Lan Miao held Qing Zhi's tiny body in her arms and comforted her gently, "I can't answer this question either. What Qing Zhi thinks is what it is."
"I heard the people in the yard gossiping about Mother. They said she was a money - grubber who would do anything for wealth, and wondered if I would be a little miser too."
Qing Zhi's sobbing subsided a bit, but tears still streamed down her face.
The glistening teardrops clung to her eyelashes, making her look extremely pure.
"How could that be? If anyone says such things to you, just kick them out. You're the eldest young lady. Why should you care about others' opinions?"
Lan Miao patted her on the back to help her calm down.
She stared into Qing Zhi's eyes and instructed her word by word, "Now that the old madam in the mansion is ill, all the affairs of the inner courtyard have been entrusted to Concubine Zhou in your father's chamber. She's a very honest person. You don't have to be afraid of her in the future. If she gives you a hard time, you can always tell your father."
Qing Zhi nodded. After a while, she asked puzzledly,
"Why doesn't Auntie take care of the household affairs?"
Lan Miao was slightly taken aback, then a faint, hazy smile appeared on her lips.
When she first married into the Marquis Mansion, the old madam was still in good health, and she was in charge of the household finances. The old madam disliked her humble birth, so naturally she wouldn't let her manage the family affairs. Lady You married into the mansion around the same time as her. Because the You family was powerful back then, the old madam thought more highly of Lady You.
Later, as the mistress of the eldest branch, Lan Miao didn't manage the household for long before Wen Lingzhou died unexpectedly.
The old madam hated her like the apple of her eye.
How could she let her manage the household?
Moreover, Lan Miao didn't like managing the household either. It was like working hard for the Marquis Mansion without getting any recognition in the end.
Lady You had managed the household affairs for these years and seemed to be respected on the surface. But now that she was gone, who would remember her kindness?
Thinking of these, Lan Miao smiled gracefully.
"Auntie has other important tasks. Have you forgotten that I still have to carve jade for the Empress Dowager?"
"Oh, that's true."
Qing Zhi gradually pulled herself out of the sad mood and sank into a deeper entanglement. "Am I heartless? Today I saw Uncle come. He and Father went into the study to talk. When they came out and saw me, he loudly scolded me for being an ungrateful white - eyed wolf..."
A cold feeling welled up in Lan Miao's heart.
Did the You family really come to seek justice for Lady You?
Not likely. I'm afraid they just lost their source of income and wanted to extort more money from the Marquis Mansion. Lady You always talked about her younger brother. Wasn't it a bit sad? Lan Miao didn't know what Lady You was thinking. The most important thing now was to comfort Qing Zhi.
"Then if you could do it all over again, would you still do the same thing, Qing Zhi?"
Lan Miao held her small hand and asked her softly.
Qing Zhi hesitated for a moment and looked at Lan Miao. Her extremely beautiful face had a soft and ethereal divinity. She didn't want to lose such a good auntie.
She nodded. "I would still do it. Mother did something wrong. I can't tell right from wrong. That's what my teacher taught me too."
"So Qing Zhi, don't纠结 about this anymore. Live a good life with your younger brother in the future. You'll always be the eldest young lady of the Marquis Mansion."
Lan Miao patted her on the head.
Qing Zhi nodded several times, and finally a smile bloomed on her face.
Then she whispered, "I used to hate my younger brother very much. I thought Mother only liked him and not me. Now he only has me. I'll take good care of him..."
"It's good that Qing Zhi wants to take care of her younger brother, but Qing Zhi must never forget that you are the most important person. You have to be kind to yourself."
Lan Miao reminded her in time.
Looking at Qing Zhi's slightly confused eyes, Lan Miao sighed inwardly.
Your younger brother has lost his biological mother, but he's a male heir and the legitimate young master of the mansion. The old madam dotes on him, and Wen Hongxin values him. The road he's going to take is destined to be smoother than yours. He was born with far more than you.
But Lan Miao couldn't tell Qing Zhi these words.
She could only tell Qing Zhi to be kind to herself.
Originally, she also thought about whether to ask the Emperor to let Qing Zhi enter the Elegant Academy in the palace. But then she thought of the several accidents that Xue Er had in the palace and gave up this idea.
She would save a dowry for Qing Zhi. The best thing was for Qing Zhi to grow up safely in the mansion.
"Um..."
