Madam Qin said, “Take her to the flower hall,” then closed her eyes to focus on striking the wooden fish and chanting sutras. Mother Wu dared not disturb her and quietly withdrew. She understood perfectly – Madam Qin was deliberately putting Xiang Lan in her place. Among the women in Young Master’s residence, two had departed just last night, and Yingge remained out of favor. Only Xiang Lan was most cherished, so Madam Qin had resolved to subdue her – giving her the cold shoulder was nothing. Mother Wu naturally didn’t want to displease her master, so she came out and softly told Xiang Lan, “Madam is still chanting sutras, you’ll have to wait a while.”

Xiang Lan suppressed her discomfort and nodded slightly. Looking around, she observed that Madam Qin’s quarters were furnished with extremely plain but substantial pieces, showing no trace of luxury. The chair covers and tablecloths were all matching indigo blue brocade with gold threads, neither new nor old. Yet upon closer inspection, one could detect the profound heritage of a great family – the “Early Spring” painting on the wall was Guo Xi’s famous work, the paired scrolls were Du Huan’s original calligraphy, and on the long table sat a jade plum tree bonsai symbolizing longevity, though small, it radiated brilliance that lit up half the room.

Mother Wu led her to the adjacent flower hall. Xiang Lan sat down, and Lvlan personally brought her a cup of tea, saying with a smile, “Madam usually chants for one session daily. Miss, please wait here – it won’t be long.” Xiang Lan responded with a slight smile. She had no friendship with Lvlan, whose current friendly face was surely due to the silver’s effect.

After sitting idle for a while, Xiang Lan heard faint laughter from outside. The curtain lifted as Lin Dongling and Lin Dongxiu entered talking, then stopped short seeing Xiang Lan inside.

Lin Dongling frowned and demanded loudly, “Why are you here?”

Xiang Lan raised an eyebrow but pretended not to hear. Mother Wu was still present and quickly explained, “Madam asked Miss Xiang Lan to come.”

Lin Dongling snorted and entered, sitting far away. Lin Dongxiu followed but turned to give Xiang Lan a warm, friendly smile.

Xiang Lan was startled, thinking her eyes must be playing tricks.

Lvlan busied herself brewing tea for the two Young Ladies and brought out a mother-of-pearl lacquered Eight Treasures box for them to sample the preserved fruits. Once seated, Lin Dongxiu smiled at Xiang Lan, “Haven’t seen you in ages! You look even prettier today. No wonder Big Brother wants to keep such a beauty hidden away!”

At these words, Lin Dongling was greatly surprised and immediately glared at Lin Dongxiu, who pretended not to notice and kept smiling.

Xiang Lan thought to herself, “Didn’t Fourth Young Lady always dislike me? Why this sudden change?” As the saying goes, “Don’t strike a smiling face,” so Xiang Lan curved her lips slightly and said, “Fourth Young Lady jests. I’m lazy and don’t like going out, and you rarely visit Zhichun Pavilion, so we naturally don’t meet.”

Lin Dongxiu held her teacup and smiled, “Then I’ll come visit you every day from now on – you mustn’t get annoyed and chase me away.”

Lin Dongxiu was the most calculating among the Lin daughters, always instigating others while reaping the benefits herself. Xiang Lan didn’t wish to become close to her and merely smiled faintly, “As long as Young Lady doesn’t find me dull.”

Before she finished speaking, Lin Dongling said to Mother Wu, “I heard your eldest son has done well for himself lately, freed from servitude to serve under Young Master. The aunt said he might receive an official position after New Year’s, then he can bring you back to enjoy a comfortable life.”

Mother Wu smiled, “It’s all thanks to Madam and Young Master’s blessing that my boy has achieved something. I came from the Lin family originally – I wouldn’t dare forget my roots. Even if Madam drove me away, I couldn’t leave.”

Lin Dongling blinked her large eyes and said, “Mother Wu truly deserves to be one of Madam’s longtime servants – you know your place and remember not to forget your origins.” She turned to look at Xiang Lan, tilting her head with a grin, “Xiang Lan, don’t you agree?”

Xiang Lan was taken aback. These words contained barbs, reminding Xiang Lan of her servant origins to mock her, but Lin Dongling maintained such a smiling face that one could find no fault. This kind of verbal sparring was most disgusting – responding in kind would be like childish squabbling and beneath one’s dignity; ignoring it would not only be personally uncomfortable, but if Lin Dongling thought she was easy to bully, she would surely escalate next time.

Xiang Lan smiled slightly and said, “Mother Wu is thoughtful, and more importantly, Madam is generous and virtuous. Everyone says Madam treats people extremely well and understands their hardships. Otherwise, how could she inspire such devoted service? It’s those who abuse their position as masters to mistreat others who truly lose face and only invite ridicule. Third Young Lady, don’t you agree?”

Lin Dongling, lacking depth, immediately darkened her expression and sneered, “I see you’ve grown bold with favor, daring to talk back to your masters even in Madam’s quarters. I dare not say whether I agree or not – later Big Brother might think he’s lost face and come make trouble for me, disregarding sibling bonds. After all, even when beating a dog, one must consider its master, right?”

Seeing the situation about to explode, Mother Wu hurriedly signaled Xiang Lan with her eyes while trying to change the subject. But Xiang Lan spoke slowly, “That’s an interesting way to put it. I’m no longer a Lin family servant, so there’s no question of ‘masters.’ From what Third Young Lady implies, if you bully me and Young Master confronts you about it, he’s disregarding sibling bonds, but if he doesn’t, he’s letting you damage his authority and dignity. Third Young Lady has presented Young Master with quite a dilemma.”

