"You..."
Lady You's face darkened. She pointed at Lan Miao for a long time, choking on her words. She had actually been taken advantage of by this woman!
Lan Miao seemed like a pushover, but how could she be so calculating? Once they entered the palace, she must keep a close eye on her and prevent her from saying anything bad about the Marquis's Mansion.
"You're really good at calculating, just like a merchant. Why didn't the old lady punish you to death?"
"Don't bother worrying about that."
Lan Miao decided to retreat in order to advance.
She had also thought it through. Entering the palace meant seeing the Empress Dowager, and there was no way to avoid it. If she could win the Empress Dowager's favor this time, the old lady in the mansion wouldn't dare to kill her casually.
"Aren't you going to get the jade brush washer?"
"..."
Lady You could only summon a maid with a gloomy face. "Go and get the jade brush washer from my trunk. Also, bring a set of clothes and a few hairpins."
After the maid left, Lady You looked around with a disdainful gaze.
"Look at this place of yours. It's so shabby and shoddy. Your clothes are so plain, and there are hardly any ornaments in your dressing box. You're even running a jade workshop. Where did all that silver go?"
"Don't you know, sister-in-law?"
Lan Miao looked at her meaningfully, making Lady You feel guilty.
She knew that half of the income from the jade workshop was used to subsidize the Marquis's Mansion. Moreover, the old lady couldn't stand Lan Miao wearing any jewelry, and she always had the worst food, clothing, and daily necessities.
At this moment, her attitude towards Lan Miao finally softened.
It didn't take long for the maid to bring the clothes and the brush washer.
After taking the medicine, Lan Miao felt much better.
When Lan Miao changed into the clothes, Lady You was stunned.
It was just an ordinary light blue pleated skirt with simple patterns. The color was neither new nor old, but it set off Lan Miao's snow-white skin and picturesque features. When she walked, she had a graceful and transcendent charm.
There was also a piece of yellow jade hanging around her waist.
Lady You thought it looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it.
She sighed inwardly. This concubine daughter from a civil official's family would never have married into the Marquis's Mansion as the principal wife if she didn't have such a peerless appearance. After being tormented by the old lady for five years, she still looked stunning after a simple dressing.
"Hurry up. The carriage is already waiting at the door."
Lan Miao nodded. When Xue'er at the door saw Lan Miao coming out in the new clothes, she immediately threw away the shuttlecock and gave her a sweet smile. "Mother, don't worry about me. I'll wait for you to come back obediently in the mansion."
There was a mist in Lan Miao's eyes. She bent down and stroked Xue'er's head. "Okay, Xue'er. Eat well and remember to take your medicine at night."
The mother and daughter bid farewell reluctantly.
Lady You watched from the side and urged again.
"Let's go. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll come back."
"Okay..."
Lan Miao then went out with Lady You. She had knelt for too long, so she walked slowly. Lady You kept urging her. It took them a while to leave the backyard. When they were almost at the front yard gate, a tall and slender figure stood there quietly like a green bamboo.
It was the third young master of the Marquis's Mansion.
Lan Miao wanted to avoid him, but Lady You pulled her and greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Third brother, it's this time. Why aren't you at the academy?"
The man called "third brother" slowly turned around. His eyes first fell on Lan Miao. His young and handsome face blushed, and then he quickly averted his gaze. He bowed respectfully to them.
"I heard that there was a summons from the palace, which seemed to be related to sister-in-law. I was worried, so I came to see."
Wen Yuanning was the third young master of the Marquis's Mansion. He had just passed the imperial examination this year and was at the height of his success.
Before Lady You could speak, Lan Miao rolled her eyes and said quickly, "Sister-in-law sent the purple jade pendant I carved into the palace. As a result, the Empress Dowager specifically asked me to enter the palace to meet her. I don't know if it's a blessing or a disaster..."
"Wasn't that jade pendant used to hire a teacher for Xue'er?"
Wen Yuanning was a little surprised after hearing this. Then he looked at Lady You. Thinking of Lan Miao's situation in the mansion on weekdays, he spoke seriously, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I've always heard that the Empress Dowager is kind and lenient. It probably won't be a bad thing... I'll discuss some things with second brother."
When he said the last sentence, his look towards Lady You was somewhat unfriendly.
"Humph."
Lady You immediately showed her disdain.
Did he want to stand up for Lan Miao? How could a man interfere in the affairs of the inner courtyard?
Just as Lady You was about to speak, Wen Yuanning bowed to her again, interrupting her words.
"Sister-in-law is shy. Please take good care of her, second sister-in-law. I'll be waiting for you two to come back."
"Of course."
Lady You was fuming. She pulled Lan Miao, who had been keeping her head down, and walked out of the front gate. They got into the carriage that had been prepared earlier.
It wasn't until the carriage was out of sight that Wen Yuanning's straight figure gradually faded away.
The carriage was moving on the bluestone road. The gentle breeze occasionally lifted the dark blue curtain. Lan Miao looked out of the window. The palace was right in front of them.
It towered majestically in the sky.
The two of them got off the carriage. The servants of the Marquis's Mansion stayed at the palace gate. They followed the maid sent by the Empress Dowager and walked in.
Everything in sight was magnificent, but it was extremely quiet.
