Chapter 5

The Yang family had set the funeral for the first day of the fourth month, which was the day after Lu Lanyi and the others rushed back to Yidu.  

The body had been kept for so long that it couldn’t be delayed any further. Yang Wen Xu had already returned home, and even Prince Yi’s Residence had sent condolences. Both the living and the dead had gained enough face, so there was no reason to postpone it any longer.  

Lanyi did not go along. Everyone knew she was seriously ill, having relied on ginseng soup to keep her alive during the journey. The Yang family’s ancestral graves were in the countryside outside the city, and sending the deceased to their final resting place was an exhausting task. If they had forced her to go, she might have ended up buried right beside Madam Yang.  

Consort Jiang went in her stead.  

Most of the Yang household also attended. Aunt Zhou, however, was allowed to stay behind because she was pregnant, and Master Yang, out of concern for her, had specifically given the order.  

She came to see Lanyi again, standing outside the threshold without entering, smiling at her through the curtain: “This courtyard for the young master and his wife was tidied up under my direction. It was done in a hurry—I’m not sure if anything was overlooked. Is the young mistress comfortable staying here?”  

Lanyi nodded and had Cui Cui invite her in to sit.  

Only then did Aunt Zhou step inside, perching on the edge of a chair, her eager smile never fading: “I see the young mistress looks much better after a night’s rest. You mustn’t overexert yourself anymore. If you’re short of anything or need something done, just tell me, and I’ll take care of it for you.”  

Lanyi nodded again.  

In truth, she hadn’t just rested for one night. They had arrived in the city yesterday morning, and she had slept through most of the day, doing nothing at all. In the evening, she got up, took a few steps, watched some commotion, ate a second bowl of porridge, and then slept straight through the night, making up for all the sleep she had missed on the road.  

At this point, she was probably more energetic than Yang Wen Xu, who had also endured the journey but had spent the previous night keeping vigil for Madam Yang before setting out early for the funeral.  

“The young mistress is truly such a kind person,” Aunt Zhou praised her. “I’d never met you before, and before you arrived, I was nervous. I asked Master Yang about you, and he said the young mistress was the most filial and gentle person, never once refusing Madam Yang in her service. He told me to set my heart at ease. Now that I’ve met you, I see he was absolutely right.”  

Lanyi lowered her eyes and curled her lips slightly.  

She had indeed been like that in the past. But until Madam Yang’s death, in her eyes, Lanyi had been nothing more than a useless daughter-in-law who couldn’t bear children and whose only value was her family’s money.  

By the time Yang Wen Xu passed the provincial examination, even that last bit of advantage had vanished. The Lu family were merely local landowners, while Yang Wen Xu’s scholarly title was far more valuable. It was Yang Wen Xu who had lifted both the Lu and Yang families from the countryside and established them in the prefectural city.  

“Auntie is with child and still managing the household. Don’t overwork yourself either,” Lu Lanyi replied.  

Aunt Zhou was overjoyed to hear this: “The young mistress is so considerate! I’m not tired. With Madam gone, Master Yang has entrusted this household to me—how could I dare neglect it?”  

She added, “What medicine is the young mistress taking now? Now that you’ve returned, these expenses should rightly come from the household funds. Master Yang might not think of it—he’s not one for details—but I’ve already instructed Yang Sheng. Just have someone tell him what you need. If you need to call a physician, he can arrange it too. He knows his way around the city, and everything will be covered by the household.”

Yang Sheng was none other than Steward Yang. The Yang family had only become wealthy in recent years, and their financial foundation was still not substantial enough to support many servants. Though Yang Sheng held the title of steward, he often found himself handling various errands and miscellaneous tasks as well.

Cui Cui, who had been listening nearby, couldn’t help but interject, “We were just about to send for a physician to examine Madam. The medicine prescribed in the capital is nearly finished, and the physician instructed us to inform him when it ran out so he could adjust the prescription. But now that we’ve returned, we can’t consult him anymore.”

