It wasn't easy for the Lin Clan to get hold of Yu Xiang's weakness. Even if they offered to send her to the countryside to make the purchase, Grandmother Dowager and Yu Pinyan wouldn't be able to say anything. How could a daughter be so impatient to embezzle her mother's dowry? In other words, if she could embezzle even her mother's dowry, what else could stop her greed?
Such inferior behavior was enough to suppress Yu Xiang until she couldn't raise her head! Even if Grandmother Dowager and Yu Pinyan insisted on protecting her, she wouldn't be able to run rampant in the future!
The more the Lin Clan thought about it, the more pleased they became. Their footsteps quickened, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the entrance of the main courtyard. Yu Miaoqi followed closely behind.
Mama Ma, who was standing in the corridor, saw the two of them and quickly entered the room. She whispered, "The Old Lady, they really came."
"Hmph ~" Grandmother Dowager gently twirled her prayer beads and slowly said, "They only waited for two hours before coming here. They're too impatient. I'm afraid they didn't even look at the account books after that. "
Mama Ma lowered her head and didn't dare to answer. She knew that there would be a commotion in the room soon, so she gave Wan Qiu a look, hinting for her to get rid of all the irrelevant people.
"Make a fuss, make a fuss. How much trouble has she caused in just two days? Let me count. " Grandmother Dowager put down her prayer beads and calculated with her fingers. Her smile grew colder, "She's indeed a jinx. Since she came back, there has been no peace in the family. I thought she would be able to persuade the Lin Clan to stop, but I didn't expect her to be even more restless. All she wants is to fight for the family's favor and the family business. Does the Lin Clan not favor her enough? She dares to set her sights on the family business. What does she think of my Yan 'er? If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have brought her back in the first place. "
Grandmother Dowager shook her head and sighed.
Mama Ma comforted her softly, "You're not that cold-hearted. How could you watch your granddaughter wander outside and not bring her back? It's also because she's young and frivolous. If you wake her up and slowly train her in the future, you'll be able to cut her into a new shape in a year or two. "
"Train her? With her inferior character, it would be useless even if I trained her for a few hundred years. This was a sign that her roots weren't good. She had inherited the teachings of the Lin Clan. In the end, it's all my fault. It's all my fault for not being able to see through people back then. I welcomed such an unreliable person into the family and even gave birth to a little jinx. That's why there's no peace in the family now. "The more the matriarch spoke, the angrier she became. She was just waiting for the Lin Clan to come in and deal with her.
Mama Ma was about to reply when Wan Qiu reported from outside the door, "The Old Lady, Madam and Second Miss are here. They said they have something urgent to discuss with you."
"Let them in." The old lady waved her hand impatiently.
After entering the house, the two of them greeted each other.
"That's enough. If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to bow to me. I'm afraid my lifespan will be shortened."
Before the Lin Clan could complain, Old Madam Fu had already scowled angrily. She hesitated for a moment. Yu Miaoqi knew that there was no room for her to interrupt. She picked up a stool and sat down. Then, she secretly tugged on the Lin Clan's sleeve.
The Lin Clan quickly calmed down and sat next to their daughter. She said, "Mother, let's wait for Yan 'er and Yu Xiang to arrive first. This is a serious matter. I'm afraid that someone will say that I've wronged her behind her back. "
The old lady was so angry that she laughed. She asked, "Do you want to call Siyu over as well? This is a serious matter. Why don't we let the whole family hear about it? "
"That's good too." The Lin Clan was still a little guilty at first. However, when they thought about the account books that had been holed out one after another, they became strong-willed for once.
The old lady gestured for Wan Qiu to call them over. Then, she closed her eyes and twirled her prayer beads.
Mama Ma, who was standing by the door, looked at the mother and daughter with pity and mockery. Then, she lowered her head to reduce her presence. She even called Master Hou over. Even if she wanted to die, this was not the way to go. After living in seclusion for 14 years, she had worn away all of her intelligence and ability. All that was left was a head full of mush.
The hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The air was filled with the faint but elegant scent of Buddha. It was supposed to refresh one's mind, but for some reason, it made one feel a little depressed. Yu Miaoqi rubbed her chest. There was a slight feeling of uneasiness in her heart that could not be ignored.
She had clearly said that she would take it slow and slowly gain a foothold in the Marquis Household. However, on the second day, she had seized control of the household and was now competing with Yu Xiang. Wasn't her actions a little too big? Wouldn't her table manners be very ugly in the eyes of others?
Her heart trembled. Only then did she realize that she had been blinded by jealousy and had made the wrong move. She should have taken it a little slower. At least, she should have won over the old lady and Yu Pinyan. However, since she was already here, she could only carry out her mistake to the end. Fortunately, Yu Xiang's mistake was even bigger. The old lady and Yu Pinyan knew that there was absolutely no reason to indulge her.
If she could even steal the Lin Clan's dowry, then she must have embezzled a lot of the central household. If she had thought of this earlier, she would have finished looking through the central household's accounts before bringing them over.
The more Yu Miaoqi thought about it, the more mistakes she made. Her rosy face gradually began to pale. She couldn't help but pinch the pouch at her waist.
The sound of something tearing caused the old lady to open her eyes. She raised her eyebrows and said, "You're finally wearing this protective talisman?"
"Since grandmother gave it to me, I naturally have to carry it with me. Previously, I was obsessed with it and was actually a little reluctant to part with it. Who knew that grandmother wouldn't ask for a new one if it was worn out? Grandmother's love and care for you is something that your granddaughter doesn't dare to forget. "
These words were so sweet that they could practically drip honey. However, the old lady's face did not have the slightest trace of happiness. She only used a gloomy, oppressive, and hair-raising gaze to stare at her.
