Lady Kang turned to Nanny Chen and said earnestly, "From now on, when you meet Mr. Pei, you must show him even greater courtesy. We mustn't let others say that the servants of the Prince of Ning's Mansion are ill - mannered and ungrateful."
Nanny Chen was dissatisfied, but seeing the hopeful glint in her mistress's eyes, as bright as morning stars, she knew it was useless to say anything at this moment. So she replied meekly, "Yes, this old servant understands."
A gust of wind blew outside the window, swirling the fallen flowers on the ground.
Lady Kang let out a long sigh of relief. "Jingbai has finally met a good teacher... He has seen the error of his ways and is now focused on his studies. The stone in my heart can finally be put to rest."
However, Lady Kang's enthusiasm only lasted for less than ten days.
She soon discovered that in Xiao Jingbai's eyes, there was only Mr. Pei, and no longer room for her, his mother.
When she sent desserts to the study, Xiao Jingbai said, "Mr. Pei and Cousin - in - law said that these things can be distracting, and they'll make one drowsy after eating. It's better not to have them."
When she felt sorry for her son studying in the hot weather and ordered the windmill fan to be carried in, Xiao Jingbai said again, "Mr. Pei and Cousin - in - law said that when studying, one must be determined and not be too picky about the environment. If one can't study well because of the heat, it only shows that one's mind is not at peace."
When she thought her son's seat was too hard and specially sent over a soft goose - feather cushion, Xiao Jingbai continued, "Mr. Pei and Cousin - in - law said that when studying and practicing calligraphy, one needs to sit upright. Wooden stools and bamboo chairs are the best. Soft cushions like these will make one hunchbacked easily."
Mr. Pei and Cousin - in - law...
Mr. Pei and Cousin - in - law...
Mr. Pei and Cousin - in - law!!!
Lady Kang couldn't understand. It was okay that her son mentioned Pei Yanqi in every sentence, but who was Li Wanming? Why was she always tagging along?
Even more infuriating was that this morning when she went to send lotus - seed soup, Xiao Jingbai actually drove her out and even posted a large sign on the door that read, "Those who disturb my studies are not allowed to enter."
Lady Kang was so angry that she almost choked.
She... disturbing his studies?
She was clearly concerned about him!
She was afraid that he didn't eat well, dress warmly enough, or sit comfortably. Her whole heart was on him - but he said she was disturbing his studies?
Moreover, Xiao Jingbai was now extremely respectful towards Li Wanming. They often chatted and laughed while eating, making Lady Kang, his own mother, seem like an outsider.
This was simply outrageous!
Now, no matter what Li Wanming said, Xiao Jingbai would stupidly agree. But whenever Lady Kang said something, she would immediately be retorted by Xiao Jingbai with disdain.
Once, in front of everyone, he even scolded her for being a woman of the inner courtyard who knew nothing... This immediately made Lady Kang so angry that she was fuming.
A woman of the inner courtyard?
If she was a woman of the inner courtyard, then what was Li Wanming?
Did she think that just because she had done business outside for a couple of years, she could act all high and mighty?
Bah!
She was daydreaming!
Only now did Lady Kang understand the meaning behind Nanny Chen's words: In just seven days, her son hadn't just had a transformation; he had been bewitched! He was almost forgetting his own mother!
Lady Kang secretly resented this. In the past few days, her look towards Li Wanming had become even colder, as if a thin layer of frost covered her eyes. She had returned to her initial, sarcastic and back - stabbing state.
Li Wanming was completely puzzled.
She couldn't understand what Lady Kang was up to this time.
What else was she dissatisfied with?
Xiao Jingbai had become much more well - behaved, polite, and studious. He was radiant, exuding an elegant and gentle temperament from within. Even his body had grown taller and more upright than before.
Wasn't this enough?
She had gone to great lengths to invite a top scholar to be a teacher and transformed Lady Kang's good - for - nothing son into such an outstanding young man in just half a month. It would be fine if Lady Kang wasn't grateful, but she had become even more hostile towards her, as if she was the one who had killed her son...
What was going on?
She was really being unreasonable!
"The Second Lady loves her son deeply, so of course, everything she does is for the sake of the Second Young Master's future in the imperial examinations," Qinglan said with a faint smile when she heard Li Wanming's complaints. After a moment of hesitation, she still gently reminded, "Princess, although you've hired a famous teacher for the Second Young Master, which will surely help him cultivate his moral character and become more knowledgeable in the future, the Second Lady's ambition... I'm afraid it can't be satisfied by just a top - scholar teacher."
Li Wanming was sitting by the window. She propped her head up helplessly with her hand and let out a long sigh. "How could I not understand what you're saying... But I thought that a top - scholar teacher would at least make her look happier for a while. I didn't expect her to be so greedy and ungrateful, turning against me as soon as she got what she wanted!"
Lady Kang's greatest ambition was, without a doubt, to make her son, Xiao Jingbai, the heir to the Prince of Ning in the future and then inherit the title and become a prince.
This was fundamentally in conflict with Li Wanming's interests, which meant that they could never get along harmoniously.
Li Wanming had thought that with Pei Yanqi as an incentive, Lady Kang would at least restrain herself for a while and not act rashly, giving her enough time to familiarize herself with the operations of the Prince of Ning's Mansion.
But she didn't expect that this incentive would lose its effect so quickly. Moreover, somehow, it seemed to be backfiring, making Lady Kang's hostility towards her even more obvious.
Especially in the past two days when they were checking the inventory in the storeroom, the stewardesses of the Second Branch had been causing her a lot of trouble.
They either said they didn't know or couldn't find things. They were all about having a good attitude but absolutely refusing to cooperate. It was obvious that they were acting under Lady Kang's orders.
...
Li Wanming was really puzzled. "I've been getting along well with Xiao Jingbai recently... What on earth is she up to? Is she jealous that I've taken such good care of her precious son?"
Qinglan pursed her lips and smiled, pretending not to hear her muttering.
After a while, Li Wanming calmed down and muttered to herself, "Forget it. Actually, I invited Pei Yanqi to teach Xiao Jingbai not entirely for her sake. As long as Xiao Jingbai doesn't cause us any trouble in the future and focuses on his studies, I'll be able to save a lot of trouble."
She rubbed her temples tiredly and then asked, "How's the progress of checking the inventory and accounts today?"
Hearing this question, Qinglan's face darkened. She shook her head and said, "It's the same as yesterday."
"The list given by the Second Lady is incomplete, and it's said to have been smudged by rain, so the handwriting is unclear. The maids have been trying to decipher it for a long time, but they've only managed to identify two screens."
"Moreover, the storeroom hasn't been cleaned for a long time, and the things inside are all in a mess. When the maids wanted to tidy it up, the stewardesses said that those were imperial gifts from the palace. Without the list in hand, it's not good to move them..."