Transmigrator meets Reincarnator

51-100

Chapter 51: Mother-in-law (1)

When Prince Jin met He Changdi's gaze, he could see faint grief reflected in his unreadable depths.

"Your Highness, there are some things I can't tell you now, but I can promise you this: there's a reason behind why I absolutely have to go to the northern border!"

By the time He Sanlang left Yuehong Restaurant, it was already past 1pm.

Prince Jin stood by the window and watched as his best friend's carriage disappeared around the corner of the street. He then turned away, appearing to be in deep thought.

…...

When Chu Lian finished her breakfast, she immediately headed to Matriarch He's courtyard to give her daily greetings.

All the ladies of the Jing'an Estate were gathered in Qingxi Hall, except the bedridden Countess Jing'an.

The moment Chu Lian entered the hall, Matriarch He immediately turned to look at her. When she saw her dressed in light blue, she recalled that He Sanlang had also been wearing the same colour when he had dropped by Qingxi Hall on his way out this morning. Matriarch He smiled.

Excluding her two nieces, Chu Lian was the youngest in the family. After she greeted the matriarch, she was pulled up to Matriarch He's side.

"Lian'er, have you gotten used to living here in the estate these past few days?" Matriarch He spoke in a warm, friendly tone, tinged with that special kindness the older generation always seemed to have. It was the kind of tone that made others want to draw closer to an elder.

Chu Lian nodded and looked at the matriarch, her eyes crystal-clear and moist. "Yes, I have. Granddaughter-in-Law thanks Grandmother for her concern."

"Sanlang went out so early today, I'm afraid he won't be back until evening. Why don't you and your eldest sister-in-law come over to eat with Grandmother for the midday meal?"

Chu Lian nodded and agreed.

After sitting at Qingxi Hall for about an hour, she went to visit Countess Jing'an's courtyard together with Madam Zou.

Even before they entered, they could hear Countess Jing'an coughing terribly.

Madam Zou frowned; it was at this moment that Countess Jing'an's personal maidservant, Miaozhen, stepped out to retrieve some medicine.

When Miaozhen spotted the two mistresses standing at the entrance, she greeted them. "Eldest Young Madam, Third Young Madam, good morning."

"What happened to Mother? Why does it seem like her condition has worsened since yesterday?" Madam Zou asked Miaozhen with her brows drawn together.

Grimacing, Miaozhen replied, "This servant doesn't know either. The medicine appeared effective at first. During the past few weeks, Madam could even get out of bed and occasionally walk about. However, these days, the medicine seems to have stopped working completely. Even though Madam has been drinking it regularly, there's been no change to her condition."

While standing next to Madam Zou, Chu Lian dipped into her memories and tried to recall what she had read in the novel. There had been no mention of Countess Jing'an's exact illness. However, looking at the symptoms, if it wasn't pneumonia, then it was most likely tuberculosis. In this era, there was almost no chance of treating illnesses like those; they could only extend their lives for a bit with medicine.

"Go ahead and brew the medicine. I'll go in to look at Mother with my sister-in-law."

By the time they finished visiting their mother-in-law, Madam Liu had already gone to sleep from exhaustion. Her face was extremely pale. Even while sleeping, she still looked haggard from her extended illness.

They heard from Miaozhen that Madam Liu hadn't had a proper meal in days. She couldn't keep anything down due to her sickness.

She had been able to eat those pastries that Cook Zhou had made previously, but now that Cook Zhou had passed on, Countess Jing'an wasn't able to stomach eating anything else.

Chapter 52: Mother-in-law (2)

When the two sisters-in-law stepped out of Madam Liu's courtyard, they made a turn into one of the estate’s small gardens. They each had a crimson jade bangle in hand. The vibrancy of the bangles' colour made it obvious how priceless it was. Madam Liu had come from a great noble family. Her dowry back then had been extremely rich and filled with extravagant treasures. This was something that Madam Zou told Chu Lian much later on.

Chu Lian looked at the bangle in her hands awkwardly. These two red jade bangles were a pair; she and Madam Zou had each gotten one. Chu Lian had never seen such a valuable accessory in her life before, and although she had received quite a few treasures from the tea ceremony that day, they paled in comparison to this red jade bangle.

Madam Zou caught sight of her uneasy expression and smiled reassuringly. "Since Mother decided to give these to us, just keep it. Mother won't be happy if you reject her gift."

Chu Lian could only nod. Since she had already accepted it back in Madam Liu's room, she couldn't possibly go back to return it at this point.

Madam Zou passed her own bangle to one of her maidservants, instructing her to wrap it up and keep it carefully. She then pulled Chu Lian to a winding corridor covered in purple wisterias. As they walked slowly along the corridor, Madam Zou suddenly sighed. "Actually, Mother probably doesn't have much left in her dowry. These two bangles are probably the last of the more valuable ones."

Noticing the perplexed expression on Chu Lian's face and wanting to tell her more, Madam Zou waved away the personal maidservants following behind them. The maidservants hurriedly stopped where they stood, allowing Madam Zou to pull Chu Lian further away from the extra listening ears.

Once there weren't any outsiders around to listen in, Madam Zou began to open up. "Third Sister, I'm sure you must have heard the details of Mother's illness."

Although He Sanlang had never told her about it before, Chu Lian knew how serious Countess Jing'an's illness was. The book had also mentioned that Countess Jing'an was frequently bedridden.

Chu Lian nodded.

"You might know a few bits and pieces... The imperial physicians don't have any way to treat Mother's illness. They can only delay its progression with specially made medicine. But the medicine requires various types of expensive herbs, and quite a few of them cost over a thousand gold taels. Although House Jing'an is quite influential, Father isn't around to manage the household, and he's not the best at generating income for the family, either. If not for the fewer mouths to feed and our simple expenses, as well as the matriarch occasionally adding some income from her personal businesses, the household would be living in a much poorer state. Mother's medicine costs a lot, and in the beginning, the money came from the household accounts." Madam Zou raised a single finger.

"A thousand taels. It costs a thousand taels just to buy the herbs to make her medicine every month. Father earns a thousand strings of coins annually as a general. If you put together all the earnings from all the holdings and stores under our family, that’s only about a thousand more strings of coins..."

House Jing'an paid Countess Jing'an's medicine fees for two years. Afterwards, Countess Jing'an told Madam Zou to remove that expense from the household accounts. Countess Jing'an then paid for her medicine out of her own dowry.

In the next few years, Countess Jing'an's dowry was close to spent. There wasn't much left to her name now.

Furthermore, the Liu family had broken one of the emperor's taboos a few years back, so they had been demoted. The entire clan had left and settled down in the countryside, near Luoyang. Thus, Madam Liu was left all alone in the capital, and without any financial support from her maiden family, her dowry dwindled down even faster.

Chu Lian was shocked by the revelations. Although she had just arrived in this era, after listening to Xiyan and the other maidservants chatting over the past few days, she had started to learn the approximate value of money in this Great Wu Dynasty.

The copper coins used in the current era were 'Kaiyuan' coins. 1000 coins could be exchanged for one silver tael. There were 1000 coins in a string of coins. Without taking into account the fluctuation of bronze and silver prices, and going by a common family’s standard of living in the Great Wu Dynasty, 10 silver taels was enough to support a family of three for a year.

Even the minor stewards in the Jing'an Estate weren't given more than a single silver tael as their monthly salary.

Meanwhile, Countess Jing'an required over 10,000 strings of coins every year for medicine alone; this was an extremely shocking amount!

No wonder Madam Zou had said that Countess Jing'an had barely anything left in her dowry by now.

Count Jing'an's annual salary was only enough to cover a month of medicine costs for Madam Liu.

Seeing the surprise and shock in Chu Lian's eyes, Madam Zou patted her hand. "I'm not telling you all this to put any pressure on you. I only wanted to let you realise how well Mother treats us, despite how poor she is. I hope you continue to treat her well in the future."

Chapter 53: Dowry (1)

Chu Lian nodded. Of course she was going to treat her mother-in-law well. Although she had only met Madam Liu a few times, Chu Lian could tell that her mother-in-law was a person of integrity, someone kind and gentle.

If she wasn’t, Matriarch He wouldn't have doted on her so much -- at least, not to the point of personally visiting Madam Liu’s courtyard. The fact that she did said a lot.

By the time the two of them finished their stroll and returned to Qingxi Hall, it was nearing lunch.

When Senior Servant Liu saw that the two young madams had arrived, she called for the maidservants to begin serving the meal.

Madam Zou's two daughters had already been brought to the parlour by their nursemaids and were seated. With the support of her maidservants, Matriarch He also settled down into her seat.

The round table was quickly filled with dishes. However, despite the happy sight that the feast made, Matriarch He sighed. "All the ladies in our family are here, except for your mother... If only she were well enough to sit here with us!"

After Matriarch He's words, everyone at the table sunk into silence. Senior Servant Liu noticed that the atmosphere had turned bad and quickly tried to change the topic. "Madam, look here: there's hasma today!"

Hasma was one of the most valuable food ingredients. It was good for beauty and keeping the lungs healthy. In the modern era, it was famous for its expensive price tag. Although Chu Lian was a foodie, due to her economical constraints, she hadn't actually seen any dishes made with hasma before.

After hearing Senior Servant Liu point out the hasma, Chu Lian shifted her gaze over and saw a small enamel bowl with a green turtle pattern. It was half-filled with something black.

Chu Lian: ......

This was hasma? Chu Lian couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth from twitching. She really should’ve known better. Considering the events that had transpired over the past few days, she should’ve just dropped any and all expectations she had for the cuisine here. There was no hope for this damned Great Wu Dynasty’s food! She was better off expecting nothing. That way, at least she wouldn’t be disappointed all the time.

She wouldn't have minded if it were any other ingredient, but this was hasma! Even if you had the money, you wouldn't necessarily be able to buy it. They actually placed it in a wok and just... boiled it? Just like that? And they even made it into something this black and unappetising, like it was some poisonous, dark arts cuisine! Who... who would even dare to eat this?

Chu Lian's interest had been piqued at first, but upon looking at a hasma dish like this, she just couldn't gather up the desire to eat it at all.

Chu Lian shrunk back into her seat. Someone else could have that 'delicacy' instead...

After Senior Servant Liu reminded her of the highlight of the meal, Matriarch He immediately recovered from her sadness and smiled at her two granddaughters-in-law. "The Empress Dowager was the one who sent over this hasma; it's a very rare delicacy. It's good for women, so why don't the two of you share it later on?"

Madam Zou had eaten hasma before it and knew of its benefits. Some of her anticipation shone through in her eyes, but Chu Lian really didn't have the courage to eat that black dish.

She courteously said, "Since there's so little hasma, why don't you have it, Grandmother? My body is perfectly healthy; there's no need for me to eat it!"

Since Chu Lian had said so, it wouldn't be seemly for Madam Zou to take all of the hasma for herself, so she said something along the same lines.

They weren't able to change Matriarch He's mind, so Senior Servant Liu split the bowl of black hasma into three portions. It wasn't suitable for children to eat, so they didn't give any to the two young children present.

Senior Servant Liu was smiling as she passed a white bowl containing the hasma to Chu Lian. "Third Young Madam, you're quite lucky, aren't you? Even the Empress Dowager might only get to eat hasma once or twice a year. You've managed to come at just the right time to have some."

Chu Lian felt awkward and wanted to cry. She didn't want to be here right now, okay? Not if it meant she had to eat that!

Finally, she had no other choice. Chu Lian forced that small bowl of black hasma into her mouth and down her throat. Honestly speaking, it tasted terrible. The hasma had been fried and boiled so much, that it was now too salty to even taste. The only thing her tongue could discern when she put it in her mouth was salt; all of the original flavour had been completely lost.

After she finished eating it, she quickly washed it down with a bowl of tasteless soup.

This meal she had at Qingxi Hall was one of the most painful she had ever had.

Chapter 54: Dowry (2)

Chu Lian had swallowed down the hasma like it was bitter medicine. However, she saw that Matriarch He and Madam Zou were slowly savouring it. They would alternate between taking a single bite of hasma and drinking a mouthful of soup, as if they were eating some rare delicacy. If she hadn't personally seen that charred hasma being split between the three bowls, Chu Lian might even have thought that they had been served different dishes.

All the tea served here was sencha. Chu Lian didn't dare to deviate too much from common sense in front of Matriarch He; essentially, she was stuck. She couldn’t ask for another drink, but she couldn’t stomach drinking the sencha, either.

After the meal, Matriarch He and Madam Zou were given wet handkerchiefs by the maidservants. They then elegantly dabbed at their lips and rinsed their mouths.

Matriarch He wanted to take a nap in the late afternoon, so Chu Lian took the chance to escape back to her own Songtao Court.

She really didn't dare to stay any longer, lest Matriarch He force her to eat something else equally weird.

He Sanlang still hadn't returned in the afternoon. When Chu Lian got back to her courtyard, the first thing she did was gulp down three cups of plain water before gargling with some fine salt. Only then did she manage to get rid of that strange taste in her mouth.

After being tormented for half the day, Chu Lian was finally able to rest. She leaned against the sofa by the window, relaxing as she enjoyed the cool summer breeze. It was gentle as it blew in from the outside, perfectly comfortable to take a nap in.

Xiyan and the other maidservants noticed how drowsy she looked. They brought over a thin blanket to drape over her before they quietly retreated, leaving her in peace.

When Chu Lian finally woke up, almost two hours had passed. The moment she raised her arm, she caught sight of the red jade bangle on her wrist and thought of what her sister-in-law, Madam Zou, had told her that morning.

She wrinkled her brows for a moment before calling out, "Xiyan!"

Xiyan hurriedly walked in. "Third Young Madam, do you have any orders for this servant?"

Chu Lian got up from the sofa. Her right hand toyed with the lustrous bangle on her left wrist as she said, "Let's go. I want to look at my dowry in the storeroom."

"Ah? You want to look at your dowry?" Xiyan clearly hadn't expected that Chu Lian would abruptly ask for something like that. The dowry had been selected before the wedding, and Chu Lian had overseen the addition of every item on the list. She was probably the one who knew best how much everything was worth. Why did she still want to look at the dowry?

"Yes, what's wrong? Am I not allowed to look at my own dowry?"

Xiyan quickly shook her head. "Please wait for a moment; this servant will go and retrieve the key to the storeroom now."

Chu Lian was a little excited as she waved Xiyan away with a smile. "Go, go."

At the very least, she was a legitimate daughter of House Ying. Although she wasn't a favoured one, the House of Duke Ying had to have given her a decent dowry. She had been married out to the House of Count Jing’an, after all.

In her previous life, she had had to earn every single cent of her money. However, after coming to the Great Wu Dynasty, she had gotten a fortune that was all hers without having to do anything at all. Just thinking about it made her quite happy.

In the Great Wu Dynasty, all daughters who married out of their houses had their dowries recorded with the local authorities. Their dowries were their personal assets. Even if they divorced their husbands later on, the women could take every single bit of their dowries away with them, no questions asked. This was one of the laws of marriage in the Great Wu Dynasty. Thus, the more dowry the new brides brought with them, the more respected they would be in their new households. In this thriving capital, the amount of dowry was a measure of how favoured the daughter was in her maiden family. With a thicker dowry, they would be able to hold their heads high, even in gatherings with all the other noble wives later on.

The novel had not described Chu Lian's dowry, and since Chu Lian had entered this Great Wu Dynasty right at the time of her wedding, she hadn't had any time to take a look for herself. Thus, she was still in the dark about the size of her personal wealth.

Chapter 55: Dowry (3)

Xiyan led the way and Senior Servant Gui followed by Chu Lian's side. However, both of them had their heads lowered with strange expressions on their faces. Their gazes drifted frequently to Chu Lian, who was clearly in a good mood with a smile on her lips.

Songtao Court was not far from the couple's storeroom. They were able to reach their destination in just five minutes.

Xiyan instructed the maidservant watching the door to leave. Then, she personally opened one of the rooms with a key. "Third Young Madam, most of your dowry was placed here."

Although the room wasn't very well-lit, it was still daytime, so the light streaming in from the window allowed Chu Lian to clearly see everything inside.

It was a large room with a few rows of antique shelves. The shelves were completely empty, as were the few quality open cabinets scattered around. Right at the back of the room, there were a few red painted wooden boxes placed in a corner. Thanks to the significant empty space, the red boxes were extremely eye-catching.

The moment she entered, Chu Lian couldn't keep up the slight upward tilt of her lips. She looked around the room with widened eyes before turning to look at Senior Servant Gui.

Senior Servant Gui shot Xiyan a look and Xiyan hurriedly stepped forward, holding onto Chu Lian's arm. "Third Young Madam, why don't you take a seat over there? This servant will bring over the boxes with momo to let Third Young Madam look over everything."

Chu Lian looked suspiciously at Xiyan, who avoided her gaze. She let herself be led to the table without a word.

Following that, Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan set down four or five boxes in front of her. Although they were wooden and about as tall as a person's waist, the two women alone could carry them. It was clear that there wasn't much in them.

Senior Servant Gui pulled out a list wrapped in red leather and passed it to Chu Lian. She carefully picked her words as she said, "Third Young Madam, this is the list of all the items in your dowry. Take a look and see if there's anything wrong."

When Chu Lian had instructed Xiyan to retrieve the key to the storeroom, Senior Servant Gui had been thinking over why Chu Lian wanted to see her dowry. In the end, she decided that it was most likely because Chu Lian was afraid that something was missing from it and wanted to go through every item once again.

Chu Lian was smiling as she took the list and opened it. Her almond-shaped eyes swept down the list once and mentally tallied them up. Upon seeing that there was a total of 99 items, she inwardly nodded, satisfied with the amount.

Thus, she started reading out the list with some excitement, beginning from the very first item. She even got Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan to bring over the item to let her see.

"Exquisite Four Season Screens," Chu Lian read.

Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan exchanged glances before pulling out a screen frame and several embroidered screens, placing them on the table in front of Chu Lian.

Xiyan spoke up timidly. "Third Young Madam, if we set up this screen and take it apart again, the embroidery might get damaged. If you don't need to use it right now, it would be better not to set it up."

Chu Lian was completely stunned. First, she looked at the description in the dowry again before looking up at the item before her eyes. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The elegantly named 'Exquisite Four Season Screens' was clearly just a few embroidered screens with some pieces of wood painted over... Although she wasn't an expert at appraising the value of things, she could still tell just by looking at it that these screens weren't worth much at all. They were probably barely worth ten taels or less.

After looking at a few more items, they were all about the same as the screens. They seemed extravagant, but weren't of any actual value at all. While a little pretty, they were nothing compared to real treasures.

Finally, Chu Lian got too lazy to look at the rest of them. She waved her hand and got Senior Servant Gui to close all the boxes and put them back. Then, she held the dowry list in her hands and blanked out.

She had looked through the list carefully. There were almost 100 items in her dowry, but none of them were really worth anything. Judging by Senior Servant Gui's attitude, the only thing of value was a small yellow jade seal. She had already taken it out and personally put it into the pouch she carried with her at all times.

Other than the hundred items here, there was nothing else. There were no shops, no holdings, or even any farmland. Not a single one!

Chu Lian laughed bitterly to herself in her heart. So she wasn't really all that lucky after all.

Compared to Madam Liu's dowry, her dowry was way too shabby.

Chapter 56: A Heart-to-heart Talk (1)

She folded the dowry list back up and began to play with it, tapping it against her other palm.

Chu Lian abruptly asked, "Momo, I can't really remember... Was there any money in my dowry?"

Senior Servant Gui cast a careful glance at her. Afraid some misunderstanding would arise in Chu Lian's heart, she said in a measured tone, "Of course there's money! Why wouldn't there be?"

Due to Sixth Miss's unhappiness over the match, on the day of her marriage, Senior Servant Gui had kept the banknotes that the presiding lady of the house, the wife of House Ying's heir, had sent over. After Chu Lian had married over, she had been frightened by the way her mistress and her new husband were interacting, so she had completely forgotten about the money in her care.

Finally, something that wouldn't disappoint her. Chu Lian's eyes instantly lit up and, with a degree of urgency, she asked, "How much?"

Senior Servant Gui looked a little put on the spot. She awkwardly chuckled and held up five fingers.

Chu Lian returned the smile. "Five hundred taels?"

Senior Servant Gui's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected Chu Lian to get the figure right. Wouldn't most noble ladies guess five thousand taels instead?

Seeing Chu Lian smiling happily, Xiyan's heart felt like it was being crushed. Conversely, Chu Lian's seeming happiness and contentment with that sum made her heart ache even more for her mistress.

Although the House of Duke Ying had no qualified successors and was slowly becoming a shell of its former self, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. When the main branch's illegitimate fourth miss had gotten married, due to the favour of the main branch's legitimate wife, she had been sent out from the house with a thousand taels of silver as dowry!

Their young miss was a legitimate daughter of House Ying, yet she had to suffer this kind of treatment.

"Sixth Miss..." Xiyan called out in a low voice.

Every time this girl called out to her with a voice that sounded as if she was about to cry, Chu Lian knew that Xiyan had probably gotten sad over her circumstances, without being able to see it from a lighter perspective.

So, when Chu Lian spoke again, it was with a clear, calm voice. "What's there to be sad about? Five hundred taels isn't a small sum either. A family of three can live for a year with ten taels! Furthermore, my mother died when I was young. Are you really expecting a motherless child to be treated the same as a child with a mother? Although my dowry's a little small, I've married a good husband, haven't I? The family elders here are all easy to get along with, too. What is there to be unhappy about? I've already accepted all this, so can't you guys accept it too? Anyway, who cares if there's less money? We just have to earn more ourselves! In this world, there's nothing easier to solve than a lack of money!"

Buried in Chu Lian's words were her incredible self-confidence and willpower. She had been able to stand strong and unyielding in order to survive in that technologically advanced world, where humans had become even more twisted. How could the simple civilisation of this Great Wu Dynasty pose a problem to her?

To enjoy life, you have to be able to bear with its stresses. This was something a smart woman should know.

Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan were shaken by Chu Lian's words. Since Senior Servant Gui was older and more experienced than Xiyan, she recovered a little more quickly. She nodded, gratified that the tender, young flower she had raised had finally broken free from its bindings and blossomed into a beautifully fragrant bud. Chu Lian was no longer a single, lone sprout that was struggling to grow in a swamp.

However, Xiyan was still in a daze. Chu Lian's sweet, clear voice was still ringing in her ears: "In this world, there's nothing easier to solve than a lack of money!"

What an arrogant, yet confident phrase that was. How many humans in this world would toil their lives away -- maybe even to the point of throwing away their lives -- for the sake of a few dirty, copper coins? The saying, ‘everyone works for money’, didn’t spring up from nothing.

Xiyan could almost see a faint, white glow around Chu Lian; it was almost like she was a god who should be revered by all men. She realised that her mistress was looking at her with a gentle gaze. Suddenly, immense relief flooded through her. The unfair treatment at the Ying Estate and the old grievances buried inside her instantly turned into tiny golden specks and disappeared.

"Yes, as Mistress commands it. This servant will always obey Sixth Miss."

Chu Lian tilted her head. Upon seeing that Xiyan had burst into a bright smile, exposing her two cute little canines, Chu Lian also felt happy for her.

This girl had complex issues hidden in her heart. If she could let go of all her mental burdens just like today, then maybe she wouldn't die in vain like ‘Chu Lian’ had.

Chapter 57: A Heart-to-heart Talk (2)

"Alright, now that we're done looking, let's go back!" Chu Lian stood up and led Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan back to Songtao Court.

After they returned to their courtyard, Senior Servant Gui handed the purse containing all the banknotes over to Chu Lian, holding it up with both hands. "Third Young Madam, this is the money that the lady of the house gave to me to keep for you on your wedding day."

Chu Lian took the purse and opened it up. As expected, there was a stack of 100 tael notes, five in total. They were all issued by Datong Bank.

She took out one note and held it out to Senior Servant Gui. "Momo, keep this hundred taels in case of emergency. I'll keep the rest."

Senior Servant Gui waved her hands as she looked at the hundred tael note. "No, no! This is Third Young Madam's dowry. How could this old servant keep it? Rest assured, we don't need to spend any money within the estate. There won't be any emergencies at all."

As she finished speaking, the corners of her eyes turned red. Thinking back to the days in the Ying Estate, Sixth Miss had always hoarded her money like it was treasure, afraid that these lowly servants would find her money and steal it. Although Senior Servant Gui didn't hold that kind of behaviour against Chu Lian, she couldn't help but feel that small distance between them. As close as they were, they were still master and servant in the end. A grudge would be the worst thing that could come between them.

Chu Lian smiled. Of course she could guess what Senior Servant Gui was thinking. She inwardly pursed her lips, scolding the original 'Chu Lian' for being too silly.

No matter how much Senior Servant Gui tried to reject the money, Chu Lian still pushed the note in Senior Servant Gui's hands in the end. "Momo, keep it. You never know what might happen. It's better to have this money in hand, rather than none at all. Money can solve a lot of problems in this world. Anyway, I still have four hundred taels with me! It's not a small sum at all. I've finally learned to let go of some things. Money at hand is meant to be spent anyway; why be calculative about who's keeping it? Momo, I was too narrow-minded in the past, and I was in the wrong. Please don't take it to heart."

Hearing Chu Lian speak like that, Senior Servant Gui couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she let out a choked sob, the thin banknote gripped tightly in her hands. She couldn't find the strength to speak, and could only nod. Any servant who served their masters with all their heart would want to earn their acknowledgement and trust. Now that she had earned Chu Lian's trust today, Senior Servant Gui felt that the grievances she had suffered in the past were all worth it.

Within her heart, she silently said, 'Madam, did you see that? Young Miss has grown up and matured. You can rest in peace now.'

When Chu Lian saw that Senior Servant Gui had lost control of her emotions, she wanted to cheer her up.

She drew closer and answered Senior Servant Gui's teary expression with a bright smile, her eyes narrowing into crescents. "Why? Does momo think I've given too little? Just wait till I earn more money! I'll let you count the notes until your hands are sore!"

Senior Servant Gui burst into a chuckle and glared playfully at Chu Lian. "Third Young Madam has such a silver tongue!"

"I can back my words up with results! Momo, don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do! Momo trusts you the most!"

"Hehe!"

Senior Servant Gui watched the pretty young flower before her, freed from burden. She felt that she had never been as lighthearted as she was now. Sixth Miss had been restrained and gloomy in the past. The current Sixth Miss was like a beautiful piece of jade, cleansed of all impurities. She practically radiated a comfortable warmth that drew others in. As for whether Sixth Miss was merely boasting about earning more money or not, what did that matter? As long as they were all peaceful and happy, she would be content.

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Chapter 58: Returning Home Late (1)

He Sanlang only returned to the estate when night fell.

He stopped over at Qingxi Hall before returning to Songtao Court.

After spending the entire day running about and meeting up with others, he hadn't eaten much in the way of food, but he had taken plenty of drinks.

Laiyue could clearly sense the slight pressure hanging around his master today. There was a cold expression adorning his handsome face, hidden in the shadows as he moved about the grounds. His lips were slightly pursed, and with the way his eyes were glinting beneath the starlight, his master resembled a goshawk crouching in the dark, lying in wait for the chance to catch his prey.

This bloodthirsty goshawk currently had his eyes fixed on Songtao Court, where Third Young Madam lived.

Laiyue gathered up the courage to remind him of his current state. "Young... Young Master, it's getting late. You've drunk quite a lot outside... Perhaps it might be better to go to bed early today."

Right after Laiyue finished speaking, He Changdi strode into the courtyard without even giving him a glance.

