"Miss, that old hag only notified us at noon that we would be entering the palace together for the banquet. How did you know early in the morning? I thought you were deliberately provoking that white-eyed wolf."
The maids around Wen Lingyi held no respect for the masters of the Dingyuan Marquisate.
In private, they called the Old Madam an old hag or old shrew. Chen Wanrou was referred to as the white-eyed wolf or the ungrateful wolf. As for the others, there was no need to mention them—each had their own nicknames. Now, Chen Wenli had even earned the additional title of the great laughingstock of impotence…
Wen Lingyi snapped back to reality, her tone mocking: "She no longer dares to rely on me, and her son is useless, so naturally she has to take matters into her own hands."
"How is the Eighteenth Concubine doing?"
"When I went over this morning, she was still terribly frightened. After slipping her a few silver notes, her complexion immediately brightened." Qingwu recalled the Eighteenth Concubine’s appearance at the time and shuddered: "But Miss, you should stay away from the Eighteenth Concubine from now on. She’s too frightening—she even said she wanted to be your… dog for life." How absurd!
Wen Lingyi paid no mind.
Saving her had been a matter of convenience.
When she first arranged for the Eighteenth Concubine to enter the Dingyuan Marquisate, she had explained all the stakes clearly.
She would redeem her, and all the Eighteenth Concubine needed to do was use her identity as Cai Xia from Huā Lóu to become the Marquisate’s Eighteenth Concubine.
When the time came, Wen Lingyi would, like with the other seventeen concubines, give her a more legitimate identity to leave the Marquisate.
If she was worried about supporting herself, she could also go to Wen Lingyi’s shops.
The Eighteenth Concubine had already proven with her actions that she chose to stay in the Marquisate as Chen Wenli’s true Eighteenth Concubine.
So even if she were truly beaten to death by the Old Madam, Wen Lingyi would feel no guilt, nor would there be any need to send her silver.
It was simply that her performance yesterday had been so well-timed and clever.
It saved Wen Lingyi a great deal of trouble.
It even helped her…
Qingwu didn’t know what her mistress was thinking. Since marrying into the Marquisate, she had rarely seen Miss so cheerful.
But soon, Wen Lingyi’s brows furrowed slightly as she lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to look outside.
After letting it fall, she let out a long sigh.
Miss never shared her thoughts with anyone, not even her closest maid.
But having stayed by her side, there were some things Qingwu couldn’t help but know.
Today was the day to enter the palace for the banquet… the Qinggong Banquet. Wasn’t the guest of honor that very god of slaughter?!
And last night, he had…
Qingwu shook her head. She knew nothing!
Each lost in their own thoughts, the master and servant traveled for over half an hour before finally arriving at Donghua Gate.
As dusk began to fall, the wives of various households had already gathered beneath the vermilion palace walls according to their ranks. Several familiar faces huddled together, whispering and laughing behind their handkerchiefs, creating a lively scene of elegance and beauty.
When Wen Lingyi stepped down from the carriage, the scene fell silent.
"Tsk, I thought she wouldn’t come this time either. To maintain her reputation as the foremost Noble Lady of Jingdu, she actually endured a year of rules in that declining household."
"Not only that, she even arranged eighteen concubines for her husband. Didn’t you all know?"
"How could we not know? My husband praises the Dingyuan Marquis’s wife every day as a rare virtuous wife, telling me to learn from her. What bad luck."
"To think she’s the daughter of the Prime Minister’s Manor. Who knows how she developed such a timid temperament…"
These voices were neither too loud nor too soft, and even Chen Wanrou, who had just stepped down from her carriage, heard them.
The moment she boarded the carriage, she had witnessed her stepmother handing the handkerchief she had just used to wipe her tears to Mama Sun, while her maid Ziyuan, who accompanied her into the palace, handed her stepmother another silk handkerchief just like it…
Chen Wanrou had been feeling miserable the entire journey, unable to comprehend why, despite her efforts to please, she was regarded as even less than a servant in her stepmother's eyes.
Now, hearing everyone criticize Wen Lingyi, she felt somewhat better.
She wanted to utter a few sarcastic remarks but was stopped by a sharp pinch from behind.
Chen Wanrou turned around angrily to find Old Madam with a grim expression.
