"Second brother." Zhou Yuqing nodded to Zhou Shuqing.

The calmer he remained, the more distressed Zhou Shuqing felt. In the past, her elder brother would have looked at her with envy, but not today.

Is it because he knows his health has improved? Is it because he's certain he won't take everything away from him? He doesn't even care about his father's attention anymore?

Zhou Shuqing clenched her fists. No, her elder brother only had the status of the eldest son. Whether it was their father's favor or his future in his studies, her elder brother could not compare to her.

Besides, who knows if this physical condition is temporary? He's been sick for so many years, he doesn't believe he can recover to a normal state in just a few months.

"Big brother." Zhou Shuqing quickly calmed himself down, but Zhou Yuqing still noticed something was off.

Perhaps because of his poor health since childhood, Zhou Yuqing could easily sense changes in the emotions of those around him. He had always thought that he and his second brother were only competing in their studies. He never expected that his second brother would be shocked and disappointed when he saw his health improve.

Why not hope to see yourself get better? Are you afraid you won't die anytime soon?

As expected, my mother was right. In this family, only my mother wanted the best for me.

But second brother, this Zhou family was never yours to begin with.

As Zhou Yuqing recalled Liu Fangniang and Zhou Ying's repeated disrespect and provocation towards his mother, as well as his father and grandmother... no, it should be his aunt's favoritism, his heart grew increasingly cold.

Nobody wants him to be well, right? He's determined to be well. If he leaves, his mother will truly be surrounded by enemies and completely isolated. He won't let that happen.

After Zhou Shuqing finished paying her respects to Zhou Yongli, Song Xia, and Zhou Yuqing, she was finally able to go see Liu Fangniang.

Liu Fangniang had tears in her eyes, her expression was very agitated, and there seemed to be some grievance in her eyes.

Zhou Yuqing felt heartbroken looking at his mother's simple attire and haggard face.

"I hope you are well, Auntie."

"Good, all good. Your aunt is happy to have you back."

Song Xia, too lazy to watch their tender mother-son moment, simply took her son and left.

As soon as they left, the atmosphere relaxed, and Liu Fangniang began to sob.

"Alas!" Zhou Yongli sighed heavily, "It's my fault for being useless."

“How can you blame Yonglang? I am a concubine, and it is only natural for me to serve my wife.”

Zhou Shuqing gritted his teeth and kept a straight face. He was determined to make something of himself and change the status of his mother as a concubine.

"Don't worry, Shu-ge'er. Your aunt can endure anything. As long as you pass the imperial examination, your aunt can bear any hardship."

Zhou Shuqing nodded emphatically, then asked in confusion, "How come Big Brother's health has suddenly improved so much?"

Liu Fangniang was also depressed. She was on the verge of death, but she fell into a coma twice and almost lost all her health.

"It seems that things only started to get better after I stayed at Prince Cheng's residence for a month last time."

Zhou Shuqing clenched her fist in jealousy again. Why wasn't it enough that her eldest brother was the eldest son? He also had such a powerful maternal family.

That's the Prince Cheng's residence! Even in the academy, you can tell how much His Majesty favors Prince Cheng!

If he were in the older brother's position, he wouldn't need to work as hard as I do. But didn't the older brother always want to compare himself to me? Why isn't he asking about my studies now?

Achieving fame and success also places a great strain on one's physical constitution, and even though my elder brother's condition has improved, he still finds it difficult to endure...

"Father, do you and Mother have any plans to send our eldest brother to an academy? If he goes to Shangde Academy, his son can take care of him."

Zhou Yongli didn't understand the meaning behind Zhou Shuqing's words and said disdainfully, "Your mother won't allow him to study now. Last time, she only asked him some questions about his studies, and he even made a fuss about me. He's utterly foolish. Shuqing, you must work hard in the future. All of my hopes are on you."

Zhou Shuqing was greatly shocked: "Didn't Mother always value my eldest brother's studies the most?"

"Who knows why she suddenly changed her mind? Maybe she finally realized that Zhou Yuqing wasn't cut out for studying."

“But Father, you were personally appointed the third-ranked scholar by His Majesty. If my elder brother doesn’t even participate in the imperial examinations, what will outsiders think?”

"Let him be. With you here, Father will always be able to save face."

Zhou Shuqing sighed heavily. That's not what he meant. Why didn't his father understand?

But he couldn't say it outright. After all, he was still young and had read so many classic texts. He didn't want his father to know his sinister thoughts. After all, no matter how much his father disliked his older brother, he was still his father's biological son. If he took the initiative to scheme, his father would always have some resentment in his heart in the future.

Moreover, he didn't believe that his father would keep this secret forever once he found out.

Liu Fangniang, however, seemed to sense something. She glanced at her son with a puzzled look, then blinked.

Zhou Shuqing felt relieved; her aunt would always find a way to persuade her father to discipline her eldest brother.

"Father, is Grandmother resting? I would like to go and pay my respects to Grandmother before returning to the courtyard."

Upon hearing this, Liu Fangniang's expression changed: "Shuge'er, you can't call her Grandmother anymore. People from the clan have come and are staying next to Fushou Hall. They keep reminding us of the rules all the time. Your aunt and sister got a lot of scolding because of this. You have to call her Auntie."

Zhou Shuqing had anticipated that the rules of the household would be tightened after the arrival of relatives, which was why he had been addressing his aunt as "concubine" instead of "mother." Why was his grandmother also addressing her…?

Yes, although my grandmother was not the legal wife, my father was already the head of the family. The relatives in the clan were just collateral relatives. How could they possibly have any say in these matters?

He instantly realized that Song Xia was behind it all, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Even the grandmother in this household has to suffer such injustice. Even if he achieves great success in the future, will he still be unable to change the status of his concubine and sister?

No, my sister still has a chance to change things. As long as her future husband's family is powerful and influential, her status will rise accordingly.

But what about the concubine? As long as the mother is alive, the concubine will always be just a concubine, unless…

Zhou Shuqing's eyes were filled with gloom. Unless his mother passed away one day, his father would be able to rightfully elevate his concubine to the status of his official wife after he had achieved academic success, and he would no longer be troubled by his status as a son of a concubine.

There was hope for everything. Once the eldest brother is gone, the mother will be unable to bear the pain of losing her son and may very well follow him. After all, it was the mother who forced the eldest brother to study hard for a long time, which led to the rapid deterioration of his health.

But why did Mother suddenly change her mind and stop forcing my older brother to study? Isn't my older brother afraid that his fame will overshadow hers?

Zhou Shuqing was extremely agitated, as if everything was heading in an uncontrollable direction.