Returning to Wei Manor with Changyue and Wanyue, Chu Yu had just stepped through the gates when she spotted Chun'er waiting anxiously at the entrance. The maid hurried forward, calling out, "Young Madam..."
Chu Yu halted, eyeing her coldly. "Still here, are you?"
"Young Madam," Chun'er knew Chu Yu was looking for an excuse to reprimand her but could say nothing in defense. "You left in such a hurry after instructing this servant to inform Second Madam that I couldn't keep up..."
"Instructed you to inform Second Madam?" Chu Yu's lips curled slightly. "When did I ever give such an order?"
Chun'er froze. Chu Yu continued calmly, "I had already reported my itinerary to Madam Liu. Why would I need you to report to Second Madam?"
There was a hint of arrogance in Chu Yu's demeanor. Those nearby exchanged glances, immediately understanding the unspoken implication in her words.
Though Liang Shi was addressed as Second Madam, she was ultimately just a concubine—only elevated to this position because of Liu Xueyang's favor. As the legitimate eldest daughter of the Chu family and Princess Consort of the Wei household, only Liu Xueyang had the authority to oversee Chu Yu's conduct. There was absolutely no reason for her travels to be reported to Liang Shi.
Chun'er's face stiffened, realizing she was caught in the crossfire between her superiors. Chu Yu didn't press further, saying indifferently, "Since you're unwilling to serve in my quarters, go find Second Madam and have her assign you elsewhere."
"Young Madam..."
"Oh, and while you're at it, inform Second Madam that I've added two more people to my household. I'll report this to Madam Liu myself, but remind her not to forget the additional four taels of silver for my monthly allowance."
It was true that Changyue and Wanyue were brought from the Chu family, but their monthly stipend shouldn't come from Chu Yu's own pocket.
With that, Chu Yu led Changyue and Wanyue back to her chambers. After settling them in, she listened to Wei Xia's daily report before Wei Qiu arrived with a letter.
"This came from the frontlines."
Wei Qiu presented the letter respectfully. Chu Yu nodded and unfolded it, expecting a reply from Wei Yun. Instead, she was met with crooked, childlike scrawl that filled the entire page. It began:
"Dear Sister-in-law, greetings! It's Xiao Qi here—aren't you surprised? Big Brother is too busy, so he asked me to write back for him..."
Just reading the opening lines made Chu Yu's lips twitch.
She distinctly remembered how the Northern Garrison Marquis had once possessed excellent penmanship. She'd seen samples in Gu Chusheng's study—those characters were truly exceptional. Neat, disciplined, exuding an air of solemnity, with strokes that were lean yet powerful, much like the sharp, austere young general himself.
But now, this handwriting...
Chu Yu sighed, suddenly realizing what must have happened between then and now, and her heart ached with sympathy.
Had Wei Yun always been that fearsome deity of war, she might have accepted it. But knowing he had once been this ordinary, cheerful youth before the Wei family's tragedy made the contrast all the more painful.
Yet she quickly composed herself.
—At least she was here now.
She carefully read through all of Wei Yun's detailed accounts. The young man was verbose—reporting everything from how Wei Jun woke up, what he ate, who he spoke to, what he did, the weather, his mood...
No detail was too small for Wei Yun to share with Chu Yu.
From these fragmented reports, Chu Yu could vaguely discern that Wei Zhong's strategy was indeed conservative—holding their position in the city, waiting to exhaust the enemy."The matter you entrusted to my elder brother has always been on his mind. Any reckless actions have been rejected, so you can rest assured."
After writing for a long time, Wei Yun finally penned a key, serious sentence.
Chu Yu let out a sigh of relief. Beside her, Wei Qiu, seeing she had finished reading the letter, asked with a smile, "Would the young madam like to reply?"
"Yes."
Chu Yu picked up the brush and wrote just one sentence: Practice your handwriting well, keep observing, and there will be rewards when you return.
After completing this, Chu Yu finally felt tired. She bathed and went to bed.
Before sleeping, she felt somewhat uneasy, so she took the letter from the bedside drawer and placed it under her pillow.
Somehow, with the letter beneath her pillow, she suddenly felt at peace, as if Wei Jun had returned, Wei Yun was still a youth, the Wei family was thriving, and her own life was just as it should be.
Chu Yu slept soundly through the night. The next morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, she asked Wanyue, who had come to attend to her, "Has the second madam sent anyone to look for me?"
