Chu Lian put on her embroidered soft shoes, decorated with autumn chrysanthemums, and brought Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan over to the parlour.

Three people were standing in the parlour. A tall, thin middle-aged senior servant was standing in the lead, while there were two maidservants dressed in light green dresses behind her.

The three of them had average looks, but the aura surrounding them was imposing enough to make any onlooker feel uncomfortable.

Chu Lian sat in the master’s seat and looked at the three people before her.

historical

“What have you come here for?” Chu Lian asked, perplexed.

Senior Servant Zhong had been eyeing Chu Lian from the corner of her eyes since Chu Lian had come in. She saw that this new young madam was dressed in a peach-coloured dress with a light pink gauze outer garment draped over her. Since she was in her own courtyard, she only wore a simple hairstyle, with a single peach blossom jade hairpin tucked into her lustrous black hair. Her tender youth still showed in her features, but in a few years, she would probably bloom into a beautiful lady.

However, what attracted her the most was not Chu Lian’s outstanding looks, but the pair of moist, bright eyes she carried. A single look seemed capable of seeing through anything, even human hearts.

With her experience, Senior Servant Zhong subconsciously thought that someone with a pair of eyes like that couldn’t possibly have a bad character.

This Third Young Madam that she was meeting now was very different from the one she had imagined.

However, upon thinking of the orders that Third Young Master had given her before he had left, Senior Servant Zhong put away her personal judgement.

She stepped forward and lowered her head slightly. Although her looks were clearly average, her aura distinguished her from the crowd.

“Third Young Madam, this old servant is Senior Servant Zhong. Together with Wenqing and Wenlan, we have been ordered by Third Young Master to serve Third Young Madam.”

Ah? Chu Lian gaped a little. To serve her? By He Changdi’s orders?

There were more than enough servants in the courtyard already. There were her four personal maidservants and Senior Servant Gui by her side, and five or six second-class and third-class maidservants around. There were also the ones who had originally been serving in Songtao Court. By sending in three more servants, they were running out of places to keep them.

Senior Servant Zhong saw that Chu Lian had nothing to say, and had only puffed up her cheeks a little while staring at her. Those bright, clear eyes were blinking at her so much that she felt uncomfortable under that gaze.

Senior Servant Zhong could only forge on. “Third Young Master instructed this old servant to correct Third Young Madam if there were any areas which needed improvement, whether in speech or conduct. Furthermore, this is a letter that Third Young Master left for Third Young Madam before leaving.”

Senior Servant Zhong watched the expression on Third Young Madam’s face as she spoke, but she still had the same expression on. Her cheeks were puffed up while her head was tilted to the side. She looked so cute that the corners of Senior Servant Zhong’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

Surely this Third Young Madam wasn’t an idiot? Any other newlywed bride would be shouting and scolding them by now.

Not only had her husband left, but he also thought so poorly of her that he had ordered his people to keep an eye on her while he was gone!

Wasn’t this a giant slap in the face?

Chu Lian’s expression hadn’t changed because she hadn’t thought of the motives behind He Changdi’s actions. She said to Senior Servant Zhong, “Pass me the letter and let me take a look.”

Xiyan stepped forward and received the letter before passing it over to Chu Lian.

Chu Lian looked at the strong and steadfast words written on the letter: ‘To my dear wife, Madam Chu’. This letter was probably the only time he had ever addressed her as ‘my dear wife’.

When she opened up the letter and pulled out the thin piece of paper within, there was only a single row of ten or more words written on it.

Her face flushed red with anger when she finished reading it.

“While I’m away killing enemies in the north, I hope my wife remembers how to act virtuously!”

The word ‘virtuously’ was even written in bright red, as if he was afraid she would miss it.