As Lady Luo was about to send someone to look for her, Yining walked in. The old lady raised an eyebrow, “You look so happy. Did your Third Brother escort you back?”
Yining nodded and sat down beside Lady Luo. Seeing her reading a Buddhist sutra, Yining paused for a moment.
Her sister-in-law loved reciting Buddhist scriptures, especially after her husband Lu Jiaran died. She would chant all day long. After years of hearing these chants, Yining found she could recite them too. Lady Luo was reading the Diamond Sutra.
When Yining first learned that Lu Jiaxue had killed her, she felt intense hatred and resentment. Seeing him casually pay respects to her, watching his status rise higher and higher, realizing no one could harm him anymore – she had wished she could rush out and seek revenge herself. But after reciting Buddhist scriptures for over a decade, she had calmed considerably. She realized that no matter what, she could never kill Lu Jiaxue, even now that she had been reborn as a human.
Lady Luo noticed Yining leaning on the table, watching her read the sutra. She smiled and stroked Yining’s hair, saying, “What’s the matter? Weren’t you just so happy? Your Third Brother sent some calligraphy practice sheets for you to copy. Your eldest brother also sent you some nested glass dolls. Why don’t you see if they’re fun to play with?”
Yining looked up and indeed saw a row of lucky dolls arranged from large to small by the window lattice. Ordinary dolls were made of clay, but these were made of glass, sparkling translucently in the sunlight. They must have been quite valuable. On the side table were several calligraphy practice books, clearly written by Luo Shenyuan himself in neat, meticulous handwriting. They were bound neatly into a complete volume.
“Grandmother, I don’t want to play with dolls. I’ll go practice calligraphy first. Otherwise, Third Brother will punish me when he returns,” Yining suddenly stood up, took the practice books, and headed to the study.
Lady Luo watched Yining’s retreating figure with a smile and shook her head, then glanced at Xu Mama.
Xu Mama lowered her head with a smile and said, “Our Miss Mei now knows right from wrong.”
Lady Luo nodded, “She’s becoming more and more sensible. But those who were sensible before are becoming less so. Did you send someone to tell Chen Shi about what happened in the flower hall this afternoon?”
Xu Mama replied, “This servant reported everything in detail.”
“Yiyu has always been proud. She probably doesn’t fancy the son of Deputy Magistrate Liu, but she’s extremely fond of someone like Cheng Lang,” Lady Luo said calmly. “Take my invitation token and invite Madam Liu to watch a play on the eighth. If we don’t settle this matter, Yiyu won’t be able to set her mind at ease.”
Xu Mama acknowledged the order and withdrew.
Chen Lan also learned about what had happened in the flower hall that afternoon, and she was furious. She dismissed all the maids and servants from the room. Luo Yiyu knelt before her, tears streaming down her face. Chen Lan’s hands shook with anger. After a while, she managed to say calmly, “You’ve become quite capable now, haven’t you? All those etiquette lessons have gone to waste! Although we have frequent interactions with Second Young Master Cheng, your behavior is truly embarrassing! Who told you to associate with that concubine’s daughter? She thinks of herself as a noble concubine and legitimate daughter, but does she have the face for it? She has no manners to support you, and you listened to her nonsense?”
Yiyu bit her lip, crying as she said, “Yilian may not be legitimate, but she has a gentle and modest nature, and we get along well. This wasn’t her idea; I wanted to test the waters myself. Didn’t you say that we never know unless we try…”
Chen Lan was too angry to speak. Hearing Yiyu talk back, she rolled up a book from beside her, ready to hit Yiyu.
Her maid quickly held her back, “Madam, you can’t hit her! The young miss is already so grown up!”
“She’s disgracing my Chen family’s reputation. I’m being lenient by not beating her to death!” Chen Shi pointed at Yiyu and said, “You dare to talk back? Tell me, what’s wrong with the son of Deputy Magistrate Liu that made you do such a thing!”
Yiyu had never been spoken to so harshly by her mother. Crying, she said, “How is he good enough? He’s just the son of a mere Deputy Magistrate. When I saw him last time… how could his character, appearance, and scholarship compare to Brother Cheng Lang’s!”
