Chapter Thirty-Two: Feeling Inferior

Luo Chao narrowed his eyes, regarding his daughter with a newfound, serious scrutiny for the first time.

Logically, since the daughter he had recovered was now entered into the family genealogy, a grand welcome banquet should be held to formally announce Luo Yunqiao’s return to the ancestral fold. However, Luo Chao was naturally unwilling to do so. The expenditure of time and resources was a secondary concern; the real issue was that if this banquet were held, Zhen’er would forever be relegated to a position beneath Luo Yunqiao in the eyes of others.

Yet, now that the matter had been laid bare so blatantly—with the invitation already delivered to Xiao Muyuan—to cancel the banquet would be a humiliating slap to his own face. As Luo Chao weighed his options, Luo Yunqiao refused to grant him the luxury of contemplation, smiling as she tossed the problem right back at him.

"Father has yet to finalize the date for the welcome banquet. Since the Prince is still here, why not inform him now?"

Luo Chao was now caught in a dilemma; regardless of his reluctance, he had no other choice. Luo Yunqiao clearly saw the rolls of fat on Luo Chao’s face tremble with suppressed rage.

"The eighth of next month is an auspicious day; we shall set it for then." Luo Chao squeezed these words out through gritted teeth, his intense unwillingness apparent to anyone with eyes.

Equally unwilling was Luo Yunzhen. Where she thought no one was looking, she twisted her sleeves so fiercely she nearly shredded the fabric. Why? Why should a country bumpkin from the wilderness like Luo Yunqiao be allowed to step over her? At this point, Luo Yunzhen felt not a shred of guilt for having usurped another's identity; instead, she harbored only hostility toward Luo Yunqiao. She always believed that it was Luo Yunqiao’s arrival that had disrupted her once serene and beautiful life. She even often wondered why Luo Yunqiao, having been lost for so many years, hadn't simply died out there. Why did she have to return and compete with her?

Luo Chao then said with marked dissatisfaction, "And you, Yunqiao—to be so anxious to inform the Prince before the matter was finalized? If there are any changes later, wouldn't we just be making a laughingstock of ourselves in front of the Prince?"

Luo Yunqiao understood that this was Luo Chao’s way of biting back at her. But what did it matter? She had already secured the practical benefits she sought, and the banquet was now inevitable. Since that was the case, she saw no need to bicker with Luo Chao over mere words.

Luo Yunqiao bowed her head, appearing perfectly docile. "Father is right to reprimand me; I did not consider the matter thoroughly enough."

Her attitude felt to Luo Chao like punching a pile of cotton—soft and yielding. After a long silence, Xiao Muyuan stood up, signaling his departure. Luo Chao naturally set aside his displeasure with Luo Yunqiao to respectfully see the Prince off. Xiao Muyuan did not spare a single glance for Luo Chao, though as he passed Luo Yunqiao, he gave her a meaningful look.

He finally understood: the little thing had used him as a shield to wage her own battle against her father. Everyone present today had, in fact, been used. Take that so-called Second Miss of the Marquis’s estate; she likely thought she could catch Luo Yunqiao in a mistake, never realizing she was merely a pawn in Luo Yunqiao’s scheme. What Xiao Muyuan hadn't expected was that this Eldest Miss Luo had such audacity—daring to manipulate even him.

It was truly interesting. He wondered if this entire drama had been calculated by the Eldest Miss from the very beginning, or if she had simply improvised it on the spot. Either way, it suggested one thing: this Luo Yunqiao was no mere creature of the shallows.

Once Xiao Muyuan had departed, the rest of the Luo family saw no point in staying and left together in their carriage. Inside, Luo Chao sat in the place of honor, his face cold and silent, clearly displeased with Luo Yunqiao’s unilateral actions today.

Luo Zefeng spoke up indignantly, "I have long known you were greedy, but I never imagined your character would be so base. Your actions today were clearly intended to force Father to acknowledge you as the Eldest Miss of the Marquis’s estate."

Luo Yunqiao looked at Luo Zefeng, her tone indifferent. "And if it were? And if it were not? I am merely taking back what is rightfully mine; what wrong is there in that? As for my character being base..." Luo Yunqiao gave a light, mocking laugh. "Forgive my dullness, but I truly cannot think of which of my methods could be termed as such."

Seeing that Luo Yunqiao refused to shed tears until she saw the coffin, Luo Zefeng was even more incensed. "Did you not seduce Xiao Muyuan today just for the position of Eldest Miss? Stop playing the fool."

Luo Yunqiao stared at him with the expression one might reserve for an idiot. "Little brother, which eye did you see me seducing anyone with? You can eat whatever you like, but you cannot speak whatever you like."

Seeing that he could gain no advantage in a war of words, Luo Zefeng chose not to say more, simply crossing his arms over his chest in a hostile posture to signal his stance. "In any case, if you want to snatch the position of Eldest Miss away from Zhen’er for nothing, I will be the first to object. A village girl who knows nothing of the zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting—if you were to become the Eldest Miss, it would not only be unfair to the years of hard work Luo Yunzhen has put into her talents, but it would also be an insult to the entire Marquis’s estate!"

Luo Yunqiao found it hard not to laugh. The word "fairness," coming from Luo Zefeng’s mouth, was laughable. Through all these events, through every single incident, when had there ever been fairness for her? Yet, suddenly, he was concerned with being fair.

Luo Yunzhen’s eyes turned red, and she tugged timidly at Luo Zefeng’s sleeve. After casting a cautious glance at Luo Chao, she spoke, "Actually, it doesn't matter who is the Eldest Miss. If Sister were to take the position, and it meant our family could live in harmony from now on, then I would be willing."

One had to admit, Luo Yunzhen was well-suited for the stage. In every word, gesture, and moment of silence, she performed her forbearance, grievances, and lingering unwillingness to perfection, all while maintaining the guise of someone thinking of the greater good. It was nauseating.

Yet, Luo Chao was exactly the type to fall for it. Indeed, Luo Chao, who had been closing his eyes to rest, spoke up following Luo Zefeng’s lead.

"The position of Eldest Miss is indeed not so easily held. Zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, archery, and horsemanship—while one need not be a master of all, one must at least have some exposure to them. Otherwise, how could one serve as the mistress of a high-ranking household after marriage?"

"Zhen’er has been groomed this way since she was young..."

Before Luo Chao could finish, Luo Yunqiao interrupted. "Father is absolutely correct."

Luo Chao was displeased at being interrupted, but hearing Luo Yunqiao concede to his point, he did not flare up.

"Since you realize your own inadequacies, the welcome banquet can proceed as planned, but it will be publicly announced that the Marquis’s estate has recovered its Second Miss, not the Eldest."

As Luo Chao spoke, his expression was that of a man tossing scraps to a beggar. In his mind, since Luo Yunqiao now knew she was inferior, she should be kowtowing in gratitude for his proposal. Even if she wasn't publicly titled the Eldest Miss, she was still a daughter of the Marquis’s estate, which was, in itself, a great honor.