"Is that truly how she behaved?" Upon hearing Mother Luo’s account of what transpired in Jiang Yu's courtyard today, Lady Li was so startled that she nearly dropped her teacup.
"It is, Madam. Please, do not keep thinking of the Third Miss as weak-willed or insist on protecting her too much. I truly feel that since her return, the Third Miss is a different person," Mother Luo sighed before answering.
"I know. Both sisters are sensible and kind-hearted. Living in this Marquis Manor is like walking on thin ice; being able to raise the three of them to adulthood safely has been no easy feat." The words Lady Li spoke were a far cry from the impression the Jiang family held of her—that of a foolish, soft-hearted merchant’s daughter.
"Madam, why did you agree to marry into this Marquis Manor in the first place? I have watched you, once a carefree young lady, slowly worn down by these inner chambers..."
Mother Luo could not bring herself to finish the sentence.
Back home, Lady Li had been the most pampered youngest daughter. Yet, ever since marrying into the Marquis Manor, she had not known a single day of peace. Having been by her side since she was a young girl, Mother Luo felt the deepest heartache seeing Lady Li married into this man-eating manor, suffering through an ill-fated union and constant mistreatment.
Lady Li remained silent for a long moment before saying, "My family always doted on me; I could not be so selfish as to refuse to sacrifice anything for them. At that time, as the Li family’s business grew, we became targets for those with malicious intent. Though the Marquis Manor is a den of folly, it was the only thing that could save the Li family from the fires of crisis back then. With the status of the Marquis's legitimate wife, those who covet the Li family’s wealth must at least pause to weigh the consequences."
After hearing this, Mother Luo felt even more sorrow for her mistress.
"This old servant understands. I shall never bring this up again," Mother Luo said, lowering her head, her eyes rimmed with moisture.
"With Yuer back, I fear the Marquis Manor will no longer know peace," Lady Li sighed, reflecting on Jiang Yu’s conduct since her return.
"The Miss must have suffered terrible grievances at the manor in the countryside to become so hardened and undergo such a change in temperament," Mother Luo recalled the ruthlessness with which the Third Miss had dealt with the servants today—it was entirely unlike the Third Miss of the past, who was arrogant but easily swayed.
In the past, because the Third Miss mistakenly believed Lady Li favored the Eldest Miss, and egged on by Madam Zhao’s side, her relationship with Lady Li had been abysmal. Now, upon her return from the countryside, she seemed to have finally regained her wits.
"This time, I will certainly not let my Yuer suffer any more grievances," Lady Li declared with firm resolve.
Jiang Yu slept soundly and was woken early the next morning by Qing'er, who began to dress her hair and apply her makeup.
"Has Jiang Yingxi sent back my jewelry?" Jiang Yu asked.
While styling Jiang Yu’s hair into a Lingyun bun, Qing'er replied, "They have been returned. I have already placed them in your treasure chest."
"Mm. I am expected to pay my respects to the Old Madam later, aren't I?" Jiang Yu asked lazily, struggling to keep her sleepy eyelids open.
"Yes, Miss." Watching her, Qing'er thought she looked incredibly adorable.
Once the Lingyun bun was set, Jiang Yu looked vibrant and breathtakingly beautiful, making it impossible to look away. People everywhere claimed the Fourth Miss, Jiang Xueshu, was the greatest beauty in the Capital. But Qing'er felt that when her own mistress was properly dressed, she was in no way inferior to Jiang Xueshu.
At some point, the Miss had developed a habit of keeping her face looking dark and sallow. Later, when they were at the country estate, the Miss had claimed it was to deter any lecherous men who might covet her beauty. Yesterday, when Lady Li remarked that her skin had darkened, it wasn't actually from the sun. The Miss had been making them use a secret concoction she formulated to darken her skin by a shade every day.
"Miss, I shall go fetch the darkening powder for you," Qing'er said, having finished arranging the hair ornaments; only the face remained.Looking at the young miss's soft, fair, and tender face, devoid of even a trace of powder, Qing'er couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
As the saying goes, a fair complexion hides a hundred flaws. The young miss deliberately darkening her skin still severely detracted from her natural beauty.
