Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door outside. “Miss, the madam requests your presence.”

Luo Yi’er’s movements paused, and she wondered inwardly what her mother wanted.

She put down the mung bean tea and stood up with Linglong’s help. As she sat down in front of the dressing table, Linglong adjusted her hairpin. Then she heard Luo Yi’er ask, “When will Pansi be back?”

Pansi was another senior maidservant in Yunxia Courtyard. A month ago, Luo Yi’er had given her a leave of absence due to her mother’s passing. However, some family matters had delayed her return. Now, calculating the time, she should be back soon.

Before she left, Pansi had been in charge of most of the affairs in Yunxia Courtyard, with Ling Long assisting her. Linglong thought for a moment before responding, “According to Pansi’s last letter, she should be back within three days.”

Luo Yi’er nodded and stood up with Linglong’s help, saying softly, “When she returns, tell her to come see me.”

“Yes, miss.” Linglong made a mental note of this. Normally, when Pansi returned, she would come to pay her respects to the miss first. Since the miss specifically mentioned it, there must be something she wanted to instruct Pansi about.

Linglong’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Did the miss want to tell Pansi something about… whether she was as satisfactory as Pansi?

Luo Yi’er seemed to sense what Linglong was thinking and glanced at her lightly. Linglong immediately snapped back to attention, not daring to think further.

As Luo Yi’er was about to leave, a maidservant brought an oil-paper umbrella to the door and opened it.
Just as she stepped out of the courtyard, several maidservants quietly followed behind her, moving silently. They all knew that the miss was going to Fang Yun Hall, and the madam disliked noise the most.

When Luo Yi’er arrived at Fang Yun Hall, Madam Chu was reviewing the household expenses for the month.
This month, the mansion had used more ice than usual, especially Yunxia Courtyard, which ranked first in ice usage.

Madam Chu couldn’t help but frown when she saw this, and it wasn’t until she saw that Luo Yi’er had consciously reduced ice usage later on that her brow relaxed.

As soon as Luo Yi’er entered, she saw Madam Chu give her a cool glance. Luo Yi’er smiled and bowed, then leaned in beside Madam Chu, asking sweetly, “What have I done wrong, Mother, that you’re looking at me like that?”

Madam Chu handed her the account book. Luo Yi’er looked at her uncertainly, took the book, and flipped through a few pages. She quickly understood why Madam Chu was upset.
She pouted and said in a coaxing tone, “Mother, it’s been really hot this month, and my room was unbearably stuffy. That’s why I asked the storehouse for more ice.”

Madam Chu’s heart softened at her daughter’s words, but she was also concerned about Luo Yi’er’s habits.
She tapped Luo Yi’er’s forehead with her hand and said coolly when she saw Luo Yi’er’s pout. “Do you think I’m worried about the ice?”

Luo Yi’er blinked, and Madam Chu’s eyes widened in frustration. She pushed Luo Yi’er away. “How many times have I told you that women shouldn’t use too much ice? It’s bad for their health. Why don’t you listen?”

Luo Yi’er could hear the concern in Madam Chu’s words and didn’t dare say anything. She lowered her head, looking cute and obedient, with her big, expressive eyes fixed on Madam Chu. Those eyes were famous in the capital for their ability to melt people’s hearts with just one glance, and Madam Chu, who loved her dearly, was no exception.

Madam Chu sighed, feeling a bit helpless, but still spoke with earnest advice, “You’re going to marry into the royal family in the future. Do you know what the royal family values most?”

Luo Yi’er pursed her lips and answered honestly, “Heirs.”

“Since you know that, why are you still playing with your health?” Madam Chu glared at her, worried sick about her only daughter.

Her husband might have some influence with the emperor, but he couldn’t interfere with the royal family’s affairs. She had gone through the struggles of the inner court herself and knew that nothing was more important than producing heirs, especially for the royal family. Her older sister, the empress, had no children and was therefore powerless.

