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Main Courtyard.
When Ruan Xi eventually met her legitimate mother after she was allowed entry, Zhang shi was busy listening to the reports from various stewards.
In a very sensible manner, Ruan Xi stood at the side and waited until Mama Gao saw her, who then proceeded to bring her into the side hall and offered her some tea and snacks.
Approximately one double-hour later, her legitimate mother Zhang shi finally arrived at the side hall after she was done settling her affairs, and her gaze lingered on Ruan Xi’s new clothes for a moment.
Ruan Xi quickly stood up and bent her knees to give her a formal greeting once she saw Zhang shi.
“This daughter Ruan Xi pays her respect to Mother.”
“Rise.” Zhang shi said smilingly before she moved to sit on the short couch.
Ruan Xi straightened her posture as she was told.
“Si niang, you are Wen gongzi’s fiancĂ©e now. As your legitimate mother, I have to instruct you on how a household is managed and the dealings in social relationships, lest you throw away the Earl Residence’s reputation and be made a joke of.”
Zhang shi maintained her smile as she spoke, going straight to the point without preamble and her tone was extremely strict.
“Many thanks to Mother. Thanking Mother for taking the trouble and care, this daughter will definitely heed your instructions.” Ruan Xi looked emotionally touched.
Zhang shi revealed a smile. “You are addressing me as ‘Mother’, which makes you my daughter as well. A mother will always wish for her daughter’s happiness.”
Although the gratitude on Ruan Xi’s visage became more apparent, she was actually ridiculing in her heart: Yes, a mother would usually wish for her daughter’s happiness, but she was not Zhang shi’s biological daughter. On the contrary, Zhang shi dearly hoped that she would live a miserable, cold and dismal life.
“Mother, this daughter heard that san jie ate something she shouldn’t have yesterday, is san jie alright?” Ruan Xi’s thoughts moved as she asked in concern.
Zhang shi suppressed the displeasure in the depths of her heart as she said smilingly, “San niang is all right.”
“Is san jie learning how to manage a household together with this daughter then?” Ruan Xi asked falteringly, raising her head expectantly.
Mama Sun and Mama Gao: “

” Fourth Young Lady, you are mentioning a pot that refuses to boil.
[1] ć“ȘćŁ¶äžćŒ€æć“Ș棶 (pinyin: na hu bu kai ti na hu) – fig. to touch on a sore spot.
Over the past few days, the Furen did bring up the matter to the Third Young Lady a few times, but the Third Young Lady had rejected them all, and she even said that she wanted to open a teahouse and start a business, which infuriated the Furen.
“San niang’s circumstances are different from yours, there is no need to be anxious.” As Zhang shi thought about her daughter’s changes in the recent days, her smiling expression became fainter.
Ruan Xi displayed a trace of disappointment in a timely manner. The emotions that flashed past the faces of her legitimate mother and her two Mamas did not go unnoticed by her. She speculated dimly, it seems like it’s not that legitimate mother doesn’t want to teach, but the fact that Ruan san niang is unwilling to learn.
“Enough of this digression. It is not simple or easy to manage a household, and I will be handing the needlework room over to you to manage first. It is the simplest job to handle, if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask Mama Gao.” Zhang shi did not want to waste too much time on an illegitimate daughter either, so she immediately distributed the errand which she had decided on a while ago to Ruan Xi.
“Yes, Mother. This daughter understands.” Ruan Xi pretended to be touched as she replied.
With her legitimate mother giving her an errand without giving her any guidance or tips despite her complete lack of experience, Ruan Xi imagined that Zhang shi was planning to wait for her to make a mistake or be unable to control the servants before she made a personal appearance.
Zhang shi waved her hand, gesturing for Mama Gao to bring Ruan Xi to the needlework room.
Ruan Xi was about to leave when Zhang shi’s older maidservant rushed into the room to make a report.
“Furen, people from Wen Residence have arrived.”
Zhang shi rose to her feet swiftly to make her way towards the reception room, but she seemed to think of something else so she turned her head around to glance at Ruan Xi, asking her to follow along.
Ruan Xi followed after Zhang shi in a well-behaved manner. Wen gongzi had mentioned in his letter yesterday that the training Mama would be sent over today. The Wen Residence paying a visit today was probably for the intentions of sending her the training Mama.
Truly, Wen gongzi had expended much care and thought.
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Inside the reception room, the Wen Residence’s main steward and a Mama in her early forties with an ordinary countenance but an exceedingly outstanding and graceful bearing stepped in.
Ruan Xi was extremely satisfied with this Mama at first glance.
“Greetings to Ruan furen, this servant is Wen Residence’s main steward Wen Ming, our intention for this visit is to respectfully present the training Mama that our family’s Furen and Oldest Young Master have asked to be sent to Ruan si xiaojie.”
