While Sir Yan despaired over his life of toil and endured a hefty dose of suffering in the palace, the thing he was concerned about — the Estate of the Marquis of Jing Ning — was in great chaos.

A few days before, when Fu Shen and his crew had just settled down, his little sister Fu Ling, the Prince of Qi’s wife, had dispatched people from her household to pay respects, bring gifts, and pass along the message that she was going to come and visit in person some other day. Fu Shen really didn’t have the strength to deal with her then, and also had misgivings about his Estate not being her proper maternal home. Fearing that the Prince of Qi would get suspicious, he turned her down on the spot. “There’s no need. Have her take care of herself, first.”