Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Luo Yi’er didn’t know what had happened in the Luoyun Pavilion yet, and she didn’t see Luo Qian again until half a month later.

On the day they visited the Old madam every half month, Luo Yi’er followed Madam Chu and saw Luo Qian waiting in front of the Cirong Hall.
Luo Qian wore a new blue long dress, but the material was new, and Luo Yi’er’s eyes flashed with insight. Although the material was new, the style was already a few years old.

Luo Qian had known she would meet Luo Yi’er there today and had prepared herself mentally. However, she couldn’t help but show a hint of emotion. Before anyone noticed, she lowered her head and bowed to Madam Chu. “Daughter pays respects to Mother.”

Madam Chu, the Mistress of the household, was always impeccable in her behavior. She looked at Luo Qian and praised her blandly, “Your body has just recovered, and you’ve come to pay respects to the Old madam. You’re filial.”

However, this filial piety was only directed towards the Old madam, and Luo Qian had delayed paying respects to Madam Chu for over half a month.

Luo Qian lowered her eyes and understood the implication of Madam Chu’s words.

She replied with a hint of fear, “I can only see Grandmother once every half month, and I’ve been missing her dearly. This morning, my headache felt better, so I hurried over.”

Madam Chu smiled and praised again, “The eldest miss is growing up and becoming more sensible.”

Luo Qian knew Madam Chu was just making polite conversation and had left many traps in her words. She wouldn’t respond further and pretended to be timid, lowering her head and stepping back.

Luo Yi’er stood elegantly beside Madam Chu and showed concern for Luo Qian at the right moment. “Now that Eldest Sister’s illness has recovered, she should go out more often and get some fresh air instead of staying cooped up in her room.”

Luo Qian’s hand in her sleeve clenched tightly, and she smiled gratefully at Luo Yi’er. “Thank you, Third Sister, for your concern.”

Madam Chu turned her head and asked the old maid standing outside the Cirong Hall, “Has Mother gotten up?”

The momo lowered her head and replied, “This morning, the Old Madam got out of bed with a headache and lay down for a while longer. She should be up by now.”

Before she finished speaking, someone came out from inside. It was Guan momo, the maid who often attended to the Old madam.
She smiled and greeted them.
“The Madam has arrived. The Old madam is already up and waiting.”

Madam Chu immediately felt guilty and said, “How could we make Mother wait?” She quickened her pace.

In fact, the Old madam had just gotten up, but Madam Chu had always been a filial daughter-in-law. She was always perfect in the eyes of the Marquis, whether it was towards her parents-in-law, children, or concubines.

Yi’er followed closely behind Madam Chu into the room and paid her respects after Madam Chu.
Madam Chu frowned and took a step forward, worried. “I heard from the maid that Mother has a headache again? There’s still some hundred-year-old ginseng in the warehouse. After I get back, I’ll have it sent over to Mother.”

The Old madam was pleased with her daughter-in-law’s filial piety. She shook her head, fingering the Buddhist beads in her hand.
“It’s just an old problem. It’s nothing serious.”

As a junior, Yi’er walked directly to the Old madam’s bedside and wrapped her arms around the old madam’s arm, showing concern and worry in her voice. “Why does Grandmother have a headache again? Did she catch a chill at night?”

After Luo Qian and the other concubines’ daughters finished paying their respects, they could only watch as Luo Yi’er curried favor with the Old madam. Compared to the disappointed or envious expressions on Luo Ying’s faces, Luo Qian was accustomed to this scene. Whether in her past life or this life, she had long been used to seeing Luo Yi’er being favored.

Luo Qian quickly composed herself, and when the old lady looked over, she showed just the right amount of envy and disappointment in her eyes. Then she quickly lowered her head and stood thinly in place.
The Old madam’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, and when she saw Luo Qian’s clothes, she almost imperceptibly frowned. Her voice was a bit mild: “Is that Qian’er?”

Luo Qian was unexpectedly called out by name, and she nervously and excitedly raised her head. She saw the Old madam’s gaze fixed on her, and everyone in the room followed the Old madam’s gaze to look at her. She instantly became anxious and replied timidly, “Grandmother, it’s me.”

Madam Chu also glanced at her, took a sip of tea, and the smile on her lips became a bit faint.

The Old madam remembered that Luo Qian was her biological granddaughter and wanted to give her some pointers.
She fingered the Buddhist beads and smiled as she chatted with Madam Chu about the household matters: “It’s almost July, and we’ll be making new clothes for the mansion again.”

Madam Chu subtly raised her eyebrows and followed the Old madam’s words: “Yes, we make two sets of new clothes every season.”

They only chatted about this topic for a couple of sentences before moving on to other household matters.

Yi’er sat beside the old lady, smiling as she listened to their conversation. She held a cup of tea and took a sip, occasionally covering her mouth and laughing.
Her eyes sparkled with charm, and every move she made was elegant and poised. After saying a few words to Luo Qian at the beginning, she didn’t look at her again.

Luo Qian seemed to be forgotten, standing with her sisters to the side, her head lowered the entire time. Her scattered hair covered her face from view, hiding her pale complexion. She had been away from home for a long time in her previous life and had forgotten that Madam Chu never made mistakes in these small matters. What she did today would likely not be well-received.

Although she was the eldest daughter in the mansion, she was the one who was least favored. Even with the memories of being the empress from her past life, she should be cautious and plan carefully.
However, suddenly changing identities wasn’t that easy to adapt to.

