The little maid was complaining in her heart. ’If you don’t go back, your life will be ruined.’
How can a maiden, who has never left the family home, live in her maternal grandmother’s house? It’s not as if all the people of the Song family are dead.
However, these words the little maid would dare not utter in front of Song Ya Lan. She did fear Song Ya Lan’s temper, and seeing Song Ya Lan’s blind faith in her maternal grandmother’s family, she was becoming worried.
She could see that the Sun family intended to use Song Ya Lan to force Madam Song to visit and win over the Song family, yet Song Ya Lan still thought of this as a safe place. Where on earth could there be such a good thing? How could the Sun family genuinely do so much for a granddaughter from the maternal side, and stand against the Song family? Everything is driven by interests.
This was a concept that Song Ya Lan did not understand.
Looking out of the room in a state of anxiety, Song Ya Lan said, "What’s going on? Even now the person sent to scout for information has not come back, I don’t know anything about the outside world! My grandmother only told me to stay here and be at ease, but how can I?"
In Song Ya Lan’s mind she was only concerned about the family law of the Song family after she returned home, she had never considered other, farther, deeper matters.
Finally, just when Song Ya Lan was about to lose her temper, an experienced old woman hurriedly ran in: "Miss 5!"
Song Ya Lan hastily asked: "What happened? What happened? Did you get any news?"
The old woman panted, shaking her head as she said, "No, I didn’t get any concrete information, I was eavesdropping outside by the East Warm Chamber in the Fushou Courtyard for a while. It seemed like Madame Song and Madame Sun were making small talk. Every time Madam Song wanted to mention Miss 5, Lady Sun would change the subject."
Hearing these words, Song Ya Lan breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest and saying, "That’s good, that’s good!"
She couldn’t go back now, at least not until the fuss was over, otherwise, with the temper of her second aunt, wouldn’t she force her parents to send her to the ancestral temple?
Song Ya Lan hurriedly asked: "What was my second aunt’s attitude? Did you hear clearly?"
The old woman awkwardly shook her head: "This old servant... I didn’t hear clearly, the sound was too soft, and I couldn’t get into the inner room."
Song Ya Lan cursed: "You useless thing!"
The old woman was scolded and looked disheartened, but she seemed to try to redeem herself a bit, tentatively saying: "Yes, when this old servant was coming back from Fushou Courtyard earlier, I actually saw someone."
Song Ya Lan, somewhat impatient, said, "Who?"
The old woman replied, "Lady Mu."
This old woman had taken care of Song Ya Lan since she was young; she was clearly aware of Song Ya Lan’s temperaments and heart matters. Plus, Song Ya Lan’s downfall was in some way tied to Lady Mu. The old woman knew that her young lady would certainly be interested in anything regarding Lady Mu.
Upon hearing this, Song Ya Lan’s face changed drastically, she fumed: "What is a fallen woman like her doing here!? She really is a climber, she wants to get close to the Song family to elevate her status! Nowadays, even fallen women of her sort dare to enter the Sun family’s door?!"
"Young lady, try to calm down, Lady Mu did come here with Madam Song, but when this old servant saw her, she wasn’t with Madame Song." The old woman whispered.
Song Ya Lan snorted: "I guess she was probably eager to climb up as soon as she entered, right?"
The old woman replied: "When this old servant was passing by the lakeside of Fushou Courtyard, I saw from afar Lady Mu and Madam Yun, the concubine of the Fifth Young Master from the courtyard of Sun Family, talking together in the Lake Heart Pavilion." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Song Ya Lan frowned in thought,. unable to remember who Madam Yun was, she laughed and said: "So she really can’t make it to the stage and can only socialise with an inferior concubine, it figures. The Sun family is so high-ranking that even the concubines of the Sun family would need to be praised by the Mu family."
Although she seemed full of contempt, there was clear jealousy in her tone.
"However, from what I saw, it did not seem like Lady Mu was pleading with Madam Yun. On the contrary, Madam Yun seemed much weaker, even a bit submissive." The old woman explained.
Song Ya Lan looked at the old woman incredulously: "Are you telling the truth?"
"Would I dare to deceive you? I saw everything with my own eyes." The old woman asserted.
"What were they talking about?" Song Ya Lan questioned.
"I don’t know about that because they were on the pavilion in the middle of the lake. I only saw from the lakeside in the distance. The maids and old women were guarding them - I was afraid that if I stayed a little longer I would be tied up, so I didn’t dare to linger. Plus I was too far away, so I couldn’t hear anything." The old woman said before cautiously adding: "If you are curious, why not send someone to bring Madam Yun here and ask her. She is only a mere concubine, she definitely won’t dare to resist you."
Unexpectedly, Song Ya Lan was indeed a little curious. Or perhaps she felt that she might unintentionally grab onto a handle of Ji Xinhe. Or perhaps, she had inadvertently found a way to target Ji Xinhe.
If she had felt a complicated mixture of jealousy and contempt for Ji Xinhe before, she had grown to despise Ji Xinhe ever since the latter had taken advantage of Madame Song to set her up and made her fall to her current state. She could hardly contain her resentment against Ji Xinhe now. How could she be happy if today’s hatred isn’t revenged? It’s hard to come across such an opportunity, and she would not let it go.
Even if what the old woman witnessed today did not have any effect.
But a woman’s intuition can sometimes be inexplicable.
Song Ya Lan felt her heart palpitate. She was strangely excited, and quickly ordered, "What are you standing there for? Go and bring that Madam Yun here!"
The old woman quickly nodded and bowed: "Yes, yes, yes, I’ll go right away!"
The old woman rushed off.
-
At this moment, Yi Ling was still in a daze in the pavilion, her gaze still locked onto the direction Ji Xinhe had left. There were unfaded tears on her face, and her cheeks were slightly red and swollen. But the complex emotions in her eyes were surging and becoming more intense.
Indeed, she had never won against her, not until now. After their fierce battles, she was covered in scars, and it seemed her fate was always to be miserably defeated. But, why?
Could she really just admit defeat, accept a bleak future, and live in repression?
She refused to accept it!
Yi Ling gritted her teeth, her eyes suddenly became bloodshot, as if stained with blood.
At this moment, she heard a stranger’s voice from behind: "Are you Madam Yun?"
Yi Ling immediately hid her emotions and replaced it with a pitiful expression. She turned around with a somewhat frightened look at the newcomer and asked, "Who are you...?"
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