Zhao Yun's heart tightened, and she quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Rou'er, you misspoke. Quickly apologize to your mother-in-law!"
Zhao Rou quickly admitted her mistake and called out again, her voice trembling slightly: "Mother-in-law, sister, please have some tea."
Bai Wei slowly reached out and took the teacup, her movements revealing an undeniable authority.
Her gaze swept lightly over the tea, then she tilted her head slightly and drank it all in one gulp.
Zhao Yun also took the tea and drank it all in one gulp.
No matter how much she hated Zhao Rou for stealing her wedding night with Li Huai'an, in this cannibalistic Duke's mansion, in the end, she and Zhao Rou were the real family.
In front of outsiders, they must unite as one and work together as a cohesive unit.
"Get up." Bai Wei's voice was cold and authoritative. She put down her teacup and looked at Zhao Rou again. "From now on, you and Yun'er must be dutiful in serving the young master and must not be negligent in the slightest."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Rou's heart tightened, and she quickly kowtowed and replied, "Yes, Mistress, I will keep this in mind and dare not disobey."
Zhao Yun also expressed that she would definitely keep to her duty and serve the Crown Prince well.
Bai Wei added, "Zhao Rou, in this mansion, the mistress's words are the rules, and you must always keep them in mind."
Zhao Rou kowtowed again: "Yes, Mother-in-law, I understand."
After the tea ceremony, Zhao Rou stood up with a sigh of relief, but dared not linger in the hall for even a moment longer.
She hurriedly bowed and took her leave, turning and leaving the hall, secretly relieved that she had finally gotten through this ordeal.
However, she knew this was just the beginning, and she would need to be even more cautious in the future to survive in this mansion.
Because, besides Zhao Yun and Bai Wei, the most difficult women to deal with in this mansion are Li Huai'an's two concubines, Liu Mei and Bai Yunxiang.
Bai Yunxiang was a servant born into the household. Her mother was Zhang Yue, a cook who came from her mother-in-law Bai Wei's home when she married Duke Li Zan. Her father was Bai Yong, a guard who came from Bai Wei's home.
However, Zhang Yue passed away from illness a few years ago, and Bai Yong was seriously injured when Bai Wei was robbed and died from his injuries.
In Bai Wei's heart, she had long regarded Bai Yunxiang as half a daughter. Her intention was to elevate Bai Yunxiang to the status of a secondary wife. However, since the main wife had not yet entered the household, she couldn't make that decision rashly.
This was information that Le Kui had gathered an hour ago.
Zhao Rou looked at Le Kui, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Le Kui was decisive in her actions, and it was a waste of her talents for her to follow her.
Zhao Rou walked into her courtyard in a daze, when she suddenly bumped into a wall of flesh.
Le Kui didn't even have time to remind her.
The other person exclaimed "Oh dear!" and hurriedly bowed to her, saying, "This servant, Yunxiang, greets Aunt Rou."
"Are you Yunxiang?" Zhao Rou asked subconsciously.
Bai Yunxiang nodded.
"This servant is Yunxiang, who serves the young master," she replied, neither humble nor arrogant.
Zhao Rou's gaze lingered on Bai Yunxiang.
Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her eyes were like autumn waters brimming, her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were pale and gentle, as if every stroke of her pen was just right.
Her jet-black hair was simply tied up with a plain hairpin, with a few wisps of hair falling gently across her forehead, adding a touch of effortless gentleness to her appearance.
Her skin was as white as snow, with a faint rosy glow, like a newly blossoming peach blossom, delicate and lovely.
Zhao Rou thought to herself, "She truly lives up to her name; gentle and charming. Even a man would be moved by her."
"I'm so sorry I bumped into you earlier. Le Kui, give Yunxiang some silver so she can buy some nutritional supplements," Zhao Rou instructed.
Le Kui thought to herself, "My dear third young lady, where do we have any silver on us?" Even so, she still pretended to take out some silver.
Seeing this, Bai Yunxiang quickly stopped her, saying, "Aunt Rou, you're too kind. I'm thick-skinned, even if you hit me with a stick, it won't hurt me. I still need to go get lotus seed soup for the young master, so I won't disturb Aunt Rou's enjoyment any longer."
After saying that, she left in a hurry.
Zhao Rou gazed thoughtfully at Bai Yunxiang's departing figure.
"Le Kui, what do you think of Bai Yunxiang?"
"Does Auntie want to befriend her?" Le Kui guessed Zhao Rou's thoughts. She nodded.
Le Kui glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, whispered, "Auntie, in this Duke's mansion, if we're talking about the closest person, it has to be the mistress, your elder sister Zhao Yun. Although you two sisters may have some grudges in the Zhao family, in the Duke's mansion, you're in the same boat, sharing both glory and misfortune. I suggest you visit the main courtyard more often and interact with the mistress."
Le Kui's words hit the nail on the head, instantly enlightening Zhao Rou.
She suddenly realized that when she was serving tea today, she clearly felt Zhao Yun's suppressed hatred, which ultimately did not manifest.
It turns out that Zhao Yun suppressed her anger not because her mother-in-law was sitting next to her, but because she also understood the principle that everyone prospers or suffers together.
"Aunt Rou, wait a moment—" Yu Ming's voice suddenly came from not far away.
Zhao Rou's heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, "Is my sister going to settle scores with me later? Did I overestimate her earlier? Is Zhao Yun holding back her anger?"
"Yu Ming, what's wrong?" she asked cautiously.
"Aunt Rou, the mistress wants you to go to her room for a talk," Yu Ming said, panting heavily.
Remembering what Le Kui had said earlier, Zhao Rou, despite her fear, did not refuse and followed Yu Ming to the main house.
"Sister, please sit down." As soon as they entered the room, Zhao Yun warmly instructed Yu Ming to bring Zhao Rou a stool and pour her tea.
"Thank you, sister!" Zhao Rou was flattered but also a little nervous.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
