The two greeted her on the veranda, where Jinzhi was carrying a carved sandalwood box, followed by two maids, each carrying a bundle.
"Is Madam here?" Jinzhi, who was usually smug and looked down on Lanxi's maids, was unusually gentle today. "I have come to pay my respects to Madam on the orders of Fourth Madam!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Yue Lin and Ban Xia's eyes.
When Jinzhi followed them inside, her actions surprised everyone even more. Her tone was more submissive than ever before, even somewhat ingratiating. She first greeted Lanxi, then opened the box she was holding and handed it to Lanxi.
The evening glow slanted in through the open window, and coincidentally, there was a mirror inside the box that Jinzhi had opened. For a moment, Lanxi was almost blinded by the dazzling light flowing within it.
Lan Xi narrowed her eyes and stared intently. It was a complete set of crimson gold and ruby headdresses! Each ruby was of excellent color and large in size, the smallest being the size of a fingernail. Lan Xi gave it a quick look; the craftsmanship was exquisite, and it was clearly very valuable.
"Fourth Madam said that thanks to Madam's help today, this set of jewelry will be given to Madam to wear." Jinzhi was also a little heartbroken. This ruby jewelry was something that Fourth Madam's eldest daughter, Wu Niang, had asked for several times, but Fourth Madam had not been willing to give it to her. Today, it actually benefited Lan Xi!
When the Fourth Madam returned from the Old Madam's place, her face was terribly gloomy. After sitting restlessly for half a day, she ordered someone to find this set of jewelry and some nourishing medicinal herbs, and sent them to Lanxi with her maid.
She had no idea what kind of help Lanxi, who was usually so timid and incompetent, had given Fourth Madam! Fourth Madam didn't explain, and when she asked one more question, she was immediately berated.
“This—” Lan Xi hesitated for a moment, as if she couldn’t make up her mind.
"Please accept this, Madam, otherwise Fourth Madam will surely not forgive me when she returns." Jinzhi said with a smile, "This is Fourth Madam's kind gesture!"
Lan Xi nodded hesitantly before agreeing. "Then please thank Madam for me!"
Jinzhi smiled and agreed, then ordered two maids to bring up the medicinal herbs. "Madam was concerned about your health, so she ordered us to bring these herbs for you to help you recover."
Sending jewelry and medicine... it really does prove Lan Xi's joke: I make her unhappy, and she still has to thank me.
Lan Xi thanked them and then instructed Yue Lin and Tang Li to give Jin Zhi and the two maids a reward. This time, Yue Lin and Tang Li were much happier giving rewards than before, as the value of the gifts they received far exceeded the money they had given out.
This was the first time they'd ever seen money come back to them. Yue Lin and Tang Li thought to themselves, and they smiled at each other, both seeing the joy in each other's eyes.
Jinzhi and her entourage thanked Lanxi for the reward and then left in a hurry, leaving Lanxi and her servant staring at each other in bewilderment.
"This is a complete set of ruby jewelry, it's so beautiful!" Zhu Tao's eyes showed envy as she gazed longingly at the lustrous red gems and happily said, "Madam, please wear this set of jewelry to the next banquet!"
Seeing Zhu Tao's childlike behavior, Lan Xi couldn't help but smile. "You like it? Yue Lin, remember this, when Zhu Tao gets married, add a set of ruby jewelry to her dowry!"
Yue Lin smiled and agreed, while Zhu Tao was both surprised and shy. She quickly shook her head and said, "This servant is not worthy of such precious jewelry! Only you, Madam, are worthy of it!"
"Things will get better." Lan Xi's smile grew even gentler. She said earnestly, "Having walked through the gates of hell, I've learned a lot. My past tolerance didn't make my life any more comfortable. On the contrary, today I've become tougher, and that has actually brought me benefits."
This was the first time Lan Xi had publicly expressed her intention to change in front of Yue Lin and the others. Yue Lin, Tang Li, and Zhu Tao both had tears in their eyes, and although Ban Xia had heard it before, she felt invigorated.
"As long as you are loyal to me, I will never let you suffer any injustice," Lan Xi said solemnly. "What others have, you will also have!"
Yue Lin and the others nodded vigorously, tears welling in their eyes.
After today's events, they were convinced that the lady was truly different from before, and they deeply believed what Lan Xi had said. They also felt that their lives had a future, unlike before when they felt like a stagnant pool, growing increasingly hopeless.
