Gu Qianying shifted her gaze, stood up, and said, "Yes, lead the way."
The maid led her through the corridor to a courtyard named Lanxi Pavilion.
Along the way, she casually asked, "Is your master there?"
The maid's voice was very soft, timidly replying, "Master, he... he is."
Upon hearing this,
Gu Qianying's eyes flickered,
Heh! Interesting!
The maid continued to lead the way. At this moment, Steward Qi, who had returned, walked over carrying a box.
"Wangfei, please wait."
Gu Qianying paused her steps and turned around, "What is it?"
At this moment, the maid leading the way also stopped.
As Steward Qi approached, he glanced at the maid leading the way.
The maid guiltily turned her face away, not daring to look at Steward Qi.
Steward Qi opened the box in his hand, took out the precious items stored inside, and respectfully handed them to Gu Qianying.
"Wangfei, you forgot to take your things."
Inside the box was a black beast-faced jade token, engraved with the character "δΉ".
Looking at the black beast-faced jade token, Gu Qianying's gaze fell upon Steward Qi.
This item was not hers.
Steward Qi nodded at her.
She accepted the black beast-faced jade token.
"Wangfei, this is the maid I found for you, named Caixia. This maid is agile, steady, and sensible."
Saying this, a maid in green clothes walked over, following behind Steward Qi.
Gu Qianying glanced at Caixia. Caixia was pretty and clean, giving her a good first impression.
Before finding Lu Zhu, she had no one to rely on. Although not her own person, she could be used for now.
Moreover, with Steward Qi present, she naturally wasn't afraid of the person he found betraying her.
"Yes, alright, then follow this Wangfei."
"Yes, Wangfei." Steward Qi replied and retreated.
Caixia performed a kowtow to Gu Qianying and then followed Gu Qianying to Lanxi Pavilion.
The scent of osmanthus wafted through the courtyard. Gu Qianying, with the maid Caixia, moved through it, frowning.
At this moment, she noticed that in the Ninth Prince's mansion, only here were there osmanthus trees. Everywhere else, she had planted plants she liked.
She wondered if this was intentional or unintentional.
At this moment,
Inside the hall of Lanxi Pavilion,
Jade ware, calligraphy and paintings, and some precious ornaments were scattered all over the ground. Some were broken in half, while others were still intact, making a mess.
And in the sleeping quarters, a weak crying sound could be heard intermittently.
"You leave! All of you leave! Just let this old woman die here. Anyway, this old woman is annoying, why bother living in this world."
Nanny Shi Mama angrily smashed the items placed in the room.
Lan Qingqing stood by, weeping, "Nanny, it's Qing'er's fault, it's all Qing'er's fault. Please don't be angry, Nanny. If you get so agitated, your body won't be able to take it."
"It's not your fault, it's all that little slut Gu Qianying's fault. Such a shameless woman, today, I will teach her a good lesson, so she knows that even if she marries my son A Mo, enters the household, and becomes the Ninth Prince's Consort, so what! She is still an annoying person, and here, I will let her understand that this Ninth Prince's mansion is not a place she is worthy of entering!"
It turned out that Shi Mama had sent someone to invite Nangong Mo here to ask why Nangong Mo had not discussed it with her, but instead watched the Gu family's young lady in her wedding dress cause a scene in the Ninth Prince's mansion without stopping her. He had even married the eldest daughter of the Gu family on the spot, and allowed this woman, Gu Qianying, to enter the household and become the Prince's Consort.
When Nangong Mo arrived, he directly gave her a very absurd reason: he was willing to do so.
Shi Mama cried loudly, and in her words, she also insulted Gu Qianying in various ways, calling Gu Qianying a shameless woman who disregarded her reputation, was arrogant and presumptuous, and acted recklessly.
After hearing this, Nangong Mo became angry and, on the spot, beat to death the maid who served Shi Mama closely. The reason given was that she had not played a role in advising and calming the masters, so she deserved to be punished. Beating her to death was a warning to Shi Mama.
After that, Nangong Mo took Bai Qi and left like a gust of wind.
Shi Mama was furious, and her resentment towards Gu Qianying deepened. Upon learning that Lan Qingqing had again received various insults from Gu Qianying, she was too angry to bear it, so she sent a servant from her room to pretend to be the Prince and invite Gu Qianying over.
At this moment,
A small maidservant hurried over and whispered a few words into Shi Mama's ear.
After hearing this, Shi Mama's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness, "Then what are you waiting for? Go and prepare."
"Yes, Mama." The little maidservant took the order and retreated.
Lan Qingqing wiped away her tears, walked over, and tucked the quilt around Shi Mama, "Nanny, if she comes, please don't be angry anymore. It's all her fault anyway. If you can't get over it, we can let her make a fool of herself, but please promise Qing'er, don't get angry again, and don't say anything bad about yourself, otherwise, Qing'er will be heartbroken."
As she spoke, Lan Qingqing's tears flowed again, "Nanny, after Qing'er's parents passed away, I have always regarded you as my mother. Your good health is Qing'er's greatest wish, so please take care of yourself."
"Good child, Nanny knows you are the most filial," hearing Lan Qingqing's words, Shi Mama was deeply moved.
However, Lan Qingqing used this opportunity to establish the image of the most filial daughter in Shi Mama's heart.
Shi Mama looked at Lan Qingqing, who, despite her own suffering, still remembered to care about her health. Finally, she couldn't bear it and said to Lan Qingqing, "Qing'er, rest assured, if the current situation cannot be reversed, Nanny will find another way for you, and this way will surely allow you to live a life more noble than that of an ordinary legitimate daughter."
Shi Mama's words seemed to indicate a decision.
"Qing'er listens to Nanny in everything." Lan Qingqing knelt by the bed, tilted her head and leaned against Shi Mama, acting very affectionately towards her, and did not show any joy in her words, which made Shi Mama feel even closer to her.
This showed that Lan Qingqing was by her side not for any personal gain, but purely out of kindness towards her.
But she never knew that Lan Qingqing's calculations had already begun to sprout and grow last night, after she personally saw the extremely precious item hidden in Nanny's room.
Meanwhile.
Gu Qianying, with Caixia, arrived at Lanxi Pavilion.
The maid who led them brought them into the courtyard and then left.
Gu Qianying, with Caixia, stepped into the main hall. Before her feet had even landed, a maidservant dressed in a light green dress walked out from inside. This maidservant was named Zhuye, a second-class maidservant by Shi Mama's side. After her personal maidservant died, Shi Mama promoted her, which happened only a few hours ago.
As soon as Zhuye came out, she said arrogantly, "Wangfei, Shi Mama said that since you have just entered the mansion, you must not understand the rules of the mansion. Therefore, she has invited you here today to learn the rules, so as to avoid you losing face for our Ninth Prince's mansion in the future."
At this moment,
Two more maidservants walked out from inside. Both maidservants were holding wooden trays, on which were two items: a ruler and embroidery needles.
Gu Qianying looked at the two maidservants.
At this, maid Zhuye loudly said again, "Oh, Shi Mama also said that today, besides letting Wangfei learn the rules here, she also wants to see Wangfei's needlework and embroidery skills. If they are good, you can practice more in the future. If the work is not good, then today, you must learn well from me, so as not to shame our mansion in the outside world."