After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

"Then..." Qinglan was very anxious. She knew that Zhou Qin had brought so many people that even all of Beiju's people combined couldn't make up for it. If a fight broke out, how could Beiju possibly come out on top?

"Don't rush, let's go take a look first," Fang Xiaoran comforted her, and slowly walked towards the north gate of the residence.

At this moment, Zhou Qin and her entourage had arrived at the door. Upon seeing Fang Xiaoran appear, Zhou Qin stopped wasting words and simply said, "If my sister is a smart person, she should know what to do. Anyway, the Fang residence is only so big, and we'll see each other all the time. You don't want us to have any grudges against each other, do you?"

These words were clearly meant to make Fang Xiaoran give up Beiju voluntarily, so as not to hurt the harmony. However, when she brought people to seize it directly, she did not consider the concept of harmony at all. Moreover, Fang Xiaoran knew Zhou Qin quite well. If Fang Xiaoran made concessions, Zhou Qin would only take advantage of the situation.

Fang Xiaoran stepped calmly onto the stone bridge. Although there was no one behind her, her powerful aura inexplicably exuded a sense of intimidation. Especially when her cold gaze swept over them, the servants behind Zhou Qin couldn't help but feel fear.

“My sister-in-law is not afraid of creating discord by directly vying for the North Residence, so why should I have any concerns?” Fang Xiaoran stood atop the stone bridge, exuding an air of superior authority.

Faced with Fang Xiaoran's actions, Zhou Qin's competitive spirit was completely aroused. Without fear, she stepped onto the stone bridge, facing Fang Xiaoran head-on, and said in a deep voice, "Since my sister insists on being that fool, then I have no choice but to accept it."

After saying this, Zhou Qin turned around, suddenly waved her sleeve, and said loudly, "Guards, drive away all the irrelevant people in the North Residence. From this day forward, this place will be my residence."

Upon receiving the order, the servants immediately rushed towards the stone bridge. This was the only way to enter the North Residence, so the flow of people would be dispersed. As they rushed over, Fang Xiaoran focused her energy in her dantian and let out a muffled groan. In an instant, everyone felt dizzy.

Zhou Qin, who was closest to her, was even more shocked. She staggered to grab the bridge railing, but the railing was too low, and she slipped and fell straight off the bridge into the pond with a "plop".

Instantly, everyone held their breath and remained silent until Zhou Qin's maid, Mo Lan, screamed in alarm. Only then did everyone snap out of their daze and rush into the pond to rescue the person.

This scene caught Fang Xiaoran off guard. Her intention was to intimidate others, but she forgot that Zhou Qin was so close to her.

Qinglan, Ziju, and Wu Guicheng, who rushed over, couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Qinglan clutched her stomach and laughed, "I didn't expect the young mistress to actually jump into the pond herself. Did you see things?"

Those who are not skilled in martial arts would naturally not understand what was going on, but Wu Guicheng saw it clearly and could only sigh that this young mistress was truly an extraordinary person.

Because lotus flowers were planted in the pond, it was full of silt. When Zhou Qin fell in, she was head down, and her mouth and nose were completely blocked. In the process of struggling, she accidentally swallowed a few mouthfuls, and the taste was really hard to describe.

Unfortunately, the pond was too deep and full of silt. Despite their best efforts, the group was unable to pull Zhou Qin out. Fearing that Zhou Qin would suffocate due to the silt blocking her mouth and nose, Fang Xiaoran quickly ordered Wu Guicheng to retrieve her.

Upon receiving the order, Wu Guicheng leaped into the pond without hesitation.

He carefully avoided the lotus flowers that Fang Xiaoran had carefully planted, stepped on the lotus leaves, and used the momentum to fly towards Zhou Qin.

Just as Zhou Qin was about to faint, he quickly reached out and grabbed her tightly, pulling her out of the mud with all his might. Then, with a swift turn in mid-air, he caught her around the waist and carried her steadily to the shore.

