“It seems there must be some hidden story behind this,” Jiang Lingyuan said indifferently. “In any case, I only wanted to remind Mother-in-law. If she refuses to listen, so be it.”
Eldest Madam wanted her to stay quiet and not stir up trouble.
But Jiang Lingyuan believed that everything she was doing was perfectly acceptable within the Duke of Yu’s manor, so there was no need to obey Eldest Madam in every matter.
Nanny Rong agreed that there was likely some hidden reason.
“I expect Xunxia will get to the bottom of it soon.”
The following afternoon, Liu Yongshan delivered the renovation plans. They had been drawn up exactly according to Jiang Lingyuan’s specifications.
After looking them over, she found nothing to object to.
“Proceed according to these plans. Try to have everything finished within a month or two.”
The first step was replacing all the furniture in the rooms where she lived.
Jiang Lingyuan continued reviewing the account books in the eastern warm chamber while workers spent the morning replacing the furnishings in her bedchamber and reception hall.
Only the canopy bed remained unfinished.
It would certainly be completed before nightfall, so it wouldn’t interfere with her rest.
Naturally, Nanny Jin heard all the commotion, and it left her in a foul mood.
Xiangxue was equally envious.
“I never imagined she had so much money.”
People outside Yilan Courtyard might believe Jiang Lingyuan had filled out her dowry with fake items simply to save face and that she actually possessed very little wealth.
But they knew better.
Jiang Lingyuan was genuinely rich.
Painfully rich.
Nanny Jin fell into thought.
She believed the money must have been left behind by the Shen family. Since Jiang Lingyuan herself lacked experience, she assumed the young mistress was simply living off her inheritance. That meant she could probably be manipulated into handing control of it over.
The mere thought of all that gleaming silver made Nanny Jin’s breathing quicken.
She knew she and Jiang Lingyuan had already become enemies.
Still, she considered Jiang Lingyuan inexperienced and easy to win over, so she wasn’t in any hurry.
Jiang Lingyuan knew nothing of Nanny Jin’s schemes.
Her days were spent buried in account books.
By now, the entire three-section main residence had been renovated to suit her preferences. The study had excellent natural lighting, so she had moved there during the day to continue reviewing the ledgers.
She had almost finished reading them all.
Everything appeared normal except the accounts from the northwest.
That made her uneasy.
She still couldn’t figure out what exactly was happening there.
Tanqiu entered.
“Miss, Fourth Young Master’s clothes are finished. Shall I send them over now?”
Jiang Lingyuan nodded, “Yes. If Fourth Master asks, have Steward Lin tell him everything truthfully.”
She wanted to see how Lu Yun would react.
At that moment, Nanny Rong asked, “Won’t you write Fourth Young Master a letter?”
“A letter?”
Jiang Lingyuan paused before shaking her head, “No.”
Truthfully, she had no idea what she should write.
To put it plainly, the two of them barely knew each other.
After all, Lu Yun had returned to the academy on the third day after their wedding.
Though they were husband and wife in name, it was more accurate to say that she had borrowed Lu Yun’s status to raise her own standing, making it easier to accomplish what she needed.
In return, she would fulfill her role as a proper wife.
Beyond that, she really had nothing to say to him.
Knowing that Jiang Lingyuan had no interest in romance, Nanny Rong wondered whether she should offer some advice.
But she also knew Jiang Lingyuan had always been someone with firm convictions.
In the end, she said nothing and simply let Tanqiu make the arrangements.
Jiang Lingyuan took a stick of sweet-blend incense from a nearby box and lit it.
“I heard Nanny Jin has been spreading rumors that I’m nothing but a pretty face, that I’m all show and no substance.”
At the mention of Nanny Jin, even Nanny Rong looked disgusted.
“What she’s done can’t really hurt you,” she said, “but it certainly leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths.”
She continued, “By now, everyone in the manor thinks you’re attractive on the outside but empty inside.”