Wanyue was somewhat surprised by the question but answered honestly, "No, she hasn't."
Chu Yu nodded and praised, "She’s quite composed."
Wanyue didn’t quite understand, but she was never one to pry into her mistress's affairs. She simply followed Chu Yu’s instructions, helped her wash and dress, and then accompanied her to pay respects to Liu Xueyang.
Chu Yu visited Liu Xueyang punctually every morning without fail.
Liu Xueyang rose early, and by the time Chu Yu arrived, she was already having breakfast. She invited Chu Yu to join her, smiling as she said, "You don’t need to come and greet me every day. The rules here aren’t so strict. Coming daily must be tiring."
"I’ve always risen early like this. Now that the Prince Consort is away, I have little to do. Spending more time with you is always good."
Chu Yu smiled as the servants brought out bowls and chopsticks, and she chatted idly with Liu Xueyang about trivial matters.
Their interests didn’t quite align, and after a while, both sensed an awkwardness in their conversation. Liu Xueyang seemed reluctant to continue but hesitated to say so out of politeness, merely waiting for Chu Yu to finish.
With one glance at Liu Xueyang, Chu Yu understood her thoughts. She felt this mother-in-law truly lacked assertiveness—no wonder the main wife was still present, yet the concubine managed the household.
After some thought, Chu Yu finally said, "I came today to discuss household affairs with you. Now that I’ve married into the family and am the Princess Consort, it’s only right that I share the burden of managing the household. May I ask what duties you intend to assign me?"
At this, Liu Xueyang’s face brightened. "You needn’t worry about that," she said reassuringly. "The second madam has always overseen the household affairs. I’m not overburdened."
Chu Yu: "..."
This mother-in-law was truly carefree to a fault.
But she had expected as much. She feigned surprise, then pressed her lips together.
This change in expression unsettled Liu Xueyang, who asked hesitantly, "A Yu, do you find this improper?"
"Well... not exactly." Chu Yu spoke with difficulty, as if deeply conflicted. After a moment’s consideration, she looked up at Liu Xueyang and said, "But when I go out in the future, I’m not sure how to explain this to the other noble ladies."
It was customary for Princess Consorts to learn household management from the matriarch. Once the heir succeeded, the authority over the household would pass to the Princess Consort. Only those who were deeply out of favor would have no responsibilities at all.Hearing Chu Yu's words, Liu Xueyang finally came to her senses. She nodded and said, "You're right. I've never dealt with them much, so I forgot about this rule. Well then," Liu Xueyang turned to Chu Yu, "you and the second madam will manage the household together. First, observe how she does things and learn from her."
This was exactly the "observation" Chu Yu wanted.
She nodded and then asked, "If I find some people unsuitable, can I replace them?"
"Such minor matters can be discussed with the second madam."
Liu Xueyang frowned slightly, "Just replacing someone, what's the big deal?"
"Thank you, Mother-in-law." Chu Yu smiled. "I knew you'd dote on me."
Hearing this, Liu Xueyang couldn't help but smile too and waved her hand, "Go do what you need to do. I'm going to copy Buddhist scriptures."
After bidding farewell to Liu Xueyang, Chu Yu took her attendants to Liang Shi's quarters.
Liang Shi, now nearly forty, had put on weight, which made her appear particularly amiable. When Chu Yu arrived, she came forward to greet her. Had Chu Yu not humiliated her just the day before, one would never have guessed there was any tension between them from Liang Shi's demeanor.
After some polite exchanges, Chu Yu finally stated her purpose.
Upon hearing Chu Yu's words, Liang Shi's expression stiffened momentarily before she said, "Indeed, the young madam will eventually take charge of the household. It's good to learn now."
Then Liang Shi suggested, "How about this? Next month is the madam's birthday. Why don't you take charge of the preparations, young madam? I'll assist you. What do you think?"
"I think that's inappropriate."
Chu Yu spoke directly, smiling at Liang Shi. "A Yu is still young and needs to learn more. Taking charge of such a major event right away would be improper. For now, A Yu will simply follow the second madam and learn whatever you do."
Liang Shi's smile completely faltered at these words. Yet Chu Yu's smile remained unwavering. Realizing Chu Yu wouldn't back down, Liang Shi took a deep breath after a long pause and said, "Very well. Then I hope the young madam will pay close attention and learn well."
"Second Madam need not worry," Chu Yu replied respectfully with a bow. "A Yu will study diligently."
True to her word, after lunch, Chu Yu went to the second madam's quarters to wait for her "lessons."
