The Litigation Hexagram (Lower Middle Section)

Chapter 6 The Litigation Hexagram (Lower Middle Section) - Princess Yongqing's Visiting Letter

The morning air at the Marquis's residence was cold and damp. As Yu Ling pushed open the door, a gust of cold, damp wind rushed in. She quickly closed the door, fearing that the warmth inside would be dissipated and that it would disturb the health of the eldest young master.

They discovered that Rong Yan had already woken up.

"Young Madam, you're up so early today?"

Rong Yan smiled, offering no explanation. Even if she was a carefree person, after what happened last night, it was impossible for her to sleep soundly until dawn.

"Yu Ling, did anyone enter the house yesterday?"

Yu Ling was a little puzzled by her question, but after thinking about it seriously, she realized that although the number of maids coming and going in Rong Yan's room in the three days since he married into the family was not large, it was still quite a lot.

"Everyone will come in to clean up, and Aunt Qiushi will also come to take care of the young master. There are also quite a few maids coming in and out during the afternoon meal. With so many people, they are all unfamiliar faces, and I can't remember them all."

She nodded, got up, and turned the camera lens upside down on the screen, without taking it down again.

Yu Ling also noticed her action, and looked up to find that the mirror that she had thrown away herself was now hanging back in its original place. Her eyes widened. "Isn't this it? I remember I put it in the trash can."

Rong Yan nodded knowingly at her, "It's alright. No one should talk about what happened today."

Although Yu Ling was somewhat puzzled, she knew she shouldn't ask questions she shouldn't ask, so she nodded obediently, "Yes, young mistress."

Hua Li entered at this moment, unaware of the atmosphere between the two. Seeing Rong Yan up so early, she smiled and asked,

"Is Madam happy because of today's homecoming banquet?"

Rong Yan yawned listlessly, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her real family wasn't in the Rong residence.

Yu Ling nudged Hua Li quietly, as if she thought Hua Li wasn't clever enough.

Back then, the young mistress was essentially abandoned by the Rong family at the Taoist temple, where she remained for ten years.

If your biological father doesn't care for you and your biological mother is deceased, what joy is there in a homecoming banquet?

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was loosely styled in a bun, and Yu Ling had adorned it with some pearls, making her look both gentle and dignified, which was very appropriate for her homecoming today.

Huali put a hot water bottle in Rongyan's new clothes and heated them until the temperature was just right, then helped her put them on.

After the two finished tidying up, Yu Ling served her breakfast, just as Aunt Qiu Shi came in.

For breakfast, Du Chunhong specially got up early to bring over small steamed buns. Rong Yan picked up a small steamed bun, pinching the thin skin with her fingertips, as thin as paper.

The meat filling inside is juicy and flavorful, making it incredibly tempting.

She took a small bite; the thin skin was chewy and elastic. As soon as she bit into it, the sauce inside the meat filling burst open in her mouth, and the rich, scallion-flavored meat juice poured out, filling her mouth.

Her mouth was filled with the aroma of pork and the spiciness of pepper. She hadn't tasted her mother's cooking in a long time, and after eating it, she felt that her mother's skills had improved a lot. She ate three in a row.

After the xiaolongbao was bitten open, the room was immediately filled with a rich, oily aroma. Aunt Qiushi, who was taking care of Xie Chengzhi, also secretly took a deep breath of the fragrant air.

Hua Xiang looked at Rong Yan's glistening lips and the aroma of meat filling the air, which even made Bai Qiong swallow loudly. Rong Yan smiled and said, "You should try some too."

As she spoke, she offered a spoonful to Bai Qiong, but the maid at the door hurriedly stopped her, "Madam, Bai Qiong has never accepted..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Qiong swallowed it whole, then licked his lips, wagged his tail, and looked at Rong Yan.

Everyone: ...

This White Sky has always been pampered by the eldest young master, making it not only picky about food but also extremely precious. Its food consists of the finest grains of rice, and even the vegetable stalks must be placed three-tenths of an inch off the ground.

Feeding them so casually is absolutely unacceptable.

Unexpectedly, Bai Qiong seemed to be bewitched by the delicious food or the beauty of the lady, leaving everyone puzzled.

At first, Qiu Shi and the others did not dare to overstep the bounds and eat, but when Rong Yan really let them eat, they ate one.

Their faces were filled with astonishment. "Wow, I've never eaten such delicious steamed buns before!"①

"It's really delicious!"

"Yes, it's really delicious."

The savory, oily juices burst forth on their lips and teeth; the meat was incredibly tender and fresh. They had never tasted anything so delicious before, and they never imagined their aunt's cooking skills were so outstanding.

