Upon entering the mansion, Madam Xie immediately shook off Bai Chuxiao's hand and instructed her head maid, Caiyue, "Caiyue, take the eldest young lady back to her quarters to rest."
Bai Chuxiao had no tears left, and instead smiled sweetly, "Thank you for your trouble, Auntie." Bai Chuxiao couldn't stand Xie's attitude; what was with all the airs of a mistress? She'd make Xie sick of her.
Hearing Bai Chuxiao repeatedly address her as "Auntie," Madam Xie wanted nothing more than to slap her across the face, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She could only let out a cold snort and storm off.
Caiyue led Bai Chuxiao into the inner courtyard, crossed Yixin Lake, and finally stopped in a secluded courtyard. "Young Miss, we've arrived at Chenxiang Courtyard," she said, and then left.
"These maids and servants around the Second Madam are truly unreasonable," Lanxiang said indignantly.
Qingzhu couldn't help but speak up, "This courtyard is so dilapidated and so remote, how can Miss live here?"
Bai Chuxiao surveyed the Agarwood Courtyard; it was somewhat dilapidated and secluded, making the entire courtyard appear quite desolate.
Bai Chuxiao sneered, "Lanxiang, go and find out who lives in the courtyard I used to live in. Also, go and ask where Grandmother lives. The first thing you should do when you get back is to pay your respects to Grandmother."
A moment later, Lanxiang returned. "Miss, the Liuli Courtyard where you used to live is now occupied by the Second Miss, while the Ruyi Courtyard where the First Madam used to live was renovated into the Qingyi Courtyard, which is now inhabited by the Second Madam."
Bai Chuxiao sneered, "So, this is Xie Shi. Where is your grandmother?"
"The old lady lives in Furong Courtyard. She just woke up from her afternoon nap. Would you like to go and pay your respects, Miss?" Lanxiang asked.
"Of course I'll go, Lanxiang, you're coming with me."
Madam Xie stormed back to Qingyi Courtyard, where Bai Chuwan immediately went to greet her, asking, "Mother, what's wrong? How is Bai Chuxiao?"
Madam Xie slammed down the teacup Caixia handed her. "Wan'er, that wretched Bai Chuxiao keeps calling me 'Auntie,' it's utterly hateful! Just now, in front of so many people at the gate, she implied that I mistreated my first wife's daughter and ruined my reputation."
Bai Chuwan patted Xie's back, "Mother, calm down. She was sent to Dingzhou when she was young, so she must hate us to the core. But this is just a momentary lapse of judgment; there's plenty of time in the future."
Madam Xie glared at her angrily, "It's all your fault! If you were willing to marry the Prince of Yan, this marriage wouldn't have been Bai Chuxiao's turn at all. You brought her back here just to cause us trouble."
Bai Chuwan said arrogantly, "Mother, that Prince Yan is nothing but a brute who only knows how to fight. His birth mother was a palace maid, and now he's just a noblewoman. How can he compare to His Highness the Crown Prince? Even if he's not as good as the Prince of Xiang or the Prince of Qi, aren't they all better than him?"
Looking at the beautiful Bai Chuwan, Madam Xie smiled and said, "Indeed, my daughter is known as one of the two beauties of the capital, along with the one from the Liu family. Naturally, she should marry the best. However, your father has always been at odds with the Liu family, so there's no chance for you to marry the Prince of Xiang. The Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi are more of a contender. Wan'er, who do you prefer?"
Bai Chuwan's face suddenly turned red. "Mother, I'm still young..."
Madam Xie became serious again, "Now that even the youngest Prince Yan has been betrothed, we need to hurry up with the Crown Prince and Prince Qi. We also need to discuss this matter with your father as soon as possible. Wan'er, you should also..."
In Furong Courtyard, the old lady, Madam Wei, sat upright in the main seat, drinking tea. The head maid of her courtyard was massaging her back. "Yingchun, has Chuxiao returned?"
Yingchun, standing behind, respectfully replied, "Reporting to Madam, the eldest young lady has returned. Caiyue, who serves Madam, is currently leading the eldest young lady back to her courtyard."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wei's head maid, Zhixia, came in to announce, "Madam, the eldest young lady has come to pay her respects. Has Madam seen her?"