Old Madam was already tired of saying the word "fool."
Wen Lingyi had always acted as if she were forced into marrying into the Marquisate, enduring everything with a pitiable demeanor.
As if anyone had bullied her!
If this fool were to speak up and mock her again, wouldn't it only prove that the Dingyuan Marquisate was a den of wolves?
Old Madam took Chen Wanrou's hand and hobbled over to pull Wen Lingyi along. "Good child, Mother knows you're filial. Don't be angry with them. Three months ago, your father passed away, leaving only us, an orphan and a widow…"
Old Madam knew how well Wen Lingyi could put on an act in front of others.
She would let her act to her heart's content.
It would even help clear her Wenli's name.
Didn't everyone hear? The old marquis had only passed away three months ago. Even if Wenli were a fool, he wouldn't take a concubine at such a time. This foolish daughter-in-law was deliberately pretending to be virtuous and magnanimous, trying to ruin the reputation of the Dingyuan Marquisate!
But what Old Madam never expected was that Wen Lingyi took a step back, causing her to stumble forward and grasp at empty air.
"My father is alive and well. What nonsense are you speaking, Mother-in-law? This is the imperial grounds. Stop talking about death—it's inauspicious."
Old Madam stared at Wen Lingyi in shock.
Treating her mother-in-law with such an attitude—did she no longer care about her good reputation?
For the past year, she had only hidden away in her Shanchun Courtyard, putting on airs and pretending to endure hardships. Was she no longer even going to keep up that act?
Wen Lingyi raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at the women who had been gossiping eagerly earlier. "Does your husband also visit Huā Lóu during the mourning period?"
The woman quickly shook her head. Even if it were true, she couldn't possibly admit it under the palace walls!
"If not, why are you gossiping behind others' backs?" Qingwu said angrily while her mistress wore a bitter smile. "My lady has gone to great lengths to preserve the Marquisate's dignity! You are all married women—don't you know how difficult it is for a woman to survive in the inner courtyard? If the Marquis takes a fancy to someone and my lady refuses, she'll be called jealous…"
"Qingwu," Wen Lingyi interrupted her, curling her lips into a smile as she addressed the women. "Madam of the Minister of Justice, Madam of the Censor-in-Chief…"
With each official title added before "Madam," the women involuntarily shuddered.
The smile seemed gentle enough, so why did it carry an eerie feeling, as if the "King of Hell" were calling the roll?
"Gathering noisily near the palace gate. According to Da Zhou law, if such noisy behavior is accompanied by other violations or causes severe disturbances, the punishment is twenty lashes."
"Nonsense! We were all invited to the Gongyan and are merely chatting while waiting here. How does that count as gathering noisily? And disturbances—who have I disturbed? Even the guards dare not interfere. What right do you have?"
"I actually felt pity for you earlier as a fellow woman, but you are truly unreasonable!"
"You've disturbed me," Wen Lingyi said, smoothing the jade hairpin at her temple. When she looked up again, her gaze was sharp. "When I'm in a bad mood, I don't feel like attending this Gongyan. If I don't attend, my father will likely come looking for me everywhere."
Before her marriage, Wen Lingyi had always appeared dignified and proper, but no one dared to cross her when she was in a foul mood.
It was all because Wen Lingyi had a formidable father who was the Prime Minister. If any lady or young miss offended his daughter, their male relatives serving in the court would surely face trouble!
Yet who would have thought she would stoop so low as to marry into a declining household like the Dingyuan Marquisate? And Prime Minister Wen didn’t even intervene, did he?
After her marriage, Wen Lingyi hadn’t appeared for a whole year. The occasional rumors spoke of her enduring humiliation in her husband’s home, which secretly delighted those who disliked her.
They truly thought she was a soft, easy target.
Several ladies who had suffered greatly in the past glared fiercely at Wen Lingyi before immediately taking their daughters and leaving.
After all, what happened at the palace gate would surely reach His Majesty’s ears. If blame was to be assigned, it would fall on Wen Lingyi for her arrogance and domineering attitude. Perhaps this could even help their husbands gain an advantage over Wen Bai.
One of the young girls being pulled away by her mother passed by Wen Lingyi and whispered very softly, "Thank you."
If one looked closely, the dress the girl wore was almost identical to Chen Wanrou’s.