Aunt Zhou immediately stood up. “This is an urgent matter. Please rest here, Madam. I’ll go find Steward Yang myself and have him summon a renowned physician at once.”

True to her decisive nature, she bid farewell and left promptly after speaking.

Cui Cui couldn’t help but smile. “This Aunt Zhou is much easier to deal with than Madam Yang. If Madam Yang were still here, forget about helping us call a physician—we’d first have to endure a scolding from her.”

The scolding, of course, would have been about Lu Lanyi’s inability to bear children.

With this grievance in hand, Madam Yang held an unbeatable position, free to torment her daughter-in-law as she pleased. Lu Lanyi had no means to fight back, and even her own family found it inconvenient to intervene.

Even after Lan Yi moved to the capital, she would still occasionally receive letters dictated by Madam Yang, along with some bizarre folk remedies. While she could ignore the remedies, she couldn’t disregard letters from her elder. Each time she read them, Lu Lanyi would lie awake for nights on end.

Her illness, at its core, stemmed from this insomnia. Years of restless nights had left her physically depleted, to the point where even medicine could no longer cure her.

“I’ll increase your monthly allowances,” Lu Lanyi suddenly announced. “Starting next month, they’ll be doubled.”

She wasn’t going to die now, but how long she would live remained uncertain. Rather than letting her dowry fall into the Yang family’s hands after her death, she preferred to gradually transfer it to those who had stood by her.

Cui Cui and Ling Zi, unaware of these deeper thoughts, were simply delighted at the prospect of more money. Cui Cui feigned modesty for a moment. “Madam, doubling it is too much.”

“It’s not too much,” Lu Lanyi replied. “You’ve both cared for me tirelessly during my long illness.”

In her previous life, these two maids had been the ones who stayed by her sickbed the longest until her final moments.

“There’s no hardship in it at all,” Cui Cui said cheerfully, no longer pretending to decline. “Master Lu bought me, and I became your maid. Serving you is only right. All I wish for is your recovery.”

The “master” she referred to wasn’t Master Yang but Lu Lanyi’s father, Master Lu. Years ago, Cui Cui’s family had been poor, and when her brother needed money for a bride price, the only asset they had besides their meager farmland was Cui Cui herself. So she was sold to the wealthy Master Lu of their village.

For Cui Cui, this hadn’t been a bad fate—better than endless farm work and household chores at home, and certainly preferable to marrying some much older bachelor who could offer a high bride price. Over the years, she had remained fiercely loyal to Lan Yi. As she grew older, Lan Yi had tried several times to arrange a marriage for her, but Cui Cui, worried about her mistress’s health, had refused to leave.

Lu Lanyi said nothing more.

She didn’t care much about her health. At worst, she could always return to being a ghost.

Less than half an hour later, the physician arrived. His diagnosis was surprisingly optimistic. “Judging by the prescription, this lady’s vitality has stabilized somewhat. I’ll make slight adjustments to the formula. If Madam takes the medicine regularly and returns for follow-ups, there is hope for a full recovery in time.”

Lu Lanyi didn’t quite believe it. How could someone who barely wanted to live achieve a full recovery?

But Cui Cui took the words to heart, overjoyed as she escorted the physician to write the new prescription and instructed Ling Zi to fetch silver for the consultation fee.

The physician declined. “The household has already paid.”

The physician finished writing the prescription and mentioned the location of his clinic, adding that he would send the prepared medicine over the next day. He assured Lu Lanyi that she wouldn’t need to pay for it, as everything would be settled with Steward Yang before taking his leave.

Cui Cui returned, looking surprised. “Aunt Zhou really let us charge it to the household account?”

This was a privilege Lan Yi had never enjoyed. When she first married into the Yang family, they were so poor that the entire household relied on her dowry. There was no such thing as a household account. Later, after Yang Wen Xu passed the provincial examination, the family gained some income from lands managed by clan members, but Master Yang took control of it all. Suddenly wealthy after years of poverty, he squandered as fast as he earned. It was a miracle if he didn’t ask Lan Yi for more money. By the time he finally settled down and began accumulating assets, Lan Yi had already moved to the capital. The distance made it impossible to merge accounts, so Lan Yi never benefited from the household funds.

