Yu Lin looked coldly at the secondary wife.
“I call you ‘Mother’ out of respect for propriety, but right now, you’re the one asking me for help. I suggest you adjust your attitude.
I am no longer a lowly concubine-born daughter. And you you’re still a fallen marchioness who relies on me to maintain appearances in front of others.”
Aunt Zhao watched her daughter finally hold her head high, her own back straightening with pride as she let out a satisfied snort.
The secondary wife’s face turned pale with anger, then flushed red.
She glared viciously at Yu Lin.
But Yu Lin was no longer the humble, unmarried illegitimate-born girl she once was.
Now backed by the General’s household, and with the ruthlessness of someone who had lived two lifetimes, she wasn’t afraid of the secondary wife’s petty anger at all.
After a long moment, weighing the pros and cons, the secondary wife finally lowered her head: “Lin’er… Mother was a bit anxious. This concerns our marquis household I can’t help but worry.
Think about it: although our household isn’t as illustrious as the General’s, it’s still a marquis residence. It can be considered part of your natal family’s power, right?
If nothing happens, all is well. But if something does happen, as a daughter of this household, you won’t be able to completely distance yourself, will you?”
The threat in her words was obvious.
Yu Lin had decided to help her precisely because of the power behind the marquis household.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the General’s residence.
Yu Lin sneered. “You’d better go back and properly check whether that so-called ‘daughter’ of Concubine Wang is really what she claims to be.
Oh, and that old doctor if you don’t find him soon, just wait for death.
Think carefully: who would suddenly bother investigating something that happened more than ten years ago for no reason?”
Nurse Liu opened the carriage door from outside. “Young Madam, we’ve arrived.”
Yu Lin took her hand and stepped down. Before leaving, she turned her head to glance at the secondary wife, whose expression was ugly inside the carriage, and let out a sharp laugh.
“Make sure my dear stepmother is safely sent back to the marquis residence and quickly. She’s in quite a hurry.”
Having thoroughly enjoyed her moment of triumph, Yu Lin strode back into the General’s residence, feeling immensely satisfied.
Qingchen Courtyard.
After Yu Mu’an finished washing up, Ju Hong arrived belatedly.
“I hid beneath their carriage the whole time. I heard everything clearly.”
She relayed the entire conversation word for word to Yu Mu’an.
Yu Mu’an sneered.
“My dear stepmother spends her days scheming against Aunt Zhao for favor. At first, she didn’t know how, and was suppressed by Zhao for quite a while.
Later, she found a method pretend to be kind and dote on me to the heavens, treating me even better than her own daughter.
That blind Marquis father of mine saw his second wife treating his first wife’s daughter so well and thought, ‘What a good woman.’
As for being harsh to concubines and strict with concubine-born children?
A proper wife disciplining servants is only natural surely they must have offended her first to deserve punishment.”
Anxin grew angry hearing this and added many observations only an outsider could notice.
Yu Mu’an listened, sneering.
In her previous life, she had truly been blind and deaf such exaggerated acting, yet she had mistaken it for genuine maternal affection.
As for what Yu Lin said about Concubine Wang, she knew it too.
That woman, fearing her son would be harmed by the secondary wife or Aunt Zhao, pretended she had given birth to a daughter.
Then she plotted to poison the Marquis and kill the secondary wife’s son, so that her own son would become the sole heir of the marquis household.
This time, she would just let that Marquis father die the same miserable poisoned death as in her previous life she wouldn’t save him.
There wasn’t a single person in that marquis household worth saving.
On the contrary, she would step on them and accelerate their collapse.
Married life soon appeared to settle down.
At least on the surface.
Yu Lin and Xie Jinghong seemed reconciled, deeply affectionate. The entire household knew that every night, water was called for their room.
In contrast, the one in Qingchen Courtyard had almost no presence in the residence. Aside from morning greetings to the lady of the house, she rarely even stepped out.
Even the eldest young master had stopped going out to cause trouble.
The weather grew clear, the temperature gradually rising, no longer as cold as a few days ago.
In the small kitchen of Qingchen Courtyard, two young maids busied themselves while gossiping.
“The eldest young madam is really impressive even a fool like the eldest young master listens obediently to her.”
“Exactly. The eldest young master is like he’s possessed only the eldest young madam can coax him.”
“Shh… listen to how sour you sound. What, would it be better if he listened to you?”
“You little brat! What nonsense are you spouting!”
“Even if he’s foolish, he’s still the eldest young master. Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it?”
“Get lost!”
The two burst into giggles.
“If you ask me, it’s better to marry Young Master Hong handsome and elegant, and already an official.”
“Right? Even that concubine-born daughter from the marquis household can strut around here bossing people after marrying in. Tch…”
Little did they know, every word of their chatter was heard clearly by someone just beyond the wall.
The small garden in the back courtyard was right next to the kitchen. Yu Mu’an was sitting on a swing, basking in the sun.
Anxin stomped her foot angrily. “How dare they gossip about their mistress behind her back just wait, I’ll tear their mouths apart!”
Yu Mu’an stopped her. “Don’t rush. I have a task for you.”
Anxin pouted.
Yu Mu’an smiled, gently swinging her legs.
“From the sound of it, one of them is Hongjin, right? Go chat with them. If I remember correctly, Hongjin is quite close with Qingyu from Yunfei Pavilion.”
Anxin looked puzzled. “Miss, do you want to pass a message indirectly to Lin ah, the Fifth Young Madam?”
Yu Mu’an laughed. “My Anxin is as clever as ever.”
Anxin’s face flushed instantly. “Miss! You you’re teasing me!”
Yu Mu’an smiled at her. “Every March, preparations begin for the Hundred Flowers Banquet in the capital.”
Anxin thought for a moment and understood. “Even if Madam doesn’t attend, this responsibility would fall to you how could it go to the Fifth Young Madam?”
She blinked. “So she’ll have to fight for it herself?”
Anxin still didn’t quite understand. “But Miss…”
She leaned closer and whispered, “The eldest young master is useless. If you don’t compete, those servants who fawn on the powerful will trample all over you!”
Useless, she said.
That struck right at Yu Mu’an’s heart, and she smiled even more brightly.
“Good girl.”
She pinched Anxin’s cheek.
“Just do as I say. I have my own plans.
And change how you address me if you keep calling me ‘Miss,’ people will make an issue of it.”
“Yes… Eldest Young Madam.”
Inside Wei Rui Xuan, the charcoal brazier had not yet been removed, making the room warm as soon as one entered.
Yu Mu’an bowed. “Mother, you were looking for me?”
Hu Rui waved her over eagerly. “An’er, come quickly. I had the kitchen prepare your favorite osmanthus cakes try some!”
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted and laughed, appearing harmonious.
“Every March, the capital holds the Hundred Flowers Banquet, hosted in turn by prominent ladies and young misses of various families. An’er, you know of this, don’t you?”