Qing Zhi didn't know if she understood or not. She nodded heavily.
Not long after, Xue Er came from the side courtyard. She pulled Qing Zhi to play the nine - ring puzzle, which dispelled a lot of Qing Zhi's negative emotions.
Looking at their snuggled figures under the window, Lan Miao was very relieved.
After Xue Er returned to the academy, Qing Zhi still studied and practiced calligraphy in the mansion as usual.
The You family came to cause trouble two more times, but were beaten back by Wen Hongxin. No one spread the details of the matter.
The mansion dismissed a group of unruly servants related to Yan Bo. Even Steward Li, who had been in service for many years, was implicated and sent away.
The old madam's illness was almost cured. But after the Wen State Duke's family officially came to cancel the engagement, her condition seemed to worsen.
But even in this situation, the old madam still had the energy to deal with Lan Miao. Her perseverance, which could be called "indomitable", really impressed Lan Miao.
The old madam sealed off Pinglan Courtyard.
When Shuang Le told Lan Miao this news, Lan Miao's wound hadn't fully healed.
"Madam, the old madam actually sent Nanny Li to seal off our courtyard. From now on, we have to get the old madam's permission to go in and out. Is the old madam out of her mind?"
At first hearing, Lan Miao felt a chill in her heart. Besides being angry, she also thought it was so funny.
The jade she carved still had to be presented to the Empress Dowager. When the Empress Dowager summoned her, could the old madam stop her?
The old madam was just too angry with Wen Yuanning and deliberately tried to make things difficult for her.
If she got anxious and angry, she would be falling into the old madam's trap. The old madam was ill, but as long as she didn't die, she would always find ways to torment her.
Thinking of this, her anger turned into nameless fear. In a flash, she remembered what the Emperor had said... Could she leave the Marquis Mansion?
It was impossible to think so.
She had to comfort Shuang Le.
"Don't be in a hurry. I don't want to go out either if there's nothing to do. I have to carve the jade as soon as possible. The old madam's move actually saves me from being bothered by others."
Lan Miao said with a faint smile.
Seeing that Lan Miao didn't seem to care much, Shuang Le stopped being anxious.
She also felt relieved in her heart and no longer worried about her madam. She served Lan Miao even more carefully. Last time, it was Shuang Xi and the others who had been credulous, but the madam didn't blame them at all afterwards. Shuang Le was extremely grateful. So she worked even harder.
Overnight, autumn gave way to winter.
In just a few days, the autumn wind was replaced by the winter wind.
These days, the Emperor didn't come to find Lan Miao or send her a letter. But the Empress Dowager bestowed a lot of nourishing tonics. Lan Miao guessed in her heart that this might be related to the Emperor, but she didn't dare to be sure.
It was good that the Emperor didn't come to find her. Why should she try to guess the Emperor's mind?
Lan Miao was afraid of the cold. Although she didn't go out, the stove was lit. The jade pendant for the Empress Dowager took on a rough shape in her hands.
Although Pinglan Courtyard was sealed off, it couldn't stop people from coming to find her.
One day, Shuang Le told her excitedly,
"Madam, Lord Lan and Lady Lan are here. The Marquis asks you to go to the study to meet them." She paused for a moment and then said with a smile, "The Marquis's servants almost got into a fight with the people guarding the courtyard gate. It was the Marquis who was tough."
Lan Miao's hand that was carving the jade stopped.
Her intuition told her something was wrong.
Lan Cenggui had always ignored her. It wasn't a festival today. Why did he come to see her?
Did he know that she had almost been killed?
But it wasn't necessary for him to come and see her in person.
Based on her understanding of Lan Cenggui, he was selfish and heartless. All he cared about were his future and interests. How could he come to find her for no reason?
"Okay, let's go and have a look first."
There was not much joy on Lan Miao's face. Instead, there was a heavy sense of uneasiness.
Shuang Le helped Lan Miao change into a simple white dress for daily wear and wrapped a thick cloak around her. Then they slowly walked towards Wen Hongxin's study.
When she entered the study, Lan Cenggui, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, appeared in front of her.
He was dressed in a dark cyan robe. There were a few wrinkles on his simple face, and he had a short black beard. Rarely, there was a bit of kindness on his usually serious and rigid face.
Lady Qin beside Lan Cenggui had a cold look in her eyes, and there was a faint look of anger in them.