The gift of gratitude for Xiao Xun was selected by Chu Tang. After selecting the gift, she went to see Chu Lan and Jiang Shi.
Chu Lan, claiming illness from shock, refused to see anyone. Chu Tang was too lazy to talk much with her father’s side anyway, so she only met with Jiang Shi to tell her not to worry.
“Linglong was foolish and clumsy, falling in by accident. The heir was kindhearted and couldn’t bear to see an innocent person implicated, so he saved her.”
“I went with the flow and gave Linglong to the heir. This way, it shows we understand gratitude and propriety, and the heir also appears magnanimous with a gentleman’s bearing.”
“Moreover, Linglong was aware of what happened. Giving her to the heir is also our way of making amends and putting the heir’s mind at ease.”
Jiang Shi had no patience to listen to these matters. She only grasped Chu Tang’s hand and asked, “Will the heir hold a grudge against us? Will he blame us? Will he harm us?”
If she hadn’t heard Chu Zhao say those words earlier, Chu Tang would have shared this concern. But now—
She roughly understood that Prince Zhongshan’s heir intended to approach their Chu family—or more directly speaking, Chu Ling.
And Chu Ling had no intention of associating with Prince Zhongshan’s heir.
Therefore, having one’s desires thwarted would naturally breed resentment.
However, since Chu Zhao, or Uncle, dared to act this way, they must have the confidence not to fear the consequences.
In any case, this matter actually had nothing to do with Chu Lan and his wife. In Xiao Xun’s eyes, they were merely being used.
“Mother.” Chu Tang pressed Jiang Shi back into her seat. “Don’t worry, nothing will happen. I’ve already selected generous gifts.”
She even took out the gift list to show Jiang Shi.
The list was indeed valuable. Jiang Shi didn’t feel the slightest heartache about it; rather, she felt immensely reassured.
“Moreover, with Linglong now serving the heir, if the heir has any instructions for our family, it will be much more convenient.” Chu Tang said with a smile.
Jiang Shi nodded repeatedly, feeling even more at ease. “Exactly so. Linglong was trained by your own hands. The maids at your side are all clever and sharp.”
What kind of creature she had trained with her own hands—Chu Tang rolled her eyes internally. When that lowly maid heard she could become the heir’s servant, she had no regard left for her mistress. She ran off without looking back, not even a single glance.
Chu Tang was too lazy to say more. These few words were enough to pacify her parents. She took her leave and returned to her own courtyard. By then, it was already time to light the lamps.
The lamps in the room were lit, but somehow it felt rather dim.
Chu Tang frowned. “Linglong, why isn’t the lamp by the mirror lit?”
A young maid rushed forward in panic to light it. “It’s this servant’s fault.”
Chu Tang came to her senses, remembering that Linglong was no longer there.
Looking around the room again, although Linglong was gone, the maids seemed to have suddenly multiplied—all crowding toward her.
“All the matters attending Miss were handled by Sister Linglong. We’re clumsy and awkward, so she never let us come near in daily affairs.” The young maid said with her head lowered.
Chu Tang was amused again. This little maid even knew to report Linglong’s behavior, knowing that Miss now disliked Linglong, sharing her grievance.
“Enough, if you don’t know how, learn slowly.” She said lazily, pointing at the young maid and thinking of her name. “Dingdong, you shall replace Linglong from now on.”
The young maid Dingdong was overjoyed, while the other maids were both annoyed and jealous that this little girl had seized the opportunity first.
“Thank you, Miss.” Dingdong knelt and kowtowed repeatedly. “I will certainly do everything well.”
Chu Tang smiled ambiguously. “No need to do too well, lest when you leave in the future, I’ll be reluctant to let you go.”
Dingdong immediately raised her head. “This servant will absolutely never leave Miss. I live as Miss’s person, and if someone else saves me, I’ll immediately die and be reborn to repay that kindness in the next life.”
Chu Tang laughed. Mother was right—the maids at her side truly were all clever and sharp, though none of them had much heart.
Linglong was like this, and now this little maid was the same. Don’t be fooled by her seemingly heartfelt devotion—when a good opportunity arose, she’d run away no slower than Linglong.
But it didn’t matter. Maids were meant to be used. Could one really treat them as true sisters? Even real sisters calculated against each other.
It just depended on who could outmaneuver whom.
This time, she had been outmaneuvered.
But strangely, she didn’t feel angry. Instead, she had a peculiar feeling.
