At this moment, Madam Wang and Feng Xifeng were already seated in the guest seats of the main residence at the Imperial Estate.
Across from them sat Madam Lin.
She wore a light purple embroidered jacket decorated with plum blossoms, paired with a plain skirt featuring woven silk patterns of flowers and birds. Her hair was adorned with pearls and jade ornaments. Her features were exceptionally beautiful, and her makeup was carefully applied. Although she was already in her thirties, she remained so gorgeous that she was almost difficult to look at directly.
By contrast, Madam Wang of the Jia family was nearly fifty. She was long past the age when bright red and green clothing suited her. Today, she wore a camel colored jacket decorated with auspicious patterns and a dark green soft satin skirt. Her bearing was dignified, but the style was inevitably somewhat old fashioned.
Feng Xifeng, on the other hand, was dressed as brightly as a blooming flower. She was at the prime of her youth, but she was simply too young, and her position was what it was. In terms of imposing presence, she could not help but lose out.
Madam Lin already knew why the two women had come.
Before they entered the main hall, she had already sent someone to summon Daiyu and Yan Xianzhi back.
Yet she pretended to know nothing and smiled.
“As the saying goes, no one visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason. The Yan family has only just arrived in the capital, yet your household has already come seeking an audience. There must be some reason for it. May I ask what instructions the two of you have?”
Madam Wang frowned.
Feng Xifeng coughed softly from the side but said nothing.
Madam Wang had no choice but to speak first.
“A few days ago, Old Madam sent people to Yangzhou to bring Miss Lin to the capital. She should have arrived yesterday, but Old Madam waited in vain. After asking the servants, we learned that you had received her and brought her here to live.”
“I know that you only have a loving heart toward her, but Old Madam truly misses Miss Lin as well. You have kept Miss Lin by your side for quite some time. As they say, there is no banquet that lasts forever. Miss Lin should still return to our Duke’s Household to live.”
The more Feng Xifeng listened, the heavier her heart became.
Madam Wang had separated the Rongguo Household from the matter far too cleanly.
According to her words, the Rongguo Household knew nothing about what had happened. They had merely come to the Yan family because Old Madam missed Miss Lin.
If Madam Lin had any intelligence at all, she would certainly hear the attitude behind Madam Wang’s words.
This matter was likely going to end badly.
Sure enough, Madam Lin curled her lips and gave a casual smile.
“So there really was such a matter. How careless of me. I completely overlooked it.”
“My elder brother did indeed tell me that Old Madam in the capital had sent people to bring my niece here. However, when he saw how those people conducted themselves, they were so petty and uncouth that they hardly seemed to understand the rules of a great household. So he thought it best to be cautious and sent them to me first, asking me to examine the matter carefully.”
“The two of you probably do not know this, but I merely noticed that my niece had too few people serving her, so I assigned twelve maidservants to attend her. Who would have thought that your household’s servants would actually dislike the people I chose and repeatedly imply that I was interfering where I had no business?”
“I thought to myself, what kind of rule is that? Any servant with even the slightest understanding of propriety would never dare lecture their master to her face. Those people were clearly impostors pretending to be your servants, so I had them driven away. I never imagined that those lawless people truly had been sent by your household. In that case, the fault is mine.”
Madam Wang’s face turned slightly green.
Feng Xifeng’s face flushed and paled in turns, leaving her deeply embarrassed.
Madam Lin had made no attempt to hide her disdain for the Rongguo Household. She had openly stated that their servants knew no rules and behaved without restraint.
For a moment, neither Feng Xifeng nor Madam Wang knew how to respond.
The facts were indeed as Madam Lin had described.
But if Madam Wang were expected to lower her head and apologize to Madam Lin, everyone knew that was impossible.
Feng Xifeng sighed inwardly.
She had pushed and evaded the matter as much as she could in front of Old Madam, but now that the moment had arrived, the unpleasant assignment had still fallen on her.
She hurriedly stood and smiled.
“Madam, please calm down. This is all my fault. When Old Madam ordered people to receive Miss Lin, I originally assigned someone else. Unfortunately, that person fell ill and was afraid to tell me. In the rush, we found this foolish Wu You’s wife.”
