Amber felt overwhelmed and said, "Sister Dongqing, this is your own business. You have to make up your own mind. I will listen to you. You tell me how I should reply to my wife, and that's how I will reply to my wife!"

If I knew what to do, why would I keep dragging it out like this...

Amber's words sound nice, but in reality they are as good as saying nothing. After all, she came from the eldest wife's side, and unlike Binju, they can share the joys and sorrows.

Thinking of this, Dong Qing's mind faded. "I'll think about it again - I'll go back to my wife tomorrow, and see if it's feasible!"

The Marquis stayed at his wife's house these days, so he didn't ask them to stand guard at night.

"Sure!" Amber said with a smile, "I'll listen to Sister Dongqing."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Amber got up and went back to her room.

Dongqing thought about it, went to find Binju, and told her about this.

Bin Ju was angry after hearing this, "You are just nitpicking. In this mansion, except for a few masters who can walk in the inner courtyard with their heads held high, even Manager Bai has to be cautious and act according to Madam's mood when he meets her. I think Wan Daxian is a good person, and Madam has arranged him in the account office, so he will be of great use in the future. If you marry into the family, you can help Madam, and the Wan family will not dare to look down on you when they see you walking in front of Madam. You are also the eldest son and his wife, so what are you dissatisfied with?" His tone showed disdain for her attitude.

Dongqing felt that he had so much on his mind that he had no place to express it. He sat in Binju's house for a while and then went back to his room in a bad mood.

I met Zhu Xiang head-on.

She was busy with three meals a day, washing clothes and ironing clothes in the yard every day. She went out early and came back late, so she was rarely seen.

"I'm done." Dongqing greeted Zhuxiang with a smile.

Zhu Xiang bowed to her and said, "Sister Dongqing, it's so late, why haven't you rested yet?"

Dongqing was very depressed, his smile was inevitably forced, and he looked a little desolate in the howling night wind.

Zhu Xiang saw it clearly, and thinking of how she had taken care of herself in the past, she smiled and said, "Today the kitchen made pea yellow for the Madam as a midnight snack, and they packed a few pieces for me. Would you like to try it, sister?"

Dongqing was thinking about the long night and was doing needlework in the room. She smiled and agreed, and went to her room with Zhuxiang.

Zhu Xiang also lived alone, but next to her were several maids' quarters. She knocked on the door and told the maid to get a pot of hot water. Then Dong Qing sat on the kang, replaced the pea yellow tea wrapped in oil paper with a blue and white plate, and turned around to find a pack of Tieguanyin. "...This was given by Mother Du during the winter solstice. Sister, have a try."

Dongqing saw that she was young, but not only was she steady and calm, she also followed orders immediately and had a wide circle of friends, acting like a respectable maid. She was different from herself, who had to stay in her room doing needlework every day because of the Fifth Lady's taboo. She couldn't help but look dazed.

Zhu Xiang looked at her with a lot of thoughts in her mind. She knew that she was young and she was not the one who came in with her to serve the lady. She would not tell her her true feelings, so she kept silent and changed her clothes behind the screen as usual. She just waited for the hot water to come so that she could make tea and say a few words to her.

But when she changed her clothes, the hot water didn't come. Seeing Dong Qing sitting there with a dazed look, she didn't dare to ask anything rashly, so she smiled and said, "Why hasn't the hot water come yet? I'll go check!" Then she went out and called a little maid to urge her. Just as she returned to the room and sat down, someone knocked on the door.

It was Lu Yun who came in, carrying some hot water: "I heard that my sister has guests here... This is the water that Madam didn't finish, so I brought it over!"

Zhu Xiang hurriedly stood up, gave her a seat and invited her to have tea together.

Luyun and Hongxiu were different from Zhuxiang. They originally followed Yuanniang, and were very careful not to make any mistakes in front of Shiyi Niang. They also flattered Dongqing, Zhuxiang and others, and often made shoes and socks for them. But Dongqing was good at sewing and had free time, so they didn't flatter her. Binju took as much as she could and sent her away with a "thank you for your hard work". Amber took everything and punished her if she made any mistakes. Only Zhuxiang smiled sweetly when she saw people, and sometimes returned a gift, which they all liked. Seeing that Zhuxiang invited her to drink tea, she hurriedly and diligently made tea.

"The Marquis is staying at his lady's place!" Dongqing said casually when he saw that Luyun looked very idle.

Lu Yun brought over three cups of tea on a small tray with red lacquer and gold-painted crabapple flowers. "No. I went to Aunt Qiao's place."

Dong Qing was startled: "Why did you go to Aunt Qiao's place?"

Zhu Xiang went over to help put the tea in place and made room for Lu Yun to sit on the kang.

"It's Aunt Qiao's day." Lu Yun smiled and got on the kang without caring.

"But didn't the Marquis stay at Madam's place for the past few days..."

"Who knows what the Marquis is thinking." Lu Yun laughed after hearing this. "She was fine when she came back from dinner, but her face darkened when she saw the new curtains. Then she got up and went to Aunt Qiao's place. I saw the Madam's expression, and she seemed relieved. She went to the East Wing - tomorrow the eldest lady will leave for the West Hill to spend the New Year with the second Madam."

Zhu Xiang pointed at the pea yellow on the plate and said, "Try it. How does it taste?"

Lu Yun quickly picked one up and said, "It's delicious...it would be even better if there was more dessert!"

Zhu Xiang moved the plate towards Dong Qing and said with a smile, "It's for the Madam."

Dong Qing picked one up absentmindedly and said, "What does this have to do with the new curtains?"

