Chapter 36 - Annoying Flies

Concubine Wan accidentally pa.s.sed the garden where the two people chatted in a harmonious atmosphere. She scowled to herself and furrowed her eyebrows, making her beautiful face slightly wrinkled. What was with the sudden closeness? Concubine Wan felt endangered. She pa.s.sed her day just fine, after all, no one had any children. There was compet.i.tion here and there but not that much.

With a dark look, she despised the closeness between Madam w.a.n.g and that Yao Ling girl. Their closeness would threaten her place as a concubine. Without a child to bargain with then what other things that she had to gain favor from her husband? And now, Madam w.a.n.g got herself an ally. She wasn"t stupid enough not to understand how much w.a.n.g Luo Hai valued Yao Ying and Yao Ling.

She must find a way to break their trust to each other. She felt regret because she didn"t s.n.a.t.c.h the chance to leave a good impression to Yao Ling. She thought they were not going to be here for long. The first time they met, she criticized her. She also felt her hatred toward Yao Ling increasing, because Yao Ling reminded her of her background. That kid was really good at finding information. It seemed like she couldn"t let down her guard around her. Besides, she needed to think of a good countermeasure.

The two harmonious mother-daughter couple hadn"t realized that she was there. She contemplated whether she should go there or went back to think. Their laughter increased her jealousy and she thought of how w.a.n.g Luo Hai was a disappointment. She knew the problem of not having children lay on her husband, but she didn"t dare to say a word about it. Maybe she should go there and sow a discord?

She looked at the maid beside her, Liu Li. She was brought along with her into this family from the brothel. "Should I go there?" The girl had a clever mind and generally, a lot of ideas came from her. Concubine Wan had a bad temper, however, Liu Li was the one who gave her a lot of pointers. She survived in this household thanks to her. It was no wonder she would seek her advice before doing something.

Liu Li whispered a few things to her and Concubine Wan was smiling because of it. The more she heard the suggestion the more she liked the idea more. This Liu Li was truly smart. It was not in vain for her to bring her along. In a big household, she was in need of confidante and that was Liu Li"s role.

"Let"s do it then." Concubine Wan decided to follow Liu Li"s suggestion. She sauntered over the mother-daughter pair. She changed her expression into a pleasant smile. She could see how the smile on Madam w.a.n.g"s face was slightly gone and it pleased her so much. She just loved taunting Madam w.a.n.g.

Yao Ling could also see the mood change and sighed inwardly. In this household, there wouldn"t be a day when she could have any peace. If there were no concubines, this household would be a peaceful one. She was a bit sorry about it but she couldn"t choose being adopted by whom. They also couldn"t possibly ask w.a.n.g Luo Hai to kick out his concubines. She could only do her best to make her stay here comfortable.

Looking at Concubine Wan, Yao Ling could only think to herself, "One of the annoying flies is coming…"

"Aiyo~ Mistress, Young Mistress, this concubine greets you," Concubine Wan said sweetly. In her heart, she counted the day she could become the main wife and the "Mistress" t.i.tle would belong to her.

Madam w.a.n.g stiffened but still trying to smile graciously. She received the greetings politely. "Mei mei, no need to be so polite." Yao Ling knew her place, so she also received the greetings politely. "Concubine Wan."

"This concubine saw the happy atmosphere and would like to join jie jie and Ling-er. Is that okay?" Concubine Wan asked politely.

Yao Ling felt the sudden change of this beautiful concubine, feeling a bit confused. The first time she saw her, she remembered how she behaved arrogantly around her. She even thought that she"s a bit naïve, but how come her temperament suddenly changed like this?

She cleverly called her "Ling-er", trying to get closer and more intimate to her. If she didn"t know better, she would think that this Concubine Wan was sincere.

Madam w.a.n.g also noticed the way she called Yao Ling intimately. She frowned, thinking whether they really close to each other. Madam w.a.n.g was also smart. She didn"t let the others notice her slight change of expression. She quickly changed her frown into a tranquil expression.

"Of course, Mei mei. The more the merrier," Madam w.a.n.g answered courteously.

Concubine Wan sat down without hesitation. "This beautiful day… we should enjoy the scenery. Why don"t we also drink tea and eat some snacks? I can ask my maid to prepare it. I just received a rare tea from Husband. We should drink and enjoy it together."

Concubine Wan was still smiling. She was emphasizing the part where he got a rare tea from w.a.n.g Luo Hai. She wanted to show Madam w.a.n.g the level of w.a.n.g Luo Hai"s care toward her. If Husband didn"t care about her, he wouldn"t give him the rare tea, right?

"Thank you for Mei mei"s generosity. Mei mei"s offer, of course, we can"t refuse," Madam w.a.n.g replied. She understood Concubine Wan"s point. She smiled bitterly to herself. Madam w.a.n.g knew how generous her husband was. But rare tea? It was w.a.n.g Luo Hai"s favorite and he was a bit petty with his tea collection. She didn"t think he would be able to part with his collection, and yet, he gave one of them to Concubine Wan. How could she not feel pain in her heart?

Concubine Wan smiled to herself. She knew what effect her words would be to Madam w.a.n.g. Madam w.a.n.g didn"t need to know that she bought the rare tea herself. The point was she wanted to make Madam w.a.n.g feel miserable. She personally hoped she would blow up because of jealousy and there would be a great show.

"Liu Li, quick… take the tea from my room and I"ll personally brew it," she ordered Liu Li. Brewing tea was her most precious skill. Without it, how come w.a.n.g Luo Hai interested in her? Her brewing tea was famous and it was the reason w.a.n.g Luo Hai redeemed her from the brothel.

Madam w.a.n.g actually didn"t want to drink any tea from Concubine Wan, but she had to maintain her gracious image. Her temper used to be very bad and it made her lose w.a.n.g Luo Hai"s favor for quite some time. She didn"t want to make the same mistake, so she could only endure.

Yao Ling could see the smug look from Concubine Wan. However, she couldn"t see anything from Madam w.a.n.g"s face. She wondered why she looked so smug. Was rare tea that important? She realized that she didn"t really know w.a.n.g Luo Hai that much. Maybe she should inquire more about him. Then, she should be able to help Madam w.a.n.g.

Knowing the power of the main wife, it would be stupid of her if she chose to help a concubine. She also understood where the matriarch stood. Judging from her love story, she also didn"t have a good view of concubines.

She couldn"t help but think, "What does Concubine Wan want to do?"