Lauren Brooks remained silent, glancing over the young maids in the courtyard. Some looked bewildered and ignorant, some were noncommittal, and some simply kept their heads lowered. Only one tall girl frowned slightly, as if she didn’t quite agree. A few days ago, when she was able to get out of bed and walk around the room, she vaguely remembered seeing this girl in the outer room—she seemed to be the maid who tended the flowers and arranged vases in the courtyard, though she didn’t know her name. After a quick glance, she withdrew her gaze and shook her head again.

“It’s already been a month—how could I still be so frail? The old madam even had Mrs. Carter come to visit. Now that I’m better, I should go pay my respects. Pick two people to go with me to Liao Xiang Courtyard, and have someone go ahead to announce us.”

Although she knew that Lauren Brooks used to avoid going out whenever possible, now there was no room for argument in her words. Fiona Quinn could only agree, first sending someone to deliver the message, then leaving another senior maid, Evelyn Young, to watch over the house with two third-class maids, Hazel Ford and Samuel Smith. She also instructed the younger maids to work in the courtyard and not to wander about. Only then did she take two people to attend Lauren Brooks as she left the room.

This was the first time since her rebirth that Lauren Brooks had stepped outside, and also her first time seeing the grandeur of this large mansion. The courtyards along the way were deep and layered, with one after another on both sides. The servants she saw were of all ages—some immediately stepped aside and saluted without a word, while others approached with eager smiles and inquiries. Even though Lauren Brooks had braced herself to face it all, she still felt a bit dizzy as she crossed the threshold of Liao Xiang Courtyard. She steadied herself by holding onto Fiona Quinn, regaining her composure and her footing.

The main house of Liao Xiang Courtyard had five rooms, with a thick sky-blue cotton curtain embroidered with the double symbols of fortune and longevity hanging in the center. After being ushered inside by a group of maids, they passed a glazed folding screen at the front, went through a beaded curtain, and entered the warm inner chamber. Lauren Brooks found that it was far from as quiet as she had imagined.

Seated on the central heated couch was an elderly lady dressed in a sapphire blue silk jacket embroidered with the Five Blessings and Longevity pattern. On her head was a silver mink hat adorned in the center with a jadeite gem. She was smiling and chatting with two young girls beside her, but turned her gaze to Lauren Brooks as she entered. This was the Dowager Marchioness of Yangning, Ms. Turner. Seeing Lauren Brooks bow gracefully, she smiled warmly.

Lauren Brooks had just bent her knees when someone pulled her up. The one who did so was a slender girl with an oval face, wearing a honey-colored, wide-sleeved, round-collared silk jacket. Her hair was adorned with a kingfisher-inlaid lotus hairpin, and the gold and jade lilac earrings on her ears were especially striking. With a slight smile, she dragged Lauren Brooks over to Ms. Turner and said with a laugh, “Grandmother, you were worried that Third Sister might have grown thin, but look—she looks much better than before! Truly a blessing in disguise!”

Another girl nearby nodded in agreement. “Second Sister is right. After all, it was the old madam who personally summoned the imperial physician to treat Third Sister’s injuries. After a month, even her old frail constitution has improved a lot.”

The two of them echoed each other, and the rest of the room quickly chimed in as well. Ms. Turner smiled, took Lauren Brooks’s hand, and had her sit beside her, then shooed the two girls away with mock annoyance. “Don’t bicker with your Second and Fourth Sisters. If it were them lying in bed for a month, who knows how much they’d complain? You’re the sensible one. Now, everyone in the capital knows you’re the devoted sister who protects her brother. They all say I’m blessed to have such a kind and filial granddaughter.”

The room was filled with chattering girls, silk and satin, gold and jade jewelry. At first, Lauren Brooks was almost dazzled, but when someone mentioned her “blessing in disguise” and another added to it, she immediately became alert. Hearing Ms. Turner praise her for being sensible, she lowered her head and said, “That’s just idle gossip. At the time, I didn’t think much of it—my only thought was to save him. But it caused so much trouble at home, with doctors coming and people visiting, and even made Grandmother worry…”

To others, her face seemed to flush red, and her words sounded a bit incoherent, which made everyone laugh, even Ms. Turner, who patted her hand in mock reproach.

“Caring for your brother is good, but be more careful in the future. Come, sit down.”

After this round of greetings and comfort, the seating was arranged. Lauren Brooks sat in the first seat on the right, with Second Sister Ivy Brooks in the first seat on the left, and Fourth Sister Yvonne Brooks in the second seat on the left. One was legitimate, the other a concubine’s daughter, so Yvonne Brooks always followed Ivy Brooks in everything, like an echo. The second seat on the right was occupied by the eldest daughter of the third branch, Sophie Brooks, who was also a concubine’s daughter, but her mother was a favored concubine and distantly related to the Duke Wei’s household. Thus, she had been raised in the capital since childhood and was even more proud than Ivy Brooks and Yvonne Brooks, always wearing a faint smile and, most of the time, quietly holding her tea as if the Ru kiln teacup was more interesting than anyone else in the room.

Sophie Brooks was silent, while Ivy Brooks and Yvonne Brooks bantered back and forth. Lauren Brooks kept a low profile, but occasionally joined in with a word or two, often making Ms. Turner smile. After a while, Ms. Turner suddenly remembered something and quickly instructed a maid. Soon, a box was brought out, said to be a set of ten new-style palace hairpins made by the Imperial Workshop, a gift from the Princess of Jin from the palace, to be divided among the sisters.

Ivy Brooks was delighted and got up to thank her profusely. Ms. Turner just smiled and nodded, then looked at Lauren Brooks and said, “Lan’er, you’ve just recovered. Your eldest cousin heard about it and was very concerned. So, each of you sisters gets two hairpins, and the remaining four you can take back with you. Even if you don’t wear them, they’ll be good to keep in your chest.”