Old Madam Shi's eyes went round as she snapped, "Fifth Miss, what are you doing?!"
The younger Madam Shi immediately chimed in, "Fifth Miss, are you defying your grandmother?!"
With that single sentence, she slapped Jian Ruonan with the label of an unfilial granddaughter who defied her grandmother.
Jian Ruonan smiled. "Grandmother, Second Aunt, you've misunderstood. I'm neither defying you nor being unfilial."
Old Madam Shi raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me, what are you doing? Have you gone mad?"
Jian Ruonan unfurled the bright yellow imperial edict in her hand. "Grandmother, look! An imperial edict!"
Her eyes darted as she played dumb. "Grandmother, aren't you supposed to kneel when receiving an imperial edict?"
Old Madam Shi: "..."
The entire household had to kneel to receive an imperial edict.
Strictly speaking, this edict was for Jian Ruonan, and she had already received it and knelt at the palace. The rest of the Jian family didn't need to kneel.
Jian Ruonan was simply taking advantage of the old madam's ignorance.
Sure enough, the old madam froze for a second, then had a maid help her down from the Arhat Bed and led the servants in kneeling.
Jian Ruonan unfurled the edict and declared loudly, "By the emperor's decree, ordained by Heaven: Jian Ruonan is granted immunity for flipping tables!"
Then she rolled up the edict and smiled. "See, Grandmother? Your granddaughter was doing Edict-Authorized Table-Flipping."
"Grandmother, as soon as I received the imperial edict, I came straight back to demonstrate it for you!" Jian Ruonan bobbed her head, fishing for praise. Her expression seemed to ask, Grandmother, look how filial your granddaughter is!
Old Madam Shi: "..."
Oh, you're so filial. The most dutiful descendant in all of Great Xia!
Jian Ruonan said, "From now on, wherever I flip a table,