The clingy concubine ran away, and the sickly prince lost control.

"Thank you, Sister Luo," the lead child said with a smile, then turned to the younger children and said, "Help Sister Luo pick them up, don't take a single one."

"Here you go." Luo Qingyan smiled. She often encountered these children while working odd jobs at the clinic. She was so hungry that she felt no different from them, so she would share what she could with them.

"Then, Sister Luo, we won't stand on ceremony." The little boy said with a smile, they were very happy to know that Luo Qingyan was now the owner of Kangning Pavilion.

"Sister Luo, you are so filial, carrying your mother on and off the carriage." The boy realized what Luo Qingyan meant and deliberately raised his voice, attracting the attention of passersby.

"Why not hire a rough-and-ready nanny?" a passerby said. "Let a thin, frail daughter carry her on her back."

"Yes! Isn't that her daughter next to her? Why didn't she lend a hand?"

"The one carrying the person is Miss Luo the Second, and the one next to her is Miss Luo the Eldest," the children chimed in from time to time.

Hearing the whispers behind her, Luo Haitang's face flushed with anger. "Fine! They've even started spreading stories about Luo Qingyan's filial piety!" Helpless, she could only reach out and put her hand on Sun's back to help support her.

"Everyone knows how badly they mistreat their second daughter. They don't even give her food, yet she's the most filial."

The kid continued.

"Really? No wonder you're so thin and small."

People who stopped to watch pointed and whispered about Sun.

Luo Qingyan listened to the discussions behind her and could clearly feel her mother's anger rising. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain as her mother pinched her with her fingernails. She thought for a moment and then curled her lips into a smile.

"ah"

"Ouch!"

Sun screamed and fell to the ground, with Luo Qingyan on top of her.

"I told you so! How could a little girl like her be carried on my back?"

"You were walking unsteadily just now, and now you've fallen!"

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Madam Sun gritted her teeth and endured the pain, urging Luo Haitang, "Quickly go and call Granny Wang and the others."

Luo Haitang nodded hurriedly and went to call for help.

"Mother, I didn't mean to." Luo Qingyan hurriedly stood up and backed away to admit her mistake, her eyes filled with tears and her head bowed low.

She went to the Imperial College to watch the archery competition today, and she happened to be dressed very simply.

Many people looked at her with pity, especially women, most of whom had experienced or were experiencing favoritism and indifference from their families.

Sun glared fiercely, thinking to herself, "Now she's learned to act. In the past, when I said she was wrong, she would never admit it. Now she's learned to admit her mistakes and play the victim."

Seeing that the onlookers sympathized with Luo Qingyan, Madam Sun clenched her fists. She really wanted to get up and slap Luo Qingyan, but she had to keep up the act. If she got up now, she would only be laughed at. She should wait for Haitang to call Granny Wang. She just felt a lot of pain in her waist, which she guessed was from the fall.

What a useless thing! I've carried it so many times, and this time it actually made her drop it. It's true that the food in the Duke's mansion nourishes the skin, not the strength.

Luo Qingyan looked back at Madam Sun, her eyes warning: This is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine.

She did it on purpose.

She has severed all ties with her family; she is merely putting on an act to avoid tarnishing the reputation of the Duke's mansion.

The onlookers were too far away to see the battle of wits between the mother and daughter.

Sun was startled by Luo Qingyan's gaze, feeling her powerful aura pierced and her protective shield removed, leaving her feeling cold inside.

What was she thinking, sending her to the Duke's mansion? Now she's got guts and dares to go against her.

Luo Haitang hurriedly summoned Granny Wang: "Mother."

Just then, the carriage of the Duke of Xun's mansion slowly came to a stop in front of the Luo family mansion.

Granny Liu, Liu Yue, and four maids filed out.

"Auntie," Liu Yue greeted Luo Qingyan with a curtsy, "The young master said that since Auntie is returning to her parents' home, she must be attended to."

Luo Qingyan smiled and nodded.

