The only place in the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion that nobody was allowed to visit today was the Crown Princess’s old yard. The Second Madam had warned every servant that they couldn’t take anyone around that place since the Crown Prince would be there. If anyone disturbed the Crown Prince, the whole Ji Family would be blamed for it.
Moreover, the Crown Prince’s presence in the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion could not be known by any outsiders. Because he shouldn’t show up here. Knowing the severity of the situation, the old maid started to sweat as her lips kept trembling. She was so scared by Fourth Lady Qu’s intention and didn’t even know how to stop her at the moment.
She finally realized that weak as Fourth Lady Qu looked, she was not as obedient to the rules of etiquette as other noble ladies.
An ordinary servant like her was not able to stop this determined lady, let alone under the glare of another maid who looked fierce. The old maid even ha
The leading person who rushed over was the current hostess of the Ji Family, Xiao. She noticed Pei Luo’an and hurriedly lowered her head to greet him. After she couldn’t hear Pei Luo’an’s footsteps, she lifted her head and looked at the yard whose door was slightly open. A maid standing at the door was curtsying to her obediently.“Where’s your master?” Xiao asked coldly with an irritated look on her face.“The lady is inside,” Yu Dong said. He was standing in front of the door, but he pretended that he didn’t realize he blocked Xiao’s way.“This is the Crown Princess’s old yard. No one can enter this place without permission,” Xiao said angrily. She didn’t expect Fourth Lady Qu to be so bold and find the Crown Princess’s yard by herself.Once she heard the bad news from the old maid, she immediately rushed over but still came late. She couldn’t see the Crown Prince’s expression from a distance, but she could tell he was not
Yue Wenhan and Ji Yong’an showed up nearby. Yue Wenhan was walking in front, and his cold gaze fell on Xiao’s face, sending a cold shiver down her spine. This one was not a weak girl like Qu Moying but the real vice minister of the Dali Temple, who had solved many cases and sentenced many people to death. Thinking about Yue Wenhan’s background, Xiao couldn’t suppress the fear in her heart.No matter how tough Xiao was in front of Qu Moying, she was still a female and didn’t have the guts to confront a person like Yue Wenhan.She threw a stern glare at Ji Yong’an, following behind Yue Wenhan, and cursed him inwardly for bringing Yue Wenhan here. How could Ji Yong’an bring a male to the inner yard?Ji Yong’an had his own difficulty. Since Yue Wenhan tried every means to meet Ji Yongming for the last time after he entered the mansion, Ji Yong’an had no other choice but to bring him here. Ji Yongming’s body was not even here. How could they
“What did you find out in the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion, Cousin?” Yue Wenhan directly asked her.Qu Moying shook her head, “Nothing really. But I ran into His Royal Highness.”“His Royal Highness was in the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion?” Yue Wenhan was surprised, feeling something was strange.“Yes, he was there, staying in our cousin’s room,” Qu Moying nodded.“Why was the Crown Prince in the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion instead of hosting the Crown Princess’s funeral in the Eastern Palace? Also...” Yue Wenhan paused, feeling weird about it. Even though the Crown Prince came for Earl Ling’an, why he was in the Crown Princess’s yard instead of Earl Ling’an’s yard?Was His Royal Highness really deeply in love with the Crown Princess? Yue Wenhan smelled something fishy but couldn’t figure out the reason.“Our cousin married into the Eastern Palace with a grand dowry. Shouldn’t the Crown Prince return her dowry to th
