News that Seventh Miss and Ninth Brother were to be written under the Great Lady’s name quickly spread without effort throughout the Yang residence.
Though they hadn’t yet selected the servants to accompany Second Uncle from the main branch back to the ancestral home, nor officially announced that Seventh Miss and her brother would be entered under the Great Lady’s name, everyone’s attitude toward Seventh Miss had already dramatically changed.
Regardless of whether Ninth Brother was legitimate or not, his position in the Yang family wouldn’t change. Being written under the Great Lady’s name was merely icing on the cake.
But Seventh Miss was different now.
At such a young age, having entered the main courtyard only four or five years ago, she was being written under the Great Lady’s name, becoming the third legitimate daughter…
When First Aunt and Fifth Aunt saw Seventh Miss, the smiles on their faces practically leaped out.
Even Nanny Li, who usually had her nose in the air, showed several measures more caution before Seventh Miss.
These past few days, whenever servants from the West Side Courtyard went out, they were intercepted. Even ordinary steward matrons would grasp their hands to inquire carefully after their health, then ask after Seventh Miss’s health, before letting them go about their business.
The more this happened, the more strictly Seventh Miss disciplined the maids and matrons in her courtyard.
“If anyone makes even the slightest mistake and makes people think that being elevated under the Lady’s name has made me arrogant and overbearing, I won’t tolerate it,” she frowned as she instructed Lixia and Bailu. “I’ll have no choice but to report to the Lady and have them expelled.”
Lixia and Bailu understood completely.
Given Seventh Miss’s temperament, the more favored she became, the naturally more cautious she would be.
“The several young maids are entrusted to your discipline,” Seventh Miss also summoned two steward matrons to speak with them. “This matter hasn’t yet come to fruition after all. If at this juncture anything unpleasant happens that causes the Lady to lose face…”
Both matrons were honest, straightforward people. Frightened by Seventh Miss’s words, they wished they could remain behind closed doors for all twelve hours of the day to avoid causing trouble and ruining Seventh Miss’s great advancement.
Seventh Miss herself naturally became even more cautious in word and deed. She even endured the subtle mockery from Third Miss and Fourth Miss without responding.
Ninth Brother also showed no joy, studying diligently at the family school every day as if unaware of the swirling rumors in the residence. He had not one superfluous word for Seventh Miss. Though the two were both in the main courtyard, their comings and goings grew increasingly distant.
Seeing this, the Great Lady couldn’t help but sigh: “Ninth Brother is truly quite cautious.”
First Miss could only smile in accompaniment. “Ninth Brother’s studies have been too demanding lately. He’s probably focused entirely on his books and hasn’t given much thought to the gains and losses involved.”
The Master had recently increased Ninth Brother’s coursework, hoping he could enter Shantang Academy this year together with the Twelfth Young Master. Though the Great Lady was reluctant, she didn’t want Ninth Brother to fall behind his peers.
“Yes,” the Great Lady smiled. “That’s his temperament—he can only focus on one thing at a time. The rights and wrongs of the inner household can’t enter his eyes now.”
First Miss’s gaze gradually deepened.
This was the Great Lady’s nature.
Having believed that the incident before the Silk-Washing Pavilion was someone casting curses, even if Ninth Brother spoke well of Ninth Aunt before her, the Great Lady would find reasons to praise Ninth Brother’s filial devotion.
Seventh Miss truly had good fortune.
Originally, she probably only wanted to have Ninth Brother written under her own name.
But then came this illness.
Just as the Great Lady had cleared up suspicions about Ninth Brother, she also experienced Seventh Miss’s virtue…
With such fortune, the inner household in the future would probably belong to this pair of siblings!
Given Seventh Miss’s temperament, even before being promoted, she was already thinking of pulling out Second Lady’s claws.
Now that she’d been promoted, she probably wasn’t thinking of sparing Second Lady, but rather of eliminating the root entirely…
Though the Great Lady was writing Ninth Brother under her own name and the matter of adoption wouldn’t be raised again, if Second Lady wanted to cause trouble, there were still plenty of methods.
With a single blink, First Miss could think of six or seven ideas to create problems for Ninth Brother.
Poisoning, causing trouble in the clan, leading Ninth Brother astray…
The Great Lady was so suspicious and gullible—how could Seventh Miss allow such a great enemy to move freely in the inner household?
First Miss smiled as she mentioned Second Lady: “Second Aunt hasn’t come to the residence to pay respects these past few days.”
The Great Lady showed a somewhat disdainful smile.
“Your Second Aunt probably doesn’t have the heart for paying respects right now.”
Everything was like this—where there was gain, there was loss.
In previous years, Second Lady and the Great Lady had been as close as biological sisters, while Seventh Miss and Ninth Brother had gradually been distanced by the Great Lady.
Now the situation had reversed. As the Great Lady drew closer to Seventh Miss and her brother, naturally she would gradually distance herself from Second Lady.
First Miss stopped at the right point.
She only mentioned Second Lady once, letting the Great Lady see Second Lady’s opportunism clearly, then smiled and chatted with the Great Lady about family matters.
Inevitably they spoke of the Gui family’s Second Young Master.
“I hear he’s been frequently visiting lately. Would Mother like to invite him in to meet? By rights, the mistress of the Ninth Branch of Old Nine and you were in regular contact back in the day, and the two families are also related…”
The Great Lady was somewhat tempted but couldn’t help hesitating.
“Our family is currently opposing the Liu family. Meeting Second Young Master Gui at this time—if word gets out, people will inevitably think we’re being opportunistic.”
The Yang family should be cautious in word and deed, keeping a low profile. Discussing marriage arrangements with the Gui family at this time would inevitably make people think they were accepting a powerful ally in their struggle with the Liu family.
“How can it be the same?” First Miss smiled as she explained to the Great Lady. “The Liu family has now mortally offended both the Gui and Xu families. If these two families have any backbone at all, they must oppose the Liu family. We’re naturally breathing through the same nose…”
The Great Lady suddenly understood, praising First Miss repeatedly: “Our Little Chu is still the clever one.”
She then discussed with First Miss: “If this marriage arrangement with the Gui family can truly be made, our family’s foundation in the northwest will deepen by another measure. However, Second Young Master Gui and Third Miss differ quite significantly in age, and their births don’t match well.”