"Miss, the general sent a basket of grapes, said to be a reward from His Majesty," Yin Zhu placed a plate of washed grapes beside Xiao Man.
Xiao Man asked, "Has Grandmother's place received any?"
"They received two baskets. One was sent to the Old Madam, and one was sent here."
"And Father?"
"The general is in the study."
Xiao Man nodded, "Pick the largest and best bunch, wash it clean, Qiu Tong, personally take it to Father, and then distribute some to the courtyards of the younger sisters. As the eldest sister, how could I enjoy good things alone."
"Yes, Miss."
The Third Miss received the grapes sent by Xiao Man's order, a sarcastic smile appearing on her lips, "Did it only come to my courtyard, or did everyone get some?"
"Everyone did. The general received two baskets of grapes. One was sent to the main courtyard, and one was sent to Shui Yue Xiao Zhu. The eldest miss then distributed some to each courtyard. If Madam were still alive, Miss would have received the first share."
"Yun Shang, look, how good at handling people our eldest sister is. After receiving her father's reward, she sent it to everyone's courtyard, showing off while also earning a reputation for generosity. I wonder who is advising our eldest sister from behind the scenes."
"Miss, aside from her own maids, who else could be advising her?" Yun Shang asked doubtfully.
"Someone must be plotting behind her back. Think about the foolish things she did before, and then think about what she's been doing recently. Not a single flaw, even though her eyes are injured and she can't perform morning and evening greetings, she still has her head maid send soup to Grandmother every morning and evening, leaving Grandmother no room for criticism. This thoughtfulness is not something she could come up with on her own," Xiao Ling said softly, vowing to uncover the person behind it all one day.
"Miss, this servant actually thinks the eldest miss is not someone easy to deal with."
"If she truly had ability, how could she have injured her eyes and become blind?"
Yun Shang frowned, "But before Madam died, she always said the eldest miss harmed her, warning Miss to guard against the eldest miss, saying she was wicked and unfathomable. Miss should not underestimate her."
"How dare I underestimate her." Xiao Ling picked a washed grape and took a bite, sweet and juicy. "If she didn't have some cunning, would the one from the Prince of Han's estate have come looking for me?"
"Miss, are we going to cooperate with the Prince of Han's estate?"
"Yun Shang, do you think your miss is foolish?" Xiao Ling asked slowly.
"This servant deserves death." Yun Shang quickly knelt to apologize.
"Get up." Xiao Ling offered a slight support. "When Father is not at home, we can cause as much trouble as we want. Now that Father has returned to the imperial capital and comes home every day, if I were to conspire with outsiders to scheme against my eldest sister, what do you think would happen in the end?"
"This..."
"Father would surely beat me to death," Xiao Ling said while eating grapes. "If Prince Qin intends to form a marriage alliance with the General's manor, he will surely not marry a blind legitimate daughter. Why should I offend Father for a position that should have been mine? You go and keep an eye out. The moment Prince Qin visits, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Miss."
Xiao Ling's gaze fell on the grapes in her hand. "Life is like this plate of grapes. If you don't eat them, no one knows if they are sour or sweet."
The Fourth Miss quietly reached for the grapes on the table, but Concubine Lin slapped her hand. Startled, she quickly withdrew her hand. "Aunt, why did you hit me?"
"My dear, you dare to eat things sent by the one from Shui Yue Xiao Zhu, aren't you afraid of being poisoned to death!" Concubine Lin poked Xiao Ting's head. Ever since Xiao Man had poisoned Xiao Ting and nearly taken her life, Concubine Lin had been wary of Xiao Man, meticulously inspecting the food in the courtyard for fear of any problems.
Xiao Ting pouted, "Aunt, if we ate something sent by eldest sister and something happened, would Grandmother let eldest sister off? Eldest sister isn't foolish, is she!"
"Still, you are not allowed to eat it. If you want to eat, Aunt will have someone buy you some." Concubine Lin dared not touch anything sent by Xiao Man. Even if she knew it wasn't poisoned, she still wouldn't eat it, for fear of problems!
"Aunt, why are you so afraid of eldest sister? Didn't you always say eldest sister was an idiot before?"
"Stupid, the one who thinks she's stupid is truly stupid!" Concubine Lin said through gritted teeth. The thought of Xiao Man making her choose a bowl of medicine for the Fourth Miss to drink made her liver and gall tremble. She had thought Xiao Man was brainless, but who knew this person was so ruthless behind her back.
"Aunt, now that Father has returned home, he dines with eldest sister at least two out of every three days. In the past, Aunt would always have me linger around eldest sister. Now that Father is back, why have you stopped me from going to eldest sister's place? Shouldn't I go there more often?"
"Go there? Aren't you afraid that vixen will devour you alive!" Concubine Lin said irritably. Now, she would avoid this ruthless eldest miss as much as possible. How could she dare to let the Fourth Miss go to her courtyard?
"Is eldest sister that scary?" The Fourth Miss's hand stealthily reached for the grapes in the fruit bowl. Concubine Lin immediately moved the fruit bowl away.
"You shallow-minded thing, a plate of grapes has bought you over? Let me tell you, as long as she's here, no one can surpass her!"
"Aunt, you've said this many times. She is the legitimate daughter, and I am a concubine-born daughter, so naturally, I can't surpass her. But I have Grandmother's affection, and I'm not doing poorly. If I also show my face before Father every few days, why should I worry about my life? Eldest sister is now blind. Even with her noble status, prestigious families won't marry her. In the end, it will fall to Third Sister, and it has nothing to do with me. We should just live our own lives, right?"
Concubine Lin listened, lost in thought.
The Old Madam received a basket of grapes and thought of sending some to the Third Miss and Fourth Miss. However, the嬷嬷 said that both the Third Miss and Fourth Miss had already received theirs.
The Old Madam was puzzled, "Did the general send them?"
"The eldest miss ordered them to be sent. All the young ladies' courtyards received some."
"Elder sister," the Old Madam said, "Since when did she know to look out for her sisters? She's always good at acting cute for her father."
"Old Madam, it is a good thing that the eldest miss knows how to care for her sisters. The young ladies of the General's manor are all one body, sharing glory and suffering together. The eldest miss has been repeatedly targeted outside, and now her eyes are injured, making her marriage prospects difficult. The general has been distressed about the eldest miss's eyes lately."
"What did the doctor say about her eyes?" the Old Madam asked slowly, fiddling with her prayer beads.
"The imperial physician from the palace said they might never heal, but the physician Ye from the manor said there is a possibility of recovery."
"Physician Ye said there is a possibility of recovery?" The Old Madam's heart stirred with doubt. "Go and summon Physician Ye."
"Yes, Old Madam."