Quickly wear salted fish, she won by lying down

Upon hearing the old Duchess's words, Linlang clapped her hands with delight and said, "Grandmother's idea is the best. I only thought of selling it at a pawnshop, but that would be much more troublesome."

That's not actually the case, but that doesn't stop Linlang from saying it, providing emotional value to the old Duchess.

Sure enough, Linlang's starry-eyed gaze pleased the old Duchess. She realized that it was no wonder she doted on this granddaughter so much; it wasn't just because she had transferred her affections to her younger daughter, but because this granddaughter was truly lovable, just like her daughter.

She naturally liked her granddaughters too, but to be honest, they behaved very properly in front of her and didn't win her favor as much as Linlang.

There's a reason why her granddaughters behave so well in front of her and don't try to please her.

Needless to say, the eldest granddaughter knew that her mother's relationship with the old Duchess was not good because the old Duke and Duchess favored their aunt.

As the daughter of the Duchess of Cheng'en, she naturally sided with her mother, so she wasn't as close to the old Duchess.

As for the other concubine daughters, they were instructed by their own aunts not to get too close to the old lady, lest they displease her and she would not find them good marriages in the future. Naturally, they did not dare to get close to the old Duchess.

Because these granddaughters all think this way, they are quite distant from the old lady. Even if the old lady wants to love her granddaughters, she has no way to do so.

Because the original owner needed to rely on the old Duchess for her existence, she had always been very close to her. This closeness naturally made the Duchess of Chengen dislike the original owner even more. Now, Linlang, in order to get the old Duchess to take her to banquets in the future, is even closer and can provide more emotional value. So she has made the old Duchess like her even more and has secretly given her a lot of things, instructing her not to tell anyone, so as not to upset the Duchess of Chengen and her daughter.

She knew this without the old Duchess having to give any instructions. So, by appeasing the old Duchess, she not only gained economic benefits but could also find a good marriage through her in the future. Wasn't that much better than appeasing the Duchess of Chengen? Of course, the Duchess of Chengen disliked the original owner's mother, so even if she wanted to get close to the Duchess of Chengen, she couldn't.

Since the other person disliked her and couldn't get close to her, and she wasn't the type to fawn over someone who was cold-hearted, she naturally wouldn't go looking for her. Normally, apart from paying her respects, she basically ignored her. Of course, on the surface, she would say that she didn't want to bother her aunt, so that the aunt couldn't find fault with her. After all, she had done her due courtesy—paying her respects every day—so the aunt couldn't say anything to her.

After cultivating a relationship with the old Duchess, Linlang sorted through her mother's clothes, separating out some that were half-new and half-old, as well as some newer clothes that she didn't like to wear, intending to use them as rewards later.

It's normal that none of the original owner's mother's clothes were particularly old. When the original owner's mother was alive, she had money to spend, so naturally she wouldn't wear clothes that were too old. Once the clothes were worn out, she would give them to the people below her.

However, the Chengen Duke's mansion did not only have the Chengen Duke's branch of the family, but also a second branch. This was because the old Duchess had given birth to two daughters and two sons. The eldest daughter was the Empress Dowager Song in the palace, followed by the eldest son and the youngest son. The original owner's mother was the youngest.

Since the old lady was still alive and the parents were still alive, the family did not separate, so the second branch of the family naturally remained in the mansion.

The old Duke also had illegitimate sons, but since the old Duke passed away, those illegitimate sons naturally separated from the family long ago. The original owner of this body had a distant relationship with the Duchess of Cheng'en, but a relatively good relationship with her second maternal aunt, Madam Song. This made the Duchess of Cheng'en dislike the original owner even more, because the Duchess of Cheng'en also had a bad relationship with her sister-in-law, Madam Song.

The original owner of this body was practically covered in debuffs. Her mother, the Duchess of Cheng'en, disliked her, as did her close relatives, the old lady and her second aunt. But this doesn't mean the original owner did anything wrong. After all, she disliked so many people, so how could it not be her fault? After all, she didn't get along with anyone, so why should she blame others for being bad?
She disliked the original owner's mother, but that was the original owner's mother. One cannot choose one's birth. Just because she disliked the original owner's mother, she also disliked the original owner. This is naturally not the original owner's fault, right?
Furthermore, the old lady was the original owner's maternal grandmother. The original owner was close to his maternal grandmother, and it wasn't the original owner's fault that the Duchess of Cheng'en disliked her.

As for Madam Song the Second, she was the original owner's second maternal aunt. When she came to the Chengen Duke's Mansion, the Chengen Duke's wife treated her indifferently, but this second maternal aunt treated her very well, showing concern and care. One cannot hit a smiling face, so she couldn't be unkind to someone who was kind to her, right? Therefore, it wasn't wrong for the original owner to be close to Madam Song the Second.

Neither of them is wrong, but the Duchess of Chengen is growing increasingly disgusted with her, so it must be the Duchess of Chengen's fault.

The original owner of this body didn't think that way, but Linlang did. So when Madam Song the Second brought her cousin Song San Niang to visit her that day, Linlang didn't refuse and went out to play with them.

She couldn't stay cooped up in the house like the original owner; she naturally had to go out and explore, and meet more people. Otherwise, who would know that she, such a nobody, existed?

Moreover, since the original owner's parents died early, which was taboo in ancient times, she was considered one of the five types of women who should not be married. Therefore, Linlang naturally had to make more public appearances to let people know that she was healthy and not like the kind of person whose parents died young.

Madam Song the Second and Madam Song the Third were delighted to see that she was willing to go out and play. Madam Song the Third was especially pleased and said, "Why are you willing to go out today? You always refused when we asked you to go out before."

Linlang smiled and said, "I've thought it through. It's a good thing that my second aunt is willing to take me out to the banquet. I'm so grateful to her, how could I let her down?"

Actually, the original owner of this body did not disappoint Madam Song's good intentions. It's just that as an orphan living in the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion, she was afraid of the outside world and dared not come into contact with it. But Linlang was not afraid and naturally dared to.

Upon hearing Linlang's words, Madam Song patted her hand happily and said, "Good child, it's good that you understand. Come on, your second aunt will take you to the princess's residence to play."

Although Lady Song Er married the younger brother of the Duke of Chengen and would not receive a title in the future, Empress Dowager Song had arranged a sinecure for her brother when he was alive. He now holds a sinecure of the fifth rank and is not a commoner.

Then, Madam Song the Second was a member of the imperial family, a concubine's daughter of the Prince of Rongchang, with the title of Lady of the County. Therefore, the original owner's second maternal uncle, in addition to having a sinecure, also had a salary as a concubine. Moreover, because of his status as a concubine of the Lady of the County, his rank was also higher. The husbands of members of the imperial family could not take the imperial examinations, but the original owner's second maternal uncle did not take the imperial examinations. He only had a sinecure and received a salary, so he was not included in this category.

So although Master Song the Second didn't have a title, he could receive double the salary, and even if he moved out to live separately in the future, he would still be able to live a good life. This was all planned by Empress Dowager Song and the old Duchess for their youngest son.

Because Madam Song was a member of the imperial family, she had access to people within that family. Therefore, taking Linlang to the princess's residence was naturally within her power to do so. (End of Chapter)