Not Your Typical Villianess

The Duke's mansion

Just as Zhu Fengyin predicted, the next day during the routine early morning visits to her mother-in-law, Madam Lu announced that they would be attending the commander's mansions garden party.

Just like the first day of her marriage, Su Liya was woken by her maid Rong Rong at daybreak to prepare to visit her mother-in-law. She had gone to bed a little late, so she felt a little drowsy on waking. She allowed Baozhai and Rong Rong to doll her up, she was too weak to struggle. It was during days like today that she appreciated her change in station.

She had a light breakfast before leaving for Madam Lu's Courtyard at the other side of the compound. Unlike the last time she paid her respects to her mother-in-law, Lu Yaozhu didn't come with her instead she went alone.

Zhu Fengyin and Lu Yiling were seated in the living room when she arrived. She nodded to Lu Yiling and unsurprisingly got a hmph as a reply. Lu Yiling was anything if not consistent. She and Zhu Fengyin shared a smile as she sat on the seat next to Zhu Fengyin.

Lu Yiling must have taken them as an eyesore because she never even bothered looking towards them. It would have proven impossible if Madam Lu didn't join them a few minutes later. She asked what Su Liya now called the standard superficial questions before moving to the invitation from commander Yuan's mansion.

"We received an invitation from commander Yuan's mansion for their garden party tomorrow. I have spoken with Yingjie and Yaozhu, they will make time to attend the party was us. The commander is an old comrade of the past Duke, one has to remember this relationship.

"This will be your first banquet Liya, remember to behave properly. You are a representative of not just our Lu family but also your husband. Husband and wife are one, you love or die together. Don't cause us to lose face" Madam Lu said eyes focused on her second daughter-in-law.

This daughter so far has been well behaved and didn't cause her any trouble. Since she knew her place, there was no need to discipline her just yet. 

Su Liya smiled softly and nodded "Yes mother". 

"Good, if you have any questions just meet Zhu Fengyin. You two get along, don't you?" Madam Lu said. Lu Yiling snicker when she heard her mother's words but covered it up with a cough.

Su Liya felt like although Madam Lu said something, she meant something else entirely. However, she decided to ignore her and replied sweetly "yes mother". 

Madam Lu gifted everyone tea from the west before they were dismissed.

**********

The next day, Commander Yuan's mansion. 

Lu Yaozhu and Su Liya rode the same carriage to the commander's mansion. They sat silently, while the carriage rode gently to the commander's mansion. Lu Yaozhu came down first when they arrived and then helped her come down. The onlookers speculated that Su Liya was a fox and had the general caught in her spell.

Lu Yaozhu led Su Liya to the older couple by the gat to greet their host. Vice-minister Yuan and the Eldest madam were in charge of welcoming the guest. The couple welcomed each guest before them warmly but Su Liya couldn't help but notice the slight change in the eldest madam's expression as soon as she got closer.

Elders madam Yuan quickly corrected her expression but there was a slight difference in how she treated Su Liya compared to Lu Yaozhu. Many other guests were waiting after them so Su Liya and Lu Yaozhu didn't waste much time outside.

They walked forward and followed the maids to the garden, the couple separated as Lu Yaozhu was called forward by a few of the men. While Su Liya joined the women, she was new in the circle and didn't have any friends so she felt a little isolated.

Su Liya and Lu Yaozhu were delayed at the gates and lost sight of Madam Lu and Zhu Fengyin. Su Liya stood with her maids by the side, while silently searching for their party. Madam Lu and Zhu Fengyin on the other hand were called inside by old madam Yuan. 

The married madams of the noble families in the capital were a tight-knit of people, they knew each other well enough. When they noticed a new face in their means, the speculation began.

They suspected that this beautiful young madam must be the new wife of Yunzhu Marquis. However, they were yet sure of her identity and could only watch her from a distance.

Eldest Madam Yuan led Zhu Feifei in, as soon as she saw Su Liya standing by the side, she ran forward and with fake concern said "little sister Liya how come you are standing out here. I know that it hasn't been long and you may not have gotten used to everything but you have to remember that you are no longer a maid. Don't be scared to ask for help".

