Amber was stunned: "I don't know!"

She had never thought about this question.

Eleventh Lady’s eyes lit up.

Finally, there is a glimmer of hope!

"The people in the house can be brought from Yuhang, but the coachman cannot be brought from his hometown." She said to Humber with a smile, "Tomorrow you can take two taels of silver and ask the coachman to buy some famous food from Yanjing. Take this opportunity to ask him if he knows the Jiang family of Leping?"

Amber hesitated and asked, "How can a coachman know about the Jiang family in Leping?"

"You grew up in the inner courtyard, so there are some things you don't know." Eleventh Lady smiled, "When it comes to being well-informed, no one is better than the porters and sedan chair bearers. They go from village to village, know many people, and have seen many things. Any disturbance in Beijing will not escape their eyes and ears. Just go and ask. You can even find out about the incident where Young Master Wang beat someone to death." At this point, she frowned slightly, "Since the Xu family's maids know about it, these people can't be unaware of it." Her voice gradually lowered, "If we're lucky, maybe there will be some rumors about why Young Master Wang has never married!"

Amber nodded and left.

Dong Qing was very depressed: "Miss, that prince... no matter why, he killed someone, he is not a good person. You'd better give up the idea of ​​sending a message!"

"I know." Eleventh Lady smiled bitterly, "People always have a lucky mentality. They think there is still a future and they will meet better people, so they hesitate, wander, and hesitate... But when there is no future, they can only take care of the present!"

Dong Qing was very puzzled: "Miss, what are you doing..."

"It's okay, it's okay." Eleventh Lady waved her hand, "Let's go to bed early. We've been shopping all day and we're really tired!"

*

At the beginning of the second day, Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang went to pay their respects to the first wife. The first wife had already gotten up. There were boxes and crates scattered all over the room. The first wife sat in Luohan's bed, listening to the eldest grandmother and Xu Mama holding the account books and looking at the things in the boxes and crates, while the sixth concubine served by the side with a humble look.

Seeing them come in, the eldest wife just raised her eyelids and said, "Here they come!"

Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang hurried forward to greet the First Lady and the Great Lady.

"I'm busy here, you guys go down and have a rest!" The eldest wife said in a light tone.

Everyone knows that Elder Liu has retired, and the three masters of the Luo family are all unemployed at home... They all live with a tense mind. Who dares to ask more questions in front of the first wife?

The two men bowed and retreated.

Wu Niang asked Du Juan who sent them out: "What are you doing?"

Du Juan whispered, "Give me a gift!"

Wu Niang's eyes were bright: "To the Marquis?"

Du Juan shook her head: "I don't know!"

Wu Niang's eyes darkened, and she was quite disappointed. She sent Ziwei to Luoqiao, but Luoqiao was very tight-lipped because of Lianqiao. She could not get anything out of her. She only saw that the eldest master and the eldest wife were very busy. The eldest master went out early and came back late every day, and the eldest wife often took the eldest grandmother to count the boxes.

During this period, the eldest wife had visited the Yongping Marquis's residence twice. She left Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang at home and took only Xu Mama with her. She went after lunch and returned before dinner. She was like any other family member, bringing a few boxes of snacks or a few pieces of cloth.

This made Eleventh Lady very concerned - who knew what the purpose of the eldest lady's visit was?

From time to time she would stop sewing and stare blankly.

Fortunately, there was news from Amber: "... Young Master Wang came out of Cuihua Hutong early in the morning, and an old man selling vegetables happened to pass by him. For some reason, Young Master Wang got angry and beat the old man... Later, the fifth master of the Xu family came forward and compensated him with 1,000 taels of silver. The people did not sue and the officials did not pursue the case, so the matter was left alone." As she spoke, a hint of hesitation appeared on her face, "I told the driver that I was originally from Yanjing. When the old man died, the second wife took me back to Yuhang, and later gave me to the young lady. I have been staying in Yuhang for the past few years. I originally had a younger sister who worked in the mansion of Duke Mao..."

That’s a good excuse!

Eleventh Lady looked at Amber with some admiration.

"Who knows? When the driver heard this, he hurriedly told me to find a way to go to the Duke of Mao's mansion and take a look! Just last month, two of their maids were gone - one died of illness, and the other fell into a well. You have been away from the capital for the past three or four years, so who knows whether your sister is dead or alive?"

Eleventh Lady couldn't hide her surprise.

Amber's forehead was also covered with sweat. "Miss, how about I go to the Duke of Mao's mansion secretly? Just say I'm going to look for my sister. The driver also said that if I want to go, I can change my clothes. He borrowed a friend's car and it will only take an hour. As long as the affairs of the inner house are arranged, no one will know."

"No." Eleventh Lady refused flatly, "His idea is indeed good. But if he drags you somewhere else, no one will know about it either."

Amber hesitated to speak.

Eleventh Lady's expression became serious, and she said solemnly: "Let's stop with this matter. Don't ever mention going to the Duke of Mao's mansion to get information again!"

Amber had no choice but to agree.

Seeing that she looked somewhat reluctant, Eleventh Lady repeatedly reminded her of something like "Be careful and you will be safe forever" and then asked about the Jiang family: "...Did you find out anything?"

