Chapter 19: Singing, Reciting, Acting, and Fighting

  The scene was very eerie.

  Su Ying rolled up her sleeves, slightly lowered her head and didn't speak; Fu Yeyang's face was as calm as water, rubbing the white jade ring on his thumb, silent; As for Wei Niangniang, she seemed to sense that the atmosphere was unusual, and only nodded silently, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, sobbing inaudibly.

  The maids around her were as silent as cicadas in winter, not even daring to breathe loudly.

  Madam Liu arrived soon, making a dignified bow, wearing a long, wide-edged green jacket with golden flowers and silver blue borders, a light yellow high-collared garment, a tall, twisted coiffure, and a hairpin horizontally inserted with peacock-blue, green, red gemstone and white pearl decorations, all of which suited Madam Liu's age and status.

  In comparison, Wei's aunt's dress was very shabby.

  It's also very deliberate.

  Fu Yiyang's thin lips formed a straight line, Su Ying propped up her forehead, and her voice was laced with fatigue. She took the initiative to ask: "Is there any deduction in the share of the eldest daughter?"

  Liu Yiniang didn't cry out in grievance, but calmly and steadily stated the share that Dagu Niang should get: "The servant's allowance is distributed according to old rules, all households do it this way. May I ask if Sister Wei has any objections?"

  Wei Yiniang's expression had already revealed the problem. She twisted her handkerchief and said foolishly, "But this is quite different from the previous share."

  Liu Yiniang lowered her head and couldn't help but curse a fool!

  Su Ying's face was calm, her pale face showing no signs of joy or anger. She didn't say a word to explain herself, but instead turned her head towards Fu Yiyang: "Now that everything is clear, let's disperse." Her palm pressed on the armrest, she was about to stand up when suddenly Bailian burst in from outside, crying like a pear blossom pressing down on a sea of flowers. Pitifully, she begged Su Ying: "Please, mistress, don't drive me away!"

  One wave subsides and another rises.

  Su Ying couldn't help but scold in her heart: Idiot! It turned out that both she and Wei Niang were taught by Fu Mu, one more foolish than the other!

  Let's not mention Wei Yiniang for now, but this Bailian, her crying and sniffling like a bullied little white flower is too late! The best opportunity should have been when she was transferred to Wei Yiniang's courtyard, right? Maybe it could even put a "kind and jealous" hat on Su Ying, triggering Fu Yeyang's dissatisfaction.

  Now, with Su Ying already set up at Fu Yiyang's place, and the hundred spirits having been transferred to the South Institute for several days, and Wei Niang just making a fuss about this, it would only increase Fu Yiyang's suspicion of her, as well as intensify Wei Niang's disgust towards her.

  Lü Huì and others knelt in the corridor, they just failed to stop the sudden intrusion of Bailíng.

  Acting should be thorough.

  "That's enough!" Fu Yeyang's face was cold and stern, he slapped the table fiercely, scaring Baoling into sudden silence, she shrunk her neck and knelt on the ground, secretly glancing up at Wei Niang who was standing not far away. All of this was seen by Fu Yeyang.

  When she looked at Wei Yiniang again, her cold eyes made Wei Yiniang even more flustered. As the scene lost control, Wei Yiniang took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and fainted softly onto the carpet!

  A farce has been suspended for a while.

  Wei Yiniang was sent to the southern courtyard by the busy and flustered maids, who were pinching her waist and lifting her legs.

  Liu Yiniang immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, regardless of whether she was wrong or not. After all, the master was not in the wrong, especially since this happened just as she had taken over the management rights from Su Ying and definitely did not want to leave an impression of being incompetent in front of Fu Yeyang.

  She said: "It's all the concubine's limited ability, causing such a disturbance, please madam punish." She didn't shout injustice, but directly admitted her mistake, compared to Wei Niang's crying and making a scene, she was much more well-behaved.

  Comparing the two, it's clear that Su Ying's management isn't bad. Look at Liu Niangniang, who is also a niangniang, yet she's so understanding and well-behaved. On the other hand, Wei Niangniang has caused so much trouble in just these few days.

  Su Ying didn't look at Fu Yi Yang either, and her arm that was originally propping up the armrest also came down, tucked into the cold blue cuff, with a barely audible sigh, she forced a dignified smile: "This isn't your fault, it's because I didn't make things clear, you can withdraw now."

  Madam Liu responded with a sound, and as she retreated outside, she raised her head to glance at Fu Yeyang. He had been holding his teacup since earlier, one hand pinching the tea lid and stirring the tea leaves in the cup, but he didn't seem eager to drink it. His face was expressionless, making it impossible to discern his emotions. Madam Liu was also uncertain, what was Master really thinking?

  Looking at Su Ying, who was still calm and collected, Liu Yiniang couldn't help but wonder in her heart. With Wei Yiniang being so outrageous and humiliating her like that, how could she just let it go so lightly? Was it because Master was present?

  Liu Yiniang walked away with a puzzled heart, and Bailin had already been scared out by several women who covered her mouth and dragged her away.

  Lü Huī and a few others stood in the corridor, sticking their ears against the door to listen to the movements inside, getting anxious.

  To be honest, Su Ying couldn't guess what Fu Yiyang was thinking in his heart either. She didn't want to say anything at this time, some things were better left unsaid. Moreover, Wei Niang's previous sentence "Madam has never been a mother, how can she understand the feeling of being a concubine" really rubbed salt on Su Ying's wound. Her current smile was all forced.

