Chapter 3: Low Rank
"Shh!"
Aunt Lan quickly covered Yanyu's mouth and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Go to the gate and guard it. The young lady and I have something to say. Remember, not a single word of what we said today can be spread."
"…oh."
Yanyu had no choice but to nod, and took two pieces of cakes angrily and went out to watch the door.
Aunt Lan looked for a long time before coming back and sitting down, looking at her daughter nervously.
"Ci'er, didn't you say you didn't want to enter the palace as a concubine?"
"I've changed my mind."
Lin Shuang finished the milk cake in two bites, took out a handkerchief and wiped her hands slowly.
"Auntie, my stepmother is from an aristocratic family, and my eldest sister married into an earl's mansion, with powerful backers. Although we have our father's protection, we have also suffered from bullying and grievances. Only by entering the palace and becoming a concubine can I have the confidence and ability to protect you."
"But, Mr. Zhao..."
Aunt Lan was talking when she saw her daughter suddenly roll her eyes. She was slightly stunned before continuing, "Ci'er, Auntie knows you are worried about me, but with your father around, your stepmother won't do anything to me. It's just a small matter. I don't want you to put yourself in a difficult position for me..."
"Where's the grievance?"
Lin Shuang picked up the teacup and blew gently, her expression calm: "Auntie, please be careful with your words. I am the daughter of a fourth-rank official. It is a great honor for me to enter the palace as a concubine. How can I say that I am wronged?"
"Uh, yes, my aunt said something wrong..."
"Auntie, you have no say in my marriage. Although my father loves me, most of the marriages of his children are arranged by the head mother. As it stands now, if I don't enter the palace, what kind of husband do you think my head mother will choose for me in the future?"
“…”
Aunt Lan pursed her lips, her expression sad: "It's all my fault for being useless..."
here we go again.
Lin Shuang took a sip of her tea and put it down. "Auntie, it's a blessing you didn't give birth to a bastard, otherwise we wouldn't be alive today. Don't always take the blame on yourself. Zhao Yu stopped me from seeing the emperor, firstly for her own daughter, and secondly to alienate you from your father."
Aunt Lan sighed and nodded. "Yes, your father warned me in detail in the letter, saying that he had put a lot of effort into this achievement and was asking His Majesty for a reward. He wanted to make sure you were well prepared for the appearance. If the Madam ruined it, your father would definitely blame me for my incompetence."
"You are right to think so, Auntie."
Lin Shuang smoothed the wrinkles on her sleeves. "I know my father has his own selfish motives. After all, I'm much more beautiful than Su Yin. It's obvious who will be more favored and support the Su family after entering the palace. I've been loved by my father since I was a child, and I don't want to let him down for all his painstaking efforts."
“…I know Ci’er is filial, but, but you are not…”
"Auntie, girl!"
Yanyu hurried in: "I saw the eldest and third girls coming from afar."
"We're all family, so just come over, why are you making such a fuss?"
Lin Shuang frowned slightly and stood up: "Yanyu, take Auntie back to the room to rest, I will go see them."
"No, if they bully you again..."
"Don't worry, Auntie. They wouldn't dare to do anything in broad daylight. I can handle it. Go back to your room."
Aunt Lan looked at her calm daughter and felt inexplicably relieved. She turned around and went back to the bedroom with Yanyu.
Lin Shuang turned her head and bent down thoughtfully. She stretched out her fingers to wipe some stove ash, quickly returned to her room, took off her outer clothes, applied some makeup in front of the bronze mirror, ruffled her hair, and leaned on the recliner under the window before the door was pushed open.
"Su Ci!"
“Ahem…”
I saw a girl in a thin middle shirt leaning weakly on a recliner, coughing softly, her slender shoulders trembling slightly, looking weak and pitiful.
Su Rong looks like her mother, with an elaborate and luxurious bun. Her facial features are quite tough, losing some of their softness and gaining a more aggressive and strong look.