When the two older servants guarding the door saw that the young master had returned, they quickly bent in greeting.

He Changdi stood in the corridor outside the parlour after entering Songtao Court. He looked towards the main bedchamber, which was already shrouded in darkness, and the corners of his mouth tugged upwards indifferently.

As expected, this wicked woman had never treated him as her husband, just like in their previous life. She wasn't concerned at all even though he had returned late. He thought that things would be different this time, seeing how she had been acting these two days, but he was clearly just being stupid for even hoping so!

Laiyue didn't dare to say anything else and simply followed He Sanlang to the study.

When Laiyue cast a sideways glance at his master, he noticed the dark circles under his eyes and his unhealthy complexion. Then he recalled the earlier string of meetings where his master had been drinking but hadn’t had a bite to eat. He immediately said, "Young Master, this servant will go to the kitchen and bring you some soup to help you sober up."

He Sanlang rubbed his throbbing temples and shooed Laiyue away. Just as Laiyue was about to leave, he heard He Changdi say, "Check if there's anything to eat and bring it here together with the soup."

Laiyue made a sound of agreement and quickly left the study.

He Changdi sat behind his desk, leaning back in the chair. There was only a single flickering lamp lit in the study, casting shadows over his handsome face and adding a tinge of pallor and fragility to it.

He Sanlang's second brother was on duty in the Left Military Guards.

The Left Military Guards were formerly part of the Yulin Army, and were split into the Dragon Guards and the Tiger Guards.

The Dragon Guards were carefully picked from the families of the military officials, while the Tiger Guards were top martial experts selected from martial arts competitions and camps.

When you were born in better circumstances, you'd have plenty more opportunities.

The Tiger Guards were supposed to be on patrol in the palace today, but the commander of the Yulin Army, He Lin, had been sent out of the capital and had taken the Tiger Guards along with him. He Lin had served in the Tiger Guards, so he was closer to them. Thus, patrol duty had fallen to the Dragon Guards.

Amongst the Dragon Guards on patrol today was the Second Young Master of the Jing'an Estate, He Changjue.

In his past life, due to events happening during the patrol on this day, all of the Dragon Guards had been punished by martial law. As the leader of the Dragon Guards, He Changjue had been punished more heavily than the rest and was removed from the Left Military Guards. His legs never recovered properly and he was never able to practise martial arts again.

The Tiger Guards also started suppressing the Dragon Guards, causing a drop in their performance. After two months, they were no longer performing like they had before. Within a year, they were completely ousted from the Yulin Army. The Dragon Guards had ceased to exist.

Chapter 59: Returning Home Late (2)

This afternoon, He Sanlang had specially gone looking for his second brother before his patrol, and then had followed him into the palace. After waiting under a lush apricot tree in the outer palace, he had caught a little girl falling from the apricot tree.

This little girl was ten-year-old Princess Leyao, the child of the Emperor and Imperial Concubine Wei. Imperial Concubine Wei was in favour with the Emperor, and thus, Princess Leyao also became one of the Emperor's beloved children.

Imperial Concubine Wei didn't have any other children, let alone any princes, so her only daughter was extremely important to her.

In his previous life, Princess Leyao had climbed the apricot tree out of mischief and had fallen off one of the courtyard walls, hitting the back of her head and dying later on. The Emperor and Imperial Concubine Wei had flown into a rage and punished the Dragon Guards who had been on patrol that day.

In this life, He Sanlang had saved Princess Leyao, so naturally, the Dragon Guards were spared from punishment.

A heroic deed like this should have been announced publicly with great reward. However, Princess Leyao was already ten. If this were to be announced, the princess's reputation might be damaged. Thus, He Sanlang requested that the Emperor hide this matter.

Seeing that He Sanlang was smart and sensible, the Emperor had a good impression of him and asked what kind of reward he would like. He Sanlang refused to mention any reward, but made a small request of the Emperor. He also politely rejected Imperial Concubine Wei's offer of rewards.

The moment he left the palace, he was taken by his second brother to a restaurant, where all the Dragon Guards on patrol had thanked him.

There, he couldn't avoid drinking a round of wine with them.

He Changjue drank a little too much and leaned against his younger brother, asking him whether he would use this opportunity to enter the imperial court. He Sanlang looked at his oblivious older brother and could only shake his head.

As sons of a military house, the imperial court and the capital weren't places they could easily step into.

Unfortunately, it was no longer the era of the previous emperor. The current emperor favoured civil officials over the military. The sons of the military families couldn't possibly join the imperial examinations; they could only reach a high position through military achievements. They might not have any inkling of it now, but if they couldn't stabilise their power base in three to five years' time, then it would be hard for them to gain any traction in the capital as a military official. This wasn't an exception even for families like theirs, with generals serving out at the borders.

After returning to the estate with heavy thoughts weighing on his mind, He Sanlang was met with a cold, dark courtyard. Naturally, he wasn’t too happy.

He thought back to how he had listened to his grandmother's stories back when he was a young child. She had spoken of her shared love with his grandfather, and how they had overcome all manner of disasters together. He could only find it laughable that he had dreamed of marrying someone like that himself.

When he remembered his previous life, he felt that the creatures he couldn't trust the most in this world were women. Underneath those beautiful exteriors laid the hearts of snakes and scorpions.

After shutting his eyes for a moment, he heard a set of light footsteps from outside and Laiyue entered the study soon after.

"Young Master, here's the sobriety soup. Please drink it quickly while it's hot."

He Changdi scanned the table and could only see a bowl of soup and nothing else. He turned his gaze onto Laiyue, who instantly began to fidget awkwardly, stammering as he reported, "There's nothing already cooked in the kitchen. All the meals were prepared by Third Young Madam and her maidservants these two days, so the temporary cooks were sent back and there's only a senior servant left to watch the kitchen. This... this servant doesn't know how to cook."

In other words, while there were fresh ingredients in the kitchen, there wouldn't be any supper without a cook.

It was in the middle of summer, so to prevent any food from spoiling, they only cooked meals when needed. Furthermore, the food made from Chu Lian's secret recipes was so delicious that no one would leave any leftovers.

Laiyue looked anxious as he carefully watched his master's face.

Seeing He Changdi's sinister expression, Laiyue's pupils flickered as he tried to think of a way to resolve the situation. "Young... Young Master, this servant saw that there was still something to eat in the kitchen."

"Hm?"

Laiyue could only soldier on. "The watch servant said that Third Young Madam made some snow fungus and lotus seed porridge. It's sitting on a small fire now and it's meant for breakfast tomorrow. And... and she said that it'll only be good once it's brewed long enough."

Something that Chu Lian made? That she was keeping to eat all for herself?

He Sanlang coldly harrumphed and said, "Bring it here."

Even if that wicked woman had made it for herself, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to try some of it.

"Ah?" Laiyue had a conflicted expression. This... This wouldn't be good. What was wrong with Third Young Master? Why did he keep trying to steal Third Young Madam's food? He was like a young child racking his brains, trying everything he could to provoke the person he liked even as she kept ignoring him.

Of course, he didn't dare to say something like that out loud.

Chapter 60: Abandoning His Wife and Entering the Army (1)

"Did you hear me?" He Changdi turned the full force of his gaze onto Laiyue, who froze. The poor manservant replied in agreement and left to carry out his orders, though not without a troubled expression.

Halfway to the kitchen, Laiyue still felt uncomfortable. That look from Third Young Master had been like a firebrand; even though he hadn't been able to meet eye-to-eye with that fiery gaze, he still felt tense, as if his skin had been scorched by the encounter.

Laiyue shook his head helplessly. He couldn't understand how the gentle, refined Third Young Master had suddenly turned into this unreadable, fearsome young man.

No matter how much the servant in the kitchen pled, Laiyue still took away the bowl of snow fungus and lotus seed porridge sitting on the stove and brought it to the study.

When he brought it to He Sanlang and lifted the porcelain cover, the refreshing, delicious scent of lotus seeds drifted up. The porridge had been cooked until the rice grains were thin and sticky, while the snow fungus had turned translucent. There was no trace of the thick flavour of meat in the porridge; instead, there were plump, cute lotus seeds mixed in with the grains. Anyone’s appetite would have been awakened by the mere sight of it. This kind of porridge really suited the current hot summer.

Laiyue couldn't resist gulping as he watched from the side.

He Sanlang, on the other hand, inwardly snorted at the dish’s presentation. How had he missed this in his previous life? That wicked woman really knew how to eat well.

"Serve a bowl for me."

Laiyue scooped some porridge into a small celadon bowl and placed it in front of He Sanlang.

Without another word, He Sanlang dug in with his spoon, scooping some porridge into his mouth.

Soft, sticky, fragrant and sweet, it was simple and refreshing to the taste, exactly like its scent.

Since He Sanlang hadn't said anything, Laiyue stood by his side and didn't dare to move away. He watched as his reserved master, who usually didn't have much of an appetite, gulp down bowl after bowl of that snow fungus and lotus seed porridge without any hint of stopping...

By the time He Changdi put down his personal bowl, there was nothing left in the original dish that Laiyue had brought to the study. Not even a single grain remained...

Laiyue's mouth twitched and he lowered his head. He didn't dare to make a single sound and quietly took the bowls away from the study.

As he stood outside, Laiyue looked at the empty bowls and shook his head regretfully. It must’ve been delicious, based on the way Young Master had been so heartily eating. What a pity that Young Master hadn't missed a single drop; otherwise, maybe Laiyue could have had a taste of it too.

With food in his stomach, especially since it was something that Chu Lian had prepared for herself as next morning’s breakfast, He Sanlang's tense mood immediately relaxed into something lighter.

When he thought of how that wicked woman would wake up to find that the porridge she had worked so hard to make was gone, he felt positively elated.

Now filled with energy, he read some military strategy books for two more hours before he finally washed up and went to bed with a light heart.

Back in the kitchen, when the servant assigned to watch the porridge saw that Third Young Master's personal manservant had forcefully taken it away, she hurriedly ran to report to Senior Servant Gui.

Senior Servant Gui nodded and sent the servant back.

The next morning, the moment Chu Lian woke up, Senior Servant Gui reported the matter to her.

Chu Lian's mouth wordlessly twitched.

Conversely, it was Senior Servant Gui who filled in Chu Lian's thoughts.

She picked out a hairpin made with kingfisher feathers and inserted it into Chu Lian's hair. Senior Servant Gui smiled as she said, "Third Young Madam, you must have left that porridge out for Third Young Master on purpose!"

After getting exposed, Chu Lian's cheeks reddened as she blushed. She pouted. "Who would leave something out for that guy to eat? Didn't he eat before coming back?"

Senior Servant Gui smiled and stopped speaking, understanding that the young lady was too shy to admit it.

Chapter 61: Abandoning His Wife and Entering the Army (2)

Chu Lian blanked out. She was in a daze as she looked at herself in the mirror, her mind drifting far away.

In the few days after their wedding, she could tell that He Sanlang had no kind feelings at all for her. In fact, his indifference might even be to the point of hatred, although she didn't know where that hate had come from.

According to the novel, they had only seen each other a few times before the wedding, and they had been practically married blind.

As a main character, her looks were top-class, and she hadn't run into any scandals before the wedding. Rightfully speaking, it was hard to expect much from two strangers who had suddenly found themselves married to each other. Any sort of feelings should be out of the question; however, there shouldn’t have been any animosity, either...

But as fate would have it, everything was different from what Chu Lian had expected. Not only was He Sanlang totally different from the novel's male lead, he seemed to hate her quite a lot.

Chu Lian was fine with that, since she was currently the female lead and she could use her foreknowledge to her advantage. However, she also wasn't the original ‘Chu Lian’, and she couldn't possibly fall in love with Xiao Bojian.

She was part of House Jing'an now. After spending a few days in this family, she liked everyone except He Sanlang and she wanted to continue staying in this family. However, that meant that she had to consider the relationship between her and He Changdi.

Even if they couldn't be a loving couple who grew old together, they could still stop fighting each other. They could become normal friends who wouldn't hold grudges or interfere with each other's business.

She could live happily in the Jing'an Estate as a layabout. If she was bored, she could cook some delicacies and earn some money. After two years, if He Sanlang wanted children, she could even help him find a concubine or two to birth some heirs to carry on his family line.

Thus, this bowl of snow fungus and lotus seed porridge was actually a white flag and a sign of peace from Chu Lian to He Sanlang.

The two of them had to live under the same roof. There were still two or three more years before disaster would strike the Jing'an Household. Before that, the two of them were still considered husband and wife after all. They couldn't possibly continue hating each other and fighting everyday!

Even if he could go on with a life like that, she couldn't.

Chu Lian had made such careful plans, but she hadn't ever considered that He Changdi might have completely misread her actions and misunderstand entirely. Even now, He Sanlang was still sound asleep, thinking that he had stolen her breakfast!

"Third Young Madam, what would you like to eat this morning?" Mingyan came in to ask.

Chu Lian was pulled away from her thoughts. She glanced outside and saw that the sun had already risen; it was already getting hot so early in the morning. In this scorching summer, it was easy to become listless and lose appetite. Chu Lian's thoughts churned in her head and she suddenly thought of the clear, cooling raindrop mochi.

Just as she was about to speak up, a maidservant ran in to report.

Senior Servant Gui finished doing up Chu Lian's hair and furrowed her brows. She turned to look towards the rash maidservant and said, "What happened? What are you doing, forgetting your manners?"

The maidservant's head lowered, but she didn't dare to delay her report. "Third Young Madam, momo, Senior Servant Liu from Qingxi Hall sent someone over with a message. She asked Third Young Madam to head over to Qingxi Hall as soon as possible."

Chu Lian frowned. A message from Senior Servant Liu?

Senior Servant Liu was one of Matriarch He's most trusted servants. Her words were almost equivalent to Matriarch He's. Something big must have happened since she had sent a message in such a hurry.

Chu Lian quickly tidied up her dress and brought Xiyan and Fuyan over to Qingxi Hall with her. Before stepping out of the courtyard, she recalled He Changdi and asked, "What about my husband? Is he still sleeping?"

Senior Servant Gui shook her head. "I sent a maidservant over to look. The study was already cleaned up and there was no one inside. Perhaps Young Master is in the main study in the outer court."

Chu Lian nodded. "Momo, send someone over and ask him to head to Qingxi Hall too."

"Understood."

When Chu Lian reached Qingxi Hall, everyone else in the Jing'an Estate, excluding the bedridden Countess Jing'an and He Changdi, were already there. Even the rarely seen Second Young Master, He Changjue, was present.

The moment she entered the parlour, everyone's gazes turned onto her. If she wasn't reading them wrongly, those eyes were clearly filled with sympathy and guilt.

Chapter 62: Abandoning His Wife and Entering the Army (3)

Chu Lian's big, clear eyes blinked once. What was going on? She was alive and well; why were they all looking at her like she had been suffering in silence all alone and they had just found out about it? What was there to pity her for?

"Grandmother, Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-Law, Second Brother."

Chu Lian bobbed in greeting to each senior family member.

Matriarch He waved her over. "Lian'er, come sit next to Grandmother."

Ah? Chu Lian glanced at her eldest brother and sister-in-law sitting a tier below the matriarch. Although she was reluctant to, she could only slowly walk over to the matriarch's side. Matriarch He's warm hands tugged her down to sit on the sofa.

Chu Lian looked at Madam Zou and checked for any hint of jealousy on her face, but upon seeing none, she relaxed.

The matriarch kept staring at her pretty granddaughter-in-law before she inwardly sighed.

Chu Lian found it weird that everyone was staring at her. Even the matriarch was holding one of her hands, patting it gently as if to comfort her for some mysterious reason.

She innocently blinked. "Grandmother, is anything the matter?"

Matriarch He patted her head gently, absentmindedly noticing that her hair hadn't been brushed thoroughly in her rush to get here, and sighed. "Lian'er, Grandmother has something to tell you. But first, promise Grandmother that you won't get angry."

Chu Lian smiled to herself. As long as it wasn't something that concerned her safety, there wasn't really anything in the Great Wu Dynasty that could make her angry.

Still, Matriarch He’s words had piqued her curiosity. "Grandmother, please speak freely. Granddaughter-in-Law isn't so petty as to get angry."

The matriarch paused for a moment, as if she didn’t believe Chu Lian’s reassurance. When she did speak, it was with some degree of guilt. "Alright, my child. Grandmother will tell you now. Sanlang has gone off to the northern border to join the army. He left this morning before dawn."

Chu Lian froze; she hadn't expected that at all.

Wait a minute, something was wrong here... How could that be?

The novel's He Changdi had never thought of joining the army. This could be seen from how he had never taken up any official post despite growing up in a military official's family. How... how could he have gone off to join the army now?!

Why did it seem like the story was changing? He Sanlang was completely ignoring the novel's original plotline.

If everyone in the room right now could see what Chu Lian was thinking, they would surely roll their eyes.

As He Sanlang's young, newlywed wife, wasn’t your focus a little off, Chu Lian?

Shouldn't you be trying to think of why your husband would abandon his newlywed wife to join the army, rather than worry about how the current events didn’t match the original fiction?

For a good several moments, Chu Lian was completely preoccupied with her thoughts. Seen through the eyes of the He Family, it looked like she was at a loss for what to do.

The matriarch’s heart ached even more for her grandaughter-in-law. "Don't be sad, child. You still have your eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, and second brother and Grandmother here!"

To the others, Chu Lian looked like a lost lamb utterly shattered by the news, but only she knew what she was thinking inside her heart.

Chu Lian was secretly raging at He Changdi.

It seemed like that guy was hell bent on separating from her. After eating her cooking, he had actually just upped and left! He had such a pretty face, but what a pity that his personality was so terrible! Now that this had come about, she wanted to wait and see what he was going to get up to at the northern border!

Since the two of them couldn't be friends, then they might as well cut all ties!

It wasn't like she couldn't live without him.

Actually, it was a good thing that he was gone. Now she could live freely at the Jing'an Estate without anyone interfering or disturbing her!

Chu Lian didn't take it to heart at all. If it hadn't been for the novel's description of He Changdi's excellent personality, she wouldn't have held any expectations towards him at all. Now that all those expectations had already fallen short, she didn't have any hopes for He Sanlang anymore. There was nothing to be sad about for her.

Chu Lian smiled. "Grandmother, I know you're all here for me. Even if Husband isn't here, I'll continue living well."

Her genuine smile seemed like a fake one to mask her sadness. Even the usually inconsiderate He Changjue spoke up. "Sister-in-Law, please don't be sad. I'm working in the Left Military Guards. The moment there's any news about my brother, I'll bring it back to Sister-in-Law."

Thus, Chu Lian passed her morning accepting comfort from her family. Matriarch He even specially gifted her with a jade ornament inlaid with gold to comfort her.

From the looks of the ornament, it must be worth at least a thousand taels.

Chapter 63: Abandoning His Wife and Entering the Army (4)

A little giddy from all the proceedings, Chu Lian brought back a pile of presents from Qingxi Hall to Songtao Court.

The moment she entered, Senior Servant Gui was shocked by all the boxes Xiyan and Fuyan were carrying in.

"What happened?"

Xiyan and Fuyan clearly weren't as calm as Chu Lian was. They looked rather listless. Xiyan was the one to speak up. "The matriarch and Eldest Young Madam gifted these to Third Young Madam."

"Ah? It's not a special occasion, so what are these gifts for?" The boxes alone already looked expensive; she could give a good guess at the value of the items inside.

Although the Jing'an Estate was much wealthier than the Ying Estate, senior family members wouldn't randomly hand out precious gifts to their juniors without any reason.

Xiyan cast a glance at Chu Lian, and seeing that her mistress didn't seem opposed, she reported the matter of He Sanlang going off to the northern border early in the morning.

Senior Servant Gui's eyes widened. "What! Third Young Master just left?"

Chu Lian calmly looked at the servants around her and said, "Put everything away. I'm a little tired, so I'm going to take a nap."

It was then that Senior Servant Gui took a look at Chu Lian. It was the middle of summer, so they were dressed in fewer layers. Chu Lian had rushed over to Qingxi Hall right after waking up, so she had quickly picked out a light dress. The breeze sweeping through the room had pushed her clothes flush against her body, making her seem weak and thin.

Senior Servant Gui thought of how Sixth Miss had suffered these few days. Her husband had been at loggerheads with her right after their wedding, and now he had abandoned her for the army! He hadn't even given her any notice and she had had to find out from the matriarch instead.

How much Sixth Miss must be suffering in her heart...

While thinking of all the recent events, Senior Servant Gui couldn't help but shed a few tears in sympathy for her mistress.

The personal maidservants also had sad expressions on their faces.

Senior Servant Gui saw that the atmosphere in the parlour had dampened, so she quickly wiped at her tears with a handkerchief. Then, she took to scolding them in a low voice. "Why the gloomy faces! Your mistress is standing hale and hearty before you! Dismissed, dismissed! Go off to your chores! It's not like Third Young Master will never return. This is his home; no matter where he goes, he'll still have this place in his heart."

All the maidservants left in a hurry.

However, Senior Servant Gui knew that the situation wasn't as good as she had tried to make it seem.

She knew what kind of place the northern border was. Since Third Young Master had gone there to join the army, once he entered the border troops, he'd have to stay there for a full five years unless he somehow achieved some merit!

Five years!

Third Young Madam was fifteen this year. She would be sixteen next year. If Third Young Master really stayed at the border for five years, Third Young Madam would be twenty by the time he came back.

Five years... How was Third Young Madam supposed to wait for him? Those were supposed to be the best years of a woman's life.

How could Third Young Master treat their Sixth Miss this way?

However, Chu Lian's thoughts were completely different from Senior Servant Gui's. She was currently wearing a yellow halter top undergarment and white lounge pants as she lied on her large bed. Her legs were crossed as she fanned herself with a round fan. In the other hand, Chu Lian held a comedy book, which she was happily reading.

Whenever she got to an interesting part, she would even forget to fan herself.

She would also murmur to herself from time to time.

"I didn't think that the ancients would have such vivid imaginations; they even wrote stories with gender roles reversed! Tsk, tsk... Too bad it's not the guys giving birth, though."

Chapter 64: Raindrop Mochi and Iced Desserts (1)

It was currently in the middle of a scorching summer. Her husband, He Sanlang, had suddenly traipsed off to the borders to join the army just a few days after their marriage, so everyone in the Jing'an Estate took pity on her.

In the afternoon, Matriarch He sent one of her personal maidservants over with half a basin of ice. Seeing that Chu Lian was still sleeping in the bedroom, the maidservant instructed Senior Servant Gui to place the ice inside to alleviate the heat.

There weren't many ice cellars in the capital, and they hadn't stored a lot of ice last year. Most of the ice had been sent to the palace. Even if there was extra, it would be sent to the estates of the other members of the imperial family. Most of the nobility wouldn't be able to get their hands on enough ice to use.

Thus, it was extraordinary that Matriarch He had actually sent a basin of ice over to Third Young Madam.

Senior Servant Gui escorted Muxiang, the maidservant who had sent over the ice, out of the courtyard. Rather than being happy over the unexpected gift, she looked sad as she sighed. Anyone could see that the ice was merely some form of compensation for Third Young Madam.

Third Young Master was already gone. What kind of compensation could make up for not having your husband by your side?

Perhaps the ice had really made the room cooler; Chu Lian slept exceptionally well that afternoon. She didn't even get up when Fuyan came in to call her for lunch.

It was already late afternoon by the time she woke up. Chu Lian felt the refreshing coolness the moment she sat up on the bed, rather dazed from sleep.

She stood up and pushed the curtains of the bed aside. There was a wooden bucket filled with ice set down right beside the bed.

Chu Lian let out a gasp of surprise. She didn’t even spare the time to put on her embroidered shoes before she was rushing forward, peering into the ice bucket. There was still a piece of ice about as large as her head floating inside.

Xiyan was working on some embroidery as she remained on standby in the outer chamber. When she heard Chu Lian's gasp, she hurriedly ran in. "Third Young Madam, did anything happen?"

Chu Lian pointed at the bucket. Her eyes were wide as she asked, "Where did all this ice come from?"

The corners of Xiyan's mouth pulled downwards grimly. Although the ice was a great gift, it was meant to act as consolation for He Sanlang's leaving. She held mixed feelings towards it.

"The matriarch ordered someone to send it over to Third Young Madam in order to relieve the summer heat."

Chu Lian instantly realised why Matriarch He had sent over the ice, despite it being so valuable. The Jing'an Estate wouldn't normally get any to use for themselves.

However, she wasn't thinking as deeply as Senior Servant Gui and the rest were. Since Matriarch He had given it to her, she was going to happily make use of it!

Otherwise, it would go to waste!

"Quick, get me a small cotton blanket," Chu Lian said. Though her expression hardly changed, there was a degree of excitement to her manner.

Xiyan, still in the midst of her bout of sadness, wasn’t expecting that. She let out a soft ‘ah?’ and looked up at Chu Lian in confusion.

"Quickly, quickly. What are you standing there blanking out for?"

Xiyan wiped at the corners of her eyes. "But... but... Third Young Madam, what do you want a cotton blanket for?"

Chu Lian flicked Xiyan on the forehead. "What else is it for? To make all this ice melt slower. I want to use them to make desserts with shaved ice!"

"Shaved... shaved ice..." The thought was enough to completely distract Xiyan from her earlier gloominess. The hurt on her face also disappeared.

"Yeah! Shaved ice is delicious and helps relieve the heat. Go on, quickly!"

Thus, Xiyan was driven out to find a cotton blanket for Chu Lian.

When Xiyan returned, blanket in hand, she watched as Third Young Madam used it to cover up the wooden bucket. She didn’t seem to know whether to laugh or cry as a strange expression overtook her previously downcast face.

"Get me a change of clothes. I want to see what we have in the kitchen that I can use to make shaved ice with!"

Finally, Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan went along with her to the kitchen.

Chapter 65: Raindrop Mochi and Iced Desserts (2)

Chu Lian looked over the ingredients that had been sent over to their kitchen this morning: amethyst-coloured grapes, red honey peaches, mandarins, and a few other fruits. She nodded to herself and picked out several fresh lotus roots, some lotus seeds with their bitter centers removed, some water chestnuts, and a few other ingredients she would need. She then sent Xiyan to the second gate to ask the gatekeeper to buy a bottle of milk from outside.

While waiting for Xiyan to return, Chu Lian was already starting to prepare the ingredients in the kitchen. This time, she didn't get anyone to help her and worked on the dish herself.

Senior Servant Gui only knew the name of the dish that Third Young Madam wanted to make, but she didn't know how to make it herself. Thus, she simply stood to one side and watched.

Chu Lian was someone who would focus solely on the task at hand; it was like her surroundings didn’t even exist. This was especially so when she was making delicacies.

However, in Senior Servant Gui's eyes, her concentration seemed more like a dazed look of distraction, like she was trying to cover up her sadness.

When Chu Lian finished preparing all the fruits she would need for the shaved ice dessert, she noticed that Xiyan still hadn't returned. Her search brought her to a small bucket of glutinous rice, soaking in the corner of the kitchen. Chu Lian instantly thought of the raindrop mochi she had been preparing to make earlier that morning. Since they had ice today… An idea popped into her mind. She called the servant stationed in the kitchen and asked her to find a bag of soy bean flour.

It was easy to make raindrop mochi, and their appearance and taste was best suited for summer.

Senior Servant Gui was still feeling a little sad for Third Young Madam as she watched her busy herself with making food. But the longer she watched, the more Senior Servant Gui grew entranced by the delicacies Third Young Madam was making.

