Mrs. Luo was about to send someone to look for her when she saw Yining walk in. The old lady raised her eyelids and said, "You look so happy. Did your third brother send you back?"
Yining nodded, walked over to sit next to Mrs. Luo, and was stunned for a moment when she saw that she was reading Buddhist scriptures.
The eldest sister-in-law loved to chant Buddhist scriptures. Ever since her husband Lu Jiaran died, she had been chanting all day long. She had listened to Buddhist music for years and could even recite it by heart. Mrs. Luo was reading a volume of the Diamond Sutra.
When she first learned that Lu Jiaxue had killed her, she was filled with resentment and unwillingness. Seeing him casually worship her, seeing his status rising, and seeing that no one could harm her anymore, she wanted to rush out and seek revenge. But after reciting Buddhist scriptures for more than a decade, she calmed down a lot, because she couldn't kill Lu Jiaxue no matter what, even if she was reborn as a human.
Mrs. Luo saw her lying on the table, reading the Buddhist scriptures in her hands. She smiled and touched her hair and said, "What's wrong? You were so happy just now. Your third brother just gave you a calligraphy copybook and asked you to copy it. Your eldest brother also gave you some glass nesting dolls. Do you think they are fun?"
Yining looked up and saw, as expected, a row of lucky dolls, ranging in size from large to small, lined the window lattice. Ordinary dolls were clay sculptures, but these were made of glazed glass, shimmering in the sunlight and undoubtedly worth a fortune. On a small table nearby lay several calligraphy books. The handwriting was Luo Shenyuan's own, meticulous and neat. They were neatly bound, filling a whole book.
"Grandma, I don't want to play with dolls anymore. I'm going to practice calligraphy first. Otherwise, my third brother will punish me when he comes back." Yining suddenly stood up, took the calligraphy copybook and went to the study.
Old Mrs. Luo looked at Yining's back, smiled and shook her head, then looked at Mother Xu again.
Mother Xu lowered her head and said with a smile, "Our Meijie now knows what is good and what is bad."
Mrs. Luo nodded. "She's becoming more and more sensible, while the one who used to be sensible is becoming less and less sensible. Did you send someone to tell Chen about what happened in the hall this afternoon?"
Mother Xu said, "I have explained everything clearly."
"Yi Yu has always been arrogant. I'm afraid she wouldn't look down on the young master of the Liu Mansion. She really likes Cheng Lang." Old Lady Luo said indifferently, "Use my matching cards and invite Madam Liu to come to the show on the eighth day of the first lunar month. Yi Yu won't be able to calm down until this matter is settled."
Mother Xu nodded and left.
Chen Lan also learned about what happened in the flower hall that afternoon, and she was furious. All the maids and servants in the room were asked to leave. Luo Yiyu knelt in front of her, tears streaming down her face. Chen Lan was so angry that her hands were shaking. After a while, she said calmly: "You are capable now. I forced you to learn the rules, but you have learned them like a dog! Although Mr. Cheng has a good relationship with our family, your behavior is really a joke! Who told you to associate with that concubine? She thinks she is a concubine and a legitimate daughter, and she doesn't even consider whether she has the face to do so. She doesn't help you in a proper way, and you listen to her nonsense?"
Yi Yu pursed her lips and said with tears in her eyes, "Yilian is indeed not a legitimate daughter, but she is gentle and humble, and we have a good relationship. She didn't instigate this matter, but she wanted to test it out herself. Didn't you say that if you don't try, how can you know..."
Chen Lan was so angry that she couldn't speak. When she heard Yi Yu talk back, she picked up a book at hand, rolled it up and was about to hit Yi Yu.
The maid who was close to her quickly grabbed her and said, "Madam, you can't hit her. She's already grown up!"
"She's ruined the reputation of my Chen family. If I don't beat her to death, it's because I care about her!" Chen pointed at Yi Yu and said, "How dare you talk back? Let me ask you, what's so bad about the son of the Liu Mansion's co-magistrate that you would do such a thing?"
Yi Yu had never been so harshly addressed by her mother. Tears welled up in her eyes as she murmured, "How can he be any good? He's just the son of a mere prefectural governor. The last time I saw him... his character, appearance, and talent, how could he compare to Brother Cheng Lang!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Lan was even more determined to beat Yi Yu, frightening even Luo Yixiu, who was standing nearby. Although she didn't particularly like her sister, she still plopped down on the ground and pleaded for Luo Yi Yu's mercy. The room was in turmoil when a maid arrived to announce that the eldest and second young masters had come to pay their respects to Chen Shi.
As soon as Luo Yuanshan walked in, he said, "Mother, don't be so quick to hit Yi Yu. Actually, I think much the same as Yi Yu. Liu Fu Tongzhi is only a fifth-rank official, after all. His only son, though diligent in his studies, didn't pass. Cheng Lang, on the other hand, is a natural talent with a promising future."
Luo Huaiyuan knew that his brother was simple-minded, so he looked at him and told him to shut up.
"Mother is trying to persuade your sister, why are you making trouble?" Luo Huaiyuan helped Yi Yu up. Yi Yu lay on her brother's body, crying so hard that she couldn't speak. Luo Huaiyuan said, "Yi Yu, do you know Cheng Lang's background?"
Luo Yiyu shook her head, and Luo Huaiyuan whispered, "Cheng Lang...he was born out of wedlock."
Chen Lan had never heard of this before. She sat up straight and frowned, asking, "If she's a concubine's child, how did she become a legitimate child?"
Luo Huaiyuan continued, "Luckily, he has a good uncle, Lu Jiaxue. As soon as Lu Jiaxue was appointed as the governor, he asked the Cheng family to make his sister his legitimate wife. But his sister was of too low birth, so he asked the Duke of Yingguo to recognize his sister as his younger sister, and only then was she legitimately made his wife. When Cheng Lang was young, he was often bullied by his legitimate brothers. He said that his life was very miserable at that time. But now, when his two legitimate brothers see him, they are like mice seeing a cat..."
"Do you know how Cheng Lang dealt with his two legitimate brothers?" Luo Huaiyuan lowered his voice. "One of his two legitimate brothers married the daughter of the Shi family in Tongzhou, but she was a sickly woman and died within a year. The other married the concubine's daughter of the Shanxi Tongzhengshi, who had a foot disease. But no one dared to say anything..."
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