Chapter 52

By the time Yan Shi received the visiting card sent by Old Lady Su, it was already evening. Besides the card, Old Lady Su also sent the respectable Granny Zhao from the master's side to talk to her: "On the second day of the first lunar month, it is certainly expected that Lady Xie will come to the mansion for dinner, so I'm afraid I won't have time to receive guests. I've long known that the second madam of the Cheng Clan is coming to Jingdu to visit her parents; why not gather at the Fu mansion instead? We are all one family, why bother meeting separately and appearing distant?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shi flew into a rage. If Old Lady Su truly valued her, she wouldn't have waited until Yan Shi had been at the Yan household for almost a month before sending someone to discuss this; it's obvious that Lu Bao'er has been whispering in Old Lady Su's ear! If she went to the Xie mansion alone, she would be Lu Bao'er's elder, and she could speak freely; but now, having gone to the Fu mansion, she is Old Lady Su's junior, so naturally some things are hard to bring up, and she might even be rebuked by Old Lady Su.

Clearly, Lu Bao'er is deep‑minded, actually devising such a method to suppress her.

Yan Shi was so angry her teeth itched, and she bluntly cursed Lu Bao'er as having lard over her heart and liver, not even knowing that her own family treats her well. When the time comes, sending Elder Sister He to her mansion, the two sisters could serve the husband together—wouldn't that be better? Once the inner quarters are as solid as gold and bronze, impervious to oil or water, not even a person could be squeezed in. Moreover, Elder Sister He is also a cousin; such a paternal relative would surely be better than those flirtatious swallows and orioles. By then she would have even more consideration, at least the child she carries would have half Cheng Clan blood.

No wonder Xie Junling picked Lu Bao'er; it's clear he's after her stupidity. Such a woman is easy to manipulate!

Although Yan Shi hated it, she dared not show it too openly. What could she do? She couldn't very well offend Old Lady Su's dignity, could she?

She rarely went out of her way to order several sets of gold‑thread canary‑pattern satin brocade jackets with gold‑dust trim for Elder Sister He—said to be the style favored by the palace ladies—each set costing a hundred taels of silver. She was thinking that during the New Year holiday, Xie Junling would be off duty, and perhaps Elder Sister He would come calling and they might run into each other; ideally they would develop mutual affection and fall in love at first sight. Now, however, it's all come to nothing.

She couldn't very well let Elder Sister He dress up all flashy and take her to the Minister of Works' mansion, could she? For the mistress of the household to bring a marriage‑eligible concubine‑born daughter out to call on such a grand mansion would be utterly shameful!

Yan Shi took a sip of tea and, in a cold voice, told the maid beside her: "Tell the people in the Lotus Garden that I will be going to another mansion on the second day of the first lunar month and won't be able to take her to the Xie mansion."

The maid was Yan Shi's confidante; upon hearing those words she knew it was a message to be sent to Cheng Linghe. She answered with a compliant "Ah," turned and left.

After she delivered the message to Cheng Linghe, she hurried back.

Not even a quarter of an hour later, Cheng Linghe actually flung to the ground a box of her favorite rouge that she used daily. She pressed her lips together, suppressing her anger, and told the maid beside her: "If anyone asks about the noise, just say I dropped something by accident."

"Ah, miss, the servant will take care of it." The little maid quietly picked up the shattered pieces of rouge. She naturally knew Cheng Linghe's temper; when out, she was most concerned with the etiquette of scholarly families. If she weren't furious, she would never have behaved so improperly.

Cheng Linghe was indeed furious. She had thought that even if Yan Shi were stupid, she would still look after the bigger picture and certainly wouldn't trip her up at this juncture. If she could enter the Xie mansion, it would naturally bring great benefit to the Cheng Clan, but who would have thought that Yan Shi had already planned what clothes and headgear to wear on the first day of the first lunar month for a visit to the Xie mansion, only to block her at the door saying she couldn't go.

Actually, Cheng Linghe didn't know that Yan Shi was planning to go to the Fu mansion; the servants there kept their lips sealed, and how could the mistress's household news reach a low‑born concubine's daughter? Besides, would they still be managing the household? Thus Cheng Linghe still thought Yan Shi simply didn't want her to fare well, which was why she had come to the capital and put on this face—something neither grandmother could see or say anything about.

