Chapter 87 Stirring Up Trouble

The group was taken aback when they heard that it was someone from the Second Master's side.

Granny Pei asked suspiciously, "Returning something? What did Second Master borrow from us to return? How come I didn't know?"

Tong'er, who had just lost several games in a row and was pounding her chest in frustration, suddenly remembered the time she and her maid had encountered the Second Master in the courtyard. She stood up and said:

"I'll go out and see what's going on. It'll be good for me to clear my head. You all continue."

Lian Qiao glanced at Yu Qingci and whispered to Granny Pei about what happened that day.

Soon Tong'er returned from outside, her little face flushed red, and she said angrily:

"It's Bi'er, the Second Master's concubine. She's standing at the gate of our courtyard looking all seductive. She says she's here on the Second Master's orders to deliver something to the Young Mistress. When I asked her for it, she refused and insisted on giving it to the Young Mistress herself. She's really clueless. What kind of talk is this?

Pei Mama and Yu Qingci also frowned. The eldest brother-in-law from the next room was sending things to his widowed sister-in-law, and he was so open about it at the door. What exactly was Lu Yunbo trying to do?

Granny Pei's face immediately darkened: "Does Second Master intend to ruin Young Madam's reputation? How despicable!"

Having served in the inner quarters for so many years, Granny Pei quickly sensed something was amiss. Even if something really needed to be delivered, she couldn't send her own maidservant to deliver it.

So he said to Yu Qingci, "Young mistress, you don't need to pay attention to this kind of person, but you can't let this girl stand outside attracting attention. Let this old servant go out and meet her."

Yu Qingci nodded. Having lived two lives, she was no naive young girl. From Lu Yunbo's recent behavior, she could easily tell that he was hiding some filthy thoughts, and she felt even more disgusted with him.

Granny Pei specially selected two rough-working women from the garden to keep by her side.

When Granny Pei reached the courtyard gate, she saw the maid Bi'er, dressed in light clothing and looking pretty, shuffling her feet in the cold wind, her face red from the cold and already showing signs of impatience.

Seeing Granny Pei come out, Bi'er hurriedly went up to her and asked:

"But does the young mistress want to see me?"

Granny Pei looked Bi'er up and down and deliberately said, "Oh, isn't this Miss Bi'er from Second Master's courtyard? What brings you here so late?"

Bi'er was very favored by Lu Yunbo, and many maids and servants fawned over her, so she was somewhat arrogant. Having waited in the cold wind for so long, she was already quite impatient and said rudely:

"I already told you that Second Master sent me. Quickly take me to see the young mistress."

Seeing that he was someone who didn't know his place, Granny Pei sneered, "Who do you think you are, worthy of seeing our young mistress?"

Bi'er opened her eyes wide indignantly and retorted, "How can you talk like that, nanny? I serve by the Second Master's side. Our Second Master repeatedly instructed me to hand the things over to the Young Madam in person. This nanny would better let me in, otherwise it will be the Young Madam's business that is delayed."

Granny Pei: "So it was your Second Master who instructed you to make a scene at the entrance of Guanlan Courtyard? It seems the people in the West Courtyard are becoming increasingly unruly, sending out any Tom, Dick, or Harry to annoy people."

Bi'er's face flushed red with anger: "You..."

Granny Pei: "What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'stop talking nonsense'? What exactly did your master send you here to deliver? Either give it to me, or get back home."

Bi'er had been waiting here for a long time and was already impatient. She was also secretly blaming her second master for insisting that she come to deliver things in such cold weather, saying that the more people who knew, the better, making her stand in the cold wind all day.

Helpless, she dared not disobey her master's orders, so she stubbornly replied:

"Who do you think you are, daring to act so high and mighty in front of me? Our Second Master said that I must give it to the Young Madam in person."

Granny Pei sneered repeatedly and turned to look around.

Although it was late, it was not yet curfew time in the manor. Because of the commotion that Bi'er had deliberately caused, several restless figures had already appeared around.

Granny Pei: "In that case, let's go and make things clear with the Second Madam. What did your Second Master ask you to deliver so late at night? Why did you have to hand it over to our Young Madam in person? It's not good for word to get out that this is a compromising situation."

After saying that, he winked at the two old women behind him, and they came over and were about to turn around and walk back with Bi'er.

Bi'er was startled. Why was this nanny acting so unpredictably? Shouldn't she be called in quickly to prevent the servants outside from overhearing and spreading gossip?

Bi'er cried out anxiously, "Granny, listen to me! It really was our Second Master who sent me to deliver something."

Granny Pei: "Stop nagging. No matter what a distant brother-in-law has to do, he shouldn't send his own maid to deliver the message. He doesn't even know the importance of propriety. It's clear that the Second Madam hasn't taught him properly."

After saying that, she ordered the old woman to drag Bi'er away. Bi'er knew that if she was really taken to the Second Madam and disgraced the Second Madam's family, the Second Madam would not care whether it was her son's order or not, and would only beat her to death.

Startled, he hurriedly said, "I'll take it out."

Breaking free from the old woman, Bi'er reluctantly took out a pale yellow purse embroidered with twin lotus flowers from her bosom and handed it over.

Granny Pei took the purse and opened it. Inside were a pair of exquisitely crafted, gilded, openwork incense balls, each the size of a pigeon's egg. Holding them in her hand, she could faintly smell a lingering floral fragrance.

Pei Mama knew everything about Yu Qingci's daily necessities, so she only glanced at the pair of scented balls and said with certainty:

"Where did Second Master find this? It doesn't belong to our young mistress."

Bi'er said irritably, "This wasn't picked up by our Second Master. It's something that the Young General used before. Our Second Master specifically asked me to bring it over to the Young Madam."

Granny Pei carefully examined the incense ball in her hand. These kinds of things are usually quite private. Even if it is the young general's, it can't be given to the young mistress now that it has been touched by another man. Otherwise, who knows what people will say if word gets out.

Granny Pei said, "You said it belongs to the young general, but our young mistress has never seen it before. Rather than giving it to the young mistress, why not send it to the old lady? It will be a keepsake."

Bi'er blurted out, "But our Second Master said..."

Pei Mama: "Shut up! I think you are trying to ruin your second master's reputation. Your second master is educated, after all. Doesn't he even understand the basic principle that men and women should not touch each other?"

"It's clearly you talking nonsense, or are you deliberately sending things that should have been delivered to the Old Madam to our Guanlan Courtyard? What are you really up to?"

Bi'er's eyes widened even more: "No, I already said that Second Master asked me to deliver it. You old woman, don't try to argue with me. Be careful, or I'll tell Second Master and you'll be in big trouble!"

Granny Pei: "Oh, are you trying to scare people with your unreliable second master? I want to ask you, what exactly is a distant cousin trying to do by sending his maid over in the middle of the night to deliver some keepsake?"

No matter what filthy thoughts you harbor, our young mistress has no time to bother with you.

After saying that, he didn't waste any more words with her. He waved his hand and told the old woman to take Bi'er away to the second house.