Chapter 17: Chapter Seventeen

Outside the Flower Hall, Qiuju called out, "Old Lady, Miss Cheng Lingyan has arrived; she says she wants to accompany you in receiving guests."

Old Lady Su raised an eyebrow slightly and whispered, "How did she get here?" It wasn't that Old Lady Su disliked this external granddaughter; rather, she had invited Lu Bao'er to the Fu residence under the pretense of avoiding trouble, keeping it low‑key. Only her trusted inner circle knew; the other servants, even if they learned something, dared not speak. So how did the people of Shi Xiang Courtyard find out?

In other words, someone in her household was bought off by Cheng Lingyan to act as her personal informant! It's a big matter and a small matter at the same time.

But Old Lady Su had once dote on Cheng Lingyan too much; overlooking some improper acts was tolerable, but now, as if a sudden enlightenment, she feels Cheng Lingyan's behavior constantly hits her sore spot, making it unbearable.

Old Lady Su gave Zhao Mamam a subtle glance; after all, she had been Zhao Mamam's companion for years, no one understands her mind better than Zhao Mamam.

Zhao Mamam also thought Cheng Lingyan was too petty; she recalled once, the Second Branch's Fu Wan received a fine purple lu brocade from her maternal family, stamped with Xiang San Niang's seal—Xiang San Niang exclusively made fabrics for palace skirts and rarely sold them outside. Thus, Fu Wan's purple lu brocade was very precious, unique in Jingdu.

She cut that purple lu brocade into a horse‑face skirt, invited a close female friend to her house to play, specifically to flaunt her newly made clothes. Cheng Lingyan saw it and thought it beautiful.

Upon hearing it was purple lu brocade fabric, she wanted to ask Fu Wan for a few feet of cloth to make a small jacket.

Fu Wan had long been displeased with Cheng Lingyan; after all, she was an external‑surname miss, while Fu Wan was the proper Miss of the Fu household, so she said outright, "This was given to me by my maternal grandfather; he does not want me to give it to anyone else."

When the conversation reached that point, Cheng Lingyan, even if she had some nerve, should know she couldn't ask further, yet she failed to catch the subtext and pressed, "Since this purple lu brocade was given to you, it's yours. How can you ask me for some? Isn't that reasonable? How could your maternal grandfather say otherwise?"

She was eager for beautiful clothes and didn't realize her words were improper, showing her shallow understanding.

Fu Wan laughed, "I've already said I don't want to give you any; why do you keep asking? If you truly like it, just ask Grandmother, right? Didn't you say Grandmother loves you most? Then what's so special about my purple lu brocade!"

In fact, Fu Wan also wanted to please Old Lady Su, since she was her proper grandmother. Yet Old Lady Su favored Cheng Lingyan out of affection for Su's own granddaughter, neglecting the proper granddaughter.

Cheng Lingyan couldn't hold it in any longer, ran to Old Lady Su crying, twisted the facts, saying she was from the Cheng family, not surnamed Fu, so her cousins all held prejudice against her. She spoke tearfully, making Old Lady Su's heart melt.

But Old Lady Su wasn't foolish; she felt sorry for this external granddaughter, yet also for her own granddaughter, so she didn't mind the children's petty squabbles, and wouldn't champion Cheng Lingyan to the point of hurting her own granddaughter's feelings; at most she'd give Cheng Lingyan extra rewards.

In Old Lady Su's view, these were just juniors; playful discord is common, and she couldn't resolve every dispute herself, weighing who is heavier or lighter!

Fu Wan and Cheng Lingyan's argument was reported to the Second Mistress, who, angry, ordered Fu Wan to be confined for several days and punished to copy the Classic of Poetry a hundred times.

The Second Mistress then took the remaining purple lu brocade to Cheng Lingyan's room, offering an apology. It wasn't out of fear of Cheng Lingyan; rather, the Second Mistress felt that her pampered Fu Miss arguing with Cheng Lingyan over a foot of cloth tarnished the noble lady's reputation!

