Soon, Lin Xiangyin led Jiang Yourning and her sister through the gates of the Duke's Estate.
The Duke's Estate was indeed lavish.
"Nanny, I heard your mistress lost her bellyband?"
The nanny froze mid-step.
Her mistress had been right. This woman had eagerly come over today just to watch the show.
With her mother having set the stage, Jiang Yourning naturally joined the performance:
"Mother, let's leave her a little dignity. Whatever we have to say, we can say it in private once we're home."
"Yes, exactly."
Beside her, Jiang Wanrong looked thoroughly approving.
The nanny walking ahead nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
These three were playing good cop and bad cop, every word stabbing straight into the heart.
Her mistress would probably be so angry she spat blood later.
She had better arrange for a physician to stand by early.
Ah... such a luxurious Duke's Estate. What a shame I was too naive that day and botched it.
Hearing this, Jiang Wanrong couldn't help sighing.
This little sister of hers was bold enough to defy heaven.
As she thought this, the three of them arrived in the reception hall.
The duchess wore an elegant, sumptuous outfit and seemed to be in good spirits.
"I was wondering why the dogs in the courtyard kept barking after I got up today. So it was because Madam Jiang was coming. Please, sit."
The duchess wore a smile that never reached her eyes.
Lin Xiangyin smiled back and said:
"Is that so? Things have been busy at home lately, and I only found time to visit you today. I hope you won't blame me."
As she spoke, Lin Xiangyin seemed to remember something and suddenly glanced around:
"Why don't I see Miss Zhen? Has your daughter's face still not healed? If it hasn't recovered after so long, surely she hasn't been disfigured?"
The smile on the duchess's face froze for a moment.
In their first exchange, the duchess had instantly fallen behind.
"Ninglu, why haven't you poured tea for our three guests? Our guests aren't accustomed to fine tea. Just brew some chrysanthemums picked last year."
"Sister, I heard the Duke's Estate used to serve guests pre-rain Longjing tea. Now they're fobbing us off with chrysanthemum water. Have they fallen on hard times?"
Jiang Yourning covered her mouth with her sleeve and whispered furtively to Jiang Wanrong.
Her voice was quite soft-just loud enough for everyone present to hear every word.
The duchess's breath caught again.
She was just about to speak when Jiang Wanrong spoke first.
"Ningning, you mustn't be so rude in front of the duchess. Her birth family is wealthy, after all. How could she possibly be unable to afford good tea for us?
Perhaps she thinks the weather has been dry lately, and chrysanthemum tea would be better for cooling our tempers."
"Oh, then I've misunderstood the duchess."
"..."
The duchess's expression grew several shades uglier.
Yet Jiang Wanrong's tone was protective of Jiang Yourning throughout. No matter how one looked at it, she didn't seem to be deliberately sticking a knife into the duchess, leaving the reprimand on the tip of her tongue impossible to utter.
"By the way, those false accusations of yours left my little sixth daughter ill for several days. Surely asking you to apologize to her isn't unreasonable?"
As though remembering something, Lin Xiangyin pressed her lips together in another smile.
"..."
The rise and fall of the duchess's chest immediately became more pronounced, and beneath her sleeves, her nails nearly dug into her flesh.
"You're right, Madam Jiang. It was wrong of me to falsely accuse a junior.
Surely Sixth Miss Jiang wouldn't take a mother's anxious words about her child to heart and hold them against her?"
Thinking of all the silver she had spent, her daughter still unwell, and the poisoner nowhere to be found, the duchess could only swallow her shattered teeth along with her bitterness.
Jiang Yourning blinked at the duchess. "I know you dearly love your daughter, Your Grace, but I'm my mother's precious baby too. After suffering such a terrible injustice, surely no one would blame me for accepting an apology?"
That little bitch!!!
The duchess could no longer keep the smile on her face.
Just then, someone suddenly came running in from outside.
"Your Grace! Your Grace, something terrible has happened!"
Finding an outlet for her anger, the duchess pointed at the young maid who had entered and began cursing the mulberry tree while pointing at the locust:
"You ill-bred thing! Can't you see I'm receiving guests?
An orphaned little wretch like you thinks she's someone special just because she's landed in a golden nest. Show you a little courtesy, and you actually start thinking you're worth something?"
Faced with such ferocity, the young maid instantly dropped to her knees, trembling in fear.
"I... I know I was wrong. Please forgive me, Your Grace!"
"Ninglu, go slap her twenty times!"
"Yes!"
Ninglu nodded.
How could Jiang Yourning fail to hear the barbs in the duchess's words?
Unfortunately for the duchess, she preferred to settle her grudges on the spot.
To everyone else, she appeared to be staring blankly at her tea. In reality, her gaze had been searching the System Shop all along.
Finding what she wanted, Jiang Yourning pressed her thin lips together.
She walked over with a jar of ointment.
"Your Grace, Sister Yao and I are sisters, after all. I happened to obtain this ointment. Would you like to try it on her?"
"Do you think my Duke's Estate can't afford medicine? You bring some random thing here to humiliate me?"
Unable to restrain herself any longer, the duchess exploded and knocked the ointment to the floor.
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