Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After hearing the news from the South Garden, Luo Qian felt a wave of relief wash over her. Her status in the mansion was too low, and she had to find an ally. Although this ally was a concubine of low status, a fallen master was worse than a servant. Concubine Su had many more opportunities to meet with her father than she did.

The fifth miss, Luo Ying, wasn’t in the courtyard. The Luoyun Pavilion was quiet now. Luo Qian sat on the couch, holding a cup of clear tea, her eyes deep in thought. In her past life, the news of Concubine Su infertility had come out later than it did now, and by that time, Concubine Su favor had already waned. However, that was why she could go all in, and in the end, she made Madam Chu fall hard.

Recalling the consequences of that incident, even Luo Qian shuddered. Madam Chu had fallen, but Concubine Su had paid with her life, a cup of poison wine, and she was carried out of the South Garden in a desolate state.

Everyone speculated that this was Madam Chu’s revenge later on. Because of this incident, the concubines in the mansion finally quieted down. After all, favor couldn’t compare to life, especially when they saw the Marquis’s indifference to the matter. The people in the mansion couldn’t help but feel even more fearful.

Luo Qian remembered the day Concubine Su died. She hadn’t married Prince Wen yet. She passed by the South Garden and clearly heard the miserable cries and shouts from inside. Not long after, she heard the news of Concubine Su death. She was so scared that her face turned pale for days, and she became even more fearful of Madam Chu.

However, after a lifetime, Luo Qian couldn’t help but wonder if Madam Chu was really the one who did it.

Madam Chu never mistreated her concubines; it wasn’t just talk. She really didn’t care and didn’t take them seriously. Even the Concubine Qing, who could be considered a traitor, lived well in the mansion for over ten years.

If she wasn’t mistaken, she vaguely remembered seeing Rong De, the attendant who never left the Marquis’s side, entering the South Garden that day. Maybe the one who acted that day wasn’t Madam Chu, but her father, who doted on Concubine Su.

Madam Chu had been married to the Marquis’s mansion for over 20 years, yet no one had ever risen above her. Was it really just because of her strict methods? If that were the case, why would the Marquis ignore Concubine Qing’s for over a decade after she had a difficult birth because of Madam Chu, not even bothering to inquire about her, his own eldest daughter?

Luo Qian’s fingers, holding the tea cup, turned white. Having a second chance at life, she realized how difficult it was to move against Madam Chu. The greatest difficulty was that the ruler of the Marquis’s mansion wouldn’t allow Madam Chu to fall.

Thinking of this, Luo Qian’s expression changed. She dipped her index finger in the water from the cup and wrote the character “Chu” on the table, stroke by stroke. She gazed at the character for a long time, her eyes growing increasingly solemn. This person was indeed the greatest backing for Luo Yi’er.

Biyu stood beside Luo Qian, looking down at her silence. When she saw the character Luo Qian wrote, her pupils suddenly widened, and she couldn’t help but change her expression, looking at Luo Qian with unstable emotions. However, Luo Qian was still lost in thought and didn’t notice her reaction.

Biyu’s eyes flickered repeatedly as she tightly bit her lip and lowered her head. Unlike Luo Qian and the other masters, the servants in the mansion truly revered and feared Madam Chu. If Luo Qian was competing with the other misses for favor, Biyu would naturally offer her advice without hesitation. But going against Madam Chu ? It wasn’t that Biyu doubted Luo Qian’s abilities, but in her heart, there was no comparison between the two.

In the current Luoyun Pavilion, although Qingling was still a first-rank maid, she was becoming less important. After Biyu rose to her position, many people eyed Qingling’s spot. However, Qingling had established her authority in the Luoyun Pavilion over time, so no one dared to give her a cold shoulder.

Still, Qingling couldn’t bear the cold treatment from others. She knew very well who her real master was and wouldn’t dare to act without orders.

The prince’s mansion’s flower appreciation banquet hadn’t started yet, but another incident occurred in the Marquis’s mansion.

Second Miss Luo Fu encountered Luo Qian in the garden and verbally mocked her, implying that Luo Qian was duplicitous, appearing to be uncompetitive but actually snatching opportunities from others.

Luo Qian responded calmly and confidently, which enraged Luo Fu, who slapped her. However, this slap stirred up a hornet’s nest, and someone directly dragged Luo Fu to Fang Yun Hall, where she cried tearfully, her eyes red.

Coincidentally, the Marquis was in Fang Yun Hall at the time.

The hall was filled with people, Luo Yu’an and Madam Chu naturally sat in the seats of honor, both looking displeased, especially Luo Yu’an, whose face darkened as he coldly gazed at the two standing in the middle.

Luo Yi’er arrived after hearing the news and sat to Madam Chu’s right, frowning as she looked at Luo Qian and the other girl.

The fourth miss didn’t come, but the fifth miss was there to watch the commotion.

Luo Qian covered her cheek with her hand, her clear and cold eyes turned red, and she spoke with a choked voice, yet stood straight and unwavering: “Father, Mother, I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, but Second Sister treated me like this in public.”

As soon as she finished speaking, tears rolled down her face, filled with grievance and defiance.

Luo Fu had regretted slapping Luo Qian as soon as she did it. No matter how unpopular Luo Qian was, she was still her elder sister. Their father was a stickler for rules, and this incident would reflect poorly on her reputation. Thinking about the consequences, Luo Fu’s face turned pale with fear.

