Gu Nanyin was unaware of the mother and daughter’s schemes, and even if she knew, she wouldn’t care. In fact, she was afraid they wouldn’t make a move—otherwise, she wouldn’t have a chance to deal with them.
At the moment, Gu Nanyin was leaning on a couch reading a book. Seeing Qiuzhi enter, she casually put the book away. Qiuzhi didn’t mind; she knew that ever since her young mistress fell into the water, she had rarely been seen without a book in hand.
“Young Mistress, Nanny Liu from Old Madam’s courtyard is here.” Gu Nanyin had almost forgotten she even had a grandmother. Come to think of it, Gu Yuanyao and Fang Xuan were quite similar—both lost their fathers early and were raised solely by their mothers.
However, this grandmother of hers was no easy character. Perhaps because her husband died young, she had an extremely strong desire to control her only son. Ever since her son married, he spent less time with her, leading her to believe that Madam Gu had stolen away the son she had raised single-handedly. Madam Gu never groveled or tried to curry favor with her like Concubine Yun did, so Old Madam had never shown her any kindness.
But as a commoner, Old Madam was powerless against Madam Gu, who came from a prestigious noble family. So, she often feigned illness, staying in her room all day, hoping to tarnish Madam Gu’s reputation by accusing her of neglecting her duties. Out of respect for her elder, Madam Gu chose not to argue and let her be.
As for Gu Nanyin, her granddaughter, Old Madam paid even less attention to her. After all, she was just a girl who couldn’t carry on the family line. In contrast, she was quite fond of Gu Qinglian, partly because they were related by blood, and partly because Gu Qinglian was skilled at acting sweet and filial in front of her.
Without even thinking, Gu Nanyin knew that her grandmother sending someone over now couldn’t mean anything good.
As soon as Nanny Liu entered, she raised her voice and said, “Eldest Young Mistress, Old Madam hasn’t seen you in a long time and misses you dearly. Today, she specifically sent me to invite you over.”
Gu Nanyin’s smile remained unchanged as she gave Nanny Liu a meaningful look. Was this implying that she was disrespectful for not visiting her grandmother to pay her respects, and that Old Madam had to send someone to invite her? “Grandmother has been bedridden with illness, and I didn’t want to disturb her,” she sighed sorrowfully. “A few days ago, I was pushed into the water by Second Sister and nearly lost my life. My uncle and grandfather sent people to check on me every day and brought many gifts. I feel terribly guilty for worrying my elders. Fortunately, Grandmother didn’t hear about it, or I would have been terribly unfilial.”
Who didn’t know how to speak sarcastically? Even the Prime Minister’s residence several streets away had heard about her falling into the water, yet her grandmother in the same household seemed completely unaware and offered no concern. Now she wanted to turn the tables and blame her? Not a chance.
Nanny Liu’s smile stiffened. “Eldest Young Mistress, what are you saying? Old Madam cares for you deeply. It’s just that she’s too ill to leave her bed, or she would have come to see you herself.” These words couldn’t have been more insincere—everyone in the household knew exactly how Old Madam felt about Gu Nanyin.
Gu Nanyin forced a smile. “Matron, please go back and tell Grandmother that I haven’t fully recovered yet and am afraid of passing my illness to her. Let Grandmother rest well, and I’ll visit her in a few days.””This…” Nanny Liu was dumbfounded. No matter what, she had never expected that the young miss had no intention of going to see the Old Madam at all. The Old Madam had racked her brains to come up with ways to deal with Gu Nanyin, pondering for days how to avenge her niece Concubine Yun, never realizing that the young miss simply wouldn’t take the bait.
“Qiuzhi, see Nanny Liu out.” Before Nanny Liu could say anything more, Gu Nanyin had already issued the order to leave. She was not someone to be summoned and dismissed at will. If her grandmother wanted to see her, she would have to wait patiently. She would go only when she was in the mood and willing to make the trip.
Nanny Liu didn’t snap out of it until she returned to Yilan Courtyard.
“Where is Gu Nanyin?” the Old Madam asked with a robust voice, showing no signs of illness. Why had Nanny Liu returned alone?
Concubine Yun and Gu Qinglian were also puzzled. They had been waiting here for a long time, hoping to see the Old Madam discipline Gu Nanyin, but now there was no sign of her.
“The young miss said… she will come to see you another day,” Nanny Liu stammered, trembling as she replied.
Sure enough, the Old Madam flew into a rage upon hearing this: “How dare she! Even I can’t summon her now. Does she still see me as her grandmother? She’s just like her mother—arrogant, domineering, and disrespectful to her elders.”
Seeing the Old Madam’s anger, Concubine Yun was quite satisfied inwardly, but she put on a fearful expression: “Aunt, the young miss’s maternal grandfather is, after all, the current prime minister. Our humble family truly cannot afford to offend him. Qinglian and I are fine, so perhaps we should just let this matter go.”
Gu Qinglian immediately understood and followed suit, her eyes reddening as she looked at the Old Madam: “Grandmother, your granddaughter only suffered a few strokes of the cane. Eldest Sister is of noble status. If we offend her, how will we ever live in peace?”
As expected, after hearing their words, the Old Madam’s face darkened even further. She had worked hard to raise her son, and now that he held a high official position, must she still bow to her granddaughter’s whims? Moreover, Concubine Yun was her own niece. To say she was of low status was to insult the Old Madam herself.
The Old Madam came from a poor background, was illiterate, and was utterly ignorant. She had no idea that her son’s official rank was nothing compared to the prime minister’s, nor did she understand how much of her son’s current success was owed to Madam Gu. All she knew was that Gu Nanyin’s actions had humiliated her in front of the servants and her own niece. Ever since her son had been promoted, everyone had flattered and respected her—only Madam Gu and her daughter were so ungrateful.
The more the Old Madam thought about it, the angrier she became. She picked up the teacup beside her and hurled it to the ground. Rising to her feet, her face filled with fury, she declared: “I’ll go myself. I want to see just how this fine granddaughter of mine dares to disrespect her grandmother and show no regard for her elders.” Without another word, she stormed off with her entourage toward Gu Nanyin’s courtyard.
But when they arrived, they found the courtyard gate tightly shut. Nanny Liu hurried forward to knock.
Qin Xue stood inside the courtyard, listening to the increasingly urgent knocking, before leisurely stepping out to open the gate.
“Where is Gu Nanyin?” the Old Madam demanded as soon as the gate opened.
“The young miss has gone out. If there’s anything, you can tell me,” Qin Xue replied calmly.
The Old Madam’s face turned ashen. She had come in person, and Gu Nanyin wasn’t even here? Seeing how disrespectful this maid was to her only fueled her rage further.”Where did this maid come from, with no manners at all? Seeing Old Madam and not even bowing.” Concubine Yun, guessing Old Madam’s thoughts, stepped forward to speak.
“What kind of nobodies are you? Expecting me to bow? Afraid you’ll shorten your own lifespans.” Qin Xue said coldly. In this lifetime, the only ones she respected were the Prince and the future Princess Consort. Even the current Emperor was not worthy of her bow, let alone these people before her. Speaking such words, they weren’t afraid of the wind cutting their tongues.