Chapter 8 Entering the Mansion 2

Two prayer cushions had already been placed on the ground. The siblings stepped forward and knelt down before Madam Zhang, respectfully kowtowing several times. Madam Zhang's gloomy expression softened slightly, and she sat there accepting their greetings.

Because of her deep-seated dislike for Su Chengniang, Madam Zhang had held a rather unfavorable impression of the siblings ever since she learned of their existence. She coldly watched as the two children kowtowed to her before letting out a soft snort and saying:

"Get up."

The two women stood up, and Madam Zhang beckoned to them: "Come over here and let me take a closer look."

Yu Jingsheng quickly gestured for them to come over, and the two of them walked respectfully to Zhang Shi's side.

Madam Zhang first looked at her granddaughter. The girl stood straight, her face respectful yet neither servile nor arrogant. Her hair was as black as clouds, her eyes were bright and her teeth were white. Her skin was unadorned yet looked as clear as jade, with the delicate pinkness unique to a young girl. In particular, her eyes, which were clear and deep like autumn water, were bright and clear.

She was born with a good-looking face.

Madam Zhang couldn't help but think to herself that even her eldest granddaughter Qingyan, whom she had raised since childhood, was inferior to such a beauty. Now that the girl was still young, she would surely bloom like a peony and be the most beautiful girl in the capital in a couple of years.

However, the girl looked exactly like her mother, Madam Su, which intensified her dislike.

Turning to look at her half-grown grandson beside her, she saw that he was also handsome with rosy lips, white teeth, and clear, bright eyes. Except for his eyes, which were almost identical to his sister's—both were long, narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes—he looked more and more like her son when he was young. Madam Zhang quickly felt a sense of goodwill towards him.

After carefully examining the two children, Madam Zhang said to her son, who was standing awkwardly to the side:

"Hmm, they're all good-looking. Look at Bai Ge'er's face shape, nose and chin, they look just like you, his father."

Yu Qingbai immediately replied obediently, "Thank you for the praise, Grandmother. I am my father's son, so naturally I resemble him. I often hear my father say that Grandmother is kind and tells us that after we enter the mansion, we must listen to Grandmother and be filial to her. I will definitely do so in the future."

The old lady smiled and said, "Good, you're a good child. Bring up the gift."

Immediately, a maid carrying a gift box stepped forward from behind.

Zhang gave Yu Qingbai two things: one was a gold lock engraved with his name and decorated with a circle of small diamonds; it was heavy and substantial in his hand.

There was also a silver necklace inlaid with jade beads, a style very suitable for a child of Qingbai's age, showing that Madam Zhang was quite satisfied with this grandson she was meeting for the first time.

As for Yu Qingci, he only received a jade ruyi of medium to high quality, and nothing else.

Yu Qingci accepted the jade ruyi, remembering that she and her brother had received similar gifts in their previous life, so she didn't think much of it.

She took out the return gift she had given to Madam Zhang: a headband embroidered with the characters for "fortune" and "longevity" that she had made herself. All the gifts she had prepared for all the elders during this trip back to the mansion to recognize her relatives were handmade needlework. As a junior, such return gifts were the safest bet and showed the deepest sincerity.

Zhang squinted and examined the stitches closely, then let out a soft snort, whether from disapproval of her work or something else, it was unclear.

Yu Qingci didn't care about the old lady's attitude. She looked more like her mother. In her previous life, the old lady had never liked her, even though she had always been respectful and careful in front of her.

Madam Zhang said, “Alright, go and pay your respects to your mother. You have just returned, and your mother will have to take care of many things. From now on, you will stay by your mother’s side and learn the rules. Our Earl’s Mansion is a century-old family, and all our children, whether born of the principal wife or not, are carefully taught so that we can maintain our reputation in front of others.”

As the old lady spoke, she looked at Madam Qiao and gestured for the two siblings to come over. Madam Qiao sat there, straightened her back, and looked at them with a smile.

The maidservant beside her, quite perceptively, placed two prayer cushions in front of Qiao.

Yu Qingci bit her lip, tugged at her brother's sleeve, and the two siblings walked over and stood in front of the prayer mat to bow: "Qingci/Qingbai greets Madam."

Qiao sat upright, ready to receive their greetings, but when she saw that the siblings did not kneel down to kowtow, the smile on her face froze. Upon hearing the two names, her expression almost collapsed, wishing that the siblings would disappear from her sight immediately.

In aristocratic families, the rules regarding legitimate and illegitimate children are very strict, which is reflected in the naming process. When children of the same generation are named, only legitimate sons and daughters can use the characters prescribed by the family. For example, the names of legitimate grandsons all contain the character "Qing," while other illegitimate children only have a single name.

For example, the eldest son's illegitimate daughter was named Yu Lian, but could not be called Yu Qinglian.

How dare that vile woman Su's children have the character "Qing" in their names? Standing before her now, they refuse to kneel and kowtow, clearly showing that she is inferior to their mother. How could she not be furious and resentful?

However, Madam Qiao was good at hiding her thoughts. If she were to dwell on these matters now, she would expose the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, which could easily backfire.

He quickly composed himself, stood up, and pulled one of them by the hand, looking them up and down. His smile was dignified and proper: "Both of you are good children. This mansion will be your home from now on. If you need anything, just tell me. As long as they are the Earl's children, I will treat them all equally."

Seeing the amiable Qiao Shi, Yu Qingci felt only deep apprehension. In her previous life, when she first entered the Earl's Mansion, Qiao Shi had put on the act of a kind mother to make her and her mother lower their guard, and in the end, all three of them met a tragic end.

This time it will never happen again.

Anyone can act.

Yu Qingci looked at Qiao Shi with an exceptionally docile expression: "From now on, Qingci will listen to Madam."

Just then, a girl's disdainful snort came from the side: "What are you pretending for? You didn't even call her 'Mother'. You're just a wild child who came back from outside, you have no manners!"

Yu Qingci looked in the direction of the sound and saw two gorgeously dressed girls sitting below Qiao Shi. The older one was naturally Yu Qingyan, and the younger one looked about twelve or thirteen years old. She had fair skin and wore the same brocade robe. Her hairpins were inlaid with diamonds and pearls, making them look lustrous and beautiful.

She wore a gold necklace adorned with a jade lock on her chest, and her gaze toward the siblings was filled with disdain and provocation.

It was Yu Qingying, the youngest daughter of the Qiao family.

"Qingying, don't be rude. This is your third sister. From now on, your ranking will have to be moved down a bit."

Mrs. Qiao looked at her daughter with a warning in her eyes, but her voice remained gentle and soft.

Yu Qingying was clearly indignant and looked at Madam Zhang, saying, "It's them who have no manners. Where did I go wrong? Why shouldn't she kneel and kowtow to Mother?"

Madam Zhang's face darkened, and she was about to reprimand the siblings for kneeling and bowing when Yu Jingsheng frowned and scolded, "Shut up! I think it's you who doesn't know the rules. Who taught you to be so disrespectful?"