Chapter 35

Cheng Lingyan came to the deer meat banquet this time with her own selfish motives. She wants to let people see that she defied Old Lady Su's order and brazenly joined the banquet, and Old Lady Su will not blame her.

This way she can boost her prestige again within the Fu Residence and let outsiders see that the legitimate granddaughters are nowhere near her, the maternal granddaughter.

Cheng Lingyan's scheme is superb; she will be married within two years, and with such grand momentum now, she can marry into a prominent family, can't she?

Backing her is not the far‑away Cheng Clan, but the proper imperial relative, the Lord of Qingping County, and she even has a deceased great‑grandfather, Marquis Shou!

Cheng Lingyan imagined it beautifully; just as a maid helped her into the garden, Qiuju spotted her from far away.

"Weren't we agreed not to let Cheng Lingyan come? How did she get here?" Qiuju belongs to Zhao Mamaw's faction, naturally follows Zhao Mamaw's lead. If she sees any household master displeased, Qiuju will not cling like a fence‑sitting weed.

So she hurried to Zhao Mamaw, saying, "Mamaw, why has Miss Lingyan come?"

Zhao Mamaw furrowed her brows coldly, let out a cold snort, "What a shameless, skinless thing!"

Zhao Mamaw dares to scold because she knows Cheng Lingyan is just a fake. Qiuju doesn't know the inner secret, but she wouldn't gossip outside.

"Look, how should we handle this? Old Lady Su repeatedly warned that the lady from the back courtyard must not attend the deer meat banquet, lest her clothes get dust and the smell of meat!" Qiuju was also frantic, not because the matter was hard to resolve.

The culprit is Cheng Lingyan; who dares to drive her away? Even if one isn't afraid of her retaliation, one must fear Old Lady Su being swayed by whispers and turning to reprimand people! She can't afford that trouble.

Zhao Mamaw said, "You go back to Old Lady Su and ask what she means. I'll block Miss Lingyan and keep her from coming forward."

"Ah, fine." This is the best, Qiuju breathed a sigh of relief, hurried to Old Lady Su and whispered, "Old Lady Su, I heard Miss Lingyan has arrived; do you want her to come or not?"

Old Lady Su hadn't expected Cheng Lingyan's willful recklessness, immediately furrowed her brows, and said, "But hasn't the roasted deer meat been sent to the back courtyard?"

Qiuju reported back, "It was sent; an hour ago the freshly roasted deer meat was delivered. Moreover, the trendy side dishes at the banquet are first sent by the kitchen staff to the back courtyard masters, then placed at the front deer meat banquet."

"Since there's food and drink, why does she come?" Old Lady Su had previously been looking for an excuse for Cheng Lingyan, thinking the servants were negligent and didn't let her eat the deer meat.

But upon inquiry, the servants are all proper; none would give her a hostile look. In other words, Cheng Lingyan is such a rebellious character that she must clash with her!

"Where is she now?" Old Lady Su asked with a stern face.

"Zhao Mamaw went to attend." Qiuju hesitated a moment, then asked, "Shall I convey your wishes and have Miss Lingyan return to Ten Fragrance Courtyard?"

Old Lady Su waved her hand, "No need, just watch."

She naturally knows Zhao Mamaw's methods and certainly won't let Cheng Lingyan come over on her own. Old Lady Su just wants to see how far Cheng Lingyan can run amok, whether she'll repeatedly ignore her. Even if she forbids Cheng Lingyan from coming, the girl insists on coming!

When Cheng Lingyan saw Zhao Mamaw, she felt inexplicably uneasy. The harsh, swift tactics Zhao Mamaw had employed last time were still fresh in her mind, and she dared not clash with this old servant.

Only the front is bustling with noise, how lively! She also wants to go see it, and by the way have Old Lady Su dote on her, the maternal granddaughter, in front of everyone, so that all the ladies will envy her.

Zhao Mamaw snorted coldly, glanced at Cheng Lingyan from the corner of her eye, and said, "The servants of Ten Fragrance Courtyard are truly without discipline; after being told not to let Miss Lingyan come forward to smell the meat, they still swarm like flies. How are they serving? Is a single red pastry not enough to scare your guts?"