Yu Miaoqi lowered her head as if she had been electrocuted. Her heart suddenly thundered like a drum. She vaguely realized that she had said something wrong, but she couldn't figure out what she had said. Could it be that the old lady already knew that I burned the protective talisman, so she tested me several times?
As soon as this thought appeared, it caused her breathing to stop. If that was the case, it would be extremely difficult to win over the old lady in the future! In the old lady's mind, she was probably already a two-faced, hypocritical, and pretentious character! Wrong, wrong, wrong. Why was every step wrong? Could it be that this step was wrong again?
After thinking about it several times in her mind, Yu Miaoqi felt like she was sitting on a board of nails. She wanted nothing more than to fly away.
Just at this moment, two servant girls pushed Yu Xiang into the room. She nodded at them one by one in greeting.
The Lin Clan coldly snorted. Their gazes were as sharp as knives as they pierced her. The old lady lightly patted the soft couch next to her and called, "Xiang'er, come sit with the old ancestor."
The two servant girls carried her to the soft couch and tidied up her skirt.
Yu Xiang leaned against the kang table. She turned the screen of the small kang bed with one hand and propped up her chin with the other. She lazily asked, "Old ancestor, did something big happen at home? I was just about to take an afternoon nap. I can't even open my eyes right now. "
She blinked her clear cat eyes. A few strands of moisture stuck to her thick eyelashes. She looked both innocent and cute. The old lady rubbed her head and said, "Wait for your older brother and sister to come first. Your mother has something important to announce. "
The old lady's tone seemed calm, but it actually hid a sinister chill. The Lin Clan and Yu Miaoqi shifted uneasily.
Yu Xiang nodded. She moved a plate of peanuts from the kang table closer to her and began to peel them. She didn't eat them. She only pouted her red lips and blew off the inner layer of red clothing, leaving the round peanuts behind.
For a moment, the only sound that could be heard in the silent hall was the cracking of peanut shells. There was also the sound of the red clothing curling up and falling to the ground. It was like a light snowfall. The cold and solemn atmosphere quietly dissipated amidst the cracking sounds.
The old lady looked at her granddaughter, who was immersed in her work without a care in the world. Her stern face softened slightly. She then saw her granddaughter shove the handful of peanuts that she had painstakingly peeled into her hands and urged her to eat quickly. The old lady immediately smiled and lovingly pinched her cheeks. Although Yu Miaoqi was her blood-related granddaughter, she still couldn't compare to the granddaughter that she had raised herself. There was still a gap between them emotionally.
At this moment, Yu Miaoqi finally realized that it was impossible for her to win the old lady's favor over Yu Xiang. Originally, she still had a chance when she first came back. However, she burned the old lady's protective talisman and also burned the gentle image that she had painstakingly built.
She could only blame herself for not understanding the situation in the Marquis Household. The Lin Clan wasn't the mistress of the household. Instead, their status was awkward and neither high nor low. Other than Mama Kim, everyone else in her small courtyard had probably become the old lady and Yu Xiang's informants.
It was just the death of her husband, but she made it seem like the sky had collapsed. She was truly useless!
The more Yu Miaoqi thought about it, the more she hated the Lin Clan.
-----
Mama Kim had been ordered to invite Master Hou. At this moment, she was trembling in fear at the door of the study. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she was frozen by Master Hou's cold and indifferent gaze. She hurriedly lowered her head. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the room full of portraits. Her heart trembled fiercely.
She was very familiar with the people in the painting. They were all Yu Xiang's extremely beautiful face, from the age of ten to fourteen. Some of them were crying, some of them were laughing, some of them were happy, some of them were sad, some of them were sitting, and some of them were lying down. All kinds of expressions and postures were so vivid and lifelike. Moreover, there was a strong sense of nostalgia flowing out from every stroke of the painting. Even people who didn't know how to appreciate paintings couldn't ignore it.
Mama Kim thought about how her master intended to deal with Yu Xiang today. She had even asked Master Hou to be the judge. She was afraid that her master wouldn't be able to do as she wished. Not only would she not be able to do as she wished, but there would also be a rift between her and Master Hou. Mother and son weren't close to begin with. In the future, it would develop to the point where they would be at each other's throats.
Thinking of this, she became more and more regretful. However, she had no choice but to obey her master's orders. She could only grit her teeth and continue to wait.
Yu Pinyan stood behind the desk with an unfinished portrait spread out in front of him. A pair of beautiful eyes revealed a profound light under his repeated strokes. Only a little bit of cherry lips remained uncolored.
He diluted the cinnabar, dipped it in a brush, and tested the color on the paper next to him. He felt that it was still too rich, so he diluted it a little more. He tested the color again and again before he dared to lightly dye the appropriate amount of cinnabar on the cherry lips. He had used his finger to stroke the small lips countless times in reality. In the portrait, he was also unable to move his eyes away.
He stared fixedly for a long time until the ink at the tip of the brush was about to dry. Only then did he look at Mama Kim and ask, "What is it?"
Mama Kim trembled and said in a low voice, "Replying to Master Hou, Madam asked you to go to the main courtyard. She said that she has something important to discuss with you."
"I'm not going." Yu Pinyan's refusal was very straightforward. As he spoke, he dipped the brush into the brush washer and stirred it.
Mama Kim took a deep breath and continued, "Replying to Master Hou, this matter concerns Miss Three. Please be sure to …"
Before she could finish speaking, the handsome youth threw down the brush and walked away with his hands clasped behind his back. As he passed by her, he glanced indifferently at her. Those deep eyes, which seemed to have been tempered for countless light years, didn't have a trace of human life. There was only the coldness of a storm.