Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Luo Qian’s expression froze, and everyone turned around to see Madam Chu walking slowly towards them, accompanied by the third miss and a group of servants. Madam Chu’s face showed no emotion, but her gaze seemed to bring an immense pressure.

The servants reacted first, bowing and greeting, “Greetings, Madam. Greetings, Third Miss.”

When Luo Ying saw Madam Chu, she instantly felt relieved. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she called out in a pitiful tone, “Mother.”

Madam Chu glanced at them, her brow furrowed in displeasure, “A noble miss from the Marquis Mansion, behaving like a street vendor. What a spectacle!”

As soon as Madam Chu finished speaking, Luo Fu fell to her knees, showing off her red and swollen cheek, and burst into tears, “Mother, look at my face! Eldest sister is so ruthless! Mother, you must take revenge for me!”

Luo Yi’er released her hand from Madam Chu’s arm and frowned slightly, looking concerned, “How did it become like this?”

She quickly stepped forward and helped Luo Fu up, supporting her arm, “Second sister, get up.”

She looked at Luo Fu’s red and swollen cheek with concern, her hand hesitating to touch it, and disapproved of Luo Qian, “Eldest sister, if you have any grievances, you can always ask Mother to help. Why did you hit second sister like this? What if it leaves a scar?”

When Luo Fu heard the word “scar”, she trembled all over, a flash of fear crossing her eyes, and she cried even louder.

Luo Qian’s face was gloomy, and she looked at Luo Yi’er’s pretentious behavior with cold eyes. She clenched the remaining thread in her hand tightly, but couldn’t say a word.
The group went from the garden to Fang Yun Hall. Madam Chu frowned and had someone summon the Marquis.

It seemed that Luo Yu’an wasn’t busy today, and he arrived at Fang Yun Hall soon. On the way, he had already heard from the servants about the incident, but they couldn’t explain the details clearly. He entered the room with a stern expression, looking at the people inside with a hint of displeasure.

Madam Chu looked up at him, “The Marquis has arrived.”

Luo Yu’an responded and sat down beside her. Madam Chu then turned to Luo Fu, “Tell me, what exactly happened that caused you sisters to fight?”

Madam Chu’s expression was calm, but she seemed slightly impatient with the matter.

Luo Fu knelt on the ground, showing off her red and swollen face, letting Luo Yu’an see it clearly. She sobbed and said, “Mother, today I had planned to meet fifth sister, but when I arrived at the pavilion, I saw eldest sister push fifth sister to the ground. Fifth sister and her momo were in so much pain that they couldn’t get up.”

Luo Yu’an and Madam Chu’s brows furrowed slightly as they listened to her words. She continued, “I wanted eldest sister to apologize to fifth sister, but I accidentally pulled and broke eldest sister’s necklace. I didn’t mean to, and I didn’t know eldest sister was so attached to it. Eldest sister hit me twice because of a necklace!”

Luo Fu wiped away her tears, crying intermittently, “She also said… she said that my upbringing and manners were not good, and she wanted to discipline me on Mother’s behalf!”

Luo Yu’an’s eyes showed signs of anger, and Luo Fu’s voice suddenly rose, “I don’t think Mother’s teachings are wrong, but eldest sister completely disregards Mother’s authority. Father, Mother, look at my face! You must take revenge for me!”

Luo Yi’er covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and a hint of a smile flickered in her eyes. Luo Fu had shown some cleverness today, knowing that she wasn’t enough, so she dragged Madam Chu into the matter.

After Luo Fu finished speaking, Madam Chu’s expression became even more indifferent. She looked at Luo Qian and said in a neutral tone, “It seems that the eldest miss is very dedicated to teaching the girls in the mansion about etiquette.”

Her words didn’t convey any anger, but they made Luo Qian’s face turn pale. She lifted her skirt and knelt down, “I spoke out of turn, please forgive me, Mother.”
Luo Yu’an frowned and looked at Luo Ying beside him, asking, “Is what your second sister said true?”

Luo Ying glanced around the room, pursed her lips, and her eyes turned red. She said in a pitiful tone, “Father, what second sister said is true. Eldest sister did push me, and second sister just wanted eldest sister to apologize to me.”

She was good at acting pitiful and cute. Tears suddenly dropped from her eyes, and she seemed frightened, “Father, it’s all my fault. I bumped into eldest sister’s maid. Father, don’t be angry. I’ll apologize to eldest sister and second sister.”

She sniffled and sobbed, being the youngest child in the mansion without her mother by her side, she was already favored by Luo Yu’an. Now, her small body trembled as she cried, looking very pitiful.

Luo Yu’an’s anger grew as he heard that Luo Qian had treated her siblings like this just because of a maid.