“As soon as I heard about it, I knew something was wrong. I immediately sent Zhang Fu’s wife to replace her, but unfortunately she took the wrong road as well. In the end, the assignment was delayed.”
“Looking at the matter from beginning to end, most of the fault lies with me.
Second, Madam is getting older and cannot be bothered with so many trivial matters, which is why she entrusted these affairs to me. I am young and inexperienced, and I made a mistake the first time I handled such a task. I truly deserve punishment.”
“I beg you to forgive me this once for Old Madam’s sake. I apologize to you here.”
After saying this, Feng Xifeng hurriedly bowed deeply and then urged Madam Wang with her eyes to say something.
Madam Wang took a deep breath, deeply unwilling.
Madam Lin was making far too much of the matter.
They were all relatives by marriage. Even if the servants had been somewhat rude, surely a few scoldings would have been enough. Why make such a huge issue out of it?
But she was already sitting here.
She could not possibly pretend to be deaf and dumb and say nothing.
Madam Wang could only smile.
“This is all a misunderstanding. Old Madam’s intentions were good, and Feng girl also meant well. It was simply those servants who mishandled the matter. Madam, please do not misunderstand the intentions of our household.”
“If there is fault, then it all lies with Feng girl. If you are still displeased, you may scold her a little to vent your anger. It is just that Old Madam misses Miss Lin terribly, so no matter what, we must bring our niece back with us today so she can see Old Madam.”
Feng Xifeng sat to the side, feeling utterly miserable.
Which side was Madam Wang actually on?
Had she come to mediate or to pour oil on the fire?
Madam Lin glanced at the sky.
She estimated that Yan Xianzhi and Daiyu should be arriving soon.
Only then did she smile warmly and speak.
“Very well. As for whether the servants of your household understand the rules, you may judge that for yourselves. I am an outsider. How could I possibly lecture your household about its rules? As long as you yourselves can tolerate their behavior, that is all that matters.”
“However, even if you argue the matter until the heavens are torn apart, the behavior of your servants is still something I find difficult to accept. Please do not blame me for thinking ill of others. My niece is my elder brother’s only child. If she suffers any grievance, how am I supposed to answer to the ancestors of the Lin family?”
“If your household wishes to receive the girl and have her visit or even stay for a short while, that is not impossible. But I have one condition. She must go with her elder sister.”
“The two sisters now eat and sit together every day. Although they are cousins through their paternal aunt, they are as close as actual sisters. If they are suddenly separated, they will naturally worry about each other and remain anxious. I cannot bear to see that.”
“If Madam agrees, you can take the girl with you today. If you do not agree, then I do not dare allow the girl to set foot in your household. Simply tell Old Madam that the girl never came.”
Back on the boat, Yan Xianzhi had already discussed this matter with Madam Lin.
She had said that she did not trust the people of the Rongguo Household.
Once they reached the capital, if the Rongguo Household wanted to receive Daiyu for a short stay, Yan Xianzhi would accompany her and live there for a few days.
After considering the behavior of the Rongguo servants, Madam Lin had worried that Daiyu might be bullied and therefore agreed.
When Madam Wang heard this, it was exactly what she wanted.
She had never wanted to bring Daiyu back to the Rongguo Household in the first place. It was only because Old Madam had insisted that she had no choice.
Now that Madam Lin was making conditions, Madam Wang immediately changed her attitude.
“Madam, what do you mean by that? What do you take our Duke’s Household for? Is our dignified Duke’s residence somewhere that just anyone can decide to live in?”
“Miss Lin is Old Madam’s granddaughter. Bringing her here to stay was approved by Old Madam herself. But the Yan family’s girl has absolutely no relation to the Jia family. Madam, if you insist on sending her into our Duke’s Household, I dare not agree.”
“With the Yan family’s status, surely you can afford to support your own daughter. Surely she does not have to come to our Rongguo Household to eat our food?”
Madam Wang felt extremely pleased after saying this.
She felt as though she had finally returned all the humiliation she had suffered earlier.
A smile even appeared on her face.
She failed to notice that Feng Xifeng’s face behind her had already turned pale.
Feng Xifeng’s eyes went dark with dizziness.
She had never expected Madam Wang to say something like this.