  At the very least, in Fu Yiyang's eyes, it seemed that Su Ying's bright light was extinguished by Wei Niang's words that pierced her heart, making Fu Yiyang think of her appearance when she lost her child, with a heart as dead as ashes, having nightmares at night and crying silently, hugging him and crying bitterly, but still standing tall in front of people, stubbornly holding on to her strong image without revealing any weakness.

  The old master felt even more ashamed.

  Fu Yiyang put down the teacup, cleared his throat, and when Su Ying looked over with a hint of a smile on her lips, he said: "I've already spoken to Mother, before our legitimate child is born, no new person will enter this house."

  Oh? Shouldn't she be overwhelmed with gratitude, kowtowing and thanking the great lord for his kindness? Su Ying muttered to herself, but in reality her expression changed slightly, then as if a dead water surface rippled with layer upon layer of waves, she stared blankly at Fu Ye Yang, her lips moving: "Old... old master?"

  Look at her like this, Fu Yeyang's face eased a bit, and his eyebrows furrowed: "What are you crying about?"

  When he said that, Su Ying hastily used her handkerchief to wipe away the tears all over her face, not seeing any of her previous elegance and poise. "I don't know either, the tears just fell down by themselves."

  Fu Yiyang coughed and said, "I'll go take a look at Wei Shi. Dinner will be served here." After finishing speaking, he turned around and left without waiting for him to walk out of the door. Su Ying immediately cleared her throat twice, Fu Yiyang's face turned dark, and he said to Lu Hui and several others standing in a row, "Don't you go serve your mistress yet?"

  But what he didn't know was that Su Ying wasn't suffering from the old illness as Master thought, but rather that palpitation feeling had struck again. Su Ying finally lost himself and was poked by Fu Ye's words at a certain point, just like an automatic switch.

  She hastily took out a pill from her backpack and put it in her mouth, feeling the warmth spreading throughout her body. The palpitations gradually subsided, and Su Ying felt much better. After drinking a few sips of tea, she accidentally choked on it and started coughing.

  At this moment, Su Ying was on the verge of tears, and her eyes had quickly welled up with tears just a moment ago when she lowered her head, but now she couldn't cry anymore.

  This is really too deceptive!

  Fu Yiyang went to Wei Niang's southern courtyard, because after Wei Niang fainted, the southern courtyard was in a state of chaos. As soon as Fu Yiyang entered the door, he furrowed his brow. In the past, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but now looking at this southern courtyard again, it's very messy, unlike the maids in the main courtyard who have rules to follow.

  She turned and went to the eldest girl's room first. Xiaoyu had already closed the curtains, and Pei Yiyang immediately smelled a strong medicinal smell, as well as the smoke from the small stove. The small stove was still brewing medicine. Wei Niangniang was anxious that the eldest girl would not allow anyone to open the window, which made the entire room's smell mixed together, making people feel both stuffy and unbearable.

  He casually glanced around the girl's room and saw a red lacquer wooden box that had been carelessly opened on the table. Fu Yeyang remembered it, it was still the last time Su Ying came back from her mother's house with some good medicine, she even laughed and said she would give a box to the girl, but several days had passed, and the medicine in this box hadn't been touched at all.

  After scanning the decorations in the big girl's room and the nursemaids waiting inside and outside, Fu Yeyang's eyebrows furrowed even deeper. What was said about treating the big girl harshly? This was simply following the rules for a legitimate daughter, and any shortcomings were made up by Su Ying herself from her private allowance, not a single penny had been shortchanged in these years.

  If it weren't for Wei's own efforts this time, he wouldn't have known at all.

  Fu Yiyang didn't go any further, and the big girl's nanny stood aside, trembling with fear, holding the thin big girl who looked like a kitten. This was not to be seen by outsiders, but just now when Wei Niang was making trouble outside the south courtyard, she still had the big girl by her side, and it was Su Ying who saw this and scolded the nanny to quickly take the big girl back into the house.

  Fu Yiyang pursed his lips, and his expression softened slightly as he asked, "Have you been taking your medicine lately?" This question was like a mere formality, as the doctor who had come to examine Big Sister that day, Dr. Guo, was someone Wei Niang couldn't stand, and she still suspected that Su Ying had brought him in. Moreover, within this courtyard, only Bai Ling knew how to prepare medicinal dishes, which made Wei Niang even more skeptical. Not to mention, Big Sister's illness wasn't as severe as she had claimed, so Wei Niang didn't dare let her take random medicines and instead continued to follow the original prescription.

  Fu Yiyang went to Wei's house with a gloomy face, and found Wei sitting on the couch, wiping away tears. She had completely changed from her previous behavior outside the south courtyard, where she was acting like a shrew.

  As soon as she saw Fu Yiyang, it was like seeing the master of her heart, and there were still tears on her face. She called out weakly: "Master, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have lost my composure because of Miss's affair and provoked Madame."

  She wanted to say how hard it was for her to take care of the eldest girl, and thought about how to lead this matter to Su Ying and Liu Niang's design to make things difficult for her. She had lost her sense because of the eldest girl and fell into their trap. Just as she opened her mouth, she was shocked by Fu Ye Yang's words and stunned on the spot.

  "If you can't take care of her properly, then send the big girl away to be raised elsewhere."