Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Except for the Old Madam in the Cirong Hall, all the masters of the Marquis’s mansion were gathered here. After all, today was the day the eldest son of the mansion returned home. Even the old madam had sent people to ask about him several times.

Luo Qiheng was the eldest son of the mansion. Three years after his birth, the mansion had Luo Qiyan. For the entire Marquis’s mansion, Luo Qiheng was incomparable to other children. When Luo Qiheng wanted to join the army, the old madam was so ill that she couldn’t let him bear the reputation of being unfilial. She suppressed the news and didn’t let it spread.

Logically speaking, with the family’s favoritism towards the eldest son, Luo Qiyan should have felt unfair.
However, it was exactly the opposite.

Before Luo Qiheng was nine years old, he had never thought of joining the army.

Luo Qiyan had always had a weak body. When he was six years old, Luo Qiheng was playing in the snow due to his playful nature. Luo Qiyan saw him and envied him, so he sneaked out to play in the snow with Luo Qiheng without the servants’ notice. Later, he fell seriously ill and almost lost his life.

At that time, Madam Chu was so anxious that she lost her composure and scolded Luo Qiheng for the first time. Luo Qiheng was also punished by the Marquis to kneel in the ancestral hall. In the end, it was the old madam who pitied her eldest grandson and disagreed with the punishment, so it was dropped. Luo Qiheng was also frightened and cried for the first time after he became sensible.

After that incident, Luo Qiheng suddenly started practicing martial arts. It wasn’t just for physical fitness as before. At the age of seventeen, he followed the third prince to the border.

Although he never explained, the people in the mansion understood that he did it all for Luo Qiyan’s sake. In the future, only one person could inherit the Marquis’s title, and as the eldest son of the mansion, he should have been granted the title of the heir apparent according to common sense.

Now, everyone only knew that the second young master of the Marquis’s mansion was elegant and talented, but they forgot that Luo Qiheng, at a young age, was also known as a talented young master.

Around 3-5pm, the steward came in, “Madam, the Marquis and the Eldest Young Master will arrive soon!”

Madam Chu’s face, which had been calm, showed joy, and she stood up to go out.

Luo Qiyan and Luo Yi’er exchanged a glance, and Luo Yi,er walked over to Madam Chu with a light smile, supporting her, “Mother, don’t be so anxious, be careful with your steps.”

Just as they reached the entrance of the Marquis’s mansion, they didn’t have to wait long before a grand procession came into view. The most eye-catching was the tall and strong man sitting high on horseback.

As the horse reached the entrance, he suddenly dismounted and strode over to Madam Chu in two big steps, bending his knees and kneeling down in front of her, his eyes slightly red, “Child is unfilial, and has caused mother so much worry for so many years!”

As soon as he dismounted, Luo Yi’er turned her body aside, avoiding his kneeling gesture. Madam Chu bent down slightly, her eyes instantly turning red. She reached out to touch his face, seeing the darker complexion than before, and felt heartbroken. Her voice was choked with sobs, “You must have suffered.”

Luo Qiheng smiled broadly, “I’m not suffering.”

Luo Yi’er supported Madam Chu, “Mother, let Elder Brother get up, we’ll talk inside.”

Madam Chu was reminded and quickly reacted, pulling Luo Qiheng up, “Yes, yes, get up!”

Luo Qiheng stood up, turned to look at Luo Yi’er, and smiled in his eyes. He raised his hand and patted her shoulder, “Yi’er has grown into a young lady.”

His voice was filled with emotion, and he had indeed missed a lot during the three years he was away from home.

Luo Yi’er lightly pursed her lips, and her eyes showed a hint of nostalgia. She couldn’t help but smile and complained, “Elder Brother is really heartless, staying out for three years without coming home, and not even sending a letter to Yi’er.”

Luo Qiheng had indeed written letters home, but he had never written one specifically to Luo Yi’er. He coughed lightly and said with a smile, “It’s Elder Brother’s fault, Elder Brother will make it up to you!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Luo Qiyan standing aside. Without saying another word, he reached out and tapped Luo Qiyan’s chest, being more casual than when talking to Luo Yi’er, “How have you been? Have you been taking care of your body these years?”

Luo Qiyan smiled wryly, lowered his eyebrows, and said gently, “I’m sorry to worry Elder Brother.”

The group chatted and laughed for a while, and the Marquis, who had come back with Luo Qiheng, finally spoke up, “Alright, what’s with standing at the door? Let’s go in.”

Luo Yi’er called out softly, “Father.”
This prompted a chain reaction, and Luo Qian and the others, who hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise, also called out.

