Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Before Luo Fu and Luo Ying could take action, they heard news from the Yunxia Courtyard that Luo Yi’er would be taking Luo Qian to the flower appreciation banquet, saying that she had just recovered from a serious illness and needed to go out and relax.

When Luo Fu received the news, she was holding the sachet she was going to give to Luo Yi’er. She was so angry that she wanted to grind her teeth, and she picked up the scissors beside her and cut the sachet into pieces, feeling relieved. When she came back to her senses, she quickly had the mess on the table cleaned up.

The maidservant, Baizhi, beside her said anxiously, “Miss, you’ve cut the sachet for Third Miss. What are you going to do tomorrow?”

Luo Fu was still angry and glared at Baizhi impatiently. “What’s the rush? Don’t I have plenty of sachets in my room?”

Baizhi stuttered, looking troubled. “It’s not that you don’t have sachets, Miss. It’s just that this one was recently embroidered, and it’s a gift for Third Miss. If you give her an old one instead, she might not be pleased.”

Luo Fu wasn’t foolish, and she knew what Baizhi was thinking after seeing her expression. She felt wronged and started crying. If she were born to the master’s wife, she wouldn’t have to care about other people’s opinions.
After crying for a while, she still didn’t dare to give Luo Yi’er an old sachet. She gritted her teeth and stayed up all night, making a new sachet.

Baizhi also stayed up all night, feeling sorry for her, and helped her pick threads beside her.

Over there, no matter how much they cried or complained, it was all within their own courtyards, and they didn’t dare to make too much noise. However, in the Luoyun Pavilion, Luo Qian couldn’t bear the disturbance. She lived on the second floor, and above her was the fifth miss Luo Ying’s chamber.

After the news from the Yunxia Courtyard spread, there was no peace upstairs. At night, there were still occasional noises coming from above. Luo Qian frowned and tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
Luo Qian lit the lamp, and Qingling quickly came in to serve her. Seeing the fatigue on her pale face, Qingling felt heartbroken and dissatisfied. “The fifth miss is too much. Why does she torment you over things that Third Sister has decided?”

Luo Qian leaned against the bed, didn’t respond to her words, and closed her eyes, reprimanding her. “Enough, don’t slander our masters.”

Qingling froze, bowed her head, and apologized. “This servant knows she’s wrong.”

The servants in the mansion were all sharp, and in the past half month, it was clear that Qingling didn’t have as much favor with their master as before. Many people started to have thoughts of rising to a higher position.
A maidservant named Biyu, who followed Qingling, saw Luo Qian sitting up and getting out of bed, quickly stepped forward to help her, and said in a crisp voice, “Miss, please take your time.”

Qingling fell behind, her cold gaze like a knife cutting through Biyu, making her shiver. However, she still held onto Luo Qian without letting go.

The struggle between servants was no less than that between masters.
If one could become the head maidservant beside their master, even if it was a miss who wasn’t favored, it would still be a great honor. Since they had decided to compete, there was no way to retreat or give up.

Luo Qian seemed unaware of the tension between her servants. Now, she needed loyal servants the most, but they were not easy to come by.

After tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Luo Qian stood up in a plain-colored undergarment, holding Biyu’s arm, and sat down on the kang. She closed her eyes slightly, listening to the noise upstairs that still hadn’t stopped.

A hint of coldness flickered in her eyes.
Luo Yi’er always did this, seemingly giving her many benefits, but actually putting her in a difficult situation.
Biyu poured her a cup of cold tea, and Luo Qian picked it up, taking a sip. The bitter and fragrant taste of the tea leaves made her feel more alert. The noise upstairs grew louder, but she no longer felt the irritation she had earlier.

Biyu bravely raised her head to take a closer look at her, watching her series of actions. She blinked her eyes and quickly lowered her head again, feeling a bit puzzled.
The eldest miss had always been disfavored, so she had developed a timid and weak demeanor. However, for a moment, Biyu felt like she saw a glimpse of the third miss in her, a similarity that was precious and untouchable.

Luo Qian didn’t say much, regardless of past or present life. After being confined to the cold palace for many years, she had grown to appreciate lively atmosphere, but the people in her courtyard were used to being quiet in front of her, so she wouldn’t say much to arouse suspicion.

When the cup of tea was empty, a loud noise came from upstairs, sounding like jadeware hitting the wall. After that, the upstairs finally quieted down, and the entire building seemed to fall into a deathly silence. Luo Qian put down the cup, and the sound of the cup bottom hitting the table became the only sound in the room.

Just as Biyu was about to help her to bed, she heard her cold and clear voice: “Tomorrow, when I pay respects to Mother, I should tell her that the fifth miss’s room might not have enough furnishings.”

Biyu felt a shiver run down her spine. Judging from the noise upstairs today, many objects must have been broken. If the madam finds out, the fifth miss would likely have a tough time.

Besides that, Biyu couldn’t help but feel a hint of joy. Serving a master with schemes was always better than serving a weak and incompetent one.

Luo Qian glanced at Biyu imperceptibly.
By saying those words, she was also testing Biyu.

The next day, when paying respects, the Fang Yun Hall was filled with people. Luo Yi’er naturally sat in the first position to the right of Madam Chu, with Luo Fu and Luo Yu below her. To Madam Chu’s left sat Luo Qian and Luo Ying.

