Chapter 20

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, though the weather remained warm, the willow trees by the lake began to shed their leaves. The morning breeze was cool, and fallen leaves swayed down, creating a golden layer on the stone-paved ground. 

Ning Zhen would wake up early and spend an hour practicing martial arts in the courtyard, working up a sweat before taking a bath and then having breakfast. 

Life had returned to its calm routine. 

Every morning after breakfast, Ning Zhen would visit the old lady’s courtyard and sit with her for a while. 

The old lady handed Ning Zhen the kitchen ledger. 

“…Try it out. If it’s too much, let me know,” the old lady said with a smile. 

Ning Zhen was already familiar with managing her own dowry finances, so she didn’t need special instruction on bookkeeping. 

“I’ll do my best, Mother. If I don’t understand something, I’ll come ask you,” Ning Zhen said. 

She didn’t have to oversee the procurement or staff management for the kitchen, just review the accounts and ensure that the daily income and expenses matched. 

It was a small task. 

Ning Zhen was aware that the ledgers and inventory for the household’s storerooms were all managed by Third Concubine Xu Fangdu. Compared to Xu Fangdu’s responsibilities, the task given to Ning Zhen, the Governor’s wife, was truly “trivial.” 

Even gaining this minor responsibility was because Sheng Changyu favored her in a special way: during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ning Zhen had managed to convince him to take her out for a trip. 

Ning Zhen knew this path would be difficult and that progress wouldn’t come quickly, so she didn’t feel disheartened. 

She accepted the responsibility happily. 

“The wife is patient,” said the old lady’s head maid. 

When Ning Zhen received the ledger, she didn’t even furrow her brow or show the slightest dissatisfaction. 

Everyone knew she had been sidelined, including the old lady herself. But Ning Zhen didn’t show a hint of displeasure. 

The old lady said, “She’s from a distinguished family, after all. She knows how to handle herself.” 

“This wife is indeed good. Compared to Miss Su, Miss Yao, or even Miss Jiang, she has resilience and education,” the head maid added. 

The old lady nodded. 

“Let’s wait and see,” the old lady said. “I don’t dare to expect too much. If she turns out to be another A’du, figuring out how to settle her in this household would be a headache.” 

Xu Fangdu had originally been an orphaned junior officer whom Sheng Changyu brought back from the battlefield when he was just a teenager. Her father had died in battle. 

He had sacrificed himself during a raid, voluntarily taking the lead to clear the path for Sheng Changyu. 

Sacrifices in war were common, but this officer’s death had been due to a miscalculation by Sheng Changyu, which weighed heavily on him. 

Sheng Changyu had always treated Xu Fangdu well and had specifically instructed his mother to take good care of her. 

The old lady, whose relationship with her son was strained, tried to use Xu Fangdu to win him over. 

She treated Xu Fangdu with great care. 

But over time, Xu Fangdu began to prioritize the old lady over Sheng Changyu. 

Sheng Changyu noticed this and became distant. Even though he eventually made Xu Fangdu his concubine, his coldness towards her never faded. 

What could have been a bridge became a dead-end. 

The old lady still cared deeply for Xu Fangdu. After years of raising her, an emotional bond had formed, and Xu Fangdu was intelligent, gentle, and capable—qualities that reassured the old lady when she handled things. 

Now, Ning Zhen was barely beginning to play a role between the old lady and Sheng Changyu. 

The old lady worried that, over time, things might change. 

If Ning Zhen always sided with the old lady and Sheng Changyu grew to despise her, refusing to listen to anything she said, she too would be discarded. 

An abandoned daughter-in-law wouldn’t be much different from the Third Concubine. 

The old lady already had Xu Fangdu as her helper; she didn’t really need Ning Zhen. If it came to that, how would the two of them be settled? Who would have the upper hand? 

“…Madam, you’re thinking too far ahead. The wife and the Third Concubine are different,” the head maid said. 

The old lady asked, “Do you think she’s more capable?” 

