Aunt Fang's slender fingers froze in mid-air, her smile frozen on her face, her expression quite comical.
"This phoenix hairpin is only worn by ladies of the third rank or above. Giving it to you—" Lan Xi looked Fang Yiniang up and down, and said gently, "is overstepping its bounds. If word gets out, wouldn't it make our Yongning Marquis's mansion seem unruly? No one can bear the responsibility of affecting the Marquis's future!"
The Marquis of Yongning is a first-rank nobleman. Although Lanxi has a lower status, as the mistress of the house, she has the aura of being a titled lady.
This is the biggest difference between wives and concubines.
Lan Xi's words contained not a single word of sarcasm, yet they made Aunt Fang feel extremely ashamed and angry. Her face turned red, her chest heaved violently, and she looked like she was gritting her teeth, but she couldn't say a word.
"The Marquis's mansion is a place with rules." Lan Xi looked with satisfaction at the respectful Rong and Lu concubines who bowed their heads, then glanced at the still unconvinced Fang concubine. "I didn't pay much attention to these things before, but from now on, if anyone breaks the rules, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Concubine Rong and Concubine Lu hurriedly expressed their opinions, while Concubine Fang, her neck stiff, saw the flames of anger in her eyes burning ever brighter. "If Madam doesn't want to give it, she doesn't want to give it. What are you going to do, take it or not? Why try to use rules to pressure me!"
Lan Xi gently placed the hairpin into the box and closed it. The room's brilliance was locked away, and although the sound of the opening and closing was not loud, it struck a chord in the hearts of the three concubines.
"Not convinced?" Lan Xi could no longer tolerate Aunt Fang's provocation. Her voice was like ice water mixed with shards, chillingly cold. "Kneel down."
Aunt Fang's eyes widened. Banxia quickly tugged at Zhutao's sleeve and walked behind Aunt Fang with her, forcibly pressing her down to kneel.
"Think it through before you get up!" Lan Xi ignored her and turned to look at Aunt Rong and Aunt Lu with a warm, spring-like expression. "You don't need to serve me. Tang Li, Yue Lin, bring out a small table and serve the two aunts their meal."
As if they had been prepared, Yue Lin and Tang Li agreed and carried in a small table in turn, on which were laid out various breakfast items. Lian Xin, who hadn't left yet, was also busy; she helped Yue Lin and Tang Li move in small stools.
"Have a seat." Lan Xi waved her hand and smiled, "The rules are more relaxed here."
Aunt Fang glared angrily. (Just Love Network)
Chapter 67
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Aunt Fang glared angrily. What did she mean by saying her rules were lax, so they had to kneel while eating?
Aunt Rong and Aunt Lu exchanged a glance, then lowered their eyes and respectfully set out the bowls and chopsticks for Lan Xi. After curtsying, they said to Lan Xi, "This servant thanks Madam for her kindness in providing us with this meal." Under Aunt Fang's almost fiery gaze, the two sat somewhat awkwardly on the small stools.
The choice between offending the mistress and offending someone of lower status is crystal clear.
"Lianxin, if you're not in a hurry, stay here and go down to have dinner with Yue Lin and the others." Leaving her behind was a good opportunity to pass on the message to Qiao Zhan. She was no longer the Lan Xi who couldn't even control her concubines; she was qualified to be the mistress of the house.
Lianxin nodded hurriedly in agreement. When she came, the Marquis had told her not to rush back after seeing the Madam. At the time, she didn't quite understand, but sure enough, she noticed that the Madam was different from usual, seemingly becoming more assertive. However, she didn't dare to go to eat so casually, but instead stayed in the room with Yuelin and Tangli to serve her.
Although the room was quite warm, the aroma of food wafted in, making Aunt Fang, kneeling on the ground, see the three of them eating with such refined and elegant movements, her teeth itching with resentment. Lanxi's eating pace was so slow that Aunt Fang felt like flipping the table.
Aunt Fang was both anxious and furious. She knelt on the ground, wanting to utter a thousand harsh words. But when her gaze fell on Lianxin, she desperately held back. A barely perceptible smirk appeared on her lips, revealing a chilling smile.
With Lianxin here, Lanxi's every move would surely reach the Marquis's ears. She needed to act even more weak, pitiful, and innocent after being bullied, so the Marquis could see just how vicious Lanxi truly was!