This solemn atmosphere made Lady You a little nervous. She almost put aside her disdain for Lan Miao and reminded her, "When you see the Empress Dowager later, don't look around randomly or talk nonsense. Don't offend any noble people."
Lan Miao lowered her eyes. "Okay... You too, sister-in-law."
Lady You: "..."
Lan Miao had attended a palace banquet with her husband five years ago. At night, the palace was like a sea of lanterns. With all the officials and their wives gathered together, it was very lively. If it hadn't been for the sudden heavy rain that night, such things wouldn't have happened later...
After the palace banquet, Lan Miao's husband and the old marquis were sent to the border. Unfortunately, they died in an accident. Only two urns of ashes were sent back. She fainted several times from grief. Then she was found to be pregnant. At that time, no one knew whether the baby in her womb was a boy or a girl. The looks from everyone in the Marquis's Mansion towards her were extremely complicated.
There was hatred, sympathy, and disgust.
Fortunately, she gave birth to Xue'er.
Although she was disliked by the old lady, there were fewer troubles after all.
"Two ladies, the Cining Palace is here."
The maid in front suddenly spoke. Lan Miao withdrew her thoughts.
The maid led them into a magnificent palace. When they entered the room, Lan Miao first smelled a faint fragrance of sandalwood. Then she looked up and saw a golden skirt.
"We pay our respects to the Empress Dowager."
The two of them knelt down and saluted.
"Get up."
After Lan Miao got up with difficulty, she finally saw the Empress Dowager clearly. With her cloud-like hair and golden hairpins, she looked gorgeous and noble. It was hard to tell her age. There was a kind smile on her face, which made people unconsciously relax. It seemed that this wasn't a punishment.
The Empress Dowager's eyes roamed over the two of them. When she saw Lan Miao, she widened her eyes and stared at her for a while.
She directly skipped Lady You and asked Lan Miao.
"Are you the jade carver who carved that purple jade pendant with mandarin ducks?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lan Miao replied.
The Empress Dowager smiled softly. "Not bad. Your craftsmanship is excellent, and you're as beautiful as jade. I really didn't expect that there was such a piece of beautiful jade hidden in your Yongyi Marquis's Mansion."
"Your Majesty is overpraising me."
Then, the Empress Dowager asked Lan Miao many questions. After hearing about Lan Miao's experiences, she sighed again. Lady You, who was standing on the side, was angry and a little jealous when she saw the Empress Dowager paying so much attention to Lan Miao. She didn't expect that the Empress Dowager really appreciated Lan Miao's craftsmanship. She felt a little regretful.
"I like this jade pendant you carved very much. I'd like to ask you to carve another piece of jade. Use this piece of Kongshan jade from the previous dynasty and carve it according to the pattern on the paper." As the Empress Dowager spoke, the maid beside her walked up to Lan Miao with a tray. The jade was bright green and of excellent quality. Even Lady You couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
But Lan Miao felt a headache.
The pattern on the paper was very complicated. The jade was of such good quality, and it was a request from the Empress Dowager. She would inevitably get involved with the palace. Especially, she was afraid of seeing that person.
But she couldn't refuse.
So, she couldn't suffer a loss.
"It's my honor to win Your Majesty's favor. In the jade workshop I run, the general carving period is three months. But my child has been in poor health recently, and I need to take care of her all the time. I also have to find suitable tools. So, the carving period may have to be postponed." Lan Miao said carefully.
Seeing that Lan Miao didn't agree readily, Lady You was a little anxious.
Before the Empress Dowager could speak, she rushed to speak to Lan Miao.
"I'll take care of Xue'er for you. Can the orders from your jade workshop be compared with the Empress Dowager's request?" Then she looked at the Empress Dowager flatteringly. "Your Majesty, please don't blame me. My sister-in-law has been a widow for many years and doesn't understand the rules."
The Empress Dowager squinted her eyes and ignored Lady You.
"This jade pendant is a birthday gift I'm going to give to Princess Kaiyun. She's far away in a neighboring country. There are still half a year until her birthday. Is that enough?"
"Enough. Thank you for Your Majesty's understanding." Lan Miao nodded.
The Empress Dowager smiled and continued, "I'm not an unreasonable person. Since you'll be carving this piece of jade for me wholeheartedly for the next half a year, your jade workshop's business will probably be delayed. I'll reward you with three thousand taels of silver as compensation for your losses."
Three thousand taels?
In the Jing Dynasty, the trend of jade was very popular, and the jade mining was very mature. The profit of an ordinary jade carver's order was between dozens of taels and a hundred taels. Lan Miao's jade workshop had been in business for a long time, and her craftsmanship was excellent. The profit of an order was at least a few hundred taels.
The Empress Dowager gave three thousand taels at once. This matter could also be spread among the high-ranking officials and nobles. The signboard of her jade workshop would be more famous, and the price could be raised. And the half-year carving period could also allow her to fend off the old lady's maliciousness during this period.
She had made a profit.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's reward. I'll follow your order."
Lan Miao knelt down and saluted. Her voice was clear and gentle.
Before she could get up, a shrill voice suddenly came from behind, followed by the sound of boots rubbing against the ground. "His Majesty the Emperor is coming."