Outside the guest courtyard, Bai Yu Yan patted her cheeks with wet hands and took a long breath after coming out of the washroom. The group of women inside the main hall had made her the center of attention of all their conversation. Being the constant focus of their giggles, flattery, and snide remarks, Bai Yu Yan wanted nothing more than to escape the crowd and get a fresh breath of air.

Covering herself behind Xiao Fan's body, she stretched her stiff back and shoulders. She wanted to applaud those noble ladies who maintained a straight posture for the whole day. Just two hours was already unbearable for her.

Bai Yu Yan massaged the back of her neck with one hand as she rotated her other shoulder. The relaxing muscle made her sigh in satisfaction.

It is not so easy to be a woman in ancient time, ah!

Xiao Fan's worried eyes looked around to see if there was anyone watching her Miss. If anyone saw Bai Yu Yan stretching out in the open, rumors would spread about her lack of etiquette.

Her Miss has become more and more casual after coming to the Lu manor. Xiao Fan didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing. She reminded, "Miss, let's go inside. Old Madame must be waiting for us."

As the mistress and her maid stood outside, they didn't notice another person who had just halted his stride. 

Gu Sheng raised his brows at the delicate woman who was stretching her waist back and forth without any restrain.

He had just arrived home from the south border for Grandmother's birthday and was passing by his brother's courtyard. Gu Jin was not in his courtyard, so thinking that everyone had already gone to the main hall to entertain the guests, he hurriedly changed out of his riding clothes and came out in proper robe.

Unexpectedly he had run into a weird woman. Although as a General, he had seen female guards' unrestrained behavior, it was a first time seeing a delicate noble woman acting so casual when no one was around.

Not wanting to embarrass the the other person who was probably today's guest, Gu Sheng waited for Bai Yu Yan to walk away before he thinking of going to the main hall.

"Xiao Fan, what's the hurry? My back is killing me. Even sitting is not easy, how can you stand all day, huh?" asked Bai Yu Yan with wrinkled brows. Since were some distance away from the main hall and no one was around, there was no need to be so upright, she thought.

"Miss, I have been doing this for years. It used to be difficult at first but now I am already used to it," answered Xiao Fan. The handmaidens were especially trained by the Mamas since a very young age. So by the time they are twelve, they would have learned everything a servants needs to know.

The two were engrossed in their own conversation when suddenly they heard a voice from the back.  

"Bai Yu Yan, I see that you are still relaxed like a fool!"

Bai Yu Yan and Xiao Fan were startled noticing the sudden appearance of another person. Seeing that it was none other than her own sister, Bai Chun Hua, she slightly raised her brow.  

"What are you doing here?" asked Bai Yu Yan with surprise. 

As far as she remembered, the Bai family was not the guest for today's banquet. Hence, she hadn't expected to meet Bai Chun Hua in the Gu manor.

"Why, you think that only you can get the invitation for Matriarch Gu's birthday? Aren't you looking down on others?"

Hearing her sarcastic question, Bai Yu Yan couldn't help rolling her eyes. What was she even thinking by expecting a straight answer from this person?

Not wanting to waste any more words with her, she turned to walk away when suddenly Bai Chun Hua spoke, "Bai Yu Yan, I can assure you that, right now, if you walk away from here without hearing me out, you will regret it."

Hidden behind the courtyard fence, Gu Sheng's dark eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance. Seeing the situation tensing between the two, he did not want to waste his time hearing the women's quibble. Unfortunately, he could not even walk out at this moment without them thinking he had been eavesdropping in their conversation.

He knew it! Women are always troublesome.

Gu Sheng pinched the area between his brows, clearly losing patience. How on earth did he get stuck in such stupid situation?

On the other side of the fence, Bai Yu Yan stopped in her track and turned to look at Bai Chun Hua. She knew the other person was full of tricks but seeing she was alone without anyone else accompanying her, Bai Yu Yan was not afraid of the trouble she could cause right now.

"Bai Chun Hua, did you not sleep properly last night? What are you talking about?" asked Bai Yu Yan with a smile. Although Chun Hua's words were not any different from a cannon fodder villain stopping the heroine to bully her, Bai Yu Yan felt a sense of duty to hear the other party's words as a fellow cannon fodder.

Seeing the unfazed look in Bai Yu Yan's face, Chun Hua's lips curled into a sneer, "I knew you were an idiot even though you have been trying to act smart in the past few days. A leopard can't change its spots no matter how hard it tries. Similarly, you will always remain a useless idiot no matter how much you try to show off your skills."

Bai Yu Yan could not help the twitch in her eyes as the veins on her temple throbbed hearing the blatant insult. Taking a long breath to calm herself, she said with a smile, "Well, mei mei. Do excuse this sister for being an idiot. It's a genetic problem that runs in our family, so even I am not spared from it."

Chun Hua, who was waiting to see Bai Yu Yan throwing angry insults, was dumbfounded. Not only did she not refute it, she even called Chun Hua an idiot? 

Inside, Gu Sheng nearly choked in his own saliva. He was waiting for the Bai sisters to scratch and pull each other's hair. In fact, he had even prepared himself to step in to separate the two women if the situation got out of hand. But the unexpected turn of events had rendered him speechless.

Really, this woman's poisonous tongue could make anyone vomit two liters of blood. Adding nonchalant tone to her clam expression, Bai Yu Yan appeared like she was arguing with a child. 

Gritting her teeth, Bai Chun Hua pointed her finger at Bai Yu Yan and shouted, "Let's see if your sharp tongue can save you inside. I was just here to warn you. The fabric of Matriarch Gu's dress is not the real silk jacquard. It's just a cheap material which was switched with the real one."

Bai Yu Yan looked at Chun Hua with confusion in her eyes which clearly told her she didn't believe her. 

Fake silk jacquard, how could it be? She remembered checking the fabric herself before purchasing it with other materials for the shop. Did she really get the wrong one? 

Suppressing the rising bad premonition, Bai Yu Yan composed her expression and narrowed her eyes, "What are you talking about? And how did you know about the fabric?" 

She knew Bai Chun Hua would be more than happy to see her downfall. So the current situation was making her doubt if she was really speaking the truth, even more, since Chun Hua was giving her a clear warning instead of waiting to see the drama unfold. 

But what perplexed her, even more, was the fact that Bai Chun Hua knew the exact fabric she had used for Matriarch Gu's dress. She didn't think this was a mere coincidence. 

Bai Chun Hua hurriedly averted her eyes and scoffed, "You don't need to know that. I just don't want to see you drag our family because of this mess you have caused. Although you are already married, unfortunately, the Bai house is still your maiden family."

Suddenly, Bai Yu Yan remembered Song Mei Lin's sudden change in attitude in the main hall. Was this why she was acting so suspiciously friendly? The more she thought about it, the more she felt it to be the case.

As her hands started turning cold, Bai Yu Yan bit her lips thinking about the situation. Considering the time, she didn't even have the time to change anything.

It was too late now. Matriarch Gu had already changed into the dress.