Lin Dongling choked on these words, never expecting Xiang Lan, who had seemed like a pitiful victim before, to match her blow for blow. She suddenly recalled their confrontation at the Song residence, and her gaze turned sharp as she pointed and demanded, “What nonsense are you spouting!”

Xiang Lan smiled faintly, “I must be talking nonsense – how could Third Young Lady possibly bully me or damage Young Master’s face?”

Lin Dongxiu chose this perfect moment to giggle “pfft” and say, “You’ve figured it out – Third Sister loves to joke around.” She secretly tugged at Lin Dongling’s sleeve and pushed the Eight Treasures box toward her, saying, “These five-spice melon seeds are very fragrant – try a handful.”

Lin Dongling had a fiery temper and needed to vent her anger to feel better. Xiang Lan’s casual dismissal of the matter left her feeling like she was punching a cotton pillow, making her face pale with rage and her chest heave violently. If they were elsewhere, she would have endlessly argued with Xiang Lan, but being in Madam Qin’s quarters, whom she had always feared, she didn’t dare lose her temper, leaving her frozen in place.

Knowing when to stop, Xiang Lan ceased provoking Lin Dongling and lowered her head to drink tea, though she shook her head inwardly. She thought about how Lin Dongling’s explosive temper would fare after marriage, with in-laws above and husband’s family below – there would be endless friction, how would she manage such a life?

Lin Dongxiu acted as if she hadn’t noticed Lin Dongling’s anger and smiled at Xiang Lan, “I heard you’re good at drawing patterns. You must draw some for me next time – Mother recently gave me a piece of new tribute satin, thick and fine. Such good material shouldn’t go to waste – I want to make clothes to wear for New Year’s.”

Lin Dongxiu was clearly showing goodwill toward Xiang Lan, who naturally accepted the gesture. Though she appeared to be in a favorable position in the mansion, her situation was precarious, so forming positive connections was always beneficial. Moreover, she had always viewed Lin Dongxiu as a young girl and never truly minded her behavior, so she smiled and said, “If Fourth Young Lady doesn’t mind, what patterns would you like? Peonies, plum blossoms, butterflies, or birds and insects? Just tell me, and I’ll draw several for you to choose from.”

Lin Dongxiu’s eyes curved in a smile, “Then I won’t be polite. That fabric is more than enough for my clothes – I’ll have an extra skirt made for you as payment for your trouble.”

Lin Dongling, face ashen, sneered, “Oh, please keep your tribute satin. Haven’t you seen the gold-threaded jacket she’s wearing? That fabric is called ‘Floating Wine Brocade’ – even the palace can’t get it. They can’t weave half a bolt in a year. Only you would treat tribute satin as treasure – such common things, she probably looks down on them!”

Lin Dongxiu was always competitive and status-conscious, and Lin Dongling’s words hit her right in the face. Despite her usual concern for face and social graces, she now glared with round eyes, her face flushed red, hands clenched into fists, barely containing her anger.

Xiang Lan acted decisively, saying to Lin Dongling, “Third Young Lady is mistaken. This outfit was actually at the bottom of a chest in Zhichun Pavilion – I don’t know who wore it before. Seeing it was still new, I couldn’t bear to throw it away, so I wore it here. Tribute satin is truly precious – if it weren’t excellent material, how could Madam have bestowed it on Fourth Young Lady?”

Lin Dongxiu felt somewhat grateful – everyone could see Xiang Lan’s outfit was new and tailored to her measurements. Ordinary people would have flaunted such a gift to show off Young Master’s favor, but Xiang Lan was willing to sacrifice her face to save Lin Dongxiu’s dignity, which was quite remarkable. She pondered secretly whether to add other items besides the skirt, like a purse or fan case, having Hanzhi prepare an extra set. She smiled and said, “That’s right, Madam is most generous – everything she gives me is precious. Last time she gave me a pair of pure gold-red coral earrings – everyone who saw them said they’d never seen such pure blood-red coral. Third Sister should be careful with her words, lest she drag Madam into this.” She shot a triumphant glance at Lin Dongling.

Lin Dongling glared at Xiang Lan, who turned her face away, ignoring her. If Lin Dongling were the type to quit while ahead, Xiang Lan wouldn’t mind yielding – better to avoid trouble, as she had never been confrontational. But Lin Dongling loved to push her advantage, and now they were in Madam’s quarters, surrounded by Madam’s eyes and servants who treated people according to their status. If she showed weakness, it would only invite contempt and disdain. She never acted unreasonably, but she also absolutely refused to let others humiliate her at will.

Xiang Lan’s indifferent attitude further enraged Lin Dongling, who shot to her feet and was about to slam the table and curse when someone at the door announced, “Madam is coming.”

Before the words finished, Hongzhan lifted the curtain and Madam Qin entered gracefully. She wore a navy blue jacket with chrysanthemum and wild geese carrying reed flowers pattern, paired with a foot-wide skirt of sea-wave pattern sheepskin with gold trim and embroidered edges. Her hair was done in a golden Eight Treasures style, adorned with a small phoenix hairpin and kingfisher feather ornaments, with a silver pearl headband. Her face wore the lightest touch of powder and rouge, radiating nobility and commanding presence.