During lunch, Su Yuanyuan ate with Qin Wanrong, Zhang Yingxue and a few others. The head chef was Chef Liao. Maybe he knew there were guests, so he cooked a lot of northern desert-style delicacies. The food, quite different from that in Shengjing, whetted the appetites of the young girls.
Just as they were enjoying the meal, Qiushuang walked in from outside and said to Su Yuanyuan, "Miss, someone from the Qin Mansion is here. They said that Mrs. Qin herself has come to pick up Miss Qin and take her back home."
Everyone stopped their actions. The smile on Qin Wanrong's face vanished in an instant.
Su Yuanyuan put down the spoon in her hand and said, "I didn't expect her to come in person."
Zhang Yingxue snorted, "Humph, she's just feeling guilty. It's just a few days' stay. Is it really worth her coming in person? This only proves that it was she who poisoned Sister Wanrong. How vicious she is!"
Zhuo Shu held Qin Wanrong's hand and said loudly, "Wanrong, don't worry. We'll surely protect you well and won't let her succeed."
As the wife of a first-rank official, Mrs. Qin entered the Prince Qing's Mansion and was then guided by the servants to the main hall to wait. And Lady Mo also received the news.
Since the guest's status was quite high, as the mistress of the prince's mansion, Lady Mo should go and entertain her. But just as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she saw Su Yuanyuan and the others accompanying Qin Wanrong walking out of Mingzhu Courtyard.
Su Yuanyuan trotted towards Lady Mo and said, "Mother, why did you come out? You're pregnant now. Why don't you rest well in the room?"
Lady Mo pinched Su Yuanyuan's nose and said, "Mrs. Qin is here. How could I neglect her? Since we've met, let's go there together."
Qin Wanrong had a very good impression of Lady Mo. She thought Lady Mo was a kind and easy - going elder. But since it involved her own stay or departure, when Lady Mo's gaze swept over, Qin Wanrong couldn't help feeling nervous.
"Princess, I've caused you trouble."
Seeing that Qin Wanrong's lips had turned a bit pale, Lady Mo smiled and said, "Miss Qin, don't worry. This is the first time Yuanbao has invited a sister to stay at home. It seems that she likes you very much. You can just stay here at ease."
Qin Wanrong's lips trembled slightly, and she said in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "Thank you, Princess."
Led by Lady Mo, followed by a group of young girls, they walked towards the front hall together.
Although Lady Mo was already of a certain age, with her gentle looks like a woman from the southern water towns, she was not inferior to the young girls beside her. Instead, she carried the charm of a mature woman. And with her pregnancy, she looked even more elegant and noble.
So when Mrs. Qin saw Lady Mo walking in with a few young girls, the jealousy in her eyes was almost uncontrollable.
Mrs. Qin had long heard of Lady Mo's name but had never seen her in person. In order to pick up Qin Wanrong and show her status as the mistress of the Qin family, she had specially pinned a few gorgeous hairpins on her head when she came.
Before seeing Lady Mo, she always thought that as someone from the northern desert, Lady Mo would be a rude and dark - skinned woman. But unexpectedly, Lady Mo was so... beautiful. Although she didn't have many hair ornaments on her head, the appropriate embellishments instantly made Mrs. Qin, with her head full of hairpins, look like a vulgar woman.
Suppressing the jealousy in her heart, Mrs. Qin got up and stepped forward. She bowed to Su Yuanyuan and Lady Mo respectively and said, "Your humble servant greets Princess Fubao and Princess Qing."
Only after Mrs. Qin had completely bowed did Su Yuanyuan step forward and pretend to support her. She said in a crisp voice, "Mrs. Qin, please get up quickly. You're Sister Wanrong's mother. There's no need for such a grand salute."
After saying that, she turned to Lady Mo and said, "Mother, am I right?"
Lady Mo smiled faintly and said, "I didn't expect that just planning to let Miss Qin stay in the mansion for a few days would actually trouble Mrs. Qin."
A smile appeared on Mrs. Qin's face. She said, "It's my rudeness to come without sending a visiting card in advance. I've disturbed the princess and the young lady. I should apologize to you."
Seeing that Lady Mo and Su Yuanyuan just smiled without saying a word, Mrs. Qin gritted her teeth and had to state her purpose.
"Just now, the princess said that she planned to let Wanrong stay for a few days. As her mother, I'm very glad that she's been favored by the princess. But the princess and the young lady may not know her situation. This child has been in poor health since she was born. Over the years, no matter how many doctors she's seen or how many medicines she's taken, her condition has never improved. Moreover, a Taoist priest once predicted that she wouldn't live past sixteen."
As Mrs. Qin was speaking, tears welled up in her eyes. She really looked like a mother who loved her daughter very much.
However, it was really strange that a mother would say in front of so many people that her daughter wouldn't live past sixteen.
Mrs. Qin took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes. Choking with sobs, she said, "Although I also want her to stay in your noble mansion for a few more days and accompany the princess, her sixteenth birthday is approaching. I don't dare and can't take her life as a gamble. So I still hope she can go back with me. Only in this way can her father and I feel at ease."
Lady Mo originally thought it was okay to let Qin Wanrong stay in the mansion. But after hearing what Mrs. Qin said, she couldn't help wavering a bit. "This..."
Feeling her sleeve being tugged, Lady Mo quietly turned her head and saw Su Yuanyuan winking at her.
As mother and daughter were in tune, Lady Mo immediately understood what Su Yuanyuan meant.
"If what Mrs. Qin said is true, then she should relax and enjoy these last days even more. After all, a child's happiness is the most important thing, isn't it?"
When Lady Mo said this, she smiled gracefully and generously. Her words left Mrs. Qin with no room to find fault.
At this time, Qin Wanrong said in her extremely weak voice, "Mother, I want to stay in the Prince Qing's Mansion for a few days. Just five days, okay?"
Although Mrs. Qin kept saying that she was thinking about Qin Wanrong, it was obvious that Qin Wanrong also wanted to stay. And with Lady Mo's words, if she still insisted on taking Qin Wanrong away, it would mean that she was ignoring her daughter's wishes, and her image in front of others would be completely ruined.
Gritting her teeth secretly, Mrs. Qin then turned to Qin Wanrong and said, "But Wanrong, you need to take the medicinal soup three times a day. Each time you take it, you can't miss the time. Once you miss the time, your condition will get worse. It's very inconvenient for you to stay at someone else's house. Why don't you go back with mother? If you really want to learn the zither from the princess, mother will send you to the prince's mansion every day."
This was exactly what Su Yuanyuan had been waiting for. She lifted a cute and innocent smile and said, "Mrs. Qin, wouldn't it be more tiring for Sister Qin to travel back and forth every day? Yuanbao has a good idea. How about you send someone to deliver the medicine on time every day? I'll personally supervise Sister Wanrong to take it."