It was her half-sister, Su Yun’er.
A flicker of disgust flashed in Su Yaoyao’s eyes.
She quickly pulled another outer garment from the cabinet and draped it over herself—though she was no longer binding her chest, now was not yet the time to reveal everything completely.
Su Yun’er walked in, smiling brightly as she carried a small bowl.
However, that smile stiffened slightly the moment her gaze fell upon Su Yaoyao.
The Su Yaoyao before her had casually draped an outer garment over herself, her long hair uncombed, yet her figure…
Freed from the layers of binding cloth, even through the clothing, one could see the breathtaking curves.
Especially her waist, so slender it seemed as if it could snap with a single touch.
Though her attire was the simplest, even bordering on casual, there was an indescribable, lazy charm about her.
Su Yun’er tightened her grip on the tray, that uncomfortable pang of jealousy rising in her heart again.
How had this fool… seemingly shed her dull, dusty shell overnight, revealing a dazzling light within?
And that figure… Hadn’t she been binding her chest and starving herself every day?
But she quickly adjusted her expression, reverting to her usual delicate demeanor. “I’m glad you’re awake, sister. I was worried about you all night. This is ginseng soup specially prepared by the kitchen—it’s excellent for replenishing energy.”
She placed the small bowl on the table, her gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over the pile of binding cloth on the floor. A trace of disdain flashed in her eyes, yet her tone grew even more “concerned”:
“Sister, why did you… remove that? Are you feeling unwell again? Or…”
She covered her mouth with her hand, lowering her voice, “Or is it because of what the Second Prince said yesterday, and you’re feeling upset?”
She waited to see Su Yaoyao, as usual, lower her head and twist her fingers, or perhaps her eyes reddening.
But Su Yaoyao merely lifted her gaze, looked at her, and smiled.
The smile was faint, carrying a hint of… something Su Yun’er couldn’t quite decipher.
“Did it take a long time to simmer this ginseng soup, sister?” Su Yaoyao didn’t respond to her remarks. Instead, she pointed at the bowl of soup. “The broth looks clear. Did you use good ginseng roots?”
Su Yun’er was taken aback and instinctively nodded. “Yes, it’s made from high-quality aged ginseng roots…”
“What a pity.” Su Yaoyao sighed and shook her head.
“Though the broth is clear, it’s made from the lowest-grade scraps of ginseng roots. It’s a shame you brought it out… and still think it’s high-quality aged ginseng… Ah! But I can’t blame you… you probably haven’t seen many fine things.”
Su Yun’er’s face instantly paled. “You!”
Then, suddenly remembering something, she quickly steadied her expression. “Sister! I… I meant well…”
“Yes, you meant well~” Su Yaoyao nodded, her tone still calm.
Just then, a young maid entered, carrying the midday meal.
Simple dishes were placed on the table: a bowl of clear soup with a few vegetable leaves floating in it, and two hard, grayish-brown mixed-grain buns.
As soon as Chuntao saw the food, her expression darkened.
This was even worse than what the young lady usually ate!
Su Yaoyao laughed in anger.
“Auntie has really put in a lot of thought.” She looked up at Su Yun’er, whose face had yet to regain its color.
“I’m still recovering from my illness, and you serve me this? These buns—I’m afraid even the lowest-ranking maids in the mansion would find them too hard to chew, right?”
Su Yun’er forced a smile. “Sister, you misunderstand. Auntie thought that since you… suffered a blow yesterday, you might have no appetite. Besides, haven’t you always wanted to lose weight to please the Second Prince…”
“Please him?” Su Yaoyao interrupted her, slamming her chopsticks onto the table with a sharp “clack.”
Su Yun’er’s heart skipped a beat.
“I had no idea that the allowance for the legitimate daughter of a marquis’s household had become so meager that she can’t even afford a decent meal.”
Su Yaoyao stood up. Taller than Su Yun’er, she now looked down at her with an intangible sense of pressure. “Chuntao.”
“Your servant is here!”
“Go and inform the kitchen,” Su Yaoyao enunciated each word clearly, “to prepare medicinal meals for me from my mother’s shops. Don’t worry about the cost—use the finest ingredients, abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, bird’s nest, whatever is best! From today onward, all my meals shall be prepared according to medicinal recipes!”
