Not only had Ning Yan sent a gift—it was extravagantly rare: an entire block of ambergris, seldom seen and worth a fortune.

When Bai Yaoyao caught sight of it, she let out an exaggerated "Woooow," eyes wide. "Who sent this? What a lavish gesture! Throwing gold like it's nothing?"

"Lord Ning. A Jinyiwei officer who has some ties with our family. I didn’t expect him to send something so valuable either..."

Bai Yaoyao’s eyes spun with mischief. She bumped her shoulder against Bai Qingqing’s and grinned mysteriously. "Big Sis, this Lord Ning... don’t tell me he’s got feelings for you..."

"Stop that. Impossible."

Bai Qingqing cut her off without hesitation. "Lord Ning isn’t one for social niceties. He probably doesn’t know what kind of gift is appropriate. I’ll return it when I have a moment."

"Why is it impossible? Everyone loves my Big Sis—why couldn’t he? Or is it because he’s hideously ugly and you don’t like him?"

"Lord Ning is quite the gentleman. Don’t go making wild guesses."

Bai Yaoyao stroked her chin dramatically, pretending to ponder. Then why not? When her sister spoke of Lord Ning, her tone was different from how she spoke of others—not shy exactly, but not the same either.

Ahhh, now she was dying of curiosity. Just who was this Lord Ning?

She had to meet him one day!

Aside from Ning Yan’s gift, Bai Qingqing also noticed one from Fu Yi. She didn’t even bother opening the box—just told someone to return it at once.

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After a few days of rest, Fu Yi had mostly recovered. Upon hearing that Bai Qingqing had opened a shop, he personally selected a congratulatory gift—only to have it returned to him, untouched.

He had expected as much. Fu Yi gave a bitter smile. In Bai Qingqing’s eyes now, he was likely nothing more than a villain who would stoop to anything.

His mother’s attitude toward him had shifted in recent days. She had even apologized for the incident with the incense, asking only that it be left in the past. If word got out, it would be the entire Prince of Ping’s household that suffered the disgrace.

Fu Yi thought back to Bai Qingqing’s furious face that day. He had actually wanted to visit her with his mother to offer their apology in person—but she refused, accusing him of trying to drive her to death. She had taken to bed since then, too ill to rise, with only Lu Qingyun attending to her.

Fu Yi had no choice but to think of some other way to make amends.

But Bai Qingqing clearly didn’t want any. Along with the returned gift, she’d sent a message: all she wanted was the explanation he’d promised. The only question was—did Young Master Fu’s word mean anything at all?

A woman’s reputation had been schemed against. How could she pretend nothing had happened? If he had even a shred of honor, he would never show his face before her again.

Fu Yi was torn. On one side was his bedridden mother, on the other a wronged Bai Qingqing. He had no idea what to do. In his distraction, he botched two of the errands his father had assigned him.

The Prince of Ping was furious. He summoned Fu Yi to the study and gave him a fierce scolding. “I thought you were capable, but look at you now. The manor grows more restless by the day, and who knows what vile rat is stirring up trouble from the shadows—and yet here you are, utterly distracted!”

No one could blame the Prince of Ping for his fury. The situation was too strange, as though someone had set their sights on sabotaging the Fu family, yet he couldn’t uncover a single clue.

It was infuriating—and terrifying. In Xuancheng, who had the power to quietly bring down the House of Fu?

Fu Yi stood with his head bowed, silent.

Seeing this, the prince swallowed down his anger. “I’ve been strict with you because I believe in your potential. Don’t let down the years I’ve spent grooming you. Don’t turn out like your elder brother…”