“Ah?”

Mrs. Qi did not expect Yang Haiyan to ask so directly.

How could she respond to that?

Seeing her silence, Yang Haiyan smiled slightly, “Mrs. Qi mentioned this, so are you trying to tell me who’s gossiping behind my back, or are you just trying to make fun of my private matters?”

Mrs. Qi’s heart tightened.

After all, Mrs. Qin was the wife of a thousand-man commander.

How could she dare to make fun of her in front of her?

Wouldn’t that just create enmity?

Mrs. Qi stammered, “So, what you mean is that you’re a wasteful woman, like an old hen that doesn’t lay eggs?”

Yang Haiyan’s smile remained, but her eyes darkened slightly.

Although she currently did not want children, who was she to let others comment on it?

She found it most distasteful when other women criticized women.

Such people had existed from ancient times to the present, and they were always abundant.

Sister Lu quickly comforted her, “Don’t take it to heart; people have mouths, and they can only say what they like.”

Yang Haiyan chuckled, “Some people’s mouths are too big; they need to be stitched up so they won’t speak nonsense.”

Mrs. Qi shrank back in fear.

Stitching up the mouth?

Was that done with thread?

That was terrifying!

Seeing Mrs. Qi’s reaction, Yang Haiyan pressed on.

How did Mrs. Qi know about those rumors?

Did she overhear something?

If it was just hearsay, a decent person wouldn’t say such things in front of her.

Yang Haiyan figured Mrs. Qi was a big gossip herself.

She wouldn’t be polite with such a person: “Mrs. Qi, I wonder who you heard these words from?”

“Ah? You want me to name names?” Mrs. Qi chuckled awkwardly, “Mrs. Qin, I just heard it by chance; I forgot who was saying it.”

She regretted getting on the carriage and regretted saying those words.

She could see that Mrs. Qin was not an easy person to deal with and that she should have thought before speaking.

Yang Haiyan, of course, would not let her off so easily; there was still a distance to the county town.

Her expression darkened: “It seems that Mrs. Qi is taking my gossip as amusement; otherwise, you wouldn’t be unable to name anyone involved. My husband is at least a seventh-grade official, a thousand-man commander. I ought to ask Mr. Qi if his wife is in the habit of making fun of her superior’s private matters. Is that reasonable?”

Mrs. Qi was startled.

Based on her husband’s temperament, if he knew about this… she couldn’t even imagine.

She quickly said, “Mrs. Qin, I was just talking nonsense; please don’t take it seriously with me. I…”

“Chen Siwei, stop the carriage.”

Chen Dashi halted the carriage.

Yang Haiyan said coldly, “Mrs. Qi, please get off the carriage. I don’t like to ride with someone who treats me as a source of amusement.”

Mrs. Qi stuttered, “I… I…”

Yang Haiyan continued, “When my husband returns tonight, I will ask him to pay a visit to Mr. Qi. Even if he’s on duty tonight and isn’t around, he’ll surely have a chance to see him tomorrow at the military camp.” The implication was clear: don’t think you can escape.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qi felt like she might faint. “Mrs. Qin, I…”

Yang Haiyan instructed, “Aunt Fan, take her down.”

Aunt Fan replied loudly, “Yes, ma’am.”

As the cook, she was used to handling knives and was quite strong.

Since Mrs. Qi was in a daze, Aunt Fan easily pulled her down from the carriage.

Once Mrs. Qi was pulled off and the carriage had moved far away, she finally came to her senses and desperately chased after them, calling out, “Mrs. Qin, please let me explain! Mrs. Qin…”

But with two legs, how could she compete with a carriage that had four wheels?

In the end, Mrs. Qi collapsed on the ground, regretting that it was too late.

Not just Mrs. Qi, even Mrs. Yang and Sister Lu were caught off guard.

It was only at that moment that they truly realized that the woman in front of them was the wife of a thousand-man commander and not just another hundred-man commander’s wife like them.

For Sister Lu, the realization hit the hardest.

After all, when Yang Haiyan first married into this family, she had been friendly with her.

She had thought Yang Haiyan was a good-natured person, clever, and young; besides, they were both wives of hundred-man commanders.

But as Qin Fang was promoted, Yang Haiyan maintained her character.

Thus, Sister Lu had never really acknowledged Yang Haiyan’s status.

Only at this moment did Sister Lu truly recognize the difference.

The roles of a thousand-man commander and a hundred-man commander were not the same, and neither were their wives.

With a single word, Yang Haiyan had forced Mrs. Qi out of the carriage.

No, she had been pulled out by the servants.

Sister Lu lacked that kind of decisiveness.

Mrs. Qi would fear Qin Fang asking about this matter because he was a thousand-man commander, a military officer of the court.

But would Mrs. Qi fear Lu Zhide asking about it?

No, she wouldn’t, because Lu Zhide and Mr. Qi were both Centurion, a hundred-man commanders, which meant they were just soldiers with some authority but lacked official military status.

Sister Lu steadied her mind and suddenly had an idea: should she tell Yang Haiyan about what she had heard that day?

No matter how you looked at it, since Qin Fang was her husband’s superior, sharing it with Yang Haiyan would also be beneficial for their family.

If by any chance Qin Fang became a guerrilla general, wouldn’t that open up the position of a thousand-man commander for her husband?

