After offering the tea and paying respects to the ancestors, Old Dowager Shao grew weary and returned to Yanshou Hall, whereupon everyone dispersed.
Shao Xun directly left the estate, though no one knew where he had gone. Lin Yulan thus returned to her own residence, Chunhui Garden.
There were a total of thirteen maidservants and women servants specially assigned to serve in Chunhui Garden. Nanny Qi, who managed the affairs of the courtyard, asked Lin Yulan with a smile whether she wished to summon everyone to pay their respects to the Mistress.
This question carried a subtle implication.
Did she really need to ask whether the servants in the courtyard should pay their respects to their new mistress today?
However, since she had asked, Lin Yulan simply refused. “It makes no difference when I see them. I am tired right now and wish to rest for a bit. You may also leave, and instruct the others to continue carrying out their respective duties.”
Before his marriage, Shao Xun did not live here; he resided in Zizhu Court in the front courtyard, which remained his quarters. Whether he would live here with her or not, Lin Yulan had no idea.
The residence where the two of them held their grand wedding had been entirely arranged and decorated by Mrs. Fu.
There were no flaws to be picked, but it was precisely that—merely free of flaws.
As for the servants serving in this courtyard, there were bound to be Mrs. Fu’s informants among them. Before everything was clear, Lin Yulan saw no need to summon them specifically.
It was better to let them act as they pleased; perhaps that would reveal a few things.
Among thirteen people, there were bound to be some who could be promoted and utilized.
After all, selecting and cultivating informants wasn’t that easy; it was impossible for all of them to be Mrs. Fu’s people.
Hearing her say this, Nanny Qi offered not a single word of redundant persuasion, but smiled and assented before withdrawing.
Lin Yulan narrowed her eyes slightly. If anyone had to be driven away, this woman definitely had to be among them.
Lin Yulan didn’t get to enjoy peace and quiet for long before the little maid Xiaoling came in to report: “Eldest Miss, Second Miss, and Third Miss have arrived.”
The Eldest Miss, Shao Zhixin, was the legitimate daughter of the second branch, aged fifteen; the Second Miss, Shao Zhifang, was thirteen.
The Third Miss was Shao Zhijun, the legitimate daughter of the third branch, also aged thirteen.
However, the third branch was born of a concubine and had always lacked presence in the Marquis’s Estate.
Lin Yulan hurriedly instructed Xiaoling to invite the three young ladies in.
“Eldest Sister-in-law!”
“Greetings, Eldest Sister-in-law!”
The room instantly became much livelier with the addition of three brightly dressed young maidens and their personal maids.
Lin Yulan smiled, invited them to be seated, and had tea and pastries served.
Shao Zhixin smiled and said, “Sister-in-law doesn’t need to go to such trouble. Why don’t we go out for a stroll? We can take Sister-in-law to tour our family’s garden and use the opportunity to help Sister-in-law get acquainted with the estate.”
Lin Yulan nodded and smiled gratefully. “That couldn’t be better! Thank you, sisters, for your thoughtfulness.”
Shao Zhixin and the other two sisters accompanied Lin Yulan, chatting and laughing all the way toward the garden.
In her previous life, Lin Yulan had indeed visited the Marquis of Wuwei’s Estate. Although their relationship was ordinary, all the expected social interactions had taken place, and she had visited this garden several times before.
Returning to this familiar place today felt like crossing a lifetime, and Lin Yulan had transformed from a former guest into the mistress of the house. The complex feelings in her heart were known only to herself.
Shao Zhixin and her sisters were at an age fond of play. Claiming to accompany Lin Yulan for a stroll, once they reached the garden, the girls soon scattered off in different directions. Lin Yulan thus led Xiaoqu to rest at a nearby pavilion.
Suddenly, a middle-aged nanny with graying hair and around forty-some years old came running over in a flustered panic: “Little Master! Little Master! Where is the Little Master? Where is the Little Master?”
Lin Yulan and her maid were given a start.
