After Su Yuanyuan left, Su Huaisheng pulled Su Huayuan to a secluded corner and whispered to him, "Second brother, I think Yuanbao's unhappiness has something to do with that scoundrel Cang Xuan. Not to mention that he always made improper advances towards Yuanbao when he pretended to be 'Yun Jian', just the fact that he dared to show Yuanbao a cold shoulder is something I can't tolerate!"
Su Huayuan had originally admired Cang Xuan's martial arts skills because of the battle at Yandang Mountain. But now, hearing his younger brother say that it was Cang Xuan who had made his younger sister sad, he clenched his fists angrily and said, "You're right. This can't be tolerated! Tomorrow, I'll send him a challenge letter and invite him out for a fight!"
Su Huaisheng quickly said, "Don't, second brother. What if we can't beat him?"
"What a joke. How could I possibly lose?" Su Huayuan said instinctively. But then he immediately remembered the other person's ghost-like lightness kung fu and changed his tune, "Fine, then tell me, what should we do?"
Su Huaisheng was full of clever ideas. He put his arm around Su Huayuan's shoulder and whispered in his ear,
"Here's what we can do..."
After the two brothers finished their conspiracy, they looked at each other and couldn't help grinning.
...
After being away from the mansion for two days, Mingzhu Courtyard remained exactly the same as before. The little maids who had stayed in the mansion had obviously cleaned the courtyard very well. They didn't slack off in the slightest just because the mistress was away.
The maids who had stayed in the mansion were extremely happy to see Su Yuanyuan after two days. After saluting her, they were very curious and asked Chunxiao, Xialu, and Caiyun about the interesting things that had happened in the villa.
As soon as this was mentioned, their expressions became a bit solemn.
Chunxiao said, "The villa on the mountain has been burned down."
Qiushuang, Dongxue, and Zhuiyue were all so frightened that their faces turned pale.
Although Su Yuanyuan had cheered up in front of her family just now, she was still a bit depressed. She glanced at the maids beside her and said,
"I'm tired. I need to take a short nap. You can all go about your own business. There's no need to wait on me."
The maids replied in unison, "Yes," and then watched as Su Yuanyuan went into the house alone and locked herself inside.
As soon as she returned to her room and was no longer surrounded by her family and maids, the corners of Su Yuanyuan's mouth drooped again. She couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.
Xiaoba said in her mind, [Little Yuanbao, don't be sad. Since he doesn't appreciate your kindness, you should just leave him alone.]
Su Yuanyuan knew this truth. She also didn't want to keep recalling everything related to that person.
But every moment she had spent with him and every word he had said would involuntarily flash through her mind. She just couldn't forget.
"A treacherous official who tries to stir up trouble in the court will surely be punished. Stay away from him, and you won't be implicated."
These were the words he had said to her by the bonfire.
Did he already know that he would be punished in the future at that time?
Well, he was so good at astrology and divination. How could he not calculate his own end?
But...
What on earth did he want to do?
Su Yuanyuan just couldn't figure it out. And because she had been on the run in the second half of the night and had used her "qi - seeing" ability in her eyes, she was extremely exhausted. Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
Outside the courtyard, without their mistress around, the maids surrounded Chunxiao and asked, "Sister Chunxiao, what on earth happened? Why does the young mistress seem so unhappy?"
What had happened last night was too dangerous, and there were too many secrets that couldn't be told. Chunxiao couldn't tell them the whole truth. She just picked out some important details and told them.
When they learned that they had encountered bandits disguised as the capital guards on the mountain, the maids were all very angry. But when they learned that the merchant surnamed Shu they had protected was actually the emperor, and that the entire Duke Yong's Mansion had received rewards from the emperor because of this, the maids were all very happy.
"So, our duke can lead troops into battle again? That's really great!" Qiushuang said with a smile.
Dongxue said, "And we've also removed the cancer of the Yan family! After this incident, I'm afraid no one in the capital will dare to look down on us in the future! His Majesty is really wise!"
Chunxiao smiled and then asked, "How has everything been in the mansion during the two days we were away?"
Qiushuang and Dongxue said one after another, "Don't worry, sister Chunxiao. Everything has been fine in the mansion. There's been no big event."
Chunxiao nodded. Just as she was about to send the maids off to do their work, she heard Zhuiyue's hesitant voice.
"Sister Chunxiao, I have something to say."
Zhuiyue's words made the maids all stunned. Chunxiao looked at her and frowned slightly. She asked, "What do you want to say?"
Zhuiyue said, "Yesterday noon, I took the clothes that needed to be washed to the servants' courtyard. There, I heard a group of servants chatting. Out of curiosity, I stopped to listen for a while, and I found that an old woman was inquiring about our young mistress."
Chunxiao's expression turned cold. She asked, "What did she ask? Tell me everything truthfully."
Hearing that someone was inquiring about their young mistress, the other maids' faces also changed. They surrounded Zhuiyue and urged her to speak quickly.
Zhuiyue secretly exchanged a look with Caiyun and said, "That old woman was inquiring about our young mistress's given name and birth date."
Inquiring about the given name and birth date? This instantly made Chunxiao become very vigilant.
"Do you know which courtyard that old woman is from?" Chunxiao asked.
Zhuiyue shook her head. "Caiyun and I haven't been in the mansion for long. We don't know all the servants in the mansion. But don't worry, sister Chunxiao. I felt something was wrong at that time, so I took note of the old woman's appearance. I'm sure I'll be able to recognize her the next time I see her."
Xialu was impatient. She asked, "Did anyone tell them the young mistress's name and birth date?"
Zhuiyue shook her head and said, "The servants in the servants' courtyard don't know much about the young mistress either. They couldn't say anything. When they asked me, I just said that the duke, the madam, and the young masters all call the young mistress 'Yuanbao'. I said I didn't know anything else."
Chunxiao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She nodded appreciatively at Zhuiyue and said, "You did a good job. I'll tell the madam about this and ask for a reward for you."
Zhuiyue quickly said, "There's no need for that, sister Chunxiao. I don't want any reward. It's all for the sake of the young mistress. This is just my duty."
Then, Chunxiao dismissed the maids and went to Moyi Pavilion next door.
Hearing from Chunxiao that someone had taken advantage of their absence to inquire about her precious daughter's name and birth date in the mansion, Lady Mo's face instantly turned extremely cold. She slapped the table hard.
"These people really don't take us seriously. Do they really think our Duke Yong's Mansion is a soft persimmon to be kneaded?"
Chunxiao said, "Madam, do you think you've guessed who sent that old woman?"