Throw out the bait and wait for Su Qingli to take the bait
If the two of them work together, they can save time and effort, which will just save Xiaoxiang's teaching time.
Su Qingli had never been so eager to use the money in her hand, if for no other reason than to make more money and pay off the debt as soon as possible.
"Miss Jiang, if your friend needs anything, please feel free to ask. I can act as the middleman."
The nanny was eagerly waiting for Su Qingli to say this.
She threw the bait as instructed, and Su Qingli took the bait as expected. After the mission was accomplished, she could report back.
"Thank you, Madam. We will meet at the Juxian Tea House outside the Qi Mansion tomorrow at 7:55. I will bring my friends with me to discuss cooperation matters."
Su Qingli thought that there was a lunch break, and she could use this time to go out of the house to do some work.
She has to get up early tomorrow morning to inform Xiaoxiang that Qingzhu is still recuperating on the bed and cannot move, so she needs to do everything herself.
After the matter was finalized, Su Qingli said goodbye to the nanny and returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Fu Xuechen was not at home. He had disappeared since he ordered his subordinates to beat Qingzhu. Su Qingli was angry and thought that out of sight, out of mind.
Before Qingzhu's injury healed, Su Qingli didn't want to see Fu Xuechen, but after not seeing him for two or three days, she felt that the Prime Minister's Mansion was empty and cold, and she was all alone.
At dawn, before daybreak, Su Qingli rushed to Xiaoxiang's home.
She had stayed overnight at Xiaoxiang's house last time, so she remembered the way to Xiaoxiang's house in her mind. She often went to Yunshuijian without any appointments, so it was difficult for them to meet.
"Miss, why do you come to my house so early?" Xiaoxiang stayed up all night to finish the embroidery and was so sleepy that she could hardly open her eyelids. She yawned and handed Su Qingli a cup of tea.
Su Qingli sipped thirstily to moisten her throat and cut to the chase, "Xiaoxiang, I have to go to the Qi Mansion to teach soon. Please come to the Juxian Tea House, not far from the Qi Mansion, at 7:30 pm. I've found an embroiderer, but I'm still waiting to finalize the deal."
"I will keep the appointment as Miss asked. Since Miss has something to do, I will not keep you in my humble abode."
Xiaoxiang smiled and nodded. She was willing to have an extra embroiderer to share her busy embroidery work.
She was so tired of making the first batch of sachets that she worked day and night with needles and thread that her hands were covered with calluses. Her neck hurt for several days before it gradually recovered.
"There's one more thing I must explain clearly. I went to the Qi Mansion to be a tutor under a false identity. You can just call me Miss Jiang. Don't let it slip. This is the salary I received yesterday. It's quite substantial, just enough to hire an embroiderer."
Su Qingli was very meticulous and suddenly seemed to have thought of something. Before leaving, she solemnly reminded Xiaoxiang not to make any mistakes.
If her background aroused suspicion, the Qi family would lose their jobs and the necessary income. If the matter was brought to the government, they would be in big trouble.
Thinking of Fu Xuechen's harsh words, Su Qingli didn't dare to make any mistakes at all. She couldn't afford to gamble with the lives of her family members.
At seven o'clock in the afternoon, Xiaoxiang appeared at Juxian Tea House at the agreed place and time.
Su Qingli stood up and waved at her.
Xiaoxiang quickly walked through the tea drinkers and came to the tea table where Su Qingli was sitting. Next to Su Qingli sat a young woman and an older lady.
The older woman was none other than the maid from the Qi residence. She looked at Xiaoxiang and asked with a smile, "Miss Jiang, is this the embroiderer named Xiaoxiang you mentioned?"
"Indeed, her embroidery is also excellent, on par with your niece Hongyu's. Two embroiderers with similar skills will have a better rapport when they work together, and neither can hold the other back."
Su Qingli knew that Xiaoxiang was not the kind of person who cared about trivial matters, so it would be okay for her to do more work. Xiaoxiang had always been hardworking and willing to work when she followed her in the Marquis' Mansion.
Besides, every inch has its own strengths and weaknesses, and unevenness is a common phenomenon.
But she didn't understand Hongyu's personality and behavior. Fortunately, Xiaoxiang's embroidery skills were not bad, so even if she was picky, there was no gap for her to fit in.
"Miss Jiang is absolutely right. Miss Hongyu and I are equally capable, so we might be able to work together harmoniously. I just don't know how much Miss Hongyu would charge."
Xiaoxiang tactfully continued Su Qingli's words, speaking in a tone like a boss, which fooled Nanny and Hongyu into believing her.
The nanny shook Hongyu's arm, urging her to make the decision herself. "Hongyu girl, name a price. Let's see if you can come to an agreement."
"Since this person was introduced by Mammy, I won't ask for a high price. I'll just go with the market price. What do you think, Miss Xiaoxiang?"
Hongyu seldom spoke. It was usually the nanny who was talkative and chatted enthusiastically with others. If she didn't say anything, it would be fine. But when she spoke, people could feel her generosity.
"Excellent! I'll pay you a deposit based on the market price and hire you. Starting tomorrow, you'll be embroidering sachets with me!"
Xiaoxiang likes Hongyu's personality. She is usually quiet, but decisive and opinionated at critical moments.
Hongyu thought for a moment, "Miss Xiaoxiang is very sincere. How about we meet at Juxian Tea House at this time tomorrow?"
"Okay, I'll pay you the deposit right away. Miss Hongyu is a straightforward person, so I should also be straightforward in paying." Xiaoxiang took off the purse from her waist and used the salary that Su Qingli gave her as a deposit. This was also what Su Qingli meant.
After all, they were in a hurry to find an embroiderer. If they missed Hongyu, they would have to look for another one. It was not easy to find an embroiderer in the capital who had embroidery skills comparable to Xiaoxiang and could negotiate a reasonable price.
Hongyu said the market price was neither high nor low, and this amount of money was enough as a deposit.
Su Qingli glanced at Xiaoxiang in the teahouse. Since Hongyu had agreed, there was no point for her to stay here. The time for teaching qin art was approaching. "I still have to go teach Miss Jiang the second qin art class. You two can chat slowly."
After resolving this matter, Su Qingli worked as a private tutor in the Qi Mansion for nearly ten days, and Qingzhu was able to get out of bed and walk around.
But Fu Xuechen seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth and had not been seen for a long time.
"Qian Jue, could it be that the Prime Minister has been away from the capital for some time? Why hasn't he returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Every night, Fu Xuechen's room was empty. She noticed it before going to bed every night and also observed it when she left the house in the morning.
If he was in the capital, it would be impossible for him not to return to the Prime Minister's Mansion for so long.
Qian Jue is Fu Xuechen's close attendant, but he has been staying at the mansion these days and has been following Fu Xuechen all the time.
She had reason to suspect that Fu Xuechen was not in the capital.
"Madam, the Prime Minister is very busy with official duties. His Majesty has entrusted him with an important task, and he has no time to spare." Qian Jue gave a vague answer.
Qian Jue refused to explain, and Su Qingli did not ask any further questions.
It was not her business as a woman to ask about matters in the court. Fu Xuechen was an official appointed by the court, so he did not need to report to her where he went or what he did.
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