Lady Xie had just stepped outside when she ran right into Qingyao.
Lady Xie was momentarily stunned.
Upon seeing Lady Xie, Qingyao dutifully curtsied and greeted her,
"Greetings, Madam."
Noticing the thick stack of account books in Qingyao's hands, Lady Xie felt a sudden premonition of trouble.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"The Young Madam fell ill yesterday and is no longer able to manage the General's Manor. The Young Madam has instructed this maid to return the household's account ledgers to you. From now on, the authority to manage the household is likewise returned to your hands, Madam."
With that, Qingyao held the account books in her palms and respectfully offered them forward.
Hearing this, Lady Xie's expression changed drastically.
"The Young Madam is returning the household management to me? How can that be?"
She hesitated for a moment, then flicked the handkerchief in her hand.
"No, I must go see Yiru. Her medical skills are so exceptional, and she usually has no health problems to speak of. How can she fall ill so suddenly just like that?"
Seeing this, Qingyao hastily said,
"Madam, the Young Madam is truly ill. Furthermore, she gave strict instructions that she will not receive visitors during her illness. Otherwise, without proper rest, her condition will worsen."
Hearing these words, Lady Xie's face darkened.
She wanted to fly into a rage, but after a second thought, she managed to hold it back.
After all, the General's Manor would still rely on Yiru in the future.
This time, it was her son who had been in the wrong.
It was entirely understandable for Yiru to be angry and throw a little tantrum.
If she were to barge over there right now, it would look as though she were going to interrogate Yiru.
If that made their relationship even more rigid and Yiru truly washed her hands of the General's Manor, things would blow up into a massive scandal.
Having figured this out, Lady Xie turned to her personal maid standing behind her.
"Hanyun, take the account books."
"Yes, Madam."
Hanyun stepped forward and took the account books from Qingyao's hands.
Qingyao gave a bow and turned to leave.
Lady Xie smoothed her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
Her son had dumped such a massive problem in her lap the moment he returned.
The daily expenses of this sprawling General's Manor were no small sum.
If it were handed directly to her to manage, she simply didn't have enough of her own dowry to subsidize it.
Qingyou Courtyard.
"Young Miss, the Young Madam is ill and not receiving guests."
Qiuyan and Wenchany stood blocking the doorway, refusing to let Li Yue pass.
Li Yue wore a wronged expression.
"Precisely because my sister-in-law is ill, I must see her all the more."
"The Young Madam needs to rest and cannot be disturbed."
Qiuyan reached out to block Li Yue's path, her tone icy.
Li Yue was not annoyed in the least, and instead wheedled in a spoiled tone,
"Big Sister Qiuyan, just let me in. Sister-in-law has always loved me the most. Who knows, perhaps her illness will clear up the moment she sees me?"
Qiuyan ignored her words and continued to block Li Yue with her hand.
"Big Sister Wenchany, please let me in. I am here to comfort Sister-in-law, and I will certainly not cause her any vexation."
Li Yue turned her gaze to Wenchany.
Wenchany shook her head, likewise refusing to grant passage.
Yinzhu, the personal maid trailing behind Li Yue, grew rather displeased at the sight.
She stepped forward, just about to start scolding them, when a cold glance from Li Yue frightened Yinzhu into hurriedly retreating to the side.
Rather than continuing to tangle with Qiuyan and Wenchany, Li Yue raised her voice and shouted toward the inner rooms,
"Sister-in-law, it's Yue'er here to see you! Yue'er heard that you were unwell, Sister-in-law, and wanted to come pay my respects. Please let me in! Sister-in-law..."
Seeing Li Yue making a scene and shouting outside their mistress's door, Qiuyan and Wenchany both furrowed their brows.
Just as the two of them were about to persuade her to leave, Shen Yiru's voice drifted out from inside the room.
"Let her enter."
Hearing this, Li Yue was overjoyed. She shot Qiuyan and Wenchany a glance, tilted her chin up slightly, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Shen Yiru was leaning back against the bed at the moment, her expression entirely serene.
Li Yue hurried over, plopped down on the edge of the bed, and grabbed Shen Yiru's hand.
