When they returned to Yilan Courtyard, the Fourth Young Miss had not returned from class yet, so Su He accompanied her. The maid Zhen'er and the Fourth Young Miss's wet nurse, Matron Li, were left with nothing to do, sitting in the yard basking in the sun and chatting.
Xie Nanjia also joined in their chat, but she mostly just listened and didn't say anything.
In the evening, thinking that the fourth young lady would be back soon, the three of them stopped chatting and got busy.
The fourth young lady's illness has been cured, so she shouldn't cook for herself anymore. However, there was a greedy Zhao Jingyu who sent someone to say that he would come to dinner tonight and personally ordered a few dishes for Xie Nanjia to cook.
He didn't eat for free either, as all the ingredients he needed were paid for from the kitchen in the west wing.
But no matter which kitchen it was, the expenses were all from the public treasury. The accountant talked to Qin several times, but Qin couldn't do anything about it.
Zhao Jingyu's extravagance was the result of her deliberate indulgence, so she naturally had nothing to say.
She didn't mind his extravagance. As long as he didn't dwell on the position of the crown prince and lived a peaceful and idle life as his son, she would turn a blind eye to anything he did.
Xie Nanjia was busy in the kitchen and Zhen'er was helping her.
She calculated the time when Zhao Lanzhi usually finished class. It couldn't be too early, nor too late. If it was too early, the food would be cold and not tasty. If it was too late, the brother and sister would not be able to wait. She was just like an old mother who devoted her life to her children.
When it was almost dark, the meal was ready, but not only did Zhao Jingyu not come, but Zhao Lanzhi didn't even come back either.
Nanny Li ran out the door several times, but no one came back, so she ran to Xie Nanjia and said, "Normally, people would have come in at this time, what's going on today?"
Xie Nanjia said, "Maybe the teacher is testing his homework, or maybe he went to play at some young lady's house on the way. Anyway, the second young master hasn't come yet, so let's wait a little longer!"
Nanny Li wanted to say that the young lady had never been to other young ladies' houses because other young ladies looked down on her.
At the beginning, the Marquis had the young ladies from the three mansions take classes together. The second young lady got angry and said that the fourth young lady was raised by a concubine and was not worthy of studying with them. The Marquis got angry about this and almost made the second young lady kneel in the ancestral hall.
The fourth young lady knew that she was looked down upon by the other sisters, and she never took the initiative to get close to them. She kept to herself every day, endured both big and small things, and lived cautiously.
Nanny Li thought that Xie Nanjia didn't know all this, but in fact, Xie Nanjia knew more than she did.
After waiting for a while, the fourth young lady still hadn't returned, so Xie Nanjia sent Zhen'er out to look for her. As soon as Zhen'er reached the door, Su He's voice exploded like firecrackers: "Come out, come out, the young lady has been bullied..."
"Oh, what happened?" Nanny Li hurried to the door, and Xie Nanjia followed behind.
Su He helped Zhao Lanzhi into the yard. One of them was furious, and the other was dejected. When they were welcomed into the house, Xie Nanjia found in the light that their hair was disheveled and Zhao Lanzhi's clothes were stained with mud.
When asked what was going on, Su He just kept cursing and couldn't explain clearly. Xie Nanjia then said that the second young master would come to dinner in a while and asked her to go and help the young lady clean her clothes first.
After Su He left, Xie Nanjia asked Zhao Lanzhi in detail and realized that they had a conflict with the second young lady's maid.
The matter was actually very simple. The young ladies finished class at the same time as usual. After seeing off the teacher, they packed up their things and went back home. The second young lady's maid, Yunque, wanted to pour out the half pot of water that the second young lady had not finished drinking. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the tea was all spilled on the fourth young lady.
Su He had a bad temper and started quarreling with her on the spot. The maids of several other young ladies joined Yun Que in scolding Su He. Su He was so angry that she started fighting with them. Zhao Lanzhi went forward to separate them, but was pushed to the ground. Her wet clothes were stained with mud by the dust on the ground.
