"This kind of aristocratic family never interacts with ordinary officials..." Aunt Qiao said, "Perhaps there are important matters at the court. We can't even see him, so why should we consider these things?"

The girl whispered, "I heard from the maidservant outside the master's study that the Duke of England has a daughter who's been living away from home, and somehow they found out she's in our house. It seems they've found the child and are bringing her to see the Duke of England, but I don't know who she is."

Aunt Qiao, who had been languid at first, suddenly opened her eyes upon hearing this. She stood up and pinched the girl's hand: "Are you saying that there is a young lady from the Duke of England in our house?"

"I heard it from the servants, I don't know who it was. But the Duke of England came to recognize his relatives, and he wants to take this wandering young lady back with him."

Aunt Qiao suddenly thought of Zhao Mingzhu. She was just a distant niece adopted by the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, yet they treated her with such grandeur. If she were the real Duke of Yingguo's daughter, it would be outrageous. This rich young lady had been living away from home, and now the Duke of Yingguo had come to recognize her personally. It showed how much he valued her!

No wonder the British Guild came to the Luo family.

Aunt Qiao really wanted to know who had this blessing. If she really saw him, she would hold his hand and talk to him carefully. She would never be able to marry him again. She hurriedly asked the maid, "Do you know which branch of the family he is from?"

The girl just shook her head. How could she know? She had only heard it from others.

Aunt Qiao couldn't sit still any longer. She had just found out about such a big thing! She quickly asked the maid to help her up and go back to change her clothes. Maybe she could even have a few words with the Duke of England's daughter later.

*

The flower hall gradually became lively.

Luo Yining heard the commotion outside and didn't know what it was all about. And from the sound, it seemed that the voice was gradually coming towards Luming Hall.

The two maids who came in were from her father's family, followed by two strangers. When they saw her, they knelt on the ground with their heads lowered, showing great respect.

"Seventh Miss, the master invites you to the flower hall. A distinguished guest is coming to the mansion." The leading maid bowed to Yining with a smile and said to Xuezhi, "Sister Xuezhi, please help Seventh Miss change into luxurious clothes."

Yining had no idea what was going on. She lowered her eyes and looked at her clothes.

It was quite nice, a plain blue satin jacket and a snow-white skirt. Why should she dress nicely now? As long as it wasn't shabby, it was fine.

"No need to change, this dress is plain. Master, did you tell me what you want to see me about?" Luo Yining asked calmly.

The two girls exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Seeing they didn't answer, Luo Yining walked straight ahead without even glancing at them. Luo Chengzhang had just sealed her private vault, and she didn't know why he wanted her there now. She could go if he asked her to. She wasn't afraid of anything anyway. She was already chilled to the bone, and no matter what, that was it.

The two girls kneeling on the ground quickly stood up and immediately followed her, saying, "Miss, please be careful with the steps."

Yining felt a little puzzled. She turned around to look at the two maids. They were wearing silk jackets and were not maids in the mansion at all.

Xuezhi walked up to Yining and gently held her shoulders.

No matter what, they were always here. Yining let out a soft breath and walked towards the flower hall.

Many guards stood around the hall, swords slung over their shoulders. Yi Ning stood outside for a long time, her clothes rustling slightly in the wind, before she finally ascended the steps.

There weren't many people sitting in the hall; most were standing. Seeing the Seventh Young Lady, the woman being punished, arrive, the maids and servants all lowered their eyes. She had indeed fallen on hard times. The clothes she wore were not even as good as those of a young lady born out of wedlock. Yi Ning pretended she couldn't see anything. She stared silently ahead. Who was that person, sitting between the two guards, holding a cup of tea?

He was tall, his features handsome due to their depth. If it weren't for a mole at the end of his brow that softened his expression, he would have looked stern. He wore a robe with a right-side opening, but his wrists were bound with deerskin, and his waist was wrapped with a jade leather belt with a unicorn pattern. This man must be at least a marquis...Yining also felt that his appearance was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

Wei Ling heard the noise and looked straight toward the entrance to the flower hall. Standing there was a girl, about twelve or thirteen years old. Her fair, slightly round face, a pair of charming almond-shaped eyes, and a small, crimson mole on the edge of her eyebrow. She looked very slender, yet already possessed the delicate grace of a young girl. She was dressed simply, and she seemed to have noticed him, her clear eyes filled with a strange, scrutinizing gaze.

Wei Ling was speechless the moment he saw her. An indescribable feeling, perhaps due to blood ties, spurred him to closeness. He wondered how delicate she was, and wondered if she should be protected. Glancing at her clothing, he felt a pang of pain in his heart. Zhao Mingzhu's family used brocade woven with peacock feathers, a single bolt worth five or six hundred taels of silver.

But his own child was being treated like this in the Luo family.

Luo Shenyuan waved Yining over.

Luo Chengzhang was still immersed in what Zheng's mother said. Seeing Yining, he felt even more uncomfortable and turned his face away, not wanting to see her.

"Yining, come to Third Brother." Luo Shenyuan held her hand, "I have something to tell you, come with me."

Yi Ning saw that the man had also stood up, and then she heard her third brother whisper in her ear, "That's the Duke of Ying."

The two of them entered the side room, and Wei Ling followed in a moment later. Yi Ning didn't know what Luo Shenyuan was up to. Of course, she knew about the Duke of Yingguo. Lu Jiaxue was a good friend of the Duke of Yingguo, and Zhao Mingzhu was also an adopted child of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion. But what was the Duke of Yingguo doing here?

Yi Ning turned around and saw the Duke of Ying squatting in front of her. Because he was tall, he had to bend down to meet her eye level. He knew he looked a bit fierce, so he didn't want to scare the girl, so he gave her a kind smile: "Your name is Yi Ning, right?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!