Crossing Over to Yamada Love

Upon hearing Mo Lan's words, the Crown Princess's eyes widened immediately, and she asked, "What did you say?"

Looking at the shy and bashful Mo Lan, her heart pounded. Could it be that this girl had taken a fancy to Da'er? This would not do! Da'er was the apple of her eye. He was the pillar of the Marquis's mansion, the future heir apparent, the Marquis. How could she let him marry a country girl!

"Lan'er, you mustn't be rude. How can you speak so carelessly in front of the Marquis, the Madam, and the Heir Apparent's wife? A woman's reputation is of utmost importance. If this gets out, how will you face anyone?" Madam Wang scolded her granddaughter with a stern face. She knew her granddaughter was deliberately trying to anger the Heir Apparent's wife. So although she was scolding her, a smile appeared in her eyes.

"Yes. Lanlan was wrong. Lanlan apologizes and hopes that the Crown Princess will forgive her." After hearing her grandmother's scolding, Molan stepped forward and apologized to the Crown Princess, Madam Huang, feeling wronged.

The Crown Princess snorted, raised her head, and ignored Mo Lan. Mo Lan took a few steps back and stood beside Madam Wang, no longer looking up, lowering her eyes as if she couldn't see others scrutinizing her.

The old Marquis looked at Mo Lan with a smile in his eyes, thinking to himself: This girl is really good at pretending. She has no interest in Mingda at all, but with her actions and words, everyone in the manor thinks she has feelings for Mingda and will be wary of her, preventing her from appearing in public and meeting people. This is probably the girl's purpose—to avoid too much involvement with the people in the manor.

Wang Mingda glanced at his mother and shook his head helplessly. Although his mother was the Crown Prince's consort, a third-rank lady, she didn't come from a high social class. She was from the harsh and cold land of Dandong, and his grandmother arranged for his father to marry her. She hadn't received a good education or experienced the cruel struggles of a large family. His mother wasn't a very scheming person. After becoming the Crown Prince's consort, she felt even more respected, expecting everyone to defer to her and looking down on everyone else. How could someone like her possibly win against Mo Lan?

While everyone in the hall was lost in their own thoughts, a maid came to report that a meal had been prepared in the flower hall. She asked if they should take their seats now.

The old Marquis ordered the banquet to be served. Since it was a family feast, the men did not go to the outer courtyard, but instead used a screen to separate the two rooms, with the men sitting in the outer room and the women in the inner room.

The Xue brothers were also invited. The old Marquis had them sit next to him to show his high regard and affection for them.

On the women's side, Lady Hou sat in the head seat, with the Second Lady sitting next to her, and the Heir Apparent's wife next to the Second Madam. Lady Hou's right-hand seat was Lady Wang. The other grandmothers and people from the Hou family were also allowed to sit, and they were not asked to follow any rules or serve her meals.

At Mo Lan's table were the second young mistress, Madam Pei, and several other young ladies. The third and sixth young ladies, maintaining their airs, barely spoke to Mo Lan, while the others watched their expressions, only occasionally exchanging a few words with her. Madam Pei, however, was very hospitable, constantly serving Mo Lan food and urging her to eat. Mo Lan returned her a friendly smile.

Mo Lan didn't care about the other young ladies' attitudes. She was only a guest at the Marquis's residence for a few days; she didn't belong here. Why should she care how others treated her? As long as they didn't make things difficult for her, she was secretly pleased.

Mo Lan ate while admiring the girls; each one had her own unique beauty, like plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, each with her own charm. Some dressed flamboyantly, others elegantly; some appeared haughty, others gentle—each was different.

Mo Lan was naturally beautiful, but compared to these young ladies, she wasn't particularly outstanding. Moreover, Mo Lan's attire was quite different from theirs. Therefore, she didn't stand out among them and appeared rather shabby.

During this time, Mo Lan noticed several young ladies casually glancing at the men through the screen. They were looking at the Xue brothers, but she couldn't tell whether they were looking at Xue Lingfeng or Xue Lingyun. Could it be that they actually had their eyes on the two Xue brothers?

After the meal, the Marquis led the men to the flower hall in the front courtyard for tea. The Marquis's wife led Lady Wang and the others to the flower hall in the inner courtyard. Everyone sat down to drink tea and chat.

After talking for a while, Madam Hou noticed that Wang was feeling a bit weak, so she instructed Fourth Madam Jiang to take Wang to see the courtyard that had been arranged for them. She told Wang to rest well and that someone would be sent to invite her over for dinner later.

Madam Wang rose, bowed, and took her leave. Mo Lan also bowed. She noticed the time when the Marquis's wife instructed the Fourth Madam. The Heir Apparent's wife slightly pursed her lips. Could it be that the person in charge of the Marquis's mansion, assisting the Marquis's wife, is not the Heir Apparent's wife, but the Fourth Madam? Mo Lan pondered to herself.

Mo Lan followed Madam Wang and Fourth Grandmother through the winding corridor. Mo Lan saw exotic flowers and plants on both sides of the corridor, which smelled wonderful. At the end of the corridor was a hanging flower gate, guarded by two servants who looked about twelve or thirteen years old. Further inside was a spacious and quiet courtyard.

Mo Lan smiled; the place had a secluded, tranquil atmosphere. She felt comfortable and happy. She liked peace and quiet, so she was very satisfied with the environment here.

Upon arriving at the courtyard entrance, Mo Lan looked around. Above the entrance were two elegant characters that Mo Lan recognized: "Lan Courtyard".

