Ling Mohan was naturally cold, but he had never experienced such a strong dislike for anyone before, especially since this person was his aunt. This made Feng Jin even more suspicious.
She desperately wanted to know the twists and turns, if there were any hidden reasons she was unaware of.
"She is not easy to get along with. You should stay away from her."
Ling Mohan didn't offer further explanation, only asking Feng Jin to keep her distance from Ling Changyi. He would arrange the rest himself.
Seeing that he didn't want to elaborate, Feng Jin wisely closed her mouth and didn't ask further questions.
After this topic ended, silence fell between them. They both tacitly understood not to pry any deeper. After a long while, Ling Mohan found an excuse to leave.
...
Ling Changyi looked at the dilapidated courtyard and felt a wave of sadness. Since her marriage, no one in the Ling family had remembered this courtyard. In such a remote location, even the servants would be unwilling to linger. Who would bother to clean it? It was simply a case of fortunes changing and people drifting apart.
"Madam, this place is too run-down, and inside it’s overgrown with weeds. We should have someone clean it up first, and then you can go inside."
Huichun, who was following Ling Changyi, couldn't help but feel disgusted by the courtyard and didn't even want to look inside.
"Nonsense! I lived in this courtyard for several years and never found it distasteful. When did it become your place to criticize it!"
"Madam, please forgive me. Your servant spoke out of turn..."
Ling Changyi didn't bother arguing with her, pushed open the door, and stepped inside. The furnishings were as they had always been, not moved at all, only covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating that no one had entered this courtyard for a very long time.
The offerings placed on the altar had long since rotted and dried out, and the spirit tablets placed upon them were buried in dust, making it impossible to discern the characters written on them.
Carefully, she picked up a spirit tablet and brushed away the dust with her sleeve, revealing the writing.
"Mother, I'm back. Your daughter is back."
A sharp pang of sorrow hit Ling Changyi, and tear tracks appeared on her well-maintained face.
She placed the spirit tablet back on the altar and knelt on the prayer mat, kowtowing three times.
"Madam, these incense sticks are all damp and unusable."
After searching the room for a long time, Huichun found some incense sticks, but they were all moldy and damp, not a single one usable.
"Bring them here for me to see."
Huichun brought the incense sticks she found to Ling Changyi. "Madam, look, they are all damp and moldy. They can't be lit at all."
Ling Changyi recognized them at a glance. These incense sticks were made before she got married and placed in this room. The quantity was exactly as she remembered.
This meant that from the time she got married until now, not a single person had entered this courtyard to offer a stick of incense to her mother.
Thinking of this, Ling Changyi's heart filled with resentment. The Ling family had never truly considered her and her mother, otherwise, why would no one have tended to this courtyard for twenty years since her marriage? Why would there be no incense at her mother's spirit tablet?
During the twenty years of her marriage, she had requested to return home for a visit, but her father had always refused with various excuses. For a full twenty years, she had not set foot in the capital again. In those twenty years, her father had never written her a single letter.
It was as if she had never been his daughter at all. Ling Changyi's heart filled with a profound sadness, which was then replaced by an overwhelming surge of anger.
"Madam, let's leave. The dust in this place is too much to stay in."
Huichun, having only been in the room for a short while, felt suffocated and coughed lightly, urging Ling Changyi to leave.
"Let's go. Indeed, this place is not suitable for staying. Go find someone to clean up this courtyard."
Her father had forbidden her mother's spirit tablet to be placed in the ancestral hall, and allowing it to be in the courtyard for her to worship was already a great favor from her father. No matter how angry she was, she dared not voice any objections and could only swallow it herself.
But today, since she had returned, as a daughter, she could not bear to see her mother's spirit tablet placed in such a state. Even if her father blamed her, she would still clean up this courtyard.
"Yes, Madam. Your servant will go find someone now."
...
"Old Master, the eldest daughter has gone to pay respects and has ordered the servants to tidy up the courtyard."
The housekeeper relayed everything he knew to Old Master Ling.
Old Master Ling leaned back leisurely in his lounge chair, playing with a jade ruyi in his hand. He absorbed everything the housekeeper reported but did not open his half-closed eyes.
"Alright... continue to have people watch her. Every move must be reported. Also, send a few more maids to serve her."
"Your old servant understands."
After the housekeeper acknowledged, he bowed and retreated, bringing several trusted maids to serve Ling Changyi.
"Your old servant greets the eldest daughter."
"Uncle Wu, you are old and watched me grow up. I truly cannot accept your bow. Please rise quickly."
Ling Changyi hastily stood up and helped him up, displaying the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family.
"Your old servant thanks the eldest daughter for her consideration. These maids are all capable individuals. Old Master worried that the eldest daughter would not have enough help, so he sent me to select some good ones to serve the eldest daughter."
Ling Changyi's gaze swept over the four maids standing behind the housekeeper, and she immediately understood what was happening.
She hadn't expected that after twenty years, her father still didn't trust her. Even for a few days of her stay at her maiden home, he couldn't rest assured and sent maids to spy on her.
"That is certainly good. I was just worried about not having enough staff. This small amount of money should be considered as a treat for Uncle Wu. I must trouble Uncle Wu to put in a good word for me with Father."
Over the years, Ling Changyi had become very adept at being smooth and diplomatic. Even though she knew everything, she pretended to be completely oblivious.
The housekeeper weighed the money pouch in his hand, estimating the amount of silver within. With a smile, he accepted it. "Your old servant is merely unable to decline. Thank you for the eldest daughter's kindness."
After pretending to scold the maids a few words, the housekeeper left with the money.
"You all wait in the outer courtyard for now. I will call you if I need anything."
Ling Changyi waved her hand and casually found an excuse to get rid of these four spies.
"Your servant Juqing greets the eldest daughter. We four were ordered by Old Master to personally serve the eldest daughter. However, if the eldest daughter sends us four to the outer courtyard, and Old Master blames us, we will not be able to explain ourselves. We implore the eldest daughter to keep us four by your side to serve you."
"Are you deaf? Our Madam said she does not need your service. Hurry up and leave. Are you disobeying your mistress now, attempting to oppress her!"