Chapter 5: The Third Sister of the Chi Mansion in the Capital Should Call Me the Eldest Sister...
When Luo Wan left to catch up with Tang Li, the carriage had not yet entered the capital, so she did not have to spend much effort. She took advantage of the driver's inattention to return to the carriage, which still contained the cakes that Chu Lin had bought in Jinxi City.
Tingyu Tower has rules that when necessary, Shadow must die for his master.
Luo Wan warned himself in this way, and Chu Lin's life or death was his own choice.
But she could never be as cruel as Chu Lin in her previous life. She would always think of Chu Lin's last words from time to time - "Don't look back."
Don't look back, don't look back.
She didn't want to repeat the same mistake, nor did she want to like Chu Lin again.
If you can't have the heart to kill Chu Lin, then just be a bystander and let him fend for himself at the critical moment of life and death.
Luo Wan lifted the carriage curtain and looked out the window at the crowded streets of the capital.
Tangli asked the driver, "How long will it take?"
The driver said, "My dear guest, we are almost there. We have already entered the city and will be there soon."
Tangli muttered softly, "You said the same thing a quarter of an hour ago."
Before arriving at Chi Mansion, Tang Li talked a lot about Chi Wanwan.
Although Luo Wan had heard these things in his previous life, he never took them seriously, and after many years he had forgotten them completely.
Now, after careful consideration, I understand the twists and turns.
It turns out that the so-called tea merchant's daughter refers to Chi Wanwan's mother, Ye.
Chi Wanwan's father, Chi Jing'an, was originally a poor scholar with nothing at home. However, because he was born with good looks, he met Ye when he first entered the capital to prepare for the exam.
Ye was infatuated with his talent and appearance. This marriage between a rich girl and a poor scholar was a typical story of the Phoenix Man in the vernacular novels.
In the second year after their marriage, Chi Jing'an passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, and their status changed dramatically from then on.
Despite this, Ye was still happy that her husband had passed the imperial examination, but unfortunately, the daughter of a second-rank official fell in love with Chi Jingan.
Chi Jingan argued confidently, "I never promised to marry only you. Yuyun's father can help me rise to prominence, don't you wish me the best? Yuyun doesn't mind being on equal terms with you, a merchant's daughter, so why are you so selfish?"
As the daughter of a merchant of the lowest class, Ye could only watch Feng Yuyun marry into the Chi family in a grand ceremony when she was pregnant.
As Ye was approaching her due date, Feng Yuyun also became pregnant. Not long after Ye gave birth to Chi Wanwan, Feng Yuyun gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl - Chi Mingli and Chi Mingshi.
From then on, the Ye family had no presence in the Chi Mansion. Over time, outsiders only knew that Chi Jing'an had a virtuous wife from a prominent family, and had long forgotten the merchant's daughter.
In the sixth year of their marriage, Ye passed away with her unborn child, leaving behind her four-year-old daughter.
Although Chi Wanwan lost her mother at a young age, she was still the eldest daughter after all, and she had the maid brought as a dowry by Ye. In the first few years, she lived a decent life under the care of the maid.
The turning point of her fate occurred when she first entered the Hongwenguan. Her teacher said, "Chi Wanwan is very talented and her poetry is even better than Chi Ming's."
Feng Yuyun originally disdained to pay attention to the child born to the daughter of a merchant. How could the daughter of a lowly merchant be compared with the daughter of a lady from a famous family? But somehow, the teacher's words still reached her ears.
Gradually, Chi Wanwan found that her life in the Chi Mansion was becoming increasingly difficult.
Having lost her mother at a young age, she matured earlier than her peers. She understood that Aunt Feng could not tolerate her, so she did not bother herself with trouble. She often hid in her grandfather's house and learned some tricks of the tea merchant trade.
After my grandfather passed away, several uncles thought that the profit in the tea business was too low and changed their careers. Only Wanwan remained to stick to this ancestral business.
Luo Wan listened to the general idea and thought about it. At most, he felt sorry for the unfortunate fate of the Ye mother and daughter, but there was no talk of revenge.
Tang Li whispered, "Neither the young lady nor I remember much back then. A year ago, Madam's wife, Nanny Li, retired and returned home. She wrote to the young lady, saying that the young lady didn't die of an illness, but rather of a chronic poison. So when the doctor and midwife came to preserve the fetus, they only delivered a deformed, purple-covered dead baby. It was a boy, the young lady's younger brother."
Luo Wan asked, "Why didn't you conduct a thorough investigation when you discovered something was wrong with the stillbirth?"
Tang Li said, "When the stillbirth was discovered, several maids who came with the dowry also pleaded with the master, but Feng said it was unlucky and suppressed the matter. She also invited several magicians to perform a ritual, and the matter was dropped after that."
"Originally, the young lady planned to return home to investigate after the tea merchant route was opened, but she didn't expect..." Tang Li's eyes were filled with tears, "She stayed in Xiliang forever."
Luo Wan was silent for a moment. She never cared about other people's feelings and didn't know how to comfort others.
