Chapter 370 Asking Daiyu to act as a mediator

Princess Lin's carriage drove into the second gate, where maids and servants were already waiting. Leading the way was none other than Li Wan, the mistress of the house who was temporarily in charge of the household.

Daiyu alighted from the carriage, and Li Wan came to greet her. Usually, when Li Wan bowed to Daiyu, Daiyu would have someone stop her from being too polite. This time, however, she accepted Li Wan's bow without hesitation, only saying one sentence.

"Sister-in-law Zhu, you've worked hard managing the household. I'll go see the old lady first and then we can talk."

She continued talking without stopping, heading straight for the old lady's Rongqing Hall.

When Li Wan, who was following behind, heard Daiyu's words, she suddenly felt uneasy.

She sent someone to the Lin family to deliver a message to Daiyu, saying that this matter was not done in a very aboveboard manner, and that the Lin family had many influential people who probably already knew that she was the one who did it.

Even though the Lin family discovered that she was the one who did it, Li Wan did not regret it.

The job of a housekeeper may seem glamorous from the outside, but in reality, it's incredibly complicated. The amount of money that can be drawn from the public treasury is very small, and most of the time she has to advance the funds herself.

The accountants said that this was how Second Madam Lian had always managed the household. The debts would be repaid to Second Madam when there was a surplus at the end of the year. If there was no surplus, the debts would simply be owed to her.

Li Wan only then realized how this family was kept afloat. Had she known this beforehand, she would never have taken on this hot potato.

It's too late to regret it then.

The only solution was to find someone in the East Mansion to help manage the household and bring Wang Xifeng back.

She knew perfectly well that Wang Xifeng would never take over the management of the East Mansion. And if Wang Xifeng refused the East Mansion, she wouldn't refuse the management of her own household as well, would she?

As long as she's willing to come back, only her second mistress can manage the Rongguo Mansion!

Li Wan will never again be envious of the steward's position; her meager savings won't last even a few days!

Leaving aside the myriad thoughts swirling in Li Wan's mind, Daiyu had already arrived at Rongqing Hall.

The maids of Rongqing Hall had already received the news and were waiting for Princess Lin to arrive.

Although Daiyu walked quickly, her demeanor remained perfectly composed.

She stepped into the inner room of Rongqing Hall and saw the old lady leaning against the kang (a heated brick bed) with her eyes slightly closed and a cloth on her forehead. A maid was gently massaging her legs, and she looked like she was asleep.

Daiyu was about to go out first and come back in later when the old lady woke up, when she heard the old lady's voice.

"Yu'er, sit down and rest for a while."

Upon hearing the voice, Daiyu quickly bowed to Old Madam Shi.

"Grandmother, Daiyu has come to visit you."

The old lady hurriedly pushed Yuanyang over to help Daiyu.

“Princess Lin, why are you still being so formal with the old lady? It makes her feel awkward and uncomfortable.” Yuanyang helped Daiyu sit down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) of the old lady Shi.

As she got closer, Daiyu noticed that the old lady seemed to have a lot of white hair. She had never seen any signs of old age in the old lady before, but now she could really feel that her maternal grandmother had grown old.

“Grandmother, when I heard them say that you were unconscious, my heart almost jumped out of my chest. Luckily, they were exaggerating, otherwise what would I do now?” Daiyu said helplessly, her eyes slightly red, as if she could do nothing without the old lady by her side.

In fact, none of the things she did were supported by the old lady.

However, the old lady's kindness to her was genuine.

Although she had been tricked into profiting from this scheme, when she actually met the old lady, Daiyu found that she felt only relief and no anger.

Fortunately, the old lady wasn't seriously injured; if something had really happened...

"Yu'er, I want to see you grow up, get married, have children, and live a happy life before I can rest easy and face your mother." The old lady held Daiyu's hand.

Daiyu felt uncomfortable with the old lady's tight grip on her hands, so she gently pulled them away. Xueyan, who was behind her, presented her with a box, which Daiyu took and opened.

“Grandmother, this is the improved Ginseng Nourishing Pill by the original nanny. It is much better than the ones we have at home. If you take one every morning, it will prolong your life and keep you healthy.”

Old Madam Shi readily agreed, and Yuanyang took the box and carefully placed it in a place that could be seen at a glance in the treasure cabinet by the old lady's bedside.

“Yu’er, I’m so sorry to have troubled you. You came to the capital all alone, far from your hometown. I should have taken good care of you and kept you by my side, but over the years I have not only failed to help you, but I have also caused you a lot of trouble because of the family’s affairs.”

Yuanyang placed a large cushion behind the old lady to make her more comfortable and to make it easier for her to talk to Daiyu.

These were all the truth from Old Madam Shi. Her kindness towards Daiyu was only shown by sending people to visit the Lin family more often and giving Daiyu many gifts. As for personally taking care of and educating her, she really did not do that.

“Grandmother, it’s already very good. Of all Daiyu’s relatives in the capital, only you are closer than this family. We are still the closest of blood relatives. What’s there to be tired about? I’m happy to lend a hand!”

Daiyu was somewhat moved. Back then, she wanted to return to the Lin family in the capital and did not want to stay in the Rongguo Mansion any longer. When she left, the old lady must have been very sad.

Hearing Daiyu speak so frankly, Grandmother Jia felt a little ashamed when she thought about asking Daiyu for help. However, if Fengya didn't return, the whole household would probably be in chaos soon.

Grandmother Jia never imagined that she would encounter such a predicament one day.

"Yu'er, your grandmother is ashamed. I've only been gone a few days, and this family has already turned upside down. Your eldest and second uncles listened to other people's slander and kicked my good Feng'er out. I know she's at Mr. Yuan's house. Yu'er, could you go and act as a go-between and persuade Feng'er to come back as soon as possible? This family can't do without her!" Grandmother Jia dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.

She was truly heartbroken. Feng was so stubborn; no matter how she tried to persuade her, she wouldn't come back. She went to every household, except for her grandmother, who went there herself.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's expression turned somewhat cold. However, she thought that if she were in the position of Grandmother Jia, she might have been able to hide and remain indifferent when her eldest and second uncles harmed Fengjie.

“Grandmother, since Second Brother Lian is coming back soon, why don’t we wait until he returns before personally going to fetch Sister Feng? Sister Feng will surely come back obediently then.” Daiyu didn’t want to be the mediator.

With her belly swollen, Sister Feng shouldn't overwork herself. The Rongguo Mansion is already filled with all sorts of trivial matters, and in just over a month, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, she will have to entertain Jia Yuanchun, who is returning home to visit her family. I'm afraid she won't have a moment's rest.