Chapter 146: The Ning Family Holds Account

The head of the Yu family sent someone to urge them yet again. Only then did the Fourth Madam wipe away her tears and lead Yu Youwei to the front reception hall.

Ever since the Sovereign of the Sword-Wielding Sect had taken up residence in the Yu estate, the head of the family had closed the gates to all visitors. Today, the Emperor had hosted a banquet, and the family head had accompanied the Sovereign and his daughter to the palace. Upon returning home, he kept the gates shut once more to avoid disturbing the Sovereign’s peace.

The Ning family felt no need to ingratiate themselves with the Sovereign. After sending formal calling cards and gifts on the very first day, they had not dispatched anyone else. Unlike the other noble clans, who sent people to stake out the Yu family’s gates day in and day out, the Nings maintained their aloof dignity.

The visitors today were Ning Bowen and his wife. While they used the pretext of paying respects to the Fourth Madam, their true purpose was to take Yu Youwei back to the Ning estate. They presented the Fourth Madam with a pair of pale blue-green glazed handled vases. The delicate orchids painted upon them possessed a pure and warm luster, perfectly tailored to her tastes—a thoughtful gesture indeed.

Declining the warm invitation from the family head and the Fourth Madam to stay for dinner, Ning Bowen rose to take his leave after sitting for only a short while. Yu Youwei had no choice but to follow them away.

Ning Bowen was tall and lean, clad in a dark blue straight robe with subtle auspicious patterns, which made his figure appear even more upright and slender. Madam Liu had always stood out among women like a crane among chickens; peach blossoms outlined in gold thread crept from the hem of her skirt up to the collar, yet she wore it without the slightest trace of bulkiness. Standing beside this couple, Yu Youwei looked exceptionally petite, almost resembling their daughter.

Watching them leave, the Fourth Madam felt a twinge of melancholy. Truly treating Yu Youwei as her own daughter, she offered a barrage of parting advice, bestowed two of her personal maids to wait upon her, and escorted both her and Madam Liu to the Ning family carriage.

Once seated inside the carriage as it rolled away, Yu Youwei felt a similar sense of sorrow.

Madam Liu, usually sparing with her words, suddenly turned gossipy. "The relationship between you and the Fourth Madam of the Yu family is quite different from what the rumors say."

"Affection for the person extends to even the crows on their roof, I suppose," Yu Youwei replied with a faint smile, leaving ambiguous just which one of them was supposed to be the crow.

Realizing Yu Youwei was in no mood for idle chatter, Madam Liu steered the conversation to the main point. "Regarding the battle in the Phantom Illusion Realm, the people of the Second Branch hold some misunderstandings about you. The clan has dispatched your eldest brother to handle this matter, and the Old Madam has hurried here as well. Your eldest brother asked me to remind you that family harmony is paramount. Once we return, if the elders of the Second Branch say anything, do not talk back. Just admit your fault, and nothing untoward will happen."

So, this special trip to fetch her back was essentially a summons to stand trial? A faint, mocking smile flickered across Yu Youwei's face.

Had Yu Youwei panicked and pleaded for mercy, Madam Liu might have comforted her with the benevolence of a virtuous eldest sister-in-law. Seeing this expression instead, Madam Liu's gaze darkened, and her tone hardened. "Your attitude must be sincere, otherwise neither I nor your eldest brother will be able to put in a good word for you."

"Many thanks, Sister-in-law," Yu Youwei replied perfunctorily before closing her eyes to feign sleep, unwilling to continue discussing the topic with Madam Liu. *Damn it all! They haven't even bothered to ask what happened in the Phantom Illusion Realm, yet they've already found me guilty and demand I confess my wrongdoings. By what right?!*

The Seventh Branch held a unique status within the Ning family, and Madam Liu, as the eldest daughter-in-law of that branch, held a position even more transcendent than the eldest wife of the main branch. Among the sisters-in-law, few dared to cross her. Yet here she was, offering well-intentioned advice, only for Yu Youwei to show zero appreciation. Annoyed, Madam Liu resolved in her heart that she would no longer lift a finger to speak on behalf of this ungrateful sister-in-law.

The carriage arrived at the Ning residence, entering through the side gate and coming to a halt only at the hanging flower gate.

"We have arrived, Sister-in-law. Step down," Madam Liu said coldly. She alighted first and boarded a padded sedan chair to proceed further inside.

