After being suspected by Tong Jia and her husband, Tong Jia Wanying immediately gave up her previous plans to open a jewelry store and a clothing store, and became much quieter.
The Prince He's Mansion (the residence of the Ninth Prince) is decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and its exquisite courtyards reveal a luxurious yet tasteful style, reflecting the Ninth Prince's rich cultural heritage.
Inside the pavilion, fish swam gently in a pond, creating ripples that teemed with life. Yinzhen sat on a carved stone bench, casually tossing prepared bait with one hand, each movement exuding an air of untamed elegance. The pavilion's shadow fell on his thick, long eyelashes, obscuring his eyes. Only the occasional twitching of his fingers proved he had clearly heard the guard's words.
"Tong Guogang's eldest daughter, Tongjia Wanying, and second daughter, Tongjia Qingyu? They truly deserve the Emperor's great favor. No wonder this young lady looks down on them." Yin Tang's tone was devoid of any arrogance, but rather carried a hint of mockery.
"If we're talking about imperial favor, who can compare to the current emperor's princes?" The guard hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, when I was investigating the two young ladies, I discovered that Miss Tongjia is actually the owner of the cake shop and milk tea shop that have taken away a lot of business from our shop."
"Oh~ those recipes are all her own?"
"I couldn't find it."
The guards lowered their heads, not daring to utter another sound.
"Alright, you can go now."
"yes."
Yinzhen idly stroked the jade-green thumb ring in his hand. This young lady had quite a secret in her heart, it was a pity that the formula had fallen into the hands of such a foolish person, it was truly unbearable. In a daze, he recalled those clear, amber eyes again, so beautiful that it made his fingertips itch.
Yinzhen was not an innocent young man; he had already married a princess and clearly understood what the young girl wanted. He knew that the Tong family was now close to the Eighth Prince, so he would get whatever he wanted.
The man's deep, dark eyes no longer seemed to be looking at the cute little goldfish, but rather at the greed and plunder of a beloved toy.
At the Tong residence, Tong Jia Wanying, who had been well-behaved for a long time, finally couldn't stay still any longer. She had gotten used to being out and about these past few days, and now being stuck at home was truly unbearable.
"Little sister, do you want to go out?"
What does her older sister want now that she doesn't come to the temple without a reason? Qingyin asked in surprise, "If you want to go out, just go out. You can just tell Mother."
"Today is different. I'll take you to a new and fun place. You don't need to tell your mother. We'll take a shortcut and just bring our two personal maids."
Tong Jiawanying was getting impatient, but if she went there, she would take her adopted sister with her so they could share the blame. She forced a smile and tried to persuade Qingyin.
"Elder sister, aren't there any guards with us?"
Tong Jiawanying was a little angry and glared at her, saying, "Do you want to go out with me or not? If you don't, I won't take you."
Qingyin hesitated for a moment, and just as Tong Jiawanying was about to get impatient, she pretended to be happy and said, "Okay, I want to go with my elder sister."
After the two finished speaking, Tong Jiawanying led Qingyin through several winding corridors and courtyards, heading deeper into the area.
Seeing the road getting further and further away, Qingyin asked with some doubt, "Sister, aren't we going through the main entrance?"
Tong Jiawanying said impatiently, "Oh, just follow me, I won't let you get lost!"
After a moment of silence, Qingyin looked at the dog hole in front of her, which was neither too big nor too small, just big enough to accommodate a woman's slender body.
...
Qingyin murmured, "Elder sister, is this the path you mentioned?"
Seeing the shocked looks on Qingyin and Helu's faces, a guilty conscience flashed across Tongjia Wanying's face, and Cuihua behind her also looked flustered, as if she had led her mistress astray. It was her young mistress who had asked about the dog hole; her cousin's son happened to be a servant who looked after the hunting dogs, and he had told her. If she had known that this dog hole was where her young mistress wanted to sneak out of the manor, she would never have told her, let alone now that the eldest young mistress had brought the second young mistress along. Despair filled Cuihua's eyes.
Thinking about how Tong Jia Wanying had slipped out through the dog hole was a coincidence, she realized that in modern times, she had seen female protagonists in TV dramas sneak out through dog holes. She had wanted to take this opportunity to ask, and it turned out there really was one, and it just so happened to lead to a slightly secluded alley outside the mansion, leading directly to a bustling market. If she didn't seize this opportunity, she would never have another chance!
He Lu, who had been quietly following behind Qing Yin, couldn't help but speak up: "Young Miss, how can we go out through the dog hole?"
Seeing He Lu trying to persuade her, Cui Hua seemed to find hope and also began to persuade the young lady:
"Yes, Miss, if Madam and Master find out, they will definitely punish you."
Seeing the maidservant constantly trying to persuade her, Tong Jia Wanying's fear lessened considerably, and she became even more determined to go out.
Seeing Tong Jia Wanying's increasingly determined expression, Qingyin didn't join the effort to persuade her. The more her sister argued, the more resolute she became; she seemed to have been a pampered girl in her past life, and Qingyin's persuasion was useless. Qingyin didn't have any particular interest in climbing through the dog hole, but it would certainly damage her reputation if people found out. However, this didn't bother her much, especially since she really wanted to know where her sister was taking her.
Tong Jiawanying said irritably, "There are only four of us here. We should be back before dark. Who would know!"
Qingyin hesitated for a moment, pretending to be worried, before finally agreeing.
After emerging from the dog hole, Tong Jiawanying was noticeably happier. Following the previous route, she successfully led the group to the bustling main street.
Once they reached the main street, Tong Jiawanying skillfully led the group to a clothing store. Looking at their puzzled expressions, she smiled smugly and said, "You should all pick out some men's clothing so that people won't find out who we are."
Qingyin nodded. Since they were already here, it would be better to hear her finish what she had done.
The shop owner was a voluptuous woman in her forties. She wasn't surprised to see several veiled girls reach for men's clothing. She had seen it all before; it was common for young ladies to sneak out in men's clothes. These girls were clearly one of them. She smiled broadly and said, "Miss, you're all petite. You'll have to come inside to pick out some men's clothes. They have plenty that will suit you."
Qingyin smiled faintly: "Okay, thank you, boss."
Overwhelmed by the enthusiastic greetings, He Lu and Cui Hua glanced at their respective young ladies. Qing Yin and Tong Jia Wan Ying were noticeably calmer. One possessed a composure honed by the passage of time, while the other had witnessed many women buying men's clothing in modern times. Their calmness helped He Lu and Cui Hua to regain their composure as well.
After each person had chosen their own clothes, they changed into them.
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