Wei Wenshi had only three granddaughters in total. The eldest one got married in Wu County, and Wei Shuwan was not related by blood. Therefore, Wei Shuyao was the one she doted on the most.

Having already learned that the matter of Young Master Du was just a misunderstanding and that he truly loved Wei Shuwan, Madam Wei was already displeased. Now, seeing Wei Shuyao being carried over, she became even more furious and immediately ordered someone to invite the mother and daughter from the second branch of the family, intending to establish rules.

The old woman from Songheju arrived at Fuquxuan and relayed a message through the door.

Wei Shuwan was making incense seals when she was disturbed and lost her composure. The incense she was about to finish cracked when she started making the seals, which made her feel very upset.

Li Qingchen had been watching her movements, and then said, "It's alright, I can rest without it, you don't need to worry about it."

Wei Shuwan glanced at him and said, "This isn't for calming your nerves; it's to help you recover your strength. The doctor said there's still some poison left in your body."

"Never mind." She looked away, knowing that her own troubles were about to begin.

Wei Shuwan lifted her skirt and stood up, letting Miaoxiang drape a cloak over her shoulders. Then she walked to the desk, rummaged through the neatly stacked collection of calligraphy by famous calligraphers, pulled out a stack of papers, hurriedly stuffed them into her wide sleeves, and headed towards Songheju.

After leaving the house, she gave Miaoxiang a few more instructions in the courtyard. Although she spoke softly, Li Qingchen, with his excellent hearing, heard her. She was giving her instructions about the trivial things she had done over the past two days, such as how to prepare and change his medicine.

Li Qingchen stood by the window, clutching his wound, his brows furrowed as he watched the young lady's slender figure recede into the distance. He realized that she was likely to be punished, and it seemed that he had caused her trouble.

As the shadow in Li Qingchen's field of vision disappeared around the corner, Miaoxiang also came into the room to tidy up the incense powder. Seeing that she was about to take the incense burner away, Li Qingchen said, "Leave it here."

Miaoxiang quickly nodded, put the incense burner back in its original place, bowed, and withdrew.

Walking to the incense table, Li Qingchen also knelt on the prayer mat, just like Wei Shuwan had done before. He picked up a feather broom to clean up the scattered incense powder, and then used an incense shovel to repair the cracks little by little.

...

When Wei Shuwan arrived at Songhe Residence, he saw that the eldest son's family had already arrived, and his mother was also there. However, everyone else was sitting, while his mother was the only one standing.

The eldest uncle had a somber face, the eldest aunt was sobbing, and Wei Chengxu sat beside his grandmother, patiently comforting her. Judging from the servants going in and out of the door, it wasn't hard to guess that Wei Shuyao was lying in the inner room, and the doctor was treating her.

Wei Shuwan first greeted her grandmother and the others, and then took the initiative to ask, "Grandmother, how is Fourth Sister?" She couldn't avoid this topic today.

"What happened? Isn't this something you should be explaining to us? Yao'er went to your place perfectly fine, how did she end up injured like this and have to be sent back!"

Nowadays, Meng no longer cares about the dignity of elders and speaks sternly.

Even though Sun Lurong usually had a habit of protecting her own, she couldn't get a word in edgewise now that she didn't know the situation. She could only look at her daughter with a questioning gaze, hoping that she could explain things clearly and not suffer any injustice.

Wei Shuwan composed herself and said, "Auntie just said that Fourth Sister came to Fuqu Pavilion in good condition? If she was in good condition, why is she crying like a baby?"

"How dare you ask?!" Madam Meng's eyes widened. Even without Yao'er's injury, she was already furious! In the end, all the embarrassment today was related to Wei Shuwan!

These words were unpleasant to hear. Wei Shuwan was indignant and retorted, "It's Fourth Sister who's being presumptuous, and it's Aunt who's trying to curry favor. What do I have to be ashamed of?"

"You!" Madam Meng glared at Wei Shuwan, then turned her attention to Sun Lurong: "This is the good daughter your sister-in-law has raised. She's grown up so much that she has no respect for elders or superiors!"

“My aunt can criticize me, but why drag my mother into it?”

"Shut up!" The old lady, who had been silent all along, slammed her hand heavily on the table. Her gaze swept over everyone, and the whole room fell silent instantly. Finally, her gaze settled on Wei Shuwan.

"Your fourth sister is still unconscious. Do you want to make your aunt or this old woman faint too?!"

"Granddaughter wouldn't dare," Wei Shuwan said respectfully, lowering her head.

"You don't dare?" the old lady questioned coldly, then said, "Then tell me, what exactly happened to your fourth sister to make her like this!"

Wei Shuwan then truthfully stated: "Fourth Sister came to Fuquxuan crying earlier, and was very emotional. She even hit several servants along the way. After seeing me, she verbally insulted me, and then she collapsed while talking."

She wasn't lying; everything she said was true, only omitting a few key parts.

The old lady clearly did not believe this claim, but she had no evidence to back it up. She could only hope that Wei Shuyao would wake up soon and expose Wei Shuwan's lies herself.

While waiting for the doctor to come out, the old lady didn't stop talking. Her words seemed to be self-deprecating, but every sentence was like a soft knife, sweeping across the room.

"Ever since the old man passed away, this old woman has had no one to rely on. How much filial piety you can show depends entirely on your conscience!"

“Even if Zheng’er wasn’t born from my womb, I still raised him with all my heart. He’s always had the same food and clothing as the eldest son, and I’ve never shortchanged him. Now that he’s successful, he’s brought his family to the capital and separated from the Wu County Guard family. If he doesn’t intend to acknowledge me as his mother anymore, he might as well say so. I certainly won’t cling to this place like a leech…”

"But as long as he still acknowledges me as his mother, I can use the family rules whether he's in the Wei family of Wu County or the Wei family of the capital!"

These words startled Sun Lurong; it seemed the old lady was truly enraged this time. She could only hope the doctor hadn't made a mistake.

Before long, the doctor came out, and everyone in the room turned their attention to him. Madam Meng even got up to greet him, as if she could know more clearly if she got closer.

"Madam, Fourth Miss is not seriously ill. She fainted due to a sudden rush of qi and blood. I will prescribe two calming remedies for her. However, do not move her yet; just wait for her to wake up on her own."

Upon hearing this, not only the old lady and the eldest son's family breathed a sigh of relief, but Sun Lurong also breathed a sigh of relief, as it seemed that the family rules would not be needed for the time being.

Wei Shuwan had previously worried that the piece of silver that Li Qingchen used to knock out Wei Shuyao would cause injury, but now it seems that he was very careful with his actions, he just didn't want to listen to her chatter.

The doctor's words didn't seem to reveal anything wrong, and Madam Meng didn't know how to react. In the end, the old lady could only give Wei Shuwan a minor punishment as a warning to appease the eldest branch of the family.

"Although your sister is out of danger, this matter is still related to you. If you hadn't been so flirtatious, how could your sister have suffered this calamity? Go to the meditation room and copy the 'Admonitions for Women' three times. Only after you have finished copying it can you go back to your room to sleep."