No matter how angry Cheng Linghe felt, there was nothing she could do; without her mother's permission, she had no right to run about at will. As the saying goes, one under another's roof must lower one's head, so Cheng Linghe had to think of another way.

After thinking it over, she herself went to the kitchen, simmered a bowl of chicken soup for Yan Shi, had it sent over, and said: "By the way, I'll ask Mother: originally we were supposed to go to the Xie mansion on the second day of the first lunar month to see our aunt; why aren't we going now? Is there some other arrangement?"

She lowered herself to curry favor with Yan Shi, but as soon as Yan Shi saw the chicken soup, how could she not understand?

It's simply that some concubine‑born daughters share their birth mother's nature: upon seeing a man they like, they want to climb up.

Yan Shi scooped a spoonful of the chicken soup, held it to her nose to sniff, and praised: "Not bad craftsmanship."

The maids found it strange that Yan Shi had changed her temperament today, actually drinking the soup Cheng Linghe had sent. Little did they know she merely gave it a casual sniff, then set it on the table and said: "Take it away to feed the dogs."

"Yes." The maid brought the chicken soup over and carried out the mistress's order.

Yan Shi's wet‑nurse granny asked: "Madam, Miss Cheng Linghe came to inquire about visiting the Xie mansion as a guest—how should we reply?"

Yan Shi gave a cold smile: "She's shameless and thick‑skinned, afraid I won't take her to see Lord Xie! Rest assured, I'll tell her I'm merely making a trip to the Fu mansion; it's inconvenient to bring a concubine‑born daughter along, but after a while I'll naturally bring her out to visit guests, so let her wait."

"Yes." The wet‑nurse granny heard this and secretly chuckled. This was Cheng Linghe happening to step right into the cannon's mouth—she was being used as a vent for anger!

After the wet‑nurse granny conveyed Yan Shi's words, Cheng Linghe nearly saw stars.

She felt a hot, burning pain across her face; weren't Yan Shi's words, inside and out, nothing but a mockery of her desire for a man? What right did she have to endure such insult?

Moreover, regarding the trip to the Fu mansion, Yan Shi was clearly reminding her on purpose that, as a concubine‑born daughter, unless she were reborn in Yan Shi's womb, she would have no seat at the table in any great household!

Well done, well done, you Yan Shi!

Cheng Linghe's thoughts were heavy; upon reflection she became fiercely angry. Had she not overheard from the servants how young and capable Xie Junling was, still a top scholar, she would not have put on a face to fawn over Yan Shi!

If her mother were still alive, all this would be handled by her mother, and her father, who doted exclusively on her mother, would certainly not let her suffer any injustice.

Cheng Linghe had made up her mind: once she successfully entered the Xie mansion, she would certainly pry Lu Bao'er loose, and even kill her if necessary. By then the position of mistress in the Xie household's main hall would be vacant, and the Cheng Clan would surely find a way to raise her to that status, making her a secondary wife of the Xie family; at that point she would have the means to deal with Yan Shi. Wouldn't these people then be eager to curry favor with her and win her goodwill?

A concubine‑born daughter remains a concubine‑born daughter, lacking insight. Leaving aside how difficult it is for a concubine to become a wife, even if it were possible, she would still face impeachment by a hundred officials; given Xie Junling's scheming, he would certainly not stain himself with such a blemish—so this is nothing but empty talk.

-----------------Side note----------------

Actually, Deng Deng seems to earn only five yuan a day from subscription fees... This book really doesn't make money, so if you like it, feel free to subscribe.

I originally thought of dropping the story, but seeing how much everyone likes it, I'll keep writing even without profit, to give the tale a happy ending~ The text won't be very long; meeting on Qidian is fate.

Thank you all for your usual subscriptions, clicks, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and rewards; you're so gentle~

Deng Deng usually writes published works, rarely web fiction; this is the first time tackling this genre, and I've run into such adorable readers—how fortunate! On a whim I've said all this, so I wish you all daily happiness and smooth sailing in everything~

Regarding Deng Deng's published books, if you're interested you can search on Taobao for 'Grass Lamp Adult'; the crooked neck is 'Dear Grass Lamp Adult'.

There's also another book titled *My Sweet and Warm Daily Life with My Husband*, a completely sweet‑tasting ancient romance; if you're interested, feel free to check it out~

No more idle talk; then I hope you all enjoy reading.