Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Her Wealth, No One Can Take It Away
When Luo Ning returned to the Marquis of Zhen Nan Manor, it was already mid-afternoon.
She first went to pay respects to Grandmother.
Then she went to visit her mother, the Senior Madam of the Marquis Manor, Madam Bai.
Senior Madam Bai wore kingfisher feather inlay jewelry. Though she was getting older, her charm had not faded; she looked noble and gentle. She said: “A’Ning, you often go into the palace to disturb the Empress Dowager. I am afraid people will find you annoying.”
Luo Ning’s expression was calm, her smile gentle. She said: “The Empress Dowager is not bothered. Today I even ran into Her Majesty the Empress. She told me to come to the Imperial Palace often to sit with her.”
Madam Bai’s eyes flickered.
There was envy and jealousy in them, but not a trace of happiness for Luo Ning.
In her past life, Luo Ning had never understood her mother’s attitude.
Only after being dead for more than ten years did she accept a fact: even a birth mother can hate her own child as much as she hates an enemy.
It was absurd.
But the world itself was absurd. Her birth mother, Madam Bai, was a woman with no sense of ethics and no shame.
“A’Ning, your temperament is ordinary. You are not very good at making people like you. I am always worried you will offend someone and drag the Marquis Manor down with you. Next time you enter the palace, I will go with you,” Madam Bai said.
She was putting her down, belittling her.
Luo Ning gave a small smile.
She was not ordinary at all. She was very interesting.
She had been a ghost for more than ten years. Other than a black dog, not even the wind had known she was there, yet she had still been able to enjoy herself.
“We can talk about it next time, Mother,” Luo Ning said.
Madam Bai asked again: “How is living in Wenqi Courtyard?”
Such a light question, yet her resentment was hidden very deep.
In her past life, Luo Ning had moved back to Wenqi Courtyard by throwing away her good manners, using “going crazy, making a fuss, and being petty and unforgiving” to win it back.
Madam Bai had blamed her, but she had not truly been angry.
In this life, she had never been willing to accept it.
How could the darling in her heart, her most beloved Bai Ci Rong, give way to Luo Ning?
And Bai Ci Rong had to move out of Wenqi Courtyard without getting any benefit at all.
“Very comfortable,” Luo Ning said with a smile. “Wenqi Courtyard has the best location. It is the hub of the whole Marquis Manor. Only by living there do I feel that taking that stab and being sick for three years were worth it.”
Madam Bai’s cheek twitched slightly.
She had no choice but to send Luo Ning back.
At suppertime, Senior Madam Bai’s eyes were red, and her mood was low.
Eldest son Luo Yin, younger son Luo You, and Bai Ci Rong went to see her and eat dinner with her. They all noticed something was wrong.
“…Was it A’Ning who made you angry again?” Eldest son Luo Yin asked.
Madam Bai sighed: “I do not know what to do with her. I try to teach her out of kindness, so she will not rely on her merit and act arrogant, only to bring about her own ruin. She will not listen to a single word.”
“She lacks upbringing!” Luo Yin said. “Our family only got lucky, and His Majesty granted us a title. So many people give their lives for the Imperial House. Taking a single stab, what kind of great merit is that?”
Younger son Luo You said nothing and ate quietly.
Bai Ci Rong smiled and said: “Brother, do not be angry. Sister A’Ning just came back, so she feels a bit distant. It will get better as she slowly gets used to things.”
Then she turned to Madam Bai and said: “Aunt, do not worry either. Sister A’Ning will get better. She keeps talking about her merit only because she feels unsure inside. Slowly, she will learn to be less proud and less impatient.”
“As her mother, I cannot help but worry about her,” Madam Bai said.
“Mother, do not spoil her. If she does not listen, you should not be soft when it is time to punish her,” Luo Yin said.
Madam Bai nodded.
The next day, the Empress Dowager’s reward arrived at the Marquis of Zhen Nan Manor.
Marquis of Zhen Nan Luo Chong Ye led the whole household to receive the decree, only to find that the reward was given solely to Luo Ning.
Everyone was surprised.
Luo Ning had no official status. She was only an unmarried young daughter of the house, so normally she had no right to receive a reward in person.
Only because she had blocked a blade for the Empress Dowager did the Empress Dowager make an exception.
Luo Ning accepted the reward.
Eunuch Wei brought several eunuch attendants and sent the reward straight to Wenqi Courtyard.
Senior Madam Bai also brought a group of people to Wenqi Courtyard, her smile bright: “A’Ning, today is really a good day. Even my face shines because of you.”
Luo Ning smiled.
