The person was acting suspiciously, not very skillfully spying, or perhaps simply being reckless.
Therefore, following Liuzheng’s gaze, Granny Jiang saw the person peeping.
“That is…?”
Liuzheng said in a low voice, “Liu Mama from the First Madam’s side has come several times today.”
Granny Jiang immediately stood up and rushed to the door, shouting, “Who is it? In broad daylight, instead of using the main gate, you’re hiding in the side door to watch your aunt! Aren’t you afraid of getting your eyes pecked out by an eagle? If you want to see someone, come through the main gate openly, and I’ll serve you the best wine and food!”
Unlike Liuzheng, who needed to maintain her dignity, Granny Jiang spoke for Liuzheng if she couldn’t say something about her identity!
“You blind fool! Is your spine broken so you can’t stand up straight, or is your heart so twisted that you can’t stand up straight? If you look at me again, I’ll beat you like a mouse and teach you what human rules are!”
Amidst Jiang Mama’s tirade of curses, Liu Mama, her face turning from white to black, finally ran away.
After that, Granny Liu didn’t dare to peek again.
Liuzheng laughed.
Calling the wet nurse over was definitely the right thing to do.
After having some snacks, Liuzheng assigned tasks to the two of them.
Granny Jiang continued to follow her, taking care of her daily life, while Yu Liu only had one job: to keep an eye on Ruan Yunzheng’s movements.
Yu Liu was very clever, and her appearance and figure were inconspicuous. When she stood there, she was like an invisible person.
She brought back a message to Liuzheng that very night.
“There’s a maidservant by the Third Miss’s side named Su Luo. I saw her sneaking out of the General’s Mansion through a side gate, so I secretly followed her. Guess where she went?”
Granny Jiang glared at her: “Stop playing games with the young lady, just tell me!”
Yu Liu had no choice but to tell the truth: “Su Luo went to the top scholar’s residence, and the top scholar’s wife came out to greet her personally. By the way, Su Luo also brought a bundle, which looked like a set of clothes.”
Liuzheng nodded: “I understand, Yu Liu, you did a good job.”
She patted Yu Liu’s head, and Yu Liu’s face turned red.
The next morning, Liuzheng was preparing return gifts for each household when Song arrived, accompanied by Ruan Yunzheng.
Liuzheng called out “Mother” and then asked Granny Jiang to prepare tea.
“No need for that!” Madam Song said coldly. “I heard you received quite a few housewarming gifts yesterday?”
“yes.”
“It’s not safe for a young girl like you to carry so many valuable things. I’ll keep them for you in my storeroom for now, and you can use them as part of your dowry when you get married.”
The Song family came from a merchant family in Jiangnan and had not received much formal education, but they remembered Ruan Hanmo’s words about “a child holding gold” when they moved yesterday.
Liuzheng nodded without hesitation: “Alright, Mother is more meticulous than me, so I think she will put a lot of thought into preparing a return gift for me.”
Madam Song’s expression stiffened, and she asked, “What return gift?”
Liuzheng looked back at her: “Colleagues who give housewarming gifts must reciprocate, and according to the rules of our dynasty, the return gift can only be more, not less. Has Mother forgotten this rule?”
Song’s lips trembled.
In the capital, it is indeed customary to give more in return gifts, never less.
If she accepted Liuzheng’s gift, wouldn’t she have to add money to reciprocate?
She hadn’t thought about that; she was only thinking about getting Liuzheng’s things, especially the eye-catching red coral that Granny Liu had mentioned.
His expression immediately turned quite unpleasant.
Ruan Yunzheng quickly spoke up: “Elder sister, Mother has never dealt with so many important people before. She’s worried that if something goes wrong, it could affect your career. Perhaps you should handle the return gift?”
Mrs. Song gave her adopted daughter an approving look.
Thank goodness for Yun’er!
Otherwise, wouldn’t she have to suffer this injustice in silence?
It’s true that children raised from childhood are more caring than biological children.
Liuzheng sneered inwardly.
They expect to receive a housewarming gift, but refuse to give a return gift.
“Mother, I have just returned to the capital and will only take office next month. I don’t have much money on hand. Moreover, all of His Majesty’s rewards have been given to Father. I cannot return the gifts… Please go back and discuss this with Father and help me with this matter.”
“You, you…”
Just as Song was about to lash out, Ruan Yunzheng gently pressed her hand down.
Song then fell silent and left with a dark expression.
Liuzheng curtsied and instructed Pan Hong, “Send all the housewarming gifts to Mother.”
Song walked even faster and disappeared in an instant.
Liuzheng smiled faintly: “My mother is said to be weak and takes medicine all year round, but now she seems to be quite agile, so her health should be fine.”
Granny Jiang, standing nearby, looked worried.
“Miss, leave the matter of returning the gift to the Madam. If she deliberately returns some insignificant gift, you will be the one who loses face.”
Liuzheng stopped laughing and said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Back at Tingzhu Courtyard, although Madam Song finally got her hands on the red coral she had been longing for, she was still so angry that she smashed two teacups.
“Is she even my biological daughter? She’s openly betraying her own mother!”
Ruan Yunzheng comforted her for a while, and then said, “Mother, since your eldest sister is openly harming you, why don’t you teach her a lesson so that she will learn some manners?”
Madam Song raised her eyes: “How should we teach her a lesson?”
Ruan Yunzheng whispered something in her ear.
Mrs. Song clapped her hands happily.
“That’s a great idea! Let’s teach her a lesson for being so arrogant!”
…
After noon, the various mansions in Wuyi Lane received return gifts from General Zhaoyong’s mansion.
The first to receive a return gift was Madam Yuan, the wife of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Her lips twitched as she looked at the return gift presented by the servants.
“This…this jujube cake…is it a return gift from General Zhaoyong’s residence?”