Hearing this, the little maid beside Cheng Lingyan hurriedly knelt, trembling anxiously, and blurted out, "It's… it's Miss's idea, not the servant's…"

Zhao Mamaw naturally knew it was Cheng Lingyan's audacity, but the open scolding of the master was the work of a crafty servant; she wouldn't tarnish Old Lady Su's face.

Just as she was about to send Cheng Lingyan back, Cheng Lingyan proved clever this time. She grabbed her skirt hem and darted into the small Flower Hall. When the ladies of each household saw her, Zhao Mamaw, even if displeased, wouldn't speak to the household master in front of outsiders.

Cheng Lingyan saw her scheme succeed; the ladies nearby curiously examined the richly dressed girl, pondering which branch of the Fu Residence she belonged to.

Cheng Lingyan relished the attention, feeling extremely proud, and briskly ran toward Old Lady Su, coquettishly calling, "Grandmother!"

The shout itself wasn't the issue; the sudden call startled her. Old Lady Su saw Cheng Lingyan dash past Zhao Mamaw's iron wall to her, and realized she didn't know the rules.

Old Lady Su's face turned ashen, yet she still spared Cheng Lingyan's face and asked, "Why did you run to the Flower Hall? Dressed so lightly—clearly the servants aren't diligent!"

A cold glint shone in her eyes; in fact she was looking for a pretext to have Zhao Mamaw replace everyone around her! After repeatedly ignoring her orders, the master disobeys discipline, even the servants grow a dog's courage!

Cheng Lingyan is foolish, not catching Old Lady Su's tone, taking it as concern. Proudly, she walked toward Old Lady Su, only to see Old Lady Su standing beside the rustic village woman Lu Bao'er! Good, instead of letting her serve close, she got this sycophantic country woman.

Cheng Lingyan, jealous, unwilling to let others take Old Lady Su, coldly mocked Lu Bao'er, "Madam Xie, do you have any orders?"

Lu Bao'er was startled, chuckled awkwardly, "No."

"I recall Madam Xie is only a seventh‑rank lady; is she fit to sit beside my Grandmother, the Lord of Qingping County, to serve?"

Her words were overly harsh; this was just a private family banquet, and when it comes to rank, everyone should not be making jokes.

As soon as she spoke, everyone fell silent, daring not utter a word. Some even thought that Cheng Lingyan, a girl not yet presented at court, being so sharp‑tongued, was truly a failure of discipline.

Old Lady Su originally didn't intend to reprimand Cheng Lingyan publicly; she came to the deer meat banquet, so she gave her some face. But her words were too harsh, even bringing up Old Lady Su's most beloved maternal granddaughter! That made her unable to endure it.

"How audacious!" Old Lady Su, though aged and usually with a gentle smile, rarely got angry. She gritted her teeth, her gaze at Cheng Lingyan full of anger and disappointment; she wanted to scold her, yet still wanted to leave her a shred of dignity.

After all, Old Lady Su's words are like a thousand‑pound weight; once spoken, the other ladies will not give Cheng Lingyan a good look, and it may even affect her marriage prospects.

Yet when Cheng Lingyan was publicly rebuked, her legitimate maternal grandmother still protected an outsider; a sudden fury rose, and she retorted, "What?! Did I say something wrong? She's just a country woman; how dare she sit beside Grandmother!"

As soon as she finished speaking, "Snap!"—Old Lady Su's palm struck her face.

Old Lady Su's eyes reddened, her face cold, she ordered Zhao Mamaw, "Men! Bring Miss Lingyan back to Ten Fragrance Courtyard and discipline her properly! Without my order, she may not step out of Ten Fragrance Courtyard even a single step!"

"Yes." Zhao Mamaw snorted coldly and escorted Cheng Lingyan back.

The atmosphere of the deer meat banquet had grown cold, and no one dared to continue the chaos. Yet Lu Bao'er's identity being revealed so directly was an unexpected turn.

Does Old Lady Su truly protect this low‑born Madam Xie? What is Lu Bao'er's background? Everyone harbored their own thoughts.

———— Aside ————

Deng Deng's crooked neck is Dear Grass Lantern Master; cough, cough, daily life is just showing off love. Feel free to urge updates~~