Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Their group made quite a commotion, and Luo Fu turned around to look, seeing Luo Yi’er. Her anger hadn’t dissipated, but she managed to control her temper and greeted her, “Third sister.”

Luo Yi’er quickly walked over, frowning. “What’s going on?”

In front of Luo Fu knelt a maidservant, none other than Biyu, who was by Luo Qian’s side. Biyu’s face was pale, and she looked anxious and regretful.

Luo Yi’er’s eyes sparkled with surprise.
Was her second sister having a moment of clarity today?
She turned to look at Luo Fu, whose anger seemed genuine.
Luo Yi’er was puzzled and heard Luo Fu say angrily, “Today, third sister sent some jewelry and jade, and I was so happy that I chose a jade bracelet to wear. Who would have thought that this maidservant would rush up so carelessly and cause the jade bracelet to shatter on the ground!”

Luo Yi’er looked down and saw the shattered jade bracelet. When she saw it clearly, her eyes narrowed slightly. She supported herself on Linglong’s arm and looked up at Luo Fu, who was scolding Biyu. “You’d have to sell yourself many times over to compensate for this one bracelet!”

Luo Yi’er smiled slightly. Luo Fu’s words weren’t wrong. Although the gifts sent to Luo Fu were things she didn’t like, they were all good quality items, either collected by the mansion or given as tribute to the Marquis’s mansion. The value of this jade bracelet far exceeded the worth of a servant’s indenture.

Biyu trembled with fear, looked up, and weakly protested, “I was just careless and bumped into you, second miss. My strength wasn’t enough to make the jade bracelet fall.”

Luo Fu laughed in anger, “Are you saying I’m framing you, a mere servant?”

“I-I wouldn’t dare!” Biyu’s voice was laced with tears. Initially, she thought the second miss did it on purpose, but the miss’s reaction made her doubt that thought. Even Biyu herself wondered if she had indeed carelessly broken the jade bracelet.

As they spoke, the other young ladies of the mansion arrived, especially Luo Qian. Her face darkened, and she coldly looked at Luo Fu, asking calmly, “Second sister, how did my maidservant offend you to make you so angry?”

Luo Fu was displeased with her attitude and sneered, “Not to mention her offense, just breaking my newly acquired jade bracelet is enough to warrant punishment. Letting her off with kneeling is already too lenient!”

Luo Qian frowned and finally saw the shattered jade bracelet on the ground. She looked at Biyu, who was seeking help, especially noticing the red swelling on Biyu’s cheek.
A hint of pity flashed in her eyes.

Seeing this emotion, Luo Yi’er raised an eyebrow. It seemed Biyu had indeed won Luo Qian’s favor and could be considered one of her confidantes. Luo Yi’er lowered her gaze to hide the smile in her eyes.

Luo Qian asked Biyu, “What happened?”

Biyu sobbed. “I was fetching the remaining ice for the month for my miss. I was worried it would melt, so I walked quickly and didn’t see the second miss. I accidentally bumped into her sleeve, but I quickly reacted and dodged away.”

Luo Qian’s brow furrowed. Based on Biyu’s account, it was possible that she had bumped into Luo Fu, but it was uncertain whether she broke the jade bracelet.
Luo Qian’s heart sank as she looked at Luo Fu, apologetically smiling. “I’ll apologize on her behalf to second sister. Second sister, would you be magnanimous and forgive her this once?”

Luo Fu sneered, “Eldest sister is really good at yielding and stretching. That day, you complained to father, didn’t you think about letting me, your younger sister, off? If father and mother knew that in your heart, I, your younger sister, wasn’t as important as a maidservant, do you think they would be heartbroken for me?”

Luo Fu was always good with words, and now that she had the upper hand, she looked at Luo Qian with a hint of arrogance and disdain between her eyebrows.

Luo Yi’er covered her mouth with a handkerchief, watching the drama unfold before her. The fifth miss had been standing beside her, looking at the shattered jade bracelet with a flash of emotion in her eyes before quickly looking away as if nothing had happened.

Luo Yi’er took in her expression and casually glanced at the top of her head, smiling slightly as she lowered her gaze.

Luo Qian’s smile faltered, and she frowned at Luo Fu. “So, what do you plan to do?”

Luo Fu flicked her handkerchief, glanced at Luo Qian, and although she was heartbroken over the broken jade bracelet, she felt satisfied finding trouble for Luo Qian. She raised her eyebrows and smiled lightly, “I’m not as heartless as eldest sister. I can let it go this time, as long as eldest sister compensates me with an identical jade bracelet.”

