Liang Yuzhou's face was darker than charcoal.
He couldn't believe that Song Wanchu was so generous, so generous that she was squandering his heartfelt gift!
"Go and get it back. Tell them that Huiyan has never taken care of flowers before, so it's better to leave them here with me for the time being."
Zhou Sheng felt a bit awkward. He didn't want to deal with Miss Yu at all.
She was as delicate as a willow swaying in the wind, seemingly breaking at a touch. As a big and not very talkative man, if he accidentally made her cry, wouldn't it be a sin?
But seeing the frustrated and angry look on his master's face, he had no choice but to brace himself and go.
Not long after, the flowers were retrieved, but the flower pots were damp with Yu Huiyan's tears.
Just as Zhou Sheng was placing the flowers in a prominent position in the study, Zhou Yan rushed in, waving a letter in his hand.
"Master Liang, Shi Luohan has written to Madam again!"
Zhou Sheng didn't have time to stop him. He only wished his arms were longer so that he could cover Zhou Yan's mouth.
At the mention of Shi Luohan, Liang Yuzhou's face turned even darker.
He snatched the letter and tore it open.
After reading it in one breath, his expression was murderous.
Shi Luohan was really persistent in his concern for his wife. Although there was no mention of love in the letter, every word was full of it.
He even said that when Song Wanchu went to the south of the Yangtze River, he would accompany her to enjoy the mountains, rivers, and the moon.
Not to mention that Song Wanchu couldn't go to the south of the Yangtze River. Even if she could, it would never be Shi Luohan who accompanied her!
Liang Yuzhou tore the letter into pieces.
The temperature in the study seemed to drop suddenly. Zhou Yan quietly glanced at Zhou Sheng.
Zhou Sheng gave him a look that said, "Yes, you've annoyed Master Liang again."
Zhou Yan felt a shiver run down his spine.
What had he done wrong?
He had just intercepted and brought the letter from Shi Luohan to Madam as usual.
What was wrong with Master Liang recently? He always got inexplicably irritable when it came to matters related to Madam!
...
"What did you say? Only seven qian of bird's nest this month? It used to be thirty qian every month. Who gave you the nerve to embezzle my share!"
Princess Jiahe was furious. She felt sorry for Yu Huiyan who had been frightened and wanted to get a bowl of bird's nest porridge from the kitchen to nourish her niece. But she was told that the monthly share of bird's nest had already been used up!
The steward's wife who came to reply was trembling.
"Replying to Madam, how dare this servant embezzle your share? It was all ordered by the Second Madam."
"What Second Madam? She, Song Wanchu, is just a lowly concubine. She thinks that just because she has the power to manage the household, she can ride roughshod over me?"
In a fit of anger, Princess Jiahe smashed a teacup.
Yu Huiyan quickly stepped forward and pulled Princess Jiahe away from the broken porcelain.
"Auntie, forget it. I don't need to eat bird's nest. Don't get angry and hurt your health."
She persuaded sweetly and gently, "It's all my fault. I angered Concubine Song and got you involved. Maybe I should just go home."
As she said this, tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Yu Huiyan's mother, Princess Jialing, had passed away early. Now, the stepmother, Mrs. Feng, was in charge of the Yu family's inner courtyard. Mrs. Feng was shrewd and mean, and Huiyan had suffered a lot under her. How could Princess Jiahe bear to send her niece back?
She hated Song Wanchu even more in her heart.
"Huiyan, you are Yuzhou's future legal wife. Why should you be afraid of a concubine? Isn't she in the good books of the old lady? I'll expose her true face in front of the old lady right now!"
Yu Huiyan pursed her lips and said nothing, but a glint of joy and triumph flashed in her eyes.
This aunt of hers had one good thing about her: she was vain, hot-tempered, and easily provoked.
Song Wanchu, who asked you to send the flowers hypocritically and then asked Liang Yuzhou to take them back?
She didn't deserve anything that cousin gave her!
