Jiang Yu followed Mother Luo, who was by Lady Li’s side, to the entrance of her own courtyard.
Looking in from the outside, every blade of grass and every tree was meticulously pruned. It looked nothing like a place that had been left unoccupied by its owner for a long time. It was precisely because of this that, in her previous life, Mother Luo had returned to report to Lady Li that everything in Jiang Yu’s courtyard was in perfect order.
But in this life, Jiang Yu was going to make Lady Li see just how much her own submissiveness had emboldened Madam Zhao to push her luck.
Her mother, Lady Li, was Jiang Zhiping’s true, legally wedded wife. No matter how lowly her background might be, she should never have been bullied to this extent by a "co-wife." Regardless of how much the world looked down on the Li family’s merchant status, they cared far more about a family’s upbringing and internal discipline—especially regarding the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, or the scandal of favoring a concubine over a wife.
Back then, it was only because Lady Li was too easy to push around and never caused a scene that things remained quiet. Otherwise, for Jiang Zhiping to have made such a grand display of bringing a co-wife into the family, he would have inevitably been the subject of gossip and public censure.
So—let her see it for herself. In the heart of her dear father, which was truly more important: the reputation of the Jiang Family, or Madam Zhao and her children?
Mother Luo looked at the neatly swept courtyard, nodded with satisfaction, and then said to Jiang Yu, "Third Miss, shall I head back now?"
Seeing this, Jiang Yu immediately put on a fearful expression and said, "Mother Luo, I... I haven't been back in such a long time that I’ve grown quite unfamiliar with this courtyard. Please, come in with me."
Mother Luo did not hesitate and immediately replied, "Very well."
The reason she hadn't intended to go inside was that Jiang Yu had always been resistant to having people from Lady Li’s or Jiang Wanqian’s side enter her courtyard. Back then, influenced by Jiang Yingxi, Jiang Yu used to say that her mother, Madam Zhao, never interfered in her affairs, claiming this was the way to eventually become the mistress of a household. Because of this, Mother Luo had been so put off that she hadn't dared to set foot in the courtyard.
In truth, thinking back on it now, both Lady Li and Jiang Wanqian had been excessively accommodating toward Jiang Yu in their past life.Perhaps it was because she had been sent away to the country estate at such a young age, and even encountered ruthless bandits on the road back to the capital, that they both felt a sense of guilt toward Jiang Yu. As a result, whenever there was something Jiang Yu disliked, they would subconsciously accommodate her. This, in turn, had led to so many misunderstandings in her past life.
As soon as the two entered the courtyard, a nanny and three lower-ranking maidservants hurried forward to meet them. These were the servants who had been with Jiang Yu even before she was sent to the estate. Because she had been sent away as a punishment, Jiang Zhiping had originally only permitted Jiang Yu to bring two attendants with her.
At the time, Jiang Yu had wanted to bring Mother Liu and Qing'er, who had been by her side since childhood, but Mother Liu had persuaded her to leave her behind at the Marquis Manor to help manage the courtyard. Jiang Yu had trusted Mother Liu deeply back then, so she truly hadn't taken her to the estate.
Thinking back now, Mother Liu was merely a cunning and lazy servant who didn't want to suffer in the countryside, so she had deceived the young and naive Jiang Yu. Furthermore, years ago, she had already been turned by Madam Zhao to help monitor Jiang Yu and sow discord between her and the Lady Li side of the family.
"Oh my, Miss! You’ve finally returned. I have missed you so dearly all these years!" As soon as Mother Liu approached, she tried to lunge forward to embrace Jiang Yu, but Jiang Yu sidestepped and dodged her.
"M-Miss?" Mother Liu had never expected that Jiang Yu, who had once been completely obedient to her every word, would actually dodge her.
"Mother Liu, I have only just returned, and you are already wailing and carrying on. Are you mourning someone?" Jiang Yu stared at Mother Liu, wearing a cold, mocking smile.
