TPGA - 62

Chapter 62: Miscalculation

Jiang Caiping thought Yunyi was avoiding trouble and urgently said, “Sister, Feng Chunxiu is deliberately targeting us. No matter how much you tolerate her, it won’t bring peace. On the contrary, she will only become more aggressive, gradually eroding our positions until we have no place left to stand.”

Yunyi sat beside her with a cup of tea and said, “I understand what you mean. Similarly, do you think that what we see, Nanny Yang doesn’t see?”

Jiang Caiping was taken aback by her question and was pondering how to respond when Yunyi continued, “Nanny Yang not only sees it but sees it very clearly. So whether we speak up or not makes no difference.”

Jiang Caiping bit her lip and said, “If that’s the case, Nanny Yang should manage her properly instead of just lightly reprimanding Feng Chunxiu whenever she knows she’s wrong.”

Yunyi smiled faintly, “As long as the conflicts between dancers don’t escalate, it’s nothing serious for Nanny Yang. Naturally, she doesn’t want to meddle too much. Feng Chunxiu precisely counted on this to be so arrogant.”

Jiang Caiping tightly furrowed her delicate eyebrows and asked, “Then according to Sister, aren’t we powerless to do anything?”

“Although Feng Chunxiu accurately predicted Nanny Yang’s attitude, she forgot one thing…” Yunyi gazed at the calm tea surface and indifferently said, “Everyone has a tolerance level, including Nanny Yang. When Feng Chunxiu repeatedly ignores her warnings and stirs up trouble in the music hall, disturbing everyone’s peace, what do you think… Nanny Yang will do?”

Her words made Jiang Caiping’s eyes light up with joy, and she quickly answered, “Nanny Yang will surely punish her severely so she won’t dare to act arrogantly anymore!”

Yunyi sipped the slightly bitter tea and asked, “What if punishing Feng Chunxiu once isn’t enough? Will she behave afterward and stop causing trouble for us?”

Jiang Caiping hesitated without replying. Based on her understanding of Feng Chunxiu, Nanny Yang’s scolding might make her restrain herself, but it wouldn’t change her nature. At most, she’d behave for a while before reverting to her old ways. As for revoking Chunxiu’s position as the lead dancer or expelling her from the mansion, Nanny Yang didn’t have the authority.

Yunyi saw through her thoughts and said, “Nanny Yang understands this as well, so… she won’t take such actions.”

Jiang Caiping, thoroughly confused, asked, “Then… then what will she do? Sister, you’ve completely baffled me.”

Yunyi smiled without answering and simply asked, “Caiping, who do you think truly controls our fate in this governor’s mansion?”

Jiang Caiping tilted her head in thought for a moment and replied, “This… it should be Chief Lin.” Before Yunyi could respond, she quickly shook her head and corrected herself, “No, no. Although Chief Lin holds some power, he’s ultimately a servant, just like Nanny Yang. Therefore, it should be… the Second Madam!”

Yunyi nodded, “Exactly. The person with the most power is naturally the governor. However, he doesn’t interfere in household matters, and he’s currently recovering from injuries. Thus, the person who truly manages all affairs and holds our fates is the Second Madam. From what I’ve gathered, Nanny Yang used to serve the Second Madam.”

Jiang Caiping thoughtfully said, “So, Sister means… Nanny Yang will report this matter to the Second Madam and ask her to revoke Chunxiu’s position as the lead dancer, or even… expel her from the mansion.”

Yunyi leisurely flicked her sleeve and coolly remarked, “Precisely. Now, we’ll just have to see how long Nanny Yang can tolerate her.”

Jiang Caiping happily exclaimed, “If things really turn out as Sister says, that would be wonderful! Best if she’s sent away from Honghua County, so we never have to see her face again.”

Looking at her expressive face that couldn’t hide her emotions, Yunyi chuckled and shook her head. “You really jump from one idea to the next. Expelling her from Honghua County, indeed.”

After a bout of laughter, Yunyi cautioned, “This is just my speculation, and it remains to be seen if it’s accurate. Don’t go blabbing about it everywhere. If you upset Nanny Yang, we’ll both be in trouble.”

“I understand. Do you really think I’m that reckless?” With that, she linked arms with Yunyi and laughed, “Sister is really sharp, able to guess even Nanny Yang’s thoughts. Unlike me, I can’t see anything.”

Yunyi pinched her round chin and teased, “Yes, all you think about is eating. That bowl of red date soup Li Niang gave yesterday—you ate it all by yourself. Be careful you don’t get so fat you can’t fit into your clothes.”

Jiang Caiping wrinkled her small nose and said, “Not possible. I’m slim and won’t gain weight no matter how much I eat.” Then, patting her stomach, she added, “Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry. I’ll go find Li Niang to see if there’s anything good to eat and bring some back for you too.”

Watching Jiang Caiping bounce away, Yunyi slowly wiped the smile off her face, stood up, and walked out until she reached a house. She stopped and knocked on the door. Soon, someone answered—it was Nanny Yang, who was surprised to see Yunyi. “Meixue, why have you come?”

Yunyi softly said, “I… have something to say to you, Nanny. Is it convenient?”

Nanny Yang looked at her and stepped aside. “Come in.”

“Thank you, Nanny.” After closing the door, she curtsied deeply to Nanny Yang, which astonished the latter. She quickly moved to help her up. “What are you doing? Get up.”

Yunyi shook her head and refused to rise. “I’ve come specifically to apologize to you, Nanny.”

“Apologize? What for?” Under Nanny Yang’s puzzled gaze, Yunyi murmured, “I know that these days, because of the conflict between Chunxiu and me, I’ve caused you a lot of trouble and made things difficult for you. I didn’t want it to be like this, but I really don’t know how to resolve Chunxiu’s prejudice against me. So, I can only come here to ask for your understanding.”

Upon hearing this, Nanny Yang sighed and pulled her up. “I thought what it was, turns out it’s this matter. All those troubles were stirred up by Chunxiu. The fault isn’t yours. You’ve been very forbearing towards her, which is commendable. There’s no need for you to apologize. If anyone should apologize, it’s her.” When mentioning Chunxiu, Nanny Yang’s tone carried an obvious trace of anger, indicating her patience with Chunxiu had reached its limit.

Yunyi guiltily said, “If I hadn’t offended Chunxiu before, none of this would have happened.” Pausing, she continued, “Reflecting on it, ever since I entered the music hall, I’ve caused you no end of trouble, especially regarding the incident with Shen Yunyi. Luckily, it didn’t implicate you; otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Nanny Yang said affectionately, “Others are always quick to push problems away, but you take everything upon yourself. If only Chunxiu were half as sensible as you, there wouldn’t be so many issues.”