After a few minutes of discussion, they reached a conclusion: act as if they knew nothing.
When Mrs. Shen heard that her daughter had been rescued, she heaved a sigh of relief, but was also worried about her daughter's safety! For she had no idea who had rescued Shen Miao and whether they would harm her.
As the days passed, her grandmother's birthday was approaching. With things here coming to an end, Shen Li set off for the Hua Mansion in Yangzhou with her maids.
The carriage rolled slowly along, kicking up a gentle cloud of dust. Mingyue lifted the curtain and called out to the coachman, "Take your time. Drive slowly. We mustn't let our young mistress jolt around."
The interior of the carriage was quite ornate. A small table was filled with all kinds of pastries. Jiaoyue handed one to Shen Li.
"Young mistress, Mingyue just told me she'll sit by the door and keep an eye on the coachman, so I'll stay here with you."
Shen Li took the pastry, crushed it gently, and ate it slowly. It melted in her mouth, indicating good quality.
She picked up a handkerchief to wipe her hands. "Where's Hanyue?"
Jiaoyue brewed a pot of tea for Shen Li and handed it to her unhurriedly.
"Young mistress, have a sip of tea to warm yourself up. It's getting colder by the day. Hanyue said she's going to meet an old acquaintance and will catch up with us later."
Shen Li fell silent. An old acquaintance? She was afraid Hanyue still couldn't let go of Yunlan and wanted to see her one last time before leaving.
Before long, they heard the coachman cry out "Whoa!" The horse stopped running. Mingyue came in. "Young mistress, we've arrived at the Hua Mansion. I'll get a stool for you to get off."
The stool was placed under the carriage's partition. With the support of Mingyue and Jiaoyue, Shen Li got off. After all, she had to maintain the dignity of a young mistress.
The Hua Mansion looked imposing. The gilded characters on the plaque hinted at the family's former prosperity. But the gates were tightly shut, and there was no one on guard. It gave an air of desolation.
Mingyue looked around in confusion. "Young mistress, what's going on? Didn't they say the Hua family used to..."
Jiaoyue quickly tugged at Mingyue's hand, signaling her to stop. She pointed at the gate of the Hua Mansion. "Young mistress, I'll go knock on the door. You wait here for a while."
Jiaoyue knocked on the door loudly. Sure enough, someone opened it. A young servant only opened the door a crack and sized Jiaoyue up and down. "Who are you? What do you want at the Hua Mansion? If you're here to ask for a donation, sorry, the Hua family has none."
Saying that, the servant was about to close the door. Jiaoyue quickly blocked it and explained, "Brother, you've got it all wrong. Our young mistress is here to visit her grandmother. If you don't believe me, you can ask the old lady. Our young mistress's name is Shen Li."
The servant nodded. "Wait a minute. I'll go ask our mistress." Then he closed the door without a second thought.
Jiaoyue kicked the door in anger. "What a blind fool!" But when she turned around, her angry expression softened. She lowered her head and walked up to Shen Li.
"Young mistress, we sent a letter in advance. The people of the Hua Mansion should have known you were coming. They don't have to welcome you, but they shouldn't keep us out like this."
Mingyue also seemed indignant. "Yes, young mistress! There seems to be something fishy about this. Could it be that the letter didn't reach the Hua Mansion?"
Shen Li waved her hand, signaling them to stop talking.
"Maybe the letter was delayed and they haven't received it yet. It doesn't hurt to wait outside. The air in Yangzhou always has a fresh smell of grass. It's quite pleasant."
Hearing this, Jiaoyue took a deep breath and couldn't help nodding in approval.
Soon the entire gate was opened. Two or three servants struggled to push it open. An elderly man in servant's clothes walked towards them with a smile.
"So it's Miss Shen! Please come in. Follow me. I'm the steward of the Hua Mansion. If you need anything or have any questions, you can tell me."
Unexpectedly, the steward led Shen Li and her two maids to a side hall and served them the cheapest tea.
Shen Li couldn't help frowning. "May I ask if my grandmother is here?"
The steward's hand paused as he was pouring tea. He said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, Miss Shen. The old lady has gone to the temple to pray today. I'll have to receive you for now."
Jiaoyue looked at the leaky side hall and got angry. Although they were here seeking refuge, they shouldn't be treated like this. After all, Shen Li's status was still there.
She immediately handed the tea to the steward. "Is this the tea for our young mistress? You might as well not have served it! Is there no one in the Hua Mansion except the old lady? Our young mistress has had a long and tiring journey. Is this how you treat her?"
The steward quickly took the tea and apologized repeatedly. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his left sleeve and bowed awkwardly. "Please don't make things difficult for me, miss. I can't confirm your identity either!"
Jiaoyue's face immediately changed. She wasn't a gentle lady. She kicked over a stool. "What do you mean you can't confirm my young mistress's identity? Can't you see her noble air?"
Jiaoyue wouldn't allow anyone to question her young mistress's identity. After all, it was a matter of her reputation. The steward was in a difficult position. He could only continue to bow and walk up to Shen Li. "Miss, I'm sorry if I said something wrong, but the Hua Mansion can't be stepped on by just anyone. Please..."
Shen Li naturally understood the implication. The people of the big family probably couldn't tolerate her maid's rudeness. She pulled Jiaoyue back and sat there calmly.
The steward felt as if he was serving a Buddha. He was under a lot of pressure. He could only continue in a rather humble tone. "Please don't be angry, miss. Our mistress is still in the mansion. I'll go and invite her now. After all, I'm just a servant and can't make decisions on my own."
Shen Li hadn't been in the Hua Mansion for many years and didn't know the family structure. But at this moment, it was the best solution. So she nodded and said, "Go ahead. I'll wait here."
The steward immediately looked relieved, as if he had been released from prison. He rushed out happily, thinking that he had finally solved this big problem.
But they waited for a long time. Two more cups of tea, better than the previous ones, were served, but the so - called mistress still didn't show up. Jiaoyue was getting impatient. She went out to take a look and found no one.
Her whole face was wrinkled. "Young mistress, do you think they're lying to us? Maybe they just don't want to take care of us and are waiting for us to leave when it gets dark."
Shen Li didn't think so. After all, the steward had been polite at first. He couldn't have ignored this matter. It was probably that the mistress was a difficult person to deal with.