Bai Qingyan turned around and saw Old Madam Dong sitting on the sandalwood arhat bed by the window, holding gold-inlaid copper shears with a pained expression on her face. She smiled awkwardly: “I’m not very skilled at this…”

All the maidservants in the room couldn’t help but cover their lips with handkerchiefs as they laughed.

“Old Madam, Miss… Master has sent word asking Miss to come to the study. He says a letter has arrived from the capital, addressed to Miss!” A pretty-featured young maidservant entered, bowing with a smile before speaking.

The letter from the capital should be from Jinxiu. Bai Qingyan put down the shears in her hand and bowed to Old Madam Dong: “Grandmother, I’ll go and return shortly!”

“Go, go! It’ll spare my flowers and plants!” Old Madam Dong quickly waved her hand at Bai Qingyan.

The bolder maidservants in the room were already laughing aloud. Chun Tao also laughed: “Our Miss can do everything, except tending flowers and plants and needlework—those she absolutely cannot manage.”

Old Madam Dong took the hot cloth handed to her by a maidservant and wiped her hands, laughing: “How can anyone be good at everything? Tending flowers and plants, and needlework are just pastimes for leisure. What my A’Bao knows… those are truly matters that benefit the nation and people, establishing foundations for a thousand years.”

When Old Madam Dong spoke these words, her voice was filled with pride.

“Go quickly! It’s probably a letter from that girl Jinxiu!” Old Madam Dong paused in her hand-wiping motion at this point. “Counting the days, next month… that girl Jinxiu should give birth, shouldn’t she!”

Bai Qingyan nodded: “Yes…”

“Good! Later, Grandmother will prepare a generous gift for you to take to Jinxiu on Grandmother’s behalf!” After Old Madam Dong finished speaking, she waved her hand. “Go on! Nanny Wang, quickly bring my potted plant over so I can tend to it!”

Bai Qingyan responded, bowed, and took her leave. Bringing Chun Tao with her, she left Grandmother’s courtyard and happened to encounter Concubine Luo, who had been specifically waiting for her outside Old Madam Dong’s courtyard.

Concubine Luo had been standing under the shade of a tree, holding a round fan and fanning herself anxiously. When she saw Bai Qingyan emerge, she quickly smoothed her copper-green skirt embroidered with white camellias, adjusted her red-gold hairpin, and approached with small steps to bow: “This concubine… pays respects to Princess Zhenguo.”

Bai Qingyan had never seen Concubine Luo and didn’t know who this woman was. Chun Tao kindly reminded her: “Miss, this is Concubine Luo.”

Bai Qingyan raised an eyebrow and didn’t allow Concubine Luo to rise, only saying: “Did Concubine Luo not understand clearly the words I had Chun Tao convey to you last night?”

Concubine Luo’s heart jumped. Looking at Bai Qingyan, who appeared to be just a delicate woman with ethereal beauty and a slender figure—someone who looked like an extremely soft-hearted young lady—yet when she spoke, her words were so sharp and severe.

In the end, Concubine Luo had still been deceived by her worthless brother’s persuasion. He had said that if Concubine Luo couldn’t see Master Dong these days, she could seek an audience with Princess Zhenguo and plead for him in front of the Princess. After all, Concubine Luo had borne Dong Changmao for the Dong household, so Princess Zhenguo would surely give Concubine Luo some face. Only then had Concubine Luo mustered the courage and audacity to come.

She hadn’t expected that upon meeting, Princess Zhenguo would speak so harshly and severely, leaving Concubine Luo unable to voice all the flattering words she had prepared.

“Concubine Luo’s etiquette lessons weren’t very thorough, it seems. I am at my grandmother’s house… and don’t have guards with me. If this were outside the Dong residence and Concubine Luo had so rashly approached me like this, I’m afraid your head would have fallen before you could even speak.”

Bai Qingyan’s voice was eerily cold. Concubine Luo’s neck suddenly felt chilled, and she quickly knelt: “Princess Zhenguo, spare my life!”

“Concubine Luo, out of consideration for Changmao, I was quite willing to preserve some dignity for you. But you must remember… I give you dignity, and you must be worthy of that dignity. As long as you don’t scheme against my people, I can ignore the affairs of Uncle’s inner quarters. After all, as a niece, it’s inappropriate for me to interfere in dealing with Uncle’s concubines. But if you scheme right under my nose, never mind that I want a servant to disappear—even if a maidservant beside me wanted a concubine to disappear, there would surely be people in this household eagerly rushing to help dispose of the matter cleanly.”

Scheming against people close to Princess Zhenguo…

Concubine Luo immediately trembled like a sieve. Though Bai Qingyan’s voice wasn’t loud, each word and sentence felt like needle points piercing her heart. She understood—Princess Zhenguo was talking about her intentions for coming today!

Today, Concubine Luo had originally intended to borrow Chun Tao away, arrange for her to meet her brother, and also ask whether Chun Tao had any romantic interest in her older brother.

“Before doing anything, think more about Dong Changmao. Being a concubine’s son in the Dong household is already difficult—don’t let him be unable to hold his head up in the Dong residence in the future because of you, his concubine mother!”

After speaking, Bai Qingyan headed toward Dong Qingyue’s study with Chun Tao.

Only after hearing Bai Qingyan’s footsteps fade away did Concubine Luo, her face deathly pale, collapse to the ground.

The maidservant who had been kneeling beside Concubine Luo quickly crawled to her side: “Concubine, let’s leave quickly! If Old Madam Dong sees us here, you’ll surely be punished again!”

The dazed Concubine Luo had originally harbored some hope, thinking that a maidservant from Princess Zhenguo’s side marrying her brother wouldn’t be considered marrying beneath her station. But now Bai Qingyan’s words were like a slap that woke her up!

If the Dong family weren’t Princess Zhenguo’s maternal grandmother’s house, what would she, a Dong household concubine, amount to? Her worth probably couldn’t even compare to that of a female servant besides Princess Zhenguo, let alone Princess Zhenguo’s maidservant!

She had been deluded by Princess Zhenguo’s relationship with the Dong family, actually believing her worthless brother’s words and fantasizing about having Princess Zhenguo’s personal maidservant marry her brother. It was wishful thinking!

If this matter failed, it didn’t matter if Master blamed her, but what if it implicated Changmao?

Changmao was a concubine’s son—even though he was so excellent, his position in the Dong household was still precarious. She had originally wanted to curry favor with Princess Zhenguo to help Changmao stand straighter in the Dong household in the future. But if the matter failed and dragged down her son, Concubine Luo would rather die.

“Help… help me up!” Concubine Luo said urgently.

Concubine Luo’s maidservant helped her return, and they saw her anxious brother pacing in circles in the courtyard. When he saw them, he quickly approached, craning his neck to look behind them: “Where is she?”

Concubine Luo glared fiercely at her brother: “I’m warning you, you-you’re not to mention this matter again! She’s a maidservant beside Princess Zhenguo. With that status, she could marry into a wealthy family as the main wife! Stop your wishful thinking!”

Concubine Luo’s brother’s face stiffened, and anger immediately flared up. He gritted his teeth and asked: “Did that cheap wretch say that?”

“Princess Zhenguo said it! I’m telling you… Rein in your thoughts and don’t use any dirty tricks! Otherwise… if you implicate my Changmao, I’ll drag you down with me to die!” Concubine Luo was nearly in tears as she spoke. She angrily threw down her handkerchief and returned to her room, throwing herself onto the brocade bedding and bursting into tears.