Chu Zhao actually didn’t want to marry Prince Zhongshan’s heir?
Or rather, when Uncle sent Chu Zhao back, it wasn’t to secure his daughter’s lifelong marriage prospects, but for some other scheme?
Looking at what Chu Zhao had done—showing no courtesy to Liang Siqing, showing no fear of the Third Prince, and now even daring to scheme against Prince Zhongshan’s heir.
Setting aside what Uncle ultimately wanted to accomplish, just considering Chu Zhao herself—a young woman could do things other than scheming about marriage prospects?
Chu Tang sat before her desk, gazing at the lamp, her eyes shining brightly.
……
……
“How could this happen?”
In the courier station, under the indoor lamplight, the scholar Ning Kun looked shocked, staring at the maid standing outside the room.
To avoid attracting attention, he rarely appeared in public together with the heir.
This trip to Chu Garden hadn’t required his personal attendance either. Setting aside Chu Lan and his wife’s foolishness, the heir always acted cautiously and meticulously, never failing.
Today he had deliberately visited several households, drinking and chatting leisurely and contentedly. He only returned at dusk, and upon returning, first met with Tie Ying to inquire whether the matter had been handled properly.
Tie Ying glanced in a certain direction. “It’s handled. The person has been brought back.”
He had been stunned at that moment. What did bringing the person back mean?
“Scholar Ning, what a fine idea you came up with, insisting the heir save someone.” Tie Ying sneered. “The heir saved the person, so naturally he had to bring her back.”
He had long found this scholar displeasing, constantly giving the heir foolish suggestions.
What nonsense—this foolish guard couldn’t even speak clearly. Ning Kun had long found him displeasing. There were plenty of guards with excellent martial skills. Why did the heir need to keep this boy at his side?
Following where Tie Ying pointed, he indeed saw an additional woman standing in the corridor, head lowered, delicate and timid.
Could it be? Were Chu Lan and his wife so shameless? Saving someone and then forcing that person on him?
He had never met Chu Zhao and hurried to ask Xiao Xun, only to learn he’d been teased by Tie Ying.
That damned boy! But there was no time to deal with him now. Ning Kun urgently asked what had happened, and Xiao Xun explained the sequence of events.
“The young lady falling into the water became a maid falling into the water, so saving the young lady became saving a maid.”
After saving a young lady, it would be impossible to immediately give her to him. But maids and servants were property—the master gifting them was a fine tale, and accepting her would be perfectly reasonable.
Why did this happen?
Xiao Xun sat under the lamp, saying with a smile, “Naturally because I was schemed against.”
Ning Kun recovered his senses. Of course he knew that too, but—
“Who schemed against you?” he asked. “Chu Lan and his wife?”
Impossible!
“Their daughter? I have heard people in the capital say that Chu Lan’s sons are all foolish and incompetent, but his daughter is intelligent and smooth.”
But those were just the petty schemes of young girls amusing themselves.
Xiao Xun waved his hand at him. “What would they scheme against me for? I wasn’t scheming against them. Schemes are always mutual. So whoever I schemed against naturally would scheme against me.”
Ning Kun understood. “Chu Zhao?”
Prince Zhongshan had said this girl rather resembled Chu Ling, but he meant her proud temperament. As for intelligence—
Even if she had intelligence, the most crucial element in this matter wasn’t intelligence—it was information.
The heir’s move relied on Chu Lan’s family all disliking Chu Zhao, ensuring they would definitely hide it from her.
“How did she find out?”
Moreover, Chu Lan and his wife didn’t even know what the heir intended to do!
“No need to ponder it—these details are unimportant.” Xiao Xun said. “She also made no attempt to conceal it. From the very beginning, she openly expressed her dislike of me. This time as well—”
He pointed at the clothes he was wearing.
“Look, she told me plain as day that she knows everything.”
She knew what he intended to do, knew he would jump into the water, so she even had spare clothes prepared.
Looking at himself in the mirror, these clothes fit him perfectly. The fabric and colors were all to his liking. A strange thought arose—this girl was very familiar with him—
The thought flashed by, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
Ning Kun shook his head. “Heir, you can still laugh about this.”
That girl had actually broken through this scheme. What came next wouldn’t be easy to handle.
“Of course I can laugh. How interesting.” Xiao Xun said, looking at himself in the mirror, his smile deep and his dimples pronounced. “So it turns out that besides expressing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness toward me, there are girls who can scheme against me too.”