There could be no more brilliant plan than this!
Thinking of this, Aunt Fang suddenly slumped her shoulders, almost collapsing to the ground. Her usually alluring eyes welled with tears, as if she wanted to cry but dared not. Her body trembled slightly, as if a single breath could knock her over.
What a delicate little white flower!
Lan Xi picked up a handkerchief and wiped her lips, concealing the upturned smile. What kind of melodramatic plots hadn't she seen back then? Did this mere maid from a slave trader really think she could compare to a modern-day movie star? Trying to act in front of her? She was too weak!
Does she really think she's cut out for acting? You can tell from Aunt Rong's slightly downturned lips that people at her level are much smarter than her.
Lan Xi ignored her and continued to eat her breakfast slowly. The two concubines, Rong and Lu, kept their eyes straight ahead, skillfully controlling their pace, eating at a leisurely speed, only a spoonful slower than Lan Xi.
Aunt Fang had hoped that Lan Xi would finally see her after finishing breakfast! But Lan Xi took half an hour to finish her meal and still hadn't finished! What was even more infuriating was that the little maid Zhu Tao brought out hot breakfast again after only a cup of tea's time, and Aunt Rong and Aunt Lu's tables were not left out.
She knelt until she was almost numb, and when no one paid any attention to her, she finally panicked. Her delicate nose wrinkled, and the layers of tears in her eyes finally rippled, and large tears fell down in a pitter-patter, making her look extremely aggrieved.
The beautiful woman was crying so heartbrokenly; anyone would feel pity for her. At the very least, one should give her a chance to shine.
Lan Xi seemed to only then realize this, and cooperatively stopped eating, her questioning gaze falling on Aunt Fang.
Aunt Fang was overjoyed; her chance to turn things around had come!
"What are you crying about!" Lan Xi frowned, her tone tinged with impatience. "Have you thought it through?"
Seeing Lanxi's bad attitude, Aunt Fang was not angry but happy. It would be best if Lanxi's ugly face was fully exposed. After returning, she would give Lianxin some benefits so that she could smooth things over in front of the Marquis. This time, Lanxi would definitely never be able to hold her head up in front of the Marquis again!
“Madam, I know I was wrong.” Aunt Fang spoke softly, as if she had been frightened. “That jewelry was a gift from the Marquis. I shouldn’t have asked for Madam’s favorite piece so presumptuously, which would have disrupted the proper order of things. It was my fault. Please punish me, Madam.”
A chill flashed across Lan Xi's eyes.
Aunt Fang wasn't stupid; she knew to downplay the key point. That hairpin was something only women of the third rank or higher could wear, and she wasn't qualified to use it. So she only said that the hairpin was her favorite, and that as a concubine, she couldn't have it. She also mentioned Qiao Zhan, making herself appear even more petty.
He punished her because she had spoken disrespectfully to the mistress and lacked manners.
"Oh?" Lan Xi responded indifferently, raising an eyebrow. "It seems you haven't been kneeling long enough to figure things out. Is it too hot in this room, disturbing your thoughts? Why don't you go to the corridor to think things through?"
Aunt Fang was taken aback when she heard this.
She thought that by bowing her head and praising Lan Xi, Lan Xi would become arrogant and conceited. But Lan Xi completely disagreed with her! Seeing Lian Xin standing respectfully to the side without even raising her eyes, Aunt Fang suppressed her anger and still put on a pitiful expression, saying, "Please, Madam, don't send me out. Just let me think about it here!"
Aunt Fang's plan was shrewd. If she could provoke Lan Xi, even better. She would feign illness and faint, then see how Lan Xi would explain herself to the Marquis! She wouldn't escape the accusation of abusing her status as the mistress to bully a concubine…
Seeing the smug glint in Aunt Fang's eyes, Lan Xi guessed a bit of what she was thinking. Lan Xi just found it funny. Where did she get her confidence from? With her clumsy acting that made her thoughts written all over her face, did she really expect to bring her down?
The hook is too straight, bad review!
Lan Xi smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Then let's think about it here."
After saying that, she picked up her chopsticks again, calmly picked up a hibiscus roll, and took a small bite. Her posture was indescribably elegant and beautiful.