Yun Ruoyan had Hong Yu send back the dress for further modification.

“Second Miss,” Hong Yu replied, somewhat resentfully, “because the dress’s waistline had to be widened, a few creases here and there are inevitable.”

“I don’t care. My dress ought to be perfect, and making it perfect is your responsibility.”

“But, Second Miss…”

“How dare you talk back to Miss Yun! As a servant, you just have to keep your mouth shut and do what you’re told!” Hong Yu was about to continue arguing when Peony broke her off.

Hong Yu spun around to Peony in fury, who held her head high and her chest out as she looked down at her. Only then did she realize how much Yun Ruoyan’s quarters had changed. Before Yun Ruoyan had become the favored daughter of the family, Peony had to bow and scrape in front of her, Xi Lan didn’t dare to shout, and even Yun Ruoyan had obediently followed her orders.

What exactly had changed: was it Yun Ruoyan, or was it the rest of the Yun manor? As these thoughts sprang unbidden to Hong Yu’s mind, Xi Lan walked up to her and stuffed the dress back into her hands.

“What are you waiting for? Miss Yun wants to see the dress tonight!”

Hong Yu looked disbelievingly at Xi Lan. “Tonight?!”

“What’s the matter?” Yun Ruoyan sighed and glanced over again.

“Second Miss, I’m afraid that’s an impossible deadline to meet.” Having realized her powerlessness, Hong Yu could only try an emotional appeal. “In order to remove all the wrinkles, Miss, we’ll have to modify both the top and bottom halves of the dress as well. In that case, it certainly won’t be ready by tonight.”

Yun Ruoyan stood up and walked over to Hong Yu. In the past, she had been thin and frail, as if a slight gust of wind were enough to blow her away. She would lower her head no matter whom she were speaking to, and she didn’t have the bearing of a young miss at all.

But now, when Yun Ruoyan stood in front of Hong Yu, she was actually half a head taller than the servant, and her paper-thin figure had filled out considerably. When Hong Yu raised her head to meet Yun Ruoyan’s cold gaze, she couldn’t help but shiver and lower her head immediately.

“Hong Yu, do you always offer up so many excuses when working for Madam An?”

“I… I don’t dare, Miss, I’m just trying to clear things up…” Hong Yu regretted trying to mess with Yun Ruoyan, but she was still talking back to her out of habit.

“Clear things up?” Yun Ruoyan sneered. “When she had you adjust the waistline of the dress, why didn’t you clear things up then? Do you really think that the Yun matriarch and I are idiots?”

Since Madam An had pushed the blame to Hong Yu, it was clear that Hong Yu had taken part in the affair. Hong Yu was one of Madam An’s loyal lackeys and followed her every command. However, she would often take things to extremes, as could be seen by the ridiculously small waistline of Yun Ruoyan’s dress. This was a novice’s mistake, one that Madam An surely wouldn’t have made.

If Yun Ruoyan didn’t take the opportunity to suppress her, she didn’t think that Peony and Xi Lan would be her match when she left for Kongming Academy.

Yun Ruoyan’s gaze was stern.

“I… I wouldn’t dare, Miss.” Hong Yu’s legs turned to jelly as she knelt down.

“You’d better not.” Yun Ruoyan turned to Xi Lan. “Xi Lan, I’ll leave you to deal with this dress. When Hong Yu sends the dress over for inspection, look at it carefully with Peony. If there’s anything at all that’s unsatisfactory, send it back for further modification.”

“Yes, Miss!”

The next day, while Peony was helping dress Yun Ruoyan, Yun Ruoyan noticed that Peony appeared to be somewhat tired. “What’s the matter?”

Peony smiled. “Last night, when Hong Yu sent the dress over once more, Xi Lan had her change the neckline because it was too wide, and to have it sent back within four hours. Hong Yu looked as though she was about to ignite in anger, but she forced herself to remain calm.

When Hong Yu came by at midnight, Xi Lan refused to get up, so Peony had to be the one to deal with her.

“And was the dress satisfactory then?”

“The neckline was still too large, so I had her modify it again. It should be ready soon.”

Peony was clever and introspective. Unlike Xi Lan, who was making a fuss as revenge for all the times Hong Yu had been nasty to her, Peony knew what Yun Ruoyan was trying to achieve. Last night, when Peony looked into Hong Yu’s reddened, irritated eyes and told her that the neckline still had to be adjusted, she could see the veins throbbing on her forehead.

But just as Hong Yu was about to explode, Peony continued coolly, “Shall I have the miss try it out for herself, then?”

Hong Yu had deflated immediately, and Peony couldn’t help giggling to herself as she thought back to the sight.

“No, have it modified again!” Xi Lan’s loud voice bellowed from outside the yard.

“Why? What’s the problem now?” Hong Yu’s hoarse voice followed.

“Why? I told you to make the neckline larger, so why did you make it smaller instead? Don’t you understand my words?” Xi Lan appeared to be furious.

“But last night, Peony told me that the neckline was too large!”