"Wait, there's no need," Jiang Yu suddenly said.
"Ah? Miss?" Qing'er looked at Jiang Yu in pleasant surprise.
"Let's just leave it like this. I think it looks quite good." Looking at the delicate, fair, and tender face in the mirror, Jiang Yu couldn't help letting out a cold smile.
In her past life, upon hearing Jiang Xueshu say she disliked Jiang Yu being fairer than her, Jiang Yu had intentionally darkened her own skin by a large margin just to please Jiang Xueshu and avoid stealing her thunder.
In that past life, she had been utterly mediocre, devoid of talent or beauty, forgotten by the entire world.
Even after getting together with Xuanyuan Ling, she had lived in hiding, never daring to go public.
Only those on the best of terms with Xuanyuan Ling knew that there was a Jiang Yu by his side, yet everyone had been tactful enough to keep that news under wraps.
In the past, Jiang Yu had assumed it was because the grand enterprise had yet to be accomplished, and Xuanyuan Ling along with his close confidants preferred not to draw attention, keeping things as low-profile as possible.
Thinking about it now, how was she any different from a kept mistress raised by Xuanyuan Ling back then? With no title and no status, she had willingly given her all for him on the strength of a few sweet words.
Even Xuanyuan Ling's close confidants must have guessed that he could never marry her, which was why those who knew about the matter kept the secret buried in their stomachs.
Once upon a time, in order to curry favor and please those two sisters, she, Jiang Yu, had willingly served as their foil, remaining obscure and unnoticed.
Yet even so, she could not escape being detested and ultimately murdered by those two. So in this lifetime, she would steal every last bit of their spotlight!
"Let's go." Jiang Yu stood up and walked toward the door.
Seeing this, Qing'er and Wan'er hurried to follow.
At this moment, the sky was not yet fully bright; a hazy shroud hung over everything, making the path ahead somewhat difficult to discern.Reaching a fork in the path, Jiang Yu vaguely made out a figure. As she drew closer, she saw that it was none other than her eldest sister, Jiang Wanqian.
Jiang Wanqian must have figured that since Jiang Yu had been away from the Marquis Manor for so long, going to pay her respects to the Old Madam alone might make her nervous, so she had come to accompany her.
A warm feeling flooded Jiang Yu's heart. Her eldest sister had always been like this—harsh-tongued with a soft heart.
It was a pity that in her past life, she had been too foolish to see this, always feeling that her mother was partial.
In fact, her relationship with her biological mother, Lady Li, had only thoroughly deteriorated after she returned from the country estate.
At such a young age, Jiang Yu's reputation had been ruined, yet her birth mother was too cowardly to help her with anything. Meanwhile, her own sister, who had never suffered what she had gone through, kept telling her to understand their side.
Back then, Jiang Yu truly could not understand. She had become the laughingstock of all the aristocratic families in the Capital, to the point where finding a good match was completely out of the question.
Because her reputation was so abysmal, she never received invitations to any banquets.
Her father was also afraid that she would taint the reputation of the other Jiang Family sisters, so he strictly forbade her from stepping outside.
Under such circumstances, how could Jiang Yu not feel deeply grateful to Madam Zhao for allowing her to accompany Jiang Yingxi to a banquet?
Though she had been mocked so mercilessly at that banquet that she could not raise her head, Jiang Yu had still felt at the time that it was the best possible beginning.
Looking at Jiang Wanqian, who was showing signs of impatience from waiting for her, Jiang Yu knew that in her past life, seeing that expression on her face would have instantly set her off. She would have traded sarcastic remarks with her, and the two of them would have plunged right back into another pointless quarrel.
Jiang Yu smiled and stepped forward, just about to greet Jiang Wanqian when the other girl suddenly spoke up, her tone rather prickly: "Do you have zero sense of time? The Old Madam detests people being late the most."