Chapter 137 The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery is Furious
There is a small garden between Dan Gui Courtyard and Concubine Zhao's courtyard.
Yao Qingling suddenly stopped and sat down in the garden.
She looked at the little maid carrying the lantern with a tired expression: "I feel a little dizzy, probably because I'm very hungry. Go to the kitchen and see if there's anything to eat."
The young maidservant followed Xia Chan's instructions and was determined not to let anything happen to her mistress. Hearing that she was too hungry to walk, she hurriedly stuffed the lantern into Qing Ling's hand and ran off.
Qingling, holding a lantern: "..."
She turned to look at the plum vase and said with a faint smile, "That girl is too reckless. You take this lantern."
"Hey." Mei Ping, who looked honest and unassuming, took the lantern and then remained silent.
Yao Qingling looked her over and saw that she really did seem like a quiet, reserved person.
She asked a few questions casually, from her parents to her brothers and sisters, and Mei Ping answered them one by one.
But he only answered Qingling's questions and didn't say anything else.
After asking the question, Qingling stared at the girl quietly.
Mei Ping didn't flinch, but lowered her eyes and stared at the ground, unusually quiet and obedient.
In Madam Ma's courtyard, there was a maid who did not strive for recognition, did not use her cleverness, and did not seek credit or vie for favor.
She never even noticed.
Moreover, she was a housewife.
"Is the Lady Hou good to you?"
Mei Ping looked up at her and nodded in reply, "Madam treats all servants equally well."
Qingling smiled and said, "The Lady of the Marquis values you and sent you to my courtyard. You also said that she is good to you, so I can only be even better to you."
Mei Ping couldn't understand what she meant and stared blankly at her.
Just then, a maid came running from the main kitchen, panting as she handed over a bowl of porridge: "Miss, this is all the kitchen has. If you want something else, the cook will need to pay you to make it again. I was worried you'd go hungry, so I brought it first."
It really was just a bowl of plain porridge. Perhaps because they were worried that Qingling wouldn't be able to eat it, they sprinkled a few sesame seeds on top as decoration.
Qingling slowly and methodically finished a bowl of white porridge in the small garden.
She is from an official family, so she should eat with proper manners; eating slowly is to be expected.
Mei Ping saw it all, couldn't find anything wrong with it, and didn't dare to urge them.
After Qingling finished eating, she went to Zhao's concubine's courtyard.
It was already late, and it was time for Marquis Zhongyong to rest.
When Qingling went to pay her respects, the Marquis of Zhongyong, barefoot, came out of the bedroom in a huff as he tied his belt.
"Yao Qingling, what are you doing! Don't you know how to respect your elders!"
Marquis Zhongyong was furious.
Who could understand that he and his beloved concubine were making love, almost to the very end, when they were abruptly interrupted!
Concubine Zhao, hiding in the bedroom, spoke in a soft, sweet voice: "My lord, when did you abolish the greeting ceremony? It's so annoying!"
Yao Qingling curtsied and glanced up at Marquis Zhongyong. His face still bore the lipstick mark of Concubine Zhao.
But his face was redder than the rouge, whether from lingering excitement or sheer anger, it was hard to tell.
His eyes were bloodshot; they were even red.
Qing Ling frowned slightly.
Something seems off.
But she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.
Marquis Zhongyong pointed at Qingling and cursed, "Why don't you just come to pay your respects in the middle of the night? This isn't filial piety, it's like you think I have too much life to live!"
With her eyes downcast, Qingling said aggrievedly, "I went to Dan Gui Courtyard to pay my respects first. My aunt kept me there and gave me a maid. I was originally coming directly from Dan Gui Courtyard to Hua Xi Courtyard, but I suddenly felt unwell on the way."
"I just remembered I hadn't eaten dinner yet, so I had some porridge in the little garden. It gave me some energy, so I rushed over. I didn't expect to be late. I shouldn't have eaten that porridge; what good would it do to hold on a little longer..."
Marquis Zhongyong rolled his eyes up and down, sizing up Yao Qingling.
