"It seems I can't see eye to eye with Lady Liangdi. Farewell."
Li Shiyue strode towards the front hall, no longer looking at what was happening behind her.
Outside Chonghua Palace, Li Shiyue and Xu Yunci were still walking out of the palace gate, but Xu Yunci had something on her mind and could still sense that Li Shiyue's expression seemed a little unpleasant.
The vermilion palace walls are tall, and the long street stretches as far as the eye can see. Only after turning left and right through the palace gates do you see many more that look the same, making your eyes dizzy.
Once seated in the carriage, Li Shiyue remained silent, her gaze fixed on him, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Xu Yunci looked himself up and down; his attire was exactly the same as when he arrived. He touched the official hat on his head; it was on the right side.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Did something happen in your elder sister's palace?"
Li Shiyue's smile deepened, and as she raised her hand, her slender fingers gripped the teacup.
"My elder sister talked to me for a long time, and everything was fine in the palace."
Is everything alright in the palace?
Catching the key words in her words, Xu Yunci hesitated slightly, a rare occurrence, before taking the empty teacup from her hand.
“What happened outside the palace? My lady, could you tell me about it?”
Xu Yunci's probing gaze was undisguised; it was an open and honest inquiry, as if he had done something wrong and was afraid of upsetting Li Shiyue.
With a soft sigh, Li Shiyue placed the teacup in his hand, resting her chin on her other hand: "Yes, I'm afraid the young master of the manor will soon give me a younger sister."
Xu Yunci paused, putting down his teacup, and turned to look at her with a suspicious expression: "What sister?"
The way she called him "Young Master" sounded strange; it didn't seem like something good was about to happen.
Li Shiyue turned her head and glanced at him indifferently, then spoke of what had happened outside the hall with a normal expression: "The young master is a dragon among men, and even the Du family's daughter is captivated by him. She has volunteered to become a concubine in the Rongguo Duke's mansion and serve by the young master's side."
"Smack!"
Xu Yunci casually set down the teacup, making a slight clinking sound. He chuckled helplessly, turned around to look at her expression, and laughed even more heartily.
Li Shiyue turned to look at him, a hint of displeasure in her eyes: "What are you laughing at? What, do you really have a younger sister coming to keep you company?"
"What sister? What companion?"
Xu Yunci quickly suppressed his smile, but the joy in his eyes was impossible to hide. He reached out and hugged her, his voice trembling with delight: "You're jealous."
Li Shiyue pursed her lips and did not struggle.
She was indeed jealous, especially when she heard Madam Du mention it. If it weren't for Consort Zuo's sarcastic remarks, she would have said even harsher things.
Xu Yunci reached out and turned her head, stroking her cheeks with both hands: "The Du family girl willingly became a concubine, that's their business, what does it have to do with us? If she wants to be a concubine, I think it would be better for her to enter the Eastern Palace, share a husband with her sister, and with her elder sister by her side, these girls can't cause any trouble."
"However, that may be difficult, because His Highness dislikes Consort Du's character, not to mention the Du family."
"My heart is as clear as heaven and earth; I am utterly devoted to my wife, and I will never do anything to betray her in this lifetime."
The tenderness in Xu Yunci's eyes flowed from the corners of his eyes. His usually indifferent eyes were full of tenderness and love. He stroked her cheeks with both hands, as if he were looking at a precious treasure.
He lowered his head, and Li Shiyue felt the dampness and warmth on her forehead. She blushed and pushed against his chest.
"Still outside."
Her back was still hurting, and she didn't want to behave herself in the carriage, as everyone outside would surely hear everything.
Xu Yunci didn't say anything, he just held her tightly and wouldn't let go.
After resting for half a day at Tongxin Hall, he went to the flower hall to look for Madam Yang. As soon as he entered, he saw Madam Luo, Madam Yang's trusted servant.
"Lady of the Heir Apparent".
Later, Luo Mama's status was similar to that of Chang Mama. She was Yang's dowry maid and helped Yang in the inner quarters of the Duke's mansion for quite some time.
"Where is Mother? She should be checking the accounts at this hour."
Li Shiyue looked around and found that apart from a table and Luo Mama, she really didn't see Yang Shi in the flower hall.
"The lady is naturally not here."
Mrs. Luo smiled slightly, took out a bunch of keys from her sleeve, and handed them to Li Shiyue.
Seeing the confusion on her face, Madam Luo was not in a hurry and explained, "This is the key to the Duke's mansion's storeroom."
After speaking, she looked at the thick stack of account books on the table: "These are all the account books of the Duke's mansion. This servant is ordered to hand them over to the young master's wife."
"Young Madam, don't panic. This is Madam's wish. Now that the young master and young madam are married, these affairs of the manor will naturally be handed over to you."
The key in Madam Luo's hand was for the Duke's mansion's storeroom, where all of the Xu family's goods and various treasures were stored.
"Don't worry, if there's anything you don't understand, just tell me and Granny Sun. Madam said that I will go back to serve you only when you are completely familiar with handling these matters on your own."
Madam Luo was Yang's personal maid and also came to the household as part of her dowry. Madam Sun was Xu Yunci's wet nurse, an old servant who had served Yang for many years. She was very authoritative among the servants in the household, and was the most reliable in many matters concerning the inner quarters.
Li Shiyue took the bunch of keys; they were heavy, and it was best to keep them safe.
"Then I'll have to trouble you two. I'm clumsy and stupid, so please be patient with me."
Granny Sun stood to one side without saying a word, and when she heard her finish speaking, she slightly raised her eyes to look at her.
This was also the first time Li Shiyue had seen this Granny Sun. She had only heard about her from Madam Yang and the people in the mansion, but she had never actually seen her face.
Granny Sun seemed to be about the same age as Granny Chang. Her temples were white, and her hair was neatly and simply styled with a single silver hairpin.
The silver hairpin is the most common style, which can be seen everywhere on the street. She wears a plain blue-black jacket with narrow sleeves, which are wider than the usual narrow sleeves.
She wore a similar cross-collar undershirt, and her hands had some calluses. Although she was about the same age as Granny Chang, her eyes were very bright, and she subtly sized up Li Shiyue.
Hearing her say that, Granny Sun smiled and took two steps forward, skillfully unfolding the top ledger and placing it in front of Li Shiyue.
"Young Madam is very intelligent; I've heard people say that even though I don't come here often. If you have any instructions in the future, please just give them. I'm used to doing things this way, so I certainly won't hold you back."
As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, not looking directly at anyone, displaying a humble demeanor, and did not take advantage of her seniority to do anything outrageous.
That's the case at least for now; Li Shiyue hasn't made a definitive conclusion on the rest.
The account books I used to look at with Madam Yang are just the tip of the iceberg compared to this; these are all the account books of the Rongguo Duke's mansion.
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