Pei Yusheng walked in through the door.He noticed the curtain splitting the room into two parts and politely stopped in front of it. Through the curtain, he could see a female’s ambiguous figure curtsying to him. Then his gaze fell on Chun Xiu, standing aside, and realized Lady Liu was behind the curtain. A faint smile showed up on his face.“A pleasure to meet you, Your Royal Highness,” the female voice sounded soft but a bit low.“Same for me, Lady Liu. I heard you are here and came in a hurry. Please forgive me for any inconvenience I may cause you,” Pei Yusheng said politely.“Not at all, Your Royal Highness,” Qu Moying said softly.Pei Yusheng sat down on a chair aside naturally and looked at the curtain. It was not thick, but the light behind it didn’t seem to be enough. He could only see a vague female figure with a veiled hat. Of course, he couldn’t see her face at all.“I’ve been to your m
“The youngest daughter of the Ji Family, Third Lady Ji, didn’t die of sickness. They didn’t hold a funeral for her, not because it would affect the wedding. That Third Lady is a misbehaved one who eloped with a man. To stop this scandal from spreading out, the Ji Family covered it up and only said Third Lady Ji died, and there’s no Third Lady Ji in the world. Having his two daughters ending up like that and his injury, Earl Ling’an surely couldn’t survive,” said Pei Yuanjun carelessly.His words smashed hard on Qu Moying’s heart. So, this was the “truth” behind her younger sister’s death!She grabbed a corner of the table and held back her tears. “But she...she is only ten years old!”“So what? She is not the first little girl who elopes with a man at this age. Well, many of them got deceived, of course,” Pei Yuanjun gazed at Qu Moying and said in a flat tone.So, her younger sister died while being accused of such shameless
Qu Moying got up in the early morning the next day. After washing up and eating some congee, she headed to the Old Lady’s yard with Yu Dong and Yu Chun.People from the East Mansion had already arrived. Qu Moying saw Luo sitting aside with Qu Xuexin and Qu Caiyue.Qu Moying curtsied to the Old Lady and seated herself. Then she looked up at Qu Caiyue, who so happened to sit opposite to her. They hadn’t seen each other for a while, and surprisingly, Qu Caiyue seemed like a different person. She acted more discreetly, sitting there in silence with her head lowered.Feeling Qu Moying’s gaze, Qu Caiyue lifted her head, threw her a stern glare, and lowered her head again.Confused by her reaction, Qu Moying moved her eyes away.Today they would go to mourn for Earl Ling’an. The only one missing was Qu Qiuyan now.After the Old Lady sent people to urge Qu Qiuyan several times, she finally showed up in the
The entire Ji Family was filled with sorrow. The servants, who walked in and out, had bloodshot eyes and looked very sad."It's still early. Ladies, why don't we go for a walk?" a young lady of about fifteen or sixteen years old stood up and suggested with red eyes.Qu Moying knew this person. She was Xiao's niece, Xiao Haitang.Earl Ling'an's Mansion had three young ladies. They were Ji Youran, First Lady Ji from the second branch; Ji Hanyue, Second Lady Ji, and Ji Yanyue, Third Lady Ji, who were both from the first branch. In addition to these girls, there was also Ji Yuanxing, the eldest son of the second branch, who was Ji Youran's brother. There was also the Second Young Master from the second branch, but he was a concubine-born son.Because the first branch did not have a son, everyone knew that Ji Yuanxing, First Young Master Ji, would take over the entire Earl Ling'an's Mansion in the future.Even if this title
"Backfire? W-What do you mean by that?" Shocked, Xiao Haitang froze, and her hand that was holding the peach blossom cake stopped in front of her mouth."I heard it from others, so I don't know if it is right or not. I heard that some mutated peach blossoms are not edible, especially..." Qu Moying hesitated for a moment."Especially what?" Xiao Haitang asked anxiously."Especially some specific mutated species. They might have been imported from overseas, and they are different from the ones we have here. The flower petals have to be carefully treated before being used as the ingredient for the pastry. Otherwise, it will cause other symptoms such as fever or sorts. However, it will be fine if the ones in your mansion are not mutated peach blossom trees."The cake in Xiao Haitang's hand fell down. Did Qu Moying just mention the mutated peach blossom? Xiao Haitang once heard that the peach blossom trees in her mansion did come from o