Heavens, was that clear dessert the size of a large pearl really made from glutinous rice?

It was unbelievable! She hadn't seen such a beautiful dessert in all her years of living.

Around this time, Xiyan came back with a large jar of milk. Chu Lian then sent the maidservants off to retrieve the leftover ice from the bedroom. Ten minutes later, she finished making both the shaved ice dessert and the raindrop mochi.

Chu Lian instructed Xiyan and Mingyan to bring the desserts to the parlour while she returned to her bedroom for a fresh set of clothes.

There were several portions of each dessert. Chu Lian told Senior Servant Gui to find someone to send a portion to Matriarch He over at Qingxi Hall, and while she was at it, to Madam Zou as well. Since Madam Zou also lived with her daughters, Chu Lian sent a larger portion their way. As for her mother-in-law, Madam Liu, it wouldn't be good for her to eat cold foods due to her condition, so Chu Lian only sent the raindrop mochi over.

It wasn’t very appropriate to visit her seniors after she had just sent them gifts, especially as He Sanlang had left earlier that day. Thus, Chu Lian settled down with her personal maidservants, enjoying the fruits of her labour in the comfort of her own parlour.

When she finished eating, Senior Servant Gui saw that Third Young Madam looked a little weary. She couldn't resist trying to improve her mood a little. "Third Young Madam, please don't be sad. Perhaps Third Young Master has a lucky star shining upon him and he'll be able to come back within two years."

Although she had just eaten some desserts to relieve the heat of summer, Chu Lian still thought it wasn't refreshing enough. She didn't like summer in the first place, and that dislike made her seem somewhat fatigued. To her, Senior Servant Gui’s remark had come completely out of the blue. Chu Lian tilted her head and stared. "Momo, I'm not sad at all. Since my husband's gone, then so be it. Even if I cry to the heavens, it's not like he'll come back. Wouldn't it just be a waste of my tears and energy? Why not just live happily, eat some good food, and pass my days peacefully here in the estate?"

Senior Servant Gui looked at Third Young Madam, who was looking at her with her head crooked to one side. She looked as pretty as ever, despite being a little tired. Still, it felt like there was something wrong with her words.

However, when Senior Servant Gui thought about it carefully, there wasn’t actually anything amiss with what Third Young Madam had said.

In the end, she couldn't say anything in response.

Over at Qingxi Hall, Senior Servant Liu received the desserts that Chu Lian had sent over via Xiyan.

Though they were both as quiet as possible as they asked after each other, Matriarch He, who was entertaining the old Duchess of House Zheng, still heard them.

"What's going on outside?" The matriarch's low voice echoed through the hall.

Senior Servant Liu hurriedly brought the containers of food to the porch and reported, "Replying to the matriarch, Third Young Madam sent her maidservant over with some desserts!"

Chapter 66: Old Friends (1)

Although the matriarch was getting along in age, there weren’t many other family members who could take charge of the entire estate. Thus, Matriarch He had a hand in managing each courtyard. Every day, someone would come to report the actions of the courtyards’ masters.

Several days ago, the matriarch had gotten a taste of Chu Lian’s candied kumquats. Matriarch He had even specially praised them.

Previously, whenever any guest of note visited the Jing’an Estate, they would definitely be served some of Cook Zhou’s special snacks. However, these special snacks had passed away with Cook Zhou in the great kitchen fire. For the guests that visited them now, the snacks seemed to have turned disappointingly ordinary.

Their current guest was an old madam from House Zheng. She was an old friend from back when Matriarch He was still an unmarried young lady. Their friendship had endured for decades: from their youth, all the way up until now, when they were both the matriarchs of their respective families. It was only natural that a friendship such as theirs couldn’t be compared to the relations between other noble ladies.

Old Duchess Zheng was curious. She had never seen Chu Lian before.

She used this fact to tease Matriarch He. “Hey, my dear sister, why didn’t you tell me that your granddaughter-in-law knows how to make desserts? Now that your pastry chef is gone, eating snacks here isn’t as enjoyable as it used to be!”

The two of them were old friends, so they could speak more freely with each other. Thus, Matriarch He ordered Senior Servant Liu to serve the pastries that Chu Lian had made.

When Senior Servant Liu lifted the lid of the container, she couldn’t help but let out a gasp of surprise.

Matriarch He glared at her a little unhappily.

“Matriarch, please forgive my rudeness. These desserts simply looked too beautiful and I lost my composure.”

“Oh? What kind of dessert could make Xiangyun lose her composure? Quick, bring it out and show me,” Old Duchess Zheng urged.

Xiangyun was Senior Servant Liu’s name when she had been a young maidservant.

By the time Senior Servant Liu finished placing the desserts on a small side table, even the two matriarchs who had seen many a dessert in their time were wide-eyed.

The shaved iced dessert was not only fragrant, but also visually pleasing. Served in a porcelain bowl, the various colours of the fruits contrasted well against both the white of the dish and that of the milk. A few red orchids were arranged by the side of the bowl, making it look more like a piece of art than a midday treat. They almost couldn’t bear to eat it.

On the other hand, there was a clear, round water droplet that looked extremely interesting. It was served in a long, shallow dark green bowl. There was a single lotus leaf underneath the droplet, and served beside it was brown syrup and soybean powder. It looked just like a large bead of morning dew as it rested atop the lotus leaf. They had never seen anything quite like it before.

While the two madams were admiring the desserts, Senior Servant Liu spoke up.

“Matriarch, Third Young Madam said that it would have been a waste if she didn’t make some desserts with the ice you sent over today. Thus, in return, she sent over this iced dessert and raindrop mochi. However, these two desserts are cold, so please don’t eat too much of it since your bodies might not be able to take it.”

Old Duchess Zheng curiously looked up. “You sent ice over?”

Matriarch He took the initiative to explain how He Changdi had rushed off to the northern border. That child had clearly arranged everything early on, but he had only left a letter behind to explain where he had gone. She had sent Dalang to look for him, but there had been no news at all after most of the day had passed. It was obvious that He Changdi had already decided on this plan of his and had made his preparations beforehand; what a pity for her newlywed granddaughter-in-law.

Old Duchess Zheng frowned. “Sister, you have to arrange things carefully and make sure the servants in your estate keep their mouths shut. Otherwise, your granddaughter-in-law’s good name might be tarnished!”

“Of course I know that. That grandson of mine caused too much trouble this time!”

Chapter 67: Old Friends (2)

No matter what, He Changdi was Matriarch He’s favourite grandson. She couldn’t bear to blame him despite what he had done. Furthermore, he had already come of age; he was supposed to strike out on his own and make something of himself anyway. The Jing’an Estate could not afford to keep any lazy masters around.

Though, Matriarch He did blame He Changdi for leaving so hurriedly without speaking with his family first.

As for Chu Lian’s reputation, He Changdi didn’t seem to care much for his new wife anyway, so how could he have possibly made any considerations for her good name?

“Ey… Let’s not talk about that now. Let’s try out the desserts my granddaughter-in-law made.”

Old Duchess Zheng smiled and graciously accepted a silver spoon that one of the maidservants passed to her. She then scooped up a small bite of the shaved ice and carefully tasted it.

The taste of fruits soaked in honey, sweetened lotus, fresh water chestnut, and fragrant milk mixed in her mouth. It was ice-cold, refreshing, and carried the lovely taste of fruit; it was the best dessert you could have in this blistering summer heat.

Old Duchess Zheng immediately nodded her appreciation after only tasting a single bite. “After living for so many years, I’ve never had such a delicious dessert before! Old sister, you’re quite fortunate, aren’t you?”

Matriarch He hadn’t really had any expectations towards Chu Lian, but her culinary skills had earned her old friend’s praise and had given her something to be proud of. She immediately smiled from ear to ear, temporarily forgetting all about the melancholy and worry that He Changdi’s sudden departure had brought about.

The two old duchesses were both getting on in age, so they didn’t dare to eat much more of the cold desserts, delicious as they were. In the end, they held themselves back and only ate half a bowl each. The servants by their sides also relaxed upon seeing this.

“I can’t just partake in a gift from a junior for nothing. Here, help me give this bracelet to that granddaughter-in-law of yours. You’ll have to let me take a look at her one of these days.” Old Duchess Zheng took off the emerald jade bracelet on her wrist as she spoke.

The bracelet was clearly one of high quality, judging from the way the emerald streaked through the jade.

Matriarch He understood the personality of her old friend well, so she didn’t reject the gift and let Senior Servant Liu accept it.

“I heard your grandson, Mister Cheng, likes eating interesting desserts like these. Why don’t you take the rest of it home with you?”

“I won’t stand on ceremony with you then. Little Cheng does love new desserts.”

Mister Cheng’s full name was Zheng Tiancheng, and he was Duke Zheng’s heir. He was the same age as He Changdi and was also a young master born from the main branch of the family. However, he was the only legitimate son in his generation living in the Zheng Estate, so Old Duchess Zheng doted on him very much.

Heir Zheng liked to eat good food, especially the snacks from the Jing’an Esate. Old Duchess Zheng would always bring some back for her grandson every time she visited Matriarch He.

She was still lamenting Cook Zhou’s loss, but now that Matriarch He had given her the snacks made by her granddaughter-in-law, she was happy again.

Senior Servant Liu remembered the advice that Xiyan had given her when she had brought the desserts over. “Third Young Madam said that this dessert can’t be kept for more than half a day. Otherwise, it’ll spoil.”

Old Duchess Zheng laughed out loud. “Alright, I understand. It’s getting late, so I’ll return now. Old Sister, don’t worry too much about your Sanlang. I’ll ask my husband to keep an ear out for news in a few days.”

After exchanging some courtesies, Matriarch He sent her old friend away.

When Old Duchess Zheng returned home, she coincidentally encountered her grandson returning home, too.

He was dressed in a round-necked sapphire blue robe with a jade crown on his head. Although he had an average figure, his eyes would slightly crinkle whenever he smiled, making him appear quite warm and friendly.

“Grandmother, where did you go today?”

Old Duchess Zheng chuckled. “You little monkey! Are you trying to mind your grandmother’s business now? Grandmother went to the Jing’an Estate to visit an old friend; this is for you.”

The personal maidservant standing behind the duchess passed over a small container with some cool vapour rising from it.

“The signature snacks of the the Jing’an Estate?”

“No, not at all. The new Third Young Madam of the Jing’an Estate made this. Go and try them quickly; they can’t keep for long. Grandmother’s tired now, so Grandmother will head back and rest. Don’t disturb me.”

Heir Zheng took the snacks. He remembered that his senior brother from the Imperial College, Senior Xiao, had just come to visit him, so he hurried to the outer court.

Chapter 68: Personal Savings (1)

When Heir Zheng reached the outer court’s parlour, he saw two young men dressed in black robes, already seated and waiting for him.

He quickly strode forward, and the two young men stood up to welcome him.

"Heir Zheng."

"Ah, senior brothers, please don't stand on ceremony. Please call me Tiancheng. Sit down, sit down."

Of the two young men, one of them was exceptionally handsome; of course, that was Xiao Bojian. The other young man, Qi Minhe, lived in the same place as Xiao Bojian. He had a square face and thick eyebrows, and he looked a little old.

Qi Minhe came from one of the great clans of Jiangnan, and he was very loyal to his clan. The two young men were top students of the Imperial College. They were both about twenty years old, the time when many youths were filled with lofty aspirations.

When Qi Minhe saw that Heir Zheng had come holding a container in his hands, he found it strange and asked, "Tiancheng, what are you holding there?"

Heir Zheng chuckled secretively and invited the two of them to sit by a table. He then ordered the maidservants to pour some sencha for them.

He placed the container on the table carefully and said, "These are snacks from the Jing'an Estate."

Qi Minhe was born from nobility and was used to all sorts of delicacies. He was extremely particular about anything he ate. Having studied at the Imperial College for more than three years, Qi Minhe knew all about the food served in every single estate in the capital. He had researched the topic until he knew it like the back of his hand. The Jing'an Estate's snacks were famous, but he had never had the chance to try any before. When he heard that Tiancheng was currently in possession of some, he was both surprised and elated.

Xiao Bojian blanked out for a moment; the Jing'an Estate... was Chu Lian's husband's family. The image of the young man he had seen accompanying Chu Lian in the Ying Estate flashed through his mind.

With elegantly arched brows, a cold aura, and thin lips, that man had placed himself between him and Chu Lian, held onto her hand, and left, without even letting him have another look at her.

Heir Zheng noticed that Xiao Bojian was in a daze. "Senior Xiao?"

"We'll be enjoying these snacks all thanks to you then, Tiancheng."

Heir Zheng smiled freely and opened up the container, which still felt cool. There was thick cotton cloth stuffed on the inside, keeping heat out of the box and maintaining the cool temperature inside.

When Heir Zheng saw the desserts within the box, he froze for a moment. "This..."

"Tiancheng, what happened?"

Heir Zheng brought out the desserts in the box, still a little shaken. "Look at this."

He had eaten plenty of different snacks before, including even the ones from the palace, but never had Heir Zheng ever seen such beautiful, distinctive snacks like these before.

Xiao Bojian and Qi Minhe were equally stunned.

Qi Minhe lamented, "No wonder everyone says that the Jing'an Estate's snacks are the best amongst the noble families. They are indeed extraordinary."

The water droplet lying upon the lotus leaf trembled like a real dewdrop.

However, Heir Zheng frowned slightly.

Qi Minhe noticed that he looked a little off, so he called to him, perplexed. "Tiancheng?"

Heir Zheng looked up at the two men. "Truth be told, I've eaten the snacks from the Jing'an Estate many times. They really are as delicious as rumoured, but it's the first time I've seen a dessert like this."

After saying so, Heir Zheng recalled what his grandmother had told him when she had given him the desserts. Grandmother had said that these were made by the new Third Young Madam of the Jing'an Estate.

When he remembered that, Heir Zheng quickly sent his personal manservant off to the inner court to ask the old duchess.

"Oh? Has House Jing'an changed the way they make their pastries?" Qi Minhe chuckled.

"Grandmother told me that these were made by the Third Young Madam of House Jing'an."

The other two didn't notice when Xiao Bojian's entire body stiffened; it was a cruel coincidence that the next joke out of Qi Minhe’s mouth was, "The Third Young Madam of House Jing'an? Eh? Isn't that the granddaughter of Old Duke Ying?"

He turned to Xiao Bojian. "Bojian, Old Duke Ying is your sponsor. Have you seen this Third Young Madam for yourself when you were at the Ying Estate?"

Even though his body was still a little stiff, Xiao Bojian replied with a normal expression, "Although I lived in the Ying Estate for some time, how could I, an outsider, possibly have entered the inner court of a duke's estate? Don't joke around."

He had an open face and good looks, so it was hard for people to doubt him. Qi Minhe quickly apologised. "I went too far."

They chatted as they watched the maidservants pour sencha for them. Finally, the manservant that Heir Zheng had sent to the old duchess returned.

"How was it?" Heir Zheng asked.

The manservant slightly bowed to show his respect as he said, "Reporting to the heir. The Jing'an Estate’s resident pastry chef passed away in a kitchen fire two days ago. The desserts that the duchess brought back today were indeed made by the Third Young Madam of House Jing'an. She even named the dessert as 'raindrop mochi'."

Heir Zheng was a little stunned. What a pity that the amazing pastry chef was gone just like that. However, a cook was just a servant to the nobility; if they were gone, then they were gone.

Heir Zheng didn't say anything more and waved the manservant away.

"Come, let's stop talking. I was told that these desserts don't keep for long. Senior brothers, why don't you have a taste?"

They took up little silver spoons and tasted each of the desserts. Heir Zheng and Qi Minhe's eyes lit up, and they only had praise for the desserts.

There was something special about pairing the refreshingly smooth raindrop mochi with sencha.

Only Xiao Bojian dwelled on his bitter feelings alone, a dark glint flashing through the depths of his eyes.

He thought of the girl who had now become the Third Young Madam of House Jing'an: a tender, gentle, brave and careful woman. If not for her engagement, perhaps she would be personally brewing soups for him at home right now.

The first person to taste this new, delicious raindrop mochi would have been him. The person showing off his perfect wife in front of his fellow students would also be him.

Under the cover of his broad sleeves, his hands curled into fists until his knuckles turned white.

Chapter 69: Personal Savings (2)

Meanwhile, back at the Jing’an Estate’s Songtao Court, Chu Lian was peacefully sleeping, completely unaware of all that had transpired.

After eating the desserts with the servants, Chu Lian had retired to her bedroom.

There was a small study by the bedroom she shared with He Sanlang, and it was meant for her use. It wasn't very big, but since it was right next to the bedroom, it was convenient.

Chu Lian whiled away her afternoon inside the small study. The books she had brought over from the Ying Estate were placed on the bookshelves here, as well as the books that the Jing'an Estate had added on. There weren't many of them. On the bottommost shelf, there was a pear blossom wood container with copies of some of the works by a few famous calligraphy masters.

In the original story, although 'Chu Lian' hadn't been exceptional in calligraphy, her handwriting had still been neat, delicate, and pretty.

Chu Lian didn't have any big ambitions, but she still understood that her calligraphy skills weren't good enough. She couldn't even read all of the traditional Chinese characters in that comedy book she had been reading... she usually just guessed at them.

Thus, come afternoon, Chu Lian sent away her maidservants and left Xiyan to guard the door outside. Then, in the safety of the study, she practised her writing in secret, making use of an empty book that she had found earlier.

After writing for two hours, Chu Lian tossed the previously empty book into the charcoal brazier and burned it. She had a good memory, so the two hours of practice was good enough to learn over a hundred or so characters. Chu Lian was pretty satisfied with her progress.

Following her calligraphy practice, Chu Lian sent Xiyan out to bring back the box she kept her money and accessories in. She wanted to see exactly how much money she had.

Senior Servant Gui watched from the side.

First, Chu Lian looked at the public account books, where the expenses of their courtyard had been recorded. Every month, they would be given a stipend from the Jing'an Household. Of course, the salaries of all the servants in their courtyard were to be paid from this stipend.

There were almost eighty taels of silver in the public account. These were saved up from the time when He Changdi had been the sole master residing in this courtyard, and when there had been fewer servants around.

Otherwise, in most situations, the stipend wouldn't be enough to cover the monthly expenses, and they would have to fork out a portion of their own personal accounts.

Chu Lian put down the account books and ordered Xiyan to open up the chest where they kept the silver for daily expenses. It was a huge chest with several layers, but only the first layer contained anything: a few silver ingots, some loose silver pieces, and a few strings of bronze coins.

There were fifty taels in total.

Together with the silver she had gotten on the day of her wedding, and after giving Senior Servant Gui a hundred taels, she only had four hundred taels left with her.

She hadn't saved much from when she was still living at the Ying Estate. Furthermore, her mother had died when she was young, so she didn't have any silver lying around.

In total, she only had about four hundred and fifty taels of silver she could use.

Although Chu Lian's expression didn't change at all, Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan appeared to be holding back their emotions.

Their mistress had lost her mother at a young age, and wasn't in favour at the Ying Estate. Chu Lian's stepmother, Third Madam, had kept Third Young Madam's dowry in her clutches. Third Master wasn't on her side either. The Ying Household all thought that their Sixth Miss must have had some tremendous luck to marry into the Jing'an Estate, and that she would be rolling in riches. The misses of the second branch were all jealous of her, so of course, none of them would contribute anything to the dowry of Sixth Miss.

If not for the Jing'an Estate adding on a little to the dowry, then this pitiful amount would have been mocked by all.

As a legitimate daughter of the family, her dowry couldn't even be compared to the dowry of an illegitimate daughter who was favoured.

After marrying into the He Family, Sixth Miss had also been treated callously by Third Young Master...

It was fortunate that their Sixth Miss wasn't upset over her marriage, otherwise she would have probably gotten sick from anger.

Chu Lian wasn't bothered by what the servants next to her were likely thinking.

She picked up the last box.

This was her accessory box, and she had kept it since she was a young girl.

After so many years, she only had this one box of accessories. Looking down at the box, Chu Lian felt a pang of sympathy for the original owner of this body.

At the very least, she was a legitimate daughter of a duke's estate. However, her clothing and accessories were way too poor for her status. No wonder her personality had warped like that.

Anyone's personality would change if they grew up in such an environment.

Chu Lian retrieved the key she carried on her and opened up the box.

The craftsmanship of the box was exquisite. There were ten layers in total, and each layer was lined in bronze. There were even complicated-looking patterns carved on top.

The bottommost layer in the box held the accessories she had been given when she was just born. Senior Servant Gui had told her that she had probably worn them when she was around a year to three years old.

There weren't many accessories she could wear in her infancy. So, this layer only had a few pairs of gold bracelets and anklets, as well as some necklaces and flowers made from gold and pearls. After rummaging about in the box, there were even a few good jade ornaments. It was clear that the original 'Chu Lian' had been treated well when she had just been born, since she was Third Master's first child.

The accessories in the second layer were the accessories she had worn after she had turned three.

There were a few head accessories, but it was obvious that they weren't as exquisitely made as the ones from her infancy. As she went through the layers, there were fewer and fewer accessories that were actually worth something. After the age of ten, there wasn't even a single gold accessory in the tray.

All the accessories in the box weren't fit to wear now, because they had all been used before. Chu Lian picked out a few jade ornaments that had sentimental value, then sorted the gold accessories from the silver. She passed them to Senior Servant Gui and instructed her to have them melted into gold and silver pieces for future use.

After organising the box a little, Chu Lian turned to the accessory case she was currently using.

Chapter 70: Being a Virtuous Wife (1)

Her current accessory case was made of fragrant rosewood and wasn't very big. However, it was rather finely made, consisting of multiple layers that Chu Lian began to open one by one.. There were quite a few accessories inside, but the ones with any actual worth were few in number.

While these accessories were fine for normal everyday wear, there weren't many that were suitable to wear for special occasions.

There was only a ruby hair ornament decorated with colourful butterflies that she might be able to wear outside. This hair ornament had previously been mentioned in the novel as well; it had been given to 'Chu Lian' by her mother.

As for the rest, there were only the lucky jade amulet from Matriarch He and the crimson jade bangle from Countess Jing’an.

Rightfully speaking, the Jing'an Estate should have given their new family member some new accessories. However, for some reason, Chu Lian hadn't seen a single one. The maidservants had even complained about it.

However, it only took a little bit of thought to figure out why. Since He Changdi didn't like her, it was perfectly reasonable that he would shortchange her wherever possible.

In the original novel, when 'Chu Lian' had just married into the family, He Sanlang had cared for her wholeheartedly. At the very least, he had never been stingy with clothing, accessories, or food.

For hair ornaments alone, He Changdi had prepared over ten of them for her. That wasn't a small number.

Chu Lian pursed her lips and closed the accessory case.

Hmph, she didn't care even if he hadn't prepared anything for her. She didn't need anything from him. Once she earned enough money, she would draw out some designs and send them to an accessory store.

Chu Lian wasn't bragging. Back in the modern world, not only had she studied design, but she had also traveled the world as a gourmand, taking in different cultures and styles. Her usual hobbies had consisted of sightseeing and eating good food; she could be considered a globetrotter.

Now that she was in the Great Wu Dynasty, the only other thing that she was good at besides cooking, was drawing.

Chu Lian pushed away the accessory case and hugged her knees close to her, zoning out as she thought. Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan's expressions changed as they watched her off to the side.

The two servants exchanged glances and secretly decided never to mention the accessory matter in front of Third Young Madam ever again, so that she wouldn't be frustrated over it. At the same time, He Changdi entered the blacklist of Chu Lian's two most trusted servants.

Which brides wouldn't have a few ornaments they could show off? Even the daughters of the common folk would have a few silver hairpins made in the latest styles when they were married! Not to mention the nobility.

There weren't many who were treated as unfairly as their Sixth Miss.

"Put everything away! Give the keys to Fuyan. She'll manage the accessory cases from now on. Xiyan, help momo manage the expenses in our courtyard."

Senior Servant Gui looked like she had something to say, but when she saw that Chu Lian didn't seem to be in a good mood, she held herself back.

Actually, Chu Lian wasn't in a bad mood at all. She was trying to calculate just how much she had in her private funds!

After counting here and there and adding on the gold and silver she would get from melting her accessories, she wouldn't get more than six hundred taels.

If anyone were to reveal that the legitimate Third Young Madam of House Jing'an only had six hundred taels to her name, no one would believe it!

While observing and listening to the goings on in this estate for the past few days, Chu Lian had discovered that the Jing'an Estate was not as rich as the outside world believed it to be.

At the very least, her mother-in-law, Countess Jing'an, didn't seem to be doing well. As for the matriarch, a granddaughter-in-law had no place in the inheritance of the matriarch's personal fortunes.

If she wanted to live a good life, she could only depend on herself!

Chu Lian sighed as she realised that it would be hard to be a layabout, no matter where she was. Especially a layabout whose husband could care less about her.

After she had finished counting her personal funds, a maidservant reported from outside that someone had come to visit Songtao Court.

Chapter 71: Being a Virtuous Wife (2)

Chu Lian put on her embroidered soft shoes, decorated with autumn chrysanthemums, and brought Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan over to the parlour.

Three people were standing in the parlour. A tall, thin middle-aged senior servant was standing in the lead, while there were two maidservants dressed in light green dresses behind her.

The three of them had average looks, but the aura surrounding them was imposing enough to make any onlooker feel uncomfortable.

Chu Lian sat in the master's seat and looked at the three people before her.

"What have you come here for?" Chu Lian asked, perplexed.

Senior Servant Zhong had been eyeing Chu Lian from the corner of her eyes since Chu Lian had come in. She saw that this new young madam was dressed in a peach-coloured dress with a light pink gauze outer garment draped over her. Since she was in her own courtyard, she only wore a simple hairstyle, with a single peach blossom jade hairpin tucked into her lustrous black hair. Her tender youth still showed in her features, but in a few years, she would probably bloom into a beautiful lady.

However, what attracted her the most was not Chu Lian's outstanding looks, but the pair of moist, bright eyes she carried. A single look seemed capable of seeing through anything, even human hearts.

With her experience, Senior Servant Zhong subconsciously thought that someone with a pair of eyes like that couldn't possibly have a bad character.

This Third Young Madam that she was meeting now was very different from the one she had imagined.

However, upon thinking of the orders that Third Young Master had given her before he had left, Senior Servant Zhong put away her personal judgement.

She stepped forward and lowered her head slightly. Although her looks were clearly average, her aura distinguished her from the crowd.

"Third Young Madam, this old servant is Senior Servant Zhong. Together with Wenqing and Wenlan, we have been ordered by Third Young Master to serve Third Young Madam."

Ah? Chu Lian gaped a little. To serve her? By He Changdi's orders?

There were more than enough servants in the courtyard already. There were her four personal maidservants and Senior Servant Gui by her side, and five or six second-class and third-class maidservants around. There were also the ones who had originally been serving in Songtao Court. By sending in three more servants, they were running out of places to keep them.

Senior Servant Zhong saw that Chu Lian had nothing to say, and had only puffed up her cheeks a little while staring at her. Those bright, clear eyes were blinking at her so much that she felt uncomfortable under that gaze.

Senior Servant Zhong could only forge on. "Third Young Master instructed this old servant to correct Third Young Madam if there were any areas which needed improvement, whether in speech or conduct. Furthermore, this is a letter that Third Young Master left for Third Young Madam before leaving."

Senior Servant Zhong watched the expression on Third Young Madam's face as she spoke, but she still had the same expression on. Her cheeks were puffed up while her head was tilted to the side. She looked so cute that the corners of Senior Servant Zhong's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Surely this Third Young Madam wasn't an idiot? Any other newlywed bride would be shouting and scolding them by now.

