Peony replied with a smile, "Not at all! I only do some small things for Master Ruan, I'm not really a personal maid, but Master Ruan is very generous and kind to all of us."
The magpie flattered her, saying, "Someone as capable and intelligent as you, which master wouldn't like you? I heard that your master asked you to book a banquet for the entire household at Baixianglou. That's the best proof of your competence!"
Peony was embarrassed by her praise and could only smile and say, "I guess so! Sister, please don't praise me anymore, I'm really embarrassed."
Seeing that the time was almost right, the magpie asked, "Has the banquet been decided yet?"
Peony said, "It's already decided, and it will be delivered to your residence soon."
The magpie continued, "You've been to Baixianglou before, have you tried their food? The fact that Master Ruan keeps reminiscing about it must mean that the food there is delicious! Otherwise, Master Ruan wouldn't have gone out to eat instead of using the Prince's own chefs."
Peony was pleased by her flattery and replied, "That's not it. My lady just loves the food at Baixianglou. Firstly, because their cooking is delicious, and secondly..." Peony deliberately left the question unanswered.
The magpie grew anxious and said, "Secondly, what is the reason? Dear peony, please tell me!"
Peony glanced around and lowered her voice, saying, "If I tell you, don't tell anyone else." Magpie repeatedly promised not to tell anyone else, and Peony then said, "Our lady met a waiter at Baixiang Restaurant. Our lady said that this waiter was eloquent, efficient, and served us very well. More importantly, this waiter also has the surname Ruan, which is the same as our lady's. That's why our lady chose Baixiang Restaurant, and she even specially asked that waiter to bring the menu to the Prince's residence."
The magpie asked, "Has that fellow arrived yet?"
Peony replied, "It's just that the guy wasn't destined for wealth. When I went there, the manager said he hadn't come for many days and didn't know what had happened. I heard he left without even collecting his wages."
The magpie said, "Oh, is that so?" Then she flattered the peony for a while, building a good relationship with her in preparation for gathering information next time.
Then she pretended to have something to do and said goodbye to Peony.
Magpie returned to Linlang's room and said to her, "Master, it seems that Ruan Meiying has ulterior motives for choosing Baixianglou."
Linlang said, "Oh, how so!"
Magpie said, "I think Peony said the reason she chose Baixianglou is because Baixianglou has a waiter."
Linlang said, "What's so special about a guy?"
Magpie said, "What's special about this place is that the waiter's surname is also Ruan, and it's said that Ruan Meiying specifically asked that Ruan to come to the Prince's mansion, but it seems that something happened to that person and he's no longer at Baixianglou."
Linlang said, "Is that so?"
She lowered her head and thought for a while before saying, "Ruan is not a very common surname. These two people probably know each other. You keep a close eye on Ruan Meiying." Then she walked to the table, picked up paper and pen, and felt that the waiter surnamed Ruan and Ruan Meiying definitely knew each other. The fact that they hadn't openly acknowledged each other meant that they must have some kind of secret. She needed to inform the Eighth Prince as soon as possible and ask him to make a decision.
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