Luo Qian clenched her fists tightly, listening to them distort the truth. Her face showed stubbornness and coldness, but when she saw Luo Yu’an’s icy gaze, her eyes welled up with tears.

It had always been like this.
He never listened to her explanations. Because of the incident that caused Madam Chu to go into premature labor, he had always felt that her existence was a mistake and never looked at her properly.

Today was Concubine Qing’s birthday, but no one in the mansion remembered. They broke the birthday gift she had given to Concubine Qing and still wanted her to apologize. If she fought back, she would be seen as an unkind elder sister who didn’t know how to behave.

Luo Qian felt a surge of despair in her heart. She suddenly remembered her past life when Fang Jinyu had imprisoned her in the cold palace. She had thought that her father would speak up for her, but the courtiers reported that the Duke didn’t defend her and had accepted the imperial edict, even threatening to cut ties with her.

Luo Qian knelt on the ground, looking up at Luo Yu’an with tears streaming down her face. Luo Yu’an’s anger faltered for a moment, and he frowned slightly. Just as she was lost in memories, feeling cold all over, someone suddenly threw themselves onto her, protecting her and crying out in her defense.

“Marquis, Madam! It’s not like that. The fifth miss was the one who caused trouble for the miss and knocked over all the things the miss was going to give to Concubine Qing.”

“The fifth miss even stepped on the necklace that the miss had specially prepared, getting it dirty. The miss was just momentarily out of control and pushed the fifth miss. Marquis, please investigate!”

Luo Qian turned around to see Biyu’s tear-stained face and heard her defense. Her expression changed instantly, and she tried to stop her, “Shut up!”

But it was too late.
Luo Yu’an’s expression, which had softened slightly because of Luo Qian, darkened. He raised his hand and threw the teacup beside him at Biyu’s forehead. The cup hit her, and he stood up, his voice filled with anger, “I said no one is allowed to see Concubine Qing!”

No one expected him to be so angry.
Luo Ying and Luo Fu trembled, and their crying gradually subsided.
The room fell silent.
Luo Qian knelt upright, looking at the man who should have been her father, furious because of what a servant had said about her concubine mother.

Luo Yi’er saw the red mark on Biyu’s forehead and the faint scratch that had appeared, with tiny droplets of blood welling up.
She frowned slightly and looked away.

Among the people present, only Madam Chu’s expression remained unchanged. She glanced at Luo Qian’s stubborn face and said calmly, “Marquis, there’s no need to be angry. I allowed the eldest miss to visit Concubine Qing because they are mother and daughter.”

When Madam Chu had a difficult labor, Luo Yu’an felt guilty and deeply disliked Concubine Qing. Even when he found out she was pregnant, he still ordered her to be confined to the Pear Garden, not allowing anyone to visit her.

Later, when Luo Qian and the others were born, only the old people in the mansion knew about this order.
They would occasionally tell new servants about it, but the other young masters and misses didn’t know about this order.
Luo Qian only found out about it in her past life when she was about to enter the palace. That’s why she was so anxious to stop Biyu when she spoke up.

The coldness on Luo Yu’an’s body dissipated slightly, but he still snorted coldly, looking at Luo Qian with no warmth in his eyes, “Because of external things, you don’t cherish your sibling relationship. You’re so heartless and unkind. Go to the courtyard and reflect on your actions in seclusion!”

Hearing his evaluation of her, Luo Qian couldn’t hold back the tears in her eyes anymore. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she didn’t even wipe them away. She kowtowed and said firmly, “I obey your order!”

At this moment, Biyu finally regained her composure, knowing she had caused trouble. Her eyes were filled with guilt and anxiety as she held onto Luo Qian’s arm.

When they returned to Yunxia Courtyard, Luo Yi’er hadn’t even had a chance to drink a cup of tea when she saw Pansi lifting the curtain and walking in. Luo Yi’er glanced at her, took a sip of the tea handed to her by Linglong, and then asked, “Did you pass on the message?”

Pansi nodded, “Yes, we should have news tomorrow.”

After speaking, she looked puzzled, “Miss, if Xiaoxi is really that person’s agent, what does the eldest miss plan to do?”

Luo Yi’er raised her eyebrows slightly. What else could she do?
She just wanted to use her hand to get rid of Xiaoxi. Perhaps in her heart, she had always thought that Prince Wen was secretly communicating with her.

Xiaoxi was just a small matter.
What she really wanted was for Prince Wen and her to “kill each other”.

However… Luo Yi’er frowned slightly.
There seemed to be too many spies in the mansion. She looked up and said, “No matter what she plans to do, with so many spies from others in the mansion, it’s really unsettling.”

