Since going to Cuiyuexuan with Feng Jin and others, Lin Yuqi felt like she had opened a new door and experienced the "benefits" of being a woman for the first time. Although she tried her best to control herself, she could no longer be as celibate as before.
The first person to know that Lin Yuqi had taken in a maid was Madam Li.
"Have you found out everything?"
Even Li herself didn't expect that the maid she had sent over would have someone climb into her bed so quickly.
"It's true, Caiyu, who shared a room with Caihe, said it herself. Caihe disappeared for a whole night and didn't return until around 1 AM. Everything was in disarray."
Granny Wu leaned closer to Madam Li and whispered her report.
"Quickly inform our people to stop Caiyu from spreading rumors. Help Caihe clean up all the traces and cover it up."
Madam Li was somewhat excited. Having managed things in the Marquis's residence for so long, she naturally had people in Lin Yuqi's courtyard as well. Caihe seemed to be quite capable, having been recruited so quickly, and she was determined to lend a hand.
Now she needs to cover up Caihe's affair before Zhang finds out. Once the Crown Prince's wife marries into the family, she will eventually discover Caihe's affair, and then she will definitely have a falling out with Lin Yuqi.
While Li was busy with her various schemes, others were not idle either.
Lin Yuqiao has been having a tough time lately. In the mornings she has to study and learn needlework, and in the afternoons she has to draw patterns. Li Shi even hired a musician for her, and she has to learn to play the zither with the musician every other day.
Lin Yuqiao felt like she hadn't had a relaxing time in a long time, and she complained to the Li family several times.
"Qiao'er is a grown-up now, she can't keep lounging around like this, or she'll become wild."
Lin Yuqiao was quite upset after being rejected by the Li family. She was only six years old! What happened to her happy childhood?
Initially, Madam Li didn't intend to immediately restrain Lin Yuqiao, as she was her only daughter and inevitably spoiled her a bit. However, before Lin Yucheng went to the academy, he told her to keep a close eye on Lin Yuqiao. Lin Yuqiao's mind had already wandered, and she didn't care about studying now. If she wasn't disciplined soon, she would be even harder to manage as she grew older.
After all, she wasn't a genius, and time travel couldn't change her "core." As an ordinary child, Lin Yuqiao's performance was mediocre after studying for a while. She lacked musicality and was not good at handicrafts, which made Li Shi, who hadn't paid much attention to her education, start to worry.
Besides urging her to work harder to make up for her shortcomings, Li was also secretly worried about what else Lin Yuqiao would learn when she got older. She wanted to find out her strengths so that she would have some skills to show off in the future.
To cheer Lin Yuqiao up, seeing that Lin Yuqiao's morning studies were over, Granny Fang quickly had someone bring over the milk cake so that she could relax.
Milk Cake was unusually lively today, constantly jumping around on the tatami mat, which Lin Yuqiao found very unusual. You see, this "master" she raised was incredibly lazy, usually preferring to sleep on the soft cushions and impossible to move.
When Lin Yuqiao asked the little maid who was looking after Naigao, she learned that Naigao had been fed catnip. Although the name catnip was uncommon, Lin Yuqiao had happened to hear it before in modern times; it was commonly known as catnip.
“It’s not good for the cat to be so lethargic. My mother heard that feeding the cat a small amount of catnip can make it more active, so she brought me some the other day.”
Lin Yuqiao didn't take it seriously at first, assuming the little girl was just trying to get a reward by taking good care of Naigao. Catnip would indeed be good for Naigao. So she casually said to the girl named Huan'er, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness," and asked Granny Fang to give her a purse as a reward.
“I just happened to hear about it from Granny Zheng. I knew that Granny Zheng had catnip, so I asked for some and brought it to you.”
Huan'er happily thanked them after receiving the purse, but didn't take credit for it.
"Oh? Granny Zheng also keeps cats?" Lin Yuqi asked with a hint of curiosity.
Huan'er thought for a moment, then shook her head and replied, "No, the manor doesn't allow us servants to raise these things ourselves."
So why does catnip exist? People who don't own cats usually wouldn't notice it.
After thinking for a moment, Granny Fang said, "I know Granny Zheng. We call her Zheng Er's wife. She works in the Second Madam's courtyard."
When Lin Yuqiao heard about this connection, she became somewhat conspiratorial. She knew that the Second Madam, He Qingfang, and her mother, Li Shi, had been at odds for quite some time, and she wondered what tricks the Second Madam might use. Although the Second Madam wasn't particularly formidable, she still wanted to know what she was up to.
