Fang Si crossed her arms and said, "It's all because of that Xianglan—" She abruptly stopped mid-sentence, remembering Song Ke's warning not to mention Xianglan's presence in the Song household to anyone. Clamping her mouth shut, she picked up the tray and left. Han Zhi and Nan Ge followed, pressing for answers, but Fang Si refused to say another word.
Nan Ge then entered the room and whispered a few words into Lin Dongling's ear. Lin Dongling raised her eyebrows, fan in hand, and said, "Oh? Such a thing happened?" Noticing Zheng Jingxian chatting cheerfully with Song Tanchai, she quietly stood up and slipped out.
Seeing Lin Dongling leave, Lin Dongxiu announced, "I need to use the restroom," and followed suit.
Just then, Fang Si happened to walk along the covered corridor carrying a tray. Lin Dongling intercepted her and asked, "What’s this about a new maid in my cousin’s quarters that you mentioned to Nan Ge earlier?"
Fang Si inwardly panicked, but seeing Lin Dongling’s furrowed brows and glaring eyes, she reconsidered: Everyone knows the third young miss of the Lin family has a domineering temper. She’s sweet on Master, and whenever I accompany Taitai to the Lin residence, she pesters me with endless questions about him. If I use her to deal with Xianglan, it’ll vent my own frustration. She promptly dismissed Song Ke’s warnings, sighed, and set the tray on the corridor railing, adopting a sorrowful expression.
"Miss Ling, it’s better you hadn’t asked—now you’ve stirred up all my worries. A few months ago, our Master bought a maid. She arrived sickly, her face covered in wounds, and spent a full month bedridden. But once she recovered, who knows what bewitching tricks she used to turn Master’s head? He stopped visiting relatives, neglected his studies, and even his morning and evening greetings to Taitai became perfunctory. The moment he returns home, he locks himself in the study with that maid. We servants dared not speak out of turn, so we gently advised him, but Master said he intends to elevate her status sooner or later. What more could we say? Yet seeing him obey her every whim—it troubles us deeply."
As she spoke, she watched Lin Dongling’s face flush red with anger before paling. Fang Si secretly rejoiced. Lin Dongxiu stepped forward, flicking her handkerchief. "Then why haven’t you reported this to your Taitai? How can this go on? Though she’s just a maid, our cousin is meant to pursue scholarly honors. A fine young man shouldn’t be led astray."
Fang Si clapped her hands. "Ah, Fourth Young Miss! No wonder they say noble ladies have wisdom—you’re absolutely right! That’s precisely our concern. Just think—such a delicate, pretty girl, sold off covered in wounds—what else could be the reason?" She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Forgive my bluntness, but I suspect she seduced her former master and was caught by the mistress, hence the beating and sale. Pitifully, our kindhearted Master treats this discarded weed like a treasure, needlessly worrying us..." She pretended to dab her eyes with a handkerchief. "Our late master passed early, and Taitai pins all her hopes on him. If anything were to go wrong..."Lin Dongxiu grasped Fang Si's hand and said, "We all know you're loyal." Seeing Lin Dongling's angry expression, she thought to herself: "Third Sister is the legitimate daughter. If she insists on marrying Cousin Song and the family agrees, I won't stand a chance. Now is an opportunity—even if I can't have this marriage, I won't let you have your way either." Remembering Lin Dongling's reckless nature, she continued, "That maid has quite the audacity. I wonder what she looks like to have bewitched Cousin Song. Aunt and Cousin are too meek to intervene, but letting this continue will nurture a future calamity. Ah, to speak carelessly—if that maid already has Cousin's favor and bears a son before the first wife enters the household, it'll be troublesome for the future Taitai..."
Lin Dongling's face darkened like the bottom of a pot as she sneered, "I'd like to see what kind of demons and monsters could cause such a stir. Aunt and Cousin may be weak, but the Lin family stands behind them. If Cousin strays, I'll go straight to the elders for discipline!" She grabbed Fang Si and demanded, "Where is that little wretch now?"
Fang Si felt gleeful but feigned panic, saying, "Third Young Miss, don't stir trouble. This is Master's household matter—how can a young lady like you interfere?"
Lin Dongling thought, "Cousin's household affairs concern me greatly. If I don't intervene today and let that little seductress grow unchecked, what peace will I have after marrying him? Today, I'll make a grand display of authority to intimidate her first, then deal with her slowly later!" Aloud, she said, "Enough! Today, I'm just disciplining an unruly maid—it has nothing to do with anything else."
Lin Dongxiu interjected, "Third Sister, let it go. We shouldn't meddle in others' family affairs. Whether Cousin takes her as a concubine or even marries her as the first wife, if Aunt says nothing, what can we say?" But inwardly, she smirked: "Third Sister is truly like a firecracker, exploding at the slightest spark. The bigger this blows up, the better. Right now, Cousin dotes on that maid—if she bullies her, once the pillow talk starts, Cousin will never look at her favorably again!"
Her words only stoked Lin Dongling's fury. Gritting her teeth, she spat, "Dreaming of becoming the Song family's Taitai? Pah! What nonsense! No one stop me today—I insist on seeing her. Why are you all blocking me? Does that maid have three heads and six arms?" She tugged Fang Si and demanded, "Tell me, where is she now?"