Madam Wei smiled. "Oh? This girl is quite sensible; she even knows to greet her grandmother first. Please come in then."
Bai Chuxiao, dressed as a delicate and innocent girl, entered and bowed deeply to Madam Wei. "Greetings, Grandmother. Your granddaughter is back. I've missed you so much all these years." When she raised her head, two strings of tears still clung to her face.
Looking at Bai Chuxiao's pale face, and seeing her affectionately call her "Grandmother," Madam Wei felt a pang of heartache. After all, she was her own granddaughter, and having grown up away from the manor, she must have suffered a lot. She said emotionally, "Xiaoxiao, get up quickly, come to Grandmother's side and let Grandmother take a good look at you."
Bai Chuxiao stood up, wiped away her tears, and walked to Wei Shi's side, asking with concern, "Grandmother, how has your health been these past few years? I often worry about you, but Dingzhou is so far away..." As she spoke, she felt another pang of sadness, and two more tears fell.
Madam Wei felt a pang of heartache and took Bai Chuxiao's hand. "Xiaoxiao, my good child, you've suffered so much these past years. Look how pale your face is. Now that you're back in the manor, you must tell your grandmother if you've been wronged. Your grandmother will definitely stand up for you."
Lanxiang watched with great admiration. Her mistress's acting was superb; tears flowed so easily, and she looked as if the wind could blow her away. There wasn't a trace of her former imposing presence in Dingzhou. Upon hearing Madam Wei's words, Lanxiang immediately knelt down and began to sob, "This servant, Lanxiang, greets the Old Madam. Please, Old Madam, do justice for my young lady!"
Madam Wei looked at her seriously, gesturing for her to continue.
Lanxiang sobbed, "Reporting to the Old Madam, Miss has already caught a cold from her long journey, yet Madam still arranged for her to stay in Chenxiang Courtyard. That courtyard is so remote and desolate. I just went to see it, and even in the middle of the afternoon, there wasn't a ray of sunlight. How can Miss's body withstand living there?"
Bai Chuxiao scolded, "Lanxiang, don't talk nonsense," then turned to look at Madam Wei, "Grandmother, it's alright. Although that courtyard is remote, it's quiet. I suppose Aunt Xie meant well." After saying that, she coughed a few times.
Wei's face showed some dissatisfaction. This Xie was becoming increasingly unruly. Over the years, she had been in charge of the household's finances, and relying on her status as the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wenxin, she increasingly disregarded this old woman. Back when Murong Xue was alive, she had treated her with great respect.
Thinking of this, Madam Wei immediately ordered, "Yingchun, go and call Madam Xie over."
She then comforted Bai Chuxiao, saying, "Chuxiao, don't worry, Grandma will definitely stand up for you. You can't stay at that Chenxiang Courtyard."
Madam Xie and Bai Chuwan entered together, bowing slightly to the person in the main seat, saying, "Greetings, Mother," and "Greetings, Grandmother."
Bai Chuwan watched the young woman enter. She wore a pale white pleated skirt with subtle patterns, over which was a pink long robe with dark floral designs. A hollowed-out gold butterfly-shaped hair ornament adorned her hair. Her complexion was fair yet rosy. Bai Chuwan sighed inwardly, thinking, "Truly worthy of being one of the two beauties of the capital, she is indeed a beauty."
Before Madam Wei could speak, Bai Chuwan ran over with a bright smile, and said affectionately to Bai Chuxiao, "This must be eldest sister. Wan'er greets eldest sister."
Looking at Bai Chuxiao's appearance, Bai Chuwan felt a sense of disdain. Despite being the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, how could she possibly compare to her?
Bai Chuxiao ignored her and simply massaged Wei's shoulders. Wei slammed her hand on the table, glaring at Xie, "Xie, how do you manage a household? Chuxiao, the eldest daughter of the Left Prime Minister's mansion, how can she live in Chenxiang Courtyard?"
Madam Xie found it strange that this old woman would be so protective of her granddaughter, whom she hadn't seen for ten years. This wasn't like her at all. However, she quickly protested, "Mother, all the other courtyards are under renovation. Only Chenxiang Courtyard is empty. Besides, that courtyard is elegant and quiet. I think Chuxiao will definitely like it."
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