Mrs. Harris thought carefully, recalling the news from Jinxiu Pavilion—that is, after Lauren Brooks recovered from her injuries, she became a bookworm, and nothing else about her stood out—so she felt relieved. Only then did she put on a stern face and look at Yvonne Brooks: “Although you weren’t born from my womb, I’ve always treated you much the same as Ivy. You need to show some ambition yourself! Little Lauren may be the legitimate daughter of the main branch, but without her parents, who would be willing to marry her? You, on the other hand, are the daughter of the Marquis of Yangning. If you carry yourself with more grace, do you really think Madam won’t like you? Go and rest now, and think carefully about what I’ve said.”

Yvonne Brooks lowered her head at these words, not daring to say anything. After making her salute, she quietly withdrew. Once she had left, Mrs. Harris changed her expression to one of warmth and kindness, giving Ian Brooks all sorts of reminders and instructions, and discussed what clothes and jewelry to wear for the occasion before finally letting her go to rest. Not long after, Mrs. Bennett personally came in to light the lamps and add fire to the brazier, and Mrs. Harris kept her back.

“You tell me, last time when Princess Adams came and took away Lillian Jones, do you think Madam noticed something?”

Mrs. Bennett was taken aback, furrowing her brow in thought before shaking her head and replying with a smile, “Madam, you’re overthinking it. It was just a matter of coincidence. If Madam knew you were after those shops belonging to Lillian Jones’s father, she could have simply found an excuse to refuse Second Miss. Why go to all that trouble? Still, that girl Lillian Jones really is lucky. I made a point to ask around, and I heard that after Princess brought her back, she had her face unveiled and that very night served King Adams.”

“She’s lucky, but things on my end just aren’t going smoothly!” Mrs. Harris snorted coldly, pounding the kang table beside her in frustration. “It’s been seven or eight years since Master succeeded as Marquis of Yangning, yet he still can’t make any decisions about the family’s businesses. I manage the household, but when it comes to major matters like estates and shops, I can’t get involved at all—everything is in Madam’s hands! If Lillian Jones served Master, do you think her father wouldn’t be eager to curry favor by handing things over?”

“Madam, there’s no need to worry. Madam is getting old; it’s just a matter of a year or two. When the time comes to divide the family, won’t it all be up to you?”

With Mrs. Bennett’s deliberate reassurance, Mrs. Harris nodded, the sternness on her face gradually fading. That’s right—there’s still plenty of time ahead. She could outlast that old woman!

Chapter 010: New Year’s Eve (Part 1)

For several days now, the Marquis of Yangning’s residence had been adorned with new couplets, the ancestral hall and its offerings tidied up, ancestral tablets invited in, and the main rooms of each courtyard thoroughly cleaned and rearranged. Except for the idle young masters and ladies, everyone was so busy their feet barely touched the ground; even the outer courtyard servants were running everywhere. The Marquis of Yangning, Julia Brooks, personally brought the annual reward of two hundred taels of silver, which was offered early in the ancestral hall, and the rest of the clan members came to the residence to receive their New Year’s gifts and inquire about the date for opening the ancestral hall. After all, regardless of wealth or status, every clan member had to put on their best clothes to honor their ancestors on this day.

When the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month arrived, the main and collateral branches of the family lined up in front of the Marquis’s residence, and from the main gate through the ceremonial gate, the front hall, and all the way to the main and back halls, every door was wide open. At the appointed hour, the elder family members led the clan to the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall was located in a small courtyard on the east side of the residence, with a plaque reading “Chen Family Ancestral Hall.” The couplets were imperial calligraphy bestowed by the founding emperor when the title was granted, boldly inscribed: “Serve the country with utmost loyalty, illustrious spirits shine upon the altar; pass down filial piety through the family, enduring virtue flourishes through the generations.” Therefore, before entering, everyone naturally had to pay their respects in front of the ancestral hall.

In this family of over a hundred years, there was no shortage of one ritual after another. Lauren Brooks followed the others in this unheated room, bowing and rising, rising and bowing, and only after much effort did the ceremony finally come to an end. After leaving the ancestral hall, the direct descendants gathered in the main room of Qingxi Residence to pay their respects to Ms. Turner.

After the ceremony, everyone took their seats according to rank. Ms. Turner sat at the head of the kang, and seeing that the pillows, kang chairs, chair covers, chair drapes, footrests, kang tables, and so on were all exactly as they had been in the past, she smiled with satisfaction. “I didn’t expect that after all these years, this place has remained unchanged. You are all so thoughtful.”

After all, it was New Year’s Eve, and the Marquis of Yangning, Julia Brooks, unlike usual when he would disappear after a brief appearance, now responded to his mother’s words by bowing and saying, “After all, this was Madam’s longtime residence, so of course we wouldn’t dare change anything. Earlier, Madam even told me that Liao Xiang Courtyard is cramped and inconvenient, and that Qingxi Residence is much more spacious. She asked if Madam would consider moving back.”

Mrs. Harris also chimed in, but Ms. Turner only shook her head and said, “I’m an old woman, half in the grave already—what’s the point of taking up space here? I know you two are filial, but since you’ve already inherited the title for several years, there’s no need to keep this place empty for me. In my opinion, after the New Year, you should move in.”