Chapter 182.2
Yao shi took a sip of the tea before asking Old Madame Gu, "Mother asked me to come over, is there something I can help mother with?"
Old Madame Gu looked at Concubine Ling.
Concubine Ling smiled and spoke, "Actually, it is I who want to see Madame. There is something I want to request Madame’s help with."
Yao shi gave her a suspicious look, "What is it?"
Concubine Ling pinched the handkerchief in her hand, covered her mouth and nose and coughed a few times.
She spoke, gasping for breath, "Isn’t it currently the first month? The day after tomorrow is the death anniversary of the First Madame. Originally, I was in charge of all this, but I caught a cold a few days ago and have yet to get better. It doesn"t matter if I"m ill, but I"m afraid I"ll ruin the First Madame’s offering ceremony."
Yao shi said, "So you want me to go instead?"
Concubine Ling coughed again a couple of times and responded, "Madame was good friends with my sister before she married into the estate. I don’t think my sister in heaven will blame me for leaving it to Madame."
Yao shi almost laughed out loud.
Didn’t Concubine Ling know very well what kind of reputation she had been carrying over the years? She feared even the First Madame herself thought that she was the one who killed her.
Asking her to do the offering ceremony for the First Madame, wasn’t she afraid that the dead First Madame would suddenly turn over her coffin?
It really made her wonder what the Old Madame was thinking that she actually agreed to this.
Concubine Ling widened her eyes in surprise and said, "Can it be that Madame is unwilling to do the offering ceremony for sister?"
Yao shi replied, "How can that be? I"m just worried that the First Madame doesn"t want to see me. Don"t the three young masters cry about their vicious stepmother whenever they visit her grave? She must be extremely resentful of me. I"m only afraid that it will be hard for her to rest in peace when I go there.”
Old Madame Gu frowned.
Concubine Ling glanced at Old Madame Gu before saying to Yao shi wryly, "Precisely because of this misunderstanding that Madame has to visit sister"s grave and explain things clearly."
She was talking as if the First Madame would really hear her.
Old Madame Gu didn"t say a word of disapproval from beginning to end. It seemed that Concubine Ling had convinced her in advance. Since that was the case, it was meaningless to insist against it.
Yao shi leaned forward slightly on the chair, bowing to Old Madame Gu, then said, "If mother has no objections, then this daughter-in-law shall do it. It"s just that it is the first time this daughter-in-law will offer sacrifice to the First Madame and there’s only one and a half days left to make preparations. This daughter-in-law is worried that there will be some oversight on my part, so may mother allow Concubine Ling to give me more advice."
Her att.i.tude was extremely humble, so much so that even Old Madame Gu felt quite uncomfortable.
Furthermore, this daughter-in-law was also right. There were only less than two days left to prepare.
Old Madame Gu couldn"t help looking at Concubine Ling, "You haven"t been ill for a day or two, so why did you speak about this only now? Also, shouldn"t you have prepared for two possible alternatives in advance!"
Concubine Ling didn’t expect Yao shi’s humble statements to skillfully make Old Madame Gu unhappy with her.
Now, if something really went wrong, it would be impossible for Yao shi to take the blame alone.
But fortunately.
She agreed.
Concubine Ling picked up the teacup, lowered her eyes and gently took a sip of tea, "Madame, why don"t you come to my room and I"ll tell you about the ceremony in detail."
Yao shi stood up.
Grannie Fang whispered, "Madame, are you really going?"
Yao shi whispered back, "She invited me under the Old Madame’s nose. If something actually happened, it would all be her responsibility."
Grannie Fang thought she was right too.
Yao shi went to Concubine Ling"s place.
Old Madame Gu was not at ease in the end. She was worried that Concubine Ling might have been muddled by her sickness after all and wasn’t completely clear about her words, so she had her confidant wet nurse follow her.
Old Madame Gu only hated Yao shi. She always tried to find ways to suppress Yao shi, but she really never thought of harming Yao shi’s life. So with her confidant wet nurse in charge, Yao shi wasn’t worried about Concubine Ling doing any tricks.
However, Yao shi was still cautious. She didn’t believe Concubine Ling would be so generous.
Concubine Ling took out a box and said, "Here"s the key to the storeroom. I"ve put all the offerings in there. I"ve also prepared the carriage and manpower. Madame just needs to go there early the next morning."
"Do the three of them agree to this?" Yao shi was referring to the three young masters of the Gu Family.
Concubine Ling smiled and nodded, "They did. I have already discussed it with them."
That was even stranger.
Those three people had always believed that she killed their mother, that was why they wanted her dead as well.
How could they allow her to offer sacrifices to their mother?
At night, she asked Grannie Fang to have someone check everything Concubine Ling handed her. The offerings were not poisonous, the paper money was not tampered with, the wheels of the carriage were in good condition, and the coachman was an honest man from the estate.
There was nothing wrong with everything.
Was she just being paranoid? Would Concubine Ling really be so kind?