Although they were maids, they had enjoyed many fine treats in the mansion, and even occasionally from the palace.

But I've never tasted such a novel flavor before, especially the meat gravy inside the steamed bun, which was steamed just right.

Seeing the three of them looking somewhat unsatisfied, Rong Yan smiled. Since they had been delayed for a while, they hurriedly went to pay their respects to Madam Wang.

On the two days of Rong Yan's wedding and the tea ceremony, the concubines were not allowed to go to the front hall. They all paid their respects to the mistress and waited to see Rong Yan and Rong Shu.

When the two women saw Rong Yan, they both had different expressions on their faces. The eldest concubine, Xiao Wangshi, looked to be about the same age as Wangshi. She was a distant relative of Wangshi, someone who had come to the family seeking support, but unexpectedly, she ended up being taken into the household.

I heard that Wang was furious back then, and her family members all came to persuade her that it would be better to take in one of her own people than to take in a mistress from outside.

Over the years, the old Marquis has taken many concubines, some of whom died and some were released. In the end, only she remained in the mansion. Who would have thought that this year he would take in a young lady who was only ten and six years old.

Rong Yan glanced at his newly arrived concubine mother. Her cheeks were plump and she looked very young. Even though she was wearing a coat, her protruding belly could not be hidden.

Rong Yan had already met her younger siblings on the day of the wedding banquet. They were all obediently greeting her, and Rong Yan, who had prepared small red envelopes beforehand, greeted them with a beaming smile and handed them the envelopes.

Xie Ningling was the younger sister of the eldest son, Xie Chengzhi. She was quite pretty and bore a striking resemblance to the Marquis. Upon seeing her, she timidly addressed her as "sister-in-law," appearing somewhat reserved and uneasy.

At this moment, all the people in the room were standing watching Rong Yan politely greet Wang Shi.

To get ahead of Rong Yan, Rong Shu had already come to pay her respects to Madam Wang.

Madam Wang looked at Rong Yan with a beaming smile. She had heard from Qingzhu, who had been taking care of the eldest son, that the young master's fingers seemed to have regained feeling. Indeed, Lord Zhao was absolutely right; Rong Yan's birth chart was perfectly compatible with the eldest son's, and this marriage to bring good fortune had been a great success.

Originally, she preferred Rong Shu, but after that incident, fortunately, she had a younger sister whose birth charts were compatible. She originally only thought of settling for second best, but unexpectedly, Lord Zhao said that this girl was more suitable.

Because she was pleased, her expression was naturally kind and friendly. "Yanyan, we're all family, so there's no need for formalities. Didn't I tell you you don't need to come to pay your respects anymore? From now on, Shuer can come whenever she wants. Did you rest well last night?"

Rong Shu: !

Hearing this, Rong Shu felt extremely resentful. Why was Rong Yan exempt from paying his respects, while she had to get up before dawn?!

Then you hear Wenjun, the second wife's aunt, laugh and say, "Yanyan, you have a good mother-in-law. Before you even arrived, she was already worried that you weren't eating or sleeping well since you were new here. She was always talking about you."

Wang smiled, then lowered her eyes.

"Thank you for your concern, Mother. I'm adapting well. Of course, I must come to pay my respects at today's homecoming banquet." Wang Shi said this, but Rong Yan couldn't possibly take it seriously.

She wasn't truly an innocent and ignorant girl; whoever took it seriously would lose.

If she really doesn't come, then she'll be a terrible person.

Rong Yan smiled slightly and responded politely.

Third Aunt Du Chunhong looked at Rong Yan with a smile on her face, her eyes almost overflowing with affection, which made Second Aunt think she was very strange.

"Mother, have some tea."

"Sigh~"

Okay~

Before Rong Yan could finish speaking, two voices responded from inside the room.

Everyone: ? ? ?

Rong Yan: ...

Du Chunhong smiled awkwardly and explained to Wang Shi, who was looking at her, "Sister-in-law, I think you, the new bride, are really a guest. I made a mistake and I'm sorry."

My third uncle and aunt have been childless all these years, so they must be envious.

Xiao Wangshi naturally realized that even if Du Chunhong outlived the first wife and became a concubine, she was not from a noble background.

As a distant relative of the Marquis's wife, Madam Wang naturally had to curry favor with her. At this moment, she stepped forward and said, "Oh dear, is Madam Du of the Third Branch envious of our mistress for having such a wonderful daughter-in-law? It's a pity that you have no daughters, so you can't enjoy this kind of family bliss. Why don't you be generous and let your third uncle take a concubine to leave behind a lineage? Anyway, she'll be raised under your care."

