Chapter 37 - ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 37
The room was very quiet, with the door slightly ajar, and only a faint yellow candlelight seeping through. Yulan stood by the door, craning her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside.
Next to her, Haitang gently pulled her and shook her head, but Yulan paid no attention and waved her hand at her. She was about to continue peering inside when suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard from within. Immediately after, the door was forcefully pushed open. Yulan jumped in surprise and quickly withdrew her head.
The person who came out was Li Suwan, her eyes were red, her face full of anger, and her chest heaving. It was clear she was very upset, and her clothes and skirt were soaked, as if she had been drenched in water. She shot a fierce glance at Yulan and Haitang, then hurriedly ran away.
As Yulan watched her disappear at the courtyard gate, she clicked her tongue twice and finally entered the room. Her young mistress, Li Zhizhi, was comfortably reclining on the couch with her bare feet exposed, the soles of her feet as white as snow and perfectly clean.
There was a wooden basin underneath the couch, still containing a large amount of water, and the ground was wet with water stains. Haitang was somewhat surprised and asked, “Mistress, did Miss Suwan really wash your feet for you?”
Li Zhizhi recalled the expression on Li Suwan’s face at that moment, as if she wanted to hit something, but had to swallow her anger and do it, and couldn’t help but laugh.
Yulan also said with a smile, “Since she wants to be the legitimate young lady of the Li family, how can she not endure even this bit of hardship? This is the will of that high and mighty person, it has nothing to do with our little mistress. It’s not like she’s deliberately making things difficult for her.”
As she tidied up the wooden basin, she added mockingly, “She plays the young lady during the day and a servant at night. She’s still better off than us. If you feel sorry for her, you might as well feel sorry for our little mistress. She’s a real lady who’s being mistreated, and what’s washing feet compared to that? If it weren’t for basking in our young mistress’s glory, she’d be destined to wash feet her whole life.”
With that, she even spat and Yulan’s mouth was always quick. Haitang couldn’t argue with her and could only stammer an explanation, saying, “I, I didn’t mean that…”
She then looked at Li Zhizhi with a panicked and bewildered expression. Lizhizhi couldn’t help but suppress a smile and said to Yulan, “Alright, for every sentence she says, you can say ten. I know you have a sharp tongue and speak well. In the morning, when mother-in-law brought sesame candy, both of you shared it, okay?”
In this corner, the atmosphere between the host and the servants was harmonious. On the other side, Lijing’s anger was burning as she went to see Lady Li in the main hall. Before she could speak, tears welled up in her eyes, and she cried as she recounted Li Zhizhi’s wicked deeds.
Madam Li was immediately furious upon hearing this and scolded, “This little troublemaker, how could she let you do such a thing? She’s just putting on an act, but she’s really taking herself too seriously.”
As she was about to go to Shuyue Chamber, she received a message from her husband through a servant, “Madam, has the confession letter been copied, and have the scriptures been recited?”
Madam Li hesitated for a moment and then replied, “It’s already been copied, but as for the scriptures, we’ll recite them later.”
The servant withdrew, and tears still lingered in Li Suwan’s eyes as she stared blankly, not understanding. She looked at Lady Li and asked, “Mother, why did you copy the repentance text and recite scriptures?”
Lady Li, with an unexpected expression, sighed deeply and waved her hand, saying, “It’s all for your sake. Don’t ask any more.”
Although Li Suwan was curious, she had to suppress it and continued to talk about her grievances, “Li Zhizhi did it on purpose. She even said it herself, that she wanted to humiliate me. Mother, what should I do in the future?”
Lady Li furrowed her brows and poked her daughter’s forehead impatiently, scolding, “Why are you so foolish? When I asked you to go to the Moon Pavilion, it was just for show in front of your father. Did you really let her treat you like a servant? You have two legs, can’t you run away?”
Li Suwan, still sobbing, explained, “I wanted to leave, but she threatened me. She said that if I didn’t do as she wished, she would tell the Grand Princess and make her refuse to let me wear hairpins. Mother, is she telling the truth? Can the Grand Princess really listen to her?”
Upon hearing these words, Lady Li’s expression immediately changed, her demeanor grew slightly serious, and after a brief pause, she said in a low voice, “That little wicked girl actually had her vital pressure point pinched.”
Seeing her mother’s reaction, Li Suwan couldn’t help but be surprised, forgetting even to cry, and asked, “Mother, is it true?”
Lady Li’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and she replied, “Today, I saw her going to the Cien Temple with the Princess Yongning. They were talking and laughing along the way, and the Princess personally led her and had her pay respects to the Buddha. They were so close, anyone who didn’t know would think she was the Princess’s own daughter. I can only assume that that little wretch said something to the Princess, and the Princess certainly listened.”
After hearing this, Li Suwan was both shocked and jealous. She blurted out, “With her rustic appearance, how could she catch Princess Yongning’s eye?”
Lady Li gave her a look and said, “They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Princess Yongning has taken a liking to her, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Today, I took the opportunity to talk to the Princess for a while, but she soon grew impatient. I didn’t want to overdo it, so I took my leave, leaving Li Zhizhi behind. Who would have known that in the evening, the Princess herself would personally escort her back.”
Speaking of this, Lady Li took a sip of tea and said with a touch of frustration, “If only you were a bit more competent, it would have been you that Princess Yongning valued, and we wouldn’t have had all these troubles today.”
