The next morning.
People were already waiting downstairs at Fengyi Inn.
After Lu Qiqi and Lu Yao finished breakfast, they went downstairs and saw Steward Chen with seven or eight servants from the Marquis of Lin'an's residence, as well as two nannies.
When Manager Chen heard someone coming downstairs, he looked up at the stairs and saw the two sisters walking down hand in hand.
The two old women beside him, upon seeing the sisters' faces, found their eyes beginning to well up with tears.
Lu Qiqi resembles her father, while Lu Yao resembles her mother. Both are beautiful, but Lu Yao looks more like Chen Wenjun when she was young.
As the two descended the last step, Manager Chen immediately greeted them with a smile and walked over.
Steward Chen asked in greeting, "Princess, did you sleep well last night?"
Lu Qiqi nodded, "That's acceptable. We're going to the Marquis of Lin'an's residence today, Steward Chen, please lead the way."
Upon hearing this, Manager Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
The reason was simple: on the way back, he discovered that Lu Qiqi was very determined and no one could sway her thoughts.
Having entered the new capital city yesterday, one should logically enter the mansion first, but unexpectedly, Princess Kangle stayed at an inn and was only brought back to the mansion today.
Thinking of this, Manager Chen was afraid of neglecting the two women, so he quickly waved to signal the two maids to follow and serve them carefully.
On their way to the Marquis of Lin'an's residence, Lu Qiqi left the Nineteenth Palace without taking any of the other Shadow Guards with her.
Firstly, there were too many people, and secondly, even the Shadow Guards standing still could give people a sense of oppression, let alone going to the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion in such a grand manner.
Just because Steward Chen doesn't recognize the Shadow Guards doesn't mean that Marquis Lin'an, a man who has spent half his life on the battlefield, is completely unaware of their existence.
The carriage slowly came to a stop. Lu Qiqi and Lu Yao got off the carriage and saw that the gate of the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion was open.
There were quite a few people standing under the plaque.
Ding Wanyue stood outside the mansion and saw two beautiful young women get off the carriage, and she immediately perked up.
As she watched the two sisters approach, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly, wondering what kind of man Chen Wenjun had married to produce such beautiful daughters.
As the eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch, Xuan Wenying naturally had to stand in front of Ding Wanyue to greet people.
When they found Lu Changping, they were in such a hurry that they only entered the mansion through the backyard.
Today, however, it was Old Madam Chen who specifically instructed someone to pick her up.
Although the old lady did not name names, her daughter-in-law understood very well how much she valued her two granddaughters.
Therefore, the younger generation was not allowed to pick them up, for fear that they might be scared away during play.
But when Xuan Wenying met Lu Qiqi's eyes, as a descendant of a military family, she had seen expeditions before, and she had only ever seen such sharp eyes on the faces of generals going on expeditions.
When Ding Wanyue saw the person, she was very enthusiastic, "This must be Wenjun's daughter, right? She's a beauty in the making."
"This is your eldest aunt, and I am your second aunt."
She eagerly tried to take Lu Qiqi's hand, but when she met Lu Qiqi's probing gaze, she instantly shifted her attention to Lu Yao.
Just as her hand was about to touch Lu Yao, Lu Qiqi subtly blocked it.
Lu Qiqi said, "Ayao is shy, please excuse her."
His distant tone contrasted sharply with Ding Wanyue's enthusiasm.
Ding Wanyue's hand fell to the empty air. Seeing that the two men did not appreciate her gesture, she smiled awkwardly and withdrew her hand.
Xuan Wenying's personality was not like Ding Wanyue's. She just smiled and said, "It's alright. You two sisters are young. It's normal for you to be unaccustomed to a new place."
Once you've settled in, you'll get to know each other better by visiting each other more often.
Xuan Wenying saw the two men behind her. "Who are these two?"
Lu Qiqi introduced them, "First Aunt, Second Aunt."
This is my cousin, Li Changlong.
The other one is my younger brother; you can call him Nineteen.
Xuan Wenying said, "Since that's the case, the two young men are about the same age as my son, so they should get along well. Let them stay together."
With two more men from outside the household, she had to handle things properly. She couldn't tolerate any infidelity and would never allow, nor could she allow, a situation like that of the second wife's family.
Li Changlong glanced at Lu Qiqi, and seeing her approval, he agreed, "Thank you, Madam."
Nineteen was overjoyed when Lu Qiqi called him "little brother" earlier.
He didn't hear Xuan Wenying's words clearly, and just nodded stupidly, showing no sign of being an unofficial member of the Shadow Guard.
Ding Wanyue said, "Your maternal grandmother has been looking forward to your return to the manor since yesterday. Now that you're home, please come in quickly so that the old lady can see you."
After saying this, the maids and servants behind him dispersed to the side, leaving a path for their masters to pass through.
Xuan Wenying also said, "It's cold outside, but warm inside. Let's go inside."
Lu Qiqi didn't let Lu Yao be impolite. After letting her greet her two aunts, she took her hand and led her into the Lin'an Marquis's residence.
The official residences in the new capital were naturally far superior to those of wealthy families in the border towns; the pavilions, terraces, corridors, and gardens were all exquisitely designed.
Lu Qiqi held Lu Yao's hand and followed behind her two aunts as they walked into the mansion.
Lu Yao stared intently at the road ahead, without glancing around at her surroundings.
However, she was still shocked by the grandeur of the Marquis's mansion.
She leaned close to Lu Qiqi, tilted her head back, and whispered, "Sister, the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion is really big!"
"It's at least twice the size of our house in Luzhou Prefecture, isn't it?"
Suddenly, Lu Qiqi felt a stab in her heart.
The Marquis of Lin'an's mansion was a residence bestowed by the late emperor, a mansion she could buy for five hundred taels of silver.
However, the land area of the manor villa she wants to build is much larger than that of the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion.
After all, in this new capital city where land is incredibly valuable, even the late emperor couldn't possibly designate such a large residence.
Otherwise, the mansions of officials serving in the new capital would occupy most of the land, leaving no place for ordinary people to live.
Lu Qiqi asked, "Does Ayao want to stay here?"
Actually, she came to introduce Lu Yao to her relatives, but she didn't intend to stay here.
After all, bloodlines are a very mysterious thing, and Lu Dazhuang's family and the original owner of this body were relatives.
However, their family was utterly inhumane and treated the original owner's two sisters extremely badly.
At this moment, Lu Qiqi did not see the Marquis of Lin'an and his wife. They had not seen each other for many years, so their feelings for each other had naturally disappeared, and she had no idea what their relationship would become.
She didn't want Lu Yao to suffer any injustice, and she wasn't willing to do so at all.
Lu Yao said, "Wherever my sister lives, I will go there."
Afterwards, Lu Yao looked around to make sure no one could hear her before speaking, "Sister, we still have things to investigate. Leaving here would require taking a long detour."
Wouldn't it be better if we found out the truth as soon as possible and went back home?
Hearing this, Lu Qiqi smiled. Her Ayao was indeed clever, precocious for her age, and understood everything.
Lu Qiqi said, "Then let's stay here for now."
After saying that, she looked up at Ding Wanyue and then glanced at Ding Wanyue's maid out of the corner of her eye.
She needed to find out if this maid was the one who had rejected Zeng Shi back then!
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