When the Second Mistress scolded Fu Wan, she shouted, "She is surnamed Cheng, you are surnamed Fu! Your maternal grandfather was the Inspector of Jingzhou, your grandfather a regular second‑rank official! You are a proper official's daughter, what is she? Even if Old An people favored her, now that Old An is gone, what is she? Look at the whole household—do any of your cousins treat her with undue intimacy or squabble over petty gains? You even stoop to argue over clothing with a cousin who comes to flirt! Is that not shameful?"

Fu Wan understood why the Second Mistress was angry; after that, whatever Cheng Lingyan wanted, Fu Wan gave it generously. She would mutter privately, but outwardly she still greeted with a smile. Cheng Lingyan thought Old Lady Su had warned Fu Wan, so she obeyed meekly, feeling extremely pleased.

After that, Zhao Mamam also understood Cheng Lingyan's temperament. She didn't like this cousin much, but since Old Lady Su liked her, she said little.

Now the chance had come; protective of her master, she had to give Cheng Lingyan a taste of discipline, making her realize that the Fu Mansion was not a lawless Cheng family, and even if Old Lady Su favored her, hierarchy could not be overturned!

Zhao Mamam lifted the beaded curtains and stepped out of the Flower Hall to greet Cheng Lingyan: "Miss Cheng Lingyan, why are you here? The Old Lady is still resting!"

"Resting?" Cheng Lingyan didn't understand why Zhao Mamam said that, and stammered, "But I heard Hong Su say the Old Lady got up and is still receiving guests in the Flower Hall…"

"Oh? Hong Su?" Zhao Mamam squinted, clenched her teeth, uttered a harsh line, and on the same side Qiuju sang a drama: "Go fetch that maid named Hong Su! I want to see which servant of Shi Xiang Courtyard dares to act as an ear‑report deity, arranging matters in the Old Lady's courtyard!"

After speaking, Zhao Mamam turned, her tone sharp yet faint, telling Cheng Lingyan, "Miss Cheng Lingyan, go back first; the Old Lady truly hasn't woken up yet. If she does get up later, I'll have the maid Qiuju inform you, okay?"

In front of all the servants, an Old Lady's respectable senior slave daringly publicly reprimand her own personal maid—this was undoubtedly stepping on Cheng Lingyan's face! She… how could a mere servant dare this?!

Cheng Lingyan, angry, raised her voice, "The kitchen staff are clearly making pastries for the guests; look, maids are bringing pastries in and out. How can that mean she hasn't woken up?"

She lifted the hem of her skirt, pretended to step onto the steps, and urgently said, "I don't care; I must see my maternal grandmother!"

Zhao Mamam, seeing her willful behavior, neither soft nor hard, stepped to the side and blocked Cheng Lingyan. She looked down at Cheng Lingyan with a cold, distant gaze, her eyebrows and eyes showing a few shades of composure rarely seen. Regardless of whether Lu Bao'er was truly an external granddaughter, Zhao Mamam had learned from Old Lady Su that Cheng Lingyan must be an impostor!

A thing occupied by a magpie‑nested dove—if the Old Lady weren't benevolent, thinking the children were innocent and feeling grateful for years of upbringing, how could she continue to stay in the mansion?!

Zhao Mamam smiled coldly, "Miss Cheng Lingyan, there is a rule in the Old Lady's courtyard you must understand. When the Old Lady says she hasn't woken up, that is the truth; no one has the right to disturb her, whether she truly sleeps or pretends." In other words, whether she is really sleeping or feigning, she doesn't want to receive guests, so she won't, and it's not Cheng Lingyan's place to shout.

At that moment, Hong Su had already been brought in by Qiuju. Zhao Mamam lifted Hong Su's trembling face and gave her a heavy slap, shouting, "You worthless bone! How dare you listen at the Old Lady's courtyard wall! I thought you were a servant of Shi Xiang Courtyard, yet you still act up! If I ever learn you did this, don't blame me for selling you and your parents to the kiln!"

Those words were too harsh; even a dog must answer to its master—clearly a veiled rebuke aimed at Cheng Lingyan.

Although the servants had long fled, unseen by others, Cheng Lingyan still felt embarrassed, tears trembling on the brink of falling.