Chapter 10 ROTNDOAHF

FlamingoBees

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Rebirth of the Noble Daughter of a High Family

Chapter 10:

Madam Lin's Counter-Attack!

Back at her residence in the Furuai Courtyard, before Ouyang Zhi, with a stern face, could react, Wang Mama had already summoned all the maids and servants out of the room.

Madam Lin dropped to her knees with a resolute expression and said, "Master, today's troubles are entirely my fault, which has angered the Old Madam!"

Ouyang Zhi, disregarding the presence of Ouyang Ke, coldly rebuked, "You know your mistake too. If you had disciplined others properly in ordinary times, what's the point of saying these things now?"

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Madam Lin's eyes welled up with tears as she sorrowfully pleaded, "A'Zhi, you must allow me to explain!" Her voice was filled with sorrow.

Ouyang Zhi's expression trembled slightly, his gaze still filled with resentment. "What is there for you to explain? Are you implying that you're unjustly accused even when there's chaos among the servants in the mansion?" Now that he recalled, on the day when there was trouble in the garden, Madam Lin might indeed be involved!

Madam Lin gently wiped away her tears and lamented, "When it comes to matters handled by the Old Madam, I dare not intervene. But you must also allow me to speak for myself! In the early years after I entered the household, the servant girls whispered among themselves, insinuating that as a concubine's daughter, I had taken my sister's place and occupied what rightfully belonged to her. Jue'er somehow heard these rumors and has been cold towards me ever since. I thought it was merely ignorant gossip from a few servants, and Jue'er was just a child who would eventually understand my intentions as he grew older. I didn't dare trouble the master with trivial matters and endured it silently, hoping that truth would prevail in due time and the rumors would dissipate. But I never imagined... never imagined that even the master would doubt me!"

As she spoke, tears streamed down like rolling beads, unable to be restrained. Her white-jade-like fingers traced over her cheeks as she mournfully said, "Master, Jue'er has harbored resentment towards me, his stepmother, for a long time. No matter what I do, he always thinks ill of me. That year, I stayed up three nights to make a pair of shoes for him, but he immediately threw them into the lake. After the Old Madam found out, she even told me to stop meddling in his affairs. Since then, I've been afraid to interfere much in the Songzhu Yuan, fearing that Jue'er would misunderstand my intentions as his stepmother. Little did I know that those malicious people would cause trouble and disrupt the courtyard. The trusted maid, Xin Mama, has been with our family for over a decade and was personally left by my sister for Jue'er. I thought entrusting the courtyard to her would bring peace of mind, but who would have thought she would also indulge those servants in breaking the rules? And when things went wrong, she blamed it all on me."

Madam Lin sobbed as she continued to speak.

"Even so, does that mean you have no faults at all?" Ouyang Zhi snorted coldly, his voice devoid of the previous raging anger.

Madam Lin crawled a few steps on her knees, reaching him. Her beautiful face was filled with tears as she choked out slowly, "It's not entirely true that I have no faults. I was afraid of worsening the relationship with Jue'er, so I didn't dare to take responsibility for things. If I had been able to manage the household with determination, perhaps none of this would have happened today... I was just afraid of being criticized for meddling as a stepmother in my stepson's affairs. I was wrong, but to say that I deliberately allowed the servants to harm Jue'er, I would never admit to that even if I were taken to the King of Hell's court! After all, I am his blood aunt. Is there no sincerity in that?"

Ouyang Zhi listened, gradually feeling moved, and remained silent. Ouyang Ke watched from the side, smiling. Logically speaking, even if the father doubted the mother, without evidence, there wasn't much he could do. There was no need for the mother to kneel and plead like this. However, her actions had successfully dispelled all of the father's suspicions.

Madam Lin sobbed a few more times, her voice mournful and trembling as she said, "Master, I am just a concubine's daughter of the Marquis's household. My entire life has been reliant on you. If you were to cast me aside, I would rather die right now. I am aware that I have angered the Old Madam, made her unhappy, and she resents me. I understand all of that, and I dare not defend myself... I only hope that one day I can bear a son for the Ouyang family, so that the Old Madam can accept me!"

Ouyang Zhi had always known that his mother's greatest dissatisfaction with Madam Lin was her failure to bear a son. Hearing this, he felt that perhaps the Old Madam was exaggerating the situation, blaming Madam Lin for Jue'er's injury and the servants' misconduct. If that were the case, Madam Lin was truly innocent. His heart ached at the thought, and he quickly pulled Madam Lin up, saying, "What are you doing, madam?"

Madam Lin lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes gazing at him with a myriad of tenderness and grievances. Unable to bear it any longer, he sighed, "Forget it, let's not mention this matter again."

Ouyang Zhi left, and Madam Lin returned to her inner room. The maid, Lixiang, had already set up the sandalwood tea set, with warm tea steaming from the cups. However, Madam Lin kicked it over, causing the tea to splash everywhere.

Lixiang was startled and immediately knelt down. Wang Mama kicked her heavily, saying, "Hurry up and pack your things and get out! Leave through the back door!"

When only Madam Lin, Ouyang Ke, and Wang Mama remained in the room, Madam Lin said angrily, "Do you think Ouyang Nuan has lost her mind? Why is she suddenly opposing me at every turn?"

Ouyang Ke shook her head. When it came to changes, her elder sister's eyes were indeed different now—too serene and clear. Her smiles seemed genuine, but the actions she took and the words she spoke were cunning and sharp. She had changed in a way that made her unpredictable.

"Madam, perhaps Miss has stumbled into this situation accidentally. She's nothing but a useless waste. She'll never rise into your favor in this lifetime," flattered Wang Mama. She was Madam Lin's confidante, accompanying her from being a lowly concubine's daughter in the Marquis's household to becoming the mistress of the Ouyang family. She was involved in many shady dealings on Madam Lin's behalf and understood her thoughts well. "Maybe someone is guiding her from behind. I suspect that Fang Mama is a cunning and sly person. Shouldn't we come up with a plan..."

Madam Lin scolded, "Nonsense! Now that Ouyang Jue has just had an accident, and Ouyang Nuan is involved in another incident so soon after, the Old Madam and the Master will surely suspect me! It's all because of your incompetence in handling matters. You failed to uproot the problem. If only you had taken care of things properly in the garden..."

Ouyang Ke hurriedly stepped forward. "Mother, be careful with your words."

Wang Mama smiled. "Young Miss, everyone in this courtyard is under the mistress's control. You can rest assured."

Madam Lin sighed deeply, her face darkening. "Initially, I thought she was just foolish, but it turns out I was blind and deceived by this girl all these years." She pulled Ouyang Ke close to her side. "Daughter, back in my family, I was an unloved concubine's daughter. All the glory belonged to my elder sister. Even if I excelled, I was just her foil. Since the day I married into this family, I swore that my daughter would never be overshadowed by Ouyang Nuan!" A fleeting resentment flashed through Madam Lin's normally serene and loving eyes as she chuckled. "It's hard for you to be so outstanding, proficient in all the arts. My dear Ke, you're like a phoenix among birds, while Ouyang Nuan is just an ordinary sparrow. Apart from being a young lady, what does she have that compares to you? She used to be obedient, but now she dares to come after me. Hmph, I'll ruin her completely!"

"Mother, that's true, but I always feel something strange about the way elder sister looks at me... I can't quite put my finger on it," Ouyang Ke pondered, unsure how to describe it. Ouyang Nuan's smile seemed gentle, warm, and adorable, but it gave her a chilling sensation rising up from the soles of her feet...

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