"The kindness of a sister is best seen when, ten years later, she coldly serves each of her two brothers a lethal dose of poison once they’ve outlived their usefulness.

This is what happens when your own flesh and blood doesn’t cherish you—instead, you throw your life away doting on an imposter. Truly, they kept their promise of ‘loving their sister with their lives’—ha! What a tragic joke for these two brothers!"

"Little Zhu, what kind of dark humor is this?!"

"Master, I recall the bowl of poisoned chicken soup they drank was personally handed to them by Madame Sun, wasn’t it?

And wasn’t the embroidered pouch made by Fangfei, the personal maid of that imposter? She even promised that one of the brothers would take Fangfei as a concubine in the future."

"No... this can’t be true, it’s impossible! My—" Before she could say more, Madame Sun was gagged and dragged away by Yu Qinchun.

Yu Ninghao and Yu Ningchen, the two young brothers, were still reeling from the shock of hearing their sister’s true thoughts when they learned their fate—they would be poisoned by their beloved younger sister, Yu Ningrou, whom they had doted on since childhood!

And the poisoned soup would be served to them by their own mother!

Their faces twisted in horror, their vision darkening. As they watched their father haul their mother away, their lips trembled, but no sound escaped. They wanted to wail in anguish, but all that came out were ragged, broken gasps.

The others in the room winced at the cruel fate awaiting the boys.

Apart from the children, the adults in the household—except for Madame Sun—were informed as soon as Yu Chongshan and his two sons returned from court.

The purpose was twofold: first, to ensure no one else in the family would be fooled by Yu Ningrou’s pitiful, manipulative act; and second, to make them understand Yue Fuguang’s current status and significance to the Yu family.

Truthfully, it wasn’t that she needed the Yu family—it was the Yu family that needed her.

Thus, the entire household was ordered to treat her with utmost respect, especially the fourth branch, who had been explicitly warned. The patriarch made it clear: if the fourth branch caused any more trouble, they would be expelled from the family. The terrified couple immediately dropped to their knees, begging for forgiveness.

Once Yu Qinchun had dragged Madame Sun out of the courtyard, Yue Fuguang paid no mind to the others’ reactions.

The two brothers from the third branch were merely her cousins now. There had never been any sibling affection between them, nor would there ever be. So, she ignored their devastated expressions as if they were nothing more than background noise.

Yue Fuguang turned to the matriarch as if nothing had happened. "Grandmother, is the small courtyard behind Mingyue Pavilion currently unoccupied?"

The matriarch thought for a moment and confirmed with Madam Yu (Eldest), "Eldest, I believe that courtyard has been empty for quite some time, hasn’t it?"

The household manager, Madam Yu (Eldest), replied promptly, "You’re right, Mother. It’s been vacant for years, but the buildings are still in decent condition—they were renovated just two years ago. Fuguang, do you intend to use it?"

Yue Fuguang nodded. "Yes. I’d like to request it to build a sunlit greenhouse."

"A greenhouse? I’ve never heard of such a thing, but if you need it, it’s yours."

Yu Chongshan and the others had only just returned and had yet to inform their wives about Yue Fuguang’s plans—growing vegetables in winter and even setting up a kiln.

Madam Yu (Eldest) reacted swiftly, offering a gentle smile as she said, "Fuguang, are you planning to build a greenhouse? I have a few potted flowers that bloom in winter—I’ll have them sent to your courtyard later. They’ll make for a lovely sight during the colder months."

Yue Fuguang smiled in return. "Thank you, Aunt. I’m actually thinking of building both a greenhouse and a vegetable garden. A friend sent me some rare seeds and glass panes, so I thought I’d grow some winter vegetables."

[Master, master, that friend is me, right? The things I sent you will arrive any moment now!]

True to the system’s word, the delivery took no time at all. The moment it finished speaking, a servant rushed in to report that two groups had arrived at the estate gates.

The first was a merchant dispatched by the system to deliver Yue Fuguang’s items.

The second was Lu Qi, the Minister of Works, accompanied by craftsmen from the ministry, coming to construct the greenhouse for her.

Yu Chongshan hadn’t expected that his granddaughter’s simple request for a greenhouse would warrant the emperor sending the Ministry of Works to assist—let alone having Lu Qi personally oversee it.

He had originally planned to discuss the matter with his wife after dealing with Madame Sun’s affairs, but the emperor had acted even faster.

Considering the items Yue Fuguang had mentioned, though, it made sense.

As Yu Chongshan led Yue Fuguang and the others outside, he whispered to his wife, "Send more ingredients to Fuguang’s kitchen—meat, vegetables, rice, flour, oil, and especially salt. Make sure there’s plenty."

Though the elder Madam Yu didn’t understand the reason, she was nothing if not accommodating. She resolved to handle it promptly and ask her husband for details later that evening.

She was certain this had something to do with her extraordinary granddaughter.

Yu Chongshan exchanged warm pleasantries with Lu Qi, while Yue Fuguang, after greeting the minister, excused herself to inspect the glass panes in the carriages. She had little patience for the formalities of adult interactions, especially among officials.

Fortunately, her youth and status allowed her to maintain a cool, detached demeanor without drawing criticism.

"Little Zhu, is this the glass you sent me? And the seeds? How many panes are there?"

[Master, these panes are all one meter by one meter—around two hundred, maybe close to three hundred. There are also sixty-five smaller ones, fifty by fifty centimeters. Aren’t you planning to replace the windows in Moonlight Pavilion? These smaller ones should work perfectly.]

Yue Fuguang instructed the craftsmen and servants, "These are fragile—more delicate than porcelain. Handle them with care when moving them."

Lu Qi, though aware the crates contained the rare material called glass, couldn’t see much through the rough wooden boxes. Curious, he stepped closer and asked, "Grand Tutor, what treasures are inside?"

He watched as the craftsmen carried crate after crate—each not too large but surprisingly heavy.

"This is one of the main materials for the greenhouse: transparent glass. It functions similarly to window screens. Later, Minister Lu, could you have your foreman measure the panes? Half the walls will need to be fitted with them."

Lu Qi chuckled. "You’re too modest, Grand Tutor. Our craftsmen have worked in construction for years, but they’ve never seen anything like this. Today, thanks to you, we’ll all broaden our horizons."

The Ministry of Works moved swiftly. By the time Yue Fuguang had ordered the unpacking of the glass, they had already begun breaking through the wall connecting the two courtyards. In less than the time it took to drink two cups of tea, a small gate stood completed.

Hiss!

Hiss!

Hiss!

The moment the crate of glass was gently opened, Yue Fuguang heard several sharp intakes of breath around her.

The glass was like a translucent amber, tenderly capturing the world’s light and shadow within it. When rays passed through, they refracted into a dazzling spectrum of colors, each beam shimmering with an intoxicating glow.

Smooth as a mirror and flawlessly clear, it held not a single impurity—more pristine than the finest glazed pottery.

Indeed, the Great Yan Dynasty already had glazed ware, but it was exceedingly rare and prohibitively expensive. Even among nobles and royalty, only one or two pieces were kept as prized collectibles, to be admired by the powerful.

If word got out that the Yu estate possessed such an abundance of glass—far more transparent than the finest glazed pottery—many would surely lose their minds.

Yue Fuguang had ordered two crates opened: one containing panes a meter in size, the other fifty centimeters.