The second young lady, Zheng Yutan's exquisite courtyard, was silent at this moment. The maids all held their breath.
It was only because the second young lady's personal senior maid, Lan Pei, had brought over tea that was too hot, almost scalding the young lady, that the second young lady smashed the teacup on her and made her kneel on the broken porcelain as punishment.
The maids didn't dare to breathe.
Even the second young lady's wet nurse, Madam Gan, kept her head down, doing her sewing quietly.
Only when the second young lady rose and left with another maid, Ju Zan, to visit the Old Madam in the Jade Hall, did everyone loosen up a little.
Madam Gan helped Lan Pei to her feet, tending to the wounds on her knees.
Lan Pei cried in pain.
"I heard the people at Zhai Yu Xuan bought something from the eldest young lady and sent twenty thousand taels over."
"What did the eldest young lady sell to Zhai Yu Xuan?"
"Seems like some novel thing called an abacus. Very powerful. The silver they carried in weighed two thousand jin, and it even broke the floor tiles."
The maids whispered behind Madam Gan and Lan Pei. When they mentioned twenty thousand taels, everyone sucked in a breath.
Could the eldest young lady really be that capable?
They were extremely surprised.
The eldest young lady, such a quiet clay Buddha, always smiling at everyone, actually had this kind of ability?
It seemed that making her apologize was absolutely impossible. No wonder the second young lady was angry—she even punished senior maid Lan Pei.
Lan Pei knelt on the broken porcelain; her knees were cut in several places, and she cried from the pain.
"Don't cry. If the second young lady hears you, you'll be punished again. She cannot tolerate unlucky sounds," Madam Gan warned.
Lan Pei gritted her teeth and let Madam Gan sprinkle medicine on her wounds.
"The eldest young lady got the silver, she's so jealous," Lan Pei whispered. "So she vents on us. After all, I'm a concubine-born, nowhere near the eldest young lady in uprightness."
Madam Gan shot her a stern look: "Don't talk nonsense. Watch out, walls have ears."
The second young lady hated being called concubine-born the most.
If it weren't for the times being different now—poor families rising while nobles declined—and for her still receiving the favor of the Marquis and the Old Madam, she could barely have a place.
Otherwise, with her status as concubine-born, the eldest young lady could easily suppress her.
Hence, the second young lady hated it when others spoke of concubine-born or legitimate-born.
"The second young lady is not jealous, she's worried," Madam Gan said again. "The eldest young lady earned twenty thousand taels and even made connections with the people at Zhai Yu Xuan.
What does our Marquisate lack most? Money. If the eldest young lady can earn money, who knows whose favor the Marquis and Old Madam will lean toward?"
"That's definitely the eldest young lady. Pretty as she is, so what? Remember the lady Third Master wanted to marry? She was famously beautiful, yet she was still pushed aside by the Kunzhou richest daughter," Lan Pei said.
"That's why the second young lady is angry—deep down, she's nervous," Madam Gan said. "If she's unlucky, us servants will have even harder days."
Lan Pei nodded.
"From now on, serve even more carefully. Don't touch her bad luck," Madam Gan said.
The two became even more cautious.
Zheng Yutan went to the Old Madam's Jade Hall. A short while later, someone came to summon the eldest young lady, Zheng Qian, to see the Old Madam.
Zheng Qian was still taking her afternoon nap.
Hong Luan came in to wake her, combing her hair and helping her dress.
Seeing that she wanted to take her cat, Hong Luan persuaded her: "The Old Madam doesn't like cats, she only likes dogs. Miss, you better not bring Ah Chou."
"It's fine, I'll be right back," Zheng Qian said.
The maids Cai Yuan, Xiuzhu, and Madam Dai all came to attend her.
They all said: "If the Old Madam mentions the silver, Miss, just play dumb. Don't agree to anything."
They truly feared that the eldest young lady, in a moment of impulse, would hand over all the silver for a few light praises from the Old Madam.
"I know," Zheng Qian smiled.
When she arrived at the Old Madam's Jade Hall, she could hear laughter from afar.
Many people were present.
The maids in the courtyard looked at her coldly. Although she had just received twenty thousand taels, it changed nothing; that money would soon no longer belong to her.
A young lady not yet married—why should she have so much private silver?
"The eldest young lady has arrived," a maid announced, lifting the curtain.
The laughter inside paused slightly.
An old, stern voice rang: "Let that unfilial thing come in."
The maid gave Zheng Qian a contemptuous glance: "Miss, please enter."
Xiuzhu, who had accompanied Zheng Qian, was a little nervous.
Zheng Qian seemed unaware, holding the cat in her arms, stepping lightly into the main hall of the Jade Hall.
Inside were many people. Zheng Qian glanced around—everyone was family, no outsiders.
At the head sat an elderly woman in a dark blue robe embroidered with five bats holding longevity symbols. Her hair adorned with gold hairpins, ears with pairs of tourmaline earrings, a large sapphire the size of a fingernail on her forehead piece—wealth radiated from her.
The poorer one is, the more one clings to appearances, Zheng Qian thought as she looked.
She bowed: "Grandmother."
The Old Madam, still speaking with Zheng Yutan, glanced at Zheng Qian and snorted coldly: "Kneel!"
Zheng Qian, still holding the cat, smiled: "Grandmother jokes. How dare your granddaughter kneel casually? If I weren't a bodhisattva, kneeling once would shorten my lifespan. Kneeling lightly would curse you, wouldn't it?"
Everyone froze.
It was the first time they'd heard such twisted reasoning.
Amid the shock, they also understood the subtext: the eldest young lady implied the Old Madam's fortune wasn't sufficient to endure this respect—kneeling would shorten her life.
Her words were venomous.
The Old Madam froze, then her hands trembled with anger: "You dare defy me—do you want me to enforce family discipline?"
Everyone tried to calm her.
Some said the eldest young lady was naïve; some said she hadn't truly defied her, only thought for her well-being.
After a while, the Old Madam's anger eased slightly.
She pressed a hand to her chest, gripping Zheng Yutan's hand, and said angrily:
"Go back! If I see you, I'll shorten your lifespan by a few years. That silver you obtained improperly has shamed the Jing'an Marquisate. You dare keep it? Bring every last coin immediately, or family discipline will not spare you."
Zheng Qian calmly asked: "Grandmother knows I received the silver?"
"Do you plan to deceive me?" the Old Madam shouted.
Zheng Qian: "No. But if I handed it over, and others said I robbed my own granddaughter, wouldn't that be my fault?"
The Old Madam was speechless.
Good. She actually said it openly. The Old Madam was both furious and shocked—how did Zheng Qian suddenly have the courage to defy her? She clearly needed a lesson. She used to be timid and submissive.
"Someone, bring the family disciplinary tools!" the Old Madam demanded. She wanted Zheng Qian beaten to retrieve the silver.
Everyone exchanged anxious glances, unsure how to intervene.