Chapter 457 - 298 Pingyang
A few ladies glanced at each other, and since Lu Clan also realized she had misspoken, she dared not say anything more, pursing her lips and playing with the bracelet on her wrist, while the others sneakily peeked at the always silent matriarch.
Lady Du coughed lightly and said with a proper smile, "You are currently residing in our Zheng residence with only a maid and a nurse to attend to you, bustling about; if outsiders were to know, they might think that we of the Xingyang Zheng Clan can’t afford to hire help!"
Lady Du’s words were soft on the outside but tough on the inside.
Ran Yan understood what they meant; the Xiao Family traditionally preferred to marry into the Du or Lu Clans, and it was rare for them to wed a woman from the Xingyang Zheng Clan. Now that they had married Ran Yan, and given that Ran Yan needed the backing of the Xingyang Zheng Clan, they were naturally pleased. However, since Ran Yan’s surname was Ran, not Zheng, they saw this as an opportunity to knock her down a peg and have her agree to take a concubine born of a mistress from the Xingyang Zheng Clan into her marital home, which would be the best outcome.
Originally, Lady Du was quite confident about this, thinking that since Ran Yan came from a fallen clan, a mix of carrot and stick would likely leave Ran Yan with no way to refuse. But now, seeing her calm and unchanging expression, Lady Du felt uncertain.
Yet having made such a statement, she wanted to see how Ran Yan could refuse again—she didn’t believe Ran Yan would dare to reject them directly.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Lady." Ran Yan replied softly, and before the others could feel pleased, she immediately added, "However, I’ve never liked being too close to people. Ge Lan and Wan Lu have been raised by my side since childhood, like sisters to me. I live a life of leisure, with no major matters to attend to, so if Lady would be so considerate as to provide a few maids for the rough chores in the yard, I would be extremely grateful."
The expressions of the ladies varied, especially Lady Du’s, which was quite a sight to behold, while the matriarch still appeared half-asleep, as if she hadn’t heard anything.
Then Lady Du dropped an even more ruthless suggestion, cutting straight to the point, "I see that your Wan Lu has a decent appearance, but the other one, I hear is already twenty and has a disability, which is not suitable for a concubine role. You are now connected to our Xingyang Zheng Clan, and after discussing it amongst ourselves, the sisters-in-law have prepared a concubine for you. Once she enters your household, she will simply be a concubine, after all. I assume you wouldn’t refuse our kindness, would you?"