Yu Youwei stepped out of the carriage. Looking past the hanging flower gate, she saw lush greenery with tiered pavilions and storied buildings nestled among them—a grandeur the Yu family could never hope to match. Even the maids and servant women standing guard outside the gate were dressed far more exquisitely than the servants at the Yu estate. No doubt, in the eyes of the Ning family, the Yu family were merely upstarts, country bumpkins who had risen only because Yu Tianming had married the daughter of the Sword-Wielding Sect Sovereign. Therefore, in any matter concerning the Phantom Illusion Realm, the one in the wrong was bound to be her, rather than a legitimate direct-line scion of the Ning family.

Perhaps the Fourth Madam had anticipated this exact scenario, which was why she had personally escorted her to the carriage and uttered those specific warnings in front of Madam Liu. The underlying intention was simply to show the Ning family that this concubine-born daughter was deeply cherished by her legal mother, serving as a veiled backing for her.

Bearing a cryptic smile, Yu Youwei stepped into the sedan chair that had been waiting by the hanging flower gate for quite some time. She was carried all the way to the exterior of the Jing'an Hall, the domain of the eldest branch's Old Madam, before the chair finally stopped.

The curtain was lifted, and the two maids provided by the Fourth Madam were already waiting outside to help her down. Surrounded by a throng of Ning family maids and servants, she walked inside.

The doors to the main parlor stood wide open. The floor was covered with a rich, crimson brocade peony rug, and facing the entrance stood a six-panel embroidered folding screen. Waves of laughter drifted from behind the screen, accompanied by the indistinct shadows of women moving about.

The moment Yu Youwei reached the doorway, word was already sent inside, and two brightly dressed young maidsets hurried out to greet her. Judging by their refined demeanor, she initially mistook them for young misses of the Ning family, only to realize they were merely Ouxiang and Lanxiang, the senior maids attending the Ning Old Madam.

Ouxiang obligingly directed the maid whom Yu Youwei had brought from the Yu family to go to the side room for tea, while Lanxiang led Yu Youwei forward.

Inside the room sat roughly twenty people. Two plump elderly matrons were seated side by side on the high seats, while four other married women occupied the rows of sandalwood armchairs carved with auspicious cloud patterns along the sides. Even Madam Liu, who had arrived earlier, was standing behind one of the chairs, staring intently at the autumn-fragrant embroidered cushion resting upon it.

The Ning family certainly placed great emphasis on rigid rules and etiquette! Yu Youwei thought to herself. She had been a wife of the Ning family for some time now, yet she couldn't even recognize all her in-laws, let alone master the family's endless code of conduct. Judging by the grand scale of today's gathering, if her attitude in admitting fault fell short, there was a good chance she would be swept out the door. Was her dream of becoming a harmless parasite about to end before it had even truly begun?

The room, which had been buzzing with lively laughter, fell completely silent the moment Yu Youwei entered. Of the two old madams on the high seats, she recognized the kindly-faced one as the biological grandmother of Ning Mofei; the other, whose gaze flashed with hostility, was obviously the grandmother of Ning Jinwen.

Propriety could not be ignored. Since her eldest sister-in-law, Madam Liu, had no inclination to teach her the Ning family etiquette, she would simply proceed according to her own standards! Composed and unruffled, Yu Youwei stepped forward and offered a formal bow. "Your granddaughter-in-law pays her respects to the Old Madams."

Before the proper grandmother could speak, the Second Old Madam struck first, her voice sharp with reprimand. "Is this how the Yu family taught you your manners?"

Aside from the First Branch's Old Madam, everyone—including Madam Liu—wore an expression of watching a good show.

In such a situation, whatever Yu Youwei said would be deemed wrong, and talking back would only compound the offense. Unflustered, she replied evenly, "I must apologize for making you laugh at my expense. As your grand-daughter-in-law, I have always detested mundane and tedious formalities and never paid much attention to learning etiquette. If there has been any lapse in my manners, I beg your forgiveness."

*Fine, I admit I don't know your rules. But the truth is I despise them. Who asked me to be a cultivator rather than an ordinary mortal? If you're unconvinced, come bite me! Oh, and for my lapses in manners, I'm asking for your forgiveness—though if you refuse to grant it, it just means you lack magnanimity yourselves!*

Everyone present mentally translated and interpreted Yu Youwei's words in their own way. The First Old Madam showed no reaction, but the Second Old Madam slammed the armrest in fury and shouted, "Utterly insolent!"

Reluctant to beat around the bush, Yu Youwei cut straight to the point. "If you wish to vent your anger over the deaths of Ning Jinwen and his brother upon your grand-daughter-in-law, you might as well state it plainly. They were not the only Ning family disciples who entered the Phantom Illusion Realm. If everyone insists that the fault lies entirely with Yu Youwei, I have nothing more to say. But if you expect me to shoulder the sole responsibility—apologies, but my conscience is entirely clear."