The rumors failed to stir Jiang Lingyuan in the slightest.
“In the end, it’s because the Shen family has been out of the public eye for far too long.”
Nanny Rong sighed.
“The Old Madam was certainly formidable. But when she passed away, what she left you was a complete mess. It was you who held everything together through sheer determination. It’s only natural that outsiders don’t know that.”
Everyone said Jiang Lingyuan’s family must have burned incense to their ancestors to be fortunate enough for her to marry Lu Yun.
Nanny Rong thought exactly the opposite.
In her opinion, it was Lu Yun who should be thanking his ancestors for being lucky enough to marry Jiang Lingyuan.
Thinking of her grandmother, a trace of nostalgia appeared on Jiang Lingyuan’s face.
After a long moment, she sighed softly.
“The Shen family simply failed to live up to its potential.”
Otherwise, they would never have squandered so many hidden advantages despite holding such excellent cards.
Those were matters of the past.
Jiang Lingyuan mentioned them only briefly before letting them go.
“Let people gossip all they want. We only need to live our own lives well. Speaking of which, tomorrow is another day to pay respects, and it’s also the day the monthly stipends are distributed.”
She knew Eldest Madam’s interference could never be hidden from the Eldest Young Madam.
Even if the Eldest Young Madam wanted to avoid offending her mother-in-law, she would most likely hand the monthly household funds over to Nanny Jin.
Sure enough, the Eldest Young Madam was feeling thoroughly frustrated.
Complaining to Nanny Yang, who served beside her, she said, “My mother-in-law really is…”
She left the sentence unfinished, but Nanny Yang understood.
“Young Madam, just give the money to Nanny Jin. Once Fourth Young Madam learns the reason, she won’t blame you. In the inner household, the capable prevail. If Fourth Young Madam doesn’t want to be suppressed by a servant, then she’ll have to find a way to take control of the household management herself.”
The Eldest Young Madam calmed down slightly.
“That’s true enough. If Fourth Sister-in-law wants to compete with Nanny Jin, that’s her business. But Mother has no business standing behind a servant and backing her up.”
Supporting a servant against the household’s own mistress, what kind of absurdity was that?
She recalled that, after marrying into the family, she had received control of the household directly from the Old Madam rather than from her mother-in-law.
She also remembered the way her own grandmother had hesitated, as though wanting to say something before the marriage.
The more she thought about it, the more exasperating she found her mother-in-law.
“We’ll see what happens when everyone pays their respects tomorrow.”
There were plenty of people in the manor who loved to fawn over the powerful and trample the weak.
With all the rumors spreading through the household, Fourth Sister-in-law would probably be mocked quite a bit tomorrow.
As for the claim that Jiang Lingyuan had staged all this simply to keep up appearances, the Eldest Young Madam didn’t believe it for a second.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng had come to regard Jiang Lingyuan as increasingly unfathomable.
As a result, he dared not neglect any task she entrusted to him.
He immediately set off for Lu Yun’s academy with the items prepared for him.
Baihe Academy, where Lu Yun studied, was renowned throughout the Great Yue Empire as the finest academy in the land.
It had produced not only countless successful jinshi graduates but also an extraordinary number of top-three palace examination laureates.
Admission depended solely on talent, never on family background.
Lu Yun had earned his place entirely through his own ability and was now being personally instructed by the academy’s headmaster.
By the time Lin Feng arrived, dusk had already settled.
Lu Yun was in his private courtyard revising a policy essay.
He had a courtyard of his own, though he shared it with Hu Kangyu, the grandson of Minister of Rites Hu.
Hu Kangyu was far more lively and carefree by nature, yet the two got along remarkably well.
When Lu Yun heard Lin Feng had arrived, he immediately assumed something had happened at home and hurriedly invited him.
But when he saw Lin Feng entering with two servants, one carrying a large bundle and the other a four-tiered food carrier, he frowned.
“Didn’t someone bring things over just yesterday?”