Liu Yun made a gesture to the coachman. The coachman nodded and drove the carriage away first.
This time when they came to the capital, besides ruining Wen Heyu's reputation at the Lin Hall Banquet, Shen Linyi had another important purpose, which was to take advantage of the large and chaotic crowd at the Lin Hall Banquet to come to the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion.
But for some reason, even though the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion was right in front of her eyes, Shen Linyi felt her heart pounding like a drum and was a bit afraid to get closer.
Liu Yun saw through Shen Linyi's nervousness and comforted her, "Miss, are you afraid that the young Marquis Xiao will be like Young Master Wen?"
"The young Marquis Xiao is a martial man. He must not be as calculating as a scholar like Young Master Wen. I believe that as long as the miss explains the matter clearly, the young Marquis Xiao will surely help us!"
After Liu Yun finished speaking, she tightly clenched her fists.
But Shen Linyi still felt uneasy in her heart, always feeling that this trip would not go smoothly.
It wasn't that she was overthinking. Although Xiao Jinghe had left behind the jade pendant, he had been unconscious that day. Shen Linyi didn't dare to be sure whether Xiao Jinghe still remembered her or the favor she had done for him.
If Xiao Jinghe didn't recognize her, then what should she do?
Thinking like this, Shen Linyi felt even more uneasy.
"Come on, miss. Don't worry. I'll go and knock on the door now."
Liu Yun let go of Shen Linyi's hand, ran up the steps, went to the door, grabbed the knocker and knocked on it.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Liu Yun knocked on the door, but waited for a long time and no one came to open it.
Shen Linyi walked up the steps. Her heart became more and more nervous with the sound of the knocking.
"Who is it! Making such a racket!"
After about an incense - stick's time, a somewhat irritated voice came from inside. After a few noises, the door was opened a crack, and a head poked out.
The man was dressed in luxury. Although he had a proper face, he had a pair of long and narrow upturned triangular eyes, a long and pointed nose, and his mouth corners always drooped. He clearly looked like a difficult person to get along with.
The man sized up Shen Linyi and Liu Yun. Knowing that they were not important guests, his expression became even more sarcastic.
"Who are you? How dare you knock on the door of the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion? Are you tired of living? Get out of here before I lose my temper!"
Although Liu Yun was dissatisfied with the man's attitude, for the sake of their purpose on this trip, she endured it and forced a smile, "Big brother, we're here to find the young Marquis Xiao. In the south of the Yangtze River before, our miss saved the young Marquis Xiao. The young Marquis Xiao told us to come and find him after we came to the capital."
Afraid that the man would get impatient, Liu Yun quickly finished speaking.
The man frowned, opened the door and stepped out, saying unhappily, "Don't call me big brother. I'm the... steward of the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion. My surname is Lai. Call me Steward Lai!"
Liu Yun gritted her teeth. The forced smile on her face gradually became distorted. "Yes, I've met Steward Lai. Could you please do us the favor of announcing our arrival? We'd like to see the young Marquis Xiao."
But Liu Yun's forbearance didn't make Steward Lai give them a good look.
"Without presenting a visiting card first, our marquis won't see anyone!"
He even pushed Liu Yun out twice as if driving away a dog. "Get out of here. What debt of gratitude for saving a life? You come to our door just spouting empty words. You think you can take advantage of our marquis's mansion. How many heads do you have?"
Liu Yun couldn't bear it anymore. She opened her mouth and was about to scold Steward Lai.
Seeing this, Shen Linyi took out the jade pendant from her bosom, stood in front of Liu Yun, and handed the jade pendant to Steward Lai.
"We're not here to take advantage. This is the jade pendant the young Marquis Xiao gave me before he left. If he sees this jade pendant, he will surely remember."
Steward Lai sized up Shen Linyi from head to toe. Seeing that although she was simply dressed, she had an extraordinary temperament, he pretended to take the jade pendant and looked at it for a while.
But he had only come to the marquis's mansion not long ago. He wasn't really a steward. He was just a doorman here thanks to his uncle's connection.
But having suddenly become a bit prosperous, even the dog in a nobleman's mansion would be flattered. His head was turned, and he thought he could be half the master.
When no one was around, he would act like an important person and give orders.
So, how could he recognize Xiao Jinghe's personal jade pendant?
Moreover, there was already a person in the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion who claimed to be the marquis's savior. That young lady had specifically told them that there would surely be people who would pretend to be her and come to the door.
Sure enough, just as that young lady had said.
So, he thought even more that Shen Linyi and Liu Yun were easy to bully.
"This jade pendant... looks like a fake at first glance!"
After saying that, Steward Lai forcefully threw the jade pendant on the ground. Liu Yun reacted very quickly. She rushed forward to save it and fell heavily to the ground. Her wrists were all scratched.
"Hiss..."
"Liu Yun, are you okay!"
Shen Linyi quickly squatted down. Seeing the blood on Liu Yun's hands, she felt very distressed.
Her face turned cold. "We called you Steward Lai, but you think we're easy to bully. You're a lackey relying on your master's power and being arrogant!"
Steward Lai was actually a bit scared. He was just a doorman after all. Now that there was blood in front of the marquis's mansion, if the head steward blamed him, he would surely be driven away.
But he rolled his eyes. He thought that as long as he drove Shen Linyi and Liu Yun away before the head steward found out.
So he forced himself to be imposing and pushed the two of them a few more times.
"She threw herself forward. How can you blame me? Besides, there's already a person in the mansion who is the marquis's savior. I advise you not to try to claim any debt of gratitude."
"Get out of here quickly! If you still loiter in front of the marquis's mansion, I'll call the guards out. I won't be so gentle then."
After saying that, Steward Lai quickly went back inside the door and slammed it shut.
Shen Linyi was extremely angry, but she could only suppress her emotions and help Liu Yun down the steps.
Liu Yun still tightly held the intact jade pendant in her hand. Seeing that Shen Linyi was in a bad mood, she endured the pain and comforted her, "Miss, don't be sad..."
Hearing Liu Yun's tearful voice, Shen Linyi's nose felt sour, and her eyes welled up with tears.
But now was not the time to cry. Shen Linyi took a deep breath. "Good Liu Yun, don't be so silly next time. It's just a jade pendant. It's not worth it."
Liu Yun tightly pursed her lips and nodded.
Both of them had heard what Steward Lai said.
Steward Lai said that there was already a person in the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion who was the marquis's savior.
It seemed that this young marquis was often in life - threatening situations. No wonder the debt of gratitude for saving a life was not taken seriously. Maybe this jade pendant was like something in wholesale, one for each person.
The two of them supported each other and were about to leave when they saw a veiled woman walking towards them.
She was dressed in red and green, looking extremely wealthy. As she walked, the gold hairpins on her head swayed, giving off a dazzling light. Her waist twisted, and the jade pendants and tassels hanging from her waist clinked against each other.
Behind her, several maids carried big and small packages. She had quite a grand entourage.
Seeing Shen Linyi and her maid, the woman also looked over curiously.
When their eyes met, the woman was suddenly stunned, and Shen Linyi also felt that this woman was extremely familiar!