Nothing else happened that year. The only unexpected incident was during the ancestral worship. Since the eldest master was no longer around, it was Second Master Lou's turn to lead the family. As usual, one group consisted of men and one group of women. The men accompanied Second Master Lou to offer incense, while the women accompanied Old Lady Lou to serve food and wine, and also to perform a symbolic sweep of the ancestral hall. However, they were not allowed to call out their names during the worship; they could only worship together and then leave.

Every year in Yangzhou, Ling Shuang would get a bit mad about this. In Yangzhou, the Second House would still worship on its own, and she would always find fault with them.

Beijing custom treated this differently. The women were woken up early in the morning to open the ancestral hall and sweep it. Although it was just a formality, the sisters Yuzhu and Bizhu were even more impulsive, chatting away without getting wet. But once they finished, Old Lady Lou led them out. Ling Shuang, having grown impatient, tried to return to her room, but Second Lady Lou stopped her.

"Where are you going?" Second Madam Lou called to her. "The men will worship first. After that, we still have to go back in and clean up. Then we'll worship in the courtyard and ask for the blessing of our clan."

"Where are we worshipping?" Ling Shuang's eyebrows suddenly raised.

"Women can't worship in the ancestral hall. This is an old family rule. Don't you know that, Third Sister?" Yuzhu was particularly quick-witted when she saw an opportunity to bully the Third House.

"You can't worship in the ancestral hall, but you can clean and serve, right?" Ling Shuang said with a sullen face.

Second Madam Lou pinched her secretly, a warning, her face serenely smiling. "This is also about serving our ancestors; it's a blessing."

So the women waited in the side hall outside, listening as the clan elders set off firecrackers and the men entered the ancestral hall, each one called out. Third Madam Lou, even more elated than herself, said, "Listen, Third House eldest grandson Lou Yuqi, they're calling out Yuqi and Yulin's names."

Ling Shuang had been holding back. Qingyun knew she was fine in other matters but particularly stubborn and eccentric about these things, so she kept patting her on the back, coaxing her like a child. But when her younger sister, Tanxue, ran over, Ling Shuang's face suddenly fell.

"Why are you here?" she asked Tanxue. "Where's Dad?"

"Dad's at the ancestral hall."

Tanxue looked puzzled, clutching a handful of sugar figurines. Huang Si Niang followed behind her. Apparently, Si Niang had taken her out to buy some.

Yuzhu and Bizhu had always considered Qingyun their greatest enemy. They also knew that Xianyue was stunningly beautiful and a major threat. They didn't care much for Lingshuang, their third sister, because she was always a bit nonchalant, never appearing at the center of any banquet, and was completely indifferent.

This was the first time they had seen Lingshuang express a serious expression.

Her eyes were truly beautiful, a pair of phoenix-like eyes. When she was angry, the corners of her eyes fluttered. Her complexion was like frost and snow, her hair was jet black. She looked incredibly vivid, like a snow beauty suddenly alive and full of life. Someone didn't know where she came from, but she had this aura that made people afraid to look at her.

Even Second Madam Lou avoided her gaze.

"Mother, we agreed on this when we came here," she said coldly. "If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed in Yangzhou."

"Don't be silly! Everyone's back, what are you doing here alone?"

Qingyun, seeing things weren't going well, immediately grabbed her arm, half coaxing her, half tricking her, and with a soothing smile, tried to pull her over to a tea table.

But Lingshuang turned away, leaving Qingyun with nothing to do. She stared at Second Madam Lou, and seeing her mother only cough awkwardly and make no move to respond, she sneered.

"Okay."

She said only that before grabbing Tanxue's arm. Tanxue was chewing on a candy figurine, and before she could react, she was hoisted up.

She carried Tanxue like a chicken through the corridor, the women hurriedly following behind. The third wife was especially excited, thinking she was going crazy.

She led Tanxue directly to the entrance of the ancestral hall, where the women immediately dared not enter.

Although they were male relatives from the same clan, there were still differences between men and women. Ling Shuang ignored this and led Tanxue inside, across the courtyard, into the majestic Lou family ancestral hall. Second Master Lou knelt at the front, while clan elders stood aside, announcing names. Male relatives in ceremonial attire were kneeling on the ground. Suddenly, two girls barged in, startling everyone.

Ling Shuang placed Tanxue before the clan elder and said, "Add a name for the second branch."

The clan elder, a man in his seventies or eighties, momentarily forgot to scold her and instinctively asked, "What name?"

"The second branch's heir, Lou Tanxue."

Poor old lady Lou, always wary of Xianyue, hadn't expected the second branch to produce such a brazen individual as Ling Shuang. She chased all the way to the ancestral hall, but she didn't dare enter. She could only scold, "What are you all doing here? Go back."

The women in the family had no choice but to slowly disperse. The Third House was eager to see the joke. Third Lady Lou held onto Old Lady Lou's hand tightly, Yuzhu and Bizhu also hid behind. Second Lady Lou's face flushed with anger. Qingyun looked worried, while Xianyue looked more amused than worried, leaning against the long corridor. Old Lady Lou sternly ordered Madam Feng to fetch the housekeeper and bring Ling Shuang out. The scene was in chaos. Even Cai Huan, considered a member of the First House, lost her composure. She knew she should have helped the First Lady back, but she couldn't help but want to stay and see how things would unfold.

Amid the chaos, the interrupted roll call in the ancestral hall resumed.

"Lou Zijing, the eldest son of the Second House, pays respects." The elder's voice paused, then finally read: "Lou Tanxue, the granddaughter of the Second House, pays respects."

Everyone was stunned, even Yuzhu and Bizhu were stunned. Old Lady Lou's face turned pale with anger, and she didn't know what to say.

Ling Shuang slowly walked back to the ancestral hall entrance, her nonchalant expression reassuring.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me?" she teased Xianyue. "Are you staring at me?"

"I think you're going to get a good beating."

Xianyue said calmly, but it was hard to say she wasn't approving of Ling Shuang's behavior. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to resist patting her shoulder while adjusting her ceremonial robes.

But the beating was ultimately refrained from, not only because it happened on New Year's Eve, and punishments were forbidden during the New Year holiday, but mainly because no one had ever seen such a brazen girl.

Old Lady Lou usually ran the household with great strictness. Although Yuzhu and Bizhu acted arrogantly outside with Princess Xun, they remained well-behaved when they returned home. If they occasionally lost their composure and said something bad about others, Old Lady Lou would lecture them, "What are you saying all day? Girls should be more quiet."