The next day, when paying her respects, Lin Yuqiao was already on her guard. She asked Lin Yumei at Zhang's place if she wanted to keep a cat. After receiving a disdainful look in return, Lin Yuqiao became even more certain that the Second Madam was planning something.
So she took some time in the afternoon to go to the Li family's courtyard and tell them about the catnip.
"Okay, I understand. Qiao'er is very kind. You don't need to worry about the rest."
Hearing Li's reply, Lin Yuqiao stomped her feet. Why couldn't she follow through on what she had discovered? It was like watching a play that was only halfway through and then it was stopped. Wasn't that frustrating?
"My goodness, you should just focus on your studies and stop causing me so much trouble. You don't need to get involved in all this drama."
No matter how much Lin Yuqiao whined and begged her to stay on the bed, Madam Li firmly refused to let Lin Yuqiao continue to interfere.
With the clues from Jingjie and Zheng Er's family, Li quickly discovered that it was Zheng Er's family who had secretly kept the cat, and quite coincidentally, they kept it near the courtyard where her aunt Jiang lived.
Originally intending to eliminate He Qingfang, Li secretly told Jiang about this rare opportunity. Jiang was shocked and investigated, discovering that her newly made hand warmer had also been laced with catnip.
If she went out with this handcuff, the stray cats outside would pounce on her, drawn by the scent of the catnip. The stray cats' claws are already sharp, and if the Second Madam were to add some mischief by applying medicine to their claws, she could be disfigured.
Completely disheartened by the Second Madam's lack of sisterly affection, Madam Jiang felt she had to take action. If the Second Madam couldn't tolerate her, she would have no chance of survival after having a child.
Touching her abdomen, Madam Jiang decided to harden her heart and strike first. No matter how much wealth she possessed, she needed to be alive to enjoy it.
It turned out that ever since the Second Master's concubine, Madam Jiang, had fallen ill due to the torment caused by the Second Madam, He Qingfang, she had stopped paying her respects and had been staying in her courtyard, claiming to be ill. Furthermore, the Second Master had also stopped visiting He Qingfang's courtyard frequently and had become even more fond of Madam Jiang.
He Qingfang, already furious at being unable to get through to her aunt, became even angrier when she heard that although Jiang was claiming to be ill, she still asked for water in the courtyard every night. She even ripped off the buttons on her collar.
He Qingfang had been regretting her actions ever since Jiang entered the household, and now that she had lost all affection for the Second Master, she blamed it all on Jiang. Originally, she had planned to get rid of the mother and keep the child, but now she didn't want Jiang to have any more children. Instead, she was thinking of ways to disfigure Jiang so she could drive her out and buy a docile maid to bear a son for the Second Master.
What happened next was something Lin Yuqiao also heard about. It was said that the Second Madam had tormented Concubine Jiang again when she came to pay her respects, kicking her so hard that she miscarried. The doctor even lamented that it was very likely a boy. The Second Master, who had always wanted a son, was furious and said he would divorce her.
Finally, the matter reached Zhang's ears, and Zhang confined the second wife to her quarters, only releasing her when Lin Yuxuan was engaged. Even after the ceremony, she was still not allowed to leave the room.
Lin Yuxuan was ultimately betrothed to Teng Zhang, the eldest son of Teng Hao, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. After Lin Yuqi's marriage, she would leave home. The second wife, He Qingfang, suffered from the disadvantage of not being able to manage the household as the younger daughter-in-law. When choosing a husband for her daughter, she always picked the eldest son, hoping that her daughter could become a matriarch and manage the household in the future.
Lin Yuqiao felt that her mother, Li, must have been involved in the events that happened in the second wife's household, and that she had also played a role in the catnip incident she had discovered earlier.
"Mother, Mother, you still want to reward those who have contributed!"
Nestled in Li's arms, Lin Yuqiao clung to her neck, refusing to let go.
"How come the higher-ups are so shrewd! Who told you you did something good?!"
"I was guessing, that must be it! Your second aunt won't be able to cause you any more trouble from now on!"
Li was somewhat touched by Lin Yuqiao's thoughtfulness, but when she heard Lin Yuqiao subtly trying to get her to agree to take a few days off from studying, she found it amusing. This girl's intelligence was always misused.
"Go away, I'm busy. Your older brother is getting married soon, and I have to take care of everything. Just give me a break!"
She was dismissed by Li, who promised her a set of ruby pearl jewelry and a five-phoenix ornament inlaid with gold and white jade that she had long coveted.
Lin Yuqiao was disappointed when Mr. Li agreed to give her a "vacation," and she said she felt very heavy-hearted. She ate an extra bowl of rice that night.
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