In the main courtyard lived Master Pei and Madam Liu, along with Madam Liu's son and daughter. Her two eldest daughters were already married, and Madam Liu and Pei Han had always kept to themselves.

However, this peaceful coexistence only lasted for a few months.

The original owner noticed something was wrong because he discovered that Amei had been sullen for several days in a row.

After all, Amei was her personal maid, so it was not easy to completely hide her emotions in front of her. Moreover, Amei had been with her for nearly twenty years, so the original owner had a certain understanding of her temperament.

Ah Mei has always been good-natured and doesn't get angry with anyone easily.

That day, when Amei came in from outside, she looked somewhat resentful. The original owner couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

Ah Mei seemed to have been holding it in for a long time, and when asked this question, she immediately blurted it all out like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

"For some reason, the servants in the manor have been talking nonsense lately. The most outrageous ones are the maids of the third young lady. They've been gossiping about their mistress in strange ways, saying that the third young lady is already eighteen years old and still not married. They're afraid she'll have to stay at home and become an old maid."

The original owner couldn't help but wonder, "Why are you angry about her? Don't you never interfere in the affairs of the main courtyard?"

Amei quickly shook her head, "How could I have time to care about her? It's just that these rumors are related to our son-in-law, so I'm angry."

"What does this have to do with my husband?" The original owner was confused.

"That's right. Her inability to get married has absolutely nothing to do with our son-in-law, but they're spreading rumors that because he was demoted and offended some important figure, several potential marriages he's been set up with lately have all turned down, and they even say..."

At this point, Ah Mei became hesitant, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

Although the original owner knew it wouldn't be anything nice, she still let her continue.

Ah Mei had no choice but to continue, "She also said that the Third Miss complained that it was all the fault of her son-in-law. He could have inherited a hereditary title if he stayed at home, but he insisted on going out to take the exam to become an official, offending people and harming the whole family. He even made her mother spend a large sum of money to clean up the mess her son-in-law made."

"A mess? Ridiculous!" The original owner sneered.