Not only had her husband left, but he also thought so poorly of her that he had ordered his people to keep an eye on her while he was gone!

Wasn't this a giant slap in the face?

Chu Lian's expression hadn't changed because she hadn't thought of the motives behind He Changdi's actions. She said to Senior Servant Zhong, "Pass me the letter and let me take a look."

Xiyan stepped forward and received the letter before passing it over to Chu Lian.

Chu Lian looked at the strong and steadfast words written on the letter: 'To my dear wife, Madam Chu'. This letter was probably the only time he had ever addressed her as 'my dear wife'.

When she opened up the letter and pulled out the thin piece of paper within, there was only a single row of ten or more words written on it.

Her face flushed red with anger when she finished reading it.

"While I'm away killing enemies in the north, I hope my wife remembers how to act virtuously!"

The word 'virtuously' was even written in bright red, as if he was afraid she would miss it.

Chapter 72: One More Bowl (1)

Chu Lian was brimming with anger, but at the same time, she also had the urge to burst out laughing.

When had that fellow He Changdi seen her disobey the rules of a virtuous wife? Was it carved on her forehead somehow? Ooh, she was so frustrated!

She didn't expect him to leave any sweet words for her, but at the very least, there really wasn't any need for him to leave a warning like this, right? That guy was off his rocker!

Chu Lian could feel anger oozing from every pore on her body. She waved at Senior Servant Zhong and the two maidservants. "Since my husband has sent you here... Senior Servant Gui, help them get settled in."

Ah? She was letting them go just like that?

Senior Servant Zhong held back the twitching of her mouth and quickly raised her head to peek at Chu Lian. While there was clear anger on her soft, young face, Third Young Madam didn't seem to have any other thoughts.

She couldn't resist thinking to herself, 'This isn't right. If it were any other newly married young madam, and they found out that their husband didn't trust them, they would definitely run off to their mother-in-law to complain and show how aggrieved they feel.'

But all this Third Young Madam did was puff up in anger and forget about doing anything else?

Was this young madam simply too naive or too forgiving?

"Senior Servant Zhong, this way please." Now that Senior Servant Gui knew why Senior Servant Zhong was here, although her tone still seemed polite on the surface, she was clearly putting some distance between them.

Senior Servant Zhong could only bob in greeting before following Senior Servant Gui, bringing Wenqing and Wenlan with her.

Senior Servant Gui arranged for Senior Servant Zhong to stay in the room next to hers, while Wenqing and Wenlan were stationed next to the other personal maidservants, with one room for each of them.

Chu Lian's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Wenqing and Wenlan as they were leaving. She noticed that their footsteps didn't make a sound, even though their motions were swift. Her eyebrows slowly drew together.

At the same time, Mingyan came running in, her footsteps resounding loudly on the floor. A lightbulb went off in Chu Lian's mind as she realised how the two new maidservants were different from the rest.

They obviously walked without any noise. She had watched enough movies to know that these kinds of people were most likely martial artists. Perhaps these two maidservants practised some martial arts?

Chu Lian put these thoughts to the side and made a note to ask Senior Servant Zhong about it the next time they met.

She met Mingyan's gaze and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a rush?"

Mingyan carried a small wooden box in. "These are the gifts that the matriarch and Eldest Young Madam sent in gratitude for the desserts Third Young Madam sent. They said the desserts were delicious!"

Chu Lian opened up the wooden box, only to see a jade bangle and a golden hairpin.

Her eyes lit up. She had just been worrying about her lack of funds, and the matriarch and Eldest Sister-In-Law had just sent some over. However, Chu Lian knew that this was only due to their consideration of He Sanlang's departure. Otherwise, how could they possibly have sent such a heavy gift in return for her sending some desserts? That was something that was expected of her as a junior family member.

She waved at Fuyan to indicate that she should put away the gifts.

After such a delay, it was already nightfall. She hadn't eaten properly in the morning or afternoon, and her stomach was growling. Thus, Chu Lian led Xiyan and Jingyan to the kitchen.

Senior Servant Zhong, Wenqing, and Wenlan had just finished moving in when they spotted Chu Lian's slender silhouette. She glanced in the direction that Chu Lian was going and her eyes widened. "Third... Third Young Madam is heading to the kitchen?"

Wenqing stood on her tiptoes and peeked over. "Momo, there's only the kitchen in that direction."

A glint of contempt flashed through Senior Servant Zhong's eyes. A pretty face and poor manners -- truly a young miss from the House of Duke Ying. A declining family couldn’t be expected to raise their daughters well, after all. Honestly, how could the mistress of the house personally go into the kitchen to watch the cooks make dinner? Others might think that the Jing'an Estate was starving their Third Young Madam!

Chu Lian had no idea that Senior Servant Zhong would even see her actions in such a way. She was just really hungry. Her journey to the kitchen was to see if there were any new ingredients to use.

Inside the kitchen, Chu Lian noticed that there was a bamboo basket filled with all sorts of mushrooms and fungi on the chopping board. The corners of her lips raised. She ordered Xiyan and Jingyan to start making noodles and to begin boiling some soup in preparation for a pot of fresh mushroom noodles.

Noodles were easy to digest. Even if she ate too much, there wouldn't be any harm.

While rolling out the dough for the noodles, Jingyan's face was flushed red from her exertions. She spoke excitedly to Chu Lian, who was sitting to one side. "Third Young Madam, I've only ever seen these mushrooms and fungi steamed. I didn't know you could actually put them in soup."

Chu Lian: ......

So the nobility in the Great Wu Dynasty ate mushrooms by.... steaming? Who invented such a weird cooking method? If she ever found out, she would beat them to death!

No wonder the kitchen servant had told her that these mushrooms weren't worth much! They had been brought over simply for a change in taste.

Mushrooms were usually fresh, and contained lots of nutrients. In the modern world, some wild mushrooms could even sell for sky-high prices! Here, no one cared much for them...

They were seriously wasting valuable ingredients here.

"Put the mushrooms into the pork bone soup later, and add some milk. The noodles will become even more fragrant if you do that."

"Ah! Really?" Jingyan's cheeks flushed even more when she thought of the delicious meal she would soon get to have. Her speed of noodle-making increased further.

Chapter 73: One More Bowl (2)

When the mushroom noodles were done, Chu Lian polished off her meal and went off to sleep.

After an hour, Senior Servant Zhong and the other two maidservants were invited to have dinner.

Ever since the main kitchen had been destroyed by the fire, all the servants in each courtyard took their meals in the courtyard's kitchen, like their masters. However, they always ate after their masters were done. As for the cooking, a cook had been dispatched to each courtyard.

However, the cook at Songtao Court had nothing to do, because Third Young Madam felt that the meals she made weren't good enough.

At first, when Chu Lian had brought her personal maidservants over, wanting to make her own meals, the cook hadn't been too willing. However, after eating the meals that Third Young Madam had made once, her attitude had done a big 180. She was almost like a dog, waiting close to the door everyday for Third Young Madam to come over again.

All the servants in Songtao Court were blessed with the fortune to eat the dishes made by Chu Lian's instructions, every single day. Chu Lian wanted to make sure they had enough to eat as well, so she would always order more to be made.

Senior Servant Zhong and Senior Servant Gui, as well as the other maidservants, all sat at one table. She had been a second-class maidservant serving Countess Jing'an when she was younger. After giving birth to a child, she had become He Changdi's nursemaid.

She had two sons of her own, and her eldest daughter-in-law had been pregnant with twins two years ago. She had been worried about her, so she had gone back to her village to take care of her daughter-in-law. It was only a few days ago that she had received He Sanlang's request and rushed back to the Jing'an Estate to take up a post again.

Countess Jing'an had been born into a life of luxury, and Senior Servant Zhong had been serving her since before she had come to the Jing'an Estate. So, Senior Servant Zhong had eaten practically every delicacy there was. When she glanced at the flushed, excited faces of the maidservants around her, she felt disdainful of them.

It was just a meal to keep your stomach full. Was it worth getting so excited over? It wasn't as if they weren't being fed regularly, or that they were some poor commoners who would count themselves lucky to taste some meat once every few months.

The contempt in her heart towards Third Young Madam's servants increased, and she thought that Third Young Master had been smart to send her here to watch over Third Young Madam. She and the people around her were acting below their station. They had to be watched so that they wouldn't disgrace the name of House Jing'an.

Senior Servant Gui coolly observed the expression on Senior Servant Zhong's face. She could see that this Senior Servant Zhong looked down on their Sixth Miss. The corners of her lips raised, mocking her as she gestured to the lower classed maidservants. "Bring in the meal."

Jingyan gulped a little and couldn't help but exclaim, "Momo, we're having mushroom noodles tonight! It's my first time eating something like that; I'm drooling just smelling the flavour!"

Senior Servant Gui shot a look at Jingyan.

Senior Servant Zhong, who was sitting opposite her, also shot Senior Servant Gui a look of contempt.

In a moment, the maidservants had brought in the white porcelain dishes containing the noodles. They placed them on the table first, and then placed down a few side dishes following that.

Refreshingly crisp pickles, wood ear fungus wrapped in beancurd skin, and soybeans that had been pickled just right.

The white porcelain bowls surrounded the plates of side dishes. Inside them, the noodles swam in a fragrant, thick, milky white soup. Shiitake mushrooms, slices of king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms were arranged neatly on top of the noodles.

Everything was garnished with chopped spring onions. The vibrant green dots shone against the milky white soup like glimmering emeralds. Steam rose from the white porcelain dishes, hooking the appetites of everyone present.

Senior Servant Zhong stared at the mushroom noodles before her with widened eyes. When she recalled the tasteless mushrooms she had eaten before and compared them to the masterfully arranged, delicious-looking mushroom noodles before her, she couldn't hold back a gulp. Without giving her time to voice her questions, everyone at the table picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

The feast was right before them; who would bother with conversation? Only the whooshing sound of noodles disappearing resounded in the hall.

All the young maidservants shed their usual grace and poise to scarf down their meal.

They couldn't help eating quickly!

They had seen that there wasn't much left in the pot. For the sake of having a second bowl, they had to eat as quickly as they could!

Senior Servant Zhong swallowed her words and shot a look at Wenlan and Wenqing. Then, she picked up her chopsticks, grabbed some noodles, and placed them inside her mouth.

One moment she was chewing on them, and in the next, the speed of her chopsticks sharply accelerated

It wasn't until the last mouthful of thick soup had disappeared down her throat that she huffed out a long breath. She felt refreshed all over, and that delicious flavour still remained on her tongue. Unfortunately, that serving of noodles had been a little on the small side. She wasn't full yet. Thus, she turned to the maidservant behind her and said, "Bring me another bowl!"

The maidservant looked troubled as she replied, "Momo, there... there's no more noodles..."

What?

No more?

Senior Servant Zhong resisted the urge to spit up blood. She had just seen a full pot of noodles, yet it was all gone just like that?

What kind of appetites did these people have!?

Senior Servant Zhong turned her head to the large pot nearby.

As expected, there were only a few pitiful spoonfuls of soup left in the once-full pot of mushroom noodles. A maidservant dressed in emerald was even pouring the last bit of soup into her bowl...

Senior Servant Gui was already an experienced veteran in the battle for food, so she was much calmer than Senior Servant Zhong. She set down her chopsticks and smiled elegantly at Senior Servant Zhong.

"Senior Servant Zhong, please take your time to eat. I'll go and take my rest now."

Senior Servant Zhong looked down at her completely empty bowl before looking up at Senior Servant Gui's disappearing silhouette. Inwardly, she raged, 'I wanted to enjoy my meal slowly, but you lunatics ate up everything before I could react. What am I supposed to eat!?'

She coughed once before bringing Wenlan and Wenqing away.

On the way back to their rooms, Wenqing couldn't resist saying, "Momo, the meals here are so delicious, but I couldn't eat my fill!"

Senior Servant Zhong rolled her eyes. She hadn't been able to eat her fill either! Thus, the originally calm and stately Senior Servant Zhong decided to eat more quickly at the next meal, so she might be able to get a second serving!

Chapter 74: He Finally Did Something Right (1)

On the day that He Changdi had abandoned his wife to join the army, Chu Lian had been sound asleep in her nice, warm bed, without any dreams to disturb her slumber.

On the other hand, He Sanlang was bringing Laiyue along his hasty journey down the roads at Zhangzhou, a city near the capital.

Although no one back in the estate knew of the path he was going to take to the northern border of Liangzhou, to avoid getting chased, he travelled at double the usual speed, day and night.

It was still in the middle of summer, so even though the skies turned dark during the night, there were no cooling breezes to lighten the heat. Not only that, it was so stuffy and hot that their tolerance wore thin.

The two horses flew down the highway with their riders both laden with cloth packs. Although the breeze created by their horses’ movement was a little cooling, after getting jolted around on horseback for an entire day, even the sturdy He Sanlang was nearing the ends of his endurance.

While bearing with the burning pain coming from their inner thighs, the two of them clocked another ten miles on their journey.

Under the faint moonlight, Laiyue spotted a grass shack up ahead at the fork in the road.

His joy showed on his face. “Third Young Master, there’s a grass shack ahead. Why don’t we rest here for tonight?”

There were still forty to fifty miles to go before the next city. If they traveled throughout the night, they would probably only reach it by the next day, so why not camp for a night by the roadside? Anyway, the horses needed some rest too.

He Sanlang nodded and got off his horse. Laiyue took the reins from He Changdi’s hands and tied the horses to a tree nearby, letting out just enough of the rope so that the horses could graze on the sweet grass surrounding them.

This crude little shack had once been a simple tea house; it was now in ruins. The single set of table and chairs was already a little rotten, and there was a layer of dust covering everything. It was clear that it hadn’t been in business for a long time.

The grass shack was open on all four sides and the foundation didn’t seem too stable. It looked like it was on the verge of collapse, while the grass roofing was almost all gone. It could only serve as the most basic shelter from the elements.

Although the conditions were a little harsh, as travellers, they weren’t too picky. Having some form of a roof over their heads and even some old furniture was much better than having to camp out by the side of the road.

Laiyue took out a thin blanket from his travel pack and placed it on the chair. He then took out some steamed buns and rolls, as well as a waterskin.

“Young Master, have some water!”

He Changdi had been sitting at the table, eyes closed as he rested for a bit. He took the waterskin that was passed over and drank a few mouthfuls.

Then, he picked up a steamed roll and stuffed it into his mouth.

He had some jerky in his pack, so he held a steamed roll in one hand and jerky in the other as he mechanically shoved each into his mouth.

In his past life, after he had been betrayed by ‘Chu Lian’, he had suffered a lot while wandering in the wilderness. He had even eaten grass, bark, and tree roots before. Having steamed rolls and jerky to eat wasn’t too bad in comparison. There was nothing to complain about, and he wasn’t someone unreasonable.

Although he used to think that meals were just a means to fill his stomach, for some reason, eating jerky and dry steamed rolls out in this desolate place made him feel upset. As he chewed on his rations like a robot, he shut his eyes and the memory of that delicious snow fungus and lotus seed porridge came to mind… Wontons with steam rising off them… and those scallion pancakes attacking his senses with the aroma of spring onions...

He Changdi swallowed hard and forced the dry steamed roll down his throat. He opened his eyes in irritation, forcing himself to stop thinking of the delicacies made by that wicked woman.

He bit off a piece of jerky, but the thought of what that wicked woman Chu Lian was making for her dinner tonight came unbidden to his mind. The more he ate, the more upset he got.

After enduring a few more bites of food to stave off the hunger gnawing at his belly, He Sanlang threw the rest of the steamed rolls and jerky back into his pack in a restless fit. He drank more water before moving the blanket to the ground and forcing himself to sleep.

The two of them were so tired after a whole day of travel that they didn’t want to move anymore. Laiyue leaned against the corner of the table with a steamed roll in his hand. He sighed as he ate, looking up at the moon hidden behind the floating clouds. Gulping down a mouthful of steamed roll, he sighed and said, “I really miss that braised pork that Third Young Madam made. It was so tasty… What a pity I’ll never be able to eat it again.”

He had just finished speaking when he felt chills run down his back. Turning his head, he met with He Changdi’s cold, fiery glare. When he thought of the way that Third Young Master had been eating his meal unhappily, he quickly shut his mouth.

When He Changdi saw that the noise beside him had ceased, he shut his eyes with a stiff expression.

Hmph. Just because he was gone didn’t mean he would let that wicked woman off the hook. He had sent some of his people to her side, people who he knew would watch her at all times.

Let’s see if she still dared to fool around with Xiao Wujing now!

If they dared to have even the slightest bit of dalliance, he would definitely divorce her right away, without any mercy. He would completely destroy her good name and ensure she would never be able to hold her head up high in the capital ever again!

When he imagined what Chu Lian’s expression would look like when she received his letter from Senior Servant Zhong, the silly He Sanlang felt vindicated. That thought dispersed his previous dissatisfaction from the terrible meal, and his dark expression lightened.

Tucking his hands under his head, he slowly slipped into slumber.

However, in the middle of the night, a sudden bout of heavy rain and wild winds flipped their little grass shelter over. Accompanied by the roaring of thunder, raindrops as large as beans fell, instantly soaking the two men sleeping on the ground.

He Changdi cut a sorry figure as he rolled up his blanket, grabbed his travel pack, and ducked under the table with Laiyue...

The whole situation completely embodied the idiom, ‘When it rains, it pours’. The next day, the two of them had to take to the road in wet clothes after eating a meal of rain-soaked steamed rolls and jerky. He Sanlang’s face mirrored the dark clouds of the storm last night.

Laiyue followed behind him with an awkward smile. “Young Master, please bear with this for now. When we reach the next city, we’ll be able to have a hot meal. Although it won’t be as delicious as Third Young Madam’s cooking, it’ll be much better than the wet steamed rolls and jerky we just had.”

Laiyue’s ‘comforting’ words were like adding oil to the fire. He Sanlang almost exploded in a fit of temper.

“Shut up! If you mention Chu Lian one more time, I’ll make sure you won’t get a single hot meal.”

With his ultimatum made loud and clear, He Changdi fiercely whipped his horse, his originally handsome face now twisted into a terrible expression. He took off on the highway before Laiyue could follow.

Laiyue didn’t know which part of his words had offended Third Young Master. He scratched his head in confusion, and could only try to keep up with his master.

“Ah, Young Master! Please don’t move so quickly! Wait for this servant!”

Chapter 75: He Finally Did Something Right (2)

Chu Lian slept soundly all the way till morning. The storm last night had lowered the usual heat of the day, and dewdrops hung on the grass and flowers in their little garden. After taking in a breath of the morning air, she felt very refreshed.

The next thing she did upon waking up was to stare at the auspicious tapestry of fertility o8n the canopy of the bed while lost in thought.

In the original novel, ‘Chu Lian’ had set fire to the main kitchen, so that the Eldest Young Madam, Madam Zou, would become heavily injured and pass on the household management rights to her. Madam Zou’s maiden family was House Dingyuan, and she was the eldest legitimate granddaughter of Marquis Dingyuan.

It would be Old Marquis Dingyuan’s sixtieth birthday tomorrow. As relatives through marriage, the Jing’an Estate would have to attend to express their well wishes.

Madam Zou had been heavily injured in the original story, so she had been unable to attend. Thus, Matriarch He had brought ‘Chu Lian’ along with her to send their congratulations to the Dingyuan Estate. ‘Chu Lian’ had not only met Xiao Bojian in the Dingyuan Estate, but a series of events had happened that destroyed ‘Chu Lian’s’ reputation and sowed the seeds of suspicion between ‘Chu Lian’ and Matriarch He.

Since she knew what kind of disaster was going to happen at the Dingyuan Estate, she had to find a way to avoid going there at all costs.

Furthermore, Madam Zou was perfectly well now. Her attendance at that event wouldn’t make an impact on the Jing’an Estate at all.

After completing her plans, Chu Lian got out from bed.

This morning, she taught Xiyan how to make steamed soup dumplings. When a basket of soup dumplings was brought down from the tower of steamer baskets, she could see wisps of hot air rising from it. Chu Lian picked one dumpling up and bit a small hole at the top before gently sucking out all the fragrant juices within. She had purposely made them perfectly bite-sized, so she ate the whole dumpling in a single bite. There was no better feeling in the world.

Paired with crisp pickled cucumbers and thick rice porridge, Chu Lian ate half a basket of dumplings.

The remaining baskets were shared amongst the servants in Songtao Court.

Since they had some martial arts skills, Senior Servant Zhong, Wenqing, and Wenlan were able to take a whole basket for themselves. There wasn’t any trace of their haughtiness or calm from last night as the three of them wolfed down their food.

Chu Lian’s mouth twitched as she watched them. She wondered how He Changdi would react if he found out the people he had sent to watch her had been ‘bribed’ by just two of her meals.

When they were done with breakfast, she sent for Senior Servant Zhong to ask her some questions.

Chu Lian didn’t like to keep people on tenterhooks, and she didn’t have any knowledge of Senior Servant Zhong since she didn’t appear in the book. Thus, she just spoke in a straightforward manner.

Senior Servant Zhong was slightly gaping. She hadn’t thought that Third Young Madam would see through Wenqing and Wenlan’s martial arts skills in just a single night.

She suppressed the shock in her heart and replied, “Third Young Madam, Wenqing and Wenlan have indeed undergone martial arts training.”

Chu Lian turned her gaze to Wenqing and Wenlan, who seemed average in both looks and figure to her. She continued to ask them questions purely out of curiosity. “How are Wenqing and Wenlan’s skills?”

Senior Servant Zhong felt a little dizzy. She quickly looked up in disbelief at Chu Lian. Why did it seem like Third Young Madam’s thoughts were completely different from most people? Wouldn’t most young madams ask something like, ‘Why were these servants assigned to me? To watch over me? Does my husband not trust me?’

If she encountered such questions, she could simply reply: ‘Third Young Madam, you’re thinking too much of it.’

However, this young madam was completely deviating from the script. She couldn’t even speak the lines she had prepared.

Senior Servant Zhong swallowed back a mouthful of blood. A twitch developed in her eyelid as she looked towards Wenqing.

When she received the senior servant’s pleading look, Wenqing quickly stepped forward and said proudly, “Replying to Third Young Madam, this servant can deal with four or five normal men easily.”

Senior Servant Zhong: …...

Even the usually unflustered Wenqing had been led away from their main purpose by Third Young Madam.

They had been sent here to keep a close watch on Third Young Madam! What was Wenqing trying to do, standing there like a loyal little puppy waiting to be praised by her mistress?

Senior Servant Zhong suspected that if she stuck a wagging tail onto Wenqing’s back right now, it would fit her perfectly.

She felt the urge to give them a talking to once they were dismissed.

Chu Lian had simply been guessing at Wenqing and Wenlan’s martial arts ability yesterday. Now that she had gotten their confirmation, Chu Lian got excited.

Her shiny black eyes lit up like stars.

They could use martial arts! How impressive! They were her free bodyguards from now on whenever she stepped out of the estate!

That lunatic He Changdi had finally done something right.

Chapter 76: Marquis Dingyuan's Longevity Feast (1)

Seeing Chu Lian nod in satisfaction, Senior Servant Zhong had the urge to cover her face in shame.

When they were done with breakfast, Chu Lian rested for an hour before heading to Qingxi Hall to give her daily greetings to Matriarch He.

The matriarch was already getting on in age, so she didn’t sleep much, especially in a hot summer like this. She had already been up for a while.

When Chu Lian reached Qingxi Hall, the matriarch had just finished her breakfast.

Chu Lian greeted her in the traditional manner of a junior family member, and Matriarch He waved her forward with upturned, smiling eyes. “Sanlang’s wife, come sit by Grandmother’s side.”

Chu Lian sat down on the low stool a step below the matriarch. She looked at Matriarch He as she asked, “Grandmother, is there any news from my husband?”

She had just been married to He Changdi for a few days and the two of them hadn’t consummated their marriage. He Changdi had even treated her with the equivalent of a cold shoulder. No matter how outstanding his looks were, Chu Lian had no feelings for him at all.

She was simply acting the part of a devoted wife for the matriarch’s sake.

Although she didn’t like He Changdi’s actions, she liked the matriarch. Since the second day of her marriage, during the tea ceremony, she could see the genuine care and concern this old granny held for her.

Chu Lian wouldn’t let anyone who treated her well be sad.

Matriarch He sighed and stroked Chu Lian’s soft head of hair. “That Sanlang is really… Sanlang’s wife, please don’t worry too much about him. I’ve already asked Dalang to send people out with inquiries. There’ll be news soon.”

Chu Lian obediently nodded; she didn’t look like this news particularly surprised her, or was anything really special. However, it was this lack of expression that caused the matriarch’s heart to ache in sympathy.

She had been the one to plead with the empress dowager for a girl from House Ying, but now, that girl had to suffer living like a widow while her husband was still alive. Thus, she felt a little more guilty compared to the other members of the family.

Chu Lian noticed the gloom creeping onto the matriarch’s face and hurriedly tried to change the topic. “Grandmother, what did you have for breakfast today?”

Immediately after she asked, Chu Lian almost blushed with shame. What was wrong with her? The only topic she could come up with was related to food?

However, she couldn’t take back her words, so the only thing she could do was suppress her blush and look up at Matriarch He. The matriarch could see the embarrassment on Chu Lian’s face, so she burst out into laughter.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t have enough to eat in your own courtyard?”

Chu Lian blushed at Matriarch He’s teasing. Of course she had eaten her fill! Half a basket of soup dumplings had gone into her stomach! Even now, Chu Lian still felt bloated.

Matriarch He was already old. Her daughters had already left the estate a long time ago, and her daughter-in-law had given birth to three sons. When Madam Zou had married into the estate, she had already been over twenty years old. Matriarch He hadn’t had the company of young ladies around the age of fifteen like Chu Lian in a long time, so she cherished seeing her innocent reactions even more.

When she saw that Chu Lian was already flushed and didn’t know how to answer, the smile on her face grew. “Grandmother doesn’t have a very good appetite in the summer. I only ate half a bowl of red bird’s nest. When you return to your courtyard, I’ll let Senior Servant Liu bring half a kilogram of it for you later. You’re still growing at your age, so you should make sure you have enough nutrients.”

Although Chu Lian had never eaten red bird’s nest before, as an experienced gourmet enthusiast, she knew that red bird’s nest was the best quality of bird’s nest available. Most of the nobility in the Great Wu Dynasty ate white bird’s nest, two whole grades lower than red bird’s nest.

Matriarch He’s red bird nest probably couldn’t be bought with money, and most likely came from the palace. The matriarch was good friends with the empress dowager, so it had probably been a gift.

Chu Lian didn’t dare to accept something that the empress dowager had given to Matriarch He.

She quickly shook her head. “Grandmother, there’s no need for that. My body’s perfectly healthy! If I take in more nutrients, I’ll get fat!”

“You’re worried about getting fat with such a tiny figure?” Matriarch He smiled broadly.

“Grandmother, if you really want to give it away, why not give it to Mother instead?”

Matriarch He froze for a moment and sighed. “Child, you’re always thinking of others.”

Chu Lian looked up at Matriarch He’s affectionate expression. “Mother is my husband’s very own mother. How could Mother be counted as an outsider?”

Warmth suffused Matriarch He’s heart and she poked Chu Lian’s little nose. “Sanlang’s wife, you really are such a good child. Alright, Grandmother will send some red bird’s nest to your mother. You had better take some back with you too.”

