It was only after being reminded by his mother these past couple of days that Yu Qinchun slowly began to understand. He had rarely concerned himself with the affairs of the inner household before.

Previously, he had viewed Sister Rou through the idealized lens of a father, seldom pondering the deeper implications behind her actions. He had underestimated this eight-year-old child, whom he and his wife had raised with such doting care.

He had always instinctively assumed his wife was lacking, but with his parents and elder brothers supporting him, his household had remained relatively stable.

Who could have guessed that today he would discover the girl they brought home was treated worse than the head maids serving their masters? Wasn’t this a slap to his face?

Yu Qinchun wasn’t suddenly overflowing with paternal love—he was simply furious at the servants for overstepping their bounds.

"But Nanny Liu has cared for Sister Rou since she was little, and the child still relies on her. As for the servants in the main kitchen… they only neglected the girl because they prioritized Sister Rou’s needs. I’ve already punished them. Perhaps this time—"

Seeing Third Son’s expression darken further, Madame Sun finally realized she had misspoken and didn’t dare repeat all the pleas Sister Rou had made to her.

"Are we so poor that we can’t afford food? Or does Sister Rou’s allowance not suffice? If she can’t do without Nanny Liu, then perhaps she should go live with Nanny Liu’s family!"

Yu Qinchun grew angrier as he spoke. "After all, her original status and family background are even lower than Nanny Liu’s…"

"Third Son!" Madame Sun interrupted sharply, her face flushed with anger. "How can you speak of Sister Rou like that? She’s the child we’ve cherished and raised with our own hands!"

Yu Qinchun was deeply displeased at being cut off, feeling both insulted and provoked.

He retorted, "Is what I said wrong? She was supposed to be a farmer’s daughter—since when has she become so precious? Ginseng and bird’s nest aren’t enough for her, and now she’s snatching her younger sister’s food? Isn’t that just petty greed?"

Sun Shuya tried to defend her darling, arguing, "It was all the doing of her maids and nannies—Sister Rou knew nothing about it."

Yu Qinchun had no interest in debating whether Sister Rou was truly ignorant of the matter. He didn’t care either way.

He steered the conversation back. "So, Madame, you must properly discipline the inner household. Since when do servants dictate their masters’ affairs? If word gets out that a young lady of our house was bullied by servants, where would our dignity be?"

His father had even pointed out that if this reached the Emperor’s ears, not only would it reflect poorly on his ability to manage his household—casting doubt on his competence and potentially hindering future promotions—but it could also draw unfavorable parallels between the relationship of officials and the imperial family.

If he turned a blind eye to servants overstepping their authority, might it be interpreted as his attitude toward the one above him?

Moreover, due to the late Emperor’s influence, the most powerful figures in the court—the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress—placed great emphasis on the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. When it came to lineage, Sister Rou ranked even below Sister Zi and Sister Lin, born to his concubines.

After hearing his father’s words, Yu Qinchun broke out in a cold sweat.

The Yu Family had only risen to prominence a little over a century ago. If not for his great-grandfather aligning himself with the right leader during the founding of the new dynasty, their small landowning family would never have secured a place among the capital’s nobility.

Now, his father had already stepped back from official duties to pave the way for his three sons’ futures.

If due to his carelessness he offended the Emperor—though the Emperor was a wise ruler and might not say anything—when the time came to employ their services, His Majesty might still hesitate.

For the Yu Family, the future of this generation, at least for these brothers, would practically come to a standstill. While not entirely hopeless, advancing further would be exceedingly difficult.

"Pay more attention to Seventh Girl. Make sure her food, clothing, and jewelry are well-prepared. As for the servants attending her, Old Madam will send a few over, so you needn’t worry about that."

It was rare for Yu Qinchun to concern himself with such trivial matters, but thinking of Seventh Girl’s upcoming enrollment in the family registry next month, he couldn’t help but remind his wife to avoid any embarrassment in front of their relatives.

"Next month, Seventh Girl will be added to the family registry, and the clan elders will all be present. Make sure everything is prepared properly—don’t neglect etiquette."

As for manners, the servants sent by Old Madam would naturally teach Seventh Girl. The girl was clever, and by all accounts, she was learning well.

And learn well she did! Yue Fuguang feared that if her etiquette fell short, she might be excluded from the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet—and if that happened, her chance to rise would be lost forever.

So these past few days, she had been rigorously studying etiquette under the guidance of the nanny sent by her grandmother. If not for the Body-Strengthening Pill the System had given her, her frail, prematurely born body—already weakened by five years of neglect—would have long since collapsed.

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but marvel at the original owner of this body—a premature child who had endured starvation and cold for five years, surviving purely by sheer willpower.

A pity the Zhou Family couple had no conscience. At the thought, Yue Fuguang’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

If the Yu Family wouldn’t avenge the girl’s suffering, Yue Fuguang would take it upon herself.

They wanted wealth and status, did they?

Heh. She would make sure the Zhou Family understood that their ambitions would crumble to dust. Prosperity? They would never grasp it.

……

"Old Master, are we certain Seventh Girl is truly our granddaughter?" Old Madam had sensed something amiss the moment Yue Fuguang was first brought into the Yu Family.

The child bore a faint resemblance to their family—or rather, she looked somewhat like Old Madam’s long-deceased elder sister.

That was why she had mentioned it to Old Master Yu, feeling the girl had some connection to their family.

Who would have thought Old Master Yu, moved by her resemblance to his late sister, would order a thorough investigation?

Even now, Old Madam could hardly believe that Third Son and his wife had dared to deceive them.

They had raised their own daughter as an adopted child while letting an imposter enjoy the privileges of a legitimate young mistress.

"I’ve had it investigated. You were right—Seventh Girl is indeed the child Third Son’s Wife bore in Qingning Prefecture. As for Sixth Girl Ning Rou, she’s the daughter of a peasant family."

Old Master Yu couldn’t hide his anger as he spoke. Not only had the Yu Family’s true daughter been maliciously swapped by peasants, but she had also suffered five years of abuse.

Had the girl not been clever enough to seek refuge in a Taoist temple as a young disciple, she might not have survived long enough for them to find her and bring her home.

"What a sin! And Third Son and his wife still tried to hide it from us. That boy is becoming more and more disgraceful."

Just thinking about her third son and his wife gave Old Madam a headache.

"To abandon their own flesh and blood for some peasant girl! With a wife like that, if they keep raising the children this way, none of Third Son’s offspring will amount to anything."

The thought of Third Son’s two grandsons made Old Madam sigh again. That foolish Madame Sun couldn’t even raise her own children properly, yet she refused to entrust them to anyone else.

"Keep a closer eye on Seventh Girl. Third Son's Wife is entirely preoccupied with her two grandsons and... Sixth Girl Ning Rou, showing little maternal care toward Seventh Girl. Since they took her back, she’s been practically neglected."

It was only in the past few days, after investigating, that Old Master Yu learned of the disgraceful deeds his son had committed.

For the sake of his three legitimate sons' futures, he had long withdrawn from family affairs. He kept his most capable eldest son in the capital and sent his clever second son to serve in the provinces.