Zhao Lanzhi finished her speech and sighed: "It's not a big deal, it's just that Su He is too impatient. I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid that my second sister will go to mother to complain..."
"What is there to be afraid of? Young lady, you are just too cowardly, so they think you are easy to bully." Su He found some clean clothes and came out. After hearing what Zhao Lanzhi said, she started talking again. "We are not in the wrong in this matter. So what if she reports it to the Queen Mother? Young lady, you have the support of the Second Young Master now. Why should you be afraid of them?"
"Shut up!" Zhao Lanzhi blushed in anxiety. "If you continue to be so rude, I'll ask the manager to transfer you somewhere else."
"Miss, you, you don't want me anymore?" Su He cried sadly.
Zhao Lanzhi said: "You always cause trouble for me, I don't dare to want you."
Su He burst into tears: "Miss, I just can't bear to see them bullying you!"
Zhao Lanzhi also cried: "I am of humble origin, I am just a lady in name only, I am not a real lady, what's wrong with being bullied?"
After she said this, Zhen'er and Nanny Li also became sad, and the room was filled with sobbing.
Xie Nanjia was overwhelmed and said helplessly, "Alright, alright, stop crying, and don't belittle yourself, young lady. Since you are the blood of the Marquis, you are the real young lady of Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion. Think about the second young master. Wasn't he brought back from outside by the Marquis just like you?"
Zhao Lanzhi cried and said, "That's because my second brother is a boy. Even if his mother is humble, he can continue the bloodline of the Zhao family. But who am I? Who knows what kind of cat or dog will the lady marry me to in the future!"
"That's why you should take better care of yourself, young lady!" Xie Nanjia said, "If others don't plan for you, you can't help but plan for yourself."
Su He interrupted, "That's what I mean. Miss, you are always afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind. Everyone knows that you are easy to bully. Even if there is something good in the future, it will be snatched away by others. You can only pick up what others don't want."
She spoke directly, without beating around the bush, and as soon as she opened her mouth, Zhao Lanzhi's tears came out.
Xie Nanjia had no choice but to say, "It's useless to say more now. Hurry up and help the young lady change her clothes and eat. Starting tomorrow, I will accompany the young lady to class, and you can stay at home."
"Can you do it?" Su He was worried. She felt that no one except her could subdue the evil servants around the other ladies.
Zhao Lanzhi agreed very much and said, "Let Xiu'er follow you. You've been working hard recently, so take a good rest at home.
The young lady had spoken, and Su He had no choice but to agree reluctantly. She and Xie Nanjia helped Zhao Lanzhi change her clothes, and during the process, she kept reminding Xie Nanjia some things to pay attention to in school.
Just as they had changed their clothes, Zhao Jingyu arrived. Zhao Lanzhi told them not to say much in front of Zhao Jingyu, saying that her second brother came here to have a meal just to relax and have fun, and it was not good to bother him with these trivial matters. If he didn't like it, he might not come again in the future.
Su He originally planned to tell the Second Young Master and let him make the decision for the young lady, but after hearing Zhao Lanzhi's warning, she no longer dared to have this idea.
When Zhao Jingyu entered the room, he first apologized to Zhao Lanzhi, saying that he had something urgent to do and was late.
Zhao Lanzhi smiled and said it was okay.
The food was served and the two siblings sat down in the living room. Zhao Jingyu seemed very happy today and didn't even complain about the food being a little cold.
Xie Nanjia was curious about his happy event, so she quietly asked Wei Jun outside the door. Wei Jun was like a gourd with a sawed mouth. He refused to reveal a single word and just played Tai Chi with her.
Zhao Jingyu was only concerned with his own happiness and didn't pay attention to Zhao Lanzhi's condition. Halfway through the meal, he found that Zhao Lanzhi's eyes were a little red and swollen, so he asked her: "What's wrong with you?"
Zhao Lanzhi lied and said that she was learning cooking from Xiu'er and was intoxicated by the smoke from the firewood.
