From the first time she had met her, this woman had been so quiet and made people didn't notice her presence at all. She didn't like to mingle with other people so no one really knew anything about her. No one could read her mind or expression at all. However, w.a.n.g Luo Hai was quite favoring her, so she must have been smart all along and knew how to read the situation well.

Even until at this point, the woman still managed to behave really well, making Yao Ling know that she wasn't that simple. Did someone become her backing? Her background wasn't that good, so where was the money to hire the a.s.sa.s.sins came from?

She had inquired the price from Zhuo Li and it wasn't a low amount! The previous day, Yao Ying told w.a.n.g Luo Hai about this and when he heard the amount, he was surprised as well. He was very clear what kind of dowry that the concubine had brought from her family and due to her low status, her monthly allocation wasn't that high even though their family was wealthy, so she wouldn't be able to fork out that much money!

This would certainly be an interesting morning.

When the matriarch, Madam w.a.n.g, and w.a.n.g Luo Hai had finally stopped talking about Jiu Lan, they ate quietly and Yao Ling felt that it was time for her to start the plan.

Yao Ling asked in a low voice and looked at Concubine Xi in concern, "Concubine Xi ah~! Why do you look thinner than usual? Is there something wrong with you?" It was out of Yao Ling's character to care about a concubine but when everyone looked at Concubine Xi's face, they started to notice the difference in her face as well.

Yes, Feng's report told them that it was Concubine Xi's doing... so their current target was this concubine.

Concubine Xi's face turned pale when she heard this because she had tried not to draw people's attention towards her. She put a lot of effort into her make-up but if everyone paid close attention to her, they would be able to see her haggard face. Her eyes were slightly reddened due to the lack of sleep and it was completed with the heavy dark circles under her eyes. Because this happened for a few months in a row, she became thinner and didn't have the heart to eat --- sometimes, she even vomited out of fear.

There was no one that she could talk to about this matter and it frustrated her --- because the maidservant that was killed was actually her closest confidante and she didn't trust the other maidservant. She knew that some of them were spied that were planted by the other women, it really made her feel depressed.

If she didn't always hide her presence well, people would long notice her change. However... how could Yao Ling suddenly mention her? She had just come back from the trip --- or... did she find out about it? Somehow, she got a bad feeling and her back was sweating in fear. She hardened herself and calmed herself down by pinching her thighs, knowing that she had to behave just like usual to avoid the suspicion.

She quickly answered elegantly and said with a gentle smile, "This concubine is fine... Young Mistress, thank you for your worry."

The matriarch furrowed her eyebrows. She had a certain high demand regarding women, as a woman herself, she always wanted to look pretty in all occasion and she could see that something was wrong right away. "Hmm... Indeed... Something is not right. What happened to you?" She asked in displeasure.

Concubine Xi felt a thump in her heart --- the most terrifying person in this family was the strict matriarch. "Old Madam, nothing is wrong with this concubine. This... This concubine is really fine..."

The two-faced Concubine Lan could see Concubine Xi's uncomfortable state and smirk to herself. If she lost one of her compet.i.tors, it would be good ah~! She quickly said, "Jie... your face looks paler than usual. If you are not feeling good, I can accompany you to go back to the room, after all, this luxurious breakfast is prepared to celebrate something special for Young Mistress..."

She wanted people to see how kind she was and for the last part, she implied softly that Concubine Xi was an eyesore. How could she look so haggard when attending this rare luxurious breakfast? She deliberately used Yao Ling's name to make a gap between them.

Yao Ling quickly gasped and said, "No need to be that severe. This is just an ordinary meal... No need to exaggerate it. I'm simply worried about Concubine Xi..." She pretended to look guilty and look down in embarra.s.sment.

Madam w.a.n.g furrowed her eyebrows. She was her legal mother, so Yao Ling should be more concerned about her... why did she care about a lowly concubine? The more she saw Yao Ling, the more she felt that she was not pleasing to her eyes. The knot in her heart was getting bigger --- ever since the first time she laid her eyes on the couple, she didn't like them because she felt that they were up to no good.

They were only a village boy and girl!

If not because of the matriarch and w.a.n.g Luo Hai's firm decision to take them in, she would certainly refuse to become their legal mother! However, she didn't join in the conversation and continued to eat silently.

The matriarch saw how uncomfortable Yao Ling was and she quickly ended this matter --- she would investigate personally later about Concubine Xi and she hated how Concubine Lan try to make such a simple matter into a big one. "No need to fuss over such a small matter. Go back to eat!" The matriarch ordered both concubines. The kid was just too kind for worrying about a concubine, but they dared to make it turn into their own show.

Concubine Lan was feeling embarra.s.sed for being rebuked in front of a lot of people but she could only swallow her grievance. She turned her watery eyes to w.a.n.g Luo Hai but the latter didn't pay any attention to her and it made Concubine Lan feel more unreconciled!

Concubine Wan wasn't as brazen as before ever since her past experience so she only stayed quietly on the side. She sighed in relief because she made the right choice by didn't join them --- she was indeed becoming wiser. There was a hint of mockery in her eyes.

Yao Ling's goal had been reached --- she just wanted people to take notice of Concubine Xi's weird appearance so that their next step of the plan would become successful.

Yao Ying had another thought when he saw the scene. The inner courtyard battle was really complicated ah~! This was only a simple and short one but it already gave him a headache! For a man, if they didn't like each other, they would talk bluntly about it and then solved it with their fists --- after that, everything would be good. However, the women kept backstabbing each other with gentle words.

He felt lucky that he had only one wife... He didn't want to take concubines!

One Yao Ling was already enough...