Madam Sun was furious. She glared at everyone. The Duke's mansion sent so many people just to protect Qingyan, the woman who was going to bear children. Even if they could prevent her from tormenting Luo Qingyan, they couldn't prevent her from doing something big.

Didn't Prince Pei say he was about to die? How come he's still alive? Let Luo Qingyan swagger around.

She had hoped that Luo Qingyan would be obedient and support the Luo family when she went to the Duke's mansion, but she didn't expect her to turn against her. What use is she to her?

If I had known that Prince Pei was so generous and wouldn't die anytime soon, I would have preferred not to switch and let Haitang go instead.

Kangning Pavilion will be the Begonia Pavilion.

Haitang will definitely listen to her in everything, and she won't get anything she wants.

Luo Qingyan, with her rebellious nature, is utterly useless.

Granny Wang carried Madam Sun on her back, and the crowd surged into the mansion.

Upon seeing Madam Sun enter the room, Luo Qingyan took a few steps back and instructed, "I still want to serve Mother personally. You can just keep an eye on things for me."

"But Auntie..." Liu Yue said worriedly, knowing that Madam Sun was not an easy person to deal with.

"It's alright." Luo Qingyan smiled with relief. In the past, she would have been very uneasy, afraid that she would be punished by Madam Sun if she was not careful. But now she was not uneasy. With so many people protecting her, she felt at ease.

"If I don't personally attend to him at his bedside, people will complain about it."

When her mother saw someone from the Duke's mansion, she would definitely scold her for not serving and for being arrogant, so she had to personally take care of her at her bedside.

"I'll listen to you, Auntie," Liuyue said respectfully.

The maids behind them all bowed in unison.

"Ouch, it hurts, it hurts!" came Sun's wailing voice, "Qingyan, Qingyan."

"You've arrived, Mother." Luo Qingyan smiled. Her mother could have simply brought her into the manor.

Now that people from the Duke's mansion had arrived, she had no choice but to continue pretending to be very ill.

"Get me a doctor." Madam Sun clutched her back, her face pale and sweat beading on her forehead.

"Okay," Luo Qingyan replied expressionlessly.

The doctor arrived shortly after and diagnosed that Ms. Sun had indeed sprained her back and needed to rest in bed more; it wasn't an act.

Sun gritted her teeth and broke them. She wasn't sick at all; it was all because of that fall at the door.

That brat, why did she have to carry me when she wasn't strong enough? She actually fell.

Now I'm really sick.

After seeing the doctor off, Luo Qingyan hadn't even turned around when she heard Madam Sun say, "Qingyan, I'll use the toilet here. Go and get the chamber pot."

Luo Qingyan went straight out of the room without turning around to acknowledge her.

Sun was furious and pounded the bed. "Is this how that wretched girl serves me?"

"Where's the crabapple blossom?"

Luo Haitang was resting in her boudoir when a maidservant told her that her mother wanted to see her. She could only lazily get up: "Isn't Luo Qingyan taking care of me? Why are you calling me? It's so annoying, I didn't even get a good night's sleep."

Luo Qingyan returned carrying a chamber pot, and before she even entered the door, she heard Luo Haitang and Madam Sun talking.

"Haitang, don't go. I really fell and need someone to take care of me. Qingyan is different from usual; she's being cold and sarcastic towards me, trying to torment me."

"No way! Mother, you really fell?" Luo Haitang's eyes darted around. "I'll go get Qingyan and get a chamber pot, slowly."

"No need." Madam Sun grabbed Luo Haitang. "I don't need to go to the toilet. I just want to get rid of her. Just looking at her face makes me angry. Haitang, sit down and keep me company."

Luo Haitang reluctantly sat down, pouting, "I think Luo Qingyan deliberately made you fall."

Sun didn't say anything. She wasn't sure because she had pinched Luo Qingyan with her fingernails, which might have caused Luo Qingyan to feel pain and loosen her grip.