Lan Xi nodded in satisfaction and told Yue Lin and the others to put their things away. She then rested her chin on her hand on the soft couch, lost in thought.
She truly hadn't expected the Fourth Madam to rush over with gifts, especially such an expensive ruby jewelry. The only plausible explanation was that the original owner was straightforward, and the Fourth Madam feared she might inadvertently confess to Qiao Zhan. So, the Fourth Madam sent the valuable gift, swallowing her anger as she thanked Lan Xi, meaning she was encouraging her for doing the right thing.
The unspoken message was that she absolutely mustn't tell Qiao Zhan.
Lan Xi smiled softly, her eyelids half-lowered. This time, the Fourth Madam had truly suffered a loss she couldn't speak of, losing not only a set of jewelry but also a considerable amount of nourishing medicinal herbs. Indeed, no matter the world, it's always true that kindness is often taken advantage of.
Now she'll let those who bullied her taste her methods!
Having figured this out, Lan Xi felt extremely pleased and even had a faint sense of anticipation for the days to come.
She lazily turned over, just thinking of taking a nap, when she heard Zhu Tao's surprised and delighted voice coming from the courtyard.
"My lord, you've arrived!"
Upon hearing that Qiao Zhan had arrived, Lan Xi quickly got up from the soft couch, adjusted her jade hairpin, and straightened her clothes. Qiao Zhan had already strode in.
"My lord." Lan Xi stepped forward and curtsied, her expression gentle but without her usual timidity.
Qiao Zhan nodded and sat down on the large mahogany armchair in the room. As if he had never met Lan Xi before, he scrutinized her with piercing eyes. Although Lan Xi also liked simple clothes, she always kept her head down and her chest slightly hunched. She was overly cautious in her movements, lacking confidence in everything, which made her seem timid and petty.
Although Lan Xi's clothes were simple today, the composure in her eyes and the graceful demeanor in her every move immediately won people's favor. Her thick, black hair was tied up with a single jade hairpin, and her fair, jade-like face was free of makeup. Her eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, and her whole being exuded a subtle, otherworldly elegance.
Thinking of how decisively she dealt with the maid who had climbed into his bedchamber that morning, and after hearing Mo Yan's report on what had happened in the manor that afternoon, Qiao Zhan's opinion of Lan Xi had already changed somewhat. What surprised him even more was that Lan Xi hadn't lost out in her confrontation with the Fourth Madam, forcing the Fourth Madam to suffer a silent loss and even rush to offer gifts to curry favor with her…
Qiao Zhan suddenly became interested in Lan Xi's actions; he was even curious about how Lan Xi had managed to do all of this.
"My lord, please have some tea." Lan Xi took the old official kiln teacup, its color like the sky after rain, from Yue Lin's hands and personally presented it to Qiao Zhan.
Qiao Zhan took the teacup, nodded slightly, and said to Yue Lin and the others, "You may all leave. I have something to discuss with Madam."
Lan Xi's brow twitched, a hint of nervousness in her heart. Qiao Zhan must already know what happened that afternoon, and his coming to see her now was likely to evaluate her behavior. In other words, to determine whether she was still valuable enough to continue serving as the mistress of the Marquis's mansion.
She hadn't forgotten Qiao Zhan's cold and stern face and his chilling words when she first opened her eyes.
"Yes, this servant takes her leave." Yue Lin and the others curtsied and quietly withdrew, carefully closing the door behind them before leaving.
"What did the old lady and fourth madam call you over for this afternoon?" Qiao Zhan placed his teacup on the high table beside him and asked Lan Xi directly.
He was simply sitting there, perfectly still, yet Lan Xi felt a strong sense of oppression from his superior position.
Lan Xi took a deep breath, making a plan in her mind. She didn't intend to hide it from Qiao Zhan; she needed to prove to him as soon as possible that she wasn't a terrible teammate! "Replying to Your Excellency, it was Fourth Madam who was unhappy with my treatment of Chunying, which is why she summoned me. As for the Old Madam, she was probably persuaded by Fourth Madam."
Qiao Zhan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
He hadn't expected Lan Xi to be so frank and open with him, without even a tactful excuse. Wasn't she afraid he'd accuse her of lacking virtue and gossiping about her elders behind their backs?
Seemingly sensing Qiao Zhan's thoughts, Lan Xi smiled slightly and calmly said, "No matter how tactfully I put it, the truth is still just a simple sentence. It's reasonable to conceal things from outsiders, but since Your Highness has asked me, why should I beat around the bush?"