Chapter 15
Le Yingniang frowned and stroked her hair, looking unimpressed. Along the way, she kept thinking: Didn't Feng Huanhuan and Bai Tiao break up a long time ago? What's the meaning of her coming here today? Could she be here to visit her?
As she was thinking, she suddenly arrived at the front hall. From a distance, she saw that girl, who looked very beautiful, but was really an eyesore. Many years ago, when she first entered the mansion, she was said to be a concubine who was not worthy of being on the stage. Even the daughters of the wealthy families could only look at her from afar. Now, she is the second wife and has been promoted to the position of the wife. Although she doesn't know why Feng Huanhuan suddenly came to visit, the master is not here at the moment, so she is qualified to receive the distinguished guests of the mansion. Thinking of this, she straightened her chest at the door and walked in with her head held high.
"Hey, isn't this Miss Feng? Let Aunt Ying take a look?"
The calls sounded just like those of a prostitute in Xiuchun Tower, making people feel uncomfortable. After all, she was a concubine of unknown origin, and she had no manners at all. She stuck out her chest and twisted her hips. Which mistress would have such an inappropriate posture? The fake smile on her broad oval face seemed to be carved on. I'm afraid she used this smile to make a living in the Prime Minister's Mansion. This portrait was enough to make people laugh. Feng Huanhuan didn't show her inner smack on her face. Seeing the second lady standing in front of her, she also stood up and bowed, "Hello, second lady."
"Hey, what are you doing? Let Auntie Ying take a look. Wow, look at how pretty she is. She looks just like your mother. Really!" Le Yingniang acted very familiar, but Feng Huanhuan seemed to be stiff. When had the Second Madam met her mother? She didn't want to argue with her about other matters, so she directly stated her purpose. "Second Madam, my mother passed away a long time ago. I'm afraid it's inappropriate to mention her like this. I came here today to meet Bai Tiao. I wonder if the Second Madam could let her know."
Seeing that Le Yingniang's smiling face froze instantly, she didn't wait for her to reply and continued, "Bai Tiao and I have known each other since childhood and have a good relationship. If the Second Madam doesn't mind, I can go and invite her in person."
Just as Feng Huanhuan was about to take a step, Le Yingniang came back to her senses and stopped her, "Hey, Huan'er, what are you doing? Why do you have to go there in person? Just wait, Aunt Ying will help you find white potatoes." Then she turned around and glared at Ah Shui, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and serve the tea?"
When she turned around, she smiled instantly, "Huan'er, wait a minute, Aunt Ying will be there soon."
After saying this, Le Yingniang walked away quickly, as if she was being chased by a ferocious beast. Feicui retracted her head and smacked her lips, "Miss, this second wife has been in the Prime Minister's Mansion for many years, how come she doesn't know to nod when she sees the eldest daughter of a wealthy family?"
"I am a concubine, and a concubine of unknown origin. How can I have any manners? No wonder the Second Madam has only been promoted to the first wife after all these years. Since ancient times, concubines have to use honorifics when meeting the first wife's daughter, calling her Miss. Look at her, she keeps calling me Bai Tiao, and she doesn't feel she is breaking the rules. I'm afraid she is used to being arrogant."
Feng Huanhuan's face was tightly wrinkled, without a trace of sleepiness from getting up early, and then she let out a sigh. Last night, as soon as she closed her eyes, Bai Tiao's broken appearance appeared in front of her, disturbing her from falling asleep. She wanted to find her father, but Han Fengci said that this was a matter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and even the emperor would not easily intervene. What disturbed her even more was that Han Fengci needed to go to the court early to find out which prince the Left Prime Minister wanted to marry Bai Tiao to. Everything was not known yet, and now she had to enter the tiger school to rescue Bai Tiao first, and then think about it later.
She didn't know what excuse the Second Madam would use to evade her. It might not be that easy to see Bai Tiao. She kept looking outside, and even though the cold wind blew on her face, it couldn't wipe away the worry on her face.
Le Yingniang, who had just run to the mud house, was panting heavily. The dryness in her throat made her not care whether the tea on the broken table was bitter or astringent. She gulped down several cups of tea in succession and finally took a long breath. Suddenly, she felt her taste buds were astringent, so she bent over and "Pooh" a few times.
"Little hoof, what kind of tea are you drinking? Why is it so unpalatable? Are you trying to poison me?" Facing Le Yingniang's three consecutive questions, Bai Tiao still looked at her coldly and did not answer. She was so angry that her chest was heaving, and she kept telling herself in her heart: bear it, send that big Buddha away and then deal with her.
So, she swallowed the breath and put on a fake smile, "Bai Tao, do you know who is waiting for you in the front hall?"
Bai Tiao remained silent, sitting upright on the wooden couch, looking at her coldly. Although her face was lifeless, the coldness in her eyes was exactly the same as Wan Ningwu's face. Le Yingniang gritted her teeth and suddenly smiled, "You really don't want to know who the distinguished guest in the front hall is?"
She walked up to Bai Tiao, lifted her chin, and clenched it tightly, making it unable to move. She carefully observed her eyebrows and lips, "Look, you look exactly like your mother. But, so what? Don't I have the final say in the Prime Minister's Mansion now?"
