The first ray of dawn swept across the land, it was so dazzling, so brilliant.
After Yin Chen woke up, Leng Ruo Li rushed back to the General's manor.
As soon as she stepped into her Qingfeng Courtyard, she saw a haggard figure leaning against the door of her room. The person looked like her maid, Xing'er.
Leng Ruo Li's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she rushed to Xing'er's side, taking two steps at a time.
Leng Ruo Li called out softly, "Xing'er, wake up, wake up."
Xing'er's eyes snapped open. Seeing that it was Leng Ruo Li, tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.
"Miss, you're finally back, woo woo ~ Ling'er, Ling'er, she was sold by the Second Miss." Xing'er said, her eyes red and swollen, sobbing.
"Damn it, when did this happen?" Leng Ruo Li's brow furrowed tightly, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
"It was yesterday, shortly after Miss left the manor. The Second Miss came to find you and was surprised to see Ling'er alive. Then, she had a wicked idea, saying that it was inauspicious to see a dead person come back to life. So, she found two rough servants and dragged Ling'er away to be sold. I don't know where she was sold to," Xing'er sobbed.
"This Leng Ruo Shuang is truly hateful! Xing'er, go back to your room and get some good rest. I'm going to find Leng Ruo Shuang now and redeem Ling'er."
Leng Ruo Li gently patted Xing'er's shoulder.
"Miss, may I go with you?" Xing'er asked, frowning with a face full of worry.
"No, if you follow me, you'll only be a hindrance. If a fight breaks out, they could threaten me with you, which would distract me and make it inconvenient for me to display my skills," Leng Ruo Li refused decisively.
Xing'er thought about it and agreed. Her young lady had become so powerful now, no longer the foolish, ugly, and bullied girl she used to be. So, she would obey her young lady and go back to her room to sleep.
After Xing'er returned to her room, Leng Ruo Li immediately went back to her own room to change into a light white women's dress. She covered her face with a thin veil, appearing elegant, but possessing an ethereal aura. With her hair casually tied into a ponytail, she headed towards Leng Ruo Shuang's courtyard.
As it turned out, Leng Ruo Shuang was not in her courtyard. Leng Ruo Li then turned and went to Yuhua Courtyard.
As soon as she stepped into Yuhua Courtyard, she heard the conversation between Madam Liu and her daughter.
"Mother, Shuang'er sold that lowly maid Ling'er to a brothel yesterday. She only got fifty taels of silver," Leng Ruo Shuang said, pouting unhappily.
Concubine Liu chuckled. As she spoke, she accidentally pulled at the wound on her face. "Oh! It hurts!"
It had been several days, and Madam Liu's wounds had not yet fully healed, making her laughter quite comical.
Seeing that Madam Liu had aggravated her facial wound again, Leng Ruo Shuang anxiously asked, "Mother, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Madam Liu waved her hand.
A few days ago, she had been drugged and suffered from a rash all over her body, enduring three days of torment. This slight pain was nothing compared to the suffering she had endured previously.
"Shuang'er, selling that lowly maid Ling'er for fifty taels of silver is already quite profitable," Madam Liu said with a wry smile.
"Mother, am I hearing you right? Such a lively maid is only worth fifty taels, and you call that profitable? It's not even enough for me to buy a hairpin," Leng Ruo Shuang complained to Madam Liu unhappily.
"Then do you know how much I spent to buy Ling'er back into the manor?"
Leng Ruo Shuang shook her head at Madam Liu and asked, "How much?"
Madam Liu held up two fingers, gesturing for Leng Ruo Li to guess.
Leng Ruo Shuang: "Twenty taels of silver?"
Madam Liu: "Incorrect."
Then, Leng Ruo Shuang looked at Madam Liu with a look of astonishment and said, "Mother, it couldn't be... two taels of silver, could it?"
Madam Liu smiled and nodded. "Yes, I bought that Ling'er half a year ago by the roadside for two taels of silver."
"Mother, really? Then I really made a profit."
"Hahaha…"
Leng Ruo Shuang burst into happy laughter.
Every word of the conversation between Madam Liu and her daughter reached Leng Ruo Li's ears.
At this moment, the steward of the kitchen, Granny Qin, was directing several maids to bring breakfast to Madam Liu and her daughter.
"Be careful, everyone, be careful…"
Granny Qin moved her plump body with panting breaths. Leng Ruo Li could hear her shrill, duck-like voice from afar, constantly yelling at a group of maids.
Leng Ruo Li's apricot eyes slightly narrowed. She disliked Granny Qin immensely. Not only was she a sycophant who abused her power, but she was also cruel and enjoyed bullying the weak.
Leng Ruo Li looked up at Granny Qin and the maids as they marched towards Yuhua Courtyard.
Granny Qin saw Leng Ruo Li but did not greet her. Instead, she walked straight past Leng Ruo Li. Granny Qin even used her stout body to deliberately collide with Leng Ruo Li's arm.
The pain made Leng Ruo Li gasp.
