Chapter 34
Chapter 34: Authority Restored
Grand Princess Jia Hong’s birthday banquet was held as planned.
Bai Ci Rong’s wrist was injured and her chin was a little swollen. She absolutely could not appear in public looking like that, so Marchioness Bai finally gave up on sending her.
Old Madam took Luo Wan to the banquet.
Since it was not Luo Ning who went, the Marchioness felt a bit more at ease, and she did everything properly on the surface.
When Wan Xi came back, Luo Wan was quite excited.
The next day, Second Madam brought along a rough servant woman and picked out two baskets of game for Luo Ning.
Second Madam said: “Mountain pheasants, wild rabbits, and wild deer. Half are fresh, half are cured meat. A’Ning can take her time eating them. These all come from my dowry country estate.”
Luo Ning smiled and said: “Aunt, this is exactly what I wanted. I’ve been craving wild pheasant soup these days.”
Luo Ning had given the chance at the banquet to Luo Wan. With Second Madam’s finances, she could not afford a full matching set of hair ornaments.
Luo Ning was not lacking one or two pieces of jewelry. If she took them, they would just sit at the bottom of a chest, and it would not mean much.
The game, however, was special. And Luo Ning had just added a small kitchen. Once the wild pheasant soup was ready, she could send some to Old Madam and the Marchioness and show off a little at the same time.
That was why Luo Ning said the gift hit right in her heart.
Second Madam said: “This time A’Wan went to the banquet and met two young ladies, one from the Earl of Loyal Service’s manor and one from Commandery Princess Yanping’s manor. She finally has some friends. It is thanks to you letting her go.”
Luo Ning said: “A’Wan is my sister. In the end, we are blood family. I am already under the Empress Dowager’s care. If I still tried to grab more benefits, wouldn’t people resent me? Since there is a good opportunity, of course I should think of my own sisters first. I do understand this difference between close and distant.”
Second Madam broke into a bright smile.
She said to Luo Ning: “Aunt will remember what you have done. If anything comes up in the future, just tell Aunt.”
Luo Ning took the chance to say with a smile: “Right now there is something I really do need Aunt’s help with.”
“What is it?”
Luo Ning asked: “On the afternoon of the third day of the second month, could Aunt find a chance to wait for a while at the front gate?”
“How long?”
Luo Ning did not remember the exact time. She had only heard the servants say it would be on the afternoon of the third.
“Aunt, just handle it as you see fit,” Luo Ning said.
Second Madam thought for a moment, then had an idea: “All right. I happen to have some pearls that are not very valuable. They have turned yellow. When the time comes, I will scatter them at the gate and have a maidservant slowly pick them up.”
Luo Ning: “…”
She could not help laughing.
Second Madam looked at her once, then looked at her again: “A’Ning, you have changed a lot.”
Luo Ning put away her smile: “Have I?”
Second Madam said: “You used to be a bit suspicious and quick-tempered. This time when you came back, the family had changed a great deal, but you have been able to handle everything. You really have grown up.”
Luo Ning said: “When a person leaves home and almost dies far away, of course she can see through everything.”
Second Madam’s chest ached.
If it had been Luo Wan who got hurt, even though the twin sons were still young, she would have gone south with A’Wan to nurse her back to health.
Even if she could not stay and watch her all the time, she would at least go with her, settle her down, live with her for a few months, arrange all the people and matters around her properly, and then come back.
When the child came home again, she would also go to meet her in person.
The Marchioness, however, had rushed to send Luo Ning away, then claimed she missed her daughter so much she could not sleep at night and brought her niece to stay at her side.
Luo Ning must have felt so wronged.
Yet on Luo Ning’s face there was no sorrow, no pitiful look.
She even seemed a little happy.
Second Madam felt that after surviving a great disaster, Luo Ning had become open and fearless.
Ordinary people could not do this. Many people, after they were hurt, only became more timid and cautious.
So when Second Madam said Luo Ning had changed a lot and was moving in a better direction, it really surprised her in a good way.
After sitting and chatting for a while, Second Madam rose to take her leave.
Luo Ning’s small kitchen began to clean and prepare the game Second Madam had sent over.
When the wild pheasant soup was done, it was sent at dinner time to the tables of Grandmother, the Marquis of Zhen Nan, and the Marchioness.