Wherever Liang Shi went, Chu Yu followed. Though Liang Shi grew increasingly irritated, Chu Yu said nothing and simply shadowed her all day. By nightfall, Liang Shi was exhausted and finally shooed Chu Yu away.
No sooner had Chu Yu left Liang Shi's room with Changyue and Wanyue than they scaled the wall to leave Wei Manor.
"Where are we going, Miss?" Changyue and Wanyue asked, puzzled.
Chu Yu pulled out a set of keys from her pocket. "To make duplicates."
Wanyue was stunned, but Changyue immediately understood. "So that's why you had me place the calming incense in the second madam's room?!"
Chu Yu gave Changyue an approving look and nodded.
"We must hurry and return them before dawn."
"Got it!"
Changyue cheered, praising Chu Yu enthusiastically. "Miss, you're truly amazing! I was wondering how we'd get Liang Shi to let us check the accounts!"
"You knew I wanted to check the accounts?"
Chu Yu was impressed—Changyue usually relied more on her hands than her brain. Changyue sheepishly admitted, "Wanyue told me."Wanyue guessed her thoughts, and Chu Yu wasn’t surprised. She nodded at Wanyue but then asked, “Then do you know why I didn’t take charge of the birthday banquet?”
“You are the mistress, and Liang Shi is a concubine. It’s only a matter of time before you reclaim the household management. Liang Shi can’t stop you. So she wants to find a way to make you fail, to show the Wei family that only she can handle the household affairs properly.”
“Mm.” Chu Yu nodded and sighed. “Wanyue, I won’t have to worry about you when you marry.”
Hearing this, Wanyue blushed. “Mistress, it’s too early to say that.”
“Not too early,” Chu Yu blinked. “You’re already sixteen, aren’t you?”
Wanyue was too embarrassed to reply, while Changyue teased her from the side. Unable to resist, Wanyue playfully lunged at Changyue, and the three of them tussled and laughed. They found a locksmith near the weapons street, watched as he made all the keys, then wandered around the streets for a while before sneaking back to their rooms.
They thought they were being careful, but as soon as they climbed over the wall, they saw Wei Qiu standing in the courtyard, looking at the three girls with a resigned expression.
Chu Yu awkwardly greeted him, “Uh, good evening.”
Wei Qiu sighed, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back.
Chu Yu thought the matter was over, but the next evening, she received a carrier pigeon message from Wei Yun.
The messy, scrawled handwriting was even more illegible than usual, clearly reflecting the sender’s concern.
“Sister-in-law, don’t just climb over the wall to go out and play! The Wei family’s walls have traps—some places aren’t safe to climb!”
Chu Yu stared at the long-distance letter, then glanced at Wei Qiu, who was studying his toes intently.
After a long pause, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are carrier pigeons expensive?”
Wei Qiu kept his head down and muttered, “Quite expensive.”
“Fine,” Chu Yu said darkly. “Then let’s just have roast pigeon for dinner.”
Wei Qiu: “…”
He knew Chu Yu wasn’t talking about roasting the pigeon—she meant him.
Author’s Note: This story is set in an alternate universe, so all titles and terms should be interpreted according to the author’s settings. The author enjoys writing about the dynamics between characters based on intelligence, martial prowess, and other personal qualities rather than rigid social hierarchies—especially among women. Therefore, there won’t be overly degrading portrayals of concubines or illegitimate daughters.
Additionally, the domestic conflicts are just a transitional phase. The main storyline focuses on the growth of the female lead and her brother-in-law. The household disputes are only a small early part of the story.
Please understand this story according to the author’s alternate universe preferences.
The author dislikes writing stories where women are overly oppressed or where social stratification is too rigid, and avoids terms like “concubine” or “madam.”
In this setting, exceptional women can participate in politics to some extent, and women from military families can fight on the battlefield. The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children mainly affects inheritance rights, while daily life is influenced by family status and the patriarch’s favor.
For example, Liang Shi has three children and gets along well with both Liu Xueyang and Wei Zhong. In this context, while the female lead’s status is objectively higher than Liang Shi’s, if she were to mistreat Liang Shi, not only would Liu Xueyang and Wei Zhong disapprove, but Liang Shi’s children—who grew up with Wei Jun—would also resent her. Thus, while there is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate lines, it doesn’t dictate daily interactions.
Fiction is meant to fulfill fantasies, so let’s not get bogged down in trivial details.
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