The sky was pitch black, and a faint rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, like the howling and roaring of a ferocious beast with bared fangs.

Inside the room, Lingqi gently removed all the hairpins and ornaments from the girl's hair, frowning as she asked, "The matriarch's attitude is so firm, why do you have to confront her directly?"

She picked up a strand of her hair and played with it between her fingers. Hearing this, her long eyelashes fluttered: "Grandmother doesn't like me. No matter how respectful I am to her, I will never win her favor."

Lingqi gently combed her hair: "Miss Jingyitang is quite favored by the old matriarch, but the words she spoke on her behalf during the banquet had no effect and instead made the old matriarch even angrier." These words made Tianyun turn around to look at her, the corners of her lips slightly upturned: "You don't know, that's precisely her brilliance."

"This servant does not understand, but... what if the old matriarch really forces you to apologize to the Second Prince tomorrow?"

What else can we do? We can only react to whatever comes our way.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it." Tianyun, wearing only a nightgown, the silky fabric clinging tightly to her soft, exquisite figure, bent down and blew out the candle: "Let's talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow."

The next day.

Early in the morning, the old lady tapped the floor tiles hard with her cane and said, "Go and wake up your master and eldest daughter. Tell them that I am dressed and ready and waiting for them here."

Her attitude was firm. Upon seeing this, the two maids sweeping the main room, Xiao Hong and Xiao Lü, exchanged a glance and then put down their dusters, bowing in response.

Xiao Hong was ordered to go and fetch someone.

Xiao Lü then went outside and started gossiping with the young ladies in the courtyard who were responsible for sweeping fallen leaves: "The old matriarch's visit doesn't seem to be out of concern for the young master's safety, but rather as if she's here specifically to torment our young lady! Look at the way she's setting up this scene, she's trying to establish rules for the young lady so early in the morning."

She hadn't heard what the old lady had said yesterday about sending Tianyun to the Second Prince, but seeing the old lady's unfriendly expression, she secretly guessed the old lady's intentions.

As it happens, this young lady was the one who served Shangguan Jingyi last night, and she had a lot to say. "You don't know that the young lady brought by the old matriarch, she looks weak and honest, but she's not a good person at all! Last night when Sister Lingqi brought the clothes over, the look on her face was like she'd never seen silk and satin before, she kept touching them!"

Xiao Lü covered her mouth and chuckled, "With those calluses on her hands, I hope she doesn't make the clothes fuzzy." Her friend winked and leaned closer to her, "You bet she did! She even praised me for serving her well and gave me a bag of some so-called local specialties from Wei County. Giving away things that cost only a few coins as a reward, how stingy! If people told me, they'd laugh at us to death!"

The two joked and laughed, secretly looking down on the unsophisticated young lady.

Hiding behind the artificial hill, Shangguan Jingyi listened quietly as they gossiped about her. The joy she had felt at wearing new clothes had vanished, replaced by utter embarrassment. She clenched her teeth, trying to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.

I only touched the fabric a few times out of curiosity because I found it slippery, but I didn't expect them to talk about it like that. Last night, that maid was very sweet-talking, calling me "Miss Tang" all the time. I thought I would reward her with some dried meat, but I didn't expect that this would become a joke in their mouths today!

Shangguan Jingyi endured for a long time before suppressing the urge to go back to his room and take off the gorgeous clothes.

What good would it do to take it off? The clothes she brought were even worse than those of these gossipy maids; they would only provide them with more material for laughter...

Just then, Xiao Hong led Tian Yun over and overheard their filthy words.

At the girl's signal, Lingqi stepped forward and loudly reprimanded, "Do you two think the assigned work is too easy? You have time to gossip about your master, so get to work!"

The two maids quickly stopped talking, bowed and greeted her, saying, "Good morning, Miss. How is Sister Lingqi?"

Tianyun didn't mind and said gently, "Don't say such things again in the future. Cousin Jingyi is a guest, and you should treat her with respect."

"Yes, we will never dare to do it again." The young lady was kind-hearted and did not pursue the matter. The two maids were secretly delighted and quickly admitted their mistake.

Behind the artificial hill, Shangguan Jingyi's fingers were tightly clenched. He had been mocked so much, yet Shangguan Tianyun had just let it go so easily, glossing over it with a single sentence?

Inside the main room.

Tianyun explained, "Father has gone to the palace to teach. If Grandmother has any instructions, just tell me."

The old lady, however, was unmoved. She sneered, "You think I can't do anything to you just because you sent your father away? Today, you're coming with me no matter what, to apologize to the Second Prince and bring your brother back!"

“Cousin, please listen to Grandmother. She stayed up until the wee hours last night because she was really worried about Cousin Tianlin’s safety!” Shangguan Jingyi’s eyes were still slightly red as she came in to help persuade her.

Seeing her come in, Xiao Lü subtly pursed her lips. The flowing purple fairy dress with cloud tassels looked anything but elegant on her as she hunched over.

Tianyun raised an eyebrow with a half-smile: "My cousin didn't sleep in the same room as my grandmother last night, but she knows exactly when my grandmother goes to bed."

Shangguan Jingyi was speechless, biting his lip tightly, and dared not respond.

“Jingyi is a kind-hearted child, so naturally she feels the same way I do, worrying about Tianlin’s safety and losing sleep over it. Unlike you, you are heartless and can’t even bear the slightest hardship for your brother.” The old lady glared at her fiercely, her tone even more chilling.

"Oh? Since Grandmother also thinks that being the Second Prince's concubine is something that will make her granddaughter suffer, then why do you force me into that pit of fire?" She straightened the wrinkles on her skirt and smiled calmly.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!