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

"It's me, what's the matter?"

Fang Xiaoran looked at the green-clad maid who had suddenly approached with a puzzled expression. Judging from her attire, she should be from the Lin family.

"My master invites you, young lady. Please follow me." The maid bowed slightly, displaying impeccable manners.

"Who is your young master? Could it be Young Master Xue?" Fang Menghe teased before Fang Xiaoran could answer.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Yunyao also sneered, "It seems that this Young Master Xue cares quite a bit about you, sister. I was wondering why Young Master Xue hadn't shown up for so long, and it turns out he was waiting here. However, sister, you should be more reserved and not do anything that would damage the family's reputation."

"Fourth Sister is truly amusing. With just a few words, you make such wild guesses. I would like to ask, if the other party is not Young Master Xue, would your words damage Young Master Xue's reputation? Please be careful with your words, Sister, lest your words cause a rift between our two families." Fang Xiaoran's tone was calm, but her words were exceptionally sharp, leaving Fang Yunyao speechless for a moment.

Having been rebuffed by Fang Xiaoran several times, Fang Yunyao knew that if she continued to pester her, she would lose face in front of the Fang family. So she snorted coldly and turned away, ignoring her.

Fang Xiaoran originally wanted to ask who had invited her, but seeing how "concerned" her older sisters were about her affairs, she simply said, "Lead the way."

Upon hearing this, the maid immediately curtsied and led the way.

Seeing them leave like that, Fang Menghe was very puzzled, "Could it really not be Young Master Xue?"

"Does it matter who it is?" Zhou Qin glanced at her coldly, casually picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and then put it down with a look of disgust. "They even serve such inferior tea to guests. The Lin family has truly fallen on hard times."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yunyao quickly whispered a reminder, "Sister-in-law, be careful what you say. The Lin family's ancestors were once quite glorious. They say even a dead camel is bigger than a horse. At the very least, they had the honor of being founding fathers of the nation."

"You know they are founding fathers, but in all these years, has the Lin family produced anyone who brings glory to the family? They are nothing but empty shells now. In a few more years, when the old lady passes away, the Lin family's only support will also be gone. It is uncertain whether the Lin family will still exist at that time."

Only Zhou Qin dared to say such things, after all, the Zhou family was powerful and the Lin family was insignificant to them. However, it was inappropriate to speak so recklessly in someone else's home, but after being rebuked, Fang Yunyao dared not say more, since everyone knew Zhou Qin's temper, and in the Fang family, probably only Fang Xiaoran could handle her.

Those around turned around curiously after hearing this, wanting to see who dared to speak so arrogantly.

After all, apart from a few close friends of Old Madam Lin and those who had received favors from the Lin family's founding ancestor, most of those who came to the Lin residence for the birthday banquet were of similar strength to the Lin family, and some even had families less powerful than the Lin family. Therefore, everyone felt that Zhou Qin's words were directed at both the Lin family and themselves.

Zhou Qin was not well-known in Yancheng, but the young men and women of the same social class had close ties with the Fang family's daughters and recognized her at a glance.

Therefore, with a little guessing, they could determine Zhou Qin's identity. Even if they were angry, they dared not say anything. The apple of the Zhou family's eye, how could they dare to provoke her? Besides, Zhou Qin was already well-known, and her reputation had long been spread around in their circle. It was hard not to know about her.

Seeing that these gazes began to dodge, Fang Yunyao knew that this sister-in-law was a tough one, so she found an excuse to leave Linyi Pavilion.

The maidservant beside Fang Yunyao asked in confusion, "Miss, we were staying in Linyi Pavilion just fine, why do we want to leave?"

"Are we going to stay here and attract hatred if we don't leave? My sister-in-law has the Zhou family behind her, so she's not afraid of anything. But we're different. Although Mother is in charge of the family now, Father and Grandmother still care about Aunt Wang the most. If it weren't for Fang Xiaoran's scheme, the power to manage the family would never have fallen into Mother's hands. Father doesn't treat me as well as Fang Menghe does. In the future, we'll have to rely on ourselves. How can we make enemies so easily?"

Fang Yunyao spoke helplessly, saying that her situation in the mansion was even worse than Fang Xiaoran's. It seemed that her father and grandmother had reached the point of utter disgust for Fang Xiaoran, but they were powerless to do anything about it, which inexplicably created a delicate balance.

Moreover, she still has the status of a legitimate daughter. Regardless of how the Fang family views her, others will not easily focus their attention on a concubine's daughter. If she wants to change her situation, she must find a way to marry into a high-ranking family.

"What does the young lady plan to do? Recently, the madam has already started looking for a good husband for the sixth young lady. Why don't she take a look at you too? They are both daughters of the Fang family, how can she be so biased?" The maid muttered softly, feeling very sorry for her young lady.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiayunyao sneered, "A good son-in-law? Would my aunt be so kind? I dare not entrust my future to a selfish person."

The maid nodded upon hearing this and said, "Madam is indeed up to no good. However, in my opinion, the sixth young lady and that young master Xue are acting so mysteriously, they may have already hit it off."

“You believe my jokes? I don’t believe Fang Xiaoran would be interested in that Young Master Xue. But this one today is very suspicious. I want to see if Fang Xiaoran has any dirt on me.” After saying that, she glanced at the maid and said, “You wait here. If Grandmother comes back, tell her I went to the front yard and will be back in a little while.”

After saying that, Fang Yunyao chased after Fang Xiaoran in the direction she had left.

The maid leading the way walked quickly, glancing around every now and then, as if worried about something. Fang Xiaoran noticed these small details and, after entering the corridor, grabbed her arm and asked, "Who exactly is your young master?"

"Don't make things difficult for Mei'er, it's me." At this moment, an unfamiliar male voice came. Fang Xiaoran turned around abruptly and, through the curtains in the corridor and the red lanterns swaying in the wind, she could vaguely see a purple shadow appear.

As the man slowly approached her, Fang Xiaoran finally saw his appearance clearly. He was a sickly man with a face as pale as paper, almost devoid of any color. After only a few steps, he was already breathing heavily and his steps were unsteady, showing how poor his physical condition was.

"Young master, why did you come out? Didn't we agree that I would take Miss Fang to your place?" Upon seeing this, the maid rushed over to help him up. Although she was a maid, her behavior was far too intimate, and she didn't seem like an ordinary master and servant at all.

The man shook his head slightly, coughed a few times, slowly pushed the maid aside, and leaned on a pillar in the corridor with one hand. He said calmly, "It would be too abrupt to ask Miss Fang to come to my place directly. I was feeling better just now, so I came to see you. Mei'er, you can go down first. I want to talk to Miss Fang alone."