"But I only saw you once at the banquet. It's quite something that Lord Qin still remembers me," Ye Ningyuan said with a light smile, appearing very approachable.
"May I ask where Lord Qin is rushing off to?"
Qin Shu cupped his hands in a bow. "Your Highness, this minister has some urgent family matters to attend to."
"I see," Ye Ningyuan's eyes flickered. She picked up a fruit and offered it to him. "Lord Qin, you have good taste. Thank you for helping me just now, please take this as a token of my gratitude."
Qin Shu thought to himself that this lady was easy to get along with and quickly waved his hands. "How could I possibly accept something from a Princess? I dare not, I dare not."
Ye Ningyuan insisted on pressing the fruit into his hand. "It's alright, it was a gift from a friend anyway. I originally told Su Yinyin that she didn't need to give so many, but their hospitality was overwhelming."
"Since that is the case, then this minister thanks you." Qin Shu accepted the fruit and paused abruptly. "Princess, you mentioned your friend's surname?"
"Su Yinyin, she's the child of General Su's second brother." Ye Ningyuan casually picked up another fruit, wiped it on her sleeve, and took a bite.
As if making small talk, she added, "Her second brother wants to get married. He just consulted me about which young lady in the capital might be suitable, asking me to recommend one or two."
Qin Shu's heart skipped a beat. "Is it her biological second brother?"
Excellent! He was just worrying about how to resolve this matter after offending the General's Mansion. If he could form a marital alliance with the Su family, then this hurdle would be overcome!
"Yes, I heard that the second madam has also been busy arranging things recently and has already met several young ladies."
Qin Shu's heart leaped again, and he became somewhat flustered. He cupped his hands in a bow. "Thank you, Princess, for the information. This minister will take his leave as I have matters to attend to."
This kind of matter could not wait; it was the only opportunity to mend relations with the General's Mansion!
"Lord Qin, please be at ease." Ye Ningyuan stepped aside, clearing the path.
She watched Qin Shu's retreating figure, casually tossed the fruit in her hand behind her, and smirked playfully.
"Wu Ze, go tell Su Yinyin that I've helped her get off to a good start, and the rest is up to her to handle."
A figure flashed in the shadows. Wu Ze silently left the palace and entered the secondary residence of the second branch.
Upon receiving the message, Su Yinyin did not say a word to Wu Ze, only seeing him out. After seeing him off, Su Yinyin made her way to her own courtyard.
There was a slap mark on her left cheek and a bruise under the outer corner of her right eye, caused by hitting a table. Being beaten was not a new experience for her.
"Yinyin, Eldest Brother has been looking for you for a long time. Why are you here?" Su Xingfu approached from another courtyard.
Su Yinyin stopped and looked up at him.
"Oh dear, what happened to the injuries on your face? Did Xingzhe do this? How could he do such a thing? This is too much!" Su Xingfu rushed over and crouched beside her, looking at her with a pained expression.
Su Yinyin's heart remained unmoved. "Second Brother was just angry for a moment. I'm fine. What did Eldest Brother want to see me about?"
She had seen enough of these concerned looks recently. From her mother to the servants in the mansion, everyone had looked at her with such pity at first. She had tried to seek help from everyone, but it was useless. Gradually, they stopped showing pity and instead looked at her from afar with sympathetic eyes, until now, they treated it as idle gossip.
Su Xingfu: "Eldest Brother heard that you were bullied by your second brother and was worried, so he came to see you."
Su Yinyin: "Thank you, Eldest Brother." Her tone was calm, showing no sign of gratitude. In fact, Su Xingzhe had started hitting her ten days ago. No one in the mansion was unaware of this, and Eldest Brother certainly knew.
Su Xingfu's eyes flickered. He reluctantly took out a silver ingot from his embrace and placed it in her hand. "Eldest Brother heard that you've been going out frequently these past few days, meeting friends, right? Take this money and treat your friends to a meal."
"Thank you, Eldest Brother, for your concern." Su Yinyin happily accepted the silver, not refusing his 'kindness' at all.
Su Xingfu looked at her with concern. "Yinyin, can you tell me which friend you met?"
Su Yinyin's eyes darkened. "It's the Princess newly enfeoffed by His Majesty, the daughter of Prince Yunyi, Ye Ningyuan."
Su Xingfu's eyes immediately lit up. "I never imagined Yinyin would know the Princess. Eldest Brother is truly happy for you!" If that was the case, then what he had heard was true! Mother wanted to arrange a marriage and had even asked the General's wife to be the matchmaker. Perhaps the other party was the Princess. If they could indeed climb into the imperial family, it would be a fortune for generations.
Su Yinyin said calmly, "Actually, the Princess and I are just ordinary friends. It's just that Mother asked me to help inquire about Miss Qin's family, so I went to the Princess for help."
"Miss Qin? Is she the sister of the newly appointed second-rank official, Consort Qin?" Su Xingfu's heart was filled with excitement.
Su Yinyin nodded. "I heard Mother wants her to be our family's daughter-in-law. Although Mother didn't say it directly, I think she definitely wants Eldest Brother to marry Miss Qin."
Hearing this, Su Xingfu couldn't help but lift his head. Of course. Xingzhe had committed a crime and was thrown into prison, while I am learned and virtuous. Any normal person would choose me.
"Alright, we know this in our hearts. Yinyin, you must not tell your second brother." Lest he become jealous and interfere.
Su Yinyin nodded. "I understand. Eldest Brother, please don't worry."
"Such a good girl." Su Xingfu patted her shoulder and walked away whistling.
After he left, Su Yinyin turned and headed for the General's Mansion. Ziyuan stood at the mansion gate. Upon seeing Su Yinyin arrive, she stepped forward to greet her. "My mistress has been waiting for you for a long time. Please come in."
Su Yinyin was taken aback. "Su Yunmo knew I was coming?" How did she know?
Ziyuan didn't reply, merely making a gesture to invite her in. Su Yinyin took a deep breath and clenched her fist. At this point, she could not retreat. She would use everyone she could, and trample underfoot all those who bullied or looked down on her!
Su Yinyin followed her into the courtyard. Su Yunmo was lying on a hammock, basking in the sun. It was indeed fortunate that she had returned early to rest. For the next few days, Ye Jingyu would be staying in the cold palace to accompany Consort Liang, so she wouldn't have to play the zither anymore and could relax for a few days.
"Are you waiting for me?" Su Yinyin entered from outside the courtyard.
Su Yunmo yawned and sat up. "Something like that." Ying Xiao had passed the message to Ye Ningyuan. If Ye Ningyuan truly wanted to get involved in this matter, she would definitely mention to the Qin family that Dou Ying was recently arranging a marriage. After all, at the Hundred Flowers Banquet last time, she had also seen Su Xingzhe's attitude towards Qin Mingyan. It was always wise to deal with two people who courted disaster by binding them together. Moreover, one of them was currently someone Ye Jingyu detested. To prevent the Empress from continuing to force unsuitable pairings, it was best to handle it early.
Su Yinyin frowned, unable to comprehend. "How could you possibly know?" The Qin family's desire to ally with her family must have been a sudden whim. Su Yunmo couldn't possibly be a fortune teller, could she?
Su Yunmo raised an eyebrow. "Are you here to discuss matters, or to ask questions?"