Chapter 6 Rouze Enters the Mansion
The news that Yinzhen had dined and stayed overnight at Wutong Courtyard spread throughout the entire inner courtyard. The servants in the mansion became serious because their master had not entered the inner courtyard for a long time. All kinds of rumors instantly stopped, and the inner courtyard returned to its usual order. All the irregularities and sneaking were once again hidden beneath the surface, but the winds of goodwill toward Wutong Courtyard continued.
Feeling that everything was going smoothly, the maids and eunuchs everywhere were carefully trying to please her, and the servants in Wutong Courtyard were naturally very pleased with themselves. It's just that under Yixiu's strict management, their feelings weren't so obvious. Seeing their behavior, the servants with some ideas moved even closer to Wutong Courtyard.
As a result of the ups and downs, Yixiu's prestige in the Fourth Prince's residence soared, far surpassing that of others in the inner quarters. On the day the Ulanara family arrived, the gatekeepers and servants along the way showed her exceptional respect. This, on the contrary, made the carefully treated Jue Luo clan feel uneasy.
“Consort…” Since taking over Huichun’s position, Xiuxia has always performed well, handling people and matters very appropriately, which has pleased Yixiu greatly. It was rare to see her so conflicted.
"What's wrong?" Yixiu took Jianqiu's hand and led her to the reception room. Knowing that her stepmother was coming to the mansion today, she had dressed up early in her finest clothes, not without the intention of showing off.
"Madam has entered the manor, but..." Xiu Xia looked troubled, glanced cautiously at Yi Xiu, and continued, "But Madam is also accompanied by the eldest young lady."
"..." Yixiu was somewhat dissatisfied, clearly realizing the impropriety of the situation. What kind of person would bring an unmarried daughter to visit their pregnant daughter? Moreover, Jue Luo Shi was not even her biological mother.
Fortunately, her older sister Rouze was already betrothed to the young general, so it wasn't too outrageous. It seems that the Jue Luo clan didn't want her to live too well, and it was just a matter of saving face, so they brought Rouze along.
Having convinced herself, Yixiu waved her hand and said, "It's alright, just be careful in serving her. After all, my sister is engaged, so she probably won't be staying for too long. Just be careful not to offend Prince."
"Yes." Xiu Xia nodded, understanding Yi Xiu's meaning. It wasn't a problem for the young lady to come, but it was still necessary to send someone to keep an eye on her, just in case.
"Jianqiu, go to the door and greet her. After all, she is the legitimate mother; we cannot fail to show proper etiquette to the Fourth Prince's household," Yixiu instructed with a gentle smile, stroking her belly.
"Yes, this servant understands." Jianqiu smiled and bowed, knowing she would tell the madam about the concubine's "favor".
At this moment, the three people in the room, master and servant, felt a sense of pride and shared hatred, completely unaware of the earth-shattering idea that Jue Luo was harboring.
Meanwhile, in just a few days, Yinzhen had already fully adapted to the original owner's life, maintaining the original owner's cold demeanor towards the outside world. At present, he was quite interested in the social interactions of the princes of this era and was having a great time.
Emperor Kangxi was fond of testing his sons, and even princes who had already attended court could not escape being questioned by their imperial father. Fortunately, Yinzhen's memories were relatively clear, and he had just passed a test smoothly. Fortunately, there was nothing else to do at the Ministry of Revenue, so Yinzhen chose to go straight back to his residence.
Thinking about the personalities of the various princes he met on the way, he found it quite interesting; indeed, the dragon has nine sons, each different. Yinzhen, most adept at understanding people's hearts, clearly understood Kangxi's meaning—he seemed to intend to bestow titles of nobility upon his sons.
The question is whether he'll be granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank according to official history, or Prince of the First Rank? In a parallel world, anything is possible, but that's what makes it interesting, and Yinzhen accepted it well.