Although she said this, the curve of her lips didn’t seem like she was willing to let it go easily.

Luo Qian naturally saw that Luo Fu was trying to make things difficult for her, but she had no other choice. If she didn’t save Biyu today, who would be willing to serve her loyally in the future?
She frowned slightly and asked, “Where did second sister get this jade bracelet? Eldest sister will compensate you accordingly.”

Luo Fu’s smile deepened as she walked over to Luo Yi’er and said to Luo Qian, “This jade bracelet was given to me by third sister today. As for where it came from, you’ll have to ask third sister.”

Luo Qian had already seen Luo Yi’er and now that the matter involved her, she couldn’t help but wonder if Luo Yi’er had a hand in it. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she suddenly recalled the scene at the Pear Garden after being stopped by Luo Yi’er in front of the Cirong Hall. Her heart trembled slightly, and her expression turned pale. “Where did third sister get this jade bracelet?”

Luo Yi’er frowned slightly, seeming somewhat hesitant. She glanced at Luo Qian, sighed lightly, and said, “This jade bracelet should have been given to me by Princess Qingya. It has palace-made markings on it, and you can’t buy it anywhere else.”

Luo Qian’s face stiffened, and she looked at Luo Yi’er suspiciously. Luo Yi’er smiled apologetically at her and said softly, “Second sister, don’t make things difficult for eldest sister. I have some matters to attend to in my courtyard, so I’ll take my leave first.”

Among those present, Luo Yi’er seemed the most carefree. She was followed by a group of servants, and an oil-paper umbrella was held above her head, shading her completely.
Unlike others, her cheeks weren’t slightly red from the sun.

Although she found the drama interesting, she didn’t want to get involved. She glanced at Luo Fu’s cleverness and saw her eyes flash with avoidance. Luo Yi’er curved her lips and withdrew her gaze.

She left with her entourage, leaving behind a few perfunctory words that maintained her reputation for being considerate. She would wait for the outcome back home, as there was no need for her to stand there waiting.

On the way back, Linglong tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, “Miss, that jade bracelet just now…”

“You saw it too?” Luo Yi’er glanced at her sideways, her lips curving into a smile. She had noticed it when she looked at the jade bracelet. Although it was indeed broken, the fracture didn’t seem like it was caused by a fall.
Instead… it seemed like someone had deliberately snapped it.

She originally suspected that Luo Fu was behind the scenes, but Luo Fu’s expression clearly didn’t suggest that she knew the true situation about the jade bracelet. Luo Yi’er’s doubts were alleviated until she saw Luo Ying’s expression, which clarified the mystery.

Her second sister, Luo Fu, loved to take advantage of small opportunities and enjoyed showing off. Today, she had just received a new jade bracelet and was wearing it to Luoyun Pavilion, where she likely bragged about it to Luo Ying. Given Luo Ying’s personality, which wasn’t exactly generous, it’s likely that she was the one who manipulated the situation.

Linglong saw that Luo Yi’er seemed to understand the situation and hesitantly asked, “Miss, what’s going on?”

Luo Yi’er leaned on Linglong’s arm, walking leisurely while glancing at her lightly. “Which of my sisters is easy to get along with?”

Linglong pursed her lips, thinking that each of the young ladies in the mansion had their own thoughts. She secretly glanced at her miss, smiled silently, and lowered her head, pondering further. Especially considering where the second miss had just come from, Linglong almost understood the whole story.

Luo Yi’er wasn’t wrong; the jade bracelet was indeed broken by Luo Ying. Luo Ying and Luo Fu didn’t get along, but recently, due to Luo Qian’s influence, they had been trying to put aside their differences.

Today, when Luo Fu took the jade bracelet to Luoyun Pavilion and showed it off, Luo Ying couldn’t stand it. When Luo Fu handed the bracelet to her, Luo Ying couldn’t resist her mischievous thoughts. She pretended to ask Luo Fu to leave and took the opportunity to damage the bracelet. However, she didn’t have the skill to do it perfectly without Luo Fu noticing.
Luckily, she had a doting wet nurse by her side.

After Luo Ying finished her plan, Luo Fu returned, and the maidservant suddenly said that the eldest miss had gone out. Luo Ying quickly returned the jade bracelet to Luo Fu and pulled her out the door, distracting Luo Fu from the bracelet. Later, they encountered Biyu, and a series of events unfolded.