The flustered, disoriented woman spotted them, her eyes turning fierce as she rushed over. Grabbing Lin Yulan by the collar, she demanded in a harsh voice, “Did you hide the Little Master? Was it you? Let the Little Master go right now! Give the Little Master back to me! Release the Little Master!”
Xiaoqu screamed in terror, hurriedly trying to pry open the nanny’s hands to rescue her mistress. “What are you doing! Let go! Release our Mistress!”
The nanny possessed immense strength. With a single shove, she pushed Xiaoqu away, gripping Lin Yulan’s collar so tightly that she was nearly suffocated: “What did you do to the Little Master? Give the Little Master back to me! Give him back!”
“Mistress!” Xiaoqu’s face turned pale as she lunged forward, panicked to the point of tears.
Lin Yulan shook her head at her and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t come over…”
Lin Yulan gently patted the back of the nanny’s hand, saying softly, “The Little Master is coming right now.”
The nanny froze, her grip loosening by a fraction unconsciously. “Really?”
“Really, really, the Little Master will come.”
“You’re not lying to me?”
“Of course, how could I lie to you? I’ll wait with you… let’s wait for the Little Master together, alright?”
Lin Yulan coaxed her gently, taking the nanny’s hand from her own neck with a soft grip, pulling her down to sit together, and soothing her with gentle words.
Lin Yulan motioned for Xiaoqu to step forward and said in a low voice, “Go fetch Nanny Qi, and don’t tell her what happened.”
“Yes, Mistress!”
The nanny stared fixedly at Lin Yulan, repeating questions about the Little Master the moment she opened her mouth.
Lin Yulan smiled bitterly to herself; how could she possibly know anything about a Little Master? She had no choice but to follow the woman’s rhythm and soothe her gently, which eventually coaxed her into a beaming smile.
Before long, Xiaoqu brought Nanny Qi back.
The moment Nanny Qi caught sight of the nanny, she let out a startled shriek: “Ah! Isn’t this Nanny Zhang? Why is the Mistress together with her!”
“Stop making such a fuss,” Lin Yulan cast a displeased glance at Nanny Qi and stood up.
Nanny Zhang immediately glared at her with guarded suspicion, clutching her hand. “Where are you going? Where is my Little Master?”
“Nanny, wait a moment. I’ll ask her if she knows where the Little Master is. I’m not leaving; I’ll be right back, alright?”
“Really?”
“Of course. Look, didn’t I just tell you the truth?”
“Hmm…”
“Xiaoqu, stay here and keep Nanny company.”
“Ah, yes!”
Lin Yulan walked over to Nanny Qi. “Speak. Tell me everything you know about Nanny Zhang.”
There was nothing particularly sensitive to hide, so Nanny Qi replied, “It’s no wonder the Mistress doesn’t know since you just entered the household. Nanny Zhang is the Marquis’s wet nurse. A few years ago, it seems she suffered some kind of accident and a severe fright, and later injured her head. After waking up, she became like this.”
“She has always been this deranged day in and day out. Out of regard for her past nurturing care, the Marquis specifically assigned You Guijia and Xiaoping to serve her. Normally, she lives in that small courtyard in the southeast corner and hardly ever steps out. Who would have thought she’d run all the way here today and run into the Mistress.”
“Then who is the ‘Little Master’ she keeps mentioning—”
“Naturally it’s the Marquis! Nowadays she doesn’t recognize anyone else; she only recognizes the Marquis. Most other words she doesn’t understand, but if anyone dares to speak even a half-word against the Marquis, she hears it and won’t let it go.”
“I see.” Lin Yulan nodded gently, a self-deprecating smile touching her lips.
She had suspected that Shao Zhixin and the others might not be sincerely wishing to befriend her, but she truly hadn’t expected them to present her with such a “magnificent gift.”
A seventeen-year-old bride who had married in just yesterday, suddenly cornered and harassed by a madwoman while alone—how could she not lose her composure and panic?
Once someone started screaming out of control or reacting violently, it would only stimulate the deranged woman even further.
As for what kind of disastrous consequences a worsening situation could trigger, it wasn’t hard to guess.