In her previous life, she initially wanted to burn down the entire Chi Mansion, but Tang Li stopped her, saying that the young lady would be unhappy. Some servants were still very kind to the young lady out of friendship with Madam Ye and the old lady, but they could not do much due to the majesty of the Feng family.
In the end, she simply and roughly trapped all those who had hurt or bullied Chi Wanwan in the yard and set it on fire. When the authorities came, they only dragged out a few burnt bodies, and when they investigated, they also found the money that Chi Jingan had embezzled.
She remembered that this incident caused quite a stir in the capital, and the neighbors spread the story in increasingly bizarre forms.
It was said that the mother and son of the Ye family came to take their lives. In the middle of the night, the sound of a woman crying could often be heard from the burnt courtyard, and gradually people avoided that place.
Many years later, she came to the capital again, but the walls and roofs there had long since collapsed and the city was desolate.
Who would have thought that Luo Wan was the evil ghost who was taking his life.
It was clearly her who did the bad thing, but in the end the deceased Ye mother and son took the blame for her.
Maybe it’s because of my age, my state of mind has also changed. Looking back on some of the things I have experienced, I have a different perspective.
If I were to start over again, I would need to change the way I handle some things.
It was a peaceful winter day. The servant guarding the gate of the Chi Mansion could not help but raise his head and squint his eyes to enjoy the warm sunshine. While he was thinking happily, the rumbling sound of wheel tracks rang in his ears.
The carriage was parked outside the gate of the Chi Mansion. A letter was sent to the Chi Mansion a few days ago, indicating that he would return home today.
Luo Wan looked around and saw that there were only two servants guarding the door. Chi Wanwan was really not welcome in the Chi family. After leaving home for many years and returning, there was no one to greet her.
The servant stopped Luo Wan and Tang Li with a wooden stick and said, "No outsiders are allowed to enter."
Tangli pushed away the wooden stick blocking her way and cursed, "You are blind, this is the eldest lady."
The skinny servant had worked in the Chi Mansion for several years and had never heard of any young lady, so he asked the person next to him: "Have you heard of any young lady?"
The fat servant laughed and said, "No, I've only heard of the Second Young Master and the Third Young Miss. There's no such thing as an Eldest Young Miss. I've never heard of it."
Tang Li gritted her teeth and said, "Why don't you use your pig brains to think about why it's the Second Young Master and the Third Young Miss, and not the First Young Master and the Second Young Miss."
The two servants were stunned.
The fat man said to the thin man, "I'll go report it. You stay here and keep watch."
The thin man nodded, and the fat man ran happily into the mansion.
Tang Li adjusted Luo Wan's cloak and said, "Are you cold, young lady? The capital is not like the south, it's still very cold in winter."
Luo Wan shook his head: "No problem."
Not long after, the fat servant came back panting. He looked at the thin man guiltily and bowed to Luo Wan: "Madam, please invite the young lady in."
The thin man was stunned and stared at the fat man in disbelief.
After being cheated, he was so angry that he kicked the fat man before giving way.
The fat man stepped forward to block the way.
Tangli asked impatiently: "What are you doing again?"
The fat man said, "Madam said that the young lady should go through the side door."
Luo Wan suddenly glanced at the fat man, who trembled and broke out in a cold sweat.
If it were in his previous life, after hearing these words, Luo Wan would probably have known that the bodies of these two people were buried somewhere.
But times are different now.
If she wants to change the ending of the Ye family, which is still criticized after the death of the mother and son, she must stay in the Chi Mansion to find out the truth of that year.
Luo Wan said, "The side door is for concubines and servants. I am the legitimate daughter of Minister Chi and the eldest daughter of the Chi family. You say I can't use the main door?"
The fat man said, "Miss, please don't embarrass us. We are just following orders. If I had let you leave through the main gate today, our legs would have been broken tomorrow."
Luo Wan smiled and tilted his head, "What does your broken leg have to do with me?"
"Get out of the way!" Tang Li pushed the two of them away fiercely.
Luo Wan stepped into the door first.
"It's so noisy, how disgraceful!" A graceful middle-aged woman walked out of the hall, followed by a nanny.
Although he had only stayed in the Chi Mansion for half a month before arresting and killing the person who bullied Chi Wanwan, Luo Wan still recognized that the person was Feng Yuyun based on his memory of that half month, and next to her was the scoundrel Liu Ma.
Feng Yuyun asked the two servants to leave and looked at him with contempt.
Luo Wan didn't shy away from her gaze: "Wanwan greets Aunt Feng."
After a while, Feng Yuyun reluctantly responded, "You have a good memory, but I didn't recognize you. Now that you're here, come in."
Walk through the front yard, turn around the corridor, and then you will reach the door of the central hall.
Rong'an Hall is decorated very elegantly, with smoke rising from the ancient bronze incense burner on the left.
"Madam Liu, go get Shi'er." Feng Yuyun looked Luo Wan up and down. "You haven't been back for so many years. I thought you had forgotten this family."
Luo Wan nodded. "Wanwan has been frail and sickly since childhood. My father is so busy with his career, and I don't dare to burden him. My grandfather took me to seek medical treatment outside for many years, and now I am fully recovered and can finally return home."
