Upon entering the flower hall, she found four people standing solemnly inside.
At the forefront was a matronly woman around forty years old, with a dignified and stern face, yet her eyes were clear and sharp.
Behind her stood three maidservants, their postures straight and their auras steady—clearly the result of strict training.
When Su Yaoyao entered, a flicker of excitement and pity flashed in the matron’s eyes before she promptly bowed with proper etiquette:
“This old servant, Lin, greets the eldest young lady. By order of the old madam and the madam, I have come to serve the eldest young lady.”
“This servant, Jingzhe/Guyu/Bai Lu, greets the young lady.”
Su Yaoyao stepped forward and personally helped the matron rise. “Please rise quickly, Nanny. How is my grandmother’s health?”
Seeing her so poised and composed, Nanny Lin felt a flicker of surprise and relief.
Before coming, the old madam had repeatedly warned that the eldest young lady had been raised timidly and feared she would be taken advantage of.
But the young lady before her… her eyes were bright and clear, her demeanor calm and collected—there wasn’t a trace of timidity about her.
“The old madam is well, though she misses you day and night. After receiving your letter and hearing from Miss Chuntao about the situation in the manor, the old madam was both furious and heartbroken. She immediately sent me here with these servants.”
She paused, her tone turning slightly grave. “The old madam asked me to convey this message: You should have done this long ago. The Grand Tutor’s residence will always be your support. What is rightfully yours—not a single bit of it should be yielded!”
These words were spoken with genuine sincerity. Su Yaoyao felt a warmth in her heart. The original owner’s maternal family truly cared for her.
“Thank you for your trouble, Nanny. Now that I have awakened, I will not allow anyone to bully me again.”
Nanny Lin felt deeply gratified and said solemnly, “These three maidservants were specially selected by the old madam for you, eldest young lady. Jingzhe and Guyu have some martial arts skills, while Bai Lu is meticulous and knowledgeable in pharmacology. Common underhanded tricks won’t escape her notice. With them by your side for protection, the old madam can rest assured.”
She added, “In my youth, I served by the old madam’s side, managing affairs and overseeing the household. I have some experience as well. If there is anything you need, eldest young lady, this old servant will spare no effort, even at the cost of my life.”
This was sending her the most capable aides. Su Yaoyao was deeply moved, knowing this was the Grand Tutor’s residence making a clear statement: she had someone backing her!
Su Yaoyao nodded. “Since you’ve come, Nanny, there are indeed a few matters I need your help with now.”
“Please give your orders, young lady.”
Su Yaoyao sat down, resting her head on her hand with a troubled expression.
“This body of mine, Yaoyao’s, takes after my mother—weak spleen and stomach, some things I simply cannot eat… I’ll have to trouble you, Nanny, to pay extra attention to my daily meals.” As she spoke, she lightly tapped the tabletop.
Nanny Lin’s heart tightened, instantly understanding!
“This servant understands!” She had already known this marquis’s manor was a den of filth, but she never imagined they had raised a wolf in their midst back then!
Su Yaoyao looked at Nanny Lin’s expression with satisfaction. Truly a person from a great household—a single hint was enough for her to grasp the meaning. From now on, she could not only ensure her own safety but also leverage this to investigate the circumstances surrounding the original owner’s mother’s death.
Although the Grand Tutor had retired, her uncle and cousin were both serving in the Dali Temple!
“Also, Concubine Liu has been ‘safekeeping’ my mother’s dowry for quite some time now.”
Nanny Lin’s eyes sharpened. “Does the young lady intend to…”
“No rush.” Su Yaoyao smiled.
“My father… values face above all, but he’s also… somewhat indecisive. If we force the concubine to hand it over now, at most she’ll just lose a bit of flesh.”
She fiddled with her teacup.
“What I want is for her to personally deliver everything that belonged to my mother—principal and interest—into my hands!”
A confident smile curled at the corner of Su Yaoyao’s lips.
“And what’s more, they’ll have to beg me for it.”
In her past life, those finance men who had flattered her had never missed an opportunity to show off their various schemes during drinking sessions. Having heard enough, she had also picked up a trick or two.
No matter how ruthless Concubine Liu might be, she was merely a woman confined to the inner household—what could she possibly know about a “pig-butchering scheme”?
