Chapter 29
Yun You's pupils contracted sharply, and the book slipped from her hand.
If this is true, then she knows without needing to be told who could have encountered Fu'er in this courtyard.
Yunyou suddenly got up from the couch, a slight pain in her heart.
His voice rose considerably, "Are you sure you saw it clearly?"
Caiwei nodded when she saw that her face was pale.
Fu'er felt guilty about buttoning up her clothes and dared not reveal that she had done so.
Seeing Caiwei's certainty, Yunyou was almost certain she believed her.
A few days ago, she was suffering from severe menstrual cramps, so she got up half an hour earlier than usual and saw Fu'er coming out of Wenxuan Pavilion.
At that time, she thought Fu'er had gone to Wenxuan Pavilion to pack things.
But thinking about it now, Ning Shiyu hadn't even left the manor yet, so why would Fu'er have gone to pack at that time?
Based on this, it is highly likely that he stayed overnight in the young master's room.
When she returned to Chang'an, Old Madam Ning met with her privately.
Now that the relationship between the grandmother and granddaughter is becoming increasingly strained, the old lady is placing her hopes on her.
They wanted her to conceive Ning Shiyu's child as soon as possible, so as to improve the relationship between the grandfather and grandson.
But Ning Shiyu never touches her, so how can she get pregnant?
When she first arrived at the Ning residence, Ning Shiyu asked her to stay overnight at Wenxuan Pavilion.
She was overjoyed, but his offer of overnight stay only meant that she sleep on the tatami mat in the outer room.
She wasn't even allowed to enter the inner room; Mu Li guarded the inner room, treating her like a thief.
He always treated her with great respect when he left the manor, never even touching her.
Madam Ning was urging them on again.
To outsiders, Ning Shiyu treated her very well, providing her with the same necessities as a master and taking her everywhere he went.
In reality, he was very cold towards her.
Every time we spend time together in private, I can see the signs of careful consideration.
Yunyou couldn't come up with a better idea for the time being.
Unexpectedly, misfortune never comes singly, and I heard such news.
She gripped the handkerchief tightly in her hand, and after a moment, she calmed down considerably.
If the two of them really had that kind of relationship, given Ning Shiyu's special feelings for Fu'er, he would definitely give her a formal status.
She will continue to live in the servants' quarters as before.
Fu'er wouldn't be so low-key either; she even personally picked flowers and made incense.
Then the man who touched her was not Ning Shiyu, but a man from outside the mansion.
From this perspective, it's actually a good thing for her.
Having figured all this out, Yunyou's face returned to a faint smile.
She said reproachfully, "What's there to panic about? Fu'er is also at the age where she has just gotten married, it's normal for her to have a lover."
Caiwei was completely bewildered by her sudden change in attitude.
"Auntie, aren't you angry?"
"Fu'er's lover isn't a young master, so why should I be angry?"
Caiwei was astonished. "If it's not the young master, then who could it be?"
Seeing how certain Yunyou was, Caiwei naturally believed her words as well.
"If that's what you say, young lady, I don't think it's the young master either."
"If Fu'er were truly the young master's woman, she would probably have already started arguing with me."
"How could you tolerate a servant speaking to her like that?"
After Caiwei breathed a sigh of relief, she became even more interested.
"Could it be Zhu Ping, the former accountant?"
“I always see them together.”
Yun You smiled and said, "The two are quite a good match. No one should mention this matter."
"If the young master hears this, he'll think it's just gossip from our Wenchun Garden."
"Yes, madam."
Meanwhile, Fu'er thought Caiwei had discovered something amiss and remained uneasy for a long time.
She knew Caiwei was a big mouth, and if word got out...
Many people in the household knew her mother and were familiar with her family's tofu shop.
So it won't be long before her whole family finds out.
I didn't even feel like picking flowers anymore.
She was even angrier last night when Ning Shiyu insisted on kissing her neck forcefully.
She waited until dark, but there was still no news from the mansion about her and Ning Shiyu, and only then did she feel relieved.
Make her fragrance.
