Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 530 - 530 531 Rare and peculiar toys_1

Chapter 530: Chapter 531 Rare and peculiar toys_1 Chapter 530: Chapter 531 Rare and peculiar toys_1 “Lady, that move was truly brilliant. Not only have you not lost the heart of the Marquise, but you also took care of Nanny Zhu on the side. That old woman was originally so arrogant, she didn’t even take you seriously, but now she has met with misfortune. When I went to correct her just now with the Marquise’s message in mind, she looked utterly dumbfounded,”

Qingya’s tone was filled with undeniable joy. From the moment those two old nannies arrived, she had found them an eyesore. They wanted not only to control the Lady but also looked down on her. Don’t think for a second she was unaware of how that old woman suggested to the Lady to change her head maid. Qingya had taken that to heart.

Muniang curled her lips slightly, “She brought it on herself. If she had just done her job quietly, I wouldn’t have treated her this way. She thought I was a woman of no consequence from a minor household, someone who didn’t have the guts to deal with her. Too bad she misjudged the person.”

More than misjudging, she was utterly blindsided.

“But now there’s still one old nanny we have to deal with—Nanny Li isn’t easy to handle either. I’ve had people keep a close watch on her all the time, including the matters she’s involved with. We are hoping to catch her slipping up, but there’s been nothing. She’s indeed a cunning old soul,” said Qingya.

In comparison with Nanny Zhu’s ostentatiousness, Nanny Li was much more restrained. Muniang actually thought she was smarter as she knew how to assess the situation first. If Nanny Li had known earlier that Muniang was a pushover, she probably would have made a move against Muniang a long time ago.

“How do you think we should deal with Nanny Li?” Qingya asked.

Muniang pursed her lips, then said, “Why must we get rid of her? If she’s smart and knows how to read the room, it might actually be good to keep her around.”

“But she is someone sent by the Marquis Chen Mansion, meant to keep an eye on you, my Lady. How can you keep her?” Qingya exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s precisely because she is from the Marquis Chen Mansion that I have the thought of keeping her around. I have disposed of Nanny Zhu, and the news of Caiyun being sent away will probably reach the Capital City soon too. If I get rid of Nanny Li immediately after, the Marquise will surely become suspicious. On the contrary, if I gladly accept Nanny Li, the Marquise will instead be more convinced that Nanny Zhu and Caiyun got what they deserved.”

Qingya immediately understood, “My Lady wants to keep Nanny Li. If she truly becomes loyal to you, she could speak well of you in front of the Marquise. In the future, when you deal with the other two maids, it will be much easier to handle!”

“You are indeed clever,” Muniang said with a smile. From the beginning, she had thought of keeping one of the smarter ones around. All three maids were cunning, but none were suitable. Nanny Zhu was a blindly loyal servant, which wasn’t good enough, so only Nanny Li seemed to have a bit of brains. If she could see the situation clearly, a hint from her would make Muniang know how to proceed.

“But how can we make Nanny Li willingly acknowledge you as her ‘master’?”

“She’s also a smart person. In just these few short days, I’ve dealt with two, and she must be calculating her odds as well. You go and probe her indirectly, see if she has any intentions. If she shows any desire to side with me, then that would be perfect. But if she doesn’t have such intentions…”

Muniang paused for a moment, then let out a light snort, “I have plenty of ways to deal with that.”

Qingya acknowledged the order.

Immediately afterward, they heard a maid come in saying that the Rong Family had invited the Lady to their mansion.

Muniang knew in her heart that it was because Madam Liu had secured a big business deal with the Rong Family, and now the Rong Family wanted to have a detailed discussion with her about the congratulatory gift. Muniang didn’t delay; she couldn’t care less about her personal vendetta with Rong Liming. After all, a big business opportunity that came knocking was not to be refused.

She remembered when the Embroidery House had first opened, there was a chance to make a name for it, but that opportunity was ruined by Qiao Lianhua and Qiao Dalang, those two ignorant fools who destroyed her embroidery work, nearly bringing disaster upon her and causing her to miss out on such an opportunity to let the Embroidery House shine.

This time, that couldn’t happen again.

When Muniang arrived at the Rong Family Mansion, she sent in her card, and only then was she respectfully welcomed inside by the servant.

Everyone in the Capital City knew of the debacle between Muniang and Rong Liming and Yao Xinran, and of course, the Rong Family was no exception. Rong Liming harbored intense hatred towards her, but from the moment Muniang entered the mansion, not a single servant showed her any disrespect. It was clear that in the eyes of the Rong Family, the personal grudge of Rong Liming paled in comparison to the value of a congratulatory gift for an imperial concubine.

The Rong residence was immense, and the garden was filled with all sorts of rare and exotic plants. The varieties of rare flowers they had were a feast for the eyes. Alongside the Nine-Turn Corridor, numerous birdcages hung, each with fine specimens of birds within. Not to mention the quality of the birds themselves, even the cages were each uniquely crafted and exceedingly rare.

After passing through the corridor, Muniang finally entered the inner courtyard, where three maids had already been waiting. The leading maid, dressed in green, was adorned with finer clothes that were significantly better than the average maid, even surpassing those worn by young ladies of ordinary households. Muniang surmised in her heart that this girl must hold a high status.

“Lady Yu,” said the maid in green as she bowed properly to Muniang, then she said, “My name is Huaxia. Our madame specifically sent me to pick up Lady Yu and bring her into the residence. Please follow me.”

Muniang heard the emphasis on “specifically” and fathomed Madame’s sincere intentions. She probably feared that her son’s previous actions had left Muniang with a bitter taste, and she was eager to ensure Muniang devoted careful thought to the gift.

Muniang was somewhat surprised at the importance the Rong Family placed on the matter; it was just a gift after all. Since the gift was to be given to her own daughter, the intention should suffice. Why the need for such earnestness?

Despite her thoughts, Muniang didn’t say much and simply nodded her head, following Huaxia straight to the inner courtyard. The Rong Family Mansion’s inner courtyard was incomparable to that of the Yu Family; here resided a true grand family. Old Mr. Rong alone had seven consorts, with children adding up to around twenty. In contrast, Yu Ze’s inner courtyard had no one but Muniang, which hardly counted as a proper family residence.

AsExpected, the courtyard of the Madame, being the legitimate wife, was situated in the best location in the east, at the Qin Fang Pavilion.

Huaxia led Muniang directly to the flower hall of the pavilion where, Lady Rong was already waiting. Upon seeing Muniang enter, she smiled and said, “Please have a seat, Lady Yu.”

Once Muniang took her seat, a young maid came up to offer her tea.

Seeing Huaxia standing right beside Lady Rong, Muniang could tell she was a personal senior maid. Lady Rong seemed to have taken great care with her manners; Muniang’s smile grew a few more sincere degrees.

Although the Rong Family had a favored lady at court, Mr. Rong held no official position and remained a merchant, so formal etiquette wasn’t required.

“I invited Lady Yu over today, and you certainly know why,” she said. “The birthday of Noble Lady Rong is approaching, and we’ve yet to find a gift exceptional enough to present to ‘my Lady’ at the palace and win a smile from her. Our master is very anxious. Having heard that the goods from Yuyang Embroidery House are always novel, we decided to come to you.”