Lin Mengwu ushered Shangguan Qing into the back door and she still looked angry and sinister.
Every time she went to Lin Mengya's room, the three servant girls were wary of her as if she was a prisoner.
Today, this servant girl called Baishao rolled on the ground and cried and shouted for no reason. She and her mother suffered great humiliation. She would definitely kill this bitch one day.
"Mother, aren't you angry?
Lin Mengwu was still indignant at the way she had been treated. But Shangguan Qing was different from her daughter. She had already calmed down.
Wu'er was young and peevish and grew up under her protection. So she usually became flustered in the face of challenges and provocation.
But why did Lin Mengya become so cunning and crafty? She and her daughter had suffered several humiliating defeats.
"Wu'er, please remember that those who accomplish big things don't trip over little trifles. I'm sure that Lin Mengya is behind this farce. But this is Prince Yu's Mansion and we are at the mercy of this bitch. A little impatience spoils great plans."
Lin Mengwu was eventually persuaded by her mother and gradually calmed down.
Mother was right. She shouldn't focus on temporary gains and losses.
Her goal was to find favor with Long Tianhao, and finally became the hostess of this mansion.
Lin Mengya's dirty tricks were just obstacles to her success.
"Mother, the bitch is domineering and bossy in Prince Yu's Mansion. Now both of us are in the mansion, please work out a good plan for me."
Jiang Ruqin was under the protection of Concubine De while Lin Mengwu was alone in Prince Yu's Mansion. Besides, she was also not their real master, so many servants in the mansion often looked down upon her.
But now mother finally came here and would give advice and suggestions to her. Lin Mengwu suddenly became hopeful about the future.
"Master, why do we come here?"
In the mansion, Lin Mengya walked quickly to the small door on the side of the garden with her confidants.
This was the accommodation she had prepared for Shangguan Qing. The servants hadn't cleaned this courtyard yet, so it was in bad condition.
"This is the accommodation I prepared for Mrs. Lin. I deliberately asked a servant to put a surprise gift for her in the room. This will be very exciting."
Five of them secretly stood in the shadows and watched the large group of people come in by the back door. The servants carried their luggage and Shangguan Qing and her daughter swaggered into the garden.
Despite that Lin Mengya had humiliated Shangguan Qing at the door, Concubine De must try to be polite to her.
Concubine De treated Mrs. Lin as an honored guest and asked Aunt Jinyue to escort her to her courtyard.
"We are short of servants, so they didn't clean this courtyard yet. I sincerely hope you'll excuse us."
Aunt Jinyue had stayed in the imperial palace for many years and she looked noble and elegant.
She looked sincere and considerate even when she was going through the motions. Lin Mengya asked her three girl servants to learn from Aunt Jinyue.
"It doesn't matter. Ya'er just got married to the Prince and Concubine De trusted her and asked her to manage all the affairs. Making mistakes is inevitable. I should thank Concubine De for not punishing her."
She was the nominal step-mother of Lin Mengya no matter what had happened.
These polite greetings and courtesies were essential for her life. But Shangguan Qing's soft and elegant smile suddenly disappeared when she saw the grassy courtyard.
Lin Mengya pushed her too far! She had suffered a defeat at the door. Now, this bitch still wanted to humiliate her in public!
"Well... Wu'er, take me to the courtyard of your sister."
She couldn't even force a smile. Besides, Jinyue also stood watching them. Shangguan Qing couldn't stand the obvious neglect and humiliation anymore!
She didn't want to break with Lin Mengya at this moment but this bitch had gone too far this time!
Shangguan Qing was boiling with rage. As a lady of an aristocratic family, she had never been treated so roughly.
"Mother, are you looking for me? Oh, I made a mistake. I was busy dealing with the affairs and forgot to welcome you."
Lin Mengya walked out of the shadows slowly with her servant girls.
Today, her clothes and jewelry were much more refined than that of the ordinary ladies.
Her excellent face looked more beautiful in the sunshine.
But Shangguan Qing looked terrible as if she had eaten a fly.
They looked very alike!
Her damned mother was also charming and beautiful as her. Marquis Zhennan was taken in by her charm.
Shangguan Qing had tried her best to suppress her envy in the past many years. But now a little spark kindled a great fire and she was overcome by a sudden surge of jealousy.
"Well, I don't deserve it. You are the legal wife of Prince Yu now and it's natural for you to look down on your old and poor mother."
Shangguan Qing always wanted to be Lin Mengya's elder and gained her respect.
Lin Mengya had to respect her elders and maintained good human relations with her step-mother even if she was Princess Yu.
"Mother, you misunderstand me. I've never looked down on my mother. I love her and respect her from the bottom of my heart."
After hearing what Lin Mengya said, Shangguan Qing's face suddenly turned red and then became dreadfully pale. She stared at Lin Mengya with anger.
Her voice was heavy with sarcasm but Shangguan Qing had no evidence and could do nothing about it.
"Princess, this courtyard is bad condition. Maybe Mrs. Lin can live with Concubine De for several days. What do you think?"
Jinyue immediately came forward to mediate the dispute. She knew that the Princess was at odds with her step-mother. But it was inappropriate for them to argue in public. The servants might laugh at them.