Since she was in the wrong, and many people had witnessed the incident, she didn’t dare to defend herself. Seeing the Marquis’s face growing darker, she suddenly covered her face and started crying, her sobs more pitiful than Luo Qian’s, as if she was the one who had been slapped, and she became somewhat hysterical.

Luo Yi’er covered her mouth with a handkerchief, watching the scene unfold before her, almost bursting into laughter, yet still wearing a worried and troubled expression.

“Enough!” Luo Yu’an’s cold and stern voice fell, and the entire room instantly fell silent. Luo Fu was startled, wiping away her tears as she glanced up to secretly gauge his expression. She was frightened by the coldness in his eyes and couldn’t help but feel afraid, continuing to sob softly.

On the other hand, Luo Qian tightly clutched her handkerchief, slightly tilting her head, and defiantly met Luo Yu’an’s gaze. Compared to Luo Fu beside her, she seemed more dignified and poised. Luo Yu’an’s eyes flickered with surprise, and then she suddenly knelt to the ground: “Please, Father, help me!”

He barely perceptibly frowned, shifting his gaze to Luo Fu. Luo Fu immediately cried out pitifully and fearfully: “Dad, I know I was wrong, don’t be angry.”

Luo Qian sneered: “When Second Sister hit me, she didn’t feel like she was wrong.”

One was the eldest daughter who rarely attended family gatherings, and the other was the second daughter who often acted cute and coquettish. Luo Yu’an’s expression darkened. Seeing that Madam Chu hadn’t spoken yet, he asked: “What do you think, Madam?”

Madam Chu set down her teacup and slowly scanned the room before speaking in a measured tone: “Second Miss didn’t respect the hierarchy between elder and younger, naturally, she should be punished.”

Luo Yu’an didn’t intervene further, as matters in the inner courtyard were supposed to be handled by the mistress.
Luo Fu’s face turned white as she begged for mercy: “Mother, I know I was wrong, I won’t do it again. I was just provoked by Eldest Sister’s words.”

Madam Chu ignored her and instead looked at Luo Qian: “However, if this spreads, it will affect Second Miss’s reputation and might implicate other girls in the mansion. Besides, it’s normal for sisters to bicker and have minor conflicts.”
Luo Qian’s brows furrowed: “What do you mean, Mother?”

Madam Chu smiled: “In this matter, Eldest Miss wasn’t entirely blameless. As the elder sister, she should set a good example, but instead, she got into an argument with her younger sister.”

Luo Yi’er saw that Luo Qian seemed tense all over and slightly lowered her eyes. Eldest Miss was only concerned about getting a fair explanation and forgot that people tend to be biased, especially when the one in charge doesn’t favor her.

Luo Qian clenched her fists, seemingly aggrieved: “I wanted to talk to Second Sister nicely, but she insulted me as soon as she started speaking. It’s my fault for making Mother troubled.” At the end, she seemed to be putting on a brave face, forcing a smile.

This made Madam Chu glance at her with raised eyebrows, almost imperceptibly. Then she said: “Eldest Miss was wronged. In that case, Second Miss will be penalized with two months’ allowance deduction and one month of confinement.”

She paused, glanced at Luo Yu’an, and saw that he remained silent before looking at the two girls: “Do you have any objections?”

Luo Qian lowered her head, her tone respectful: “I have no objections.”

“I have no objections either,” Luo Fu quickly followed, but secretly glared at Luo Qian with resentment. If Luo Qian hadn’t been so stubborn, Madam wouldn’t have punished her so harshly.

Luo Fu thought about how her coming-of-age ceremony would be in three months and felt increasingly irritated and annoyed with Luo Qian.

Luo Yu’an merely glanced at the two girls indifferently and then stopped paying attention to them. He said to Madam Chu: “I have some matters to attend to in the front courtyard, I’ll take my leave first.”

Although it was unclear what Luo Yu’an originally intended to do in Fang Yun Hall, Luo Qian’s matter seemed to have dampened his mood. Luo Yi’er lowered her eyes slightly and then stood up with a smile, bowing slightly to Luo Yu’an with concern: “Father is busy with official duties, but don’t forget to rest.”

When facing his only legitimate daughter, Luo Yu’an showed more patience and smiled warmly: “Alright.”

He seemed to remember something and said: “Someone sent a piece of agate jadeware a few days ago. I’ll have someone send it to your courtyard later.”
He naturally knew that his legitimate daughter preferred jadeware with bright colors.

Luo Yi’er smiled, her eyes curving, and her joy was palpable: “Yi’er thanks Father.”

Madam Chu, standing aside, smiled and scolded: “Marquis, don’t spoil her too much.”

“It’s fine. Legitimate daughters should be treated with more luxury.” Luo Yu’an waved his hand, gently rubbed Luo Yi’er’s head, and then left with a warm smile, completely ignoring the other three people in the room.

Luo Fu and Luo Ying couldn’t help but feel envious and a bit melancholic. Even Luo Qian felt a complicated emotion she couldn’t quite describe. The joy she had felt from winning against Luo Fu earlier had faded. No child wouldn’t want to be loved by their parents.

However, except for the imperial family and some cases where favored concubines brought about the downfall of wives, which family truly treated legitimate and illegitimate children equally? After all, legitimate daughters were cultivated with the resources of the entire family.

After this incident, Luo Fu and Luo Ying seemed to have put their differences aside for the time being, both having suffered a significant setback at Luo Qian’s hands.