The news that the two censors had been demoted and punished with embroidery reached the Marquis of Lin'an's residence.
Upon hearing the news, Chen Xianming was initially taken aback, but then he understood and asked his eldest son to find an opportunity to meet the heir of the Prince of Libei.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
At that time, Lu Qiqi was sitting under the pavilion, with Lu Yao embroidering a purse beside her.
Qingdai and Haitang were both from the old lady's courtyard, so Lu Qiqi naturally trusted them.
The maid Zeng mentioned was someone Ding Wanyue had never seen before.
Therefore, he sent Qingdai, who seemed reliable in handling matters, to inquire about the matter.
Qingdai didn't know why Lu Qiqi wanted to inquire about the maid from many years ago, but since she had been assigned to work under Lu Qiqi, she naturally had to do her best.
Standing under the pavilion, Qingdai lowered her head and quietly reported the information she had gathered.
She said, "Miss, the maid you mentioned left the manor to get married ten years ago."
She was said to have married and moved south, and her whereabouts are now unknown.
Maids in the mansion signed indentures, most of which were flexible contracts. Once they reached a certain age and saved enough money, they could redeem themselves and leave the mansion to marry.
Marrying far away?
The fact that she married far away further illustrates the problem.
However, she couldn't understand why Ding Wanyue would keep that maid for several more years instead of sending her out of the mansion immediately after the incident.
It seems this connection has been severed. Lu Qiqi didn't dwell on it and said softly, "I understand. You can go ahead and get busy."
After saying that, Qingdai withdrew.
Immediately, Lu Qiqi remembered something and asked, "Nineteen, the Shadow Guards estimated the time, they should have arrived in Luzhou Prefecture by now, right?"
Nineteen went over upon hearing the sound. "If there hadn't been any delays on the way, we would have arrived yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi turned back to look at Lu Yao and said softly, "I really hope things will end soon."
......
Luzhou Prefecture, Qingshui Town.
"Pah! It's all your fault for giving birth to such an ungrateful child."
Now things are really bad; Dazhuang and Dahu are lying in bed unable to move, and I, this old woman, have to go out and beg for food.
Lu was dressed in rags as she walked down the street, complaining to Jin beside her.
Jin glanced at him coldly, and Lu promptly shut her mouth.
Nowadays, the person who speaks in the house is no longer Madam Lu; everyone has to live according to Madam Jin's wishes.
Since Lu Dazhuang and Lu Changhu had their legs broken and there was no money to treat them, they are now like useless people, lying in bed eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping.
With the pillar of the family gone, Lu and Jin had no choice but to go to the city to find some laundry work.
But these days, laundry jobs are hard to find. Although the South is not as cold as the North, the cold water in winter is still freezing.
Therefore, when the two men saw the dozens of copper coins that the master had placed in the house, they had wicked thoughts.
But before he could even leave the house, he was caught red-handed. Not only did he not earn any money, but he also got a beating and was almost sent to the government office.
If it weren't for the two women kneeling and begging for mercy, crying so loudly, and the presence of an old woman with graying hair, the master wouldn't have let them off so easily.
Therefore, now they can only carry two broken bowls and beg on the streets.
If you're lucky, someone might give you two copper coins and a steamed bun.
If you're unlucky, you can only dig up some wild vegetables by the roadside on your way home.
Fortunately, the Jin family was clever enough to know to stock up on wild vegetables in winter, otherwise all four of them would have starved to death.
This is why the Lu family dared not do anything more to the Jin family.
The two were walking down the street when they saw a carriage passing by and quickly moved aside.
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of a restaurant.
Begging on the street is a matter of luck, so the two women, mother and daughter-in-law, stood still in rare unison, their eyes fixed on the carriage.
A woman stepped down from the carriage; she appeared to be a maid from a wealthy family.
Then, a woman dressed in a peach-colored dress, with a graceful figure, stepped down from the carriage and walked straight into the restaurant.
Lu pinched Jin hard, instantly bringing Jin back to her senses.
However, this time, she unusually did not blame Lu.
Instead, she stared at Madam Lu with disbelief, "Mother, did you see clearly who entered the restaurant just now?"
The woman who just got off the carriage was a piece of flesh that fell from Lu's body. Even if she were reduced to ashes, Lu would never mistake her.
Lu looked at the restaurant entrance, a glint of light in her eyes. "I see it clearly, I see it clearly."
As she spoke, she seemed to gain confidence, glaring angrily at Mrs. Jin, "How could I not recognize my own daughter?"
Ms. Jin nodded, not refuting, though she was also very excited.
After all, if one can afford to ride in a carriage and has maids by one's side, one's life is unlikely to be bad.
Lu was carrying a broken bowl and walked quickly toward the restaurant. Jin saw this and hurriedly followed after her.
"Hey, you stinking beggar, where are you putting your feet up!"
As soon as Lu stepped into the restaurant, a single sentence from a waiter in the lobby startled him so much that he took a step back.
She shrugged and pointed inside, saying, "My daughter went in; I'm here to see her."
Seeing that Madam Lu was dressed in rags and was holding a broken bowl, the waiter sneered, "Go away, go away, you can't even distinguish between day and night in your dreams."
"You dare to daydream like that? Believe me, I'll have someone throw you out!"
Normally, the Lu family would have run away with their tails between their legs long ago.
But today was different. When she saw her daughter, dressed in fine clothes and served by maids, she immediately straightened her back.
Just as she was about to argue, Jin pulled her out. When they reached a corner, Jin released her.
Why are you pulling me?!
Lu was even dissatisfied with Jin's actions.
Jin secretly rolled her eyes at her, but she couldn't afford to offend this old woman now; her future well-being depended on her daughter.
So she kindly advised, "Mother, we can just wait outside."
"The restaurant is so big, we don't know where she went. What if she makes a fool of herself and gets disliked?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu suddenly realized, "Yes, yes, you're right."
We'll wait outside the restaurant for her to come out.
The two huddled in the corner and waited for two hours before the person finally came out.
"Bao Mei!"
"Bao Mei!"
The sudden appearance of the two people startled Lu Baomei.
The maidservant beside her, unaware of what was going on, immediately stepped in front of Lu Baomei.
Lu Baomei's attendant drew his sword and stood in front of the two.
When Lu and Jin had ever seen such a scene, they were so frightened that they took several steps back.
Finally, Madam Lu cried out hoarsely, "Bao Mei, don't you even recognize your mother anymore?"
Lu Baomei originally intended to have her men teach the two beggars a lesson, but upon hearing this, she changed her mind.
"etc."
Then, he stepped forward and examined the faces of the two people in front of him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com