Ye Wenyan. Then they heard Tang shi ask: "Where is Feiyu Yesterday Feizhou at least met us, but where is Feiyu He doesn't even come over to greet his grandmother in the morning"

Ye Qingmei stood up immediately after sitting down, with a very perfunctory bow. She simply squatted for a moment before standing up again. Then, with a blank expression, she replied to Tang Shi's words: "The rules of morning and evening in the inner house are established for women. There is no reason why grown sons also need to come every day. Whose son's will isn't in the inner house My brothers all have studies and their own things to do. This has been a rule our family has adhered to for generations. Auntie, you've only been here for two days, and you want to break all the ancestral rules Don't you still remember being in charge of our Ye family and turning the General's Mansion into Jiang's residence"

Ye Qingmei's words reached this point, Ye Chu Lian immediately followed up with: "If that were the case, the jewelry from yesterday would be a waste." She finished with a smile and then quickly got up to apologize, "I'm sorry, Aunt. I couldn't help but laugh."

Mrs. Tang patted her chest, looking at the old lady with disbelief, "Sister, is this your family's child Your family isn't just one child against you, but all the children are against you!" She then glanced at Mrs. Xiao and Mrs. Mu respectively, and added, "Both daughters-in-law are also against you, this whole family is against you. Sister, how can you still live in this house"

Xiao coldly shot back, "Does your mother want to take Mother back to the Chiang family Stand up! In a woman's husband's home, if she suffers mistreatment, it seems like her relatives should intervene. At best, they would argue, and at worst, they would take the woman back to her parents' house, waiting for her husband to come..."

"I'm sorry, but I can only bring them back. It's a pity that my father is gone, and if my mother goes back, there will be no one to greet her. Or..." She paused, letting out a cold laugh, "Or do you Jiang family hope that your father personally searches for you"

Tang shivered. To be personally sought out by a dead person, what kind of scene would that be

Looking at the old madam, she didn't react at all. It seemed like she hadn't heard her words or the others scolding her. She just sat there in a daze, wondering what she was thinking about.

She then called out again: "Sister, sister"

The old lady seemed to wake up from a dream, and even jumped, “What’s wrong”

Then Tang Shi was also full of anger, "So sister, you didn't hear a word All the children in your family are rebelling!"

"Oh." The old madam remained as unmoved as ever, merely muttering, "Reversed Reversed is reversed!"

Madam Tang was bewildered, but Jun Tao knew exactly what was going on. Even the elderly Madam wasn't able to maintain her composure; she had to grit her teeth just to stand beside the old lady.

Last night's events were truly terrifying, so frightening that I can't even think about them without my heart trembling. But I can't help but think about it, so now the old lady is probably completely preoccupied with that tree and couldn't care less about what these people are saying.

Then she told Mrs. Tang, "My grandmother didn't sleep well last night, Auntie, please don't mind."

Mrs. Tang sighed, "I didn't sleep well. I fell asleep again after a while, people need to get a good night's sleep to have energy."

The old lady wasn't very spirited, but after being called by Madam Tang for a while, she didn't seem as vacant-minded as before.

She had regained a bit of her energy, so she began to look at the people sitting below her again.

This time, she examined them more carefully than when they first arrived. From the Xiao family to the Mu family, from Ye Qingmei to Ye Wenyan and finally to Ye Chulian, she scrutinized everyone, including Liu Shi and Xi Chun. The conclusion was: anyone could be a suspect.

Then she opened her mouth and asked, “What did you all do last night”

Jun Tao's heart skipped a beat. She wondered how the old madam could be so direct with her question But since the words were already spoken, there was no taking them back. So she also looked down at everyone's reactions.

First, Xiao said: "Mother, what do you mean Of course people sleep at night. Is it necessary to tell Mother everything we do at night now Well, it's fine. Anyway, as the head of a household living alone in an empty room, I don't care. It's just that the bed is cold and the quilt is cold, and I'm alone. It might not be a good scene for XiChun sister. Is Mother sure she wants to hear"

Xiao has been feeling uncomfortable ever since she had a falling out with the old matriarch and Tang yesterday. Although she knew it was impossible for her to be with Ye Wenyan, she didn't want to rely on the old matriarch to live in this mansion anymore.