For the first time, Sister Lu recognized the existence of power and, for the first time, thought about seeking opportunities for her man.

The distinctions between hundred-man commanders and thousand-man commanders, and between their wives, flashed in Sister Lu’s eyes, igniting a spark of ambition.

The carriage fell silent after Mrs. Qi was pulled off.

From that moment until they reached the county town, no one spoke.

Upon arriving, Yang Haiyan said, “Mrs. Yang, Sister Lu, I need to deliver some goods, so let’s part ways here. We can meet again later.”

Mrs. Yang and Sister Lu naturally had no objections and got off the carriage.

Once they were off, Mrs. Yang let out a big sigh of relief, “I was scared to death back there in the carriage.”

Besides being frightened, she also had other feelings inside.

Sister Lu chuckled, “I was scared too.”

When the carriage arrived at Master Ping’s shop, Yang Haiyan saw Master Ping waiting at the entrance, “Shopkeeper, you’re here quite early.”

Master Ping replied, “There will be many people at the market today. If there aren’t enough pastries to sell, I’ll send someone to inform you to increase the order tomorrow.”

Yang Haiyan said, “Then I wish you prosperous business.”

Master Ping responded, “Thank you for your kind words.”

After leaving Master Ping’s shop, Yang Haiyan and Aunt Fan went to stroll around the market.

While they wandered, they bought quite a few things.

However, these purchases were not from itinerant vendors but rather items made by the local people, such as handwoven cloth and handmade shoes, which were of equal quality to those in the shops but much cheaper.

Having bought many items, Yang Haiyan asked Aunt Fan to take them back to the carriage while she waited there.

When Aunt Fan returned, she saw Yang Haiyan holding a basket of goods, which contained several items, many of which were seeds, such as winter melon seeds, cucumber seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

These seeds would need to be taken back to the countryside for Niu Da to study. It was their first time planting, so they needed to conduct a small trial.

Speaking of which, back when Grandma was still around, all the vegetables at home were grown by her.

At that time, Yang Haiyan was young and has since forgotten which season was for which planting.

The main purpose of Yang Haiyan’s trip today was to buy seeds, and after that, she followed the delicious aroma and bought a roasted duck.

When she returned to the carriage, Mrs. Yang and Sister Lu were already waiting.

Unlike Yang Haiyan, who bought a lot, they were quick and efficient in their shopping, almost like they were in a battle.

Seeing Yang Haiyan return, Sister Lu said, “The prices at this market are several coins cheaper than usual.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Indeed, so shopping at the market is the most cost-effective.”

Mrs. Yang remarked, “The items are cheaper, but there are also more buyers. For those shopkeepers and stall owners, they haven’t lost out; they’ll definitely make more.”

Yang Haiyan responded, “That’s thin profit but high sales.”

The phrase “thin profit but high sales” sounded somewhat unfamiliar, but both Sister Lu and Mrs. Yang understood its meaning.

The events of the morning seemed to have never happened.

Along the way, they occasionally chatted until they arrived at the staff quarters.

Yang Haiyan said, “Aunt Fan, save half of the roasted duck for later when the lords come back to eat.”

She wasn’t sure how the roasted duck tasted in ancient times, but it smelled delicious.

However, when it was time for lunch, Yang Haiyan felt that the ancient roasted duck was even better than the modern version.

Perhaps it was because the ancient roasted duck was more authentic.

Just after finishing lunch, Chen Dashi, who was on guard, came to report that Mrs. Qi had arrived.

Yang Haiyan raised an eyebrow, “She’s here? Please bring her to the study.”

In fact, Yang Haiyan only intended to scare Mrs. Qi today and didn’t expect her to come.

Mrs. Qi followed Chen Dashi, somewhat timidly, to the main courtyard, and then Chen Dashi returned to his post.

Granny Lian greeted Mrs. Qi at the entrance of the main courtyard, “Hello, Mrs. Qi. I’m Granny Lian, serving beside my lady. She’s waiting for you in the study.”

Mrs. Qi said, “Hello, Granny Lian. I trouble you to lead the way.”

This wasn’t Mrs. Qi’s first visit to the Captain residence; after all, Master Qi was also a master under the same captain.

She had visited that Captain Ao’s residence before, but the Qin family’s home was completely different.

How to say it?

The specifications of the residence were the same, but the commander’s home wasn’t as lavish and didn’t have so many servants.

When she entered just now, she saw rows of courtyards (servants’ quarters).

With personal guards and maids around, the display made her nervous, and her legs felt a bit weak.

Granny Lian brought Mrs. Qi to the door of the study: “Madam, Mrs. Qi has arrived.”

Yang Haiyan said, “Please come in, Granny Lian. Prepare some tea.”

Granny Lian replied, “Yes.”

Mrs. Qi entered alone and, upon entering, saw Yang Haiyan sitting at the desk with books in front of her.

Mrs. Qi forced a smile, “I’ve met Mrs. Qin; are you… are you reading?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Mrs. Qi, please have a seat. I’m reading the laws of the Qi Kingdom. The more laws I know, the better I can protect myself. For example, I can know who has offended me and report them directly to the authorities.”

Mrs. Qi’s legs quivered, almost causing her to fall.