Chapter 13 Calculation

Mrs. Qiao sighed, looked at her eldest daughter and then at her youngest daughter, and continued her tirade:

"Look at what you two have done! On the very first day, you've already come up with so many underhanded tricks, and yet you haven't succeeded. They've all been easily deflected by the other side, and in the end, you're the ones who are embarrassed. You're really clueless!"

How have I been teaching you all? If you don't have the ability, then you'd better tone it down!

Yu Qingying kept sobbing, and upon hearing this, she became indignant again: "I only wanted to embarrass her, and I didn't do anything to her. Who knew she would be so petty? She complained to Father about walking a few extra steps, and even dared to laugh at us for not knowing how to eat crabs. She's so arrogant, and it caused my sister to be scolded by Father."

The father was biased; even though they were both his daughters, he only sided with that little bitch.

"It's just that you're not as skilled as others!"

Seeing that her daughter still looked unconvinced, Qiao was really disappointed. After scolding her for a few minutes, she said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect that Su's daughter would be so shrewd at such a young age. You really can't judge a book by its cover. She looks gentle and harmless on the surface, but her words and actions are so watertight that no one can find fault with her. You two should not provoke her in the future."

Yu Qingying bit her lip and argued, "Why should I? Do you think you can ride on my and my sister's heads? She's just a concubine who came back halfway. She should be grateful to our mother for allowing her to return to the family and acknowledge her ancestors. She should be fawning over us sisters, just like that wretched girl Yu Lian did in front of us."

But she's so arrogant right after she got back; anyone who didn't know better would think she was the legitimate daughter of the Earl's family.

"I don't care, I can't swallow this insult! Mother, find a way to prevent her from being listed in the family genealogy tomorrow. If she's not listed, she won't be considered a true daughter of our Marquis's family. Let's see how arrogant she can be then!"

Qiao poked her forehead a few times and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? You didn't listen to anything I said? You're not allowed to call her an outsider anymore. From now on, you can only call her Third Sister."

And if she can't be included in the family genealogy, how will she marry into the general's mansion in place of your sister?

"Tomorrow's events absolutely cannot go wrong. Only if she's smoothly registered in the family genealogy can Mother make arrangements for what follows. So, both of you, keep quiet and absolutely do not provoke that little bitch again. Be good friends with her for a few days, and even try to coax her into getting along with you. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing her mother mention her marriage, Yu Qingyan immediately understood the implications and quickly nodded, assuring her, "I understand, Mother. Don't worry, I will get along well with her. After the family genealogy matter is over tomorrow, I will take the initiative to reconcile with her."

Still worried, Mrs. Qiao looked at her youngest daughter and warned, "You are not allowed to say anything about 'other woman' again, or your father will punish you severely if he hears it."

Seeing her mother's stern tone, Yu Qingying could only pout and nod reluctantly.

Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled and comforted her, "That's more like it. It's better to get that little slut to lower her guard and take your sister's place in the bridal sedan chair at the General's Mansion than anything else."

Once she marries him, she'll have no hope for the rest of her life. We won't have to do anything; we'll just have to watch her suffer a living hell.

Hearing their mother say this, the two sisters nodded with joy on their faces and said, "We'll do as Mother says."

A satisfied smile appeared on Qiao's face. So what if Su occupies the title of the legal wife? In the end, won't your daughter still be my daughter's pawn? Once your daughter is married in place of her, I'll find a way to deal with you.

Yu Qingci brought Tong'er back to the Wisteria Courtyard, feeling utterly exhausted after a long day.

When Siqin saw the two return, she stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Third Miss, you must be tired today. I have prepared hot water. Would you like to take a bath?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingci nodded, instructed Tong'er to urge the heating to come up, and then took off the purse she was wearing at her waist and casually placed it on the table before walking towards the bathroom behind the screen.

Soon a voice came from inside: "Siqin, you've had a hard day, go back and rest. Tong'er will come in to serve you later."

Upon hearing this, Siqin's eyes darted around. There was no one else in the room at the moment. She gritted her teeth, walked to the table, picked up the purse that Yu Qingci had placed on it, quickly stuffed it into her sleeve, and then turned and left.

Siqin encountered Tong'er carrying hot water with two maids at the door. She said, "Third Miss said she doesn't need me to serve her inside. She's more used to Tong'er's service."

Tong'er nodded: "Then Sister Siqin, you should go and rest. Thank you for your hard work today."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two parted ways.

Tong'er led the two maids inside to refill the water. After they came out, she whispered to Yu Qingci, "Miss, the purse outside is indeed gone."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingci's lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

Tong'er asked, puzzled, "How do you know, Miss, that she will definitely take that thing?"

Yu Qingci couldn't talk about her past life, so she casually said, "She was a maidservant of the Qiao family. I was just testing her. Now that I know she's unreliable, we should be more careful in the future."

"Yes, don't worry, young lady, I will keep a close eye on her."

Tong'er nodded emphatically in assurance.

Siqin walked to the dark corner under the eaves of the courtyard. After watching Tong'er and the others go in, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She looked around to make sure no one was there, and without further hesitation, she stepped out of the Wisteria Courtyard.

After Yu Qingci finished her comfortable bath, she changed into a comfortable undergarment and sat in front of the dressing mirror to fix her makeup. Tong'er skillfully dried her hair with a towel behind her and asked, "Miss must be very tired today. After I dry your hair, Miss, please go to bed early to rest."

When she entered the Marquis's residence this time, she declined the other servants her mother had arranged to accompany her and only brought Tong'er with her.

Back when she was still in Youyang, her mother had many servants around her, all of whom were provided with the same treatment as the legitimate daughters of noble families. There were also a large number of maids and servants in the mansion.

Before leaving for the capital, my mother issued indentures to most of the servants and dismissed them, taking only a few servants who were willing to continue serving with her back to the capital.

Yu Qingci's several maids had reached marriageable age, and her mother readily let them go, leaving only Tong'er as her personal maid.

Yu Qingci looked at Tong'er behind her through the diamond-shaped dressing mirror inlaid with mother-of-pearl. This girl had been bought by her mother to serve her since she was a child. The two could be said to have grown up together, so Tong'er had always been very loyal to her and only had her as her mistress in her heart and eyes.

Recalling Tong'er's experiences in her previous life, she was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

In her previous life, Tong'er suffered a lot when she married into the Qiao family. But every time she saw her husband being tormented by his family, she would still stand in front of her without hesitation and take the beatings and insults from them for her.