Especially Prince Wen’s spies. She wondered if they were monitoring the Marquis Mansion or monitoring… her?

The thought of all her actions being watched made her feel annoyed.

Suddenly, Luo Yi’er’s movements paused. She put down her teacup, her brow furrowed slightly. Since Prince Wen had agents in the mansion, what about Prince Jing…

At dusk, in the Marquis Mansion’s kitchen, Xiaoxi was about to pack up and go back to her room when she heard Li momo calling her, “Xiaoxi, Liu’er isn’t feeling well today, so you’ll have to stay and keep watch tonight.”

Xiaoxi’s brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes. She lowered her head and responded quietly.

Others looked at each other, knowing that Liu’er was Li momo’s daughter. Whenever she was on night duty, she would claim to be unwell, and the people in the kitchen would almost always cover for her. They rolled their eyes and dared not speak out, leaving Xiaoxi alone.
They all hurried back to their rooms.

At this moment, in Prince Wen’s mansion, a tall man pulled a cart filled with melons, fruits, and vegetables, stopping at the side gate. As the servants helped unload the goods, he discreetly handed over something from his sleeve to one of them, without showing any unusual expression. He bowed and drove the cart away.

In the study, Prince Wen sat behind the desk, listening to the report from his servant. Suddenly, a soft laugh echoed through the silent room, “A spy of five years got exposed just like that.”

“I am quite curious, who has such great skills that they can even mimic my handwriting to the point of being almost indistinguishable?”

An Chong frowned in the study, feeling skeptical about the news brought by the spy, “Your Highness, is it possible that the undercover agent made a mistake?”

Fang Jinyu’s eyes showed a complex expression, “If our people can be mistaken, it means the person is quite capable.”

Who would bother to mimic his handwriting?
Yi’er? Impossible.
If it were her, she wouldn’t act so carelessly.

Who could it be then? He smiled softly, “How interesting. There’s someone in the Marquis Mansion who is so familiar with my handwriting. It really piques my curiosity.”

An Chong frowned, worried about the implications, “Your Highness’s handwriting is identical. This is no small matter. If other princes find out…”

Fang Jinyu looked at the piece of calligraphy he had just written on the desk, and his expression turned dark, “Investigate and find out who this person is!”
“Subordinate obeys the order!”

The next day, as the sky was just starting to brighten, Pansi walked into Yunxia Courtyard from outside. Linglong was just coming out of the main house, and Pansi asked her in a low voice, “Has the miss woken up?”

Linglong nodded, “She just woke up.”
She was holding a tea cup and was about to go to the small kitchen to boil some tea.

Pansi pushed open the door and went inside. She saw Luo Yi’er leaning against the bed, her eyes half-closed, still looking a bit sleepy. Pansi moved quietly and hung up the curtain beside the bed, saying softly, “Miss, the matter is taken care of.”

Luo Yi’er tilted her pale face, frowning slightly, and touched her forehead with her hand, seeming a bit uncomfortable. Pansi paused, looking concerned, “Miss, are you feeling unwell?”

“It’s nothing, just stayed up late last night,” Luo Yi’er said softly, shaking her head.

She had suddenly remembered that she still had some Buddhist scriptures to copy, and since they had to be sent to Mingjing Temple the next day, she couldn’t delay any further. So she stayed up late, and now she felt a bit headache when she got up.

Pansi didn’t say anything and gently massaged her acupoints.

Luo Yi’er’s frown relaxed a bit, and she said softly, “Tell someone to inform Mother at Fang Yun Hall that I won’t be going over today.”

Pansi responded and waited until Luo Yi’er’s complexion improved a bit before stopping. She helped her lie down again and quietly exited the room.

Pansi personally went to Fang Yun Hall and returned with the family doctor. Madam Chu had heard that Luo Yi’er was feeling unwell and frowned, telling Pansi to fetch the family doctor to take a look.
Pansi didn’t dare refuse and quickly brought the doctor over.

Luo Yi’er had just fallen asleep when she heard the door being knocked gently. Pansi’s soft voice came through, “Miss, the family doctor is here.”

Luo Yi’er’s eyes flashed with annoyance at being woken up, but after listening to Pansi’s words, she remained silent for a while before saying, “Come in.”

The bed curtain was lifted, and a delicate, fair hand stretched out. Then a soft, gentle voice came from inside, “Thank you for your trouble.”
The family doctor bowed his head, “Third Miss is too polite.”

He sat down and quietly took her pulse. After a while, he withdrew his hand and said, “Third Miss doesn’t have any major issues, just a minor cold. Drinking a couple of doses of medicine will take care of it.”

Pansi escorted the family doctor out and sent someone to follow him to get the medicine. She didn’t go back to disturb Luo Yi’er and instead went to the servant’s quarters to rest.

