Yan Qing: "…!"
When did they get a mistress? How come he didn't know?!
Watching Mo Qi's departing figure, Yan Qing suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
"Yanmo, it seems we are no longer the most trusted people in the master's heart. Even this kind of thing was only found out through Moqi. Our position is about to be taken away!"
Yanmo glanced speechlessly at his companion, who looked as if he had lost his parents. Could he ask his master to find someone else to partner with him?
Yanqing is really stupid.
Seeing that his companions was ignoring him, Yanqing urged him on.
"Hey! Yanmo, didn't you hear what I said? Why aren't you saying anything!"
"Even if you get replaced, it will only be you. What do I have to worry about?" To avoid catching the stupidity, Yanmo quickly left.
Yan Qing felt as if he had been hit by a thousand blows: "Yan Mo, what do you mean? Do you also know who the mistress is?"
"Of course!"
Yanmo answered without turning his head, thinking to himself: Even a fool could figure out who else Master, this eternal iron tree, had ever been special to besides that Miss Jiang?
Only a fool like Yanqing can't think straight.
Feeling rejected, Yan Qing felt like the sky had fallen. Mo Qi knew about the master's affair, and Yan Mo knew about it, but he was the only one who didn't.
Is the master really dissatisfied with him?!
He clenched his fist and decided that starting tomorrow, he would try to make his presence felt in front of his master more often.
I absolutely cannot let Mo Qi and Yan Mo steal my favor.
****
Ministry of Rites
As soon as Jiang Luoxue entered the door, a servant immediately went to inform the madam.
"What! That wretched girl is back!!"
Chu Lianxin, who was in a good mood and leisurely tending to her bonsai, was so startled that she accidentally damaged her favorite peony.
Looking at the bare main stem, she angrily slammed the shears on the table and irritably ordered the maid, "Take it out and throw it away! It's an eyesore!"
Seeing that her mistress was in a bad mood, the head maid, Yuzan, instructed the younger maids to take the thing out and throw it away, while she tactfully helped her mistress to sit down at the table.
She thoughtfully poured a cup of tea and placed it beside her master.
After finishing her tea, Chu Lianxin placed the cup heavily on the table, her seemingly calm eyes concealing a turbulent undercurrent.
That bitch is back! Does that mean my plan to have Ruzhu take her place in the Duke of Anguo's mansion is doomed to fail?
Having finally managed to drag this marriage out until her daughter's coming-of-age ceremony, she absolutely refused to allow it to be ruined.
Chu Lianxin's mind raced for a moment before she quietly instructed her trusted maid, "Go and call Steward Zhou over."
"This servant will go right away."
Yu Zan immediately went out and soon returned with a handsome man in his thirties.
"This humble servant greets Madam," the man said, bowing slightly.
"You may all leave now!" Chu Lianxin waved her hand, and Yu Zan and the other maids immediately went outside.
Suddenly, only the two of them remained in the room.
Chu Lianxin questioned with dissatisfaction, "Shi Yu, what's going on? Didn't I tell you to arrange for someone to kidnap that wretched girl?"
"Why is she back again!"
Steward Zhou also looked puzzled: "Xin'er, I'm also very puzzled by this. At the time, I had someone give that girl a strong drug and notified the bandits of Longtou Mountain to tie her up and take her as far away as possible, preferably never to return to the capital."
"Logically speaking, if she had fallen into the hands of those vicious bandits, this girl would never have come back!"
"Could it be that someone rescued her?"
Chu Lianxin rubbed her temples and said to the man, "Since things didn't go well, remember to clean up the mess properly and make sure no one notices anything."
Butler Zhou nodded and said, "Don't worry, Xin'er, I will handle everything properly and leave no evidence."
Chu Lianxin waved her hand: "Alright, you can go now. Be careful not to let anyone see you when you leave"
Seeing the woman's worried expression, Butler Zhou comforted her with a look of heartache: "I know, don't be too anxious. That girl was lucky to escape this time. I don't believe she'll be so lucky next time."
"The Second Miss and the Young Master are in love, and I will absolutely not allow anyone to ruin their marriage."
"Okay, please arrange this as soon as possible, otherwise I'm worried that Ruzhu's pregnancy will not be a secret anymore."
My daughter crossed the line with the heir of the Duke of Anguo, and now she is secretly pregnant.
We must get rid of Jiang Luoxue, this stumbling block, as soon as possible and snatch the marriage away.
If it weren't for the good reputation of the Duke and Duchess of Anguo, who were unwilling to break off Jiang Luoxue's engagement with Ruzhu.
Why should she be so troubled as to try every means to get rid of Jiang Luoxue?
After Zhou Shiyu left, Chu Lianxin sat quietly for a while longer.
She secretly pondered; if this plan fails, she'll have to think of another.
Hopefully, Zhou Shiyu can quickly come up with a way to get rid of the person in the way so that her daughter can get married smoothly and in a grand manner.
Just then, her head maid, Yuzan, came in and interrupted her thoughts: "Madam, the eldest young lady has returned. Would you like to go and see her?"
"Of course I'll go!" As a mother with a reputation for virtue, she naturally had to go and see her stepdaughter who had been away for so long.
Chu Lianxin stood up and instructed Yuzan, "Go and call Granny Zhou over, and have her come with me."
"Yes—!" Yu Zan left as ordered, and soon returned with a horse-faced old woman.
Upon seeing Chu Lianxin, the old woman immediately smiled obsequiously, knelt down, and greeted her: "This old servant greets Madam."
"Madam summoned me here, but what trouble has Miss gotten into this time?"
"Please rise quickly, Granny Zhou."
Chu Lianxin kindly helped the person to her feet, then gave a feigned sigh, her face full of worry.
"Oh! Granny, you don't know this, Xue'er said she was going to the temple to burn incense, but she didn't return home until this morning.
"As her mother, I am worried and want to teach her a lesson, but she is not my biological daughter after all. If I speak too harshly, Xue'er may feel that I do not love her, which will cause resentment. Therefore, I have to trouble you, Granny, to persuade her."
"After all, you are an elder left behind by the late Madam, so Xue'er will still listen to what you say."
Granny Zhou's long face grew even longer, and she said, "This young lady is becoming more and more unruly. She doesn't even come home for a day. Where is the slightest bit of a proper young lady she has?"
"Don't worry, Madam. I will definitely teach her a good lesson today on behalf of the late Madam, so as not to make things difficult for you."
Chu Lianxin saw that her face was full of anger, and she looked like she wanted to teach Jiang Luoxue a lesson right away.
A surge of joy welled up inside her, and she took off her handkerchief to cover the corners of her upturned lips, replacing it with a worried expression: "Then let's go over now."
Wensiyuan
When Jiang Luoxue returned to the courtyard, her maids Chunhe and Qiuju greeted her with tears in their eyes.
"Miss, where have you been? We servants were so worried!"
The two of them went to Baiyun Temple to offer incense with Jiang Luoxue, and somehow they fainted.
When they woke up, the young lady was gone, and the two of them rushed back to look for the master.
But the master had not yet returned from court, and the madam sent people out to look for her all day, but they still couldn't find the young lady.
They were both extremely anxious.
Fortunately, the young lady returned safely; otherwise, if she died, they would be held responsible.