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  Ming Xuan returned to the Hou Mansion with a nervous heart, and for several days in a row, she was frightened and worried that the Zhongshun Hou Mansion would spread rumors unfavorable to her, and also feared that Han Xiuxiu would know that she was safe and sound after learning about it. However, the days passed quietly without any waves, everything was as usual, and there was no unusual sign at all. She seemed to have worried too much.

  The moonless night, the silver light spilled all over the ground, the lamp in the east wing of the Jade Washing Pavilion was bright, and the candlelight in the inner room was also swaying slightly in the wind, the light points jumped, casting tall or short shadows on the wooden windows.

  Dan Hong carried in the newly brewed flower tea and entered the inner room, seeing Ming Xuan bowed over the eight immortal table writing rapidly. She carefully placed the tea on a corner of the desk and softly asked "Miss, do you want to take a break first and have a sip of tea?"

  She glanced at the new paper with ink still on it, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. "Miss wants to take the mulberry silk as a second-class maid to accompany the marriage to the Town National Public House? What about Xiaosu? Her family is not doing well, if she stays in the house and loses her job, I really don't know how to make a living. But Xiaosu's mother..."

  Several days passed, and Xiao Su became more anxious by the day. However, her anxiety was to no avail, for it seemed that her mother was hiding something, and no matter how much she tried to persuade her, she refused to enter the Jade Pavilion to see Ming Xuan.

  Ming Xuan put down her pen, took the tea and lightly sipped it, with a glimmer of light in her eyes. She said in a low voice, "This matter can't be rushed, so Xiaosu's mother doesn't want to say anything. I don't have to force her to reveal what she's hiding in her heart within these few days. I think Xiaosu has brothers and a mother to take care of, it's not suitable for her to go with me into the muddy waters of the Pei family. Ou Si is literate, clever and resourceful, alone and unencumbered, why don't we bring her as the second instead to the Pei family?"

  She paused for a moment, "Since Xiaosu's family used to be from the third house, I didn't plan on giving up on them like this. I want to send them to the estate where my mother was a dowry, once they leave the manor gates, no one will dare bully them again."

  Dan Hong slapped her forehead. Suddenly enlightened, she said "No wonder a few days ago, Xue Su sister came in and you told her to check if there's any suitable villa for you in the south where the climate is pleasant. It turns out that was your intention. Xiao Su's brother gets sick only in winter, Shengjing is extremely cold, but winters in the south are not as harsh. Perhaps if he goes there, his illness will get better!"

  Her eyes were filled with admiration, "Xiao Su was so anxious that she almost cried. But the young lady had actually already thought of a solution for her."

  Ming Xuan sighed softly, "I didn't tell Xiaosu. Actually, I wanted to test Xiaosu's daughter. If she is willing to suffer later and doesn't want to say those things easily, it means that what she knows is not only important but also has a wide range of connections. The hidden story behind this is obviously more complicated."

  She slightly closed her eyes, thinking of Xiaosu saying that her mother had mentioned that there was a grudge between her aunt and her mother. However, when she asked several older maids in the Xiyu Pavilion in a roundabout way, they all said that although Madame Hou and Third Madame were not close, they generally got along harmoniously. Even Yan Qiu also said so.

  Yan had already set her mind on the list of dowry, so she wouldn't cheat her.

  Since the incident at Qingliang Temple in the mountains, Ming Xuan asked Old Lady Zhu to take Yan Niangniang to the Pei residence after returning.

  Madam Zhu had this intention from the start. Although she was used to having Yan Qiu serve her, it was a bit hard for her to let go of Yan Qiu suddenly. However, there were still other servants like Guan Qiu and Song Qiu in An Tai Yuan who served her, all of whom she brought with her from Fu Guo Gong Fu. There were also younger maids like Xi Tao and Zi Xi accompanying her. If Yan Qiu left, Madam Zhu wouldn't actually be lonely.

  Ke Xuan's sister was different from them.

  The Zhen Guo Gong Fu Pei family is a deep and unfathomable pool of ink. Pei Xiangsheng has five sons, except for the eldest son Pei Xiaoan who is weak-willed, the other four sons all hold high positions in court, intimidating others with their prestige and talent. At home, no one wants to submit to anyone else. The masters are like this, and the madams in the inner courtyard follow suit. It's said that the several madams of the Pei family don't get along well with each other, affecting even the younger masters and misses who have little affection for one another.

  Although these are just rumors, it's possible that there's some truth to them. Xiang'er has escaped the clutches of the fierce tiger Han Xiu, but she's now entered the wolf's den of the Pei family. Despite her usual caution and composure, along with Xuansu and Danhong who were also well-behaved children from the An Tai Institute, she still lacks a wise and resourceful nanny to look out for her.

  Madam Zhu thought it over and felt that only Nurse Qian was suitable, but she also felt that Nurse Qian had served her for a lifetime, and now that she was old and should be enjoying her later years, she shouldn't take on such a perilous and laborious task. She couldn't help feeling a bit apologetic about bringing it up. Who would have thought that this time Xiang's sister came to ask, Nurse Qian agreed, and the matter was settled to everyone's satisfaction.