Since the matriarch had already put it this way, it would be unreasonable if Chu Lian continued declining.

Eldest Young Madam had arrived outside sometime while they were talking. She just so happened to overhear Matriarch He’s words upon entering. She lowered her head and frowned a little.

Since Madam Zou’s back was to the light, no one noticed the expression on her face.

A maidservant lifted up the curtain at the entrance of the room and let Madam Zou in.

“Grandmother.” After Madam Zou bobbed in greeting, she sat at Matriarch He’s other side.

Matriarch He smiled as she looked at Madam Zou. “Dalang’s wife, why have you come here so early?”

There was no change in the expression on Madam Zou’s face at all. The corner of her lips lifted elegantly. “Grandmother, have you forgotten? It’s rest day for all the stewards in our estate today.”

Every day, Madam Zou had to listen to all the stewards of every courtyard in the estate make their report. She would only come to Qingxi Hall to greet the matriarch when she was done. After that, she would visit her mother-in-law.

“That’s right, it’s the sixteenth today. Grandmother’s forgotten all about the date.”

Madam Zou exchanged small talk with the matriarch for some time, but seeing that Matriarch He didn’t mention the red bird’s nest at all, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Chapter 77: Marquis Dingyuan's Longevity Feast (2)

Matriarch He picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Dalang’s wife, it’s your grandfather’s longevity feast tomorrow, isn’t it?”

Madam Zou smiled as she nodded. “It is! Grandmother still remembers such a date! Granddaughter-in-Law thanks Grandmother in place of Grandfather.”

“Child, you’re being too polite.”

While sitting on the other side, Chu Lian hadn’t expected the topic to be diverted to the feast. She tried to shrink into her seat and hide her presence.

Why don’t you guys attend the longevity feast by yourselves? Please, please, please don’t remember to invite me along!

However, the heavens didn’t listen to her pleas.

Matriarch He suddenly changed the discussion. “Sanlang’s wife has just married into the family, but lately, she’s only spent time alone at home. Why don’t you bring her along with you when the time comes?”

Matriarch He would be attending the feast as well, but the old madams had their own circles. It wasn’t suitable for a young lady to join them.

Since Chu Lian was a newlywed and Madam Zou was still young, it would be better for Madam Zou to introduce some of the young madams of the capital to Chu Lian.

Chu Lian’s body stiffened. She hadn’t expected Matriarch He to suggest that she follow Madam Zou to the feast.

She wanted to speak up and reject the offer, but this wasn’t the right time for her to speak.

She could only pray silently in her heart. Madam Zou, please don’t agree to it!

Madam Zou was a sweet-tempered person, so she didn’t hesitate as she replied, “Yes, Grandmother. Please don’t worry. I’ll bring Third Sister-in-Law with me tomorrow and take care of her.”

Matriarch He nodded in satisfaction.

He Changdi had just left home, and there hadn’t been any news of him yet. She wanted to help Chu Lian take her mind off her missing husband, so she had made the suggestion to Madam Zou. However, her good intentions had actually caused more trouble instead.

Chu Lian was suffering inwardly beyond words, but she couldn’t show any of it.

She could only brace herself and agree to the outing.

The two granddaughters-in-law sat with the matriarch for a while longer before they took their leave to visit their mother-in-law.

Countess Jing’an’s condition wasn’t too good today. When Chu Lian arrived for her visit, the countess was still asleep. Madam Zou and Chu Lian sat in the outer room for ten minutes before leaving and returning to their respective courtyards.

The next day, Chu Lian was to follow her sister-in-law, Madam Zou, to the Dingyuan Estate for the longevity feast.

When she woke up in the morning, Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan helped Chu Lian into the dress they had already picked out. Since she was still a newlywed madam, they had chosen a brightly coloured dress. It matched perfectly with the ruby hair ornament Chu Lian had.

Before leaving Songtao Court, Senior Servant Zhong suddenly coughed once. Chu Lian turned around and gave Senior Servant Zhong a weird look before realisation dawned on her. She then ordered, “Xiyan and Wenqing will serve me at the Dingyuan Estate today!”

The two maidservants obediently agreed. Senior Servant Zhong shot a look at Wenqing. Before they left the courtyard, she even whispered a reminder into Wenqing’s ear. “Remember what I said last night. If you slip up, just wait for your punishment when you return.”

Wenqing nodded fervently. Rest assured, she wouldn’t let any men near Third Young Madam at all. For the sake of her delicious meals, she was going to fight with all her might. Any shameless man who wanted to snatch her Third Young Madam away would be beaten down without mercy!

Luckily, Senior Servant Zhong wasn’t able to read Wenqing’s thoughts. Otherwise, she probably would have puked up a mouthful of blood.

Girl, that wasn’t what she instructed you to do last night!

When they reached the screen at the entrance of their estate, Chu Lian was invited by Senior Servant Liu to take Matriarch He’s carriage. Madam Zou boarded another carriage with her two daughters, Little An and Little Lin, while her husband, He Dalang, followed next to the carriage on horseback with the guards.

Their party left the Jing’an Estate and made their way towards Marquis Dingyuan’s estate.

Matriarch He’s carriage wasn’t very big, but it was comfortable inside. Senior Servant Liu sat by the matriarch while Chu Lian sat opposite them.

Senior Servant Liu had a round fan in hand and was gently fanning the matriarch. Matriarch He was wearing a dark purple eight-bolt dress, as well as an emerald green headband embroidered with a pattern for fortune tied around her head. Her white hair was held up by a long hairpin made out of carved jade. She looked like a noble old madam, subtle and dignified.

“Sanlang’s wife, have you visited the Dingyuan Estate before?”

When Matriarch He spoke up, Chu Lian realised why the matriarch had invited her to share her carriage today.

The matriarch wanted to give her some pointers on the connections between the people of the Dingyuan Estate.

Although she knew a little about the events of the novel, there was a limit to how much could be conveyed without diverting too much from the plot. She couldn’t possibly know about the relations of every single family in the capital, so she shook her head honestly.

Matriarch He was very satisfied with her honesty, so she quietly revealed everything she could.

House Dingyuan was Madam Zou’s maiden family. They were flourishing in terms of population, and Madam Zou was Old Marquis Dingyuan’s eldest legitimate granddaughter. Imperial Consort De had come from the Dingyuan Estate, and was Old Marquis Dingyuan’s daughter.

However, it had been many years since Consort De had entered the palace. She had only given birth to a single daughter, who had unfortunately passed away at the age of five.

Princess Leyao looked quite similar to Consort De’s deceased daughter, so amongst the many princes and princesses in the palace, Consort De’s favourite one was the ten-year-old Leyao.

By the time they reached the Dingyuan Estate, Chu Lian had already been given a clear picture of House Dingyuan’s situation.

In summary, Marquis Dingyuan was one of the Emperor’s most trusted officials, and they couldn’t afford to offend them...

When Matriarch He noticed the slightly overwhelmed expression on Chu Lian’s face, she smiled and patted Chu Lian’s hand in comfort. “Don’t worry, Grandmother told you all this just to let you understand what’s going on in the Dingyuan Estate. As for the rest, don’t think about it. Just follow your sister-in-law. She’ll take good care of you.”

Chapter 78: The Ladies Have Arrived (1)

Chu Lian nodded obediently. Her cute appearance gave Matriarch He the urge to pinch her little cheeks.

She had to admit that Sanlang's wife was rather pretty. Even in the sizeable capital, Chu Lian's appearance stood out as one of the top beauties around. In the past few days of observing her, Matriarch He had also realised that Chu Lian was of a kind and innocent nature -- nothing like the arrogant, scheming personalities that most noble ladies had. Thus, she tried to spoil her granddaughter-in-law as much as she could, and gave her advice whenever possible, afraid that she would be taken advantage of.

Matriarch He had simply been aiming for a fertile bride from the Ying Estate. She hadn't thought that she would get a hidden gem.

It was also due to her understanding of Chu Lian's personality that Matriarch He found it strange that He Changdi had left home so suddenly, just to join the army.

How could Sanlang leave behind such a beautiful, good-natured wife, just like that?

Chu Lian was submerged in worries of her own, so she didn't notice Matriarch He's momentary distraction.

After thinking it over, Chu Lian still decided to remain low-key today. She also had to avoid going to the Dingbo Pavilion in the Dingyuan Estate at all costs!

Allowing the servants to support her as she got off the carriage, she saw that Madam Zou was already waiting outside with her two nieces.

He Dalang sent them off to the inner court before he followed a manservant to the outer court, where the guests were being received in the parlour.

Madam Zou handed Little An and Little Lin over to their nursemaids and gave them orders. "Take the young ladies to play with their cousins."

It was clear that Madam Zou returned to her maiden home often. Little An and Little Lin were probably used to playing with the children in the Dingyuan Estate too. On Madam Zou’s command, the two nursemaids and a few of her personal maidservants led the two girls away.

Madam Zou watched until her children disappeared from sight. Then, she turned back to Chu Lian with a smile. "Third Sister-in-Law, come with me. Don't be nervous. Perhaps we'll bump into your relatives from your maiden family here!"

Chu Lian couldn’t help but be a little nervous. No one would be able to relax in a strange, new environment, especially since it was her first time here.

Madam Zou walked with Chu Lian for about ten minutes, introducing the various interesting sights in the estate on the way. When they reached a large pond covered in lotus plants, Madam Zou stopped. She pointed over to the opposite side of the pond. "Third Sister-in-Law, look over there. That's Mei Court, where the young madams and ladies are gathering."

Chu Lian looked in the direction that Madam Zou pointed out. As expected, she saw a few women who clearly looked like noble madams sitting on sofas along the corridor, laughing as they chatted. Maidservants and older servants were bustling in and out of the parlour next to the water. The whole place looked lively.

She swept her gaze over the group of young madams, but she didn't recognise a single one...

With her sharp eyes, Madam Zou singled out one of the ladies to her. "Third Sister-in-Law, look, isn't that your eldest sister-in-law from the Ying Estate?"

Chu Lian opened her shiny, black eyes wide, and spotted Madam Rong walking out of the parlour with another middle-aged woman. They were clearly laughing as they spoke together.

"Ah, yes, that's my eldest sister-in-law," Chu Lian replied.

Madam Zou pulled Chu Lian, "Let's go over there too."

Since they were already here, there was no way for Chu Lian to hide. She could only gather up her courage and follow behind Madam Zou. However, her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She secretly decided to find a place with fewer people around to hide in.

From far away, the noble madams noticed Heir Jing'an's wife, Madam Zou, and greeted her one by one.

Madam Zou smiled as she replied to their greetings. "Alright, alright, you don't have to stand on ceremony with me. It's my grandfather's longevity feast today. I should be thanking you for attending the celebrations!"

The madams replied appropriately, "Not at all, not at all."

Madam Zou then retreated a step to reveal Chu Lian standing behind her. "You probably don't know her yet, but this is my Third Sister-in-Law, the Sixth Miss from House Ying."

Chu Lian bobbed in greeting.

All the noble madams returned her greeting. However, when Chu Lian quickly glanced at them, she noticed contempt and scorn in their eyes. Her expression stiffened a little, and she instantly realised why these people seemed to look down on her.

However, she wasn't the original 'Chu Lian', so she didn’t take it to heart. Although their stares made her feel a little uncomfortable, her usual brand of carefree personality stopped it from bothering her too much.

She didn't need to rely on their help to survive, so why should she care about what they thought of her? All she had to do was live happily without any regrets.

After sorting through her thoughts, the nervous tension on her face disappeared, and her bright, sunny nature shone through.

Chu Lian was in the best time of her youth right now. With her natural beauty, and with how Xiyan had specially dressed her up this morning, she looked like a stunning young lady. The relaxed and open expression on her face only highlighted her pretty looks.

She calmly and generously greeted all the noble madams. This time, the madams were the ones who felt uncomfortable. However, they could only bear with it on account of Madam Zou watching them.

Madam Zou brought Chu Lian over to pay her respects to Madam Huang, the wife of Heir Dingyuan.

Although Madam Zou was the eldest legitimate granddaughter of House Dingyuan, she was born from the second branch instead of the main branch. Heir Dingyuan was the eldest son of the main branch and his wife was thus her eldest aunt.

After greeting the wife of Heir Dingyuan, Madam Zou kept Chu Lian by her side and brought her around to meet some of the capital’s other noble ladies.

‘Meeting’ the ladies was simply a matter of showing them her face and then giving them a formal greeting. This wasn't too hard for Chu Lian. She only had to stand quietly behind Madam Zou like a flower vase after giving her greetings.

Chapter 79: The Ladies Have Arrived (2)

A maidservant suddenly rushed out of Mei Court and came to the parlour, heading straight for Madam Zou.

When she reached Madam Zou's side, she tiptoed a little and whispered something into Madam Zou's ear. "Eldest Young Madam, Second Madam has something to discuss and wants to meet with you immediately."

Madam Zou's expression immediately turned solemn. She nodded to the maidservant, who was dressed in green and was one of her mother's handmaidens.

Madam Zou turned to look at Chu Lian and found that she looked a little lost. She couldn't stop worrying, but fortunately, a busty young madam dressed in light yellow had just come walking by.

"Ah-zi, why are you so late?" Madam Zou stepped forward to welcome her in delight.

When Chu Lian looked up at the young madam Madam Zou had called 'Ah-zi', she felt a slight chill in her heart. Wasn't this woman one of the supporting female leads in the original novel? Her name was Wei Fengzi, and she was the youngest sister of Imperial Concubine Wei. She was also the wife of the Ministry of Personnel’s vice minister.

She only made an appearance much later in the novel. Chu Lian hadn't expected to see her here at Marquis Dingyuan's longevity feast.

"Yuanjing."

Wei Fengzi had a faint smile on her lips. Her light yellow dress made her look much younger than her age.

Yuanjing was Madam Zou's name. From the way they addressed each other, it could be seen that they were good friends.

"Ah-zi, this is my new Third Sister-in-Law. Help me take care of her for a bit; I have something urgent to attend to at my mother's place."

"Okay, don't worry about it, go ahead!" Wei Fengzi sent a reassuring look to Madam Zou. With that, Chu Lian watched as Madam Zou took her maidservants with her and quickly disappeared into Mei Court.

Chu Lian, who was left behind, was extremely troubled.

The original 'Chu Lian' had been rivals with this Wei Fengzi!

Wei Fengzi looked Chu Lian up and down with a measuring gaze. Upon seeing her head slightly lowered, Wei Fengzi frowned.

"Little Sister Chu, why don't you sit here?"

Chu Lian looked up and glanced at Wei Fengzi. Another young madam started to call out to Wei Fengzi from not far away. The corners of Chu Lian's mouth twitched a little as she quickly offered, "Madam, if you're busy, you don't have to look after me. I'll be fine just sitting over there."

For some reason, Wei Fengzi just didn't feel all too happy with this new Third Young Madam from House Jing'an. If not for Madam Zou's request, she wouldn't have even bothered with this girl. Since Chu Lian was now rejecting her kind invitation, she naturally no longer had any patience to deal with her.

"Fine, I'll go over there then. If there's anything you need, send a maidservant to me."

Chu Lian nodded obediently and even looked up to smile at Wei Fengzi.

It wasn't until Wei Fengzi had left that Chu Lian let out a soft sigh. She looked around and found a nice corner outside the corridor, and made her way towards it.

Although she could hear the discussion from the crowd around her and their opinions of her, it was no use getting angry over something like that. They could choose to say whatever they wanted with their own mouths, and she couldn't control that.

Chu Lian pursed her lips and pretended not to hear anything.

She leaned against the sofa. There were a few plates of snacks on the small tables next to the sofa, so Chu Lian casually picked out a piece to eat. After taking a bite, she frowned and almost spat it out. What in the world was this made of!? It was sweet, but not too sweet. It was also sour, but not quite... In short, it tasted terrible.

Now that she had tasted the snacks that the Dingyuan Estate served to their guests, Chu Lian finally understood why Cook Zhou's pastries had seemed so delicious to everyone.

…...

Just across the lotus pond, a handsome man dressed in a navy brocade robe stood in the corridor of Qingfeng Court with a fan in one hand. His long, narrow eyes were fixed upon a particular spot in Mei Court.

In a corner of one of corridors in Mei Court, a young madam was lying on a sofa. Reaching out with her slender fingers, she picked up a small cake and took a bite. Her face quickly contorted into a frown. She put the cake back down on the table, and even stuck out her tongue in disgust.

As he continued staring at Chu Lian, Xiao Bojian's eyes darkened until they were as black as ink. He couldn't help but think in his heart: 'Lian'er is still the same as before; she only likes sweet things. The snacks here in Marquis Dingyuan's estate are a little sour, so it’s no wonder she doesn't like them!'

"Senior Xiao! What are you looking at out there?"

When Xiao Bojian turned around, he saw Heir Zheng walking towards him, dressed in a round-collared brocade robe.

"Heir Zheng."

Heir Zheng followed Xiao Bojian's line of sight. After a moment, he spoke up. "That seems to be where all the noble madams are. My mother is there too. Why, Senior Xiao, is there someone you recognise over there?"

Xiao Bojian hid the emotions swirling in his eyes and calmly said, "I'm just taking a look. Let's go in!"

Heir Zheng was about to head inside when a young lady who had been facing away suddenly turned, revealing her face. He was shocked by her beauty, and his eyes lit up.

"Senior Xiao, Senior Xiao, don't go yet. Look over there!"

Xiao Bojian turned back and looked in the direction that Heir Zheng was pointing. He happened to spot Chu Lian, who was now gazing across the pond, and the expression on his slightly feminine face turned stormy.

In her infinite boredom, Chu Lian was currently tearing up the small cake she hadn't been able to continue eating and throwing the pieces into the lotus pond to feed the koi.

"Hey, isn't that House Jing'an's Third Young Madam, Miss Chu?" A voice suddenly interrupted out of the blue.

Chu Lian turned, a little surprised. She could hear the swell of discussion from some people not far away.

"Heavens, why are Feudal Princess Anmin, Imperial Princess Leyao, and Royal Princess Duanjia all here?"

Chapter 80: Can't Dodge Disaster (1)

Chu Lian's brows drew together as she looked towards the young girls standing not far away, dressed according to their high status.

What was going on?

The event she was trying to avoid in the novel had occurred at Dingbo Pavilion, not Mei Court. Furthermore, these noble personages hadn't appeared in that event. Why did these princesses have their eyes on her now?

Chu Lian felt a headache brewing. She couldn't even tell which princess was which...

Since she didn't know their identities or their family backgrounds, she could only bow in greeting towards them.

"Sister Yuanqin, is that the woman that Brother He abandoned?"

The slightly older girl standing at the back chuckled in a haughty manner. She was the legitimate Fifth Miss from House Dingyuan, Zou Yuanqin. She had just come of age and was one of Imperial Princess Leyao's study companions. The sudden exclamation that Chu Lian had heard earlier had come from her.

"Imperial Princess, your eyes are really sharp."

Imperial Princess Leyao was wearing an outfit of about the same colour as Chu Lian's today. She was even wearing a ruby hair ornament.

However, the workmanship on her dress was much more exquisite, while the materials were clearly rare. The pink dress had a slight gradient from top to bottom. Beautiful patterns were embroidered onto the skirt, and there were even small pieces of precious stones woven into the material. When the light hit them, the dress sparkled like a starry sky. It was both elegant and luxurious.

In comparison, Chu Lian's similar outfit looked much poorer.

However, with Chu Lian's delicate looks, slender body, and lovely figure, she still managed to look stunning in the simple pink dress that she was wearing, especially since she was currently in the best period of her youth. Conversely, the eleven-year-old Imperial Princess Leyao still hadn't quite grown into her figure.

When the two of them stood opposite each other, they each had a charm of their own. However, when looking closely at their outfits, Chu Lian's dress wasn't quite up to par. The ruby butterfly pin on her head had been bright and lovely at first, but compared to Imperial Princess Leyao's ornament, it completely lost its colour.

The buzzing of discussion sprang up around them, and Chu Lian could feel the contempt in the gazes thrown at her.

"How shabby!" Imperial Princess Leyao smirked as she said.

With that one comment from the princess, the noise of discussion grew ever louder. All the voices she had been trying to ignore fell into her ears one by one.

"Well, didn't House Jing’an connect with House Ying because of their particularly... fertile ladies?"

"Did you hear? He Sanlang left his family and the capital just two days ago!"

"Haha, what a joke. Without her man, what use is her fertility?"

"Isn't that right? She's just a poor little maid. I can't believe she wore that to the Dingyuan Estate. How embarrassing."

"I guess you all don't know yet. This Sixth Miss Chu didn't have a good reputation in the first place. I'm afraid that it was He Sanlang who must have been forced to leave because he didn't like this new wife of his!"

......

House Ying's Madam Rong had taken a trip to the restroom and had just come back. When she noticed the clamour in Mei Court, she looked over in curiosity. It was at this moment that Miss Su, from the main branch, came over to hold Madam Rong's arm. With a pale face, she said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, Sixth Sister is being bullied."

The second branch's Eighth Miss, Miss Yuan, also followed along. She rolled her eyes in scorn. "She's been abandoned by her husband just days after her marriage. I can't believe she still dares to come out just to lose face!"

Madam Rong's expression instantly changed. She glared at Miss Yuan first, and then asked Miss Su, "What happened exactly?"

At first, House Jing'an had hidden the news that He Changdi had left for the northern border. However, the news had been leaked somehow.

Madam Rong, who usually spent her time in the inner court, didn't know much of outside news. After hearing Miss Su's explanation, her face turned solemn.

"You're saying that Imperial Princess Leyao, Royal Princess Duanjia, and Feudal Princess Anmin are all here?"

"That's right. Judging from Imperial Princess Leyao's words, it seems like she doesn't really like Sixth Sister."

Miss Yuan stomped her foot fiercely. "That troublemaker! When did she anger the princess?! Now we're going to be pulled into trouble along with her. We shouldn't have let her marry into House Jing'an back then!"

"Miss Yuan, stop speaking nonsense!" Madam Rong scolded her in a low tone.

This wasn't the Ying Estate, so Madam Rong couldn't let them speak so freely. Even though Chu Lian wasn't favoured in House Ying, since she had married, anything she did would still reflect back on House Ying. Since she was here, she couldn't just ignore the situation that Chu Lian was in.

Chu Lian wanted to scold He Changdi until his eardrums bled right now. 'Brother He'? When did that fellow seduce this princess!? Furthermore, this princess was still pretty young. Wasn't she a little too mature for her age?!

Royal Princess Duanjia was standing next to Imperial Princess Leyao. She was more than a head taller than Princess Leyao, and had a cold expression on. However, her gaze was fixed on Chu Lian.

From not far away, Wei Fengzi had also noticed the situation outside the corridor. The corner of her lip lifted when she saw Chu Lian standing in the middle of the crowd. Since Chu Lian hadn't sent any of her maidservants to ask for help, she simply sat back and watched the commotion.

Feudal Princess Anmin cast a look of disdain towards Chu Lian. "Since we've already seen her, Leyao, let's go."

Following Feudal Princess Anmin's words, several young ladies of high status turned around to leave at the same time. House Dingyuan's Fifth Miss, Zou Yuanqin, shot a parting glance at Chu Lian. Unexpectedly, there wasn't any restrained anger or pain in Chu Lian’s expression. Zou Yuanqin's face contorted and her glance grew contemptuous. Only then did she follow the rest of the noble ladies.

Chu Lian's mouth twitched as she watched the noble ladies' figures disappear into the distance. Huh? So all they had come to do was ridicule her? Wasn't that a little too childish?!

Chapter 81: Can't Dodge Disaster (2)

Madam Rong was about to come over to help Chu Lian out. Upon seeing Imperial Princess Leyao leading the rest of her party away, she heaved a great sigh of relief. However, without waiting for her to relax, a sharp scream filled the air.

"Ahhhh!"

Chu Lian felt someone push her hard and she wobbled. Following that, some sweet-smelling things fell over her and rolled all over the floor.

Chu Lian froze in shock. When she looked down, she noticed that there were some longevity peach buns scattered all over the ground.

The person who had knocked into her was already on her knees, wailing and crying.

Chu Lian felt the urge to roll her eyes.

The group of noble ladies hadn't gone too far. Their attention was attracted by the new commotion, so they started to turn around to look.

The madams and young ladies surrounding Chu Lian all moved away, leaving a clear path for the noble ladies.

When Zou Yuanqin spotted the longevity peach buns all over the ground, her calm demeanour cracked and she quickly walked over. She pointed at Chu Lian while trembling in anger.

"You! How could you destroy the birthday present my mother prepared for my grandfather!"

Birthday present?

These ugly longevity peach buns?

Lady, stop pulling my leg. Isn't this trap you've made way too obvious?

After Zou Yuanqin's shout, someone in the crowd exclaimed. "Look at the shape of the buns! These must have been made by Mr Wang from De'an Restaurant! They were destroyed just like that! What a waste!"

The corners of Chu Lian's mouth twitched.

These half-grown ladies were not just using a plate of longevity peach buns to sabotage her. They were even praising these buns like they were made by some master chef! What were they trying to pull? What happened to the 'pushed into water' trap she had been expecting in the novel?!

How did the trap become even more... stupid?

Those lumps on the floor were just some white steamed buns dyed a little red. How could they be some top-class longevity peach buns made by some amazing chef?

Please, don't joke around with me.

Of course, the crowd couldn't possibly hear Chu Lian's inner ranting.

The crowd parted again and a richly dressed forty-year-old madam walked out. When Chu Lian looked at her, the madam's sharp gaze shot back at her. With anger rumbling in her tone, she questioned, "What's going on here!"

This was Heir Dingyuan's wife, Madam Huang, whom Madam Zou had brought her to greet earlier.

She was also Zou Yuanqin's mother.

The person kneeling on the ground, trembling, was a maidservant dressed in a ginger-coloured dress.

With a wavering voice, she said, "This... this servant was sending the longevity peach buns to the banquet at the outer court when... this young madam suddenly pushed this servant. Madam, please have mercy on this servant! Please have mercy!"

Chu Lian: ......

She had been standing still right here, how could she have pushed her?

However, no one stood out to speak for her at this time. To the noble madams and young ladies here, she had already climbed the social ladder by marrying into House Jing'an. He Changdi's sudden departure so soon after the marriage had then made her the hot topic of the season. Most of the people here were probably waiting to see her commit a faux pas. Even if they knew that she was being framed, not a single one would stand out for her.

Furthermore, the one trying to put her down seemed to be Heir Dingyuan's wife. It might even be the Emperor's most favoured child, Imperial Princess Leyao.

Madam Rong stopped in her tracks.

Miss Su gaped a little in shock. After blanking out for a moment, she finally recovered her senses. She turned to her sister-in-law and said, "Eldest Sister-in-Law, we... we..."

"Don't say a word! We'll wait!"

Madam Rong felt the urge to retreat.

Previously, when Imperial Princess Leyao had been purposely mocking Chu Lian, the princess was the one at fault. If she went up to defend Chu Lian, that was perfectly reasonable. Even if she made an enemy of the princess then, the news of her good deed and righteous defense of her family would spread out. However, it was a completely different situation now. She hadn't clearly seen what happened. It didn't matter who the culprit was, anyway. Madam Huang's gift to Old Marquis Dingyuan for his longevity feast had been ruined, so it was now all Chu Lian's fault.

If she went out now, she had to face both Madam Huang and Imperial Princess Leyao. There wouldn't be any merit to her reputation, and she might even be labelled as someone who tried to cover up her family's faults.