"Sister-in-law, I've heard all about it. Eldest Brother went entirely too far this time! How could he possibly bring a concubine directly into the General's Manor just to humiliate you, Sister-in-law? If you ask me, Sister-in-law, you're simply too kind-hearted; yesterday, you should have directly driven that concubine out with a beating!"
As she spoke, Li Yue glanced at Shen Yiru's expression, seeing that she looked calm and devoid of emotional fluctuation.
She pressed on,
"That Sun Jingyou is utterly shameless. She had an illicit affair with Eldest Brother without the proper matchmaker's rites, and now she's even pregnant with his child. You haven't even given birth to the legitimate heir yet, Sister-in-law—what right does a mere concubine have to conceive Eldest Brother's child first? In short, I am definitely standing on your side, Sister-in-law. Grandmother and Mother will stand on your side as well."
Li Yue felt a twinge of a guilty conscience as she uttered that final sentence.
Hearing Li Yue's words, Shen Yiru turned her gaze toward her.
It seemed her affection for this sister-in-law over the past two years had not been wasted.
Yet before Shen Yiru could even open her mouth, Li Yue blattered on again,
"Don't worry, Sister-in-law. I'll go find that Sun Jingyou later and give her a piece of my mind. What equal-wife nonsense? I am the first one who refuses to recognize it! Li Yue will only ever have one sister-in-law."
Hearing Li Yue take her side so completely moved Shen Yiru to a certain extent.
She patted the back of Li Yue's hand.
"Mm! Sister-in-law knows your heart."
Seeing that she had appeased her sister-in-law, Li Yue seized the opportunity to say,
"Sister-in-law, I'm going to attend a tea party hosted by the Minister's Estate's legitimate daughter in a couple of days. However, I'm lacking a decent set of hair ornaments; could Sister-in-law lend me one? Rest assured, Sister-in-law, I will definitely return it to you in pristine condition after I'm done using it."
With that, Li Yue beamed, her eyes curving into crescents as she tugged on Shen Yiru's arm and coaxes her with spoiled affection.
Hearing that Li Yue wanted to borrow jewelry yet again, Shen Yiru could not help slightly furrowing her brow.
So, her visit today wasn't to comfort her after all; her primary goal was to borrow things!
Over the past two years, she had always been exceptionally generous toward this sister-in-law.
Not to mention the times she personally spent silver to have new clothes and custom jewelry made for her.
The valuable pieces of jewelry she had lent out numbered at least twenty or thirty.
Moreover, every single time they were borrowed, they were never returned.
In the past, she always felt they were family, and a few pieces of jewelry were of no great consequence to her.
Giving them directly to her sister-in-law as a gift was fine too.
Furthermore, considering the straitened circumstances of the General's Manor, she had even secretly prepared a generous dowry for her sister-in-law.
Now, it appeared she had simply been making redundant efforts.
At this thought, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she looked at Li Yue and said straight out,
"As the saying goes, 'Borrowing requires return, and second borrowings are easy.' The pieces of jewelry Sister-in-law has lent you over the past two years add up to quite a significant sum. Why don't you return those first, and then I will lend you another set of hair ornaments? How about that?"
At these words, Li Yue froze on the spot.
The spoiled expression on her face stiffened, turning instead into an incredulous stare at Shen Yiru.
Return every single piece of jewelry she had borrowed in the past? How could that possibly work?
She had assumed Sister-in-law had tacitly agreed to gift those items to her!
Otherwise, why wouldn't she have asked for them back after all this time?
"Yue'er, what are you spacing out for? I'll have Qiuyan and Wenchany go to your quarters right now to fetch the jewelry back. I kept an account of all the pieces I lent you; just return them matching the ledgers."
As Shen Yiru spoke, a warm, kindly smile typical of an elder addressing a junior still lingered on her face.
Hearing this, Li Yue sprang up abruptly and subconsciously waved her hands.
"N-no... no need to go to all that trouble. I'll go back and fetch them myself. The things in my room are a bit cluttered, so I won't be able to gather them all in a rush. I'll send them back once I've found them all."
Finishing her sentence, Li Yue turned tail and fled as if escaping for her life.