Ning Shiyu did not return to the mansion that night, so no one disturbed Fu'er.
She also produced the first batch of spices this year.
The next day, after having breakfast, he took her to a shop on Qingyu Street under the pretext of going home.
The shop assistant was named Chen Qiao, a man in his thirties.
He used to work as a purchasing agent for Wan Jia, and he was literate.
Because he was too honest, he was falsely accused and driven out of the Wan family mansion.
When You Cuicui was a maid, she received a lot of care from him.
I met him on the street that day and took the opportunity to invite him over.
When Fu'er arrived at the shop, in less than an hour, she saw that Chen Qiao had sold several boxes.
Most of them were her pear blossom incense.
Fu'er was also very happy, but worried that the stock would easily run out.
Moreover, she couldn't do it all by herself.
"Miss Fu'er, the guests really like your pear blossom incense."
"Make more for you."
"I've already bought ten boxes today."
Each time Fu'er makes a batch, it can be sold for three or four days.
But as more and more people bought them, she found herself struggling to keep up.
"Brother Chen, I usually have other things to do. If we run out of stock, please have the customers leave their names."
Come back in three or four days.
"Don't worry, young lady, I've got it."
In fact, Fu'er had considered asking others for help.
Finally, she remembered what Granny Yu had said when she was learning to make incense: if you want a consistent fragrance, it's best if it comes from the same person.
Adding too much or too little material will have an impact.
So he gave up on the idea.
The more guests there are, the more she must not lose her composure.
If she can't produce the goods, the customers will at most complain a few times.
If the aroma she makes is wrong, customers will not only come to complain, but it will also affect her business.
Most importantly, if Ning Shiyu stays in the incense-making room for too long, he will definitely notice something fishy.
You can fool her once or twice, but if you keep doing it, you'll eventually find out she's selling incense.
Needless to say, the spice shop couldn't stay in business any longer.
*
The next day, Yunyou got up very early and dressed herself up in a generous and elegant manner, yet still beautiful.
There was no gold or silver decoration; the headpiece and earrings were simple, all made of white jade.
She wore a light blue, belted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
Even the maid Caiwei was completely absorbed in watching.
"Girl, you are so beautiful, like a fairy."
"No wonder the young master treats you so well."
Yunyou knew, of course, that she was beautiful, and she was already used to such compliments, so her face remained expressionless.
She grew up in Chang'an and, although she used to be a maidservant to Lady Ning, she was exceptionally beautiful.
Madam Ning had other plans for her and rarely let her do heavy work.
In addition, she had a sweet tongue, and her food, clothing, and daily necessities were all provided for her as a first-class maid in the mansion.
Therefore, she knew early on to use clothing and makeup to highlight her physical advantages.
The same dress looks more pleasing to the eye on her than on others.
After she turned thirteen, seeing that she had become increasingly refined and elegant, Madam Ning had her learn the pipa and guqin.
After she turned sixteen, many young men from prominent families in Chang'an asked the old lady for Yunyou.
Without any hesitation, Madam Ning sent her to her grandson's side.
Indeed, Ning Shiyu treated her somewhat differently from others.
The master and servant waited for a long time, until after breakfast, but Mu Li did not come to call them.
When Mu Li sent the message yesterday, he clearly said that he would leave the mansion after breakfast.
"Go to Wenxuan Pavilion and see when the young master and the others will leave the manor."
"Yes, Aunt."
A moment later, Caiwei returned with an angry expression, "Auntie, the young master has already left."
Yun You maintained her composure on the surface, "Did he bring anyone else with him?"
"I brought it."
Yunyou dropped the handkerchief in her hand, her face filled with hatred. "It's Fu'er, isn't it?"
Caiwei quickly explained, "It's not Fu'er."
“I saw her picking peach blossoms outside Wenxuan Pavilion just now.”
Upon hearing this, Yun You breathed a sigh of relief.
He was puzzled, wondering who Ning Shiyu had brought to Young Master Wei's banquet today.
However, the truth is that Ning Shiyu did not go to meet Young Master Wei at all.