Upon seeing the name, Mo Lan smiled. This courtyard was clearly prepared especially for her grandmother. The Lady of the Marquis certainly put in a good thought.

As Mo Lan entered the courtyard, before she could even look around, she saw a group of people waiting at the entrance kneel down. They said in unison, "Greetings to the old lady. The old lady has had a long journey."

Mo Lan looked around and saw two head maids, four junior maids, and four rough maids. There were also six old women, two of whom were well-dressed.

When Wang called her to get up, Fourth Grandmother smiled and introduced the well-dressed old woman who was leading the way: "Aunt, this is the head housekeeper of this courtyard. We all call her Mama Yu."

Upon hearing Fourth Madam's introduction, Granny Yu hurriedly came over, bowed, and said with a smile, "Greetings, Grandma Yu. Fourth Madam, you flatter me too much. You can just call me Granny Yu. Fourth Madam, you flatter me too much. I am not worthy of being called 'Mama'."

Mo Lan glanced at her; she was well-dressed, had a fair complexion, and a beaming smile. She seemed to be favored, though the smile didn't appear entirely genuine.

Madam Wang nodded. Mo Lan smiled and greeted her, "Hello, Madam Yu."

"Miss Lan, you flatter this old servant. This old servant greets Miss Lan. Miss Lan has grown into a truly beautiful young woman." Granny Yu hurriedly greeted Mo Lan and said a polite word.

Madam Wang gave Mo Lan some loose change before entering the courtyard to meet the servants—an essential custom. After all, she needed their service for a while, and she couldn't let them do it for free.

Granny Yu thanked her for the reward and stood to the side with a smile on her face.

Fourth Aunt Jiang then introduced the two head maids: "Grandma, please meet these two head maids. They will be serving you from now on. The one in red is Qiu Hong, and the one in blue is Qiu Lan."

Just as Madam Jiang finished speaking, she suddenly exclaimed, "Qiu Lan, your name is taboo! From now on, you shall be renamed Qiu Zi. I will inform the household." Even though the Second Madam had changed Qiu Lan's name, using the same pronunciation but different characters, it still wouldn't do.

After changing the name, Madam Jiang thought to herself: Qiu Lan was a maidservant from Second Aunt's household. This time, Second Aunt sent a second-class maidservant to be the head maidservant of this courtyard, which already occupies a head maidservant's position. Who knew that the maidservant she sent would have a name that was taboo? Really. If it were my mother-in-law, she wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. Only Second Aunt doesn't care about these things.

Qiu Lan, now known as Qiu Zi, nodded in agreement to her new name and bowed to Madam Wang and Mo Lan. However, a glint of resentment flashed in her eyes. Her name was bestowed by the Second Madam, and she loved wearing blue. Why was it that when a poor relative came today, she not only had to serve her but also had to change her name? Her heart was filled with resentment.

As for the maids and servants behind them, Fourth Madam Jiang briefly explained that they would be taking care of Wang Shi and Mo Lan's daily needs from now on. She wanted to introduce them to everyone.

After everyone had met, Qiu Hong, being the head maid, stepped forward to help Wang Shi up, and the others looked around the courtyard.

Mo Lan looked up and saw that the courtyard was well-arranged, sunny, and full of exotic flowers and plants, making it a beautiful place. It seemed that a lot of effort had been put into renovating the courtyard. What was even more remarkable was that there were many orchids in the flowerbeds, of many varieties, all very well cared for and growing vigorously. There were many of the Mo Lan orchids that she had never seen before.

Wang stopped in front of the orchid nursery, looking at the various orchid seedlings, and her eyes filled with tears again.

"Aunt, please don't be offended. Time was a bit rushed, so the courtyard was only simply repaired. Father and Mother said that Aunt likes orchids, so these were planted by people sent by Father and Uncle. We hope Aunt likes them," Fourth Grandmother said to Wang Shi from the side.

"Excellent, I like it very much. Thank you for your trouble, brother and sister-in-law, and for making you work so hard too." Looking at the orchids, Wang wiped away her tears, feeling a warmth in her heart. Her brother and sister-in-law remembered her love for orchids. Whether the orchids were valuable or not, this sentiment was precious. Moreover, these orchids weren't from a single year; with so many, they had clearly been cultivated for many years. Her brother and sister-in-law had always thought of her. She appreciated their kindness.

"These are nothing. As long as Aunt is comfortable, that's all that matters. There are also two pots of Phalaenopsis orchids in the house. Those are tributes, bestowed by the Emperor. Father has always treasured them and wouldn't let anyone touch them, but the day before yesterday, he had them moved in. Father's thoughtfulness towards Aunt is something we younger generations should learn from." After saying this, Second Grandmother helped Wang Shi into the house to see.

Upon hearing this, Wang was deeply moved, and tears welled up in her eyes again. She said, "My brother treats me so well."

Upon entering the room, Mo Lan glanced at the furnishings and frowned slightly. Although she wasn't an expert, she understood that the furnishings were not merely exquisite; they were luxurious. The display shelves were filled with various ornaments. Mo Lan looked closer and saw that each item was a fine piece, probably worth a considerable sum of money.

Mo Lan simply thought they were nice, but she didn't understand the value of these ancient items. Wang Shi, however, did understand. As she touched each item, Mo Lan saw the light in her eyes and realized she hadn't misjudged them; the items were indeed valuable.

Seeing Wang Shi weeping over the two pots of orchids on the table in front of her, Mo Lan felt uneasy. Even if the Marquis had deep feelings for her grandmother, the Marquis's wife could not possibly have such feelings for her.