Tearing Off the Mask

Lady Ye was about to raise her voice and let the chaos ensue. Was she really afraid of Tantai Jing? But before the words could escape her lips, she was interrupted by the sixth young miss, Tantai芷, who lifted the curtain and strode in.

"Mother, your migraine must be acting up again. How could you lose your temper with the third sister out of the blue? The third sister is already exhausted from hosting her own birthday banquet today. Even if you felt she wronged you in how she handled things, you should speak to her properly. How did it ever come to this?" As Tantai芷 spoke, she pinched Lady Ye's arm hard.

Stung by the pain, Lady Ye dared not open her mouth again. The sixth young miss then smoothly took over, saying, "It is all just a misunderstanding. Just now, Mother was telling me how important the third sister's twelfth birthday banquet is, and that we truly ought to have invited Dowager Madam Dong and the others. My maternal grandmother, Madam Ye, should have been sent an invitation as well. The commotion just now was merely a result of the young classmates playing for a while, and it has truly wronged the third sister!"

Tantai Jing glanced at the two of them, noncommittal. Tantai芷 was too eloquent; with matters put to this extent, it would be difficult for her to pursue the issue further.

Standing by the doorway, Tantai Jing looked at this mother and daughter. Lady Ye had struck her today, yet she could not return the blow. Lady Ye could easily find an excuse for disciplining her, but if she herself were to lay a hand on Lady Ye, no reason in the world, however grand, would excuse it.

Having suffered such a heavy blow yet forced to swallow it in silence, Tantai Jing experienced a tumult of mixed emotions—it was an utterly bitter taste. Who would have thought her twelfth birthday banquet would be this lively?

Seeing that Tantai Jing remained silent, the sixth young miss finally relaxed and said gently, "If the third sister has no other matters, you should go back and rest first! When I was walking over just now, I faintly heard that a Nurse Jiang has arrived from the Dong residence. She must be looking for the third sister. I wonder what business she brings?"

Hearing that it was Nurse Jiang from the personal staff of Dowager Madam Dong, Tantai Jing’s expression paused slightly. Could something have happened?

Anxious in her heart, Tantai Jing curtsied, and supported by Nurse Xu, hurried back to Liruo Courtyard.

This incident marked a complete falling out between the third miss, Tantai Jing, and Lady Ye. Lady Ye had originally been deeply resentful and unwilling to let it go, but with the sixth young miss watching closely from the side, she ultimately dared not make any rash moves.

"Are we really going to just stand here and watch her seize control of the household affairs? Are the three of us to be treated and manipulated just like concubines and illegitimate daughters?" Lady Ye finally vented her grievances aloud to the sixth young miss.

Once the fifth miss, Tantai萱, had regained her composure, she also came to Qingshuang Studio. Upon learning that Lady Ye had slapped Tantai Jing, she was secretly overjoyed and pouted, saying, "Mother is entirely right. If we don't teach that little wretch a lesson, she will think we are afraid of her. Sixth Sister, you didn't suffer any real loss this time, so what are you afraid of? What on earth could she possibly do to you?"

The sixth young miss glared at her fifth sister, then turned to Lady Ye, her voice cold. "Mother, do not forget that the three of us have yet to be officially recognized by the Old Madam. Even if Tantai Jing manipulates us, it is no more than we deserve."

Lady Ye had been holding a cup of fragrant tea, but upon hearing Tantai芷's words, fury flared up instantly. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Your father has already altered the official documents and the marriage registry from the magistracy. I am the legitimate mistress of the Tantai household! To be humiliated like this by a mere young miss—do you think any of us retains a shred of dignity?"

"Even if we have no dignity left, we must swallow it and endure! What happened today is not because Tantai Jing lacks the ability to deal with us; she is merely exercising restraint for the sake of the Tantai family's reputation. If Mother pushes any harder and completely ruins her reputation, neither Fifth Sister nor I will be able to escape the fallout!" Tantai芷 swept a cold, piercing gaze over Lady Ye and continued, "Since Fifth Sister is so fond of Wang Ziyu, Mother, you should stop meddling and simply grant her wish, lest you end up pleasing neither side!"

Hearing that the matter involved her, the fifth miss blurted out, "What kind of talk is this from Sixth Sister? What does it have to do with me? That little wretch merely caused you to faint in the back garden, yet you ended up acquiring a pristine reputation for being a devoted sister! What more could you possibly be dissatisfied with? Why are you always holding Mother back? Are you truly so willing to let her strut around the manor in unbridled arrogance?"

"What does it have to do with you?" Tantai芷 sneered, looking Tantai萱 up and down. "If Mother hadn't harbored those devious schemes, attempting to trap Wang Ziyu and Tantai Jing together, she wouldn't have lost the bait while failing to catch the fish, dragging me into the mess as well."

Looking at Lady Ye, Tantai芷 injected a simmering anger into her soft, gentle voice. "If Tantai Jing hadn't cared so much about her own reputation, Fifth Sister's marriage to Wang Ziyu would probably be a settled certainty by now! Mother, if you had a foolproof plan, I would never utter a single word of objection. But looking at the current situation, it is abundantly clear that Tantai Jing holds the upper hand. If you continue to make a scene and push her too far, provoking the Dong family to step in, then the three of us will likely never have our names entered into the family genealogy for the rest of our lives!"

"How could that be? The marriage documents have already been changed!" Lady Ye insisted stubbornly, though her heart was deeply unsettled. Although she had never met Old Madam Tantai, she knew how utterly respectful Madam Dong had always been toward the Old Madam, and as for herself...

"Which is more important, the marriage document or the family registry? Right now, we are merely in Zecheng, where Mother can barely manage to pass herself off as the mistress of the Tantai household! Does Father intend to stay in Zecheng forever? Once we go anywhere else, how will the three of us manage? Even if the marriage papers are altered and Old Madam Tantai does not refuse to put you in the registry, what if you anger the Dong family? If Dowager Madam Dong speaks a word to the Old Madam, and the Old Madam brings home a co-wife for Father carried in a sedan chair with eight bearers to stand on equal footing with you, the three of us will never see another day of prominence!" Tantai芷 scolded the two of them sharply.

Tantai芷's words struck terror into Lady Ye's heart, leaving her speechless for a long time.

Glaring at the two of them, Tantai芷 warned, "Until our names are on the family registry, no one is allowed to stir up any more trouble. If you two are determined to fall back to the status of mere concubines and illegitimate daughters, I won't stop you—just don't drag me down with you!"

While this commotion was taking place in Qingshuang Studio, a rough servant woman naturally carried the details of the scene back to Liruo Courtyard.

Upon meeting Nurse Jiang in Liruo Courtyard, Tantai Jing first learned that Dowager Madam Dong had fallen slightly ill after catching a chill, and wished to invite the third miss, Tantai Jing, back to the Dong residence to wait upon her and tend to her recovery.

Tantai Jing was instantly seized with panic. She had never expected that her maternal grandmother, who had always enjoyed such robust health, would fall ill; it must surely be due to worry over her own affairs. Tantai Jing vividly remembered that in her past life, prior to her grand wedding, her maternal grandmother had never known a day of illness—it was only after she lost her voice following her marriage that her grandmother had fallen sick once.

Could it be that because she had been reborn and had arbitrarily brought forward her loss of voice by three years, she had also brought forward her maternal grandmother's illness? Tantai Jing was suddenly terrified; if any misfortune befell her grandmother, it would unquestionably be entirely her own fault!