The atmosphere in the Fang Yun Hall was harmonious. Luo Qian sipped her tea, wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and spoke with a smile, “Last night, there was a commotion in Fifth Sister’s room. This morning, when I went out, I saw Fifth Sister’s maidservants sweeping out a basket of jade carvings. I felt heartbroken and sorry for her when I saw it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the smile on Madam Chu’s face faded slightly. She looked at Luo Ying with a cold gaze.

The furnishings in the rooms of the concubine-born daughters in the mansion were all recorded.
Otherwise, if they broke one thing today and another tomorrow, how much family property would be enough to waste?

Luo Ying’s expression had stiffened as soon as Luo Qian spoke.
She had tormented Luo Qian in the first half of the night and couldn’t sleep well herself in the second half. In the morning, she had barely managed to get out of bed, thanks to her wet nurse forcing her to get up despite her discomfort.

She had been feeling resentful and dissatisfied with Luo Yi’er, but as soon as Madam Chu’s gaze swept over, all her thoughts disappeared.
Her face turned pale, and she forced a smile.

“Last night, I felt thirsty, and when the servant came in with tea, she tripped because the lights weren’t lit, and that’s how those jade items got broken.”

She carefully concocted an excuse, knowing she couldn’t say it was because of her own jealousy and anger.
Without a mother, her reputation depended on her own efforts.

Luo Qian frowned. “I wonder which servant was so careless that they destroyed so many of Sister’s beloved items. When I left this morning, I saw among the broken pieces a red jade peacock feather that Sister had specifically asked Father for. Sister, didn’t you love it very much?”

Luo Ying’s smile froze, and she glared at Luo Qian, feeling a surge of anger. She sensed that Madam Chu’s gaze on her had grown even colder, and she felt a growing sense of fear.
The red jade peacock feather that Luo Qian mentioned was something that Third Sister had set her eyes on initially.
However, before Third Sister could even mention it, she had directly asked Father for it. She had even boasted about it to Third Sister several times, feeling quite satisfied with herself.

Later on, when she found it increasingly difficult to give orders to the servants in the mansion, she realized that the person in charge was Third Sister’s biological mother, and she was just a Concubine-born daughter living under Madam Chu’s rule.

After that, she never mentioned that object again, regretting that she had asked Father for it and had shown off to Third Sister.
Only after some time passed did she feel better.

Madam Chu finally spoke up, “Which maidservant?”

Luo Ying swallowed hard, glancing at Fuling behind her.
Seeing Fuling’s pale face, she felt a pang of guilt but still gritted her teeth and said, “It’s… Fuling.”

Fuling’s body immediately went limp, and she knelt down, not daring to refute her miss’s words. Her face was deathly pale, and she trembled as she knelt there.

Luo Ying didn’t feel good either.
Fuling was her favorite maidservant, and it wasn’t easy to train a servant to her liking. After a moment’s thought, she knelt down too, saying, “Mother, Fuling didn’t do it on purpose. Please forgive her this once.”

Luo Yi’er had been watching the drama unfold and now smiled graciously, asking Madam Chu for mercy, “Mother, Fifth Sister knows she’s wrong. Forgive her this once.”
However, she specifically mentioned forgiving Luo Ying, not Fuling, making it clear to everyone that the servant was just a scapegoat.

After Luo Yi’er spoke, Madam Chu’s expression softened slightly. Luo Ying looked at Luo Yi’er gratefully, just before Madam Chu spoke.

Luo Qian lowered her eyes and spoke calmly, “Third Sister is right, Fifth Sister didn’t do it on purpose. However, this servant broke so many jade items. If there’s no punishment, how will we deal with her carelessness in the future?”

Luo Yi’er looked up at Luo Qian and met her cold gaze. They looked at each other for a moment before Luo Yi’er lowered her eyes and smiled. “Eldest Sister is always considerate.”

Madam Chu was happy to use these concubine-born daughter’s to create a good reputation for Yi’er of being kind and loving. Now that her goal was achieved, she didn’t care about a servant.
She casually placed her hands on her knees and asked Luo Qian indifferently, “What do you think the punishment should be?”

Luo Qian met Luo Ying’s angry gaze and smiled, then replied to Madam Chu, “Mother is making things difficult for me. What good idea could I have?”

“Just tell me what you think,” Madam Chu said.

Luo Qian frowned, seemingly thinking for a long time, before coming up with an idea. She hesitated before speaking, “Since the servant broke the jade items, let’s convert the jade into silver money and deduct it from the servant’s monthly allowance.”

That was no small amount.
Fuling’s body went limp, and she looked at Luo Ying pleadingly.
Luo Ying was also anxious, not knowing what to do. Madam Chu didn’t wait for others to speak and directly decided, “Let’s do it that way.”

“Mother!” Luo Ying cried out anxiously.

Madam Chu’s gaze swept towards her, and she immediately froze, not daring to move.
Madam Chu then withdrew her gaze and said indifferently, “Alright, I have to meet with the mansion’s steward later. You all can go back now.”

Luo Qian stood up first, bowed to Madam Chu, and said, “Yes, I’ll head back first.”

She turned around, gave Luo Ying a cold glance, and left directly with Biyu.

—