Xu Tong knew because her courtyard was next to Xu Yao's, separated only by a passageway. Although Xu Yao was carrying people away from her courtyard, Xu Tong happened to be in her own courtyard when she heard the commotion. She quickly climbed onto a stool and peered over the wall. When she saw Ning Shi enter Xu Yao's courtyard with a dark face, she knew something had happened, and it was something serious. She just didn't know what had happened until she heard the sound of a slap on the hand coming from the neighboring courtyard. Xu Tong knew that Xu Yao had been punished.

Xu Tong and Xu Yao have never gotten along. Xu Yao was very happy to be punished and wanted to find someone to share her excitement with. She happened to run into Xu Zhi after going out and told her about it.

Xu Zhi was still quite puzzled after hearing Xu Tong's words. She pondered it as she walked. When she returned and saw Granny Lu, she pulled Granny Lu aside and told her about it.

Granny Lu said, "The Fourth Miss is the legitimate daughter, yet she even dismissed her personal servants. She must have caused quite a stir. What could possibly happen to a girl like her? It's probably just because of a man or because she's met with a man in private."

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Could it be for the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion? I've met that heir, Yang. He's not as good-looking as my brother, and his talent is even less. If there's anything good about him, it's that he's quite fair-skinned and I've heard he has a gentle temperament."

After thinking about the affairs of the Marquis of Zhongyong's family, Granny Lu said, "Their family has always been a single-line family. Only the principal wife can give birth to boys, while the concubines can only give birth to girls. The Marquis of Zhongyong has been in charge of the imperial estate and I heard that he manages it very well, so his title has not been demoted all these years."

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "They're not from a good family either. It's a pity that my fourth sister had to fall for such a weak and frail person. I don't know what she did to make my aunt so angry."

Granny Lu said, "This is not a good thing. Don't ask about it, and if you do find out, don't tell anyone. We are all sisters. If one of us is damaged in reputation, it will affect the others."

Xu Zhi nodded. As a result, at dinner time, Granny Lu was invited away by the old lady. When they returned in the evening, Zhang Zhaoci, Xu Zhi, and Xu Di knew what Xu Yao had done during the day. The key issue was that Xu Yao still felt that what she had done was not wrong and was still stubbornly insisting on it. Ning Shi was so angry about this that she lay in bed and could not get up.

With the New Year just around the corner, this has happened. Although things in the mansion won't fall into chaos after Ning Shi's collapse, there's certainly a lack of someone to make decisions. The old lady is too old to take charge, so Lu Mama and Li Mama are asked to help Ning Shi take care of things.

Xu Zhi asked, "Granny, what does Fourth Sister Grandmother plan to do with this?"

Granny Lu sighed and said, "This girl is really stubborn and refuses to admit her mistakes. Of all the people she could like, she has to like the man her cousin is going to marry. If this gets out, it will be a real disgrace. The old lady's idea is to keep her locked up in her own courtyard for now. She can be released when she realizes her mistake and promises not to look for him again. If she doesn't realize her mistake, she won't be released, so as not to cause any more trouble."

Xu Zhi sighed and said, "If it were any other day, I could just say I was sick when relatives asked, and that would be a way to brush it off. But it's the New Year, so I can't say I'm sick, it's too unlucky."

Granny Lu said, "Who says otherwise? Nobody in the manor knows when this young lady got in touch with the young master of the Yang family. According to her servants, she has been going to see the young master of the Yang family in private more than once or twice. The young master of the Yang family is tired of her pestering him, and he is also concerned about the long-standing friendship between the two families and his reputation, so he has been very tolerant. This time, our fourth young lady went a bit too far and insisted that the young master of the Yang family not get engaged to the Zhao family's daughter."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "I've heard that our aunt has done a lot for this marriage. If she finds out that our fourth daughter is trying to steal her husband, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause."

Xu Di happened to come over and heard what they were saying. He frowned and said, "I know this young master of the Yang family. To be honest, he's not particularly outstanding. He just has a bad temper and a good appearance. If our little Jiu likes someone like that, I'll have to stop her."

Xu Zhi glared at Xu Di reproachfully and said, "Brother, how could you tease me about this? I think the girls in the capital have terrible taste. Why do they all like such weak and effeminate men? The men from the Northwest are strong and robust, and they do everything with great energy. That's what makes a real man. I think Fourth Sister hasn't seen the Northwest, hasn't met the men from the Northwest. Her perspective is limited to the men from the capital. If she had met the men from the Northwest, maybe she wouldn't think this way."

Xu Di laughed and said, "Little Jiu, we came from the capital, but we haven't settled down in the Northwest. What do you mean by keeping saying 'our Northwest'?"

Xu Zhi said, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just feel really sad for my fourth sister, and also for many girls in the capital. Many of them have been living in this city for over 10 years without ever leaving. They are confined at home all day reading and embroidering, unaware of how high the sky is or how thick the earth is outside. When they reach marriageable age, their families will send them away in a sedan chair to continue living like that in another house. Their world is just a small inner courtyard. I really can't live like that."

Granny Lu said, "Ninth Miss, this is all your opinion. Perhaps the girls in the capital would think our border soldiers are too rough. To each their own."

Xu Di said, "I think Xiao Jiu's idea is quite good. People need to go out and see the world to broaden their horizons so that they can know what they are thinking and what they want."