Amber said hurriedly, "The Jiang family has a house with five entrances in Shishi Hutong. Now it is occupied by Jiang Hanlin and several children of the Jiang family who came to study at the Imperial College. Their family tradition is strict and they treat others very humbly. Xiao Liuzi said that a rickshaw driver he knew once passed Shishi Hutong when someone suddenly came out of the entrance of the hutong. He hurriedly pulled the reins and scared the man so much that he sat down on the ground. His friend saw that although the man was dressed very simply, he had white teeth and red lips, and his hands were whiter and prettier than those of a girl. He knew that he was a young man from a certain family, so he hurried forward to pay his respects. Who knew that the young man not only did not blame him, but also gave him one or two taels of silver to calm him down. He did not dare to accept it. The young man gave it to him and left. He was afraid that it was a "honey trap". He went to inquire and found out that it was the young man of the Jiang family. The man also said that since it was given by the young man of the Jiang family, you can just take it. They are not the kind of family that bullies others by taking advantage of their power. Only then did he happily accept it. He also told relatives and friends everywhere."

So the Jiang family is unwilling to take care of Wang Lang’s affairs?

Eleventh Lady pondered and asked Amber, "Who is Xiao Liuzi? Do you also know about 'sinner trap'?"

Amber blushed slightly, and said uneasily, "The driver we hired was called Xiao Liuzi. He told me about the 'honey trap', saying it was a trap set up to trick those who are greedy for small gains and suffer big losses..."

Eleventh Lady laughed, but then she thought of the completely different styles of doing things between the Wang and Jiang families, and the smile on her face faded.

How did these two families get married?

The thought flashed through her mind and she couldn't help but ponder.

Marriage requires that the two families be of equal status, help each other, and have the same voice and spirit...

Why did the Luo family want to marry into the Wang family?

If it was for the sake of giving her concubines a good home, then based on what she had heard, she knew that Wang Lang was not a good man. If it was for power, even the servants of the Xu family knew that the Duke of Mao's mansion was in decline, so it was impossible for Yuanniang not to know. It would be better to marry those officials who had lost their wives and held real power as a successor.

Moreover, according to general circumstances, Luo Yuanniang should have focused all her energy on how to maximize Zhun Ge's interests if she died. How could she spare the energy to arrange a marriage for her half-sister whom she had not seen for more than ten years?

Thinking of this, Eleventh Lady was shocked.

Yes, at this time, everything Luo Yuanniang thought, did and did should be for Zhun Ge... Then, what benefits would this marriage bring to Zhun Ge?

The Luo family, the Wang family, the Xu family, the Jiang family... they kept spinning in Eleventh Lady's mind like a revolving lantern.

She asked herself: What would I do if I were Luo Yuanniang?

Once the thought comes to mind, I can't stop thinking about it.

Internally, find a successor who can be controlled by the Luo family to ensure that Zhun Ge grows up smoothly. Externally, seek strong support to confirm Zhun Ge's position as the crown prince as soon as possible. After all, Zhun Ge is the legitimate son born to Xu Lingyi's first wife, and his status is more noble than that of the legitimate son born to the successor, and he is the first heir to the title.

Now, Yuanniang has made up her mind about what to do internally. As for externally...

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but touch her forehead.

The Jiang family... a noble family that can keep itself clean, low-key and introverted, a prestigious family with a good reputation... they don't need him to protect them, they just need to stand up and say a fair word for Zhun Ge at the critical moment. But at the same time, they are also a political family. Such a family has its own measure of words and deeds... How can this family be tied to Zhun Ge?

The best way, of course, is - marriage!

It just so happened that Duke Mao had a daughter who married into the Jiang family, and a son who needed a wife...

She smiled bitterly: "Does the Jiang family have daughters? How many daughters?" Without waiting for Amber to answer, she murmured, "Of course there are daughters. Otherwise, why would we go around in so many circles..."

Amber said hurriedly: "How about I go ask Xiao Liuzi again?"

Eleventh Lady shook her head, "Once is enough, don't ask about it again." Then she pointed to the east, "lest people get suspicious."

Amber nodded quickly: "I understand."

Eleventh Lady nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Go and have a rest!"

She needs to think carefully about what to do about this matter.

Amber stepped back and collided head-on with Emerald.

"Why are you here, sister?" She smiled and invited Feicui to go to the west wing where she lived.

Feicui smiled and shook her head: "I'm here to invite Miss Eleven - the Third Madam has come with Master Five and Master Six, and they are drinking tea at the First Madam's place. The First Madam asked me to come and tell Miss Five and Miss Eleven to come over and pay my respects."

Amber smiled and nodded, waited for Feicui to go to Wu Niang to convey the eldest lady's words, and then accompanied her to Shiyi Niang.

After knowing the purpose of Feicui's visit, Eleventh Lady packed up and took Amber with Feicui to go to the First Lady's place.

Compared with when she was in Yuhang, the 27-year-old Third Wife looked obviously much more haggard.

After Eleventh Lady saluted her, Fifth Master and Sixth Master standing beside her smiled and called out "Eleventh Sister".

(On duty tonight. I heard that they might have to divert the floodwaters...)