Chapter 39: Who Should Be Worried (Part 1)

  Ling Yuexuan heard the concern in her words and felt a wave of dizziness, after a long time, she said softly: "Sister doesn't know, last night after you left with Sister Xiao, someone came to my mother's place!"

  Yan Dai suddenly heard this and felt confused, so she didn't speak, just quietly looked at Ling Yuanxuan, waiting for her to continue.

  Ling Yuexuan originally had no intention of selling Guan Zong, so she quickly continued to say: "Sister, you will never guess who went to find my mother! That person is... is Lian Niang from the second uncle's house!"

  The more she said, the more confused Faraday became. In her second uncle's house, there were six aunts in total, five of whom were concubine-born aunts, and this Aunt Lian was one of them. Frowning slightly, Faraday carefully recalled that this Aunt Lian seemed to have a daughter. However, she rarely asked about these things, and for the time being, she couldn't remember which birth order this aunt's daughter was.

  To speak of it, before she returned to the Ling manor, the several daughters born to the second wife had all been married off, so these elder sisters of hers, in Yu Dai's eyes, were almost just a few numbers ranking above her.

  Ling Yuanyu saw that Yuan Dai's face was bewildered and couldn't help but smile wryly, then explained: "Aunt Lian is the birth mother of Sixth Sister!"

  Yuan Dai responded with an "oh" and casually asked: "Did Aunt Lian suddenly come to find Third Aunt because of Sixth Sister?"

  Ling Yu Xuan didn't expect that Yuan Dai would be so straightforward, and couldn't help but look at Yuan Dai in surprise, nodding and saying: "Indeed!"

  Just these few words, and Yu Dai had already vaguely guessed why Lian Niang came to ask for Luo Shi's help. She was probably because her sixth sister suffered some grievances in her husband's family. Although a daughter is married out, she becomes a member of the husband's family and can no longer be controlled by her natal family, but if a noble household like the Ling Duke's were willing to speak up for them, would the husband's family dare to neglect them?

  However, if Second Master Ling Hui were to take charge of these matters, it would be quite inappropriate. Moreover, with so many children, it's unlikely that he would care about the feelings of his sons and daughters. Furthermore, Second Mistress Zhao has been absent for a long time, and seeing all these concubines having children one after another, even if she appears calm on the surface, how could she not feel jealous in her heart? Even if Concubine Lian were to plead with her, it's unlikely that would work.

  Two rooms have gone, and only the Long House and the Third House are left. The lady of the Long House has always been cold-hearted and never gave any of the concubines a glance, so even if Concubine Lian had the courage to ask, she wouldn't dare. Looking at it this way, in the entire Ling Mansion, only Madame Luo is left, who has always been kind and gentle. So Concubine Lian's actions are probably also unavoidable.

  Yuan Dai thought to herself, but couldn't help glancing at Ling Yu Xuan. She was well aware that Ling Yu Xuan and the Sixth Sister didn't necessarily have a good relationship either. At this moment, she looked like this probably because her own wedding was approaching, and she was already anxious in her heart. Seeing others' marital discord made her even more uneasy. In this situation, Yuan Dai naturally became her only suitable confidante. With a faint smile, Yuan Dai said softly: "Tenth Sister, why worry about this? You are the legitimate daughter of the Third House, and Third Aunt has always doted on you. Besides, the Lu and Ling families have been close for generations, so even if they neglect someone, they won't neglect you!"

  Ling Yuexuan pursed her lips, and after a long while, she spoke in a soft voice: "I heard that... there are now seven or eight people in Liu Ye's house. Although Liu Ye is angry, it's not good for her to quarrel with him over this, so she endured it. This time, the reason they had a fight was because of a maidservant who had just been promoted to be a wet nurse and went to pay respects to Liu Ye that morning. Coincidentally, Liu Ye was feeling unwell that day and slept in late. The maidservant waited for a moment under the corridor, but unexpectedly miscarried. When Liu Ye found out, he scolded Liu Ye... saying she... saying she was originally raised by her aunt, and after becoming the legitimate wife, she thought of herself as a precious treasure, not thinking about her own humble origins..."

  Yan Dai suddenly heard this, but couldn't help raising an eyebrow, and after a while, she said lightly: "Third Aunt, what else do you have to say?" However, in her heart, she was involuntarily surprised. These words, according to reason, should not be mentioned in front of Ling Yuexian, even if the aunt was anxious and didn't care about the rules, Luo Shi would have stopped her early on, so why did Ling Yuexian listen to it all?

  Ling Yuexuan pursed her lips and said softly, "Last night, I thought I had left something at the Bamboo Fragrance Pavilion, so I went to retrieve it. When I arrived, Mother was inside talking to Concubine Lian. I was in the outer room, listening through the curtain. Concubine Lian was crying and speaking, and Mother listened to her words, also getting annoyed. Although she didn't promise anything, she comforted Concubine Lian with some words."

  She said, unable to help but steal a glance at Daiyu from afar, "I overheard it once and knew I shouldn't have listened, so I avoided going into the side room. After Aunt Xue left, when I went back in, Mother didn't say anything to me, but she sighed when she saw me!"