She was sick for almost half a month, and after recovering, she went back to work at the shop, leaving early and returning late every day.
They're working so hard to be self-reliant and to earn more money for the Marquis's mansion.
Marquis Zhongyong still remembered what Yao Qingling said to the old lady, saying that he was a late bloomer.
Many people say behind his back that he is mediocre and incompetent, and that he only became the Marquis of Zhongyong because of his younger brother.
Loyalty and bravery—these two words have nothing to do with him, constantly reminding him of whose favor he has gained.
Only his niece respected him.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's expression softened somewhat, but only towards Yao Qingling.
He thought to himself, "It's all because of that woman Ma that she came up with all this morning and evening greetings. We're not from a noble family, yet she insists on making a fuss about all those rules."
It's one thing for your own children to do these things, but Yao Qingling isn't your biological daughter. Just let her fend for herself. Can't we just leave her alone?
"...Wait, you said she gave you a maidservant, what kind of maidservant?"
Qingling brought up the plum vase on purpose.
She knew her uncle well and knew that he had a penchant for women.
She called Mei Ping over: "This is her. My aunt thought my courtyard needed someone, so she specially gave me one."
Marquis Zhongyong glanced at Meiping. She was plain-looking and unremarkable; she must be a low-ranking maid.
The Marquis of Zhongyong wouldn't give a second glance to a lowly maid with such an ordinary appearance.
He waved his hand, signaling the men to leave.
Qingling thought to herself that Madam Ma had really put a lot of thought into sending this maid. She needed to be honest and loyal, but also inconspicuous, so as not to catch the Marquis's eye.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's interest was interrupted, and he was furious with Madam Ma. He said to Qingling, "Your health is not good. From now on, you should focus on the shop and don't need to pay your respects to her morning and evening."
Qingling feigned hesitation: "But Auntie—"
"I'll go talk to her!" Marquis Zhongyong was holding back his anger and had nowhere to vent it, so he flicked his sleeves and went to Dangui Courtyard.
Qingling hurriedly asked someone to send the shoes over.
Turning back, she looked at the plum vase: "We should go back to Mulan Courtyard too."
She walked ahead, a wide smile playing on her lips.
She had planned to quietly pay her respects and go home to rest early. But her aunt insisted on planting spies in her yard, so she figured she shouldn't blame her for making things difficult for her.
Back at Mulan Courtyard, Lou Yue and Xia Chan had been waiting for quite a while.
"Miss, why have you been taking so long? What happened?"
Qingling smiled, called Meiping over, and said calmly, "This is Miss Meiping from Dangui Courtyard. She will be working in our courtyard from now on. You two should talk to her about the rules of Mulan Courtyard and arrange her work. It can't be heavy work. Madam Hou treats Miss Meiping very well. We can't let her feel too much of a difference after she comes to our courtyard. We don't want people to gossip about how harsh we are to our servants."
Qingling got straight to the point, yawning, "I'm going to sleep now."
Lou Yue and Xia Chan exchanged a glance. "You went out for a while and came back with someone?"
Mei Ping watched as Qing Ling entered the bedroom. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but when she turned around, she saw that Lou Yue and Xia Chan were both staring at her.
Mei Ping bowed respectfully to the two maids, then stood silently.
Lou Yue, as the head maid, called Mei Ping over and taught her manners.
“You used to serve Lady Hou, but now that you're here, you're serving the young lady. The rule of Mulan Courtyard is that there is only one mistress, Miss Qingling. But our young lady is very kind to people…”
He showered her with compliments, all empty words, and then assigned her a job.
They are dedicated to raising fish and turtles in a small pond.
Anyone with eyes could see what the plum vase was for, and Yao Qingling had made it so obvious. Lou Yue sent her to feed the fish; it wasn't a heavy job, and she was away from her master.
Even so, when doing many things, you still have to avoid being watched and keep your mouth shut.
Lou Yue and Xia Chan were both on edge, very worried about Yao Qingling's belly.
They entered Qingling's bedroom: "Miss, having another person like this will be very inconvenient in the future. Can't we send her away?"
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