She knew her daughter was capable in every way, but Luo Yi’er was just too fond of indulging in pleasures. That’s why Madam Chu was repeatedly reminding her, trying to drive the point home without being too harsh.

Luo Yi’er wrapped her arms around Madam Chu’s arm, laughing and leaning against her. Others couldn’t see her expression, but they could hear her soft laughter.
“Alright, I’ll listen to Mother. From now on, Mother can instruct the steward not to give me too much ice. I have no other choice, right? Mother, don’t be angry anymore…”

She comforted Madam Chu gently, but Madam Chu felt a surge of heartache. Her precious daughter, whom she had raised with such care, would soon be sent to the royal family, a place as dark and deep as a well. The path ahead was uncertain, and Madam Chu had been worrying about it since the imperial decree was issued.

As she stroked Luo Yi’er’s hair, Madam Chu’s eyes welled up with tears. When she finally calmed down, she patted Luo Yi’er’s shoulder lightly and said with a smile. “Get up now.”

Luo Yi’er looked up, her eyes shining with tears. She smiled shyly and whispered, “Mother, don’t tease me.” She nestled against Madam Chu’s shoulder, laughing coquettishly.

Madam Chu chuckled and covered her mouth. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Sit up straight now.”

Luo Yi’er sat up straight, and a maidservant nearby brought over a cup of tea. Luo Yi’er took it and quenched her thirst. She smiled and asked Madam Chu, “Mother didn’t call me here just to talk about the ice, did she?”

“Of course not.” Madam Chu pushed the account book aside and rested her hand on the table, looking at Luo Yi’er. “In three days, the Emperor will host a welcoming banquet for Prince Jing.”

After saying this, Madam Chu’s eyes seemed to dim. She didn’t want her daughter to marry into the royal family, but she knew that with Luo Yi’er’s family background, it was likely that she would end up in the royal family. She had mentally prepared herself for this, but she hadn’t expected it to be Prince Jing.

If she had a choice, she would have preferred Prince Wen, whose mother was Consort Li, a favored concubine of the Emperor. Prince Wen was gentle and familiar with Luo Yi’er.

But Prince Jing… Madam Chu’s eyes turned cold. Prince Jing was the adopted son of the Empress, and the thought of Luo Yi’er becoming her daughter-in-law made Madam Chu uneasy. However, since things had come to this point, she could only accept the reality.

Luo Yi’er’s eyes sparkled, and she heard Madam Chu continue, “At this banquet, all officials of the third rank and above can bring their families. Since you are engaged to Prince Jing, you naturally need to attend.” Otherwise, others might think that their mansion was dissatisfied with the imperial decree.

“I understand.” Luo Yi’er nodded.

Madam Chu looked at the clothes Luo Yi’er was wearing and said, “You’ve probably worn all the new clothes the mansion made for you. It’s too late to have new clothes made now. If you need to go out, you can get some silver from the steward.”

Luo Yi’er understood what Madam Chu meant. At the welcoming banquet for Prince Jing in three days, she not only needed to attend but also dress up properly to show the Emperor and Prince Jing that their mansion accepted the imperial decree and valued this marriage.

After leaving Fang Yun Hall, Luo Yi’er and her entourage had just reached the small garden when they heard a commotion. Luo Yi’er raised her hand, signaling everyone to stop, and nodded to one of the servants to go ahead and take a look.

The servant quickly returned. “Miss, it’s the second miss up ahead.”

The smile in Luo Yi’er’s eyes deepened slightly as she asked, “What’s happening?”

“It seems a servant offended the second miss and broke something of hers. The second miss is furious and is punishing the servant.”

Luo Yi’er frowned slightly, waved her hand to dismiss the servant, and led her group towards the scene. As they arrived, she saw the servant kneeling there and her expression flickered slightly. She glanced briefly at Linglong beside her, hiding a smile at the corner of her mouth, and walked towards the scene.

When she saw the servant, her eyes seemed to gleam with a hint of amusement before she composed herself and approached the area where the second miss was dealing with the situation.