Seeing that Zhou Qin had been rescued, Mo Lan rushed over, and Wu Guicheng handed Zhou Qin over to her.

A foul, stale stench, like that of dust, filled the air. Mo Lan almost couldn't bear it. She held her breath and looked at Fang Xiaoran pleadingly, "Sixth Miss, will my young mistress be alright?"

Mo Lan was also anxious. Since she had only just arrived at the Fang family and was still unfamiliar with many things, she was terrified when she saw Zhou Qin fall off the bridge. She was afraid that something might happen to Zhou Qin and she would not be able to explain it to the Zhou family.

Fang Xiaoran walked over, completely ignoring the mud on Zhou Qin's body. She first pried open Zhou Qin's eyelids to take a look, then checked her breathing, and finally took her pulse before saying, "She was just a little frightened. She will recover after a few days of rest."

"Thank you, Sixth Miss..." Mo Lan hurriedly helped Zhou Qin to leave. After all, she was a woman and it was not appropriate for her to be helped by the servants. So Fang Xiaoran ordered the maids and old women who worked in the North Residence and originally belonged to the Manchun Garden to send Zhou Qin back.

The stench emanating from Zhou Qin spread everywhere. The servants they encountered along the way couldn't help but cover their noses and avoid them. Although Mo Lan was furious, she was helpless and could only let them be.

The news quickly spread throughout the mansion. When Zhou Qin woke up and learned of this, she felt utterly humiliated and was furious. She flew into a rage and almost tore down the entire Manchun Garden.

Madam Wang was alarmed and hurriedly sent someone to summon Fang Huaihong back to comfort him. However, when Fang Huaihong returned, Zhou Qin's anger intensified, and she even smashed the pair of jade and coral bracelets that were part of her dowry. Upon hearing this, Madam Wang felt heartbroken.

“Those are jade and coral bracelets! A pair could buy the entire Fang family estate. She just smashed them like that. What kind of temper is that? Sure enough, the Zhou family is so wealthy and powerful that they don’t lack such things. But it breaks my heart to hear this…” Madam Wang clutched her chest, unable to recover for a long time.

Xia Lian said, "It seems that the young mistress has really angered the sixth young lady this time. She wasn't this angry when she quarreled with the concubine last time."

“She’s very concerned about her reputation, so of course she’s furious. And this sixth girl, she’ll get married sooner or later, why does she have to occupy the North Residence? Wouldn’t it be a happy thing if she gave it up?” Madam Wang shook her head. Although she was happy to see Zhou Qin and Fang Xiaoran not getting along, she couldn’t afford to keep up with this behavior every time she came back after being upset.

Originally, Madam Wang was counting on Zhou Qin's dowry; it would be such a waste if it were all broken.

Just as Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief, a maid suddenly rushed in and reported, "Madam, something terrible has happened! The young mistress has gone to the palace to see the Empress Dowager in a fit of anger!"

"What!?" Madam Wang sat up in shock.

It should be noted that although Zhou Qin's grandmother and the Empress Dowager were only distant relatives, the two had always been on good terms and the grandmother doted on Zhou Qin. When Zhou Qin was born, the grandmother even personally ordered someone to make a longevity lock and send it to the Zhou family in Lin'an, which shows how much the Empress Dowager cared for her.

Now that Zhou Qin has married into the Fang family, the Empress Dowager has made all the arrangements well in advance. If it weren't for the difficulty of entering the palace and the fact that she has only been married for a few days, she would have summoned Zhou Qin to the palace to show her concern and care.

Who would have thought that Zhou Qin would enter the palace on her own before the Empress Dowager had even summoned her? One can imagine what her purpose was. If this matter is not handled properly, she will inevitably be held accountable by the Empress Dowager.

Madam Wang's heart tightened, and she said in a deep voice, "Quickly, go and fetch the master back!"