The daughter of a Governor General had merely wanted to stay at the Duke’s Household with her cousin, yet Madam Wang had managed to make it sound as though she were coming there to beg for food.
Those words were simply too harsh.
Feng Xifeng could no longer smooth things over.
Madam Lin withdrew the smile from her face and turned her gaze toward the entrance of the main residence.
There, she happened to meet the eyes of Yan Xianzhi and Daiyu.
Madam Wang also followed her gaze.
She saw two beautiful girls standing side by side at the doorway. She did not know how much of the preceding conversation they had heard, and her heart tightened slightly.
But after thinking about it, she decided that she had nothing to fear.
She had deliberately ruined the matter today. Madam Lin would certainly refuse to let Daiyu return to the Rongguo Household.
Even if Feng Xifeng were foolish, she would never help an outsider like Madam Lin harm her own paternal aunt. She certainly would not tell Old Madam the truth.
Therefore, Old Madam would have no way of knowing what Madam Wang had actually said.
She would merely assume that Madam Lin was being arrogant and refusing to release Daiyu.
Madam Wang believed herself completely safe, so she merely smiled calmly and showed no concern.
Madam Lin ignored her words and waved toward Yan Xianzhi and Daiyu at the doorway.
“We have guests. Come and greet them.”
Yan Xianzhi and Daiyu entered together.
After Madam Lin introduced them, they greeted Madam Wang and Feng Xifeng.
Madam Wang showed no reaction.
Feng Xifeng, however, returned half the courtesy and looked back and forth between Yan Xianzhi and Daiyu before finally settling her gaze on Daiyu.
The two sisters were both dressed rather simply.
But Daiyu was still in mourning, so her clothing was inevitably different from Yan Xianzhi’s.
Yan Xianzhi’s jewelry consisted mainly of jade ornaments and pearl flowers, along with two golden hairpins shaped like flying swallows.
Daiyu, on the other hand, wore only silver ornaments. There were a few pearl flowers, but they were merely used to hold her hair in place. Nothing about her appearance was extravagant or attention seeking.
While Feng Xifeng was observing the two girls, Daiyu was also looking at Madam Wang and Feng Xifeng with a complicated expression.
She had arrived at exactly the right moment and had heard Madam Wang’s words clearly.
Her feelings immediately became complicated.
In truth, whether she lived at the Yan family’s Imperial Estate or in the Rongguo Household, she was still living under someone else’s roof.
It was simply that her aunt and elder sister treated her extremely well, while the servants did not dare behave improperly toward her. They had made her feel as though she were a welcome guest rather than someone dependent upon others.
Naturally, Daiyu had never felt unhappy about living there.
Daiyu had always been sensitive and observant. She feared being laughed at or rejected by others, but she had never needed to worry about such things in the Yan household.
Now she had heard Madam Wang actually calculating the expenses that would arise if Yan Xianzhi accompanied her into the Rongguo Household.
A sense of danger immediately arose within her.
According to Madam Wang, Yan Xianzhi was neither a relative nor anyone connected to the Jia family. She was an outsider and therefore had no right to use the Rongguo Household’s money.
But was Daiyu truly one of the Rongguo Household’s own people?
Would there come a day when the Rongguo Household also calculated how much she ate and wore, and complained that she had eaten one mouthful too much of their food?
At this thought, Daiyu felt a chill in her heart.
Her maternal grandmother had sent people to bring her to the capital out of genuine affection, but judging from the conduct of this Second Maternal Aunt, the Duke’s Household did not seem like an easy place to deal with.
Since she had already arrived in the capital, she could not refuse to visit her maternal grandmother and ease the old woman’s longing.
But as for staying there for a long period, that would probably not do.
Even if she truly stayed for a few days, she would have to inform her aunt first and bring enough money with her. She absolutely could not allow the servants of the Rongguo Household to gossip about her.
If the masters themselves were already so concerned about trivial expenses, then there was no need to ask how the servants would treat her.
In Daiyu’s eyes, although the Rongguo Household was her maternal grandmother’s family, at this moment it was no different from a lair of dragons and tigers.
It was one thing not to know.
But now that she knew, how could she possibly dare enter such a place alone?