Mother Luo had assumed that Jiang Yu and Mother Liu shared a deep bond, and that such a scene upon meeting was perfectly natural, which was why she hadn't stopped Mother Liu from lunging forward. But once Jiang Yu spoke, she realized something was wrong. The young mistress had just returned—it was a joyous occasion, and they should be smiling."It is a bad omen for a servant to be sniveling while coming out to greet guests."
"The young lady is right. What are you crying for? Everyone, give me a smile!" Mother Luo glared at Mother Liu and scolded her.
As the most trusted servant by Lady Li’s side, she was certainly qualified to reprimand Mother Liu.
However, Mother Liu did not take Mother Luo seriously at all. Instead, she provoked Jiang Yu, saying, "Young lady, why are there outsiders in your courtyard? You never liked outsiders entering your space before."
With that overbearing attitude, anyone unaware of the situation would have thought she was the mistress of the house.
"What? Do you have a problem with it? Since when do I need a servant to point fingers and tell me what to do?" Jiang Yu looked at Mother Liu, a faint, cryptic smile playing on her lips.
For some reason, seeing the change in Jiang Yu, Mother Liu was suddenly struck by fear.
She hurriedly knelt on the ground and said anxiously, "This old servant wouldn't dare."
Mother Luo was also taken aback; she had not expected such a drastic shift in Jiang Yu’s attitude toward Mother Liu.
Mother Liu had been hand-picked by Jiang Yu herself when she was a young child. Lady Li had always operated on the principle that her daughters’ happiness came first, usually allowing them to choose their own attendants and gifts.
Of course, Mother Liu had passed a vetting process before she was allowed to stand by Jiang Yu’s side.
Unexpectedly, Mother Liu had proven to be a master of deception. At first, she had acted with the utmost respect toward Lady Li and those in her inner circle. But once Jiang Yu had come to trust and rely on her, she began to overstep her bounds, no longer showing the same fawning humility toward Mother Luo and the others.
Mother Luo had long since seen Mother Liu’s true colors, but her own mistress could do nothing about the Third Young Lady. Whenever she tried to discipline Mother Liu, the Third Young Lady would always storm into the Madam's courtyard, causing such an uproar that there was no peace for anyone.Madam Zhao feared that if word got out to Madam Zhao of the Li family, she would be mocked for being a merchant’s daughter who couldn't even manage her own household servants. Because of this, she had always turned a blind eye and stayed out of Mother Liu’s affairs.
Unexpectedly, after the young lady’s trip to the estate, she had not only grown cold toward Madam Zhao, but she also no longer placed the same trust in Mother Liu as she had in the past.
Suppressing the smile that was threatening to spread across her face, Mother Luo immediately echoed Jiang Yu’s words: "You wouldn't dare? I think you’re bold enough to defy heaven! You’re nothing but a lazy, deceitful wretch."
Hearing this, Mother Liu was immediately displeased.
Having grown accustomed to a life of ease serving under Jiang Yu, she could no longer tolerate being pointed at and scolded.
What stung most was that the person scolding her was not a master, but someone of the same status as herself—a mere servant."May I ask, Mother Luo, how exactly have I been slacking off or playing tricks? You dare to spout nonsense without a shred of evidence. Besides, our young lady is not an unreasonable person, and I have always been fiercely loyal to her. Young lady, you must stand up for me!"
As Mother Liu spoke, she tried to squeeze out a few tears to win some sympathy, but the memory of what had just happened stopped her, and she didn't dare to cry anymore.
Jiang Yu took a long, deep look at Mother Liu kneeling on the floor, then turned her head toward Mother Luo and said, "I think Mother Liu is right. She has been with me for many years; one cannot simply label her as lazy and deceitful without any basis."
Hearing the Third Young Lady defend her, Mother Liu felt a surge of joy, convinced that the Third Young Lady still trusted her implicitly.
Mother Luo’s heart skipped a beat as well, for she was afraid of offending the Madam’s beloved daughter.
But then, Jiang Yu’s tone shifted abruptly. "In that case, I must trouble you, Mother Luo, to conduct a thorough search of this courtyard to see if anything Mother gave me or any household provisions added for my use have gone missing."