Gu Jin followed the old master into the palace, while Song Pan'er was at the residence of the first lady, chatting for a bit before seeing her busy with the wedding arrangements for the second branch's third young master and taking her leave to return to her own Quiet Garden.

  On her way back, she was still muttering in her heart: How could the second aunt be so calm? Her eldest son got married and she pushed all the things to the main house?

  Is it just because Erniang is a stepmother? This behavior makes even Song Xiang'er himself look bad, no wonder people don't respect Erniang.

  Song Pan'er smiled slightly and returned to the courtyard.

  She has been feeling unwell and tired for the past few days.

  She thought it was just a car accident and didn't mind, leaning on the bed to take a nap.

  The room was warm with a heated kang and a brazier, but it felt a bit stuffy.

  Song Pan'er shouted at Nian Lu to pour tea.

  Instead, it was another maid wearing a pomegranate-red dress, smiling as she handed her a cup of hot tea.

  This maid was sent by the madam, about 16 or 17 years old, with a steady demeanor, and should be in charge of things. Her name is Mu Qing, all the maids and aunties in the courtyard respect her, either calling her Sister Mu Qing or Miss Mu Qing, rarely addressing her directly by name.

  Song Pan'er understood that Mu Qing was originally a high-ranking maid beside the madam. Song Pan'er was a guest, and the madam's person wouldn't make things difficult for her, so she slightly bowed her head and took the tea over.

  "What about Peony and Nenluo?" Song Panger asked with a smile while sipping her tea, "I've been back for half a day, but I haven't seen either of them. They must have gone off somewhere - these country girls are really careless."

  She is always so modest.

  The people below were all at a loss for words.

  Mu Qing replied cleverly with a smile, "The two sisters had eaten and said they wanted to take a walk in the garden. It's rare for them to come to Beijing once, so let's take a look at the garden's appearance. I was afraid that Third Madame would return and there would be no one to attend to her. So I told them that when Third Madame returns, I will handle everything, and only then did the two sisters leave."

  She took it upon herself.

  Song Pan'er had always been very lenient towards her capable maids. They were also young girls, with hot blood and eager to go out for a walk, which wasn't a big deal.

  She smiled and continued drinking tea, saying nothing more.

  Mu Qing thought to herself: Before she came to work in this courtyard, the old ladies at home all said that Third Madame was difficult to serve and extremely strict with her servants. She wouldn't let off anyone who made a slight mistake.

  Mu Qing was also quite afraid, in case Third Madam found fault, Eldest Madam would have to deal with Mu Qing for the sake of Third Madam's face.

  She had finally become a top maid by the madam's side after much difficulty.

  Now that I've observed her for two days, the third madam's temperament is indeed more open and cheerful. Unlike the first madam who is dignified, or the second madam who puts on airs, she is a straightforward person. She is also kind and gentle to the people she brought with her.

  What he said is completely different from what those old ladies at home said.

  Just then, I heard a faint cry from the adjacent Xiangfang Pavilion.

  Song Pan'er was taken aback, and then her brow furrowed: The Xiu Fang Pavilion and this courtyard are only separated by two courtyards, so the crying sounds from that side can be heard here. In that case, the whispers and laughter in Jing Yuan can also be heard in Xiu Fang Pavilion.

  She almost forgot about it.

  Everything is inconvenient.

  Song Pan'er regretted that she couldn't immediately return to Yanling Fu.

  This national government house is not even half as big as their family's garden in Yanling Fu, yet it houses nearly four times the number of people. How crowded it is!

  "Who's crying?" Song Pan'er asked Mu Qing.

  Mu Qing lowered his voice and said, "I'll go take a look?"

  She has a way to find out about the second house.

  Song Pan'er thought: It's none of her business. If the second wife finds out, she'll send someone to gather information and who knows what she'll be saying behind her back.

  She just went to Beijing to visit relatives, why bother with this and that?

  But curiosity got the better of her and she really wanted to know what had happened.

  I don't know, but I always feel uneasy in my heart. It's as if I've been kept in the dark by others.

  "Second Mistress knows, and she'll blame me for being nosy again..." Song Pan'er smiled lightly.

  Mu Qingli said: "I have a sworn sister serving in the second lady's place. Just ask about something, it won't be enough to disturb the second lady."

  She can guarantee not to cause trouble.

  Song Pan'er nodded slightly.

  Mo Qing got what he wanted and left.

  As soon as she left, Song Pan'er felt a little regretful: what if this girl had a relationship with the second house and couldn't get to the truth, but instead told the second house about Song Pan'er's curiosity, wouldn't that be self-inflicted humiliation?

  Just then, Song Pan'er's two maids, Yuanyu and Nianlu, also returned.

  But in an instant, the crying from the second house suddenly grew louder again.

  Everyone is very curious.

  Song Pan'er's heart was even more itchy, looking forward to Mu Qing's return and response.

  Mo Qing went out for a stroll and after half an hour, he had carefully inquired about the whole thing.

  She didn't come back to Song Duan'er's place first, but instead went to Madame's side.

  “……Miss Five was furious, saying something that made Miss Four and Miss Six cry. The second madam still protected Miss Five, helping to speak ill of Miss Four and Miss Six. The two sisters were even more wronged, crying pitifully. The sound of crying could be heard from the third madam's side.” Mu Qing whispered in the eastern wing, speaking with the first madam.

  Madam's eyebrows slightly frowned: "Peng Jie is usually strong, how do you know it's not because the sisters are eating food, hair accessories are uneven, and they're making a fuss? The second madam holds Peng Jie in her hands, letting Shan Jie and Wan Jie suffer everywhere. Those two sisters aren't easy to deal with either. You're telling me about this matter as if it's a big deal?"