The women began to murmur when they heard the word 'you are no longer a maid'. These women grew up being told the importance of having noble blood in your vein. They didn't like it when improvised women dare to join their ranks. To these women, Su Liya who had no strong lineage and yet married into a powerful family like the Lu family was nothing but trash.

They didn't like her no appreciate her methods since it was similar to the underhanded methods employed by concubines. A few of the madams wished to arrange marriages between their family and the Empress family but thanks to Su Liya they couldn't realize that.

They saw Su Liya as an eyesore, a fox who got the marriage by playing dirty tricks and seducing a nobleman. The women began to look at Su Liya with an ugly expression but Zhu Feifei pretended not to notice anything. She acted role of the kind older sister and turned to eldest Madam Yuan to say

"Eldest Madam please take good care of this little sister of mine. I don't mean to insult your management of your servants but it is just that my sister is new. She isn't used to our ways, she is also quite shy and doesn't know how to talk to people. You know how it gets".

Eldest Madam Yuan was a veteran in the games of words, she quickly understood what Zhu Feifei was hinting towards "Don't bother your highness, I will take good care of the Princess".

Su Liya felt her blood run cold as she heard Eldest Madam Yuan's words. She could already guess that this "taking care of the Princess" would be disastrous to her. 

Zhu Feifei seeing that Eldest madam Yuan understood her words smiled smugly to Su Liya and holding her gaze said "I will leave this little sister of mine to you, while I go greet old madam Yuan". She walked past Su Liya and got into the pavilion to the left.

Eldest Madam Yuan didn't waste any time in attacking her, she said mockingly "I guess the rumours about the new princess is right, you are quite the beauty. I guess that must be what attracted Yunzhu Marquis to you. Men are always fickle in front of beauty, I thought the Marquis was different from other men but... He is still cut from the same cloth".

Su Liya's eyes narrowed on the plump face of eldest Madam Yuan. When she heard about Su Liya's father's principal wife, she had expected to see beautiful and majestic but the eldest Madam was surprisingly plain-looking. She had a prejudice against her, Su Liya had noticed eldest Madam Yuan giving her a bad eye since she arrive. 

Zhu Feifei was allowing eldest Madam Yuan to take out her frustration on her. Su Liya didn't know how best to handle things, she didn't want to cause scenes in public since that could negatively affect the Lu family and Lu Yaozhu.

She didn't say anything and just kept silent. The silence annoyed eldest Madam Yuan who saw it as being ignored. Meanwhile, Su Liya heard the women around her whisper the words "slut" "gold digger" "fox" and many more but pretended otherwise.

Madam Lu's instructions from yesterday played softly in her mind. She didn't which to cause a mess and just bowed to the eldest madam and walked aside. She had only walked a few steps when she heard a female voice call her name.

"Liya! Is that you" an average heighted older lady, dressed in a mauve coloured gown rush forward, all smiles.

The people around began to whisper between themselves, "what is going on?" "who is this?"

One of the madams stepped forward to ask "this is?"

The maid following the new arrival replied confidently "this is madam Xiao Nuan" 

The mention of the name Xiao Nuan made her heartbeat still. Su Liya gave Xiao Nuan a thorough look down, Xiao Nuan was very pretty, Su Liya got a few of her features such as her tanned complexion and bone structure. She never expected to run into Xiao Nuan at this place and was a little surprised.

Xiao Nuan must have been too favoured that she got stubborn and never understood her place because as soon as the women found out that this was just a small concubine, they all hissed. Eldest Madam Yuan immediately felt embarrassed, she instructed her maids "quickly, take madam Xiao Nuan away" two maids rushed to stand at either side of Xiao Nuan.

As soon as the maid's hooked hands on her arm Xiao Nuan fell to her knees and cried out

"Eldest Madam please have mercy, this little one hasn't seen her daughter in some years and just wanted to have a look"

While the guests murmured the question "daughter?" "Who is her daughter?" "Did eldest Madam Yuan send her daughter away?" "I heard that the two male sons of the vice-minister were born by a concubine is this the concubine?"

Xiao Nuan seeing that she got the women's attention took her performance up a notch. She looked at Su Liya sorrowfully and cried out once again "Liya, my dear daughter. How I missed you!'