She beckoned, and Nanny Lin leaned in close.
The nanny first frowned, then her eyes grew brighter and brighter, until finally, a hint of a smile appeared on her face. “The young lady has thought this through thoroughly. This old servant knows what to do now.”
Su Yaoyao picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and softened her tone. “Nanny, did Grandmother have any other instructions?”
Nanny Lin looked at her with a complicated expression and said in a low voice, “The old madam said… the Empress’s intentions, the young lady surely understands. However… the Crown Prince is deep and inscrutable, and he dislikes being manipulated. The young lady must… be especially cautious.”
Su Yaoyao smiled faintly.
Cautious?
Of course, she would be cautious.
But caution did not mean she would not take the initiative.
“Don’t worry, Nanny,” she set down her teacup, a glimmer of light swirling in her eyes. “At this palace banquet, who is arranging for whom remains to be seen.”
Donggong, the study.
Sandalwood incense curled in the air. Xiao Chenyuan sat behind the desk, holding a scroll of Buddhist scriptures, yet he had not turned a single page for quite some time.
His trusted guard, Ling Feng, stood below with hands respectfully at his sides. After reporting on several trivial court matters, he hesitated for a moment before saying, “Your Highness, there seems to be some movement… at the Yongning Marquis Estate.”
Xiao Chenyuan lifted his gaze, his expression calm. “Speak.”
The guard lowered his head. “The eldest young lady of the Su family fell ill and, after waking up… seems to have undergone a change in temperament. Someone from Grand Tutor Shen’s residence entered the Marquis Estate and went directly to Eldest Young Lady Su’s courtyard. Additionally, Concubine Liu appears to be secretly contacting a steward eunuch from Noble Consort Chen’s palace.”
Xiao Chenyuan sat behind the desk, a new string of sandalwood prayer beads turning between his fingers.
At the mention of “Eldest Young Lady Su,” the fingers turning the beads paused almost imperceptibly.
“What else?”
“Also, the Second Prince… has been interacting quite closely with the Su family’s second young lady recently. With such actions, is he not afraid of offending the Grand Tutor’s residence?”
Xiao Chenyuan raised his eyes.
On the desk lay a letter that had just arrived.
From the Grand Tutor’s residence.
Xiao Chenyuan’s mentor, Grand Tutor Shen, had unusually adopted a personal tone in the letter, saying that his granddaughter “seems to have recently come to her senses,” but that “her nature is straightforward. If her words or actions at the palace banquet are in any way improper, I hope Your Highness will show her some consideration, given that she lost her mother at a young age.”
Lost her mother at a young age…
Suddenly, a scene from many years ago flashed before Xiao Chenyuan’s eyes.
He was only ten years old then, accompanying the Grand Tutor to the Marquis Estate. In the rear garden, there was a little girl, delicate as if carved from jade, about five or six years old, clumsily trying to pick a crabapple from a tree, standing on tiptoe but still unable to reach it.
He happened to be passing by and casually picked one for her.
The little girl looked at him with sparkling eyes and said in a childish voice, “Thank you, Crown Prince Brother!”
Later, the Grand Tutor told him that she was his granddaughter, who had just lost her mother.
And later… he occasionally saw her at palace banquets, always with her head bowed, shoulders hunched, following behind his second brother like a flower that had wilted before it could even bloom.
He had asked the Grand Tutor about it, but the Grand Tutor had only sighed, saying that matters of the inner household were not his place to interfere.
Who would have thought…
“Your Highness,” a cautious voice from a eunuch interrupted his thoughts. “Grand Tutor Shen’s letter…”
Xiao Chenyuan lowered his eyelashes, his gaze falling on the last line of the letter—
“Yaoyao is of a simple nature. If someone deliberately leads her astray, she may fall into error. I hope Your Highness, in consideration of our teacher-student bond, will… lend her a hand when necessary.”
He remained silent for a long while, slowly folding the letter.
“Tell the Grand Tutor,”
he spoke, his tone betraying no emotion, “I understand.”
After the attendant withdrew, Xiao Chenyuan stood up and walked to the window.
In the courtyard of Donggong, several pear trees were planted, now in full bloom. Snow-white petals drifted down with the wind.
The prayer beads turned once between his fingers.