Just then, a maidservant ran over, “Marquis, Madam, the Old Madam in Cirong Hall is waiting for the Eldest Young Master.”

The group hurriedly headed towards Cirong Hall. After this series of meetings, by the time Luo Yi’er returned to Yunxia Courtyard, the sky had already darkened.

Luo Yi’er leaned against the soft couch, and Linglong was massaging her shoulders beside her. Her eyes showed a hint of fatigue. Linglong applied some calming balm to her temples and massaged it in gently.

Luo Yi’er’s eyes drooped slightly, and just as Linglong thought she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly spoke, “Has there been any news from Luoyun Pavilion recently?”

Linglong lowered her head to look at her, but saw that she still had her eyes closed. After thinking for a moment, she replied, “The eldest miss has been very quiet, but it seems that the fifth miss and others haven’t given up yet.”

Mentioning this, Luo Yi’er finally showed some interest. She propped her head up with one hand, turned her body slightly, and asked with curiosity, “What do you mean?”

“Recently, the second miss somehow became very close to the fifth miss. They often visit Luoyun Pavilion, and sometimes they make a big noise. People from Luoyun Pavilion say it’s very lively, and sometimes the second miss doesn’t go back until late at night.”

As Linglong spoke, she covered her mouth and smiled.

Luo Yi’er also smiled lightly and shook her head, “These small antics won’t bother the eldest miss.”

Suddenly, her eyes sparkled, and she smiled slightly, “The maidservant who has been following the eldest miss recently, what’s her name again? Biyu?”

Linglong was a bit puzzled, wondering why Luo Yi’er suddenly mentioned Biyu, but she still answered seriously, “Yes, miss.”

“It seems she is favored by the eldest miss. Last time we went to the princess’s mansion, the eldest miss took her everywhere.”

Luo Yi’er extended her slender, fair fingers and admired them for a moment before looking up at Linglong with a smile.

Linglong furrowed her brow slightly, thought for a moment, and then smiled, “Miss is right. The eldest miss has been fond of Biyu lately.”

Luo Yi’er smiled lightly, “Mm.”

Linglong helped her stand up and went to the adjacent bathroom to bathe. Behind the smoke-blue screen, surrounded by mist, Luo Yi’er seemed to remember something and said, “Some of the small toys mother sent over last time are suitable for second sister. Tomorrow, go and send those small toys to second sister’s courtyard.”

Linglong replied, “Yes, miss.”

The next day, after Linglong helped Luo Yi’er get up, she picked out some of the small toys that Luo Yi’er mentioned and placed them on a tray. She personally carried the tray and headed towards Furong Courtyard.

Furong Courtyard wasn’t very big, with one main house and three side rooms. It wasn’t as beautiful or spacious as Luoyun Pavilion, but since only the second miss lived here, it was relatively less troublesome.
This was also because Concubine Qiu occasionally showed some favor.

In Furong Courtyard, Luo Fu was embroidering a perfume pouch. With her exceptional needlework skills, she had naturally put in a lot of effort. Baizhi walked over and frowned, “Miss, the fifth miss just sent a message, asking you to go to Luoyun Pavilion again today.”

Hearing this, Luo Fu’s hands paused, and she said impatiently, “Does she have any good ideas? In the past few days, Luo Qian, that hateful woman, hasn’t been affected at all.”

As she spoke, her face darkened, and she threw down the half-finished embroidery, “And that Luo Ying girl, doesn’t she think of me as her second sister? Every day, she’s like a master ordering a servant around, making me go over there. It’s infuriating!”

Baizhi hesitated and didn’t dare to speak. Usually, the miss couldn’t keep her temper, and ever since she was reported to the Marquis by the eldest miss, she had been seething with resentment towards the eldest miss. Hearing that the fifth miss had a way to deal with the eldest miss, she had somewhat reconciled with the fifth miss in recent days.

Baizhi tugged at her handkerchief and whispered, “Miss, should we still go today?”

Luo Fu glared at her, and Baizhi shrank her neck, not daring to speak again.

“Useless thing,” Luo Fu scolded softly, then picked up the perfume pouch to continue embroidering. Just then, she heard some commotion outside and furrowed her delicate eyebrows, “What are you standing there for? Go and take a look!”

“Yes,” Baizhi, still feeling wronged from the previous scolding, quickly responded and ran out.

In a moment, she rushed back in, looking anxious, “Miss, it’s Linglong from the third miss’s residence.”

Luo Fu frowned and stood up, “What’s going on?”