Chapter 165: Who is She?

Chapter 165: Who is She?

"Young Mistress!" As soon as Ling Long saw Lu Lingyun, she rushed forward as if seeing her backbone, to complain.

"Concubine Du is really outrageous! In broad daylight, she actually grabbed the fabric!"

Du Ruo also turned to look at Lu Lingyun, her face defiant. "They bullied me first!"

"You're really good at twisting the truth!" Ling Long hadn't argued for a long time and had a peaceful life for a while. She felt lucky to have entered the Marquis’s Mansion and met such a good main wife. Being bullied like this, she momentarily forgot how to respond. "How dare you act so despicably!"

"You still dare to call me despicable!"

"Enough, what exactly happened!" Lu Lingyun interrupted the bickering pair and looked at the maids.

The young maid quickly stepped forward and explained everything from the beginning.

When she finished, Du Ruo looked aggrieved. "Young Mistress, did you hear? There were three pieces of fabric. They picked first, and only one was left for me. Isn't this bullying?"

"In the Marquis’s Mansion, things have always been divided this way. We go by the order of arrival. Who bullied you?"

"Why should it be first come, first served? I'm a noble concubine, according to the mansion’s rules, I should pick first!"

"What rules? I’ve never heard of them!"

"Hmph, you don’t even know the rules of the Marquis’s Mansion, you really deserve to be punished!"

The two continued to bicker loudly, and Lu Lingyun's face darkened. "Enough!"

Her voice immediately silenced them. Lu Lingyun gave a cold glance to Du Ruo, who was already holding the fabric. "This fabric is yours."

Du Ruo, looking triumphant, gave a contemptuous look at Ling Long.

The next moment, Lu Lingyun said, "Ling Long, later go to the storeroom and choose any fabric you like."

"This time, it's settled. Next time, when materials arrive, all the concubines will come to my courtyard to pick together."

Lu Lingyun had always been fair. She really didn’t want to get involved in such trivial matters.

But rules were necessary. No matter how she distributed the items, it would cause dissatisfaction.

So next time, she would have everyone come to her courtyard to pick in person. Then they could argue all they wanted!

Although Du Ruo was still somewhat dissatisfied with Lu Lingyun’s decision, at least this time, she had won.

She cast a challenging look at Ling Long, who was silently fuming, and hugged her fabric. "Thank you, Young Mistress."

Beside her, Ling Long looked up at Lu Lingyun and also said, "Thank you, Young Mistress."

She hadn't suffered much of a loss since Lu Lingyun had allowed her to pick a fabric from the storeroom.

But that Du Ruo!

Just wait, I’ll get her back!

After dealing with the two, Lu Lingyun turned around.

As soon as she turned, she met Liu Qingping’s wide-eyed, shocked gaze.

"Big sister, how did Concubine Du become a concubine!"

On the way back to the courtyard, Liu Qingping came to accept the fact that Du Ruo had become a concubine in the Marquis's mansion.

Her expression remained extremely complicated the entire time.

She truly hadn't expected that Du Ruo would become a concubine and turn into the person she was now.

The last time they saw each other, she had thought Du Ruo had a strong personality and was quite dashing, even though she spoke a bit erratically and had an air of arrogance. That had earned her some respect from Liu Qingping.

But now, she was actually quarreling with the other women over a piece of fabric.

This was truly... shocking!

"She is now Concubine Du here," said Lu Lingyun, "but you don't need to worry about her. For now, just follow the teachings of the nursemaid and learn the rules, and observe how I manage the household."

Liu Qingping nodded, "Yes, elder sister."

Du Ruo returned victorious today, feeling that Ling Long was no big deal.

In the evening, Cheng Yunshuo returned. Aware that Lu Lingyun's cousin had arrived at the Marquis's mansion, he avoided dining in Lu Lingyun’s courtyard out of politeness and went directly to his Yaoguang Pavilion.

This left Du Ruo waiting in vain once more.

She realized that Cheng Yunshuo probably wouldn’t visit Lu Lingyun’s courtyard for some time, so she changed her plan and waited on the route Cheng Yunshuo would take on his return, only to find that she still couldn't meet him.

Du Ruo was puzzled.

Today, she had deliberately waited on the route Cheng Yunshuo would take, just to catch him.

At that moment, a graceful woman, fanning herself with a cattail leaf fan, walked over slowly.

"Are you waiting for the Crown Prince, Concubine Du?"

Ling Long, leading her maids, walked over unhurriedly. She looked at Du Ruo with a cold smile on her face.

"What business is it of yours?"

Du Ruo gave her a hostile glance.

Seeing the arrogance in Du Ruo's brows, Ling Long said, "Feel free to wait, Concubine Du. Wait as long as you want. I, on the other hand, will be returning to have dinner with the Crown Prince."

With that, she turned and left with her people.

Even if Du Ruo was slow-witted, she realized, "What scheme did you use to bewitch the Crown Prince?"

She hadn't been able to find Cheng Yunshuo anywhere recently, and now that she thought about it, it was probably Ling Long's doing!

She must have used some trick to keep Cheng Yunshuo away and prevent her from meeting him!

"What do you mean by 'scheme'?" Ling Long's brows carried a hint of provocation, "The Crown Prince has been very tired lately and prefers a quiet place to rest. I’ve been taking good care of him, so naturally, he doesn’t want to see other women. Concubine Du, you’d better save yourself the trouble and go back."

Originally, Du Ruo entering the mansion didn’t affect her much. They were both concubines, so in this relatively peaceful harem, Ling Long had gradually become more laid-back. Even if Du Ruo wanted to compete for some affection, she didn’t mind much.

But this time, Du Ruo had openly bullied her. How could she just let it slide?

After Du Ruo had snatched the fabric from her that day, she retaliated by whispering in Cheng Yunshuo’s ear, planting seeds of revenge.

Having come from the brothel, she was adept at capturing a man’s heart. She used all her tricks and techniques, which successfully won Cheng Yunshuo’s heart, making him return to Yaoguang Pavilion and actively avoid others on his way.

Hearing this, Du Ruo immediately guessed the reason, "You brothel-born scum are indeed good at seducing men!"

"Shh," Ling Long quickly shushed Du Ruo, "In this mansion of the Marquis, you can't mention courtesans. The Young Master wouldn't like it."

"I'll mention it! You brothel-born whores! Each one is worse than the last! That so-called remarkable woman was just as despicable! She bewitched my master, making him lose his mind over her! You were born low, dirtier than dirt!"

"Who are you calling dirt?"

At this moment, a low, restrained male voice sounded.

Du Ruo tensed up. She turned her head stiffly and saw Cheng Yunshuo, who had just returned from court, approaching her.

Cheng Yunshuo approached her, radiating a chilling coldness.

Du Ruo's eyes were full of tension. "Master..."

"Slap!" Cheng Yunshuo slapped her across the face.

In an instant, Du Ruo froze completely.

"If you dare to speak ill of her again, you can leave and never come back!" Cheng Yunshuo said, colder and more serious than ever before.

It was unclear if 'her' referred to Ling Long or someone else.

Without another word, Cheng Yunshuo went straight to Ling Long, looking at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Young Master." Ling Long, looking both wronged and understanding, turned around at that moment, giving Du Ruo a defiant look.

The message was clear: trying to compete with her? She was far too inexperienced!