The things cousin gave were hers, and cousin was also hers!
The old lady was visiting Song Wanchu in the Shuiyun Residence when Princess Jiahe, accompanied by a group of maids and servants, stormed in to demand an explanation.
A large crowd crowded into the room. The old lady frowned in dissatisfaction: "What are you up to, making such a big fuss?"
Yu Huiyan knew that the old lady was shrewd. Afraid that the old lady would suspect that she had instigated Princess Jiahe to demand an explanation, she timidly tugged at Princess Jiahe's sleeve. "Auntie, Concubine Song is still injured. Maybe we should just let it go."
Princess Jiahe was in a fit of anger and was not going to let it go so easily. She briefly saluted the old lady and then angrily pointed at Song Wanchu.
"Concubine Song, the old lady trusts you and lets you manage the household, but you embezzle for your own gain and embezzle the shares of your elders. Isn't this embarrassing the old lady?"
Facing the unreasonable accusation, Song Wanchu was calm. She had expected that Princess Jiahe would come to cause trouble, but she didn't expect that she would lose her temper in front of the old lady.
She had already thought of a countermeasure, but before she could speak, the old lady said sternly, "You two, aunt and niece, keep calling her Concubine Song. Do you not put me in your eyes or the emperor in your eyes?"
Neither Yu Huiyan nor Princess Jiahe had expected that the old lady would pick on a form of address.
Princess Jiahe was annoyed that the old lady had missed the point of her words. "She's just a concubine. Does adding the title of 'Noble Concubine' make her of noble status?"
Song Wanchu had heard such verbal insults so many times in the past three years that her ears were numb.
At first, she would feel aggrieved and indignant, but now she was completely unmoved.
The old lady's cold and sharp gaze sent shivers down Princess Jiahe's spine.
"Princess, your niece is stupid and ignorant. I can overlook her mistake. But don't you really know that the emperor conferred the title of 'Noble Concubine' on Wanchu just to save your face? The emperor allowed Wanchu to wear red, style her hair in a formal bun, and enter through the main gate. Even the traditional wedding ceremony with three letters and six etiquettes and an eight - sedan - chair wedding was tacitly approved by the emperor. You insist on calling her 'Concubine'. Do you mean to show dissatisfaction with the emperor's decree?"
The merciless scolding and ridicule made Yu Huiyan and Princess Jiahe lose face.
Tears welled up in Yu Huiyan's eyes. "Auntie, it's all my fault. Please don't pursue the matter of the Second Madam embezzling the share anymore!"
Seemingly softening and admitting her mistake, she actually brought the topic back to Song Wanchu's embezzlement of the share.
"Yes, embezzling the share!" Princess Jiahe suddenly came to her senses, as if she had caught Song Wanchu's把柄. "Mother, she has let you down. She is disrespectful to her elders. How can she be worthy of being the mistress of the Duke's Mansion?"
The old lady glanced at Song Wanchu. Seeing that she was calm, she already had an idea in mind.
She slightly suppressed her anger and asked, "What did Wanchu embezzle from you?"
"Bird's nest. It used to be thirty qian every month, but this month it's only seven qian. The steward's wife in the kitchen said it was ordered by Song Wanchu!"
Princess Jiahe said confidently.
A hint of sarcasm flashed across the old lady's lips. She obviously disdained Princess Jiahe's pettiness.
She asked Song Wanchu unhurriedly, "Wanchu, what do you have to say?"
"Nanzhi, go and get the kitchen ledger for the old lady to see." Song Wanchu ordered.
The ledger was handed to Princess Jiahe. She didn't understand what was going on, but she carefully flipped through a few pages.
The more she read, the uglier her face became.
Yu Huiyan never expected that all the shares that Princess Jiahe enjoyed, including but not limited to silk, bird's nest, jewelry, and ornaments, exceeded the share given to the legal wife of the Duke's Mansion.
For the past three years, her delicate and extravagant life had actually been subsidized by Song Wanchu's dowry.