These were the words of intention uttered by the main steward, Wen Ming, as he wore a crinkled-eye smile and cupped his hands in obeisance towards Earl Chengyi’s furen, who was situated on the seat of honour.
The training Mama stepped forward elegantly to incline her body slightly as she gave her salutation. “Lin shi has seen Ruan furen.”
“Ruan furen, Mama Lin is the trusted servant of Wen lao-furen, and is the training Mama that our da gongzi has specifically entreated for Ruan si xiaojie.”
The head steward Wen Ming emphasised on Mama Lin’s identity.
And who was Wen lao-furen? She was a junzhu from the imperial family, who was a patrilineal younger female cousin to the previous Emperor.
郥䞻 (pinyin: jun zhu) – the highest conferred title that a woman from the imperial family can receive (apart from Princess Royal), and it directly translates to ‘county princess’.
Her position in the family hierarchy was extremely high.
Needless to say, Zhang shi had to be courteous in front of Mama Lin in the future, and she would not dare to act blindly without thinking.
Wen gongzi’s actions affected her deeply.
Silently, Ruan Xi issued a good person card to Wen gongzi in her heart.
Sure enough, when Zhang shi heard the greatness of Mama Lin’s origins, the smile on her face almost collapsed, and the joy in her heart instantaneously vanished until there was practically none left.
With this training Mama around, she was afraid that she could no longer suppress that yatou si niang anymore.
Zhang shi regretted her past actions once more, hating the fact that she could not reverse time and strangle her foolish past self to death.
Thankfully, she had already drugged si niang with the infertility medicine.
Zhang shi secretly took a deep breath to calm herself down before she plastered on an exuberant smile.
“Much gratitude towards Wen furen and Wen gongzi for caring and taking the trouble. Mama Lin’s timely arrival has technically resolved a pressing situation of mine. Two days ago, the Earl was telling me about how he wanted to source for a Mama from the imperial palace to guide si niang, I was nearly fraught with anxiety.”
Zhang shi’s words expressed how highly she thought of Ruan Xi as her legitimate mother, and after she said that, Zhang shi brought Ruan Xi to the forefront figuratively.
“Si niang having Mama Lin’s personal guidance is her fortune. Si niang, aren’t you going to come over and greet Mama Lin quickly?”
Ruan Xi sighed with emotion in the dark. Truly, the recluse women from wealthy and influential families were all acting experts. Upon hearing Zhang shi’s words, Ruan Xi took a step forward, carrying herself with ease and confidence as she said calmly: “Si niang has seen Mama Lin.”
Mama Lin looked at this Ruan si xiaojie with a smile, her gaze soft and gentle.
“Ruan si xiaojie!”
This Fourth Young Lady’s appearance, manner, words and deeds did not impress upon people that she was an illegitimate daughter raised by an Earl Residence at all; her gaze was solemn, her temperament was reserved, the demeanour and figure she was endowed with was first-rate.
Head Steward Wen Ming was surprised. It turns out the beautiful lady standing beside Earl Chengyi’s furen was actually da gongzi’s fiancĂ©e Ruan si xiaojie.
True to the rumours, her appearance was absolutely breath-taking.
“One has seen the Fourth Young Lady. This is the letter that the da gongzi has told this servant to bring to yĂ”u.”
The steward Wen Ming said smilingly as he handed her the letter he took out from his sleeve.
Ruan Xi smiled slightly, “Steward Wen doesn’t have to be so courteous.” Then, she accepted Wen gongzi’s letter naturally, her eyes brimming with delight.
In response, the smiling expression on Head Steward Wen Ming’s face became more earnest.
When Zhang shi witnessed Steward Wen handing over the letter to Ruan Xi with such calmness and confidence, she was slightly astonished, and she could not help but look at Ruan Xi with a gaze that was smeared with cold scrutiny.
Similarly, Mama Sun’s and Mama Gao’s hearts jolted as they exchanged glances, each with their own bitter smile. This Fourth Young Lady had hidden herself awfully deep.
With the Wen Residence sending a training Mama over in just and honourable fashion, their Furen’s calculations were bound to end up empty; with this Mama around, who would dare to overtly agree with the Fourth Young Lady on the surface, only to covertly oppose?
The steward of the Wen Residence then departed as quickly as he had appeared, and Mama Lin, being the training Mama who was sent over, was definitely going to stay in Limpid Heart Garden.
Just as they were about to leave the main courtyard, her legitimate mother Zhang shi wore an artificially affectionate smile as she spoke to Ruan Xi in front of Mama Lin.
“Si niang, you have to listen to Mama Lin’s guidance properly, and ensure that you don’t disappoint Mama Lin, do you understand?”