"Your Highness, someone from the Ulanara family came today and has already gone to Wutong Courtyard." Su Peisheng, who had recovered, returned to serve Yinzhen. Knowing that his master was concerned about news from Wutong Courtyard, he reported this news as soon as he entered the mansion.
"Oh, who is it?" Yinzhen raised an eyebrow, almost forgetting about it, ignoring the wailing in his mind, and asked calmly.
“It’s Lady Jue Luo, the primary consort of Lord Fei Yanggu, accompanied by the eldest daughter of the household,” Su Peisheng replied truthfully. Although he felt a little strange, he didn’t say anything more.
"I understand. Since there are other women present, I won't go to lunch. Go to Wutong Courtyard and tell them to leave everything to the concubine and let them have a good get-together."
"Yes." Su Peisheng accepted the order and respectfully walked towards Wutong Courtyard. On the way, he couldn't help but complain to himself. He wondered what the concubine's relatives were thinking. What was the meaning of bringing unmarried female relatives to visit the concubine? The concubine usually seemed quite shrewd, so why did she agree to this? The prince had finally managed to find time to come to Wutong Courtyard, and now it was canceled. Didn't the concubine care? Or was she on very good terms with this young lady?
Regardless of Su Peisheng's thoughts, Yinzhen's goal was achieved. This naturally let the Jue Luo family mother and daughter know that their "target" had returned to the mansion.
Upon learning that Yinzhen was not coming, Yixiu's good mood, which she had been secretly boasting about to her stepmother and elder sister, vanished. She couldn't help but resent her stepmother's lack of tact, wondering why she had brought her elder sister along when she was coming.
Because of her emotional turmoil, she failed to notice the disappointment and scheming in the eyes of the Jue Luo mother and daughter who had overheard the news about the Prince.
After lunch, the three sat in the reception room drinking tea. Yi Xiu looked slightly weary. Since Jue Luo Shi wouldn't stay to take care of her anyway, she was about to tell the guests to leave when the unexpected happened.
When Rou picked up the teacup from the table, whether it was because the cup was too hot or because she didn't hold it properly, the tea spilled all over her, and she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Rou Ze..." Jue Luo Shi couldn't help but call out, getting up to check on her with concern.
"How are you, sister? Are you burned? Jianqiu, call the physician." At a time like this, Yixiu couldn't help but be concerned, fearing that Rouze might have gotten herself burned.
“No need, sister, don’t worry,” Rouze’s voice was gentle and charming. She stopped Jianqiu, who was going to find the physician, and said shyly, “I was distracted and accidentally knocked over the teacup. The tea wasn’t hot, so there’s no need to make a fuss. But this outfit… I need to go down and change it.”
"Yes, yes, Yixiu, don't worry. I checked and it's nothing serious. Just have Rouze go and change her clothes." Jue Luo was particularly easy to talk to at this moment, and Yixiu didn't think much of it. It was just that they were at the Prince's residence, so Jue Luo didn't want to cause any trouble.
"Alright, Xiuxia, fetch a new dress I made and take your sister downstairs to change." Yixiu didn't think much of it and instructed Xiuxia to take Rouze to change. Rouze smiled at her, followed by a little maid, and obediently left with Xiuxia.
"I see you look tired, why don't you go to the inner room to rest? I'll sit here and wait for Rouze to come back, then we'll go back to the manor together. You don't need to see me off." After Rouze left, Jue Luo Shi spoke considerately, appearing to anyone as a magnanimous and tolerant stepmother.
"Alright, thank you for your understanding, Mother." Yixiu didn't say much more, guessing that Jueluo Shi also didn't want to stay with her any longer. Besides, she was indeed a little tired today for some reason, and she wouldn't force herself to stay for the sake of the child.
And so, with Jianqiu's help, Yixiu returned to her bedroom to rest. Jueluo, attended by several maids, sat in the reception room, quietly sipping tea, a strange smile playing on her lips.
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