“I don’t care. It looks too small to me,” Xi Lan objected. “Shall we have the miss try it out and see?”

Yun Ruoyan and Peony both suppressed a smile as they spied on the conversation.

“Miss, will the dress be wearable after all these modifications?”

The wedding between the crown prince and Yi Qianying was to be held tomorrow, and everyone in the Yun family would have to send Yi Qianying off at the Yi manor. Given all the modifications that she and Xi Lan had requested, Peony was worried that the dress wouldn’t be presentable.

“I had no intention of wearing it from the beginning, at any rate.” If she did, then she wouldn’t have had Xi Lan be responsible for inspecting it. “Tomorrow, pick out one of the formal dresses that I’ve worn in the past and have it prepared.”

Yun Ruoyan’s role in the wedding was minimal at best, and she only wanted to carry it out in a perfunctory manner. Dressing too flamboyantly would attract unwanted attention for herself.

“Peony, prepare me some food. I’m going to head to the ancestral hall.” After having received the Yun matriarch’s permission, she was going to visit her brother today.

When Yun Ruoyan brought the food that Peony had prepared to the ancestral hall, she found Yun Ruoyu by the entrance. She had just headed out of the hall, also with containers of food in her hands. When she saw Yun Ruoyan, she stood still, as if waiting for her.

Yun Ruoyan didn’t know what her sister was planning, and she walked up to her with a frown.

“Sister Ruoyan.” Before Yun Ruoyan could speak, Yun Ruoyu greeted her politely and smiled in a surprisingly genial fashion.

“Ruoyu.” Faced with such politeness, she could only behave in kind. “What’re you doing here so early?”

Yun Ruoyu dangled the food containers she was holding in front of her. “My mother knew that Eldest Brother was being punished, so she bade me bring some food over.”

So it was Madam Qin’s idea. Yun Ruoyan nodded. “Is Madam Qin doing well?”

“As always, she’s praying daily and enjoying her quiet and serene lifestyle. These past few weeks, I’ve been spending more time with her and emulating her behavior, and I feel like my mental state’s far better than before.”

Yun Ruoyan was indeed somewhat taken aback to see her younger sister behaving so demurely.

“Sister Ruoyan, I’d like to apologize for my hurtful actions when I was with Madam An and Sister Ruoyao. Looking back at my actions, I can see how terrible I’ve been to you in the past.” Her hands trembled imperceptibly. “My mother has been encouraging me to apologize to you properly, and she said you’d be generous enough to forgive me.”

Yun Ruoyu raised her head slightly, looking at her older sister with large, expressive eyes. “Sister Ruoyan, will you forgive me?”

Honestly, Yun Ruoyan was reluctant to do so. The person in front of her didn’t look one bit like her younger sister; how could someone as willful, pampered, and mean-spirited as Yun Ruoyu have changed so much in so short a period?

“Sister Ruoyan, I know getting your forgiveness won’t be so easy, but I’ll prove that I’m truly a changed person with my actions!”

Yun Ruoyan couldn’t help glance at her neck, where she could faintly see some scarring. It seemed as though Yun Ruoyu wouldn’t be able to wear any clothes without a high collar in the future.

“If you truly think that way, then I’m very glad for you, Ruoyu,” she replied calmly.

Yun Ruoyan wasn’t someone who would easily trust others, but so what if she didn’t?

To Yun Ruoyan, Yun Ruoyu had always been a mindless weapon that Madam An and Yun Ruoyao would direct at her. If Yun Ruoyu continued acting so mindlessly, Yun Ruoyan naturally wouldn’t spare her; if she had truly changed, Yun Ruoyan couldn’t be bothered to get back at her for what she had done in the past. Regardless, Yun Ruoyan had no intention of developing a better relationship with her younger sister.

“Please thank Madam Qin on my behalf. Do you know if she’ll be free for a visit from me and my brother soon?”

“Oh, there’s no need. My mother prefers peace and quiet, so please don’t worry about it, Sister.”

Yun Ruoyan was only offering out of politeness, so she didn’t insist upon hearing Yun Ruoyu’s tactful refusal.

As she looked at her sister’s silhouette, Yun Ruoyan couldn’t help but frown once more. Had she really changed for the better? No, it couldn’t be as simple as that!

“Ruoyan, why aren’t you coming in?” Yun Moxiao spoke from within the ancestral hall.

Yun Ruoyan stepped forward, and one of the guards by the ancestral hall opened the door for her. “Eldest Miss, the Yun matriarch has sent word to permit you entrance.”

“Who gave the third miss permission to enter?”

“The third miss didn’t enter the ancestral hall, Eldest Miss. I was the one who delivered the food to the young master, and the third miss simply left with the empty containers.”

Yun Ruoyan nodded as she stepped into the hall. As soon as she did so, she saw Yun Moxiao kneeling on a mat in the center of the room. When he saw her, he waved. “Ruoyan, come have a meal with me!”

He was just about to start eating when Yun Ruoyan suddenly thought of something. “Brother, stop!”