“Mm. Since we’ve gotten the money, let’s not say too much about it.”

Cui Cui blinked. “What?”

Lu Lanyi glanced at her. “Didn’t you hear yesterday? Master Yang said my health is poor, so the household will continue to be managed by Aunt Zhou.”

“…” Cui Cui suddenly understood. “That’s right! Now that you’re back, Madam should be in charge. And here I thought she was being kind—turns out she had ulterior motives!”

Lan Yi replied, “There’s no such thing as good or bad people. As long as she does her job well, that’s enough.”

Still unsettled, Cui Cui paced in circles before suddenly brightening. “You’re right, Madam. There’s no need to fight her. Your health comes first. Let whoever wants to fight over it do so.”

In her past life, Lan Yi had already been too ill to manage household affairs, leaving Consort Jiang in charge.

Now, with her recovery as a valid reason to step back, Lan Yi saw no need to push herself into a confrontation with Aunt Zhou, especially since the latter was being courteous. But whether Consort Jiang—who had grown accustomed to authority during Lan Yi’s illness—could endure twenty-seven months under Aunt Zhou’s rule was another matter.

Based on Lan Yi’s past experience, their conflict erupted in less than two months.

This time, it happened even sooner.

Less than ten days after Consort Jiang returned from the countryside funeral with Yang Wen Xu, tensions flared.

The trigger involved Lan Yi. She had raised the monthly allowances for Cui Cui and Ling Zi without secrecy. When Consort Jiang’s servants found out, they reported it to her, arguing that it was unfair to favor some servants over others.

Consort Jiang, seeking to stand up for her people, approached Aunt Zhou with a veiled complaint. Aunt Zhou summoned Yang Sheng, produced the account books, and laid out the facts: since Yang Wen Xu’s household returned, she had voluntarily covered all expenses from the shared funds. The extra allowances for Cui Cui and Ling Zi came from Lu Lanyi’s private savings and had nothing to do with the household account.

“Madam has been considerate of our difficulties and never even brought it up. Had she mentioned it, I would have gladly approved the increase. But as the lady of the house, she understands that rules must be upheld. This only proves her integrity…”

The speech left Consort Jiang speechless, empty-handed and humiliated.

The matter ended when Yang Wen Xu intervened, distributing a one-time bonus to all servants from his private funds—including Cui Cui and Ling Zi.

Cui Cui was both pleased and displeased. “The master always sides with Consort Jiang. Even for something this small, he steps in to smooth things over for her.”

Lan Yi corrected her. “You’ve got it backward.”

Cui Cui: “Huh?”

Lan Yi shook her head, too lazy to speak, and didn’t explain further.

Consort Jiang wasn’t foolish, so why would she confront Aunt Zhou when she had just returned to her hometown and hadn’t even settled in yet? She herself was merely a concubine, and while Aunt Zhou was her father-in-law’s concubine, she was the son’s concubine—her standing wasn’t as solid as Aunt Zhou’s.

Because she was acting on Yang Wen Xu’s will.

Yang Wen Xu was dissatisfied with his father’s concubine, but out of propriety and filial piety, he couldn’t directly do anything to Aunt Zhou, who was pregnant. That’s why Consort Jiang stepped in on his behalf.

Yang Wen Xu wasn’t smoothing things over for Consort Jiang—he was tidying up his own mess.

Having been reborn once, what she hadn’t understood before was now clear to her.

Lan Yi’s thoughts weren’t really focused on these matters, though. She kept pondering something else entirely.

How to sever the connection between Yang Wen Xu and Prince Yi’s Residence.

This time, there was no opportunity like Madam Yang’s death to take advantage of—she had to rely on herself to come up with a plan.