Lu Yun quickly swallowed the pea yellow in her mouth and said, "That's why I can't guess the Marquis's mind! To be honest, it was the Marquis who asked to change the curtains. In the afternoon, he said that Madam changed them in time. But in the evening, when he saw the curtains, he seemed to remember something bad..." She added, "Alas, the Marquis has always been moody. In the past, he didn't live in a good house and stayed in Banyuepan every day. Now at least he sleeps in the house every day."

Zhu Xiang found what she said interesting and said with a smile, "Isn't Banyuepan a house?"

"That Banyuepan is really not a house." Luyun took a sip of tea and felt warm all over. "When I was a maid, I once went to Banyuepan to deliver a message to the Marquis... It was three thatched houses, surrounded by water, with only a red painted plank bridge."

"You're not mistaken." Lu Yun smiled, "The walls outside are made of yellow mud, the tiles are covered with thatch, there is an earthen well and a windlass. It's the kind of thatched house in the countryside." She smiled again, "I was also surprised at the time, why the marquis lived in such a place. I even asked the former maid Sister Baolan, but Sister Baolan also said she didn't know..."

Seeing that the topic was going off topic, Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "This is the Marquis's residence. He can live wherever he wants. We, the maids, just need to serve him well." Then she changed the subject, "Sister Luyun, what do you think of this tea? It tastes fragrant and mellow."

"This was given by Madam Du, right?" Lu Yun nodded. "Madam Du likes to drink Tieguanyin the most, and Madam Tai gives her a few kilograms every year."

The two of them were chatting and changed the subject to what was happening in Eleventh Lady's room.

After drinking tea and eating two snacks, Lu Yun saw that Dong Qing had not spoken a word and felt that she was being abrupt. Dong Qing must have something to do when he came to see Zhu Xiang at this time. Zhu Xiang casually invited her to have tea, and she did not think much about it and actually sat down.

She said a few more words, then stood up and said goodbye: "I will be on duty tomorrow morning."

Zhu Xiang felt it was not appropriate to keep her, so she sent her out, then came back to sit with Dong Qing, saying with a smile, "Lu Yun is more lively, while Hong Xiu is more dull. But both of them have very gentle temperaments."

Holly nodded hastily and wanted to go back to her room, but she didn't want to be alone. After thinking for a moment, she told her lady about her matchmaking.

Zhu Xiang looked at her in surprise and said, "Sister Dong Qing, I am telling you what I mean. If you think it is wrong, don't be angry."

Dong Qing was cheered up after hearing Zhu Xiang's straightforward words, and looked at her expectantly: "You are like my sister, how could I be angry?"

Zhu Xiang thought for a while before saying, "I've also heard people say that if you marry a man, you'll have clothes to wear and food to eat. Sister Dong Qing wants to marry a man who can provide clothes and food. I think Wan Daxian is a good choice."

Same statement as Oxeye daisy!

Dongqing looked at Zhuxiang in surprise, feeling a little disappointed.

"Sister, think about it carefully." Zhu Xiang's tone was a bit consoling. "Take me for example. When I was at home, my stepmother looked at me coldly every day. I always felt that everything I did was wrong. The more I thought about it, the more afraid I was of making mistakes and the more I shrank back. As a result, the more mistakes I made, the more my stepmother frowned and the more afraid I became. Later, when I came to the mansion and worked as a maid, I found that as long as I worked hard, I could do it faster and better than the people around me. Later, when I came to the lady's room, my sister often told me what I should do and what I shouldn't do. She also made clothes for me and told me how to make shoes and socks. I went home cleanly wearing them, and the shoes she made for my father also fit my father. My father saw that I was happy more often, and I gradually became bolder. I dared to make my own decisions. Later, when I followed my wife to the mansion, she let me take care of all the things. I was careful and didn't make any big mistakes. I dared to hold my head high when I walked and speak loudly - people should say and do what they want according to their status. Wan Daxian is still just a servant in the account office. He is smart and willing to learn. When he becomes a manager one day, he will be different. All the respectable maids, mothers, and managers in the mansion have come this way step by step."

Holly lowered her head and thought.

When Zhu Xiang saw this, she did not disturb her. She quietly poured her another cup of tea and asked the maid to pour hot water for her to take a bath.

The little maid looked embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Zhu Xiang has never been the kind of person who treats others in a domineering manner.

The little maid murmured, "Just now you said you wanted some tea, so we went to the small kitchen to ask for hot water, but Xiu Yuan was waiting there... She said the Marquis was resting in Aunt Qiao's room and might need hot water at any time, so she asked us to wait first."

The kitchen on Eleventh Lady's side was for Eleventh Lady's use, while the small kitchen in the East Courtyard was shared by several concubines and the maids and mothers in the courtyard. Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Go and have a look. If there is any, call me. If not, we'll tell you later."

The little maidservant responded and left.

Dong Qing in the room had heard it. He couldn't help but frown: "This Xiu Li is too arrogant."

Zhu Xiang didn't care: "She has other intentions. She is trying to find ways to get people to gossip about her in front of Madam! The more excited we are, the more proud they are. The more we ignore them, the more bored they are."

"It just makes people feel disgusted." Dongqing felt that what Zhuxiang said made sense.

Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "She does a lot, but makes a lot of mistakes. I'm just afraid she won't do it."

Dong Qing was a little puzzled, with a confused expression on her face. She wanted to ask Zhu Xiang in detail, but Zhu Xiang had already changed the subject: "Sister Dong Qing, if you don't want to agree to Wan Daxian's marriage, do you have any better options?"

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I was away from home this week, and basically didn't go online, nor did I reply to any comments. Everyone still enthusiastically voted for Zhizhi, O(∩_∩)O~ Thank you very much! Whatever you say is just for nothing, I'll update today...see you at the usual time!