“Yes… The maid who returned the gift also said that she was very grateful for the calligraphy and painting you sent, and that General Zhaoyong liked them very much.”
Yuan was so angry that she smashed a teacup.
“My painting ‘Bathing Horses’ is an authentic work by Zhao Mengfu! She actually tried to fool me with this jujube paste cake that street urchins eat! Sending this back is worse than not sending it at all!”
Even if she didn’t return the gift, she wouldn’t be angry. She would simply assume that the female general Zhaoyong had just returned to the capital and was short of money, and that she was just inviting her for a cup of tea, which would make her happy.
The wife of the Vice Minister of War was equally furious when she received the jujube paste cake.
They criticized Ruan Liuzheng for being “petty” and “unfit for the occasion.”
Similarly, the Duke’s Mansion, the Marquis’s Mansion, and so on, all received jujube paste cakes.
Liuzheng’s reputation plummeted.
All the officials in Wuyi Lane looked down on Liuzheng.
The news quickly reached Liuzheng’s ears.
She had Pan Hong keep an eye on the movements of the various government offices in Wuyi Lane.
After hearing Pan Hong’s report, Granny Jiang was extremely anxious.
“What should we do? Didn’t the First Madam realize that her actions today, while embarrassing you, also embarrassed herself!”
“I am General Zhaoyong, and she is just an ordinary woman. Reputation is not important to her. We killed 10,000 enemies, but she only lost 3,000.”
“But…but how could your own mother do such an absurd thing?”
“To her, I, her own flesh and blood, am not as good as the one she raised.”
“So what should we do now? We can’t let them think that you’re unwilling to even give a return gift, can we?”
Liuzheng gently patted Jiang Mama’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
After she finished speaking, she looked up at Pan Hong.
“You can go now.”
“yes!”
Granny Jiang was curious, but Liuzheng kept her in suspense, telling her to wait quietly.
…
Half an hour later, Madam Yuan, the wife of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, received another report from the gatekeeper.
“Madam, people from General Zhaoyong’s residence request an audience.”
How dare they show their face here?
Without a second thought, Madam Yuan refused: “I won’t see him! Tell him to get lost!”
“yes……”
However, before the gatekeeper could leave, Yuan called him back.
“Wait! Let him in! I want to see what tricks this female general is up to!”
“yes!”
Soon a steward led Pan Hong in.
Because men and women are separate, a screen was placed in the middle of the flower hall to separate the two.
“This humble general, Pan Hong, greets Madam Yuan.” Pan Hong bowed respectfully.
Behind the screen, Madam Yuan sneered and asked, “What? You’ve already come once, what are you doing here again? But since you’re here, take that jujube paste cake back with you, I don’t like it.”
Pan Hong looked bewildered.
“What jujube paste cake? This humble general does not know, please enlighten me, madam.”
Yuan was also taken aback.
“Didn’t your general’s mansion send jujube paste cakes as a return gift an hour ago?”
“This…” Pan Hong paused slightly before speaking, “Madam, you must have misunderstood. The jujube paste cake is not a return gift from the General. It was probably made by the General’s first wife herself, who wanted to give it to you to try.”
Then he presented a scroll of painting with both hands.
“The general knows that the lady enjoys calligraphy and painting, so he specially sent his subordinates to deliver a painting as a return gift. Please do not find it offensive.”
Yuan’s anger had already subsided considerably when she heard that the jujube paste cake was not a return gift.
Hearing that there was another gift in return, she beckoned to her maid to fetch it.
The maidservant quickly presented the painting.
After Yuan opened it, his eyes immediately lit up.
“This, this is Mr. Liang Kai’s ‘Splashed Ink Immortal’! My favorite calligrapher and painter is Mr. Liang Kai!”
She disregarded the distinction between men and women and stepped out from behind the screen.
Seeing Pan Hong standing upright, she immediately scolded the maid: “Why didn’t you serve tea to Vice General Pan?”
“Madam, you are not busy. I have already troubled you today. I will definitely pay you a visit in person another day when my general is free.”
Yuan nodded.
“Alright, I’ll thank her in person later.”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
Madam Yuan summoned her head maid and asked her to personally escort her.
After Pan Hong left, Madam Yuan stroked the painting with great affection, and regretted scolding Liuzheng earlier.
“My eyes have been pecked out by an eagle, and I’ve come to believe that General Ruan is a petty and narrow-minded person.”
The head nanny happened to bring Pan Hong back.
She said, “Madam, it’s not that you’ve misjudged me. I think it was probably the First Madam of the Ruan family who sent the jujube paste cakes on purpose.”
When Yuan recalled Pan Hong’s astonished tone when she mentioned jujube paste cake, it was as if a revelation had struck her.
“Are there really people in the world who would harm their own daughter like this?”
“I heard that after General Ruan joined the army in place of his brother, Madam Ruan adopted a daughter from a collateral branch of the family. She treated the adopted daughter like a precious jewel, and even gave her General Ruan’s courtyard to live in.”
“really?”
“This servant is a distant relative of one of the stewards in the Ruan household, and what he said was very convincing.”
Yuan sighed, “How pitiful!”
The old woman said, “It’s a blessing from heaven that General Ruan not only came back alive, but also earned a lot of military merits.”
Madam Yuan nodded: “I need to tell my husband at dinner that he should help General Ruan more in court.”
“The lady is kind-hearted.”
“As a woman myself, I understand the hardships women face even more. How can a woman gain a foothold in the court without support?”
“With your wife’s help, General Ruan will surely have a smooth journey ahead.”
Yuan was even happier.
When they learn that someone is having a hard time, those in positions of power will naturally want to show their goodwill.
Soon, Pan Hong went to another residence.
Liuzheng presented each of the carefully prepared return gifts.