Su Yin was Xiao's father, and she looked elegant and pretty in a light blue chiffon dress. However, her frowning face ruined her pretended elegance.
“Ahem…”
Lin Shuang didn't get off the recliner. She coughed softly and turned to look at the two sisters.
“…”
The girl had messy hair and a pale face. Her big, charming eyes were now surrounded by a dark blue circle, her cheeks were thin, and her lips were pale.
It's like dying.
Su Rong narrowed her eyes slightly, while Su Yin's expression relaxed, with a look of gloating in her eyes.
"Fourth sister doesn't seem to be well yet?"
"cough…"
Lin Shuang covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed softly. She looked at Su Rong with lifeless eyes and a bit of anger.
"Are you satisfied? You made me sleep for a whole day and night, cough, and even gave Auntie a cold. And you still come to laugh at me, right?"
The suspicion in Su Rong's eyes disappeared and she smiled coldly.
"What do you mean, Fourth Sister? What does your cold have to do with us?"
"That's right."
Su Yin took out her handkerchief and covered her mouth with it, chuckling in disgust: "You went out to wander around at night and fell into the lotus pond. It's your own fault. What does it have to do with me and my elder sister?"
"cough…"
Lin Shuang clutched her chest, about to cry. "You guys just bullied me while father wasn't home, and my stepmother didn't care. You just wanted to wait for me to die of illness, so that my third sister could enter the palace in my place? Don't even think about it... cough! cough cough!"
"hehe."
Su Rong also showed disdain and took a step back, covering her mouth with her hands. "Listen, Yin'er, she really wants to climb up the social ladder."
"Ha, I heard it."
Su Yin squinted at the pale, yet still alluring face, and said in a cold, mocking tone, "You're just a lowly concubine's daughter, yet you're so arrogant! Our family is a noble and aristocratic family. We would never be like those filthy-minded petty officials who rely on sending their beautiful daughters to the palace to flatter the emperor and profit from it."
"Well, is it?"
Lin Shuang also sneered, looking Su Yin up and down. "If that's the case, why did father send me, a concubine's daughter, into the palace instead of you, the legitimate daughter? Because anyone with a discerning eye can see that I'm prettier than you, and it's easier for me to gain favor and help the Su family, isn't it?"
"you!"
"Yin'er, why are you comparing these things with her, a concubine's daughter?"
Su Rong held down the angry Su Yin and looked at her coldly, "As the daughters of an official family, we should focus on self-cultivation, be dignified, and behave gracefully. We must not learn the lowly behavior of those who rely on showing off their beauty and figures and flattering others for profit. Wouldn't that make people laugh at us?"
"You, what did you say, cough cough!"
When Su Yin saw Su Ci's angry face again, her anger immediately subsided and she stroked her collar gracefully.
"That's right. I'm a legitimate daughter. Why would I bother with a lowly person like you? Sister, let's go. This house smells really dirty. It would be unlucky if we get involved."
"Well, let's go."
“Ahem…”
Lin Shuang covered her mouth, stood up, and leaned against the door to watch the two sisters walk away.
The aggrieved and angry expression on his face disappeared instantly, and he raised his index finger and tapped the dark corner of his eye.
"The rank isn't high."
…
Xue Liu hurried back with a book. When she passed by the two sisters, she heard Su Rong's low voice.
"Don't do anything yet."
"Uh, yes..."
Su Yin looked back at Xue Liu who was walking into the yard: "Eldest sister, this bitch mother and daughter are both sick, why don't you take action now?"
Su Rong frowned and glanced at her sister. "It's time for you to be more sensible. Father finally won the favor this time. It's such an honor to have the Emperor visit. Mother has put so much effort into renovating the mansion and keeping the servants under strict control, just to properly welcome His Majesty and have you meet him."
"The little bitch is so seriously ill now. If she's given more medicine, she probably won't live until tomorrow morning. If she causes trouble and offends His Majesty, ruining Father's plans, how will you tell Mother?"
“…Eldest sister taught me a lesson, and Yin’er knows it.”
…
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