Still holding onto Wen gongzi’s letter, Ruan Xi obediently replied: “This daughter understands.”
Zhang shi’s gaze flitted across the letter before she looked at Mama Lin. She said politely: “Mama Lin will be taking some troubles for this.”
Smiling, Mama Lin uttered, “Furen is being polite, this is what I ought to do.”
Once Ruan Xi left the main courtyard with Mama Lin while Mama Gao tagged along to make the appropriate arrangements, Zhang shi’s smile chilled in an instant. Gritting her teeth, she spat: “Detestable. I didn’t expect that a damnable yatou managed to hide herself in front of me for so many years.”
Mama Sun smiled bitterly in her heart. Honestly speaking, she understood Fourth Young Lady, especially when her set of circumstances – namely the lack of  a biological mother and external family – was placed there for everyone to view. If she hadn’t hidden herself, her Furen would never spare her, and the day where she would pass away was unforetold.
“Furen, now that the Fourth Young Lady has established such an outcome, and with Mama Lin around, it is best if we refrain from doing anything to the Fourth Young Lady in the dark, lest we implicate the Oldest Young Master in this. Truth to be told, you can think from another perspective: the more value the Fourth Young Lady holds in the Wen Family, the more beneficial it will be for the Oldest Young Master.
“Isn’t the Oldest Young Master taking the provincial imperial examinations this year? With this layer of association to the Wen Family, the Oldest Young Master can also receive more instruction from the renowned erudite scholars in his Academy.”
Mama Sun seized the opportunity while Mama Gao was not around to promptly persuade her with earnest and well-meaning advice.
Truthfully speaking, she did not necessarily approve of the Furen acting against the Fourth Young Lady, but what could be done when Mama Gao was instigating her from the side? Her Furen could not tolerate seeing the Fourth Young Lady stepping on the Third Young Lady beneath her feet, and she had suffocated on that anger as she stole past the Lao Taitai’s pointed and ample control to lash out at the Fourth Young Lady.
But was there any benefit in dealing with the Fourth Young Lady?
None.
Wasn’t it obvious from the fact that the other concubines hadn’t meddled?
After hearing Mama Sun’s advice, Zhang shi’s following dark expression was hard to fathom. One side was her da lang, the other was her prestige. In the end, Zhang shi gritted her teeth and chose her oldest son.
Her da lang was not the Earl’s only son, but da lang was her true reliance.
“Mama Sun, you speak correctly, but I just can’t swallow this anger.”
Zhang shi had been married into the Earl Chengyi Residence for more than two decades, and even though the Earl came to favour his concubines later, her position had never been shaken, and she never had to endure such anger. Her pair of son and daughter had always been her pride; no matter how much the concubines were favoured, the children that they gave birth to were not as outstanding as her da lang and san niang.
This was what Zhang shi was most pleased and proud of.
However, with si niang’s abrupt rise to prominence, it pushed her san niang down into a lightless and dismal place, and even the Lao Taitai and the Earl were giving her special treatment.
Zhang shi hated it terribly. Although she was aware that everything was created by her accidentally, she still vented her anger on si niang’s person, even though the girl was not to blame.
Mama Sun: “

”



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When Su Yu and Su Zhu saw the steward from the Wen Residence leave whilst their Young Lady failed to come out after a long time as they continued to wait outside, they could not help but reveal a trace of worry and anxiety on their faces.
At this moment, a slender and graceful silhouette clad in light purples came into view, and the pair happily went forward.
“Young Lady!”
Ruan Xi showed a smile as she introduced Mama Lin to Su Yu and Su Zhu in a gentle voice.
When Su Yu and Su Zhu heard that Wen gongzi had sent their Young Lady a training Mama, they could not suppress their happiness.
Afterwards, the group of people returned to Limpid Heart Garden, with Ruan Xi arranging for Mama Lin to stay in the clean and tidied wing-room that was right next to hers. Zhang shi’s Mama Gao then came over to send some new clothing and articles of daily use, bedding and products for washing up, as well as two maidservants to attend to Mama Lin.
Once Mama Lin was properly settled, Ruan Xi returned to her room and looked at the yellow rosewood jewellery case on the table as she picked up her teacup to purse a mouthful of tea. Subsequently, she tore open the letter that Wen gongzi sent.
The careful steps she had taken for the past few days to resolve the dangers around her bit by bit, had finally seen some small results now.
Her legitimate mother must be ‘pleasantly surprised’ by her performance.
Ruan Xi hooked up her lips, unveiling a cheerful smile.
Naturally, the person who had rendered the greatest and most outstanding service was still Wen gongzi, since Wen gongzi’s actions had given her confidence.
After Ruan Xi read through Wen gongzi’s letter, she decided to send him a gift to thank him properly.