Madam Rong was already low enough in the ranks of noble madams. She was also in charge of managing the Ying Household. House Ying's descent had slowly moulded her into someone who would seek profit and avoid all losses.

Miss Su desperately looked at the crowd, and was about to make her way forward when Madam Rong held her back.

Eighth Miss, Miss Yuan, hid behind Madam Rong and watched. Hidden in the shadows, her lips curled up.

…...

Xiao Bojian stood outside the corridor, his right hand gripping the red painted railing tightly as his gaze fixed upon the scene across the pond.

Heir Zheng used the folding fan in his hands to block the sun shining from above and carelessly said, "Senior Xiao, it seems like something must have happened over there. Even the Princess is around! It looks quite lively."

…...

On the third floor of Qingfeng Court, the smell of hardwood incense filled the area. There was practically no one around, and it was extremely peaceful and serene. The window facing the pond was only opened halfway, and from that small opening, a tall person could be seen.

He had sharp features, and a pair of azure eyes that were currently focused on Mei Court.

The man waved his hand and a human figure appeared next to him.

"Master, what are your orders?"

"Go over to Mei Court. If they try to punish Miss Chu, save her."

"Understood."

The figure disappeared in a flash.

Chapter 82: Gambling (1)

After hearing what the maidservant in ginger had said, all eyes landed on Chu Lian.

Amongst the various mocking, appraising, smug, and complicated looks of the crowd, Madam Huang had the fiercest gaze.

When she finally spoke up, slowly and surely, everyone could hear the frost that emanated from her.

"House Jing'an's Third Young Madam. I expect you to take full responsibility for this matter."

De'an Restaurant's Mr Wang didn't accept requests from just anyone. In the entire capital, he was the only one who could make such beautiful longevity peach buns. It was considered a great honour if he produced a plate for a noble's longevity feast.

Madam Huang had gone to De'an Restaurant three times, and spent a whole thousand taels of silver to do so.

However, the freshly steamed longevity peach buns she had spent so much effort to obtain were now ruined, just like that.

Madam Huang's current rage was to be expected.

Compared to House Jing’an, House Dingyuan was currently much more favoured with the Emperor, as they had an imperial concubine from their house sitting in the palace. If they were to go against each other, House Jing'an would have to bow to House Dingyuan.

Furthermore, the cause of the trouble was House Jing'an's new Third Young Madam, who had come from the declining House Ying.

She was most likely going to be utterly humiliated here, and her crime of disrupting the Old Marquis' longevity feast would probably spread through word of mouth, affecting her reputation.

The noble madams who had come from similarly poor houses were starting to sympathise with Chu Lian.

Xiyan was in a fit upon seeing the situation. She wanted to squeeze out of the crowd to look for Eldest Young Madam, Madam Zou. If Eldest Young Madam were here, Madam Huang might let her go for Eldest Young Madam's sake. However, she was being held back by a few maidservants, and she couldn't get away. She was so frenzied that her eyes were turning red.

Wei Fengzi noticed that Chu Lian still remained rather expressionless despite the trouble she was in. There wasn't a single shred of cowardice or fear in her eyes as she stood her ground in the middle of the crowd. Wei Fengzi raised a single eyebrow and she stood up; this just turned more interesting.

Meanwhile, a spark of interest flared in the eyes of Royal Princess Duanjia, who was standing behind Imperial Princess Leyao.

Zou Yuanqin lowered her voice to a whisper that only she and Imperial Princess Leyao could hear. With a smirk on her face, she asked, "Imperial Princess, are you satisfied?"

Imperial Princess Leyao couldn't resist laughing as she watched the sorry-looking Chu Lian surrounded by the crowd, with fingers pointing at her from every direction.

She was extremely satisfied! Such an average, useless woman had dared to marry above her rank and snatch her Brother He away. She was going to make this useless woman suffer today; see if she would dare to ever come out of her estate again after this!

House Dingyuan's Fifth Miss, Zou Yuanqin, angrily added, "House Jing'an's Third Young Madam, do you know how much this plate of longevity peach buns are worth?! Let me tell you, without counting the effort my mother put in to procure them, they cost at least a thousand taels!"

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

A thousand taels! That wasn't a small sum, even to a madam living in a noble estate.

For a declining house like House Ying, the maximum amount of dowry a legitimate daughter would get was a thousand taels. Someone like Chu Lian, who was neither loved by her father nor favoured by her stepmother, couldn’t even dream of getting that much!

The corner of Chu Lian's eye twitched. Wasn't House Dingyuan way too greedy? Or perhaps it was that Imperial Princess Leyao?

They wanted her to fork out a thousand taels for that lousy plate of buns! It was practically daylight robbery!

Chu Lian inwardly pouted. Her entire dowry wasn't even worth a thousand taels.

Since these people were trying to push her into this trap, wouldn't it be silly if she didn't at least try to fight back?

That's right, she had to get them back!

Chu Lian put on a shocked expression and looked at the longevity peach buns scattered all over the ground. She then said, "These longevity peach buns are worth a thousand taels? Fifth Miss, surely you're joking?"

Chapter 83: Gambling (2)

Zou Yuanqin had been expecting Chu Lian to start worrying about how to repay the thousand taels; she hadn't thought that Chu Lian would actually start suspecting the value of the longevity peach buns instead. Her face immediately flushed red from her anger.

Zou Yuanqin was just a twelve-year-old girl after all. She was also a favoured legitimate daughter in her house, and Imperial Princess Leyao's companion. She was usually pampered by everyone, and the one thing she hated the most was when anyone challenged her authority. Chu Lian's comment had sparked the fuse on her firecracker temper.

"Chu Lian! How dare you doubt my words! Don't think that you can accuse us like this just because you're too poor to pay us back! Let me tell you now, I don't care about the thousand taels!" Zou Yuanqin's face was completely red by now.

Madam Huang hadn't expected her daughter to lose her calm after a single sentence from Chu Lian. She frowned and shot a look at Zou Yuanqin. Unfortunately, Zou Yuanqin was currently blinded by her rage and didn't notice the look from her mother.

Madam Huang suddenly regretted agreeing to her daughter's request about using that plate of longevity peach buns to make things difficult for Chu Lian. However, now that her daughter had spoken, it wasn't appropriate for her to step in. If she stepped in now, it would seem as if she was bullying a junior. Chu Lian was still a young lady who had just come of age, after all.

In Zou Yuanqin's rage, she had actually called out Chu Lian's full name. In a public event like this, calling out someone's full name, especially a married woman’s, was extremely rude.

Zou Yuanqin's sudden flare of temper caused the spectating noble madams to frown. She was already twelve this year. In another two years, it would be time for her to be engaged. By being this unruly in such a public place with so many noble madams watching, she was actually spoiling her own chances of finding a good husband.

Chu Lian smiled inwardly; it was a hundred years too early for this little brat to think of trapping her.

"Fifth Miss Zou, a thousand taels isn't a small sum for me. Of course I'll have to ask a few questions to understand what's going on. Please excuse me."

Chu Lian had generously admitted to her own shortcomings. Yes, she was poor. Although her maiden family had a noble title, they were already on the decline. This was common knowledge, and there wasn't any need to hide it. At this point in time, if she tried to pretend to be rich and flaunt her wealth, that would simply draw their ire.

She already knew that these stupid buns had definitely cost a thousand taels. If they were trying to humiliate her, Madam Huang definitely wasn’t going to lie! However, she had purposely brought up this line of talk in order to make Zou Yuanqin get angry.

By freely admitting her financial situation, Chu Lian actually garnered the admiration and respect of quite a few spectators. Not everyone had the courage to admit their shortcomings in front of a crowd, since most people were conceited creatures.

Compared to Chu Lian, Zou Yuanqin seemed even more willful and arrogant, like a bully on a power trip.

The slender finger that she was pointing at Chu Lian began to shake out of rage. However, Chu Lian appeared unperturbed. She stood her ground and serenely gazed forward, like Zou Yuanqin was the one at fault and was making a fuss out of nothing.

Imperial Princess Leyao glared unhappily at Zou Yuanqin.

When Zou Yuanqin saw Imperial Princess Leyao's glare, her heart clenched. Even if she didn't want to continue this farce, she had to.

Zou Yuanqin hardened her stance and said, "Chu Lian! No matter what, you have to account for this to my mother! There's only an hour left until we have to serve the longevity peach buns at the outer court. If we miss the lucky hour, my grandfather's feast will be ruined! I'll make you go to the banquet hall and ask for forgiveness from my grandfather right then and there!"

Upon hearing Zou Yuanqin’s ultimatum, Imperial Princess Leyao finally let the dissatisfied expression on her face disappear. She watched the cornered Chu Lian with renewed interest.

Let's see if she can get out of this now!

Chu Lian, meanwhile, was listening to the discussions of the spectating noble madams.

"It must be House Jing'an's Third Young Madam's unlucky day today. Those longevity peach buns weren’t made by just anyone; they were made by De’an Restaurant’s Mr Wang! That chef has a really strange temperament. He only makes them once per person! By now, the people in the banquet hall must have heard that Mr Wang's longevity peach buns are being served today. It'll be tough for House Jing'an's Third Young Madam to settle this incident."

Chu Lian's mind blanked out a little, and she felt the urge to laugh. If she had the chance to, she would like to meet this Mr Wang someday! Although he didn't make very good-looking longevity peach buns, he had plenty of rules to go around!

However, the more rare something was, the more valuable it became. By setting such a rule, this Mr Wang had guaranteed that there would be people coming after his peach buns based on its rarity alone. They would be more willing to fork over as much as they could afford to.

Chu Lian recalled that there was an engagement ring company who only allowed men to buy a single ring from them in their lifetime. This Mr Wang had done something similar and his business was booming; could he possibly be a transmigrator, too?

Chu Lian tilted her head to the side. Her eyes were as clear as glass, and a pretty colour to boot. Her honest expression generated plenty of goodwill for her amongst the crowd. If this continued, there wouldn't be a single person who would believe that she had knocked over that plate of buns on purpose.

Chu Lian’s brows knit together. She sincerely said, "Fifth Miss Zou, I don't have a thousand taels of silver."

She really didn't have a thousand taels, or anything close to it. Even if she included the ruby ornament she was wearing right now, she wouldn't even have half of that amount.

Hearing her reply, Zou Yuanqin cast a contemptuous look at her. She smirked. "Then go to the banquet hall and plead for forgiveness from my grandfather!"

Chapter 84: Gambling (3)

The crowd sucked in their breaths. If the Third Young Madam from House Jing'an really went to the banquet hall and asked for forgiveness from Old Marquis Dingyuan in front of all the distinguished male guests, House Jing'an would never be able to hold their heads high in the capital again.

Without waiting for the crowd to pity her, Chu Lian said with a clear voice, "However, I'm willing to compensate Madam Huang with more longevity peach buns."

Chu Lian's sparkling eyes, straight back, and complete lack of any cowardice drew everyone's gazes.

"Oh? How are you going to make up for them? These longevity peach buns were made by De'an Restaurant's Mr Wang. Can you make the exact same ones?" The one speaking was Feudal Princess Anmin. She raised her chin slightly, showing off her clear disdain for a lowly person like Chu Lian.

Chu Lian smiled; coming from someone already pretty and innocent -- and on her way to becoming a great beauty -- her smile was like a refreshing spring breeze.

"I don't dare to claim that I can make the exact same ones, but I can definitely make something even better."

"Nonsense! De'an Restaurant's Mr Wang makes the best longevity peach buns in the entire capital. How could you possibly make something better?!" Zou Yuanqin hadn't expected Chu Lian to say something like that. She refuted her on the spot.

"Fifth Miss Zou, how could you know that without seeing it for yourself? I'm in the wrong for knocking over Madam Huang's longevity peach buns today, but since Madam Huang is a magnanimous person, please grant me a chance to make up for it." Chu Lian's first sentence was meant for Zou Yuanqin, but her next sentence was aimed towards Madam Huang.

Chu Lian had already gotten some goodwill from the crowd thanks to her performance. Now that she was making such a sincere request to Madam Huang, it showed that she knew when to push and when to retreat. This action earned even more positive assessments from the crowd. Anyway, everything had happened so quickly; who knew if it was even Chu Lian who bumped into that maidservant just now?

At this point, many of the madams were leaning towards Chu Lian's side.

Zou Yuanqin's neck was starting to turn red from all her anger. She refused to let Chu Lian off and said, "So what if you can make longevity peach buns? Don't tell me that they'll be able to match up to Mr Wang's? Mr Wang only makes one order of longevity peach buns per person!"

Chu Lian's expression turned solemn. "Fifth Miss Zou. If we're talking about food, we should judge by sincerity and taste. As long as the longevity peach buns I make are more delicious than Mr Wang's, don't you think that's better than any of those false tricks?"

That's right, that was just a silly trick!

Suddenly, the crowd was awakened by Chu Lian's words.

No matter how expensive they were, it was just a plate of longevity peach buns and De'an Restaurant was out to make money. If the Emperor wanted to eat two plates of longevity peach buns, that Mr Wang couldn't possibly defy an imperial edict for the sake of this principle.

Furthermore, how could a noble young madam from House Jing'an be compared to a lowly cook from De'an Restaurant?

Chu Lian's words were like a slap to the face.

Fifth Miss Zou was so angry that her face and neck were flushed red, but she couldn't say a word in retort.

Madam Huang glared at her daughter. With the situation as it was now, she could only agree to Chu Lian's request.

If she didn't give her this chance, then it would be Madam Huang and her daughter who were the discourteous ones.

"Alright, House Jing'an's Third Young Madam. I'll give you this chance today. However, if you don't manage to make longevity peach buns that taste better than Mr Wang's, even if Matriarch He is here, I won't show you any mercy."

Madam Huang was the madam in charge of the Dingyuan estate now, and she was used to dealing with the high echelons of society. Thus, she had a powerful aura about her. Any normal young lady would probably be shocked stiff by her threatening words.

However, Chu Lian was the one facing her!

The business dealings in the modern world were much more sly and craftier than this, and she had met all sorts of bosses before. How could she be afraid of someone like Madam Huang?

"Of course, Madam." Chu Lian respectfully bobbed towards Madam Huang.

Her actions were completely in line with etiquette, and there was nothing to pick on.

Although Madam Huang was inwardly raging, on the outside, she maintained her elegant demeanour.

Her sharp eyes watched Chu Lian as she secretly harrumphed.

Inside the privacy of her mind, she thought, don't think longevity peach buns are that easy to make! There must be something behind Mr Wang's peach buns since his business has been doing so well! At least, up until now, all the nobles who ate Mr Wang's longevity peach buns have had nothing but praise for them.

Child, be careful. It won't be easy to clean up your mess if you've boasted beyond your abilities!

You might think it's easy just by watching others, but when you're really put on the spot, you'll find that it isn't as easy as you thought!

House Jing'an had managed to become popular amongst the nobles in the capital just by having a pastry chef who could make tasty snacks. That was how valuable secret recipes were. If House Ying had some secret recipe for longevity peach buns that was better than Mr Wang's, they would have used it to gain popularity a lot earlier!

After thinking it through, Madam Huang was even more certain that Chu Lian was being too overconfident. She didn't believe that Chu Lian could make anything close to Mr Wang’s longevity peach buns, never mind something better than them.

When Madam Rong, who was still standing in the crowd, heard that Chu Lian was going to suddenly make longevity peach buns of her own, she almost fainted out of shock. She had eaten Mr Wang's longevity peach buns only once before. They were much tastier than House Jing'an's pastries. Then there was Chu Lian, who hadn't even entered the Ying Estate’s kitchen before her marriage. How could she possibly know how to make longevity peach buns?!

Chapter 85: Wager (1)

Madam Rong's body swayed a little. Luckily, Miss Su caught her and held her upright.

Miss Su also looked tense. Even back at the Ying Estate, Sixth Sister had always tried to appear strong despite being out of favour. However, doing so in a situation like this was just silly; she should’ve just kept her head down instead of standing out.

"Eldest Sister-in-Law, are you alright?" Miss Su whispered in concern.

Madam Rong pressed a hand against her forehead before waving her off. "I'm fine."

The progression of events even frightened Eighth Miss, Miss Yuan. Even if Chu Lian was disgraced, they would still be fine by virtue of her having already married out of the estate. Plus, she belonged to House Jing’an now, so she would surely be disciplined by Matriarch He. However, now that things were at this point and Madam Huang was clearly angry, if Chu Lian were to mess up, both House Ying and House Jing'an would be pulled down together with her.

Miss Yuan was a little afraid now.

She carefully pulled on Madam Rong's sleeve and begged quietly, "Eldest Sister-in-Law, let's leave now."

Madam Rong looked around her. She did want to leave, but when she caught sight of the occasional glances thrown her way...

She stiffened up.

How could she leave in a situation like this? Although no one was speaking, plenty of eyes were watching her!

If she were to leave now, news might spread that she didn't care about her sisters.

Madam Rong felt immensely regretful. To her, Chu Lian was to blame for everything!

"I believe House Jing'an's Third Young Madam didn't do it on purpose. For a young girl, a thousand taels is a huge sum. If Third Young Madam can truly make longevity peach buns that are better than Mr Wang's, then I'll give her this coral bracelet to calm her nerves."

Right when Madam Huang had ordered someone to bring Chu Lian to the kitchen, a woman's voice rang out.

The crowd slowly parted to let her through. A middle-aged madam dressed in a begonia-coloured sixteen-bolt dress stepped out, accompanied by a group of people behind her.

Immediately, whispers of discussion sprang up around them. "Lady Yang is here! Madam Huang won't be able to continue doing as she likes now!"

Lady Yang? Chu Lian turned her bright, clear eyes in the direction the crowd was looking in.

The middle-aged madam was tall and luxuriously dressed without seeming too stately. She exuded elegance all over. The corners of her eyes were slightly tilted upwards, somewhat similar to Chu Lian’s own eyes.

She took off the coral bracelet on her wrist and passed it over to one of her handmaids. The maidservant then moved forward and placed the bracelet onto a silver tray sitting on a stone table outside the corridor. When the bracelet hit the tray, it produced a clear ringing sound.

Each coral bead on the bracelet was finely carved with exquisite patterns, and their colours were about the same. Amber jade beads were placed between each coral bead, showing off a beautiful contrast of red and amber. Everyone could see at first glance that it wasn't just any ordinary bracelet.

Chu Lian was shocked. She tried to remember when this character had appeared in the book she was reading before.

Lady Yang? There was a character in the novel who matched this identity, age, and appearance. Yang Ge's wife! She was one of the most influential people among the ranks of the capital’s noble madams. Even Matriarch He had to accord her some respect if they met.

This madam was one of the original 'Chu Lian's' greatest enemies...

In the end, 'Chu Lian' had tortured her to death with some cruel methods...

Chu Lian cast a curious, measuring gaze towards Lady Yang.

She hadn't expected that Lady Yang, who should have been working against her, would come out now only to stand on her side.

What was this called again? The tables have turned?

Although Chu Lian didn't want to overthink things and make her life complicated, she wasn't so naive as to think that Lady Yang had come simply just to help her out.

As expected, she could hear some people talking in the crowd.

"Lady Yang and Madam Huang have been at odds since they were young unmarried ladies. It would be hard to avoid clashing over this matter today. Unfortunately, that poor Third Young Madam from House Jing'an has become a target."

Chu Lian laughed inwardly. She didn't really mind being a target. No matter what Lady Yang's motives were, that coral bracelet was pretty valuable. What did she need the most now? Money! That bracelet was going to be hers!

"Since Sister Yang has already placed something in the pot, I'll have to add in my own share." A young madam with rosy cheeks standing behind Lady Yang spoke up. She looked to be in her twenties, and was dressed in a silk green dress. From what Chu Lian could hear from the crowd's whispering, this was the wife of the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

The vice minister's wife took off a butterfly-shaped golden hairpin decorated with pieces of jade from directly off her head and placed it in the silver tray.

The other madams behind Lady Yang followed suit, taking a single accessory off and placing it in the silver tray. There were hollowed out gold bracelets inlaid with jade, yellow jade amulets, headdresses with precious stones... All these high-quality, sparkling accessories were laid out on this ordinary silver tray.

The younger madams in the crowd were completely wide-eyed in shock.

What was going on? How did these influential senior madams suddenly start fighting with each other?

Chapter 86: Wager (2)

The moment Madam Huang caught sight of Lady Yang, she gritted her teeth. Although she clearly hated Lady Yang, she had to put on a fake smile and say, "How generous of you, Lady Yang. Since you're betting on Chu Lian being able to make better longevity peach buns, what if she fails? It wouldn't make sense if you just take back your wager, am I right?"

Lady Yang harrumphed, "Oh? Then what do you think we should do if she fails, Madam Huang?"

Madam Huang shot a look at her daughter, Zou Yuanqin, before she removed a gold bracelet from her arm. Threaded on it were two rare pink pearls. They were shaped differently from normal pearls; instead of the usual sphere shape, they looked like water droplets. Rounded with a lustrous shine, they were quite a rare sight.

Those familiar with Madam Huang all sucked in a breath. That was Madam Huang's favourite bracelet; it was said that her maternal grandmother had passed it on to her.

After placing the pearl bracelet on the tray, Madam Huang said slowly and surely, "Since Lady Yang wants to interfere with this matter, why don't we do it like this? These accessories will become the wager for today. If House Jing'an's Third Young Madam has the skills, then everything on this tray will become hers, as compensation for the shock she has suffered. If she fails to carry out her task, then she'll have the same punishment I mentioned earlier: begging for forgiveness from my father in front of everyone in the banquet hall. Furthermore, Lady Yang, all the accessories you've bet will become ours."

Lady Yang smirked. Her answer came without hesitation. "Heh! I didn't know that Madam Huang has an interest in games like these. Why not?"

The moment she agreed to the wager, a few madams walked out from behind Madam Huang and offered up accessories of their own.

When one of the madams was about to place a gold hairpin she had plucked from her head into the tray, Imperial Princess Leyao reached out and stopped her.

Imperial Princess Leyao raised her chin proudly. She glanced secretly at Chu Lian once, and then arrogantly declared, "How could I possibly miss out on such a fun game?"

After saying so, she took off a little golden qilin statue hanging from her waist and placed it on the tray. "This is a golden statue that Mother Empress gave to me. Is this enough for the wager?"

The Empress had given her the little golden statue on her eighth birthday. Imperial Princess Leyao loved it a lot and wore it everywhere she went. The golden kirin had two bean-sized ruby eyes, and looked very realistic.

Madam Huang wanted to stop Imperial Princess Leyao, but this princess had been spoiled rotten in the palace and was used to getting her way. Furthermore, she was favoured by the Emperor. This was supposed to be a fight amongst madams, but now that an eleven-year-old princess had suddenly cut in, it seemed a little strange.

Lady Yang cast a glance at Imperial Princess Leyao; even though she was the wife of an important official and a first-rank titled noble wife, it wouldn't be good for her to interfere with the princess' actions.

Imperial Princess Leyao was part of the imperial family after all.

It was never a good thing to interfere in the imperial family's matters.

Just as everyone thought that the wager had been set, Royal Princess Duanjia stepped out of the crowd.

Royal Princess Duanjia was about the same age as Chu Lian, and was the legitimate daughter of Prince Wei, the brother of the current Emperor. She was much loved by the Emperor and Empress Dowager; the moment she had been born, she had been conferred the title of royal princess.

Her influence wasn't any less than Imperial Princess Leyao's.

"Since Sister Leyao could bear to put up her most beloved treasure, how could I not participate with mine?"

Without looking at Imperial Princess Leyao's expression, Royal Princess Duanjia took out an item from the purse at her waist. It was a completely white jade ring with some words engraved on the inner side. From the quality of the jade alone, you could tell that it was top-quality white jade, and wasn't inferior to Imperial Princess Leyao's golden qilin statue in any way.

A smug look flashed across Imperial Princess Leyao's face and she purposely shot Chu Lian a look; it seemed like she was either showing off or mocking her. However, the moment she noticed Royal Princess Duanjia placing that jade ring on the opposite side from her golden qilin statue, her expression changed.

"Duanjia! You!"

Without any hint of concern for the rage on Imperial Princess Leyao's face, Royal Princess Duanjia tilted her head and declared cheerily, "I bet on House Jing'an's Third Young Madam winning."

Royal Princess Duanjia's action stunned half of the people present. What was going on? Wasn't Royal Princess Duanjia on the same side as Imperial Princess Leyao? Why was she helping House Jing'an's Third Young Madam?

Chu Lian also found it strange. She had no relation to this Royal Princess Duanjia at all, not in the story or as her current self. Why would she be standing on her side?

Due to her curiosity, Chu Lian couldn't help but look twice at Royal Princess Duanjia. When their gazes met, Royal Princess Duanjia raised an eyebrow and actually smiled at Chu Lian.

Chu Lian shifted away her gaze and felt the urge to scratch her head from confusion.

Since two respected members of the imperial family had just joined in the bet, the excitement of the crowd had been ramped up to the maximum.

These noble madams and young ladies usually passed their days in boredom. Just by attending a simple longevity feast at Marquis Dingyuan's estate, they had bumped into such a spectacular show. Everyone was inwardly shouting with excitement. Something like this would surely become the talk of the capital amongst the upper class! No matter what the result was, everyone would be talking about it within two days’ time.

Feudal Princess Anmin wanted to have her turn too, and thought of stepping out to add her contribution to the pot. However, she was held back by Zou Yuanqin.

Zou Yuanqin had received a hint from her mother, and shook her head at Feudal Princess Anmin.

Feudal Princess Anmin could only give up the idea of joining in. She was an imperial princess' daughter, so she ranked a step lower than Imperial Princess Leyao and Royal Princess Duanjia. Since there were already two daughters of the imperial family taking part, it wasn't appropriate for her to join in as well.

Madam Rong gripped a jade amulet tightly in her hands, hesitating and thinking hard. In the end, when she saw that Imperial Princess Leyao and Royal Princess Duanjia had joined the wager, her courage shrunk even more.

Under these circumstances, if she added to the pot, she would be going directly against Imperial Princess Leyao.

Chapter 87: Fresh Peaches (1)

In the end, Madam Rong couldn’t gather the courage to step forward, and could only quietly place the jade amulet in her hands back into her sleeves.

The people around her noted her hesitation and her eventual decision to not participate in the wager. Some of the madams nearby immediately rolled their eyes. Madam Rong had no choice but to keep her indignation at their reactions to herself.

Miss Su was more clever and understood that this wasn’t something that an unmarried young lady like her should join in, so she could only watch what was happening from the crowd.

On the other hand, Miss Yuan kept staring at the sparkling accessories on the silver tray, her greed showing in her eyes. The twenty or so accessories in that tray were all extraordinary items; if all of them were to become hers, she would likely go mad from the euphoria. Thus, she couldn’t help the traces of jealousy and hatred leaking from her gaze when she looked at Chu Lian. She fervently hoped that Chu Lian would lose.

When Chu Lian’s gaze turned to Madam Rong, she noticed that Madam Rong had her head lowered and didn’t dare to meet her eyes. She smiled inwardly, but didn’t take Madam Rong’s actions to heart.

“House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam, this way please!” Madam Huang slightly raised her voice, the corners of her lips tilting upwards. Although her tone was neither hot nor cold, her eyes carried clear contempt for Chu Lian.

Chu Lian stood amongst the crowd, dressed rather plainly compared to the others, but her fearless expression invoked praise and approval from the crowd. She bobbed in greeting to the ladies before her and said, “Dear madams, if you would kindly send some people to follow me to the kitchen as witnesses.”

