Chapter 505 - 506: Letter
Chapter 505: Chapter 506: Letter
Madam Gu Jiu took another look at the women’s attire. The silks they wore were fabrics she had only seen worn by the main branch of her family—imperial rewards from the palace. She took a deep breath, and in an instant, it was as if she had become an entirely different person. Exuding an air of humble respect, she greeted them. "Good day, ladies!"
Bai Suihe had been hoping for a good show, but unexpectedly, the woman had enough sense to recognize her betters. Disappointed that there would be no drama to watch, Bai Suihe excused herself and left the group.
The other ladies exchanged glances. None of them wanted anything to do with such a foolish woman, so they treated her as if she were invisible. They gave cursory nods in acknowledgment and went back to their casual chatter.
Madam Gu Jiu looked rather embarrassed. She cursed Bai Suihe in her heart for digging such a trap for her, but she had no choice but to force a smile and squeeze her way into the circle. She couldn’t afford to offend a single person present.
Fortunately, the guests today had been polite enough to save face. Despite a few minor hiccups, there had been no real embarrassments.
After seeing off the final guest, Bai Suihe rubbed her aching shoulders and climbed into her carriage. The moment she was inside, she abandoned all decorum and slumped against the cushions, desperate to get back to the estate.
Nanny Pang thoughtfully massaged a few acupressure points to relieve her fatigue. "You’ve worked hard today, Madam," Nanny Pang said sympathetically. Bai Suihe had exhausted herself far more than any of the servants.
"Sigh, I didn’t expect so many people to show up to congratulate us. The old days were better, when we could just get things done quietly," Bai Suihe replied, her head aching just at the thought of all the social obligations.
"This just shows how well-liked you and the master are. You haven’t been in Lingnan for long, yet you’ve already won everyone’s approval." Nanny Pang poured her a cup of tea. "You didn’t even send out invitations, and yet they still came to offer their congratulations. Nobody else commands that kind of respect."
For some reason, Bai Suihe’s thoughts drifted to Madam Gu Jiu. "Madam Gu Jiu was surprisingly quiet today."
"She must have been strictly warned before she left the house. Besides, with the seating arrangement you gave her, Madam, she wouldn’t have dared to throw her weight around even if she wanted to."
Things had played out exactly as Bai Suihe had anticipated. Even if Madam Gu Jiu was itching to cause trouble, she was still scheming enough to know better. She was a bully who cowered before the strong—such were the rules of the world.
"Do you think she’ll be grateful to us for giving her the chance to rub elbows with nobles, or will she hold a grudge against us for bruising her ego today?" Bai Suihe asked playfully.
"That is hard to say." Nanny Pang had never been interested in inner-courtyard squabbles; otherwise, she wouldn’t have preferred living on a rural farm all those years ago. "She might actually be grateful to you, Madam. Based on the information we found, her branch of the family was never valued in the Duke Mansion. She rarely had the opportunity to socialize outside the estate. Back in Shangjing, this is a circle she could never have reached."
"I have a different view," Bai Suihe said with a raised eyebrow and a laugh. "She finally escaped her days of walking on eggshells and got far away from Shangjing. With her background from the Duke Mansion, she probably thought she could rule the roost in a remote border town like this.
"But things didn’t go as she envisioned. It turns out there are people with higher status than her everywhere. Just because she wasn’t invited before didn’t mean she would never cross paths with them.
"I did her a favor this time. Consider it a good deed—a much-needed wake-up call to help her realize her actual place."
Bai Suihe didn’t believe for a second that this arrangement would earn her any gratitude; if anything, the woman would hold a grudge against her. But so what? The feud had already been cemented when she refused to follow Madam Gu Jiu’s arrangements previously, making a laughingstock out of them in Zhang County. Even if they maintained a facade of peaceful coexistence, there was no telling when the woman might stab her in the back. Since they were destined to be enemies, Bai Suihe was going to do whatever pleased her most.
If those few families hadn’t been so domineering, Bai Suihe and her husband wouldn’t have sold off their properties so quickly. If they had held onto them a little longer, the prices definitely would have skyrocketed. She had finally gotten a taste of being one of the first real estate speculators, only to be forced to quit while they were ahead because of those people. Even though the buyers had paid a high price, they still got a bargain. In just a few days, the arrival of more families had driven property prices up even further.
Regardless of the era, the herd mentality was a powerful force. Now that everyone was flocking to Lingnan, she believed it wouldn’t be long before the local economy was completely revitalized. To be fair, the emperor was actually quite interesting. She hoped he wouldn’t meet his maker too soon; it would be best if he stayed on the throne for a few more years. Bai Suihe knew very well that the common people could only live good lives when the nation was stable.
They reviewed the day’s arrangements once more, and both Nanny Pang and the others agreed there had been no major issues. For Bai Suihe’s first time spontaneously hosting such a banquet, she had done an excellent job.
The carriage swayed gently as it returned to the estate. As soon as they arrived, they received news from the gatekeeper: a letter had arrived from Shangjing.
Bai Suihe initially assumed it was a message from the Shopkeepers for Gu Kaiyuan, but then she reconsidered. Those communications had a dedicated channel and wouldn’t be delivered straight to the front gate.
"Where is the letter from?" Bai Suihe asked casually, not thinking for a second that it was meant for her.
"They didn’t say. The messenger dropped it off at the gate and asked that it be passed on to you, Madam," the gatekeeper replied, respectfully handing the letter over to Zisu.
Zisu glanced at it. The envelope only bore her madam’s name with the instruction: "To be opened by Bai Suihe!" There was nothing else.
Bai Suihe took it, her expression thoughtful. "Nanny, who do you think would write to me?"
Nanny Pang wasn’t entirely sure, but she had her suspicions. "I’m afraid it might be the Gu Family back in Shangjing."
"Well, that’s interesting. If it’s from them, why bypass Kai Yuan and send it directly to me?"
Bai Suihe waved her hand, dismissing the gatekeeper. The household had its own system of rewards and punishments, and she wasn’t about to hand out lavish tips for every little thing. She didn’t want to foster a sense of entitlement among the staff.
Bai Suihe held up the letter. She wondered why it lacked a sender’s signature—was the sender afraid she wouldn’t open it? However, since it had already been delivered, she was curious to see what it said.
She tore it open and scanned the contents. Almost immediately, a scoff of pure amusement escaped her lips. "Nanny, you need to read this."
Bai Suihe hid nothing from Nanny Pang, and she wanted the older woman to witness the sheer shamelessness of the Gu Family for herself.
Nanny Pang read it carefully, finally shaking her head. "No matter how much they plot, there is nothing they can do as long as you ignore them, Madam."
Bai Suihe shook her head in disbelief, wondering what in the world the woman was writing.
The letter was from Liu Yun, her former relative by marriage who was no longer tied to the family. The entire first half was a sob story about the hardships their large family was facing, sprinkled with a single line about how much they missed Bai Suihe and Kai Yuan. The second half was dedicated to bragging about how favored Gu Antong had become in the Third Prince’s inner courtyard, and how she was destined to be the Gu Family’s new hope.
The conclusion stated that the family was currently struggling and needed support. It promised that if Bai Suihe could offer some financial assistance now, Gu Antong would surely remember her generosity once she rose to power.