Hearing this, Chen Lan was even more determined to hit Yiyu, frightening Luo Yixiu who was nearby. Although she didn’t particularly like her sister, Yixiu still knelt to plead for Yiyu. Amidst the chaos, a maid came to announce that the eldest young master and second young master had come to pay their respects to Chen Shi.
As soon as Luo Yuanshan entered, he said, “Mother, don’t be in such a hurry to hit Yiyu. I think similarly to Yiyu. Deputy Magistrate Liu is only a fifth-rank official after all, and although his only son is diligent in his studies, he hasn’t passed the provincial examinations yet. On the other hand, Cheng Lang is exceptionally talented with limitless prospects.”
Luo Huaiyuan, knowing his brother was simple-minded, glanced at him to silence him.
“Mother is reprimanding our sister, why are you causing trouble?” Luo Huaiyuan helped Yiyu up. Yiyu collapsed against her brother, crying too hard to speak. Luo Huaiyuan then said, “Yiyu, do you know about Cheng Lang’s background?”
Luo Yiyu shook her head, and Luo Huaiyuan lowered his voice, “Cheng Lang… he was originally born to a concubine.”
Even Chen Lan hadn’t heard this before. She sat up straight and frowned, asking, “If he was born to a concubine, how did he become legitimate?”
Luo Huaiyuan continued, “It’s thanks to his good uncle, Lu Jiaxue. After Lu Jiaxue was appointed as governor, he had the Cheng family elevate his sister to the position of main wife. But because his sister’s background was too low, he had the heir of the Duke of Ying adopt his sister as a younger sister, thus legitimizing her position. When Cheng Lang was young, he was often bullied by his legitimate elder brothers and had a miserable time. But now, those two legitimate elder brothers are like mice seeing a cat when they encounter him…”
“Do you know how Cheng Lang dealt with his two legitimate elder brothers?” Luo Huaiyuan’s voice dropped even lower, “One of his legitimate brothers married the daughter of the Shi family from Tongzhou, but he was sickly and passed away within a year. The other married the illegitimate daughter of the Minister of Tongzhi from Shanxi, who had a foot ailment. But no one dares to say anything about it…”
Luo Yiyu, with tears in her eyes, said, “So… so what if his background isn’t perfect? I… I have nothing to say about that.”
Seeing that his sister wasn’t scared at all, Luo Huaiyuan could only sigh, “Alright, our family’s status isn’t bad. Father is a third-rank official, and we have grandfather’s family to support you. We might not be unworthy of Cheng Lang. If you like him that much, let’s have Mother try again.”
Chen Shi saw her son looking at her and waved her hand, “Your grandmother has already said it’s not possible. Besides, the Cheng family is complicated. Although Yiyu is clever, her nature has always been strong-willed and proud. How could she adapt to that?” Her anger had subsided, and she called for a maid to help Yiyu back to her room to rest. “Go back and think carefully. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow. Xiu’er, accompany your sister back.”
Luo Yiyu wiped her tears, her heart cold as ashes. She said nothing more and bowed before leaving Chen Shi’s room.
Only then did Chen Shi pull her two sons to sit down, inquiring about their studies. She never had to worry about Luo Huaiyuan’s studies, but Luo Shanshan’s nature was somewhat careless. She asked a few more questions, then lowered her voice to talk about Luo Shenyuan: “…Although the three of you are brothers, Luo Shenyuan is the eldest son of a concubine from the second branch. He’s not from the same household as you.
Now, for some reason, the old madam has become much more affectionate towards him, seeming to have forgotten about the past events. I don’t mean to sound cold, but in the future, only one person from the Luo family can hold a high position in the court. The others will have to be transferred far away to avoid suspicion. Huaiyuan, your father values you, and even the old madam praises you highly. You must work hard.”
Luo Shanshan stood up and said, “Although my studies are average, my elder brother is very intelligent and often receives praise from the teacher. He’s well-known in Baoding. Mother doesn’t need to worry. Besides, although Third Brother studies, he’s never shown any outstanding qualities. Mother doesn’t need to be concerned.”
Hearing this, Chen Shi finally relaxed, nodded, and told the two to go rest quickly.