  Yan Dai nodded slightly and said in a gentle voice, "Tenth sister, there are some things that shouldn't be told to you by me, but since you've come to find me, if I don't say anything, it would be unforgivable to betray your trust."

  Ling Yu Xuan heard this and couldn't help but look at Yuan Dai. Her clear eyes, like autumn water, were filled with doubt.

  Yan Dai slowly said, "What tenth sister heard last night was only one side of the story from Lian Yiniang. Lian Yiniang's intention was to ask Third Aunt to speak up for Sixth Sister, so naturally there were some untrue and insincere words in her speech. Tenth sister doesn't need to take it too seriously."

  Ling Yuexuan was taken aback and fell into silent contemplation.

  Yu Dai continued, "If we talk about it, naturally, a daughter born out of wedlock can't compare to one born in wedlock. But what kind of family are we? Even if she's just a maid with a good reputation, when she goes out, she'll still be more respected than the young ladies from ordinary families. Think carefully, would Sixth Brother-in-law dare say those words if he wasn't desperate?"

  Ling Yuexuan thought about it and felt that there was some truth to it, but in her heart, she still had a lump of unspoken words stuck inside, feeling like she couldn't express herself freely. After a while, she let out a sigh and slowly said: "Actually, I do understand these principles, it's just...just..." She said two "just"s in a row, but the words that followed still couldn't be spoken aloud.

  Yan Dai smiled lightly and said, "Tenth sister's heart is uneasy, I naturally know. But has tenth sister thought that if even I have seen through it, how could Third Aunt not see?"

  Ling Yuexuan was perplexed when she suddenly mentioned the Luo family, and just as she was about to speak, Yuan Dai continued: "Third Aunt has always doted on you, your thoughts are all in her eyes, it's likely that soon there will be movement, you just need to put your mind at ease!"

  Ling Yuexuan's heart had already vaguely understood something upon hearing these words, but she still wasn't quite at ease. In the end, she couldn't help but ask: "I wonder what kind of movement it will be?" As soon as the words left her mouth, her face had already flushed red.

  Yan Dai saw her expression and couldn't help but let out a "hiss" of laughter, then stretched out his hand to push her away, laughing and scolding: "What a shameless little girl, obviously understanding, yet still insisting on pursuing the root of the matter, chattering endlessly!"

  Ling Yu Xuan's face turned bright red as she pouted and hugged Yu Dai's jade arm, complaining: "Ninth sister always loves to tease me!"

  The two of them laughed and joked for a while, then Ling Yuexuan finally stood up and said: "Ninth sister must be tired too, I won't disturb your rest!" Yuan Dai smiled and got up to see her out, but Ling Yuexuan hurriedly pressed down on her, not allowing her to send her off, and left by herself.

  After being disturbed by her, Yuandai didn't feel sleepy anymore, but still lay there lazily, not wanting to move. Wensheng brought in a freshly brewed pot of tea and changed the cups, saying: "Just now, Miss Xiao came over, heard that Tenth Young Lady was here, so she didn't come in!"

  Yan Dai heard this and couldn't help but tilt her head to look at Wen Ping, with a hint of a smile: "I didn't think that even here, I would have a day as busy as a marketplace!"

  Wenjing smiled and put away the remaining tea, then came back to look at Yu Dai from a distance for half a day before suddenly asking: "Miss, after hearing about Sixth Miss's situation, didn't you have any worries in your heart?"

  Yuandai looked at her deeply, she also knew that Wenshuang was quite uncertain about the future, perhaps it was time to give her a reassurance. After a moment of hesitation, Yuandai finally said: "I won't hide it from you, before leaving Miaofeng Mountain, I had already discussed this matter with Yuanzhen!" Wenshuang was taken aback, first stunned, then a hint of barely perceptible disappointment appeared on her face.

  Yan Dai looked at her expression and knew what she was thinking. She smiled faintly and said, "At that time, I also thought about discussing it with you, but then I thought that you were in the mansion, and some things are hard to get involved in. Secondly, if you knew about this matter, your heart would be uneasy!"

  Wen Ping heard this and couldn't help but open her mouth, she wanted to ask a few more questions, but was afraid of displeasing Yuandai. Just as Yuandai was hesitating, she spoke up: "I'm not willing to marry into that wealthy family!"

  Wen Ping thought about Yu Dai's current situation and felt that these words made a lot of sense, so he couldn't help but nod his head in agreement.

  She sighed softly, but continued: "It's just that if the marriage is too ordinary, I'm afraid my aunt will have a hard time in the mansion!" As she spoke, she couldn't help but smile wryly: "Between these two options, it's really difficult to grasp the right balance. That's why I've been hesitating and indecisive all these days. But fortunately, my luck is still pretty good - next year just happens to be the Spring Examination!"

  Wen Ping was a native of the capital, born and raised in the imperial city. He wouldn't be unaware of the popular custom of selecting sons-in-law through public notices that had been prevalent in the capital for some time. As soon as he heard Yu Dai's words, he immediately understood what she meant. But when he thought of Mrs. Lu, he couldn't help but worry and asked: "But what about Madam...?"

  Yan Dai said faintly: "Don't worry about Madam's side, what we should be worried about now is the old lady!"