Luo Qian breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Although her first attempt didn’t go well, it did serve as a wake-up call. This was the Marquis’s mansion, and Madam Chu’s domain.
She wasn’t the empress; she was just a shu’s daughter living under the master’s wife’s control. She had to deal with the master’s wife’s beloved daughter, and she needed to think and plan carefully.

After everyone dispersed, the Old madam sighed, and Guan shi handed her a cup of tea. “Is Old madam sighing about what just happened?”

“It’s so petty,” the Old madam said.

Guan momo chuckled and said, “The Madam controls the mansion so tightly that she never gives anyone a chance to gossip. The eldest miss wants to compete with her? She’s a bit too young.”
Guan momo thought for a moment before adding, “The eldest miss is still young.”

The Old madam shook her head and didn’t say anything more.

After returning to the Fang Yun Hall, the smile on Madam Chu’s face faded. “Since the eldest miss likes the style from a few years ago, give her more of it.”

Zhang momo said, “The Madam is kind.”

Madam Chu picked up a jujube and put it in her mouth. The sour taste stimulated her mouth, and she frowned before swallowing. Then she turned her head and said, “The style from a few years ago isn’t common in the mansion, but Concubine Qing should have a few pieces of fabric.”

Zhang momo had already had the plate of jujubes taken away when she saw Madam Chu frown. When she heard Madam Chu’s words, she nodded and smiled. “Concubine Qing is the eldest miss’s biological mother. She wouldn’t begrudge the fabric.”

Madam Chu continued to flip through the accounts on the table, her lips curling up slightly. These girls were growing up, and their ambitions were growing too.
Unfortunately, they lacked some skills.

The next afternoon, Luo Qian received several bolts of fabric sent by Concubine Qing.

She looked at the old patterns printed on the new fabric and bit her lip tightly, her body trembling slightly. She suppressed her emotions and forced a smile, saying to the person who brought it, “Thank Mother and Concubine Qing on my behalf.”

Luo Yi’er was accompanying Madam Chu in the Fang Yun Hall, looking through the accounts. Since her marriage had been decided early on, Madam Chu began to teach her how to manage household affairs.
Madam Chu didn’t avoid her when dealing with the mansion’s stewards, and she never thought that keeping her daughter strictly protected was a good thing.
It was better for her to understand the subtle implications of the inner chambers early on.

Madam Chu was talking to Luo Yi’er when Jin Su walked in from outside, bowed slightly, and reported respectfully, “Someone from the South Garden was sent out of the mansion today.”

Madam Chu handed the account book to Luo Yi’er without looking up and said, “I know.”

Luo Yi’er paused, feeling puzzled. “Does Mother know why she left the mansion?”

Madam Chu looked up, saw her curiosity, and smiled lightly.
“I don’t know.”

Luo Yi’er’s eyes flashed with thoughtfulness, and she hesitated. “Isn’t Mother curious?”

“There’s nothing to be curious about,” Madam Chu said. “No matter what she wants to do, she’ll eventually show her intentions.”
She paused and said to Luo Yi’er, “Yi’er, remember, these concubines are not worth considering. Their contracts are in my hands, and it’s just a matter of one sentence to sell them off.”

Luo Yi’er listened carefully, knowing that others’ experiences couldn’t be imagined. She was proud but never arrogant.

Madam Chu saw her listening attentively and felt a sense of comfort. She only had this one daughter, and she naturally treated her with all her heart. Suddenly, she remembered Luo Yi’er’s marriage and frowned briefly.
“I forgot that the concubines in the Prince’s mansion also have to be registered on the jade plate, which is different from the situation in our mansion.”

Luo Yi’er heard her mention her marriage and smiled shyly, not knowing what to say about the royal matter.
She pursed her lips and made a shy expression, not saying anything more.

Madam Chu saw her reaction and frowned slightly before skipping the topic. “That’s enough for today. You can go back and rest early.”

As soon as Luo Yi’er left the Fang Yun Hall, her smile faded. “Go investigate what the person from the South Garden was sent out to do.”

Linglong was puzzled. “Didn’t the Madam just say…”

Luo Yi’er glanced at her briefly, and Linglong immediately lowered her head and agreed. Luo Yi’er then withdrew her gaze.
Her mother might not care about the South Garden’s small tricks, but she believed that anyone, even a small character, could cause you to stumble.

In the evening, Linglong reported back, saying that the people from the South Garden were careful and hadn’t yet discovered where they went. However, it seemed that the people from the South Garden had met with people from the Luoyun Pavilion.

Luo Yi’er’s eyes flashed with interest, and she smiled. “Concubine Qing hasn’t been out for a long time, but she still managed to arrange people for the eldest miss.”

She often played chess with herself, and only by thoroughly understanding herself could she avoid flaws.
She held a black piece in her hand and placed it on the board slowly, her eyes lowered as she instructed, “Don’t focus on the South Garden for now. Investigate whether Concubine Qing still has people in the mansion.”
Linglong agreed, but she also frowned in thought.

They had been watching the Pear Garden for five years, and they didn’t expect there to be any fish that slipped through the net.

Luo Yi’er saw her serious expression and chuckled. “There’s no need to be so tense. Even the most loyal person can change over the years.”

She paused and gave Linglong a direction. “After Concubine Qing entered the Pear Garden, she didn’t see many outsiders. Start investigating from when she was working in the Fang Yun Hall.”

Linglong’s movements weren’t small, and Madam Chu naturally received the news.
She shook her head slightly at Zhang momo. “Yi’er is too cautious about everything.”

Zhang momo was puzzled. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Madam Chu’s gaze lingered on the bronze mirror, and she said blandly, “Good, but also not good.” She didn’t want to say more.