It was the young master of the Cao family.
He did bring someone with him, but it wasn't a woman; it was his cousin.
The banquet hosted by the eldest son of the Wei family was temporarily cancelled due to the invitation from the youngest son of the Cao family.
The Cao family's position as the dominant force in Lingyang is currently unshakeable by anyone.
Just considering the military power held by General Cao, the head of the Cao family, even the Cui family in Chang'an was very wary of it.
The Cao family had two sons; the elder son accompanied his father to guard the Hexi region.
The young master of the Cao family is a gifted scholar; he passed the provincial examination this year with top honors.
He rarely participated in the gatherings that Ning Wei's eldest son and Ning Shiyu often attended.
He only appeared once or twice when his uncle, the Chen family of Lingyang, hosted a banquet.
The sudden invitation to talented individuals from Lingyang left Wei's eldest son and his friends completely baffled.
When he entered the manor, the eldest son of the Wei family waited for Ning Shiyu, just wondering what the Cao family wanted to do.
Ning Shiyu appeared to be completely confused, but in reality, his spies had already found out exactly what the Cao family was planning at this banquet.
Using the pretext of befriending the young master of the Cao family, they selected a husband for the Cao family's daughter.
Because of the previous incident where the Imperial Censor Qiao was ambushed in Lingyang, Prime Minister Cui also began to suspect the Cao family.
Previously, there had been an intention to arrange a marriage between his nephew and the youngest daughter of the Cao family.
The purpose was to test Cao Yukun's loyalty to the imperial court and the Cui family.
But Cao Yukun's only daughter is said to be his most precious possession.
The Cao family was slow to respond, and two days ago Empress Cui issued another imperial edict, ordering the eldest daughter of the Cao family to take her younger sister to the palace for a visit.
This connection with the Cui family resulted in a entanglement of interests.
Cao Yukun didn't want to offend either the Cui family or the Prince of Qin.
He wanted to let his daughter choose a suitable marriage and settle down with her before the Cui family made their intentions clear.
Although Cao Yukun was unwilling to let his daughter marry into the Cui family.
But ordinary, mediocre people don't even catch his eye.
The talented individuals invited today are either exceptionally gifted in literature or come from wealthy families.
Ning Shiyu knew Cao Yukun's intentions, so of course he wouldn't invite his cousins.
In Lingyang, he was, after all, just a young master of a merchant family with property.
Even the eldest son of the Wei family was unaware of his true identity.
He then secretly brought in Li Huiqing, the youngest son of the King of Qin.
Of course, he had his own purpose in doing so.
The steward, seeing that many talented young men had arrived at the guest quarters, looked them over and, satisfied, went to summon his master, Cao Siyan, the young master of the Cao family.
These scholars gathered together simply to make friends through literature and exchange refined interests.
Of course, composing poems and drinking wine and tea were indispensable activities.
Ning Shiyu and his cousin Li Huiqing sat in a corner.
He may not look particularly remarkable, but Ning Shiyu has come with a mission today, and he has instructed his younger cousin not to keep a low profile this time.
We should be more flamboyant, so that the Cao family and everyone here can witness his erudition.
After a few lines of poetry, everyone's eyes turned to Li Huiqing.
Look at his handsome appearance, his eloquent speech, how he can recite poems and lyrics, and how he can also cite many similar anecdotes about famous people.
His talent is truly admirable.
Since it was Ning Shiyu's first time appearing in such a setting, everyone privately inquired about his background.
Ning Shiyu simply said, "He is just my cousin, like me, from a merchant family."
Only then did the crowd stop asking questions, still somewhat skeptical.
After lunch, the banquet came to an end.
The group, having received the generous gifts prepared by the Cao family, departed.
Only Ning Shiyu's cousin remained.
The steward led him and his servant to a secluded courtyard and said respectfully, "Please wait a moment, sir, our young master will be here shortly."
A moment later, the young master of the Cao family arrived late. He no longer beat around the bush and immediately explained his purpose.
"May I ask, young master, where do you live?"
"Are you married?"
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