"Didn't you see what's written on the carriage? The surname is Zhao. It should be the only daughter of the second master of the Zhongyong Earl's Mansion."
"She's quite pitiful, losing her parents at such a young age. How will she get by in the future?"
"Who's to say? The waters run deep in these noble households."
"They are all blood relatives of the family, how can it be as exaggerated as you say? Besides, she's just a young girl who will eventually get married. The family fortune left by her parents is enough for her to live on for a lifetime."
"Why has the procession stopped?"
"It seems something has happened up ahead."
It turned out that the ropes on a wooden cart in the middle of the procession suddenly snapped, and four large chests slid down together.
"The contents of these boxes are quite heavy."
"Just looking at the wood of the chests, they must be filled with valuable goods."
"Coming all this way from Yizhou, would she keep anything worthless? I see they're being escorted by a security agency. The value inside is immeasurable. I couldn't spend it all in several lifetimes."
"Old Madam Chen, you can spend it in your dreams, hahaha."
Old Madam Chen shook her head, smacked her lips, and said, "My life is as good as over. I hope my descendants will burn more for me in the underworld."
The person felt a pang of guilt and suddenly thought they had said too much. They quickly apologized and moved away from Old Madam Chen.
The procession only resumed after the two escorts had reloaded the goods. As they neared Zhuque Avenue, the most bustling street in the capital, the discussions grew even more numerous.
At the entrance of the Zhongyong Earl's Mansion.
A servant woman in a coarse linen jacket hurried in through the small gate of the mansion and stopped in front of a maidservant in green.
"Miss Xiu'er, she's here, she's here! The second young lady has arrived at Xiangming Ju on Zhuque Avenue."
She panted heavily, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. Miss Xiu'er nodded slightly, acknowledging the information, and turned to leave.
After the person left, the servant woman spat, "Hmph, stingy thing. They should give me a share of the bonus money from upstairs."
Upon receiving the news at the Shou Kang Yuan, the old madam sitting in the main seat looked displeased. She had expected, with the first wife's methods, that the girl would have entered the mansion by nightfall.
She had slept soundly last night, and when she woke up this morning, no one had come to pay their respects. Just as she was about to get angry, she heard that the person hadn't arrived yet.
Old Madam: "She certainly puts on airs, making all of us elders in the room wait for her."
Madam Earl: "She's been traveling by carriage and boat, and there are bound to be deviations in time. Second Sister is delicate and frail, so waiting for her is no trouble at all."
"Just like her mother, useless. Sickly and weak, she couldn't even leave an heir for my son."
Everyone in the hall immediately dared not to speak. The servants kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, their heads bowed low.
The old madam had suppressed her grievances for too long in the first half of her life. Once her son took charge, she became completely restless.
The Earl's Mansion had a courtyard that belonged to the original owner. Madam Earl had already sent people to clean it up some time ago.
The furniture was half new and half old, and the decorations were outdated. It was enough to maintain appearances.
After the Earl inherited the title, the second master had separated and established his own household. Today, with the original owner's return, everyone gathered together for a lively occasion.
Second Master Zhao: "I haven't seen Second Sister for many years. I wonder what she looks like now, and if she still remembers me, her elder brother."
Third Master Zhao: "Second Sister was like a ball of dough when she was little. I wonder if she's changed now?"
Madam Earl: "You'll see her in a moment."
Zhao Jingyi: "I miss Second Sister too. I wonder how she's been doing in Yizhou. I'd love to hear her talk about Yizhou and its customs."
"Yi'er, your Second Sister has been overly worried lately. Don't bother her too much."
"Is it because of what happened to Second Uncle and Second Aunt? Second Sister is truly pitiful. I'll share my osmanthus cakes and sweet and sour fish with her from now on."
Old Madam: "Hahaha, my Yi'er is so thoughtful, willing to share her favorite food."
She said this while casting an unhappy glance at Madam Earl, and continued, "She's already twelve or thirteen years old, not made of dough. Where would she get so much worry? The children of the Earl's Mansion should be strong. It's her good fortune that Shu'er is willing to listen to her stories."
Madam Earl, having been publicly slighted, felt both awkward and embarrassed. The old lady was her mother-in-law, and she could not disobey.
She pinched her palm hard, bowed, and said, "Mother is right."
A maidservant from outside the Shou Kang Yuan came to report that the person was about to arrive at the mansion gate. The old madam asked her son and grandchildren to accompany her, so Madam Earl had to go alone to receive Jun Jiuli.
A servant lowered the horse stool, and Lu Zhu lifted the curtain, supporting Jun Jiuli as she alighted from the carriage.
The main gate of the Earl's Mansion was wide open. As soon as Madam Earl saw her, she smiled and stepped forward, taking her hand.
"Shu'er, you must be tired from the journey. Come into the mansion quickly and pay your respects to your grandmother first."
"Greetings to Eldest Aunt. May Eldest Aunt be blessed with good fortune."
Madam Earl quickly helped her up, "Good child, get up."
Seeing that Madam Zhou was nowhere in sight, she suppressed her doubts, thinking to discuss it when they returned to the mansion.
Jun Jiuli turned and instructed Lu Zhu, "Have someone carry everything to my courtyard. You personally arrange and count it. Settle the wages for the escorts, and give each of them an extra can of money. They have worked hard these past few days."
"Yes, Miss."
Hearing this, the escorts were all beaming with joy and thanked Jun Jiuli. Their movements became much gentler when carrying the goods, and the onlookers also praised her kind gesture.
Madam Earl, seeing that she had arranged everything properly, felt a hint of strangeness. However, she maintained a smiling, benevolent demeanor as she led Jun Jiuli into the mansion.
The person now serving Jun Jiuli was named Luoluo. She and Lu Zhu were both senior maids by the original owner's side.
When Jun Jiuli entered the main hall, she paid her respects to the elders one by one. Everyone had prepared gifts for her, but the old madam never showed a good expression. After chatting for a while, she dismissed her to go back and rest.
Returning to the original owner's courtyard, Luoluo finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking much livelier.
After serving Jun Jiuli to sit down and pouring hot tea, she spoke when she saw that only her own people were busy outside.
"Miss, the old madam seems not to favor us. In the future..."
"Grandmother has always treated me with indifference. There's nothing to fear in the future."
"Miss is so young; she should rely on her family and elders."
Jun Jiuli knew she meant well but didn't want to waste more words. She directly sent her and Lu Zhu to go and attend to matters.
Most of the servants in the Prefect's Mansion were locals from Yizhou, so the number of household staff willing to follow the original owner to the capital was not large.
There were two stewards, three young servants, and two maids. The two maids, Luoluo and Luzhu, had been by the original owner's side since they were young, and they didn't even remember where their hometown was.
The three guards had no relatives in Yizhou. The Prefect's Mansion had been generous to its servants. When the original owner dismissed the household staff, these three were unwilling to leave.
The two stewards were nearly forty years old and had been loyal to the original owner's father. They were worried about the original owner traveling alone to the distant capital, so they escorted her all the way.
In the previous life, after arriving at the Earl's Mansion, they had not left. Later, due to various arrangements within the mansion, only Lu Zhu accompanied the original owner to the very end.
Luoluo married an honest farmer. The original owner personally saw her off at her wedding and prepared a dowry for her.
The original owner didn't know how they met, and Luoluo was unwilling to say. She only said that she truly wanted to marry him. The original owner burned her indenture and sincerely wished her well.