Zhao Jingyu was still doubting whether it was true or not, when Yun Yan suddenly rushed into the yard with two maids and loudly said that she wanted to ask the fourth young lady to go to the lady for questioning.
What Zhao Lanzhi was worried about finally happened. She was so frightened that her face changed color. Without waiting for Yun Yan to come in, she stood up and walked out, fearing that she would be blamed by her stepmother if she arrived a step late.
"Sit down." Zhao Jingyu knocked on the table. "There are people who are eager to receive rewards, but I have never seen anyone who is eager to receive punishment. Are you stupid?"
Zhao Lanzhi stood still awkwardly, "Second brother..."
Zhao Jingyu winked at Xie Nanjia, who then helped Zhao Lanzhi sit back on the chair and whispered in her ear, "Miss, since the Second Young Master is here, you should just be bold for once and act like the master."
“…” Zhao Lanzhi swallowed, put away the panicked look on her face, and slowly sat up straight.
Zhen'er tried to stop Yunyan outside, but failed and was slapped in the face. With Yunyan's mocking sneer, the three of them rushed in like the wind.
"Miss Fourth, please..." Yun Yan was halfway through her words when she was surprised to find Zhao Jingyu was there too. She subconsciously turned around and looked outside the door.
Wei Jun, who was always inseparable from the Second Young Master, was not outside the door.
If Wei Jun was here, she wouldn't have barged in so rashly.
"Your servant greets the Second Young Master!" She bowed and saluted.
"Why are you in such a hurry? You scared me so much that I spilled the soup." Zhao Jingyu frowned unhappily.
Yun Yan's face changed, and she quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "I didn't know that the Second Young Master was here. I am sorry for offending you. Please forgive me!"
The two girls behind also knelt down.
Zhao Jingyu said, "You can offend me even though I'm not here?"
"I dare not." Yun Yan said fearfully.
"It's good that you don't dare." Zhao Jingyu didn't ask too much, and asked casually, "What do you want to see the fourth young lady for?"
Yunyan replied, "It's not a big deal. In the afternoon at the academy, the fourth young lady's maid Su He beat up the second young lady's maid. Madam asked the fourth young lady to go over and ask about the situation."
"I..." Su He was about to step forward to argue, but was pulled back by Xie Nanjia, and she retreated aggrievedly.
"Oh." Zhao Jingyu said slowly, "It's really not a big deal. Let's wait until Miss Four finishes her meal before going!"
“…” Yun Yan didn’t dare to refute and could only obey. The Second Young Master didn’t ask her to stand up, and she didn’t dare to stand up. She just knelt there.
Zhao Jingyu acted as if nothing had happened and asked Zhao Lanzhi to continue eating. Xie Nanjia and Su He stood beside him and Zhao Lanzhi respectively to help serve the dishes.
Zhao Lanzhi was trembling with fear. Although she tried her best to appear calm, she actually didn't know what the food she ate tasted like.
Zhao Jingyu deliberately delayed and spent half an hour on the meal.
Yunyan's legs were numb from kneeling, and he wiped his mouth contentedly, washed his hands in the washbasin brought by Xie Nanjia, rinsed his mouth with tea, stood up slowly, and said, "Let's go, fourth sister, second brother will accompany you to pay respects to mother."
Zhao Lanzhi glanced at him gratefully and said softly, "Thank you, second brother."
In order to prevent Su He from being punished, Xie Nanjia asked Su He to stay at home, and she accompanied Zhao Lanzhi to meet Qin.
Yun Yan and the other two little girls supported each other and followed them out. They were surprised to find Wei Jun standing at the door.
"Where did you go just now?" she asked Wei Jun in an annoyed voice.
Wei Jun said calmly: "I saw you coming in and dodged."
"..." Yun Yan gritted her teeth and said, "Did you do this on purpose?"
Wei Jun nodded: "Yes."
Yun Yan almost fainted.
(End of this chapter)