The two people who were confronting each other in Rong'an Hall knew very well that what they said was half true and half false: half was that he was weak and sickly, and the other half was that he was forced to stay away from returning home.
Feng Yuyun chuckled and said, "It's a pity for you, a girl. You've been out in the public eye with your grandfather since you were little. I'm afraid you've suffered a lot. But thankfully, you're back now, reunited with your family after so many years." Feng Yuyun sighed, "It's just a pity that your mother passed away so early, so you can't see the one you wanted to see the most."
Luo Wan sneered in her heart. Feng Yuyun's words were still as sharp as in her previous life. Showing up in public was a mockery of unmarried women, and mentioning her deceased mother was a mockery of Chi Wanwan.
Feng Yuyun's sarcasm and ridicule did not cause any harm to Luo Wan. Her problem was that she had a fierce and vicious nanny.
"Fortunately, my grandfather loved Wanwan so much that he always asked doctors to come to the mansion to see her. Wanwan didn't have to drag her sick body to seek medical treatment."
Seeing Feng Yuyun remained silent, Luo Wan continued, "Speaking of mother, Wanwan would recite sutras and pray for blessings every Qingming Festival and on her death anniversary. Mother and brother also often visit Wanwan in my dreams, and they always say things that confuse me. They say things like she doesn't want to die, she wants to come back, and it's not her who should die... Aunt Feng, what do you mean by this? Who is the one who should die?"
Feng Yuyun's expression froze.
"mother!"
In an instant, Feng Yuyun's body trembled and the tea in the cup splashed out.
Chi Mingshi stopped jumping and asked in confusion, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Feng Yuyun said, "When will you change your temper? You're so impulsive that you're scaring me to death."
Chi Mingshi chuckled twice, stepped forward, took Feng Yuyun's arm, rested her head on her shoulder, and said coquettishly: "No, I won't change."
Luo Wan looked at Chi Mingshi, whose personality was completely different from Chi Wanwan's.
Chi Mingshi noticed someone's gaze and when she looked back, she was shocked by Luo Wan's beauty.
Those eyes were exceptionally clear and deep.
She heard from Nanny Liu that Chi Wanwan had returned.
Chi Mingshi's memory of Chi Wanwan only stayed in her childhood, that gentle elder sister who always gave in to her in everything.
She could no longer remember what she looked like. Chi Mingshi had heard Feng Yuyun mention Ye before. She was of average appearance. She couldn't understand why Ye's daughter could grow up to be so graceful.
Feng Yuyun said, "Shi'er, please come meet your elder sister. You are the daughter of a distinguished family and have studied at the Hongwen Academy for several years. You must not let others think you are being impolite."
Chi Mingshi asked, "Are you Chi Wanwan?"
Luo Wan said: "Third sister, you should call me eldest sister."
When I was a child, I liked to be called because I could rely on my young age to have others take responsibility for everything I did.
When she grew up, she always called Chi Mingli by her full name. Now, she couldn't bring herself to call a girl of about the same age as her "big sister" when she had little memory of her.
Chi Mingshi ignored Luo Wan and turned to Feng Yuyun, saying, "Mother, I heard that the young general will arrive in the capital tomorrow. His Majesty will hold a banquet in the palace to celebrate his victory. Can I go then?"
Luo Wan was stunned for a moment.
Jiang Cichen is back, is he bringing Shen Zhiyan with him?
What about him?
Feng Yuyun pondered for a moment and said, "Children shouldn't be allowed at this kind of palace banquet." Seeing Chi Mingshi hanging her head in dismay, Feng Yuyun added, "I'll ask your father then."
Chi Mingshi said happily: "Then my daughter went to practice the piano!"
Luo Wan could probably guess 90% of the reason why Feng Yuyun asked Chi Mingshi to come.
She said she came to see her elder sister, but in fact she wanted her to meet Chi Mingshi, a real noble lady from the capital, so as to make Chi Wanwan, the daughter of a merchant, feel inferior.
But Luo Wan is not Chi Wanwan. She lost all her self-esteem when she was just a few years old and trying to make a living.
After watching Chi Mingshi leave, Feng Yuyun mentioned it casually, "Speaking of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, which one does Wanwan know?"
Tingyu Tower has never taught anyone in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, or painting.
Tingyu Tower teaches how to kill people and steal things.
But Chu Lin likes playing chess. In the past ten years, Luo Wan has played against Chu Lin countless times and practiced a lot. His chess style is almost like Chu Lin's.
Many times, they couldn't tell who was whose shadow.
Luo Wan said: "I know a little bit about Go."
Feng Yuyun was surprised and said, "That's good. It's better than your mother knowing nothing. But your chess skills should not be as good as what you learned at the Hongwen Academy. You should not learn some messed-up things." Feng Yuyun held her forehead and said, "I'm tired today too. You should go back first."
Feng Yuyun always mentions Ye and belittles Chi Wanwan every few sentences. She is exactly the same as in her previous life, without any change.
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