Madam Huang hadn’t expected that Chu Lian would bring up a request like that, but she saw no harm in acquiescing to it. She immediately waved her hand to send two of her senior servants with Chu Lian; Lady Yang did the same.

As the crowd watched Chu Lian leading her maidservants and the four senior servants off to the kitchen of Mei Court, the sounds of fervent gossiping grew in volume.

Madam Huang inwardly scoffed as a maidservant helped her to a seat. She didn’t believe that an unfavoured little girl from House Ying could work her way out of a situation like this.

Don’t assume that you’re craftier than the rest of us, just because your womb is a little more fertile than most!

Lady Yang sat right next to Madam Huang. Her maidservant passed her a cup of freshly brewed sencha, which she received and took a small sip from. Then, she smiled before speaking to Madam Huang. “What’s wrong? Are you already scared of losing that precious pearl bracelet of yours, Madam Huang?”

“Lady Yang, the longevity peach buns haven’t even come out of the kitchen yet. How are you so sure that you’ve already won?”

The two of them exchanged looks full of hidden daggers; the madams standing around them shivered as chills ran down their spines. They all tried to shrink into the background. None of them wanted to accidentally become a pawn in the battle between the two fearsome madams, like Chu Lian had.

…...

At Qingfeng Court, right across from Mei Court, the azure eyes watching from the third floor window glimmered. They filled with humor as the man murmured to himself in a low voice, “That Sanlang has gotten a rather interesting wife for himself.”

The man waved his hand and the shadow within the room appeared once again. “Tell the men to retreat for now. This prince wants to see what this Sixth Miss Chu can do.”

“As you wish, Master.”

In the same building, down at the veranda facing the pond, a manservant dressed in blue was whispering into the ears of Heir Zheng. While watching the crowd across the pond, Heir Zheng’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Is that so?”

“Heir Zheng, this servant dare not hide a thing.”

“Then go quickly! Once you have news, report to me immediately!” In his urgency, Heir Zheng kicked the manservant’s bottom. The manservant simply laughed and ran off.

Chapter 88: Fresh Peaches (2)

Xiao Bojian was still standing in the same spot. Within just three steps, Heir Zheng made it to his side and tried to strike up a conversation. “Senior Xiao, guess what’s happening across the pond? Haha, it’s really lively! I didn’t think something so interesting would happen at Old Marquis Dingyuan’s longevity feast. I haven’t made this trip in vain!”

If it weren’t for the fact that the crowd over there was entirely female and that Heir Zheng wasn’t engaged yet, he would probably have gone over to take a look himself, thanks to his busybody nature.

Xiao Bojian glanced calmly at Heir Zheng. His features were already finer than a woman’s, but now that he was pressing his already thin lips together, the combination of his expression and beauty made him look as if he was holding back his desire. Even as a straight man himself, Heir Zheng was almost dazzled by that scene.

“Heir Zheng, please get straight to the point. I dislike beating around the bush.”

Heir Zheng wasn’t put off by Xiao Bojian’s cold attitude. He was used to his senior’s icy chill and seeming disinterest in everything, so he thought there was no point in teasing him anyway. He explained everything that had happened to Xiao Bojian immediately.

When he began to speak of the more exciting parts, Heir Zheng would even tsk in admiration.

“That’s right, speaking of this Third Young Madam from House Jing’an, wasn’t she the one who made those raindrop mochis that Grandmother brought back for us a few days ago? Since she could make desserts like those, these longevity peach buns must be nothing to her. Haha! Madam Huang’s going to lose terribly today. I really can’t wait to see the annoyed expression on her face!”

A huge wave of emotion rose within Xiao Bojian’s chest, even as he appeared calm while listening to Heir Zheng’s words.

His thin lips pressed together again, almost forming a straight line. His slender fingers grasping the railing of the veranda also tightened.

Even more thoughts were swirling inside his head.

How on earth had Lian’er provoked Imperial Princess Leyao? It was clear that the whole incident was a trap. Zou Yuanqin, Imperial Princess Leyao, and Madam Huang were all on the same side.

What was that Lady Yang plotting to push Lian’er into the thick of things like that?

And that He Changdi!

Since he had already married her, why had he treated her that way? That kind of man didn’t deserve to have Lian’er!

A storm was brewing in Xiao Bojian’s almond-shaped eyes as his heart clenched tightly. He hated himself a little for not having any power. He couldn’t even help Chu Lian when she was in need of help, and he could only let her face those troubles on her own.

Since He Sanlang wasn’t worthy of her, then don’t blame him for stealing her back!

All these people who were making trouble for Lian’er today… he would pay them back in the future!

…...

Meanwhile, Chu Lian was busy teaching her two maidservants how to knead the dough in the kitchen. If she were able to hear Xiao Bojian’s current thoughts, she would surely roll her eyes at him.

She would even offer him a reply: “Shoo, go stand somewhere else. Don’t interfere with my moneymaking.”

Does your mum know how warped your thinking is?

Unfortunately, Chu Lian didn’t know of what was going on in Xiao Bojian’s mind. She was busy as a bee in the kitchen.

The four senior servants who had followed her here were Madam Huang and Lady Yang’s people. None of them could help in making the buns.

Since De’an Restaurant’s Mr Wang had made the longevity peach buns in this exact kitchen a while ago, she didn’t lack any of the necessary ingredients.

With Xiyan and Wenqing helping her, Chu Lian could speed up her cooking.

At first, the four senior servants had kept a close eye on the proceedings from the side. Madam Huang’s senior servants had even seemed to have grown eyes on the top of their head from all their staring. However, as time passed, the senior servants’ eyes all widened; Madam Huang’s servants were so anxious that cold sweat started appearing on their bodies.

However, they couldn’t leave at all due to Lady Yang’s servants watching them.

Chapter 89: Fresh Peaches (3)

Chu Lian worked without any sense of urgency and was able to produce a few baskets of longevity peach buns within an hour.

The four servants tried to peek as Chu Lian brought the longevity peach buns out of the steamer, but Chu Lian purposely blocked their gazes so that none of them had a good view of the buns.

Chu Lian washed her hands and led her maidservants and the witnessing senior servants back to Mei Court. All the women in Mei Court immediately focused on Chu Lian before their eyes turned to the box that Xiyan was carrying. Curiosity itched inside their hearts; they wished for the power to see through things so that they could have a peek at what House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam made.

The four senior servants accompanying Chu Lian hurriedly returned to their own masters.

Madam Huang’s servant whispered a few lines into her ear, causing Madam Huang’s expression to change. She asked in return, “Are you certain?”

The senior servant nodded and said, “This old servant didn’t get to see what the end result was, and didn’t get the chance to taste it. House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam purposely hid the buns from us the moment she took them out of the steamer.”

Upon hearing the senior servant’s reply, the tension on Madam Huang’s face faded away.

Heh! If she tried to hide them, that meant she wasn’t confident!

Anyone could learn how to make longevity peach buns. She refused to believe that a young lady who had never stepped foot into the kitchen could make buns that tasted better than Mr Wang’s.

After her servant had reported what she had seen, Madam Huang was even more certain that Chu Lian was simply acting the part. Furthermore, even if the buns looked good, it didn’t mean that they would taste delicious. Before seeing them for herself, there was no need for her to get all flustered; that was just giving that hateful Lady Yang a chance to mock her.

The senior servant was about to say more, but Madam Huang waved her hand in dismissal.

She could only close her mouth and retreat a few steps to stand in the corner. Her curiosity burned in her heart as she watched Chu Lian’s every move.

Chu Lian walked into the middle of the crowd with her maidservants and curtsied to each of the madams. “I’ve made you wait.”

Imperial Princess Leyao glared at Chu Lian before sneering. “How fake.”

“Princess, please don’t get angry. All she can do is act the part. Let’s wait until she brings out the longevity peach buns. We’ll see if she can keep acting then!” Zou Yuanqin quickly said, trying to curry favour with the princess.

“Alright, don’t stand on ceremony. Bring out the longevity peach buns!” Lady Yang stated calmly.

Chu Lian didn’t tarry and instructed Xiyan to place the box on the stone table in front of everyone. Then, she opened the box herself.

Everyone’s eyes were instantly concentrated on the box. All the people present, even Imperial Princess Leyao and Royal Princess Duanjia, opened their eyes wide, afraid that they would miss a moment of this exciting event.

Miss Su nervously wrung the handkerchief in her hands while staring at the box. Madam Rong was both anxious and remorseful, with various emotions running through her heart. However, Miss Yuan couldn’t even bear to pry her gaze away from the prizes on the tray.

The crowd watched as Chu Lian took out three plates of perfectly-sized peaches and placed them on the stone table. The peaches were vibrant and lovely, full and plump; there were even a few fresh, verdant leaves on the top of the peaches with waterdrops glistening on their surfaces. These were clearly fresh, sweet peaches that had just been plucked off a branch!

The noble madams present stared at the peaches in a daze, and some of them even gaped in surprise.

Suddenly, a young voice cried out in shock, “Ah! Those aren’t fresh peaches! Those were made!”

The young girl’s voice rang out clearly, travelling into the ears of everyone present.

What? Those weren’t fresh peaches? They were longevity peach buns?!

The young girl realised that she had spoken out of turn and quickly covered her mouth. Her face flushed as she glanced at her mother beside her. The madam knew that her daughter had been lacking in manners, so she apologised to the madams around her. While apologising, she explained, “When House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam brought those buns out, I thought they were fresh peaches too. I didn’t realise they were buns until I spotted the steam rising off these ‘peaches’.”

The young girl and madam were standing near the stone table, so they had quickly spotted the difference.

After her explanation, all the madams in Mei Court were even more stunned. Those realistic longevity peach buns were really made of flour and weren’t actually fresh peaches!?

Even Lady Yang and Wei Fengzi had their interests piqued.

Madam Huang was staring straight at the buns with extreme disbelief in her eyes. The way she was tightly clutching onto her handkerchief revealed her unwillingness to concede.

“So what if they look realistic? It’s not enough to win against Mr Wang’s longevity peach buns if they don’t taste right!” Imperial Princess Leyao couldn’t hold back her anger and was the first to reply.

Chapter 90: Jackpot (1)

Chu Lian motioned Xiyan and Wenqing to pass the two plates of longevity peach buns around for the madams and young ladies present to taste.

The buns weren’t very big; each one was about the size of an infant’s fist. They were cute and finely made, too -- just about enough for two or three bites, so people wouldn’t get sick of the taste.

Xiyan first brought some buns over to Imperial Princess Leyao before serving them to Madam Huang and the other madams behind her. As for Wenqing, she served them to Royal Princess Duanjia first, then Lady Yang and so on.

Once everyone had a peach bun in their hands, they could instantly tell that these were actually buns and not peaches.

Royal Princess Duanjia pinched the soft peach bun in her hand and examined it seriously, just as if it was a novelty to her. When she sniffed it, she was surprised to find that it not only looked like the real thing, but even carried the clean, fresh aroma of real peaches.

The ladies holding the adorable longevity peach buns couldn’t bear to take a bite; instead, they wanted to keep them like souvenirs and put them on display to admire how realistic they were everyday!

Royal Princess Duanjia blinked and parted her red, tender lips. She lightly bit into the bun, enjoying the soft, sweet texture of the skin. After biting into it, there was an unexpected flavour.

Before Royal Princess Duanjia could think of what flavour it was, a young madam exclaimed in surprised joy, “Ah! There’s a filling in this bun! It’s soft, sticky and sweet, and it’s not too heavy on your tongue either.”

When Royal Princess Duanjia looked closely at it, she noted that the stuffing was indeed smooth and silky. It had the same colour as red beans, so perhaps the stuffing was made of that?

The women who had tasted Chu Lian’s peach buns were all quiet. Even those who had been picking on Chu Lian had forgotten to speak. Why? Her peach buns were simply too delicious!

Imperial Princess Leyao and Madam Huang each took one bite. Their expressions simultaneously turned serious.

Despite the frustration in their hearts, both of them still finished every bit of the little longevity peach bun in their hands.

They couldn’t help it. No matter how angry they were, their taste buds were begging for more!

It only took one bite to make Lady Yang’s eyes light up. She also had a sweet tooth. Upon seeing two buns left on the plate before her, she didn’t wait for anyone else to react and swiped both of them for herself. Then, she swiftly finished them off with a few elegant movements.

None of the ladies standing around Madam Rong were ranked highly enough to be part of the crowd that was tasting the buns. Madam Rong anxiously stared at the madams in the center. When she saw that Lady Yang had eaten three in one go, she finally relaxed. However, a pool of mixed feelings quickly replaced her previous anxiety.

She regretted it a little now. If… If she had been decisive enough to stand by Chu Lian, she would be able to boast right now.

Miss Su inwardly sighed in relief and smiled at Chu Lian. She had thought that this Sixth Sister of hers was too ambitious and arrogant in the past, and was too reckless in trying to make a name for herself. However, after this wild turn of events today, her opinion of Chu Lian changed a lot.

She hadn’t thought that Sixth Sister had such hidden talent.

Miss Yuan had a death grip on the handkerchief in her hands. Her eyes were still locked on the accessories on the silver tray. Upon thinking that those were all Chu Lian’s now, her heart was filled with jealousy!

She was the daughter of a second wife, so when it came to status, she was actually ranked a little lower than Chu Lian. Thus, ever since she was little, she had always tried to compete with Chu Lian in anything and everything, and in every competition, she was the one who won. But now, Chu Lian was on the brink of winning an entire tray of treasures that none of her accessories could ever hope to compare to. How could she possibly bear to see that happen?

Wei Fengzi finished eating the longevity peach bun in her hands. There was a spark of interest in the glance she tossed at Chu Lian. Her eyebrows raised as she said, “House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam has indeed made longevity peach buns that are more delicious than the ones made by De’an Restaurant’s Mr Wang.”

Although the madams present already knew what the results would be, no one expected Wei Fengzi to be the one to announce it.

When Imperial Princess Leyao heard Wei Fengzi’s words, she pouted unhappily. “Aunt! How could you side with outsiders?!”

Wei Fengzi looked at Imperial Princess Leyao affectionately and sat next to the princess. She stroked the princess' hair. “Princess, I’m just stating the facts. Don’t you think that these longevity peach buns are delicious?”

Imperial Princess Leyao couldn’t lie in front of the aunt who had always pampered her. Furthermore, Chu Lian had indeed made peach buns that had surpassed Mr Wang’s in both look and taste.

“They are.” Imperial Princess Leyao was just an eleven year old child after all. She replied truthfully, as unwilling as she was.

Wei Fengzi smiled and turned to Madam Huang.

Chu Lian took a second look at Wei Fengzi. Although she had only said two sentences, that was enough to extract Imperial Princess Leyao out from the whole awkward fiasco.

She was trying to show that Imperial Princess Leyao was just a eleven-year-old girl, despite her unruly behaviour at the start. Now that she had admitted that Chu Lian’s peach buns were delicious, her image had turned into an obedient child who knew how to change for the better. The arrogantly wilful image of her from before would then fade away.

Now that the situation was like this, the greatest blame now lied with Madam Huang.

Chu Lian had to admit that Wei Fengzi was crafty.

Those two sentences had fulfilled her promise to Madam Zou to take care of Chu Lian, and they had protected the princess’ image. It wasn’t easy to please everyone, but Wei Fengzi had succeeded.

However, Chu Lian didn’t take any of it to heart.

Chapter 91: Jackpot (2)

Since Wei Fengzi had spoken, Madam Huang couldn’t do anything but admit to her defeat.

Furthermore, everyone had agreed on the taste of the longevity peach buns, so how could she go back on her word?

“I didn’t expect House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam to have such talent at all. We’ve expanded our horizons today.” After saying so, Madam Huang sent her personal maidservant to bring the tray of accessories to Chu Lian.

However, only she herself knew how conflicted she felt inside. That pearl bracelet was her favourite accessory!

When the maidservant held up the tray, Madam Huang narrowed her eyes purposefully at Chu Lian.

That look was a warning, loud and clear, telling her not to accept those accessories.

However, the young madam standing in the middle of the crowd had her head lowered, revealing her smooth forehead and her exquisitely fair nape. She reached out with her slender fingers and received the silver tray.

She didn’t lift her head at all from start to finish. No one could tell if she simply couldn’t feel Madam Huang’s threatening gaze, or if she really hadn’t noticed it at all.

Madam Huang wrung the handkerchief in her hands. She would’ve never expected Chu Lian to win the bet.

Imperial Princess Leyao couldn’t bear to part with her golden qilin statue. She wanted to ask for it back, but Wei Fengzi stopped her.

When Lady Yang saw how frustrated Madam Huang was at losing, she felt extremely happy.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurting for that pearl bracelet of yours, Madam Huang?”

Madam Huang was so annoyed she almost spat up blood. Although she really couldn’t bear to give up the bracelet, she had to pretend to be magnanimous on the surface. “What are you saying, Lady Yang? It’s just a bracelet after all. Didn’t you put in a coral bracelet yourself?”

Lady Yang’s eyes were crinkled up in a smile. She would give up any number of coral bracelets just to see Madam Huang eat her words like this.

Chu Lian gently smiled after receiving the silver tray and curtsied to each person in turn. “Many thanks to Imperial Princess Leyao, Royal Princess Duanjia, Madam Huang, Lady Yang, and noble madams for your gracious gifts.”

Haha! She had struck gold this time!

When she looked up slightly and caught sight of the madams’ unwilling expressions, the smile on Chu Lian’s face grew a little more pronounced.

She wasn’t the one who started the bet! They were the ones who offered up their treasures to her; not accepting them would be silly.

The crowd watched as House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam smiled with her eyes twinkling before she passed the whole tray to her maidservant for keeping. The madams felt a pang of loss and were envious to the point of bleeding.

Even though Chu Lian had taken the entire tray of prizes without any pretense at modesty, no one thought her greedy. Some madams even thought that she was being genuine.

The moment Chu Lian looked up, her eyes met with Royal Princess Duanjia’s gaze. Very strangely, Royal Princess Duanjia even smiled at her.

A maidservant dressed in green came rushing in from outside Mei Court. When she reached Madam Huang, she bobbed in courtesy before asking after the longevity peaches.

When Lady Yang heard so, she laughed and pointed at the remaining plate of longevity peach buns on the stone table. “Those are the longevity peaches that your Madam Huang has prepared. Bring them over.”

The maidservant looked at Madam Huang in surprise. Madam Huang just felt terrible after the whole ruckus, so she simply waved and let the maidservant take the peach buns off to the banquet at the outer court.

The servant dressed in green walked over to the stone table. The moment she saw the realistic-looking peach buns, her eyes almost fell out from her staring. She quickly recovered her senses and carefully placed the plate into a box before leaving in a hurry.

Now that the entire farce was finally over, the madams present all heaved a sigh of relief. They also got an interesting story to recount to their family once they got back!

Chu Lian bobbed in a junior’s greeting to Lady Yang before leading her maidservants out of the crowd and to somewhere less populated.

When Madam Rong saw that Chu Lian had come out of the crowd, she brought Miss Su and Miss Yuan over to welcome her.

Chu Lian frowned and bobbed in greeting to Madam Rong. “Eldest Sister-in-Law.”

Madam Rong held onto Chu Lian’s hand and, voice full of concern, said, “I’m glad you’re alright, Miss Lian. You’ve frightened Eldest Sister-in-Law to death.”

Chu Lian gently extracted her hand out from Madam Rong’s grip. “Thank you for your concern, Eldest Sister-in-Law.”

After saying so, she spotted Madam Zou rushing over with her servants in tow. Upon catching sight of Chu Lian, Madam Zou strode over quickly.

Miss Yuan’s eyes remained on the wooden box in Xiyan’s hands, greed shimmering in their depths. She tried to speak up, but was interrupted by Chu Lian.

“Madam Jing’an has come to look for me. Eldest Sister-in-Law, why don’t you bring Fifth Sister and Eighth Sister around a while longer?” With that, she curtsied to Madam Rong and went off to Madam Zou.

Madam Rong watched Chu Lian’s slender back as she left, the light in her eyes darkening. It looked like Miss Lian blamed her after all.

......

On the other side of the pond, Heir Zheng was laughing with praise. “Hah! Is that true? House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam actually made longevity peach buns that are better than Mr Wang’s?”

“Heir Zheng, it’s true. I heard that those buns looked exactly like fresh peaches, and even had the faint aroma of fresh fruit. After pinching them open, they even had some filling in them. They’re something that no one has ever heard or seen before!”

Heir Zheng had tasted Chu Lian’s waterdrop mochis before. Upon hearing the manservant’s description, he was almost drooling.

“Are they really that good?” Heir Zheng asked doubtfully.

The manservant chuckled. “This servant heard from the maidservants in Mei Court. They didn’t get to see them personally, but Lady Yang ate three of them in one go. They must surely be delicious.”

Chapter 92: Secret Affair (1)

Heir Zheng pulled Xiao Bojian over with one arm and smiled. “Senior Xiao, I didn’t think that House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam was so talented.”

Xiao Bojian finally loosened the tight grip he had on the railing. The frost in his eyes also slowly faded away. His gaze scanned the area across the pond as he pressed his lips together without saying a word.

The manservant could hear the happiness in Heir Zheng’s voice, so he quickly continued his report. “Heir Zheng, this servant heard that the longevity peach buns Third Young Madam made are to be sent to the feast located in the outer court. If Heir Zheng wishes to taste them, why not go to the banquet hall? The feast is about to start.”

“Alright, thanks for the news.” Heir Zheng casually tossed out a peanut made of gold; the manservant hurriedly received it and profusely thanked the young master before leaving.

As Heir Zheng fanned himself, he exclaimed, “Senior Xiao, let’s go! We have to rush over there or there won’t be any left for us.”

Xiao Bojian went along with Heir Zheng silently.

At around the same time, the prince sitting on the third floor of Qingfeng Court also stood up. The corners of his lips curled. “Let’s go. To the outer court.”

Although the Great Wu Dynasty was more open-minded compared to the previous dynasties, they still separated males and females whenever possible. Thus, the two genders were seated in different halls.

Chu Lian followed behind Madam Zou obediently. Anyone looking at her now wouldn’t think that she was the same Third Young Madam who had just turned the tables on a bunch of noble madams in Mei Court.

Madam Zou’s brows were slightly drawn together. By the time she had heard of Chu Lian’s troubles and rushed back to Mei Court, she had already realised that someone was out to get Chu Lian.

While House Dingyuan was prospering both in numbers and wealth and seemed like a mighty noble house, the truth of the matter was that the main branch and second branch were fighting each other.

Madam Zou was a young lady from the second branch, and was also the eldest granddaughter of the family. Her aunt didn’t like her at all, and didn’t have to worry about offending House Jing’an either. There was no limit to what her aunt could do.

Madam Zou had been informed upon reaching Mei Court that her youngest daughter had accidentally fallen off a decorative mountain and had been hurt. She had rushed over like someone had set her on fire, only to find that her daughter had only scraped her knee. By then, she had begun to feel like something wasn’t quite right.

However, she hadn’t expected that her aunt’s real target was Chu Lian.

Madam Zou inwardly sighed and turned to Chu Lian. “Third Sister-in-Law, it’s Eldest Sister-in-Law’s fault for not taking care of you properly and letting you suffer. Just stick to me for now.”

Chu Lian shook her head and smiled. “It’s not Eldest Sister-in-Law’s fault! Even if they didn’t get me this time, they have a thousand and one other tricks they could use on me Unless I never step out of the house again, I’m bound to fall for one of them. Don’t take it to heart. I even earned quite a few good accessories today!”

When Chu Lian spoke of the accessories, her almond-shaped eyes lit up, clearly showing how happy she was. She really hadn’t let any of what just happened affect her at all.

Madam Zou wanted to say something, but she stopped just as she was about to speak. Thinking of the shock Chu Lian must have suffered just now, she decided to save the rest of her words for when they got back to the Jing’an Estate.

It wasn’t really a good thing to take the accessories from those noble madams and princesses.

Madam Zou patted Chu Lian’s hand and led her to the courtyard where the female guests would be participating in the banquet. In her heart, she decided to return home quickly once the banquet ended so that they could avoid any other traps set by her aunt, Madam Huang.

In the end, everything went smoothly and the guests were invited to take a walk to Dingbo Pavilion after the feast. Chu Lian excused herself and rested in a guest room with her two nieces for a couple hours.

Madam Zou wanted to leave as early as possible and Chu Lian didn’t want to continue staying at the Dingyuan Estate, so before dusk, they sent someone to summon House Jing’an’s carriage.

Chapter 93: Secret Affair (2)

Wenqing was led to Xi Court by one of the Dingyuan Estate’s maidservants. Just as they turned around a corner and entered a secluded area, the maidservant suddenly turned around and took out a letter from her sleeves, shoving it into Wenqing’s hands.

Wenqing froze in response, but heard the maidservant explain, “This is a letter from Mister Xiao to Sixth Miss Chu. Sister, please be discreet.” Following that, the maidservant ran off...

Wenqing’s entire body had stiffened. For Sixth Miss Chu? Wasn’t that their Third Young Madam? Who… who was Mister Xiao?

When she finally recovered her senses, she quickly hid the letter in her sleeves. After looking left and right to make sure there was no one else around, she heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

Xi Court was right around the corner. Wenqing made it there in two or three paces. She closed the door behind her and finally dared to take the letter out from her sleeve. There was the Chinese character for Xiao on the simple envelope, handwritten in a way that divulged the writer’s strong personality.

When Wenqing recalled the reminders that Senior Servant Zhong had given her yesterday, her heart beat like a drum.

However, the way Chu Lian looked while making desserts, and the way she amiably mingled with the maidservants also popped into her mind. A glint of determination flashed in Wenqing’s eyes.

She looked down at the letter in her hands.

This must be from someone trying to frame Third Young Madam. Third Young Madam was such a good person; how could she possibly be having a secret affair?! Senior Servant Zhong was too narrow-minded. She had to hide this letter! It was pitiful enough that Third Young Master had left Third Young Madam all by herself to go to the northern border. She had to protect Third Young Madam! She couldn’t let anyone harm her!

After making her decision, Wenqing folded the letter and placed it back into her sleeve.

By the time she returned to Chu Lian’s side, Madam Zou was already preparing to leave the Dingyuan Estate.

Wenqing followed behind Chu Lian, her head lowered and her expression tense. Chu Lian found it strange and turned to look at her, asking worriedly, “Wenqing, are you feeling alright?”

When Wenqing looked up to meet Third Young Madam’s concerned gaze, her heart softened and she was even more sure that the letter she had received was from someone trying to frame Third Young Madam.

Wenqing hurriedly shook her head. “Third Young Madam, this servant is fine. It’s been a little too hot these few days; perhaps this servant looks off due to the heat.”

“When we return to the estate, go back to your room and take a break. You don’t have to serve by my side for now.”

“Thank you, Third Young Madam.”

Madam Zou and Chu Lian left the Dingyuan Estate. When they reached the Jing’an Estate, it wasn’t even dark yet.

Old Matriarch He had stayed behind in the Dingyuan Estate for the night banquet. She would probably return late at night. Chu Lian sent Wenqing back to her room to rest the moment they returned to Songtao Court.

…...

In the guest room provided for male guests in the Dingyuan Estate, Xiao Bojian was seated on a wooden chair. Within minutes, a knock sounded at the door. After his grunt of approval, a woman dressed up as a normal maidservant pushed the door open and entered.

The maidservant closed the door carefully and knelt down before Xiao Bojian.

“Master.”

“Have you carried out your task?”

“Master, please rest easy. The letter was given to one of Sixth Miss Chu’s personal maidservants. Sixth Miss Chu must have read Master’s letter by now.”

