Ling Qingwan smiled and looked up at Ling Xiao.
The dim light of the lanterns around her reflected on Ling Qingwan's face, making her look even more charming and lovely, even brighter than the night scene.
It was the busiest time of the day in Tokyo. The streets were bustling with people. A woman in a goose yellow brocade shirt was holding her brother's arm and skipping through the streets.
After returning to the Marquis' Mansion, Ling Qingwan went to Zizhu Pavilion first.
A candle flickered on the table. Ling Shenshi sat beside it, mending clothes close to the candlelight.
"Madam, this dress has been kept for many years. The young lady can't wear it now, so you might as well throw it away." Dong Mei felt puzzled as she watched Ling Shen mending an old dress.
"You don't understand." Ling Shen shook her head, her voice very light. "This dress was worn by Wanwan when she was little. Over the years, whenever I think of her, I take out the things she used to wear and look through them. Over the years, I have thrown away a lot of things, and only this dress is left."
Ling Shen shook her clothes, looked at it carefully for several times, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"But the young lady has already returned." Dong Mei frowned.
She hadn't found her ideal husband yet, so naturally she didn't understand Ling Shen's care for her parents. Ling Shen just shook her head and didn't explain to Dong Mei.
As the two were talking, a maid outside reported through a screen that Ling Qingwan wanted to see them.
"Hurry up and let her in!" Ling Shen said hurriedly. "When Wanwan comes in the future, you don't need to report to me, just let her in directly."
Ling Qingwan walked in slowly and sat down next to Ling Shen.
Ling Qingwan was talking to Ling Shenshi, and the servants in the room poured tea for the two of them, then left the room on their own accord, leaving the mother and daughter to talk about their personal matters.
"Why are you here so late?" Ling Shen took Ling Qingwan's hand. "But what happened to your grandfather? Did anyone bully you?"
Ling Shen was extremely worried about Ling Qingwan.
"With my brother here, who can bully me?" Ling Qingwan said with a smile.
Ling Shen breathed a sigh of relief, but then became very curious about why Ling Qingwan wanted to see her at this time.
Ling Qingwan pulled out an object from her sleeve, about the size of her palm, wrapped in a golden silk cloth. Before Ling Qingwan had time to open it, she had no idea what was hidden inside.
"This was secretly put into my hands by my grandfather before I left the general's mansion. He said it was a gift for me. I don't know the importance of the gift, and I was afraid that I would break the rules by accepting it without permission, so I thought of coming to you to hear your opinion." Ling Qingwan explained patiently.
Although she couldn't guess what was inside, she knew it was worth a lot just by looking at the silk cloth wrapped in it. Ling Qingwan felt it was inappropriate to accept such an expensive gift when she met General Shen for the first time.
"Open it and take a look." Ling Shenshi didn't know what General Shen was thinking. She was sure that General Shen would not harm her and her daughter.
Ling Qingwan opened the silk cloth, and inside was a token. On it was written the words "Shen's" in gold-plated fonts, and it looked very heavy.
The two were shocked and looked at each other.
Ling Qingwan knew without asking that this token represented the General's Mansion and must be very valuable. The first time General Shen met Ling Qingwan, he gave her such an expensive gift, which showed how much he valued her.
But Ling Qingwan was just a young girl after all, and the token felt a little hot in her hand.
"Your grandpa is not good at speaking, but he actually loves you the most." Ling Shen sighed. Who would have thought that she, a legitimate daughter of a general's mansion, would not receive such preferential treatment, but Ling Qingwan could easily get it without any effort.
It will be useful in the future, Ling Qingwan thought, and carefully put the token away and put it back into the pocket of her sleeve.
"I think because you didn't attend the last palace banquet, there were always people gossiping about it, speculating that your status in the Marquis' Mansion was not recognized. Your grandfather did this to put your mind at ease."
No matter what decision the Marquis' Mansion made, the General's Mansion always recognized her.
Ling Qingwan felt warm in her heart.
Molanxuan.
With a "pop" sound, porcelain pieces splashed all over the floor.
Two or three maids were trembling, standing at the door with their heads hung, shaking all over.
The considerate look of the past was gone. Ling Chuchu's face was grim and her hand was tightly grasping the only teacup left on the table.
"Are you serious? Did Madam really say that?" Ling Chuchu confirmed again and again.
"To reply to the eldest lady, it is absolutely true. General Shen gave the second lady a valuable gift, and then Madam mentioned the palace banquet. She felt sorry for the second lady for not being able to attend, and let all the nobles in the capital know that the second lady is the real eldest lady of the Marquis' Mansion." The maid said in a decisive tone and solemnly recounted the conversation between Ling Qingwan and Ling Shen to Ling Chuchu.
Ling Chuchu was so angry that she was shaking and threw the teacup in her hand heavily to the ground.
"I knew it. I knew that I would have no good days after Ling Qingwan came back." Ling Chuchu gritted her teeth, wishing she could drive Ling Qingwan out of the Marquis' Mansion.
She kept repeating herself over and over again, then suddenly her eyes became empty and she sat down on the chair.
The maids were at a loss as to what to do and stood there in a dilemma.
"What's going on?"
Hearing Madam Ling's voice, Ling Chuchu came back to her senses, stood up, straightened her clothes, and hurried around to the outside of the screen.
The maid was cleaning up the mess on the floor, carrying the broken porcelain pieces one by one. Old Madam Ling frowned and looked down for a long time.
"Grandma." Ling Chuchu stepped forward, took Old Madam Ling's arm affectionately, and helped her sit on the chair.
When facing Old Madam Ling, Ling Chuchu was much more obedient.
Madam Ling pursed her lips tightly, with a serious expression on her face. Ling Chuchu was frightened and quickly asked the maids to go down.
In a blink of an eye, only Madam Ling and Ling Chuchu were left in the room.
"Why are you so angry?" Old Madam Ling spoke slowly, trying hard to suppress her anger.
Ling Chuchu was speechless for a moment.
Madam Ling asked knowingly, she wanted to lie, but was exposed by Madam Ling. But how could Ling Chuchu have the nerve to tell Madam Ling that she was jealous of Ling Qingwan.
"I know that after Wanwan came back, your position in the big house was unstable. You have to bear some of the inevitable things." Old Madam Ling was an experienced person. She had seen the struggle for status among the rooms in the backyard. As for Ling Chuchu's feelings, Old Madam Ling could not understand them any better.
"But..." Ling Chuchu hadn't finished her sentence when tears started to flow out of her eyes. "But I wasn't meant to be taken to the eldest house when I was young, and now I'm abandoned. Even if I feel okay with it, how will the other sisters in the mansion view me?"
"Grandmother, you know, they all said that I was just a plaything for the eldest lady to express her love for me. Now that her biological daughter has been found, she can cruelly abandon me. It's as if the love between mother and daughter for more than ten years has all vanished into thin air."
Ling Chuchu burst into tears, she was so heartbroken.
It was not enough for her to just cry, she also squatted down and buried her head in Madam Ling's thighs and cried.
Ling Chuchu's crying was deafening, even the guards passing by Mo Lanxuan could hear it, and they couldn't help but glance towards the courtyard.