“It’s not that,” the head maid lowered her voice. “The next time the Governor clashes with Commander Ning, the entire Ning family might… At that point, the Governor wouldn’t spare the wife either.” 

The old lady hadn’t considered this possibility. 

A sudden chill ran through her. 

Indeed, she had been overthinking it. Xu Fangdu was the daughter of the Governor’s former subordinate, and her father had saved the Governor’s life. No matter how much Sheng Changyu disliked her, he would continue to provide for her. 

But Ning Zhen was different. 

Perhaps before long, there would be no Ning family, and no Ning Zhen — Sheng Changyu was capable of making that happen! 

What need would there be for balance then? 

“He truly… brings misfortune,” the old lady said, feeling a moment of despair. “How did I raise him?” 

The head maid comforted her for a while. 

Ning Zhen took the ledger back with her, neither happy nor upset, treating it as a serious task. 

Her personal maid, Cao Ma, wanted to say something, but Ning Zhen stopped her. 

“Don’t ask anything. Major matters should be handled like major matters; small matters should be handled like small matters.” 

Cao Ma and the others dared not speak further. 

Meanwhile, the servants in Xu Fangdu’s courtyard had also heard about the situation. 

“…The old lady still favors you the most. The ‘Governor’s wife’ was only given the kitchen ledger, but not the household inventory.” 

Xu Fangdu was combing her hair quietly as she listened, running the comb through her long, dark locks. 

As she listened to the servant report this “good news,” she looked at her reflection in the mirror. 

She had an undeniably captivating face, with features that were striking and pleasing. 

“Who’s prettier, the Governor’s wife or me?” Xu Fangdu suddenly asked. 

The servant was stunned for a moment. “Of course, you are the most beautiful. Neither the wife nor the second concubine can compare to you.” 

“Lies,” Xu Fangdu replied softly. 

The servant paused, unsure how to respond. 

“Ning Zhen is very beautiful,” Xu Fangdu admitted. 

She had always thought that FanFan was beautiful, sultry, and seductive, qualities that Xu Fangdu couldn’t match. 

But when Ning Zhen stood next to FanFan, she somehow outshone her. 

Ning Zhen possessed an air of nobility, cultivated by her prestigious family, wealth, and the affection she received growing up. This sense of grace was etched into her very being, revealing itself even in unguarded moments. 

Neither FanFan nor Xu Fangdu could compare to such a presence. 

“I don’t see what’s so beautiful about her. She seems ordinary to me. Maybe she’s just taller,” the servant remarked. 

Xu Fangdu sighed quietly. 

If it were just a matter of seniority, Xu Fangdu should have been first. 

She had been by Sheng Changyu’s side before Su Qing’er, and certainly before FanFan. 

But in the end, everyone seemed to have an advantage over her. Her constant caution and willingness to yield had only allowed others to step over her. 

Now that it was a democratic government, even gang leaders and businessmen outside the household had several wives, with no clear distinction between primary and secondary spouses. 

Xu Fangdu had the old lady’s favor and helped manage the household. 

She had thought that after the family division, she would become the third wife. But in the end, she was only the third concubine. 

It shouldn’t have turned out this way! 

Xu Fangdu set the comb down and stared silently into the mirror for a long time. 

The servant grew increasingly nervous, fearing that Xu Fangdu might lose her temper. 

“Miss Yao hasn’t visited in quite some time,” Xu Fangdu suddenly said, changing the topic. 

The servant breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed, “That’s true.” 

“Invite her over,” Xu Fangdu said. “Miss Yao is quite an interesting person.” 

Moreover, Yao Wenluo had a grudge against Ning Zhen. 

The incident that took place at the front of the old residence during the Mid-Autumn Festival had already reached the old lady’s ears, and Xu Fangdu was well aware of it too. 

Old grievances and new ones — Yao Wenluo must hate Ning Zhen deeply by now. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“But don’t invite her in my name. Say that Ah Yin invited her. Lately, Ah Yin’s piano practice hasn’t been going well, and she wants Miss Yao to give her some guidance,” Xu Fangdu instructed. 

The servant agreed once more.