“Alright. Return to hiding. Don’t expose yourself.”

“Understood.” The maidservant opened the door and left. Right after passing through the doorway of the guest room, the cold expression on her face changed into one that was timid and weak.

It was as if she were two different people.

After the maidservant left, another person appeared within the guest room. This man was dressed in ash-grey clothing. He had an average figure and average looks.

He bowed his head and lowered his voice as he said, “Master, isn’t it a waste to expose Seven just for a woman?”

The contented expression on Xiao Bojian’s face instantly turned icy and hard. He narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the man behind him. “One, it’s not your place to comment on what I do.”

The man called One stiffened and quickly lowered his head even further. “This subordinate has overstepped his bounds.”

Xiao Bojian waved his hand and continued to coldly order, “Don’t come out again unless I call for you.”

Chapter 94: Secret Affair (3)

Wenqing returned to her own room, a little flustered. She shut the door the moment she entered and took out the letter, placing it on the table. She didn’t dare to read it herself. Rather, she wanted to use a fire starter to burn it to ashes.

Just as she stood up, someone knocked on the door, scaring Wenqing into dropping the fire starter. In her panic, she hid the letter under a book.

“Sister Wenqing, Third Young Madam asked you to go to the kitchen and have some warm soup before you sleep.” It was the voice of the little girl who was in charge of sweeping the courtyard.

Wenqing didn’t dare to tarry and quickly went out.

Right after she had left, Fuyan came out from the room next door. As she watched Wenqing’s disappearing back, she snorted in disdain.

She wasn’t on duty today, and Chu Lian had gone off to attend the feast at the Dingyuan Estate. Since she had been feeling sore and tender all over from her monthlies, she had gone back to her room to rest after reporting to Senior Servant Gui.

However, right after coming out of her room, she had heard the lower tier servants discussing how Third Young Madam had returned, and how she seemed to have brought some treasures back from the Dingyuan Estate.

Following that, she had heard sounds from the room next door and realised that Wenqing had returned to her room.

Wenqing had only come to Songtao Court after Third Young Master had left, and had only been serving here for a few days! Fuyan, on the other hand, had been Third Young Madam’s personal maidservant since she was still an unmarried young girl. She should have been the one involved in whatever fortune Third Young Madam had run into at the Dingyuan Estate. Unfortunately, Wenqing’s arrival had snatched her position away.

Fuyan wasn’t satisfied. Third Young Madam had become much more friendly after getting married. She would even bestow rewards or delicacies on her personal maidservants from time to time.

Since Wenqing had followed Chu Lian to the Dingyuan Estate today and Third Young Madam had gotten something good, Wenqing couldn’t possibly have returned empty-handed. Fuyan couldn’t help but feel jealous.

That reward should have been hers!

However, it had gone to Wenqing instead!

The personal maidservants all lived in a small courtyard next to Songtao Court, two to a room. Since Chu Lian had just returned, the others had all gone to serve her. Only Fuyan was left in the courtyard.

Fuyan glanced at Wenqing’s room, where the doors had been left half open due to her hurried departure. She suddenly turned and entered Wenqing’s room.

Since Wenqing and Wenlan had just moved there, the simple room was rather empty. She could see everything at one glance. Fuyan nervously gulped and started rummaging around the desk.

There were the usual classics on the table: ‘Lessons for Women’, ‘Book of Songs’, etc. Next to them were the essential tools for writing. Fuyan suddenly spotted a yellow corner of paper sticking out of a book; she pulled it out and found a letter.

There was only a single ‘Xiao’ written on the envelope.

Fuyan’s eyes darted about in thought. She was about to put it back when she heard voices outside the room. She stuffed the letter into her arms in fright and quickly shut the door and left.

When she returned to her own room and heard the sounds of the door opening and closing from next door, she collapsed on the ground.

After getting her breath back, Fuyan remembered the letter she had taken. She quickly got up and locked the door before sitting by the bed and taking out the wrinkled envelope. She opened it slowly...

She was so nervous that her hands were trembling, but the thrill of peeking into someone else’s secret excited her.

When she opened the letter fully and read the contents, Fuyan froze.

This… This letter was meant for Third Young Madam!

It was Mister Xiao who had written it, intending it for Third Young Madam, and he wanted to meet her at Defeng Tea House on the twenty-sixth!

Fuyan was Chu Lian’s personal maidservant, so she naturally knew of the goings-on between the two back in the Ying Estate. However, she hadn’t thought that Chu Lian would dare to continue having an affair with Mister Xiao even after marrying into House Jing’an!

In her panic, Fuyan didn’t know what to do.

She didn’t dare to enter Wenqing’s room again, so she could only hide the letter in the bottom of her storage chest for now.

Chapter 95: Distributing the Spoils (1)

Xiao Bojian had assumed that Chu Lian’s personal maidservants were all on his side. Since the letter had been received by one of her handmaidens, he assumed the letter would definitely reach Chu Lian’s hands.

When Wenqing returned and found that the letter had disappeared, she was scared out of her wits. She rummaged through the entire room, but couldn’t find it. After her bout of panic, she eventually fell sick and couldn’t get out of bed for a few days.

While recovering from her illness, Wenqing could only console herself by thinking that she must have accidentally dropped it somewhere. Even if she had dropped it within Songtao Court, only Chu Lian’s personal maidservants knew how to read. Since the incident had already happened, Wenqing didn’t dare to report it to Wenlan or Senior Servant Zhong, and simply let it pass.

Once Chu Lian had returned to her bedroom in Songtao Court, she ordered Xiyan to bring out the box of accessories.

The moment the pear blossom wood box was opened, the dazzling glow of treasure inside was revealed. Senior Servant Gui, Senior Servant Zhong, Wenlan, and the rest who hadn’t gone to the Dingyuan Estate were blinded by the sight.

What? Had Third Young Madam gone shopping at a jewellery store instead of attending Old Marquis Dingyuan’s longevity feast today?

When Chu Lian looked up and noticed the shock on everyone’s faces, she smiled mischievously. She took out Imperial Princess Leyao’s ‘gracious’ contribution to the pot, the exquisite little golden qilin statue, and showed it off to them. “What do you think? Isn’t it pretty?”

How could it possibly not be pretty? That was something that the empress had ordered a special craftsmen’s guild to make by hand!

Senior Servant Gui and Senior Servant Zhong nodded in a daze.

It was Senior Servant Gui who recovered first. “Third… Third Young Madam, where did you get all this jewellery from?”

Those couldn’t possibly be visiting gifts from the Dingyuan Estate. If the Dingyuan Estate gave away things like that to their visitors, their doorstep would have been flattened by the crowds flocking there.

Chu Lian shook the box of accessories while grinning from ear to ear. These were all top-quality goods, except for a few more normal-looking golden hairpins and bangles. However, even if their quality was just average, they were still worth a hefty sum.

The best items of the lot were Lady Yang’s red coral bracelet, Madam Huang’s pink pearl bracelet, Royal Princess Duanjia’s white jade ring, and Imperial Princess Leyao’s golden qilin statue.

Chu Lian shot a look at Xiyan before looking down into the box and picking out accessories to play with.

Xiyan understood Chu Lian’s hint, and explained everything that had happened at the Dingyuan Estate to the rest.

Senior Servants Gui and Zhong were shocked; they hadn’t expected Third Young Madam to run head-first into a plot like that just by visiting the Dingyuan Estate.

However, after they had recovered from their fright, admiration blossomed in their hearts for their young madam. There must have been plenty of high-ranking officials’ wives at the feast. Chu Lian was only fifteen years old, yet she had managed to deal with the situation with calm and poise. It must have been tough on her.

Senior Servant Gui frowned upon looking at the various expensive accessories placed on the table. When she thought about the noble madams whom the accessories belonged to, she couldn’t help but break out into cold sweat. Turning to look at her young madam, she saw that Chu Lian was happily playing with her spoils of war without a care. Senior Servant Gui started worrying about her naivete.

Wasn’t her master… a little too innocent…?

Senior Servant Gui didn’t want to speak of it in front of Senior Servant Zhong; she wanted to wait until everyone had been dismissed before reminding Chu Lian of the consequences of taking things from those high-ranking noble madams.

However, she didn’t expect Chu Lian to pass two sets of solid golden hairpins and bangles to her. “Momo, take these and melt them into gold, then change them into banknotes.”

“Ah?” Senior Servant Gui couldn’t decide whether to receive the accessories or not.

Instead, she decided to tactfully remind her of their origin. “Third Young Madam, these accessories belong to those noble madams.”

It wouldn’t be too good if she took other people’s precious jewellery to melt, right?

“They’re all mine now. Momo, don’t worry about it; I know what I’m doing. Take them. Right, remember that list I gave you the other time? Follow the instructions there and have the items made before you bring them back.”

Since Chu Lian had already spoken, Senior Servant Gui could only accept the accessories.

Although Senior Servant Zhong didn’t say a word, she made a mental note to question Wenqing thoroughly later on.

Chapter 96: Distributing the Spoils (2)

Chu Lian had her dinner at Songtao Court before going to the study alone. She was practising her writing again when Jingyan came in to report that an invitation had come from Qingxi Hall.

Senior Servant Gui helped Chu Lian change into a new set of clothes before worriedly asking her, “Third Young Madam, could the matriarch be calling you over to talk about what happened at the Dingyuan Estate today?”

Chu Lian looked at Senior Servant Gui with wide, clear eyes. “Momo, what are you scared of? I didn’t do anything wrong. Even if Grandmother has called me over to talk about it, you don’t have to worry at all.”

Senior Servant Gui pressed her lips together without speaking. How could she not worry for Chu Lian? The people at the banquet were either members of the imperial family or high-ranking noble wives. Madam Huang, Lady Yang, Imperial Princess Leyao, Royal Princess Duanjia… they couldn’t afford to offend any one of them!

Perhaps due to living in the modern world for over twenty years, Chu Lian didn’t really notice differences in status or seniority when interacting with others. That was also one of the reasons why she had been able to face so many high-ranking noble madams at Mei Court without batting an eyelash.

Even if the current emperor of the Great Wu Dynasty stood before her right now, she would most likely only bow her head in respect and perform a normal greeting without any fear or reverence.

Senior Servant Gui’s light sigh was full of worry. She sent Chu Lian off to the entrance of Songtao Court and watched as her young madam’s silhouette disappeared into the dark night.

When Chu Lian reached Qingxi Hall, she saw that the matriarch had already changed into a more casual outfit for home: a dress embroidered with cranes. Matriarch He was seated on a sofa and having a cup of tea.

Chu Lian performed the usual greeting for seniors. She was then called to Matriarch He’s side with a smile.

“Sanlang’s wife, come, sit here.”

Chu Lian obediently sat next to Matriarch He.

Matriarch He brought out a fine yellow peach wood box and pushed it to Chu Lian.

“Sanlang’s wife, open it and take a look.”

Chu Lian tilted her head sideways and looked at Matriarch He with a puzzled expression. The warm light of the lamps complemented Chu Lian’s clear, spirited eyes. Since she was still young, there was a tenderness to her looks that spoke of her youth. Her appearance could easily invoke affection in the hearts of elders.

While looking at Chu Lian’s lovable, naive expression, Matriarch He found that she was liking this granddaughter-in-law of hers more and more each day.

Chu Lian opened the box, only to see a set of finely-made tableware decorated with patterns for longevity: a small bowl, ivory chopsticks, a gold-lined porcelain spoon, and a jade chopstick rest.

She held up this set of tableware and turned to Matriarch He, still a little bewildered.

Matriarch He chuckled. “This is a reward from Old Marquis Dingyuan.”

Chu Lian recalled the longevity peach buns that had been served at the banquet in the outer court earlier and immediately understood. “Could it possibly be because of those longevity peach buns…?”

Matriarch He nodded with a smile. “You silly girl. When did you learn how to make longevity peach buns? Why didn’t you make some for Grandmother to have a taste earlier?”

Back at the Dingyuan Estate, Matriarch He had been drinking tea in one of the courtyards, completely unaware of the events that had taken place at Mei Court. She had been chatting with a group of older madams when suddenly, one of Old Marquis Dingyuan’s closest manservants had sent this wooden box over. It was only after she had asked the servant that she found out about Chu Lian’s contribution to the feast:  a plate of longevity peach buns that had been highly praised.

Various thoughts had run through Matriarch He’s head at the time, but none of them had showed on her face. She accepted the gift, gave her thanks, and graciously accepted the praises from the other old madams. It was only later on that she had heard the details from a servant sent by Madam Zou.

Chapter 97: Distributing the Spoils (3)

Chu Lian put the lid back on the wooden box and placed it to one side. “Are there any other matters, Grandmother?”

If the matriarch had only wanted to pass the gift to her, she could have waited until the next day, when she gave her morning greetings. Since she had called her to Qingxi Hall alone, Matriarch He must have something to say to her alone.

As expected, Matriarch He happily continued speaking. “Sanlang’s wife, I’ve heard about what happened today. It must have been tough on you. Luckily, our Lian’er is smart enough to outmaneuver any trickery. Grandmother heard that you’ve gotten quite a few accessories from those madams. What are you planning to do with them?”

The old matriarch watched Chu Lian’s expression as she waited for her reply.

Chu Lian stared back at Matriarch He with wide eyes, appearing as if she was confused. Inwardly, she smiled.

Matriarch He was trying to test her!

Chu Lian already had a plan for her spoils.

“Grandmother, I couldn’t have gotten these accessories without Lady Yang’s help, so I can’t just take their accessories. Granddaughter-in-Law will write letters and prepare gifts in return tomorrow. Then I’ll instruct some servants to send the accessories and gifts back.”

The slightly imposing expression on Matriarch He’s face softened into kindness in an instant.

Chu Lian continued, adding, “As for the others, I won them fair and square, so they’re mine! Well, Imperial Princess Leyao might come asking for her golden qilin statue back... As for Madam Huang’s precious pearl bracelet, I’ll help to safeguard her treasure! She doesn’t like me anyway, so I don’t want to give it back to her!”

“Pfft…” Matriarch He couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Chu Lian’s somewhat childish tone made her want to pamper her even more.

Although she had spoken in a childish manner, there was nothing wrong with the way she had chosen to take care of things. She had heard that most of the accessories were top-quality treasures, and very few girls would bear to send them back again once they had them, especially someone without many accessories herself, like Chu Lian. It was good that Sanlang’s wife hadn’t been blinded by greed and had chosen the right way to handle those ‘prizes’ of hers.

Although she had been a little juvenile on some of the finer details, Chu Lian had a good grasp on how to please everyone involved overall. She had called Chu Lian over to knock some extra sense into her and make her more aware of the intricacies behind such dealings, but she hadn’t expected that Chu Lian had already properly planned everything out.

Matriarch He felt even more gratified that she had such a good granddaughter-in-law, but at the same time, she felt even guiltier about Chu Lian’s situation.

That heartless brat Sanlang had abandoned such a wonderful wife! What a waste!

Matriarch He knew about the conditions that Chu Lian had grown up in back at the Ying Estate, more or less. She wanted to wait and observe for a while longer, but after He Changdi’s sudden departure and the events at the Dingyuan Estate today, Matriarch He felt that there was a need to push forward her plans.

“Sanlang’s wife, it’s getting late. Why don’t you return to your courtyard and rest a little earlier? Tomorrow, come over to Grandmother’s place a little earlier. Grandmother has something else to say to you.”

“Understood.” Chu Lian agreed and bowed to Matriarch He before leaving Qingxi Hall.

The next day, Chu Lian made her way to Qingxi Hall early in the morning for her daily greetings.

Matriarch He had also gotten up earlier, seemingly on purpose. When Chu Lian arrived, the matriarch was already sipping some tea in the parlour.

Chu Lian shot a glance at the sencha on the table and frowned a little.

At the matriarch’s advanced age, it wasn’t good for her to drink tea that contained such a strange mix of spices.

When Matriarch He saw that she had arrived, she waved her hand to indicate that Chu Lian should take a seat by her side.

Once Chu Lian had settled in, Matriarch He passed a thin account book to her.

“Sanlang’s wife, open it and take a look.”

Chu Lian opened the account book curiously; within moments, she understood what it was. This was an account book for a restaurant. ‘Guilin Restaurant’ was written in tidy lettering on the first page.

“Grandmother, this is an account book for Guilin Restaurant?”

Matriarch He smiled as she nodded. Guilin Restaurant was part of her dowry. It had already been in business for more than fifty years by now, and it could be considered one of the capital’s long-established shops.

Chapter 98: Restaurant (1)

Matriarch He had quite a few stores in her personal property, all of which earned her more money than Guilin Restaurant did. However, it was the only restaurant she owned. Since Sanlang's wife had some talent in cooking, Guilin Restaurant was the best property she could give to her to handle.

Nobles weren't prohibited from dabbling in business in the Great Wu Dynasty. Any smart noble wife in charge of managing their estates would have at least a few money-making stores in their hands.

Even the current empress had secretly opened a few stores in the capital. Everyone knew which stores were hers, but no one would discuss them out in the open.

A noble wife could show off how well they managed the businesses under them as proof of their capabilities.

Any estate, big or small, needed money to spend, after all.

There were a few stores listed under House Jing'an's public accounts. However, those were under the management of the Heir Jing'an's wife, Madam Zou. It wasn't appropriate for Matriarch He to touch those properties. Furthermore, she knew that those few stores weren't earning much anyway, and it wasn't easy for Madam Zou to manage the estate's income.

Thus, after thinking about it all night, the matriarch had decided on picking something from her personal properties to give to Sanlang's wife, as a way of letting her train her management skills.

When Chu Lian had married into the family, she didn't even have a single piece of farmland to her name, let alone any stores. Matriarch He understood the situation she was in.

Although Guilin Restaurant had been established decades ago, it wasn't famous at all in the capital. It had been doing well enough in the early years, and there had been some income flowing in from it. Guilin Restaurant hadn't lacked for customers at first due to its location next to the bustling East Market. However, in the recent decade, the areas for the East and West Markets had been redrawn and the East Market had shifted away. The area around Guilin Restaurant then became a residential area, causing the restaurant to lose its flow of customers. Furthermore, the dishes it served were nothing special, so it slowly sank into obscurity.

In the past few years, it had been in the red for month after month. Guilin Restaurant had five waiters at first, but now there was only one left. In its current state, two or three customers in a day would be cause for celebration.

Matriarch He had kept Guilin Restaurant running because of her sentimentality towards it. It had been part of her dowry after all, and it had been personally handed down to her from her mother. Back then, it had been her mother who had personally named the restaurant.

Matriarch He's mother had passed away more than ten years ago. Guilin Restaurant had become the last thing her mother had entrusted to her.

Matriarch He started off by saying, "Grandmother has noticed that you haven't had much to do in the estate these few days, so Grandmother has found a task for you. Grandmother hopes you won't feel like Grandmother is being too nosy!"

Chu Lian's eyes widened slightly. "Grandmother, you want me to manage Guilin Restaurant?"

Matriarch He smiled until her eyes were crescents. "This restaurant was part of my dowry. It hasn't been doing well in recent years. Sanlang's wife, if you can revive it, then Grandmother will give this restaurant to you. However, there is one condition: Guilin Restaurant has to remain a restaurant."

Wasn't this someone offering her a pillow the moment she wanted to sleep?

She had just started looking for a way to make money, and now Matriarch He had come along offering her a restaurant. The previous 'Chu Lian' had never been this lucky.

'Chu Lian' had used sinister plots to take over the management rights of the estate, and then used some other tricks to take the matriarch's other personal properties when Matriarch He had fallen seriously ill.

"But is this..." Is this real? She was overjoyed!

However, before Chu Lian could finish speaking, Matriarch He interrupted her.

Matriarch He purposely put on a serious expression. "No buts. Grandmother wants to give this to you, so you just have to accept it. Grandmother wouldn't even give this restaurant to Dalang and the others if they asked for it! Even if you can't manage it well, Grandmother won't blame you. That restaurant isn't earning money now anyway, so you can't possibly make it worse than it is now."

The matriarch had misunderstood Chu Lian's meaning, but Chu Lian knew this wasn't the time to explain. Due to her happiness, her cheeks were flushed red, giving Matriarch He the urge to pinch her little cheeks to see if they felt as soft and smooth as they looked.

Of course, Matriarch He actually gave into the urge.

Chu Lian was a little embarrassed by having her cheeks pinched. Softly, she called out, "Grandmother." In her mind, she wasn't a fifteen year old girl at all, unlike her appearance!

Chapter 99: Restaurant (2)

The two of them were getting along well when Senior Servant Liu came in with a smile, reporting that Eldest Young Madam had brought the two young ladies over with her.

Chu Lian looked at the account book before looking up at Matriarch He again, her eyes shining with expectation.

Matriarch He smiled. "You silly child. Alright, I'll inform your sister-in-law myself when she comes in."

After getting the matriarch's reassurance, Chu Lian stopped worrying.

She couldn't tell what Madam Zou would think about this, since the novel hadn't mentioned much of her personality. However, she was Wei Fengzi's close friend after all, and Wei Fengzi was someone to watch out for.

In the novel, Madam Zou had gotten seriously injured from 'Chu Lian's' ploy early on. She couldn't even get out of bed. However, now Madam Zou was perfectly healthy and managing the entire estate. They were wives of different branches of the family and their interests weren't in conflict.

But no matter what kind of personality Madam Zou had, Chu Lian didn't want Matriarch He's gift to give rise to any resentment between them and affect the peace they had now.

Her husband wasn't by her side to shelter her, and she didn't want to create an enemy for herself within the estate. That would just make her days harder for herself!

As expected, when Madam Zou entered Qingxi Hall and heard that Chu Lian had already been there for some time, her eyebrows knitted together.

She brought her daughters into the parlour with a smooth expression. When Madam Zou performed her greetings, Chu Lian stood up and returned it.

Following that, Matriarch He started to explain how Chu Lian would be taking over the management of Guilin Restaurant. The slight tension in Madam Zou's heart went away upon hearing the matriarch explaining everything to her so clearly. 

She knew a little about the private properties that the matriarch held.

The most profitable one was a sencha shop. Its monthly earnings were roughly two to three hundred taels. The worst property was Guilin Restaurant. It had been a losing business for years. Madam Zou still couldn't understand why Matriarch He kept it with her even though it wasn't earning money at all. She could have sold it off to buy another store in a more bustling location.

It was just a restaurant in the red, and Matriarch He had explained it to her straightaway, so Madam Zou didn't mind that only Chu Lian was given a property. Her impression of Chu Lian also improved by a lot.

"Dalang's wife, you've managed the estate for so many years and you've done well in managing the businesses in your hands. When you're free, do give a few pointers to Sanlang's wife."

Madam Zou gave a genuine smile this time. "If Third Sister-in-Law doesn't mind, then come to my courtyard at any time."

"Then I'll have to thank Eldest Sister-in-Law in advance!"

Matriarch He's heart was soothed as she watched her granddaughters-in-law interacting peacefully. Her gaze fell upon her great-granddaughters and she opened her arms wide. "Little An, Little Lin, come over to Great-Grandmother's side and let Great-Grandmother have a look at you two."

Matriarch He tenderly stroked their heads. However, seeing them, she did have some regrets. Little An was already six, but there were no great-grandsons for her to pamper yet. As she thought so, her eyes turned to Chu Lian's flat belly.

Ever since her arrival to the Great Wu Dynasty, Chu Lian had become rather sensitive towards other people's gazes and the meanings hidden inside them.

When she noticed the matriarch eyeing her belly, she stiffened and her mood worsened.

She had forgotten that she had submitted that blood-stained white handkerchief to Matriarch He's servants. In Matriarch He's eyes, she and He Sanlang had already consummated their marriage on their wedding night.

Furthermore, the Chu Family's misses had the reputation of being particularly fertile. Perhaps Matriarch He thought that she had 'hit the bullseye with one shot'.

Chu Lian's mouth twitched in her embarrassment. She was still a virgin, so it was impossible for her to be pregnant.

It would be scarier if she actually got pregnant in this condition!

Chapter 100: Restaurant (3)

Taking the account book along, she followed Madam Zou to visit Countess Jing'an for about ten minutes before returning to her Songtao Court.

She had plenty to do today. First, she had to make some snacks as return gifts for Lady Yang and the other ladies. She also had to find the time to practise her handwriting.

She had to start managing a whole restaurant soon, so she definitely had to make sure she could read traditional Chinese words. In the remaining time, she also had to look through Guilin Restaurant's account book.

After reaching Songtao Court, she stored the account book in a safe place before bringing Xiyan and Jingyan with her to the kitchen. The ingredients for longevity peach buns were easy enough to prepare. Chu Lian noted that there was still a good amount of red beans left; an idea sparked off in her mind and she remembered the 'Eight Confections', a set of desserts from Beijing.

They were Beijing-styled desserts that had endured through years of history and variations. Back in her previous life, when Chu Lian had gone to Beijing to play, she had learned it from an old granny staying in the same block of apartments. For the sake of learning how to make an authentic set of Eight Confections, she had specially stayed there for half a month.

There were deeifferent variations of Eight Confections, namely the big, small, and fine variations.

They were called the Eight Confections because there were eight desserts in total, each with a different filling and shape. This was one of the most complicated desserts Chu Lian had ever made. However, the ingredients for Eight Confections were quite common. Even in the Great Wu Dynasty, she could still gather the eight different kinds of filling.

Chu Lian first taught Xiyan how to pound the red beans into paste. She then instructed Jingyan to wash the green plums and raisins, while she herself started making the dough.

When the confections were done, Xiyan and Jingyan's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

Senior Servant Gui was waiting in the corridor outside the kitchen. From her hands, Chu Lian took some oval-shaped decorated bamboo baskets that she had ordered to be prepared earlier.

She walked to the table and smiled at Xiyan and Jingyan. "Watch carefully. I'll arrange the desserts once, and I'll leave the rest to you."

Since she had to send gifts to quite a few houses this time, Chu Lian had made plenty of desserts.

There were kidney-shaped ones, fist-shaped ones, and even bat-shaped ones. She carefully placed them one by one into the bamboo basket before adding a freshly plucked peony that was in the midst of blooming. She scattered a few drops of water on the flower petals before putting it in an empty space inside the basket.

Thus, she finished arranging one set of Eight Confections.

The various flavours of desserts were arranged artfully in the exquisite little bamboo basket. They were already pretty by themselves, but since they all had crispy pastry skins made of flour, their colours looked a little uniform. Adding the vibrantly red peony made the arrangement of desserts a feast for the eyes.

The basket of desserts carried an elegant, subtle fragrance of flowers, hooking the appetite of anyone who looked at it, especially in this particularly scorching hot summer.

Jingyan's eyes were as wide as they could possibly be. She gulped and mumbled, "Third... Third Young Madam, these are beautiful! This... This servant can't bear to eat these."

Chu Lian smiled before glaring playfully at her. "Remember, arrange the rest of the baskets like this. There are still plenty remaining; when you're done, take some to try for yourselves too!"

When Xiyan and Jingyan heard that there was a share of desserts for them too, they grinned from ear to ear.

The desserts meant as return gifts were sent to Chu Lian once they were arranged properly. Chu Lian then picked out suitable packaging for them, placing black velvet on the insides of the gift boxes. She then put in the bamboo baskets and closed the lid. After that, she brought out the accessories she was going to return and placed them into suitably sized wooden boxes, which were all handed to the steward.

The steward sent out the more quick-witted manservants to each of the noble estates. They also passed on the message that there were desserts within the boxes that had to be eaten within the day.