Bai Tiao stared at her and broke free from her hand. She smiled and stood up, not angry, "Bai Tiao, the person waiting for you in the front hall is your childhood playmate, guess who it is? But mother always loves you. Haven't you been in contact for the past few years like a broken robe? Tell me, what excuse can I give you to refuse?"
"Who are you talking about?" Bai Tiao stood up suddenly, finally reacting, which was something Le Yingniang was happy to see. She sat down on the wooden stool with her hands on her shoulders, crossed her legs comfortably, looked at her slowly, and said with a smile: "Why? You want to see me?"
There was a dull knife hidden in that smile, biting at her heart, so disgusting and repulsive. Her hands hanging by her side had already been clenched into fists, trembling.
Le Yingniang glanced down and laughed even more happily, tears seemed to burst out, and she asked breathlessly: "What? What are you doing? Are you going to hit me?"
As she spoke, she stood up and walked in front of Bai Tiao, stretched her neck, and shouted at Bai Tiao in a strange voice: "Come, hit here... here... come."
"Do you dare?" She stretched out her hand and pinched Bai Tiao's chin and pulled it forward, whispering in his ear, "Want to see Feng Huanhuan? She's waiting in the front hall."
Bai Tiao's pupils shrank, and he pushed Le Yingniang to the ground, trying to rush out of the door. As Le Yingniang screamed, dozens of palace guards and servants rushed out from nowhere in the courtyard, grabbed Bai Tiao who was about to run away, and threw him to the ground.
The guard in the lead was named Zu Wan. Bai Tiao recognized her. Rather than a guard, she was more like her father's trusted guard. He was tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He had a fair complexion from living in the mansion for many years, like a pretty boy. Bai Tiao glared at him, "Zu Wan, you are my father's trusted guard. Now a concubine can humiliate me like this, are you really indifferent?"
Zu Wan's cold attitude had already explained everything. What else did she not understand? She dragged her tattered body to her feet bit by bit. After she stood firm, she said coldly, "Zu Wan, do you really want to choose a concubine? I am the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Even if I make a million mistakes, I will eventually get married."
There was a threat hidden in these words. Bai Tiao was telling him that as the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, even if she was in poverty and punishment now, she was not as good as a concubine. If she married in the future, it would be to a high-ranking official. If she was determined to investigate, she could confiscate the second wife's family, not to mention the second wife. Zu Wan was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. Then he stood aside and made way for a path. He lowered his head and dared not look directly at her, so he could only say, "Miss, please."
Le Yingniang was furious, and she didn't even bother to groan on the cold ground. She quickly got up and ran towards the yard, pointing at Zu Wan's nose and loudly questioning, "Zu Wan! Have you forgotten what the master told you?"
Zu Wan glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "The master only said not to let the young lady leave the yard, but the young lady insisted on running out of the yard. I am the servant and the young lady is the master, how can I cross the line?"
"Then why don't you stop her? Didn't the master say that she is not allowed to run away?" Le Yingniang shouted.
"We are all men, and too much contact might bring bad reputation to the young lady. Besides, if the young lady insists on going out, I'm afraid the master will have to go find her himself." Zu Wan said just a few words and completely abandoned himself, and his words made it clear that Bai Tiao was determined to go out.
Le Yingniang was so angry that her face was covered with lines like ditches, and even the veins on her neck were bulging. She walked up to Zu Wan and threatened, "If Bai Tiao runs away, you will be derelict in your duty, and the master will definitely punish you! Now that the young lady is being punished is a major matter related to the Prime Minister's Mansion, can you bear the responsibility?"
Zu Wan frowned, as if he was thinking deeply about the second lady's words. Bai Tiao dusted off the dust on his body, glanced at Zu Wan, and said, "If you are worried, come with me to the front hall." Then he looked at Le Yingniang, only for a moment, and then retracted his gaze, "Auntie, are you suffering from some kind of hysteria? I am the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, how could I do something like running away? You keep saying that I ran away, are you blind? Am I not standing here well? Now my old friend comes to the mansion to look for me. If I don't see him, can you afford the consequences? Can you afford it? Auntie may not understand Huan'er's personality very well. If she wants to see me, I'm afraid no one can hide it. Even if we take a step back, the Shangshu Mansion is now in its heyday and is deeply favored by the emperor. Even my father dare not stop Huan'er, what are you?"
These words were not only said to Le Yingniang, but also indirectly conveyed to the dozens of palace guards present. Those servants looked at each other, and finally fixed their eyes on Zu Wan. Seeing that he was obviously determined, the others also lowered their heads, not daring to look at the second wife, just waiting for Zu Wan to speak. Zu Wan was also good at reading people's expressions, no wonder he could become his father's confidant. In just a moment, he made a polite request: "Miss, I will escort you to the front hall, please."
With Zu Wan paving the way, the journey was smooth. As soon as she passed through the corridor, she saw Feng Huanhuan standing on tiptoe and looking into the distance. Her heart warmed, so she quickened her pace.
"Sister Bai."
She heard the sound before she even reached the front hall. Bai Tiao froze, her eyes instantly filled with mist. She tried to open her eyes, trying to see the shadow clearly, and after a closer look, she realized it was not an illusion. Huan'er was running towards her, wearing the New Year gift she had given her, the blue silk wide-sleeved Yanju dress with lotus embroidered on one side.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