Her eyes were filled with anger. This Granny Qin was getting too presumptuous again, her skin was getting too thick. If she didn't teach her a memorable lesson, she would forget how Leng Ruo Li had beaten her up not long ago.
At this moment, Granny Qin was solicitously serving food to Madam Liu and her daughter.
"Concubine, this is old duck soup that this old servant slow-cooked for three hours. This old servant will serve a bowl to the concubine and the Second Miss to taste."
Granny Qin first took a clean bowl, filled it to the brim for Madam Liu, and placed it in front of her. Then, she turned and served another bowl to Leng Ruo Shuang.
When Leng Ruo Li had just walked in, she saw this scene. Heh, these mother and daughter really knew how to enjoy themselves. They had over a dozen kinds of dim sum for breakfast.
Last time, she went to Madam Liu for money and after a lot of fuss, she grudgingly gave her one tael of silver, and specifically told her that the manor was short of funds and she should spend sparingly.
Damn it! What a joke!
The cost of this breakfast for the mother and daughter was surely more than one tael of silver.
This mother and daughter were truly extravagant!
Yet, the original owner was the rightful mistress of this manor. During her lifetime, she either ate leftovers from the servants or food that had gone sour. Leng Ruo Li still didn't understand how the original owner had survived.
This situation continued until she transmigrated. After she had dealt with Granny Qin, the manager of the kitchen, and those overbearing chefs and servants a few times, their attitude towards her had improved, and they dared not openly oppose her.
However, Leng Ruo Li was too lazy to bother with such petty people. She had set up a small kitchen in Qingfeng Courtyard and asked Xing'er to fetch ingredients from the kitchen to cook for herself every day.
If she hadn't come to settle accounts with this mother and daughter this morning, she wouldn't have known that they lived such a luxurious life.
Did they know that the good life they were enjoying was earned by the original owner's father, Leng Jin Yu, fighting to the death on the battlefield? Madam Liu's family had long since declined, so it definitely wasn't her family that was supporting them.
Looking at the breakfast table, Leng Ruo Li felt a pang of sadness for the original owner. Then, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she said coldly to Madam Liu and her daughter, "Concubine Liu and Second Sister, you are living quite a good life!"
"A few days ago, Concubine Liu told me that the manor was short of funds. The breakfast you have today, converted into silver, is at least more than one tael, isn't it? For an ordinary family, this one tael of silver could feed them for several months."
As she spoke, Leng Ruo Li slowly walked to the round table where the two were dining. She suddenly grabbed the edge of the table with her slender hands, bent over, and directly flipped the table over. With a "crash," all the food on the table fell to the ground. The pot of delicious old duck soup splashed directly onto the mother and daughter's thighs, scalding them, and they cried out in pain.
"Leng Ruo Li, you damn bitch, what do you want?" Leng Ruo Shuang roared at her with fierce eyes. This concubine sister was indeed beautiful, but she was simply impatient and lacked brains.
At this moment, Madam Liu was also trembling with anger, a trace of sinister intent flashing in her eyes. No longer pretending to be a virtuous wife and loving mother, she gritted her teeth and said, "You little slut, how dare you flip my Liu Ruoyi's table? You're asking for death!"
"Guards, drag this little slut out and beat her to death with sticks."
As soon as Madam Liu finished speaking, Lin, the bodyguard, this dog, rushed in with several servants, holding a long wooden stick, and surrounded Leng Ruo Li.
"Hmph!"
Leng Ruo Li sneered at them. It seemed that after being poisoned with her itching powder last time, Madam Liu had increased the security of her courtyard.
"Little slut, I already know you're not foolish anymore. But no one can save you today," Madam Liu said coldly. Nothing that happened in this manor could escape her notice.
"Attack! The Eldest Miss secretly met with a man last night and did not return, which is considered unchaste and impure. Tie her up and immerse her in a pig cage!" Madam Liu roared again.
"Who dares?" Leng Ruo Li shouted loudly, her cold eyes sweeping across the people in the room like invisible cold blades, sending a chill down their spines.
However, several servants, unafraid of death, rushed towards her with wooden sticks.
In full view of everyone, Leng Ruo Li took out several silver needles from her wide "sleeves." As fast as lightning, Leng Ruo Li gently flicked her hand, and the silver needles flew out from her fingertips, piercing into the legs of several servants. The force was immense, the speed extremely fast, directly penetrating the flesh.
The people in the room were stunned on the spot.
They were ordinary silver needles, used for acupuncture, but in Leng Ruo Li's hands, they became deadly weapons.
"Ah—"
Immediately, a group of servants clutched the spots where the silver needles had penetrated, groaning in pain, stumbling, and rolling on the ground.
Everyone in the room was terrified by Leng Ruo Li's actions.
No one could believe that this woman was the Eldest Miss they had always oppressed.
But while they were stunned, Leng Ruo Li flashed in front of Leng Ruo Shuang, grabbed her by the neck, and asked, "Where is Ling'er?"
Leng Ruo Shuang looked at her with a face full of terror, her body trembling involuntarily as she replied, "At... at Yichun Tower."