  Ming Xuan was still in a daze, but suddenly heard Dan Hong say "Ah, almost forgot, when you went to talk to the old lady at An Tai Yuan this noon, Ninth Miss came over once, she held a gold-painted box in her hand, it seemed like she wanted to add some makeup for you, later I heard that you were not there, so she took the thing back and said she would come again tomorrow to see you."

  She paused for a moment "I see Ninth Miss hesitating, as if she had something to say."

  Ming Xuan felt a bit surprised. Since she was in the Jian'an Bo Mansion, she had followed Wu Jie's intention and made a plan to get what she wanted once. After Wu Jie got her future husband, Liang Kun, she had been hiding in the Long Cui Pavilion, except for family banquets, she rarely showed up. It would take several days before she left the mansion, and it was not yet time to add dowry, so why did Wu Jie come to find her?

  Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought for a moment before asking, "And what about Eighth Miss? I heard she entered the palace today?"

  Dan Hong nodded, "The Imperial Concubine will be giving birth in a few days. Madame Hou entered the palace today to keep the Imperial Concubine company and also brought along Eighth Miss. I have been attending to Miss but haven't seen her personally, it was Gatekeeper Qi's wife who said that Eighth Miss is dressed elegantly yet simply, with every gesture warm and polite, looking like a completely different person."

  Ming Que used to like wearing bright and beautiful clothes, as if only luxurious and vibrant colors could show off her favor. She was born beautiful, and after dressing up, she looked even more noble and dignified. The servants in the back were talking about the several misses of the Marquis's household, saying that the eighth miss had a queen-like demeanor, which was even more impressive than the sixth miss.

  Ming Xuan's eyes gleamed with a deep light as he coldly smiled and said, "Has there been any news from Yunfen, the one we sent to search first?"

  According to what Ji Pozi said, Yunfen was originally the second-class maid of Erjie Mingrui's Liangxiang Institute. She was supposed to be married off to the Ninth Prince's mansion as a companion, but several days before Erjie's big wedding, she contracted a serious illness. After recovering from her illness, she lost this opportunity. Later, Mother took charge and married her off to the son of a shopkeeper. After the decline of the third house, they lost contact, and it is not known where Hou Furen later transferred her.

  Dan Hong hastily replied, "There's news, Yun Fen's first husband died of illness, and she later became a concubine to a steward in the Nanjiao Village. Because she had moved several places, it was quite difficult to find her. If not for Ge Baozi, who swept the yard, whose husband worked at the second gate, and had been to Nanjiao Village twice, they would have never found her."

  She thought for a moment and said with some difficulty, "I heard that Yunfen is pregnant, and Nanzhuang is not close to here. I'm afraid even if Miss has something to ask, it's not convenient to see her."

  Ming Xuan smiled "Who said I wanted to see her?"

  She narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "If there's an opportunity tomorrow, go to the east wing and casually mention that my sister still has a personal maid who used to be with her at the South Villa. As for what happens afterwards, it will have nothing to do with us anymore."

  Cai Jie thought of entering the palace, and she didn't know what method she used to persuade Madame Hou. She was probably aware of some truth about the past in a certain place, and from that, she inferred that the emperor still had lingering feelings of guilt towards his wife who had passed away, so she resolutely decided to take this path of imitation.

  She was eager to know everything about Ming Rong, from her dressing and demeanor to her words and thoughts, even what she thought and pondered. She did it with such determination that she must have been confident of winning the emperor's favor.

  If Ming Ju thought so, then Ming Xuan didn't mind helping her out a bit.

  Suddenly enlightened, Dan Hong opened her mouth in surprise and asked, "Miss wants..."

  Ming Xuan smiled at her, and that smile was so bright and beautiful, as if it had swept away the gloom of the past few days. She nodded without hiding anything, "The eldest branch's life is going so well, I'm a bit unwilling to give up, let me help Ruo Xi a little, let her add some trouble for Eldest Madam, my heart is also happy."

  The ranks of the imperial consorts, although mostly derived from family honors, are a kind of balance of power for the emperor on the court, but the emperor's favor can also make low-ranking concubines rise to the top.

  Even if she entered the palace with a heart like Cai Jie's, she would not be able to calm down and settle in. If the emperor still had feelings for his wife, then Cai Jie, who was mimicking Ming Rong's wooden expression, would obviously receive more imperial favor than Guifei. Cai Jie was proud and a bit greedy, once she got a taste of power, she would want more, and it would be inevitable that sisterly strife would occur, which might not be a big deal for the Gu family, but Madame Hou would have to worry about it.

  After the ordeal at Qingliang Temple, Ming Xuan felt that she had gained some insight. Sometimes, enduring and yielding could not make one's life comfortable, because people who were pressing step by step would not necessarily stop when they saw goodness. The more one endured, the more the other party thought it was easy to bully them, and the more humble one was, the more the other party wanted to dominate them.

  If there is a determination and perseverance to let go of everything, maybe many things will be different.

  Dan Hong nodded slightly as if she understood, "Mmm, tomorrow I will tell the one in the east wing about Yun Fen's matter."

  Ming Xuan nodded in satisfaction, closed the account book and list, and went to bed under Dan Hong's service. She stared at the emerald green bed curtain for a while, then gently closed her eyes and soon fell asleep peacefully.

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