Bai Ci Rong was very enthusiastic, her smile charming: “Sister A’Ning, congratulations. The Empress Dowager always keeps you in mind.”
Luo Ning said: “Her Ladyship is kind.”
“Quick, let us see the Shimmering Jade Brocade. I have only seen Fourth Miss of the Zheng family wearing it from afar,” Senior Madam said with a smile.
Luo Ning said: “No rush. When I have made it into clothes next time, you can look then.”
Everyone fell silent.
Senior Madam’s smile did not fade: “That is exactly what I meant.”
She ordered her head maid, Song Xi: “Call the storeroom workers to come and pack for the eldest miss. Put everything into the public storeroom. Once it is all sorted, A’Ning needs to rest.”
Song Xi was about to answer when Luo Ning reached out to stop her and said with a smile: “Mother, these things are the Empress Dowager’s reward. They do not need to enter the public storeroom. I can keep them myself.”
Senior Madam’s smile cooled a little: “A’Ning, is Wenqi Courtyard planning a rebellion? Everything you eat and use comes from the public funds. Besides, you are not married yet. Even your life belongs to your parents.”
She added: “These are things rewarded by the Empress Dowager. Do you think we would be greedy for them?”
Luo Ning’s expression did not change. Her tone was light: “I know you would not. But the Empress Dowager rewarded me with an imperial edict. If I move these into the storeroom, that would put my parents in an unjust position. The Empress Dowager’s favor is far greater than the house rules of the Marquis Manor. Mother, if the Censorate submits a memorial saying the Marquis Manor embezzled a daughter’s reward, how troubled would Father be?”
Those who had come along with Senior Madam and Bai Ci Rong included the sister-in-law, two aunts, a cousin, and several concubines and younger half-sisters.
At this moment, they could all see that even though Senior Madam was pressing hard and using her authority as an elder, she was still suppressed by Luo Ning.
Not a single thread of these rewards would leave Wenqi Courtyard.
Senior Madam was the mistress of the Marquis Manor, a first-rank titled madam, yet she could not make any decisions for her own daughter.
Her prestige suffered.
The maids would probably laugh at her in private.
Senior Madam thought of this too and felt that Luo Ning was not giving her any face. Just as she was about to scold her harshly, Luo Ning said something even harsher.
She smiled and said to Senior Madam: “The Censorate submitting a report is not a big deal. But if it spreads to the ears of the prestigious clans in Shengjing, they will laugh at our family for never having seen the Empress Dowager’s rewards before, making such a mistake. If we are given the bad name of ‘never having seen the world,’ I fear it will be bad for everyone.”
Senior Madam had worked so hard to raise Bai Ci Rong up. Was it not all for “reputation”?
How could she let it be ruined over such a small matter?
Senior Madam was startled, then a bit of a smile returned to her face: “A’Ning is right.”
Then they left.
Luo Ning watched Madam Bai clench her back teeth hard, her cheek twitching, and could not help thinking of her past life.
In her past life she had been sad and angry. She could not understand why her mother saw her cousin as ten thousand times more precious than her. She had wanted to tear open her own chest and show her mother her pain, but her mother had only smiled calmly and brushed it aside every time.
When had her mother ever been angry enough for her face to twist like this?
Luo Ning closed the courtyard gate.
She did not feel any joy, only calm.
Since she had been reborn, she would live well, with a heart as still as water.
She herself was her own family, her own kin. She would no longer hope for them.
“The eldest miss really does not know how to behave, talking back to Madam like that.” In the East Main Courtyard, an old maid deliberately said this.
The servants all had their own thoughts.
The eldest miss had indeed gone a bit too far, but Senior Madam also had not shown the kindness a mother should have.
If it had been the cousin, Senior Madam would have been more caring.
“…Shimmering Jade Brocade is quite good. It can make two outfits for the banquet in the first lunar month,” Senior Madam said to Bai Ci Rong. Her anger had already calmed.
“Then Sister A’Ning will really stand out.”
“No. You will stand out then. As for A’Ning, she is already like flowers on rich brocade. She cannot be allowed to show off any more,” Senior Madam said.
Bai Ci Rong was both shocked and delighted: “Aunt, you want to give it to me?”
“Of course. Anything good I get is yours,” Senior Madam said with a smile. “Good child, I wish I could give you my very heart and my life! You suffered too much when you were little.”
“No. Being able to come to your side makes all that suffering not worth mentioning,” Bai Ci Rong said as she leaned against Senior Madam’s arms. “It is just that Sister A’Ning is not willing to give it.”
“Do not worry. She will hand it over obediently,” Senior Madam said.
Bai Ci Rong wrapped her arms around Senior Madam’s waist and softly called: “Mother.”