Proofread by Men Shunde

"How is Li Shifu these days?" Li Wanrou suddenly asks, fiddling with flowers and plants in her hands.

Having found nobody nearby, Furong leans her head over and whispers, "I've heard from Yuhuan that Li Shifu sent an invitation to the crown prince the other day, but was rejected. She was so furious that she smashed many rare treasures. In recent days, she gets closer with the second prince and often goes to the second prince's palace with some young ladies to enjoy the flowers there."

Hearing that, Li Wanrou's lips curve to a sneer.

Nangong Rongji and Li Shifu are well matched, an adulterer and a doxy!

Someday, she will kill them with her own hand to avenge the death of her poor child.

"Miss, just now Old Maid Wang came here and said that tomorrow everyone would go to the old madam's to say hello and accompany her."

Li Wanrou nods quietly.

The old madam is her grandmother, who is still in good health in her eighties.

The old madam is a woman of sense, exempting the people of the Prime Minister's Mansion from the dawn greeting and dusk goodnight. But they should spend a few days with her each month.

The old madam may have a little bit of love for Li Wanrou, which may be the only affection she could feel in the Mansion. The old madam is amiable and generous to all her children and grandchildren. She is well worthy of their respect.

When night falls, Li Wanrou has supper and goes to her room as usual to rest in her own room.

The only difference is that there is a smile on her face the whole day.

"Ah!"

A shrill cry cuts through the night, like that of a frightened bird in the woods, startling the others.

The courtyard is soon full of clamor.

The attendants and maid-servants in the Mansion soon rush to the first madam's yard. They are so frightened by the first madam's scream that no one notices the potted plants of murrayapaniculate in the corner.

Thinking of the effect of murrayapaniculate, Li Wanrou smiles more happily. With the quilt held more tightly, she turns over and continues her dream.

Murrayapaniculate is a kind of flower. Although it is not colorful, its fragrance is persistent and has the effect of soothing the nerves.

But if people who often smell the flowers take the herb of Lysimachiachristinaehance, they will become confused and restless. They will often have nightmares at night, such as going to hell.

The next day, Li Wanrou dresses up neatly and comes to see the old madam, waiting outside her courtyard. The first madam and the second madam also arrive there with Li Shifu and Miss Nuanyu.

Everyone looks fine except for the first madam, Madam Zhao, who looks pale and absent-minded. It seems that she was shocked and disturbed last night.

When the old madam's personal maid-servant sees that everybody comes, she leads them into the courtyard.

The old madam just finishes her washing up, and now is taking a walk in the yard with the help of two maid-servants. When she sees everyone is here to see her, the wrinkles on her face instantaneously disappear.

The old madam is Prime Minister Li's mother. Now she is white-haired in her eighties, but no one present belittles the old woman, who hobbles. She is a descendant of a general, and acted with great vigor when she was young. Prime Minister Li owes much to his mother in his smooth official career and the high position he has got today. Even at the royal court, there are still many officials who are in awe of her stateliness.

"Now that you are all here, go with me to take a walk in the back garden. Recently, there are quite a few odd things in the Mansion. Madam Zhao, you had better deal with them well." Although the old madam's words are not very severe, they are hard on everyone's heart.

Madam Zhao, in particular, looks terrified and her face turns pale.

"Wanrou, come to me and help me to walk."

She waves away the maid-servants and asks Li Wanrou to help her.

Knowing that the old madam still loves her, Li Wanrou feels warm at her heart. Therefore, she steps forward and holds the old madam gently by her hand. And all the rest follow them slowly behind.

"A few days ago, Qianshan disappeared in the backyard. Later, Li Si (Prime Minister Li) asked the Emperor to send the forbidden army to help searching for him without any result. What do you all think of that?" the old madam speaks slowly.

Although the old madam stays at home, she is well informed with everything in the Mansion.

Madam Zhao tries her best to remain calm, and then answers cautiously, "Qianshan is naughty since he was a kid. Maybe he had a quarrel with his family and left home. My sister had doted on him and he was spoiled. So, he becomes a little mischievous. Maybe he will return home in a few days himself.

Though others are kept in the dark, Li Shifu,who walks beside Madam Zhao, knows very well what her cousin, Qin Qianshan, was going to do. She stares at Li Wanrou, who is walking with the old madam with her hand supporting her cordially. The smile on Li Wanrou's face triggers her thought.

She could not find any difference in Li Wanrou's smile, who laughs and says, "I saw Sister Shifu and her cousin, Qin Qianshan, talking in the pavilion that day, who greeted me then and left. He seemed not in good mood. Sister Shifu, am I right?"

Suddenly asked by Li Wanrou, Li Shifu is very uneasy. She wants to contradict her but she dares not to do so in front of the old madam. Therefore, she has to admit, "Yes, Cousin Qianshan complained a few words to me and then left angrily."

Hearing this, the old madam nods faintly, "Well, the madam of Marquis Mansion is indeed unreasonable."

She pauses, looking back at Madam Zhao and then continues, "Well, Madam Zhao, how should you, as the hostess of the Mansion, permit an outsider to make an unreasonable scene in our Mansion? How should you permit her even to beat my granddaughter Wanrou? How should you, as my daughter-in-law, not stop such a thing in our Mansion?"

On hearing this, Madam Zhao is shocked and her legs tremble so much that she would almost kneel down.

Though she usually acts like a tyrant in the Mansion, she dares not to act rudely in front of the old madam. The glance casted by the old madam as well as last night's sleepless make Madam Zhao instantaneously speechless.

"If you allow such a thing to happen again, you just serve as the first madam in your own house without the power of the hostess of the Mansion. Shifu is my granddaughter, Nuanyu is my granddaughter, so is Wanrou. All the people present are of one family. You said nothing when our own family member was bullied by an outsider, which is really a shame and makes the face of our Mansion hurt."

The old madam's voice is so severe that no one present dares to breathe heavily.

A stream of warmth flows into Li Wanrou's heart, who holds the old madam more tightly.

"Please excuse me. I promise no such thing happens again," says Madam Zhao with her head lowered down.

"Ruyu, since your sister hasn't recovered from the shock she had last night, you can help her deal with the affairs in the Mansion these days, so that she will not be too tired," says the old madam, looking at a lady in brocade dress beside her, whose face is not outstanding, but there is a calm temperament between her brows. She is Qing Ruyu, the second madam of the Mansion.

Madam Zhao is greatly surprised to hear what the old madam says, and the one behind her is Li Shifu, whose face changes greatly.