Li Suwan replied with a hint of grievance, “How can a daughter like me have a conversation with Princess Yongning?”
Lady Li gave her a stern look and said, “Then how did Li Zhizhi manage to do so?” She used to think highly of her daughter, but now she was starting to see some flaws and shortcomings. She sighed and continued, “For now, there’s no other way. Until you come of age, we have to treat Li Zhizhi well to prevent her from whispering negative things in Princess Yongning’s ear and ruining your prospects. One misstep, and we’ll lose everything, which would truly be regrettable.”
Li Suwan had been holding back her frustration all day, and now she had to endure the task of being subservient to Li Zhizhi. Just the thought of it was hard to bear, but Lady Li didn’t seem to care. She only emphasized that Li Suwan must not confront Li Zhizhi and should wait until she comes of age and marries before taking any action.
When they returned to the Purple Wisteria Garden, Li Suwan was still seething with anger. She smashed everything in her room into pieces and scolded several servants, letting out her frustration. Only then did she manage to calm down.
Early the next day, as she was preparing to go to the Ming Garden to study, Li Zhizhi had everything in order. She headed in the direction of the dining hall when, halfway there, she spotted someone standing in the middle of the road. This person was wearing a delicate lotus-colored dress, with a slender figure, and looked very familiar. She fixed her gaze and realized it was none other than Lí Suwan.
Li Zhizhi was quite surprised. Had the sun risen from the west today? She raised an eyebrow and examined her closely. She noticed that Lí Suwan’s eyes were glistening with tears, and her eyelids were slightly red. She looked just like a delicate and harmless little white flower. This was a stark contrast to her behavior last night, when she was shouting and scolding. Something unusual must have happened, and it piqued Li Zhizhi’s interest.
Li Zhizhi did not consider it a moment of awakening or remorse. She just smiled and said, “What a coincidence, why is Sister Wan’er here?”
“I was waiting for you,” Li Suwan explained hurriedly, and then carefully looked at her. She said, “I thought Zhimei would pass by here, so I waited on purpose.”
She had no idea how unconvincing her acting appeared to Li Zhizhi, but Li Zhizhi didn’t expose it and continued to play along, surprised and asked, “Sister Wan’er, did you have something to tell me?”
Li Suwan bit her lip lightly and whispered, “Zhimei, I wanted to apologize to you. Last night… I thought about it carefully when I went back, and it was not your fault. These were things I owed you. Not to mention serving you and washing your feet, even if you asked me to be a beast of burden for you, it would be justified. From today on, as long as you ask, I won’t say a word.”
“Why would Sister Wan’er think that way?” Li Zhizhi feigned surprise, and from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the lake-blue brocade robe behind the red hibiscus tree at Li Suwan’s side. In that moment, she understood it all. This person who had been waiting here early in the morning was apparently planning to put on a big show.
Naturally, she was determined to accompany her in this act.
With this thought in mind, Li Zhizhi stepped forward, took Li Suwan’s hand, and sincerely said, “Sister, you’ve misunderstood. What happened yesterday wasn’t intentional to make things difficult for you. It was an order from Father, and it concerns the rise and fall of the Li family’s fortunes. I dare not be negligent in any way, as I fear it might bring disaster to our family. I truly don’t blame you, Sister Wan’er. Please believe me.”
Li Suwan felt like she had been disgusted by her tone, causing her to shudder. She could only feel the other person’s hand slightly cool, as if it were wrapped around her like a snake, giving her goosebumps.
However, Li Zhizhi seemed oblivious to this and said, “If Sister Wan’er feels wronged in your heart, just go ahead and ask me for help. I grew up in the countryside and can handle all kinds of rough and heavy work. I don’t mind hardship. Please don’t hesitate to ask for my help.”
Li Suwan was incredibly shocked as she looked at her. How could this person change her attitude so quickly? Just last night, she was so arrogant and confident, repeatedly saying that she would humiliate her. Why did she suddenly change her mind today? It was as if she had become a completely different person. Did she somehow know…
No, it couldn’t be. Li Suwan denied in her heart, finally attributing it to Li Zhizhi’s deep scheming. She was practically flawless, and there was no way she could compete with her.
Before Li Suwan could respond, Li Zhizhi earnestly said, “Actually, I also think that Sister is of noble birth and cannot do these things. I’ll talk to Father today and ask him to find another way, perhaps by consulting a specialist.”
“Don’t go!” Li Suwan instinctively held her back. Unlike Li Xingzhi and Lady Li, Li Cen didn’t have much patience for her. If Li Zhizhi really went and spoke to him, he would probably think that she couldn’t handle hardship and might scold her again.
Li Suwan was in a difficult situation and deeply conflicted. Finally, she managed to force a dry smile and said, “I’m fine, Zhimei, you don’t need to go talk to Father.”
“Really?” Li Zhizhi widened her eyes slightly and asked, “Won’t Sister find it very tough?”
“Not at all,” Li Suwan said through gritted teeth, “I’m doing it willingly.”
Seeing the look on her face, as if she had eaten a fly, Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but burst into silent laughter. She gently patted Li Suwan’s shoulder, then tiptoed to her ear and whispered in a very soft voice, “If you want to challenge me, Sister, you’ll have to toughen up a bit more.”