However, having not returned to the Duke of Rong's Mansion for a few days, Ye Wanshu slept very uneasily that night and felt extremely uncomfortable.
I don't know why, but I always dream of Qin's daughter Ji Ningyue. The little girl always clings to her with a smile and calls her "big sister". She is so affectionate to her as if she has been with her since she was a child, without any sense of alienation at all.
Aunt Qin and another Aunt Sun were both concubines taken in by her father in recent years. Ye Wanshu had never seen them before. She didn't know whether the appearance of the two little ones that night was accidental or a deliberate arrangement by Aunt Qin.
The disputes in the harem are always peaceful. Aunt Zhou is spoiled because of her favor. I am afraid that Aunt Qin and Ning Yue, mother and daughter, will not have an easy time in the Ji family.
Fortunately, the affair between Ji Ningxi and Prince Qi is a foregone conclusion. When Prince Qi's rebellion fails, Zhou Ru and Ji Ningxi will be implicated, and then Qin Yi Niang and Ning Yue's hard days will be over.
In this way, I can repay the kindness of the night before.
I had just stood up from the bed, making only a slight noise, when I saw two maids pushing the door and walking in.
"Cousin."
The two of them carried their newly made clothes and jewelry, bowed respectfully, and said, "We are servants sent by the Duke to serve you."
Ye Wanshu looked at them intently and recognized them as the head maids Caiju and Qiuli.
After she married Gu Tingchen in her previous life, these two were assigned to her side to serve her. In fact, they were Gu Tingchen's maids. However, because she was not favored by Gu Tingchen in her previous life, both of them were neglected.
Caiju and Qiuli have no other special abilities, but relying on the fact that they have served the two young masters since they were young, they are considered powerful figures in the Duke's Mansion and are the most well-informed about news.
Now that Chunhong and Xingtao are not around, she needs someone to find out the news outside for her.
She slowly stood up, and while the two were helping her change her clothes and put on her makeup, Ye Wanshu casually asked, "Caiju, Qiuli, have you heard anything about the Ji family these past two days?"
Caiju and Qiuli looked at each other. There had indeed been a lot of news going on in the Ji family in the past two days, but it was their cousin's house after all, so they didn't dare to speak carelessly.
Cai Ju tentatively replied, "I heard that Princess Anping and Princess Qingning from Prince Qi's residence went to the Prime Minister's residence yesterday and caused a big commotion. It seems that Miss Ji II did something disrespectful to Prince Qi."
Qiu Li was immediately intrigued by what she heard. She covered her mouth and chuckled as she continued, "My cousin went back to the Duke's Mansion yesterday and missed a big event. Those two princesses are not people to be trifled with. They even pulled out a large clump of Miss Ji's hair."
"Oh, really?"
Ye Wanshu feigned surprise and responded, "I think what Miss Ji did to Prince Qi was quite disrespectful, to the point of angering those two little ancestors."
"Who says it isn't?"
Qiu Li added, "Everyone in Lin'an knows that Miss Ji is determined to marry into the royal family and has been very attentive to His Royal Highness Prince Qi. I'm afraid this time she's flattering the wrong person."
In response, Ye Wanshu smiled but said nothing.
It wasn't just the horse's hooves that were hit. Thinking about how wild Ji Ningxi was that night, I'm afraid that the old horse was almost beaten to pieces.
Unfortunately, she, the half-sister, did not understand Prince Qi's character after all. Although Prince Qi was lustful, he was also very utilitarian. If she was just a girl from an ordinary family, Prince Qi might have some pity on her this time.
But she is the concubine's daughter of the Ji family, and her status is neither high nor low. If Prince Qi forcibly promotes her to be the principal wife, if he fails to please his father, he will only completely anger Queen Mother Gu.
You know, the one in the Cining Palace hated the royal family members marrying concubines' daughters the most. In the decades that she had been involved in government affairs, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children seemed to have become a clearer law.
Ye Wanshu had long lost interest in this romantic affair. She looked at Caiju and Qiuli and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Caiju thought for a moment and said, "I heard that the sixth girl from Concubine Qin's courtyard unfortunately drowned yesterday..."
"Ji Ningyue?"
Ye Wanshu's heart trembled. "Are you sure you heard the right thing?"
"How dare we, the servants, speak nonsense?"
Caiju said, "Last night, a small wooden box was carried out from Ji's mansion. According to the custom in Lin'an City, children who died young are not allowed to be buried in a coffin. A few servants dragged the box outside the city for burial."
At this point, Caiju sighed sadly, "That Concubine Qin cried so hard she chased out of the house, alarming the entire Shunhe Street. She also said that the Sixth Miss was murdered, and it was only when Prime Minister Ji sent people to carry her back that the disturbance was finally calmed down."
"He was murdered?"
Ye Wanshu immediately thought of what happened that night. If that was true, Zhou Ru must have known that Ji Ningyue and Qin Chulin had let her go, so she took her anger out on Ji Ningyue.
In this case, the woman's heart was really too vicious. How could she have the heart to harm a child of only five or six years old?
"Caiju, Qiuli, the Sixth Miss of the Ji family and I are sisters after all. I want to go see her on her seventh day."
Ye Wanshu ordered, "Find out where her remains are buried for me. Also, make an appointment for me. I want to meet Qin Chulin, Concubine Qin's nephew."
If Ji Ningyue's death was really caused by Zhou Ru, even if she was no longer a member of the Ji family, she would not be allowed to continue to act arrogantly in the mansion.
She was worried that she had no reason to settle the old grudge against her mother with that woman.
Ye Wanshu had just finished explaining everything to the two maids when she saw Xiaodie leading several female servants in.
"Cousin."
Xiaodie was all smiles. "The young master said he wasn't able to spend the last coming-of-age banquet with you properly, so he personally picked out a lot of brocade and jewelry for you. He also said he'd take you to Changle Street to watch an opera, and asked you to dress up nicely."
Looking at the trays carried by the maids, the dazzling array of jewels was so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes. The lifelike and exquisite patterns on the gorgeous Gusu brocade were even more eye-catching.
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