  The second daughter of the Fifth House is called Gu Peizhi.

  The fourth sister's name was Gu Shan Zhi and the sixth sister's name was Gu Wan Zhi.

  Because Second Mistress valued Fifth Sister the most, among the three sisters, Fifth Sister was the most arrogant and overbearing, trampling Fourth Sister and Sixth Sister underfoot.

  Those Fourth and Sixth Sisters were not timid or foolish either, how could they be so cheaply bullied by Fifth Sister?

  So, it's common for the three sisters to quarrel.

  Mu Qing was originally clever, but Madam didn't understand why she came to tell her about such a small matter.

  "It's not because of the food or the jewelry. Mu Qing's voice was even lower, "It also mentioned the Seventh Miss who just returned. The Third Madam asked me to investigate. Since it involved the Seventh Miss, I didn't know how to respond, so I had to report back to the madam first and then reply to the Third Madam."

  The lady's eyes had already shown some unusual color.

  To be honest, Madame didn't quite understand either why Sanfang suddenly returned to Beijing.

  At first, the eldest son Gu Chenzhi returned from Yanling Mansion and said that the people of the three houses were not enthusiastic about the marriage of the third young master, and it was a long way. They can't let them spend the New Year on the road, so they shouldn't be back.

  This is reasonable.

  As a result, Sanfang returned, bringing his family with him. However, he didn't seem to plan on staying for long, only bringing simple luggage and a few servants.

  "What did you say to Seventh Miss?" Madam asked back.

  "They're saying that Seventh Miss went into the palace with Old Master this morning... and also said that Seventh Miss took Fifth Miss's place, and Fifth Miss is going to come find our master to talk." Mu Qing looked anxious, glancing at Madame's expression.

  The lady listened and did not get angry. On the contrary, she smiled.

  That was a sarcastic smile.

  "What nonsense!" said the lady, "idle chatter."

  The second wife is worried that the third wife will bring Seventh Sister into the capital to replace Second Wife's daughter as a concubine.

  Mrs. Ke knew it clearly in her heart that the old master wanted to let his niece from the house enter the palace, which was to solidify his favor. The fifth daughter of the second room, Erqie, had grown into a charming and moving beauty.

  The third daughter of the seven sisters looks silly and still has a childish air about her.

  Gu's family would rather be short of a daughter-in-law than send Seventh Sister away.

  The second wife's people started worrying, a group of inexperienced ones.

  However, Seventh Young Lady entered the palace for what reason, both Madam and Master were equally shocked and couldn't guess.

  The old master has already entered the palace to inquire about the situation.

  "...only mentioning the two young ladies of the second house. They quarreled because of uneven distribution of jewelry." The first lady said to Mu Qing, "The third lady is not easy-going either. You told her and she has already made an enemy of the second house."

  Madam didn't instruct him to do so, Mu Qing would have also handled it in a way that avoided trouble.

  She just made an excuse to ask Mrs. Zhang, and reported the dynamics of the second house to Mrs. Zhang.

  The lady sent her to serve in the courtyard of the third wife. Although it was not explicitly stated, the actual meaning is: let her carefully observe the movements of the second and third wives. Don't cause any unpleasantness on a happy day.

  It is said that the third madam had a falling out with the second madam before she left Beijing.

  The goal was achieved, Mu Qing returned to Jingyuan and told the story as Mrs. Zhuo had instructed.

  Song Pan'er didn't suspect anything else and smiled with pursed lips.

  The current wife of Er Fang, Ye Shi, is his second wife. She has only given birth to three daughters after entering the household and has never had a son.

  Song Paner had previously quarreled with her and used this matter to attack her.

  As a result, contrary to Song Pan'er's expectations, her three daughters were all beautiful on the outside but foolish on the inside.

  By dusk, Song Xiang'er sent a maid to wait for Gu Jin's return at the Weeping Flower Gate.

  Ke Gujin and Lao Yezi have not returned yet.

  The old master Gu Yanwu replied: "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has kept Jin sister to talk, so she will rest in the palace for the time being."

  He was a cautious man, knowing that the Empress Dowager's illness was a great taboo and could not be mentioned casually. He only told his wife, Ning Shi, about it, while keeping everyone else in the household in the dark. As for the Empress Dowager's request to have Gu Yuanyu stay behind to attend to her illness, he simply glossed over it as mere conversation.

  His thick eyebrows slightly frowned, and he was also shocked: When he entered the palace, Gu Jinzhi was taking the pulse of Empress Dowager...

  Isn't it Old Master Ye letting Gu Jinzhi enter the capital to treat Empress Dowager's stubborn illness?

  Ridiculous!

  The old master's words stirred up a thousand waves in the Gu family.

  The fifth daughter couldn't stop her tears in front of everyone.

  The old master's eyes had a few more points of majesty.

  The fifth sister was frightened and cried even harder. The fourth and sixth sisters had to support her out, without eating dinner.

  The Second Master and Second Mistress glared angrily at Gu Yanjin and Song Tanchun.

  Gu Yanzheng and Song Pan'er were also in a fog.

  They naturally knew about their own daughter's abilities and also knew the old master's purpose in letting Gu Jinzhi enter the palace. However, they didn't know why the second wife reacted so strongly?

  Even if Empress Dowager likes Gu Jinzhi, why is Fifth Young Lady crying?

  A dinner that was eaten very unhappily.

  After returning to the house, Song Pan'er said to Gu Yanjin: "The family must be sending Bo Jie into the palace. Otherwise, I heard that the Empress Dowager likes Jin Jie, why is she crying?"

  Gu Yanwen disliked reckless discussions about the imperial family, so he said: "We understand in our hearts, they are confused, let them cry, it's none of our business. Be careful, disaster comes from the mouth."

  ——*——*——*——

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