The mother-in-law who spent the whole day thinking that her daughter-in-law was useless and wanted to marry another wife for her son, why should she still respect her

The old woman's face wasn't looking good either. She naturally knew why Xiao was behaving this way. In the past, she would have definitely argued with Xiao and made her apologize, even going so far as to confront the Xiao family. After all, she always felt that she was in the right. You gave birth to two children who were no good, and you can't have any more, so why can't my second room have legitimate children

But today, the old matriarch had no such thoughts. The affairs of the Xiao family were matters for them to quarrel about behind closed doors. What she wanted to know now was how that tree survived.

Xi Chun and Liu shi felt there was no need to ask, they were just two concubines. One was busy attending to the master, the other only locked herself in her room and spent her days silently. There wasn't much to ask about them. It was Ye Chu Lian who needed to be questioned, and then there was the main wife's side, which needed a thorough investigation.

So she turned her gaze to Ye Chulian, who immediately said: "Grandmother is wise, granddaughter slept in the room all night and was called up by Gui Xi's teacher to practice dancing before dawn. That's all, there's nothing else."

The old madam looked at Mu again, and Mu said: "I couldn't sleep. If I couldn't sleep, I would get up and go to the Buddhist hall in my room to light incense for the eldest master. I sat in the Buddhist hall for half a night, muttering to myself. Mother wants to know what I muttered about Nothing more than that you died too early, at your age, this shouldn't be the case. Is there any other reason behind this That's all."

The old madam clutched her chest, feeling a little stifled.

Ye Qingmei was also sleeping in her room. She still chased after, "Grandma, why did you suddenly care about what we were doing at night"

The old woman snorted coldly and ignored her.

Finally, her gaze landed on Ye Wenyan, who had been standing quietly in the room since entering, not saying much.

"Night whispers, with a smile," Grandmother, what are you looking at me for Do you expect me to tell you everything I did last night Why would I tell you Even if you're my grandmother, no grandmother would inquire about how her granddaughter sleeps—whether she prefers the left or right side, one blanket or two. Right" And besides, last night I was talking with Granny Ji about Mistress Ji. Are you sure you want to hear that"

The old lady shuddered, shaking her head without a thought.

She didn't want to hear anything about that master, for fear that she might mishear a word and be silenced.

But Tang hadn't figured out who the old woman was, and asked foolishly, "What master"

The old lady didn't even want to acknowledge her words, just brushed her off.

Everyone in the house asked around, and it seemed that besides Ye Wenyan, no one else had any problems. But she couldn't delve deeper into Ye Wenyan, who she suspected most, which was really frustrating.

The meeting to discuss the morning and evening routines didn't go well. The old matriarch was furious with everyone, and everyone was furious with her. In the end, they all stormed off, and even Tang shi was sent back to her guest quarters.

Not until everyone had left did Jun Tao close the door and return to the old matriarch, asking, “What do you think made it”

The old lady gritted her teeth and retorted, "Do you think a human could do such a thing"

Jun Tao gave a shiver, "Could it really be haunted"

The old madam remained silent, her mind replaying every detail of Ye Wenyan's demeanor just moments ago. Every word, every gesture, every expression was scrutinized repeatedly in her thoughts. The more she thought about it, the more unsettling it felt. She recalled Ye Wenyan's enigmatic smile, the subtle lift of his lips, and the unmistakable mockery in his eyes.

Without thinking much, the old matriarch suddenly addressed Jun Tao: “Go and call one of the maids from the courtyard.”

Jun Tao didn't know what was going on, but she still opened the door and called a maidservant in. Then she heard the old lady ask: "When Fourth Sister walked into the courtyard just now, did you hear her say anything"

The maid thought for a moment and nodded, “I think I heard something. At that time, the mistress were all walking out together. The fourth sister saw a tree in our courtyard and pointed at it to the eldest sister, saying, ‘Sister, look, the feng shui of grandmother's courtyard is really good. It's still cold here, but the trees in her courtyard have already sprouted new leaves.’”

The old woman's heart clenched painfully.。Ye Chu Lian thought for a moment, and said: "Actually... it's okay not to move." 。After all, the last time the Imperial Court raided this place, they stripped off all the wall plaster. Even after it...