Inside Jingsi Hall, the atmosphere was oppressive, like the gloomy sky before a storm. Liu stood before the carved window lattice, her nails, seemingly filled with endless resentment, scratching white marks into the lattice. The dark brown wood grain beneath, like a scar, lay exposed to the air. She stared intently at the worm-eaten crabapple tree outside the window. Its charred leaves swayed helplessly in the wind, each sway tugging at her already shattered heart.

Madam Zhou, her back hunched like a shrimp, carefully leaned close to Liu's ear. Her hoarse voice, like the creaking of an old millstone, was particularly piercing in the silent hall: "Madam, Madam Wang, whom the master invited, has started teaching today. I heard that she used to be in charge of the treasury in the palace..."

"Managing the treasury?" Liu scoffed coldly, as if she had just heard some utterly ridiculous joke. The beeswax beads she was toying with, as if sensing their owner's fury and panic, suddenly snapped and broke. The round beads, like a herd of wild horses, rolled all over the floor, some even falling into the cracks between the bricks and disappearing without a trace. The scattered beads resembled her calculations, now shattered and incomplete. She couldn't help but think of Su Hongye handing the key to the household treasury to Su Qingyao. That hand, aged yet resolute, dug its nails deep into its palm, leaving crescent-shaped blood marks, like gruesome wounds, a constant reminder of her failure. "I'm afraid he's here to manage Su Jinli! To control how she spends her money, to control how she tries to show off!" Liu gritted her teeth and cursed softly, her eyes gleaming with resentment.

In the afternoon, Suiyuxuan was gently enveloped in a golden glow, resembling a dreamy golden castle. However, Su Jinli had no time to admire the beautiful scenery. She was scowling over the account book spread out on the table. In her previous life, she hadn't even managed to calculate her monthly salary. Now, the densely packed abacus beads dazzled her. She'd repeated the mnemonic "Three up, six down, five up, one" a hundred times, but her fingers, as if deliberately playing tricks, kept misplacing the beads in the units position.

Lu'e walked into the house with light steps, carrying a celadon plate. On the plate was a steaming hot jujube paste cake fresh from the oven, emitting an alluring sweet aroma. Before she could speak, a sudden commotion erupted from the front yard, like a raging ant nest, instantly shattering the tranquility of Suiyu Pavilion.

"Miss! Nanny Wang is here!" The maid, Chuntao, rushed in in a panic. Her hair was unkempt, a few strands plastered to her sweaty forehead, and beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks. "They've also brought an old scholar with them, saying they want to teach you needlework!" Chuntao panted, her eyes revealing a hint of nervousness and uneasiness.

Su Jinli raised her eyebrows slightly, thinking to herself: Needlework? In her past life, she'd embroidered a lotus purse and stuck ten needles into her fingers. This Liu was clearly trying to make things difficult for her. She gently lowered the ivory abacus in her hand, and the beads clashed with each other, making a crisp sound that echoed in the quiet room, like a gong sounding the gong for the upcoming competition.

Su Jinli stood up and walked calmly toward the front hall. As expected, she saw an old woman in a dark blue bodice, standing there with a face as stiff as cast iron. In her hand, she clutched a silver embroidery needle. The tip of the needle gleamed coldly and glaringly in the sunlight filtering through the window, like a poisoned dagger, sending shivers down her spine.

"Miss Su." Nanny Wang bowed slightly, the conspicuous patch on her sleeve swaying slightly with her movements. Her tone was as stiff as a frozen stick, devoid of warmth: "I, your old servant, have been ordered by the master to teach you the ways of household management and needlework. First, could you please embroider a purse to show me your skill?" Her eyes held a trace of scrutiny and disdain, as if she had already determined that Su Jinli would embellish herself.

On the desk sat an exquisite rosewood embroidery frame, a snow-white satin laid flat across it, like a pristine, untouched field of snow, radiating a soft sheen. Su Jinli slowly picked up the embroidery needle. Just as her fingertips touched the aquamarine thread, Nanny Wang snorted, "Young lady, your gesture is incorrect. Hold the needle like you're holding an orchid; use the orchid finger." Nanny Wang's voice was sharp and piercing, like the cry of a night owl.

"Orchid fingers?" Su Jinli's lips curled up slightly, and she deliberately bent her fingers into chicken claws, with her fingertips pointed upwards, looking like a frightened quail. "Mammy, do you think this is dignified and graceful enough?" She tilted her head and asked with a half-smile, a sly glint in her eyes.

Nanny Wang's face instantly turned green, like green vegetables hit by a severe frost, both green and white. "How dare you! A woman holding a needle should be dignified and graceful. How dare you act so nonsensically! How dare you!" Nanny Wang was so angry that her whole body was shaking, and the embroidery needle in her hand trembled slightly, as if venting her anger.

"Madam, you're wrong." Su Jinli slowly put down her needlework, calmly picked up the account book beside her, and shook it gently. The pages rustled as they turned, as if keeping the rhythm of her words. "Confucius said, 'Teach students in accordance with their aptitude.' Madam is good at needlework, and I prefer arithmetic. We each take what we need, isn't that the best of both worlds?" She paused slightly, her fingertips lightly tapping the amount of Wang Erlang's gambling debts in the account book. The action seemed casual, but it carried an unquestionable power. "It's better than being like some people who can't settle the gambling debts and push their daughter into the fire pit." Su Jinli's voice was not loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting Madam Wang's heart hard.

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