Madam Xu felt conflicted looking at her daughter.

  She felt relieved because Yunyun knew how to fight for what she wanted. Such a temperament meant her daughter wouldn't suffer hardship easily. Her elder daughters, Lianlian and Feifei, had simirly survived and thrived because they fiercely pursued their desires, emerging from desperate circumstances to live better lives.

  Yet, she felt anxious because this path involved significant risk and uncertainty. On reflection, however, she realized that whatever risk y ahead now surely couldn't be greater than what Qin Lianlian had faced in the pace years earlier. The pace was a pce that devoured people without even spitting out the bones. Had Qin Lianlian not fought desperately then, she might not even be alive today, let alone enjoying her current high status.

  If one didn’t struggle, one would forever remain at the mercy of others.

  "Mother," Qin Yunyun urged, her eyes filled with resentment, "as long as that star of misfortune remains, we’ll never have peace. Imagine when she marries—she'll return home proudly funting her status. Could Mother bear that humiliation? I cannot! I’ll see her grovel at my feet forever!"

  Madam Xu, of course, would never accept Qin Shuying stepping over her. Yet, she'd exhausted every idea to deal with that wretched girl without success.

  Madam Xu sighed, "Yun'er, I’ve tried repeatedly, but every scheme has been exposed by her. Do you think I haven’t considered locking her in the backyard? In the past, quietly confining her until her health gradually deteriorated was indeed a good strategy. Even your grandmother suspected me, yet she could do nothing. But now, she often goes outside, mingling with influential families. If suddenly she disappeared from public view, others would seize the opportunity to create trouble. Not to mention the Sixth Prince—he is perceptive and fair-minded. Any hint of scandal linked to our family would harm his reputation greatly. Especially now, when he’s about to choose a bride, we cannot afford mistakes that might sabotage Consort Lian’s carefully id pns."

  Qin Yunyun fell silent. Indeed, the Sixth Prince would never tolerate scandalous rumors. After all, he had subtly warned the Old Madam and arranged for Madam Xu to be confined.

  Moreover, the Sixth Prince had sharp eyes. Even though it was clearly Qin Shuying acting improperly and allowing that wretched maid, Ziteng, to stir up trouble, he immediately understood that Madam Xu was orchestrating events behind the scenes.

  As much as Qin Yunyun resented Qin Shuying, she had to admit the Sixth Prince's insight was frighteningly accurate.

  "Mother, she's already tarnished our family’s reputation. If we leave her be, who knows what disaster might occur? Don’t forget, she clearly knows about Eighth Sister's incident. What if one day she decides to expose that? We would become utterly passive. If she refuses to obediently remain at home, perhaps it’s better that she creates trouble outside—at least no one can bme us directly."

  Madam Xu shook her head, sighing deeply. "The arrangement with Duke Chu’s household was meticulously pnned. The Duchess dislikes the Heir’s wife, Madam Ma, so orchestrating the incident at their residence was convenient—easy to achieve and safe from suspicion. Yet, Qin Shuying still discovered it. Ever since then, Madam Ma treats me with barely concealed disdain whenever we meet."

  Qin Yunyun sneered, clearly bitter about Madam Ma's previous refusal to arrange a marriage between their families. "She has no strong backing—what right does she have to look down on me?"

  Madam Ma, wife of Duke Chu’s heir, had a rather legendary life story. She had been engaged young, but at fourteen, her fiancé died, and she was beled a "jinx" who brought misfortune to husbands. Finally, at seventeen, her father rose to Second Rank Minister of Personnel, gaining immense authority. As the only legitimate daughter, Madam Ma’s prospects brightened despite her reputation. She was well-educated, beautiful, and had no unpleasant habits, making many prominent families eager to marry her.

  But for a girl, choosing a husband at seventeen was te. Most suitable young men were already engaged or married. When Minister Ma finally selected a suitable match and began exchanging birth charts, Madam Ma's grandmother passed away.

  Madam Ma then mourned her grandmother, though as a granddaughter she was only required to mourn for eighteen months. However, just as her mourning period was ending, her grandfather passed away, extending her mourning further.

  By the time her mourning obligations finally ended, Madam Ma was already twenty—well past marriageable age.

  Minister Ma had mourned in his ancestral hometown for three years, and when he returned, the Emperor graciously restored him to his original high-ranking position. By this point, all eyes in the capital eagerly awaited news of his daughter’s marriage.

  However, just as her mother started making arrangements again, Madam Ma’s mother suddenly died.

  The whole capital sympathized deeply with Madam Ma's endless misfortunes.

  When Madam Ma finally reached twenty-three, she had given up all hope of marriage. But Minister Ma was determined, secretly searching for a suitable husband even before her mourning period ended, determined to announce her engagement immediately after.

  And indeed, Minister Ma found a suitable match—Mo Libin, heir to Duke Chu. His first wife had recently died without leaving surviving children. Both families matched perfectly: one man needing a wife, one woman overdue for marriage.

  Five months after Madam Ma married Mo Libin, her father passed away. But within months she gave birth to a son, securing her position. After Minister Ma’s death, the Ma family fell into decline, leaving Madam Ma without powerful support.

  Moreover, Mo Libin favored his childhood sweetheart, a concubine greatly loved by Duke Chu’s mother. Thus, Madam Ma endured difficult days despite her prestigious marriage. However, due to the support of her influential father-in-w and her intelligent, promising son, her life gradually improved.

  Therefore, Qin Yunyun disdained Madam Ma’s earlier refusal of their marriage proposal.

  Madam Xu frowned slightly, fully aware of the details her daughter recounted. Yet she thought: despite Madam Ma's troubled past and ck of maternal support, she was still the wife of Duke Chu’s heir, holding a status second to very few in the empire.

  Thus, the mother and daughter continued plotting carefully, bancing their resentment against Qin Shuying with the need to cautiously navigate the dangerous political ndscape surrounding them.