Chuntao responded loudly, “Yes! I will go right away!”
“You…!” Su Yun’er was both shocked and furious. “Sister, how can you be so extravagant! Concubine Liu manages the household with great difficulty, you…”
“Because managing the household is difficult, she treats the legitimate daughter like a beggar?” Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. “Or perhaps you mean that I am unworthy of using the dowry my own mother left behind?”
Su Yun’er felt as if her tail had been stepped on. In the past, this legitimate elder sister had never dared to speak to her like this. “Sister, what nonsense are you talking! Auntie has always managed the household fairly…”
“Fairly?” Su Yaoyao laughed, a cold, chilling laugh. “Then that jade bracelet on your wrist looks quite exquisite. And that gold hairpin on your head—it’s newly made, isn’t it? Whose money was used to pay for it?”
Su Yun’er instinctively covered the bracelet on her wrist, her face completely changing color.
The bracelet and the hairpin had indeed been given to her by Concubine Liu just a few days ago, both sourced from… the abundant dowry shops left by Su Yaoyao’s mother!
“I… I…”
“There’s no need for you to explain, little sister.” Su Yaoyao waved her hand dismissively and sat back down, adopting a languid posture. “After all, she is your birth mother. I’m just curious, though—what would Father think if he found out that not only my mother’s dowry but even his official salary has been ‘kindly’ funneled to your uncle’s gambling table?”
Su Yun’er felt as if struck by lightning. She jerked her head up, staring at Su Yaoyao in terror.
How… how could she know about her uncle’s gambling?! Concubine Liu had kept that matter tightly under wraps!
Seeing Su Yun’er’s instantly pale face, Su Yaoyao sneered inwardly.
The original host’s memories contained none of this, but in her previous life, Su Yaoyao had navigated the world of fame and fortune, becoming adept at reading expressions, extracting information, and analyzing situations.
Concubine Liu was merely a concubine, yet she lived lavishly and even supported her natal family. Where did the money come from? It wasn’t hard to guess.
“Sister… sister, what nonsense are you talking? My uncle, he…” Su Yun’er tried to argue forcefully.
“Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, you know very well in your heart, little sister.” Su Yaoyao no longer looked at her, turning instead to sit back at the dressing table. She picked up the plain silver hairpin and toyed with it. “By the way, little sister, please tell Concubine Liu for me that I have come of age. I would appreciate it if she could send over the dowry list my mother left behind, along with the keys to the storeroom, within the next couple of days. If Concubine Liu finds it troublesome…”
She paused, watching Su Yun’er’s face turn pale once more, and continued leisurely, “I wouldn’t mind asking my maternal grandmother to personally handle it for me. Oh, and I recall—Concubine Liu… was originally a maidservant sent over from Grandmother’s side, wasn’t she?”
Su Yun’er’s mind buzzed. “You!”
“What about me? Is there something wrong with my mother’s dowry?”
Su Yun’er bit her lip and forced out, “N-no, nothing like that… Then… then I won’t disturb you any further, sister.”
She turned to leave but stopped and looked back. “Sister, in three days, there will be a palace banquet… His Highness the Crown Prince will also be there. Given your health… it would be best to exercise some restraint, lest you offend the nobility.”
With that, she hurried away.
Su Yaoyao watched her retreating figure, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Offending a noble guest?
What she feared was not offending them enough.
Chuntao watched the second young lady’s almost panicked retreat and couldn’t help but giggle. It felt as if the resentment she had held in for years had finally been released, even if just a little.
“Miss, you’re amazing!” Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
Su Yaoyao, however, showed no hint of pride and merely replied calmly:
“This is just the beginning. That mother and daughter… who knows what else they have in store for me…”
She glanced at the ginseng soup Su Yun’er had brought.
“The ginseng is poor quality, but the ‘extra ingredients’ are quite potent. Go ahead and pour it out.”
No wonder the original host had been listless all the time—aside from being underfed, she was also being fed these filthy concoctions…
And the original host’s mother…
What a coincidence—Su Yaoyao, in her previous life, had also pursued the path of an heir to a traditional Chinese medicine family…
And her studies… had been quite in-depth…