With a forced smile, Du said, "We're old and useless now, but you can try your best to give birth to a big, fat son."

Du's words truly struck at Xiao Wang's sore spot. She only had one daughter and had been trying for so many years to have a son, but unfortunately, she was getting old and her beauty had faded, and the Marquis had long since stopped liking her.

Even if the oxen were willing to plow the land, it would have been parched long ago.

Ms. Wang: "You!"

Although Madam Wang disliked Xiao Wang's way of doing things, she still sided with this distant relative and said, "Alright, today is the bride's homecoming banquet, let's set off early. Yan Yan, come here for a moment."

After everyone in the room had left, Madam Wang smiled and asked Rong Yan.

"Well, your mother has something she'd like to discuss with you."

"Please speak, Mother."

"Now that you are the eldest daughter-in-law of my Marquis of Runan's mansion, though a young mistress, you are still Daoheng's legal wife. In any case, I will treat you as my own daughter. However, since you are new to the mansion, you are not yet comfortable with the affairs of the household. I think it is best if I take charge of the household management. The affairs of the inner quarters are extremely complicated. I will work hard and manage for a while longer, and you..."

You can also study hard.

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Rong Yan's face light up with joy, her expression revealing her radiant happiness. She quickly said, "Then I really have to thank Mother for all her hard work. Thank you for your trouble, Mother."

Lady Hou: ...

She looked at her with suspicion as she smiled, revealing her pearly teeth. Did she really have no intention of taking over the power of managing the household affairs?

Little did she know that Rong Yan truly didn't want to at all, and was extremely afraid.

Managing the household affairs is a job that keeps you even busier than being a housekeeper.

How could Rong Yan be so diligent as to try to seize control of the household affairs?

She wished the Lady Hou would never hand it over; she just wanted to live a comfortable life where everything was done for her.

Living life standing up is the same as living it down, so why not live it lying down for comfort?

Rong Yan's expression truly surprised Lady Hou. She had prepared those high-sounding words, but they were all useless, leaving her speechless and choked with emotion.

“Since that’s the case, then you can focus on taking care of the young master. I’ve heard that your Taoist temple doesn’t have many worshippers, so you might as well close it down to save yourself the trouble.”

I originally thought that Rong Yanyan would be greedy for the empty title of abbot and would insist on disagreeing, but I never expected that she would nod and agree so readily.

This left Lady Hou speechless...

"Then...then you should set off early. When you see your in-laws, please give them my regards."

"Yes, Mother."

Seeing Rong Yan leave, Fang Mama, who had been following the Lady of the Marquis's side, finally spoke up: "Madam, do you really believe she doesn't want to manage the household affairs and can peacefully pray for the eldest son at the Taoist temple in the future? I think she's just putting on a show of innocence. Look at the Second Madam, she's trying every means to please you, isn't it all for the power in the inner quarters? As a concubine's daughter, she has to perform well if she doesn't want to be outdone by her elder sister. I think she's using a feigned retreat to advance, so please don't be careless, Madam!"

“Well… looking at her expression, she really doesn’t seem like it.”

“Oh, madam. Who doesn’t play along? Especially a woman who has endured so much hardship for so many years, she’s quite shrewd. We can’t just look at appearances. We absolutely cannot relinquish this power.”

Lady Hou fell into deep thought. Seeing this, Mama Fang added, "If the eldest son wakes up, how will we explain this marriage to him? He and Princess Yongqing are in love. Even if Princess Yongqing is willing to lower herself and not seek fame to become a concubine in the mansion, Princess Yongqing's magnanimity will not allow her to accept him."

"That's between her and Princess Yongqing. We should just do our duty. Even if he wakes up, he's still frail. Princess Yongqing is delicate and precious; how could she possibly take care of him personally?"

Actually, upon closer reflection, marrying this illegitimate daughter isn't so bad. The Marquis's mansion is large and powerful, so there's no need to rely on her. On the contrary, she'll have to rely on the Marquis's mansion, so she'll naturally have to be more considerate of her husband.

“But Princess Yongqing’s visiting card has already been delivered to your residence.”

Lady Hou was shocked. "What?!"

She never expected that Princess Yongqing would be so impatient; only three days after her eldest son's wedding, she had already sent someone to deliver the wedding invitation to her door.

When will she arrive?

Coming here now is truly inappropriate and improper.

"Three days later."

Rather than saying she came to visit the Marquis's residence, it would be more accurate to say she came specifically to see Rong Yan. Was it to meet him, or to vent her anger and make things difficult for him?

Wang shook her head repeatedly, hoping that the Marquis's mansion would not be implicated.