Xiaoxi had just come out of the kitchen and was walking towards her room, passing by the garden. She saw a group of girls in light clothing standing there with serious expressions, and her heart sank.

… She had been exposed.

After hearing the news from the girls in light clothing, Xiaoxi felt a bit dazed. How was this possible? She had been working in the Marquis Mansion for five years without any issues. Why would she be exposed suddenly?

She returned to her room in a daze. At this time, everyone else was already at their posts, and she was alone in the room. She suddenly noticed a piece of paper sticking out from under her pillow and her gaze paused.

She remembered what the girl in light clothing had said – the master wanted her to find out who sent the note.

Her eyes narrowed, and she quickly walked over to retrieve the note.
When she saw it, she frowned.

Luoyun Pavilion again?

As she glanced around, she noticed something behind the door. She walked over and found it was a pearl. She picked it up, rolled it around in her hand, and her expression turned thoughtful.

It wasn’t until noon that Luo Yi’er slowly woke up. She frowned slightly and opened her eyes, feeling a bit groggy. Linglong, who was outside, heard the movement and quickly opened the curtain and walked in, helping her sit up.

Luo Yi’er leaned on the bed, frowning and asking, “What time is it?”

“It’s just past noon,” Linglong replied without stopping as she half-knelt on the ground, helping Luo Yi’er put on her embroidered shoes.

After washing up, Luo Yi’er took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and felt a bit more refreshed.

When she finished her lunch, Linglong brought in a bowl of dark, murky medicinal soup. Before Luo Yi’er could frown, Linglong spoke up, “Miss, this medicine has been heated three times. You should drink it while it’s still warm.”

Luo Yi’er’s eyes flashed with reluctance. Whether in her past or present life, she had always lived a life of luxury. If she had to say what she disliked the most since coming here, it would definitely be these bitter medicines.

She furrowed her brow, thinking that she still had to go out of the mansion tomorrow. She pursed her lips and took the bowl from Linglong. Linglong rarely saw her being so childish and couldn’t help but smile. As soon as she put down the bowl, Linglong quickly handed her some candied fruit.

Luo Yi’er got rid of the bitterness in her mouth, and her brow relaxed. She said softly, “Go to Fang Yun Hall and ask about the incense-burning ceremony at Mingjing Temple tomorrow.”

Every year at this time, the mansion would go to Mingjing Temple to burn incense. However, in previous years, Madam Chu would accompany Luo Yi’er and her sisters. This year, since Luo Qian was confined to her room, she probably wouldn’t be able to go.

When it got dark, Madam Chu sent a message. Pansi repeated it, “Madam says that if you’re still not feeling well, the incense-burning ceremony can be postponed.”

“If you’re fine, then you might be the only one going this year. Madam received an invitation from the Minister’s wife and will be visiting the Minister’s mansion tomorrow. She’s worried that others might cause trouble for you, so she doesn’t plan to let them out of the mansion.”

The “others” mentioned here clearly referred to Luo Fu and the others.

The next day, Luo Yi’er’s cold had improved somewhat. She changed into a set of creamy white brocade clothes with shallow red on the cuffs and hem, adding a touch of elegance. She asked Linglong to bring the Buddhist scriptures she had copied and three thousand taels of incense money. She then boarded a carriage and headed towards Mingjing Temple.

She would be staying at the temple for a day, and Madam Chu had already sent someone to inform the temple. Linglong followed a young monk to prepare the accommodations, leaving only Pansi to accompany Luo Yi’er.

Luo Yi’er knelt on a bright yellow kneeler, clasped her hands together, and bowed to the Buddha statue.
Her beautiful eyes were half-closed, showing a pious demeanor.

Pansi handed over the items they brought to the temple staff. After Luo Yi’er stood up and walked out of the main hall, she took a deep breath. The distant sound of a bell echoed through the air, and she seemed even more gentle and serene.

They came to Mingjing Temple every year and were familiar with the place. The temple had a unique feature – there were osmanthus forests at both the top and foot of the mountain. During the season, the fragrance of osmanthus filled the air. Without a guide, the mistress and servant duo walked up the mountain from the foot, hand in hand. If they could climb to the top on their own, it would be a testament to their devotion.

To prevent pilgrims from getting tired during the climb, the temple had set up many stone benches along the path. There were also pavilions at the top, foot, and middle of the mountain for pilgrims to rest.

Luo Yi’er and her servant climbed the mountain with determination, hand in hand. When they reached the top, Luo Yi’er turned to Pansi and said a few words.
As they caught the scent of osmanthus, she knew they were almost there.

Just as she raised her head, she was taken aback.