Du Yutong quickly said to Zhu'er, "Go out and see who's here!"
"Wait, it must be Gao Mu bringing the package."
Qiuju quickly followed him out, and as expected, a palace maid outside the door asked, "Is Miss Jiang staying here?"
Qiu Ju immediately recognized him as Gao Mu.
"What brings you to my young lady's residence, young lady?"
The palace maid pointed in the direction of the corridor and said, "A guard is delivering something outside. Please send someone out to meet him, Miss Jiang."
Qiuju then remembered that this place was inhabited entirely by women, and men were not allowed to enter.
Thank you.
Qiuju thanked the maid who brought the message and said to Zhu'er, "I'm worried that Miss will get cold, so I brought a lot of things. Could you please help me, Zhu'er, to get them with me?"
"Sister Qiuju, you're too kind. Let's go together."
While their young mistress was talking to Miss Jiang inside, Zhu'er greeted her and the two quickly walked outside.
Gao Mu stood under the corridor, carrying a bundle in one hand and a wicker box in the other, looking around.
Upon seeing Qiuju and Zhuer approaching, he strode up to them.
"A palace maid just asked me to give them some things to take inside, but I was worried about that, so I'm passing on this message to you."
“That’s right, the things a young lady uses should not be handled by strangers.”
Qiuju took the bundle and handed it to Zhuer, then took the heavy rattan trunk herself and praised Gao Mu at length.
Qiuju didn't ask where Gao Mu lived, she just said, "You can go back now."
He took the rattan trunk and walked back with Pearl.
On the way back, Zhu'er looked at Qiuju with envy, "Brother Gao treats Sister Qiuju so well, Sister Qiuju is so lucky."
Qiu Ju was taken aback. "How could you tell he's been nice to me?"
Neither of them said a word. Qiuju was curious, wondering how Zhu'er could tell that the couple had a good relationship.
Zhu'er said with a grin, "I heard it from Miss, and the way Brother Gao looked at you just now was different. That look was just like how my Miss looked at Xue'er when she was playing at the Jiang residence."
"Pfft! Hahaha..."
Qiuju couldn't help but burst into laughter at Zhu'er's words.
She stopped laughing, raised her sleeve, and wiped her eyes. "Sister Zhu'er has good taste. When you look for a husband in the future, find someone like that. Whether someone has eyes for you or not, you can't hide it."
Pearl smiled and nodded vigorously.
Qiuju took the items back to the house, while Jiang Shuyue and Du Yutong sat down to drink tea and chat.
Qiuju took the clothes out of the rattan trunk and hung them in the wardrobe, and then put the makeup box and other items in their respective places.
Seeing Qiuju and Zhuer busy, Jiang Shuyue said, "Stop your work, sit down and have a cup of tea."
When Zhu'er was at the Jiang residence, she had seen her young mistress and Miss Jiang drinking tea and chatting. Qiu Ju and the other maids sat at another tea table, drinking tea and playing with Xue'er.
She saw a small couch and a tea table in the outer room, so she went out and poured two cups of hot tea.
A moment later, Qiuju came out.
About an hour later, a palace maid came to deliver a message, asking the young ladies to go to the plum garden.
Jiang Shuyue and Du Yutong tidied their makeup and headed towards the plum garden.
Many noble ladies were accompanied by two maids, Qiuju and Zhuer, who quietly followed behind their young mistresses.
To get to Meiyuan, the Stone Forest is the only way.
As Jiang Shuyue descended the bluestone steps and passed through the stone forest, she couldn't help but look towards the main hall where Xiao Jingzhao lived.
Du Yutong also saw a path leading elsewhere in the middle of the stone forest.
She glanced into the distance and said, "So the palace is this big. The palace over there is magnificent. Sister Yue'er, let's take a stroll around for a bit."
Seeing Du Yutong's curious expression, Jiang Shuyue suddenly felt a jolt.
She subtly withdrew her gaze, "The princess has arranged quite a few activities in the plum garden today. If you get tired of playing, it would be best to go back to your room and rest early."
"Miss Du, I heard from the palace maids that there will be pitch-pot and poetry writing later. It's much more fun than wandering around."
Qiuju was genuinely worried that Du Yutong would drag her young mistress toward the palace where the emperor lived, so she quickly interjected.
Speaking of poetry, Du Yutong asked, "Sister Yue'er, you are good at writing poetry. Write a couple of poems in a little while and put some people in the limelight."
"What do you mean by that, Yutong? Do you dislike someone?" Jiang Shuyue raised her eyebrows slightly.
"It's not that I dislike anyone, but she always stands out at every banquet. I think Sister Yue'er is more talented than her."
Du Yutong was too embarrassed to say that she used to just watch the various gatherings and performances of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting that the young ladies held.
Jiang Shuyue guessed that Du Yutong was implying something, and she asked, "When you said 'standing out from the crowd,' could it be Miss Cui?"
Jiang Shuyue didn't care whether the young ladies in the social circle were talented or not.
It was all the Emperor's fault for preparing for the imperial concubine selection. Mei'er knew all the young ladies in the capital who wanted to enter the palace for the selection, and which young ladies were both talented and beautiful.
While the master and servants were chatting in the warm pavilion, Mei'er told them the news she had found out.
Cui Yudie was exceptionally talented and had a reputation as a gifted woman, which Jiang Shuyue had naturally heard Mei'er mention before.
"Sister Yue'er guessed right, it's her. Everyone says she's a talented woman, but every time I see her, I always feel like I can't get close to her."
"Sister Yue'er, do you understand the feeling I'm talking about? I admit she's talented, beautiful, and kind."
"But I just have this inexplicable aversion to her. I swear, it's not because I'm jealous of her."
Du Yutong raised one hand as she spoke.
Jiang Shuyue grabbed her hand and pressed it down, saying, "Why are you making any more vows to me? Of course I believe you. You're like a salted fish, you don't have any competitive spirit."
"There's something called a magnetic field between people, you know?"
Du Yutong stopped in her tracks. "What is a magnetic field? And what exactly is a magnetic field?"
Jiang Shuyue explained earnestly, "It's something invisible and intangible; it's how your body automatically recognizes people whose magnetic fields are the same as yours."
"For example, when you and I first met, we felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to each other, as if we had known each other for a long time, or as if we had met before."
After listening to Jiang Shuyue's explanation, Du Yutong continued walking forward, seemingly understanding but not quite. "Oh, I see."
Laughter came from ahead, and a breeze carried a faint fragrance in the air.
"We're almost at Plum Garden. If Yutong likes pitch-pot, we can play it in a bit."
A moment later, a large plum grove appeared before them.
It comes in pale yellow and pink.
Thick snow covered the area under the plum blossom trees, and the snow on the path was cleared and piled up on both sides of the road.
Inside the pavilion in the plum garden, gauze curtains fluttered, and shadowy figures moved about inside.
Looking out, the snow-white landscape is adorned with touches of pink, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
"Wow! Such a beautiful view, could this be Chang'e's Moon Palace?"
Du Yutong was stunned by the beautiful scenery before her.
"Sister Yutong is mistaken. There is a laurel tree where Chang'e lives in the Moon Palace."
As the two were talking, a pretty woman walked towards them with a gentle smile.
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