Fang Si pretended to hesitate. "She... she's been staying in Master's study at the front... Today, there's a banquet, so she should be helping in the kitchen at the back." Pointing at the tray, she added, "These pastries were made by her."
Lin Dongling pondered, then grabbed a pastry and stormed off. Fang Si hurriedly hugged her waist, pleading, "My dear mistress, dear young lady, please don't go!"
But Lin Dongling wouldn't listen. Shaking Fang Si off, she lifted her skirts and marched to the kitchen—only to find Xianglan absent. Earlier, knowing the Lin young ladies were visiting, Xianglan had resolved to stay out of sight, helping only in the kitchen. After preparing two pastries and a dish, she had slipped back to the study, locked the door tightly, and refused to emerge even if the heavens split open.Yuexi and Junxi had both gone to the front to attend to their duties, leaving Xianglan alone in the room. Remembering that Song Ke would be returning home for lunch that afternoon, she prepared a pot of hot water in advance and placed the light dishes she had brought back from the kitchen in a cool spot. She then filled a basin with clean water, soaked a cloth, and began wiping down the bookshelves and the curio cabinet.
As she was busy with her task, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, and Lin Dongling stormed in like a whirlwind.
Startled, Xianglan turned to see Lin Dongling’s face flushed red with anger, holding a piece of cake in her hand as she charged straight toward her.
Xianglan knew from her aggressive demeanor that trouble was brewing. Before she could even react, Lin Dongling had already hurled the cake in her hand directly at Xianglan’s face, shouting, “Have you lost your mind?! How dare you serve such filthy pastries to your masters! There’s something dirty in this cake—are you trying to poison me?”
Xianglan looked down and saw that the cake rolling on the floor was the Lotus Pine Nut Cake she had made that morning. When she glanced outside, she noticed Lin Dongxiu standing at the door with Nan Ge, Han Zhi, and Yue Er. Behind the gauze window, Fang Si was peeking in with half her face visible, a faint smirk of satisfaction on her lips.
Xianglan thought to herself, This cake was carefully made by me—there’s no way there’s anything dirty in it. Lin Dongling must have been provoked by Fang Si and is just looking for an excuse to take her anger out on me. But I’m no longer a servant of the Lin family. If they think they can still order me around like before, they’ve miscalculated. She tossed the cloth onto the table, took out a handkerchief to wipe her face, and suddenly her expression darkened. In a sharp voice, she demanded, “What is the meaning of this, miss? Charging in here shouting accusations as if no one knows the young ladies of the Lin family have run from the inner quarters to the front courtyard. What kind of place is this study? Master is currently sleeping here. Regardless of the cake, I must first ask—what has become of your manners, rushing from the front courtyard through the second gate and barging into a man’s bedroom?”
Lin Dongling had never expected Xianglan to suddenly turn the tables on her and was momentarily stunned.
Xianglan took another step forward and continued, “This cake was indeed made with great care by me—how could there possibly be anything dirty in it? Even if there were, you should have reported it to Taitai or our young lady and let them summon me for questioning. How could you storm in here shamelessly on your own? And even if you did come, you should have asked properly. There’s a saying—‘If you beat a dog, you must consider its master.’ I am a servant of the Song family, not the Lin family. By humiliating me like this, are you looking down on the Song family?”
Lin Dongling was not quick-witted, and Xianglan’s words left her speechless. She had been determined to put Xianglan in her place but hadn’t planned to throw the cake in her face. However, the moment she entered the room, she caught sight of a stunningly beautiful girl, radiant as the clouds at sunset—a beauty far beyond her own. Overcome with jealousy and resentment, she had acted without thinking, hurling the cake in a fit of rage.Lin Dongxiu leaned against the doorframe and said with a sarcastic tone, "My, aren't you putting on airs? The masters haven't even questioned you yet, and here you are interrogating them? You nearly scared me to death." Lin Dongling was careless by nature and hadn't properly looked at Xianglan before, having forgotten her even if they'd met at the Lin residence. But Dongxiu was observant—Xianglan's face seemed familiar, and she suddenly recalled rumors in the Lin household that Lin Jinlou had wanted to promote a maid named Xianglan. She wondered if this was the same girl. However, Xianglan had been living comfortably at the Song residence, her face rounder, her figure taller, and her features more refined. Gone was the timid demeanor she'd had at the Lin household, making Dongxiu hesitate to confirm her identity.
Lin Dongling straightened up at these words, scowling fiercely. "How dare you talk back to your betters! Is this how the Song family teaches its servants? A troublemaker like you would've been beaten to death with sticks in our Lin household long ago!"
Xianglan replied calmly, "It was you who disregarded the Lin family's dignity first. What I said was to uphold our Song family's honor. Do the young ladies of the Lin family truly think we're easy to bully?" She turned her head, fixing Dongling with a piercing gaze. "Let me ask you—if today weren't at the Lin residence, but at Duke Xian's estate, would you dare barge into the master's study like this to demand answers?"
Thank you to yu21yu21 for the Peace Talisman, and Yue Er is played by Yueyue Loves Yueyue~ Still seeking pink votes! For those without pink votes, please support with recommendation votes instead—thank you! There might be one more update.
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