The Marquis of Zhen Nan was eating with the pregnant Concubine Song.
Concubine Song praised the soup over and over.
So the Marquis of Zhen Nan told a maidservant to bring a set of copybooks to reward Luo Ning.
Old Madam also liked the soup very much.
The Marchioness could not eat. She pushed the bowl aside and told a maidservant to take it away and pour it out.
“She just got a small kitchen, and already food is being sent here and there. It makes her look so capable,” the Marchioness said in annoyance.
She was unhappy, but the other servants and stewardesses had plenty to say.
“Old Madam tasted the chicken soup and was overjoyed. The eldest miss is so filial.”
“Everyone says how good the cousin is. No matter how good she is, she was not born from our Marchioness’s belly. She can’t compare to the eldest miss.”
“No matter how much the marquis manor dotes on the cousin, they would never set up a small kitchen for her. In the end, the eldest miss is still the legitimate young lady.”
The gossip flew around and, without anyone noticing, it raised Luo Ning’s standing once again.
When Luo Ning’s maidservant Qiu Lan went out on errands, second-class maids from other courtyards would call her “sister”.
Among the maidservants, “sister” was a respectful form of address. They were all second-class maids. If their master was weak, others would not even bother to speak to them, much less call them sister.
Qiu Lan showed no change in her face and stayed steady. She also called the others “sister” in return and did not take advantage.
Life went on like this.
The matter of the concubine-born daughter Luo Xuan’s broken leg had long been forgotten. Instead, Bai Ci Rong went several times to Old Madam’s courtyard, talking about how the swelling in her wrist had gone down and the wound on her chin had healed, always trying to draw attention.
Old Madam was sick of her, so sick she could not even be bothered to give her a smile.
Only for the sake of the Marchioness, the household matriarch, did she not scold Bai Ci Rong.
The servants watched the wind and trimmed their sails. Very soon, the cousin was not so respected in the marquis manor anymore.
Once, when Bai Ci Rong went out and had just walked out of the Chuihua Gate, she remembered she had forgotten her handkerchief. She casually pointed to a maidservant passing by and told her to fetch it.
That maidservant smiled and said: “Cousin, this servant still has work to do. Wouldn’t it be better if you sent one of your own people to get it?”
Looking more closely, this maidservant was a second-class maid from Old Madam’s side.
Bai Ci Rong’s face darkened.
The maidservant gave her a quick curtsey, then left without waiting for Bai Ci Rong to say anything.
Bai Ci Rong was so angry that her cheeks twitched.
When she married into the marquis manor, the people behind her gave her four shops. One of them was a silk shop with very good income. Today Bai Ci Rong was on her way to check the accounts.
After being angered by the maidservant, she was no longer in the mood and went to the East Main Courtyard to complain to the Marchioness instead.
The Marchioness was furious too: “Which maidservant was it? Her eyes hold no one. I might as well dig them out.”
Bai Ci Rong said: “Let it go, Aunt. That maidservant is very sly. She will surely report to Old Madam first. If you touch her, you will only offend Old Madam.”
The Marchioness said: “That old woman, why is she still not dead?”
Bai Ci Rong jumped in fright and quickly looked around.
Luckily, only Nanny Zhen, the trusted aide, was there.
The Marchioness said: “It is all because of A’Ning. Ever since she came back, she has stirred this house into a mess. I will need some time to bring everything back to order.”
Just as Luo Ning had guessed, the Marchioness started thinking about the eldest daughter-in-law.
The concubine-born daughter Luo Xuan had become a useless piece on the board, so it was time to make use of the eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Wen.
Madam Wen had a soft and gentle personality. The Marchioness had never liked that about her.
Her father was a junior fourth rank section chief in the Ministry of Revenue. Civil officials ranked higher than military generals. Back when the Luo clan had not yet earned a noble title, marrying Madam Wen had counted as marrying into a good family.
Even though Madam Wen’s personality did not quite suit the Marchioness, because she was easy to control, the Marchioness had always treated her well.
Madam Wen had also given birth to the eldest grandson.
But now the Luo family was the household of the Marquis of Zhen Nan. The Marchioness’s mindset had changed. She had become much harsher toward Madam Wen, always picking at her and finding fault with her.
With such an eldest daughter-in-law, the Marchioness did not care about her feelings. She was ready to use her as a chess piece.