But Lin Mengya smiled softly and stepped forward and stood in front of Mrs. Lin.
"I don't think it's a good idea. Mrs. Lin is my step-mother and comes here to care for Mengwu and I. If Mrs. Lin lives with Concubine De, we can't meet her at will. She'd better stay in this courtyard. Mother, what do you think?"
Mrs. Lin wanted to curry favor with Concubine De, but Lin Mengya directly put her off in a few words.
Shangguan Qing looked at Lin Mengya with hatred, but she had to nod.
She had been humiliated by Baishao at the front door. If she was not careful now, she would definitely become the laughingstock of the capital city.
"Ya'er is right. I appreciate Concubine De's kindness. But after all, I come here to visit my daughter. It's much more convenient for me to live in this courtyard."
Shangguan Qing had to follow the order of Lin Mengya and declined Jinyue's offer. This place was dilapidated but it had its own entrance and was separated from other courtyards.
It was safer for her to discuss some secret things with her daughter in this place.
Jinyue also didn't stick to her opinion. In fact, she was just trying to be polite and didn't mean what she said.
After making a few polite remarks, Jinyue also left to report back to Concubine De.
After the onlooker left, Shangguan Qing stopped talking with Lin Mengya and directly ignored her. She turned and walked into the small courtyard.
The courtyard was covered with weeds but the houses were beautiful and solid. The servants of the Prince must have maintained these rooms. None of them collapsed.
Lin Mengya returned to her Qinglan Courtyard with the servant girls and Lin Zhongyu. She was elated and her eyes were full of complacency.
They couldn't understand why Lin Mengya was so elated after arguing with Mrs. Lin.
"Master, why are you so happy? Your smile is... creepy."
Baizhi rubbed her arms and felt weird. She couldn't understand Lin Mengya's manner and style after Lin Mengya became clever.
It was easier to deceive her when she was silly.
"Well, I'm in a good mood. By the way, what happened to Jiang Ruqin?"
The tea and snacks in the Qinglan Courtyard haven't been lost since Qinghu stopped dropping by her home.
Lin Mengya picked up a cherry cake and screwed up her eyes to enjoy its sweet taste.
"Miss Jiang was grounded by Concubine De. Concubine De asked her to reflect on her mistakes. The servants in the Art Courtyard told me that she smashed everything in her rooms."
Ha! Jiang Ruqin was short-tempered! How dare she throw a tantrum in someone's home!
She clapped her hands to get rid of the debris on her hands. Lin Mengya was in a good mood and told Baiji:
"Please try your best to satisfy her desires. Give her everything she wants to smash. Make a list and ask Steward Deng to send these items to the house of the Jiang family in person."
"Yes. Master."
The three servant girls exchanged a smile and nodded. Their master hated to suffer losses and she was cute.
"Xiaoyu and Baizhi need to follow me these days. The play is about to start and I need some audiences. I'll go to the Art Courtyard to intercede for Miss Jiang."
Lin Mengya was not warm-hearted. Shangguan Qing came here to support her daughter and advise her. Lin Mengwu wanted to seize the opportunity to replace her as Princess Yu.
Besides, Lin Mengwu had been bullied and marginalized by Jiang Ruqin for the last few days.
Therefore, Lin Mengya wanted her mother to punish Jiang Ruqin for her. She was such a gutless coward and Lin Mengya didn't believe that Shangguan Qing could win the victory.
Aunt Jinyue welcomed her with a smiling face when Lin Mengya entered the Art Courtyard.
"Hey! We are just talking about you and you're here! As the old saying goes, 'Speak of the devil and he will come.'"
Jinyue knew Lin Mengya and her servants very well and she spoke in a quiet conversational tone.
Lin Mengya smiled and her limpid eyes lit up. Concubine De must have already known what Baishao had done and she might be elated at this moment.
Lin Mengya followed Jinyue to the main house of the Art Courtyard.
Concubine De had a big smile on her face. It was obvious that she hasn't been so happy for a long time.
"You naughty boy! Why do you have so many tricks! Shangguan Qing comes from a well-known family of martial arts and all her siblings are fierce and aggressive. You are so daring!"
The Empress came from a well-known family of military officers while Concubine De came from a literary family.
In fact, the Emperor wanted to choose Concubine De as the Empress. But he changed his mind and the lady of the Shangguan family finally became the Empress.
But this was just trivial things that had happened a long time ago.
But the Empress was narrow-minded and couldn't forget these things. Besides, Concubine De was also the beloved wife of the Emperor. So they had always been enemies for the past many years.
As the younger sister of the Empress, Shangguan Qing had also walked over Concubine De.
This time, Lin Mengya avenged Concubine De and taught Shangguan Qing a lesson.
"No, I didn't do that. Mother, you wronged me. Baishao is my personal maid, but she is bold and unreasonable. And I can't stop her from arguing with Mrs. Lin."
Lin Mengya gave Concubine a sweet smile and there was a flash of cunning in her eyes.
As a dignified and generous princess, Lin Mengya would never admit that she played a trick on her step-mother.