Chapter 26 Quietly Inquiring
If Xue Yuan hadn't come to ask specifically, Nanny Li would never have told her about the humiliation she suffered in the flower hall that day.
"That cousin looks delicate and weak, but she's actually very cruel!"
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Xue Yuan.
On the day Su Ying first arrived at the Du residence, Nanny Li had addressed her as "Miss Su" without any respect. Ever since Su Ying caught them swapping the four study treasures, she'd been haunted by fear and never dared to be disrespectful again. Now, even behind people's backs, she only dared to address her as "Miss."
"I thought she understood nothing, but she spotted the difference between the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone at a glance. I thought we were in the mistress's room, and she wouldn't dare act like a mistress, but she quietly made a detour, said a few words, and let our mistress scold me."
Xue Yuan had never imagined that Nanny Li would be so bold as to trip up her cousin right in front of the young lady. Thinking about it now, it was very likely that the young master had witnessed this very scene when he came to the East Courtyard that day.
My cousin is intelligent, as Xue Yuan had seen the moment she presented the jewelry for her to choose. Madam had clearly been chastising her, yet she responded calmly and with neither servility nor arrogance. Now, I've heard that she's proficient in the Four Treasures of the Study, proving her talent not only surpasses Miss Wanyi's, but is likely even superior.
Xue Yuan felt vaguely uneasy. No wonder the young master had just defended his cousin in every word in front of the lady. It seemed that the young master was really interested in that cousin.
But as far as she knew, the young master and his cousin had only met a few times and had very little contact, so how could he have already developed feelings for her?
Is it simply because the cousin is pretty? But if the young master is really a lustful person, with Chun Nuan looking like her and serving him every day, why hasn't he ever thought of taking a concubine in all these years?
Although the Madam definitely disdains such a cousin from another family and is determined to marry a wife of equal status for the Young Master, if the Young Master is truly interested, what about her? Can she still enter the Young Master's room smoothly?
If this is true, then all her plans over the past few years will be in vain.
"Miss Xueyuan, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Xue Yuan listening intently and remaining silent for a long while, Nanny Li assumed she had heard too much about her cousin and was feeling suspicious. She patted her arm and said with a smile, "Young lady, don't overthink it. Although that cousin is quite capable, she's only been here a few days. Our courtyards are clearly divided, and we don't interfere with each other. She can't possibly control us. You're the mistress's servant, so how can you run into her casually? We don't interact with each other on a regular basis, so it won't be a big deal."
This reminded Xue Yuan.
Yes, my cousin is still in the side courtyard. If we make some arrangements earlier, as long as she stays away from the young master, the problem may be solved.
She regained her composure, her face expressionless as she spoke calmly, "Madam, I'd say you've been rather inconsiderate in this matter. She's our cousin, after all, and our mistress. Thankfully, she was magnanimous enough to keep it to the young lady, rather than report it to Madam and have her pursue the issue. I heard the old lady tell Madam that the sutra copying will take six or seven days. You'd better be careful these days and don't get carried away again."
Three years ago, Nanny Li followed Xue Yuan's advice and promoted her husband from an ordinary housekeeper to the front yard manager. Although she was of a higher generation, she had long followed Xue Yuan's lead. Moreover, Xue Yuan would eventually move into the young master's room. Wouldn't she be half her master in the future?
So she nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, the girl is right."
Seeing her attentiveness, Xue Yuan changed the subject and said, "However, Madam, you still have to be more cautious. This cousin has just arrived, and no one can predict what she might be thinking. Don't you have a goddaughter working in the West Courtyard? Ask her to keep an eye on the young master's movements. If anything comes up concerning the cousin, remember to report it to me."
"The Madam has a lot on her plate and may not be able to attend to the smallest details. We servants have to be more attentive. A year is neither long nor short, and at this crucial juncture, we absolutely cannot afford to let anything go wrong."
After hearing this, Nanny Li quickly responded, "Don't worry, young lady. My goddaughter is called Xiao Que, and she has a good relationship with Chun Nuan. I know what to say."
After Du Heng had lunch with Cheng in the East Courtyard, he said goodbye to his mother.
Qingquan followed Du Heng, thinking that the young master would return to his study to continue studying. However, after leaving the East Courtyard, he simply stood in the corridor and showed no intention of going to the West Courtyard.
Qingquan walked cautiously to the young master's side and followed his gaze.
At the end of the corridor is a path. On the west side is the garden of the mansion, on the east side is the library, and at the far end is the side courtyard and the corner gate for servants to enter and exit.
Because someone broke into the garden this morning and made the young man return home disappointed, Qingquan naturally thought that the young man was looking at the garden. However, it was just past noon and the snow had stopped, so there was obviously no snow to make tea.
He didn't dare to speculate, so he just asked in a low voice: "Sir, are we still going to the garden?"
In fact, Du Heng was not looking at the garden, but at the library across from it. Just as he was about to cross the corridor back to the west courtyard, he suddenly saw a familiar touch of Feihong passing by the library.
He was startled. The red dress she wore that morning was so dazzling that he recognized her at a glance. He had seen her go to the library around this time yesterday. Today, at this time, she was there again.
When he was confused, he heard Qingquan asking a question. He simply whispered a few instructions and then turned to the west courtyard.
Soon after returning to the study, Chunnuan brought hot tea. Seeing that the young master remained silent, she did not dare to say anything more. She placed the tea on the table and left.
Du Heng neither took up his pen to edit the old text on his desk nor turned over the pages of the classics. He just sat quietly for a long time until Qingquan brought the book back.
"I followed the Master's instructions and entered the library. My cousin seemed to be checking the catalogue and hadn't noticed. I made some noise when I entered, but she was still startled."
Qingquan placed the book respectfully on the desk and continued, "I'm here to pay my respects to my cousin. As you instructed, I'm here to look for the 'Zheng's Annotation of the Analects.' Without a second thought, my cousin walked straight to the west bookshelf and took the book out."
"I was stunned. The library had hundreds of books, and my cousin didn't even check. She just reached out and picked out the book. I couldn't help but ask her, 'How did you know where it was?' She smiled and said that from now on, all the books here would be under her care, so she would know where it was."
The cousin was approachable and had a bright smile. Qingquan couldn't help blushing when he thought of her talking to him.
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