Chapter 35: Volume 1, Chapter 35: Di Yue Nu's Weak Point

As soon as the Protector Duke left, Rong Ling Shan, who had been hiding in the inner chamber, finally came out. She walked over to her tearful mother and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Chu Ke hastily wiped her tears clean and forced a smile, saying, "It's nothing. Mother is just worried about your eldest brother. When you have free time, go keep him company and cheer him up."

"Mother, I'm not a child anymore. I heard Father's words loud and clear. Will Rong Dai's birth mother also move in from now on?" When Rong Ling Shan said this, her expression was bland, as if she had no particular emotion.

"No, Mother won't let her through the door."

"But Mother, you used to say you wouldn't let Rong Dai and Rong Lang through the door either, and haven't they still moved in?"

Chu Ke was momentarily speechless. Seeing her daughter's expression, her heart ached a little. "Don't be afraid. Even if they move in, they won't threaten you."

"Mother, Big Brother broke his leg, and Little Brother is still young. By the time Little Brother grows up, I'm afraid Rong Lang will have already taken over Father's connections. Isn't that what you're worried about?"

"You… who told you that? Don't worry about these things. Rong Lang is just a son of an outside mistress…"

"But he's already moved into the manor now. Perhaps in a while he'll be entered into the family genealogy, and after a while longer, who will still care about his origins? As long as Father values him, all of this is possible."

Chu Ke then faintly realized something was off about her daughter. "Ling Shan, how did you come to think of these things?"

"Mother, I'm not stupid. As long as I put my mind to it, I can figure it out." So many things had happened in the manor recently. Rong Ling Shan watched helplessly as the household changed day by day. She simply hadn't concerned herself with these matters before, but now that she was willing to learn and pay attention, things were naturally much clearer to her.

Chu Ke's eyes reddened. "It's all Mother's fault for being useless, making you worry about these things at such a young age."

"Mother, I know that Rong Dai has Prince Qi backing her, which is why you're so restrained when dealing with her, and why Father favors them. But Rong Dai and Eldest Sister don't have a good relationship either. Eldest Sister and I have never had any conflict, and I never made things difficult for her during the days she lived at home. I'll go meet with her and persuade her to join forces with you against Rong Dai and her brother."

Chu Ke was startled. "No, Rong Luoge is different now. Her temper is fierce, and you won't gain anything by going."

"Mother, you're thinking about this the wrong way. I'm going to cooperate with Eldest Sister. As long as it benefits her, I think there's hope. Besides, Eldest Sister is the Former Consort of the Qi Prince. Do you think Rong Dai and Prince Qi will really let her roam free? I've already inquired—right now Prince Qi can't get away because Consort Ming has kept him tied up in the palace. But in a while, when Prince Qi can leave the palace, will Eldest Sister's days be any easier then?"

Rong Ling Shan paused here, her serious little face carrying a few degrees of earnestness as she continued, "I think Eldest Sister certainly wouldn't want to be entangled with Rong Dai and Prince Qi anymore."

Chu Ke listened to her daughter's words and was slightly taken aback. It seemed to make sense.

Besides, she hadn't treated Rong Luoge very well before, but later she'd properly returned her mother's dowry, even adding silver to compensate for it. Come to think of it, there wasn't much enmity between them.

As long as she didn't help her husband scheme against Rong Luoge, there was actually no conflict between them, was there?

Chu Ke's mind quickly became active. She looked at Rong Ling Shan and said, "You're right. Let Mother think it over."

"The important thing is to first find out where Eldest Sister has gone. I plan to go see Cang Yun myself."

"No, that girl was brought from the estate by Rong Luoge and is extremely loyal. You won't get anything out of her."

"When you all go looking for her, your intentions aren't pure, so of course she won't tell you. But it's different for me." Rong Ling Shan stood up as she spoke. "Mother, I certainly don't want to have to bow and scrape before Rong Dai in the future, so this time we must join forces with Eldest Sister."

Chu Ke hesitated for a moment and swallowed her words of persuasion.

Thinking of her son's current situation, she couldn't help feeling that his fall from the horse was suspicious, but nothing had been found out yet. Still, Ling Shan was right—she couldn't let Rong Dai and her brother do as they pleased in the manor.

"Fine, I'll have Mama Ning accompany you," Chu Ke said through gritted teeth. If one path didn't work, then try another. For the sake of her children, she had to give it a try.

"Alright." Rong Ling Shan knew her mother was worried about her, which was why she hadn't refused.

On the other side, Rong Luoge was quite surprised to learn that Rong Ling Shan wanted to see her. In the original owner's memories, impressions of this younger sister Rong Ling Shan were very blurry. Although Rong Ling Shan hadn't done anything to the original owner during her previous ordeal, she hadn't lent a helping hand when she was in trouble either.

However, Rong Luoge was still very curious about what Rong Ling Shan wanted to see her about.

She had someone deliver a message to Cang Yun and arranged to meet Rong Ling Shan at Wangshan Teahouse, a famous teahouse in the capital.

Wangshan Teahouse was located on the busiest street in the capital, with three floors in total. Rong Luoge reserved a private room on the third floor. She arrived early, ordered a pot of fine Lu'an tea, and requested a few of the teahouse's signature tea snacks, eating slowly as she waited for Rong Ling Shan.

Rong Ling Shan arrived quickly. When she knocked and entered, Rong Luoge observed her dressed in a light green skirt and blouse, her hair in a double-bun style, wearing pearl earrings—fresh and clean, quite unlike the others in the Guo Gong Fu, not unpleasant to look at.

"Eldest Sister," Rong Ling Shan called out obediently upon entering the door.

"Sit," Rong Luoge said, pointing to the seat across from her.

Rong Ling Shan walked over and sat down properly, then raised her head to size up the person across from her. The person before her seemed completely different from the Eldest Sister in her memories.

The old Eldest Sister always wore a timid smile when looking at people, with a hint of timidity between her brows and eyes—she looked like someone easy to bully at a glance.

But the Eldest Sister before her had features like a painting, dark hair and snow-white skin, and a cold, commanding presence that made her subconsciously grow a bit reserved.

Rong Luoge had no intention of exchanging sisterly pleasantries with Rong Ling Shan and asked directly, "What do you want to see me about?"

Hearing Rong Luoge speak, Rong Ling Shan breathed a slight sigh of relief. She had an instinct that she'd better not waste words. Her mind turning, she said directly, "Eldest Sister, I came because I want to discuss a matter with you."

"You want to discuss something with me?" Rong Luoge gave a light laugh.

Rong Ling Shan's face paled slightly, her hands tightly gripping her handkerchief. Mustering her courage, she said, "I know that before, I ignored Eldest Sister's situation and didn't care, and that I disappointed you. But Eldest Sister, now our interests are aligned. I imagine you wouldn't want Prince Qi and Rong Dai to continue working against you either, right?"

Rong Luoge looked at Rong Ling Shan with some surprise, a bit taken aback that she would say such things. "Has something happened in the Guo Gong Fu?"

Rong Ling Shan choked up for a moment, not expecting that after only a few words, Eldest Sister would already guess it.

Seeing this, Rong Ling Shan simply said it outright. "Big Brother suspects that his fall from the horse was caused by Rong Lang and his siblings, but there's no evidence. And now Father favors them. I imagine Eldest Sister wouldn't want to see Rong Dai and her brother riding high either, so I wanted to cooperate with you. Moreover, I have Di Yue Nu's weak point here—Eldest Sister will definitely want it."