The following morning, Princess Duan, accompanied by several personal maids and servants, and escorted by servants, slowly departed from the capital city of Jin in several ornately decorated carriages.
The departure of Princess Duan made the Duan Prince's residence much quieter.
In reality, Princess Duan only took away the servants from her own courtyard, reducing the number of people in the mansion by no more than twenty.
But at this moment, the servants in the mansion had already grasped the situation. They understood that the affairs of the Duan Prince's mansion, big and small, were now completely in the hands of the Crown Prince's wife.
The two most mischievous girls, one of whom has been confined to her home, and the other is being taught etiquette and manners by a strict governess hired by the lady, in the hope of reforming her ways.
The second young master of the Duan Prince's mansion, who used to be domineering and like a demon king reincarnated, seems to have become much more restrained and well-behaved recently.
Now that the old lady of the mansion is no longer here, if they do not restrain their nature, what good can they expect if they unfortunately fall into the hands of the lady?
The servants in the mansion couldn't help but tremble at the thought of the stewards and managers who had been sent to the government office.
The once all-powerful Steward Zheng practically ruled the entire mansion; his words carried even more weight than those of the old lady.
However, after being handed over to the government, he was tortured to death. The fates of the other officials were also extremely tragic; the luckiest of them was only to be flogged and then exiled to Lingnan, three thousand miles away.
They were just a bunch of insignificant people. Although they were not serious enough to commit such a serious mistake, if they angered the madam and were kicked out of the mansion, who would they turn to to complain about their grievances?
Although life at the Prince Duan's residence is no longer as carefree as it used to be, the lady of the house is clearly not the kind of master who deliberately makes things difficult for the servants. As long as they are careful and don't make mistakes, it's better than being sold into slavery.
Therefore, the servants in the mansion were all very careful with their words and actions, and dared not even raise their voices, which made the once noisy Duanwang Mansion suddenly become unusually quiet.
Fuyu angrily rebuked, "This bunch of scoundrels are all bullies who rely on their power."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qinlan chuckled and said casually, "This situation is quite ordinary. By the way, go and call that girl named Xiaoman here."
Soon after, Xiaoman knelt respectfully before Gu Qinlan.
"This servant greets Madam."
Xiaoman stood tall and dignified, her eyes revealing boundless respect and gratitude.
Gu Qinlan smiled and helped her up: "I invited you here to inquire about some trivial matters in the manor. Please tell me everything you know and have heard."
Xiaoman immediately began to recount the story as if it were a treasure trove of knowledge.
This young girl was incredibly witty and eloquent. She recounted the old stories of the Duan Prince's Mansion, making everyone in the room burst into laughter, while she didn't miss a single crucial detail.
For example, the senior maids and wet nurses accompanying Zheng Huaiyu and Zheng Fengyun were all specially arranged and left behind by her birth mother. Another example is that Zheng Huiyi often disguised herself as a servant and secretly sneaked out of the mansion.
Gu Qinlan's impression of the girl deepened.
This young woman is exceptionally courageous, meticulous, and adept at observing the people and events around her. What is particularly commendable is that she is also skilled at weighing pros and cons and understanding people's hearts.
In the previous incident involving the stewards and their subordinates, this clever and quick-witted girl seized the perfect opportunity and became the first to confess.
She knew that her mistake was not serious, and that if she could be the first to tell the truth, her master might be lenient with her in order to ensure the smooth progress of the whole situation.
As expected, Gu Qinlan not only did not punish her, but instead gave her an opportunity to climb higher.
Such a decisive and wise woman, if properly nurtured, will surely be able to shoulder important responsibilities in the future.
Gu Qinlan secretly plotted in her heart, but did not reveal anything. After Ziying told her all the details she knew, she dismissed her.
Fu Yu clicked her tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "I never expected that the Duan Prince's Mansion, which appears to have few people on the surface, is actually so turbulent and complex inside."
Gu Qinlan responded calmly: "Which mansion has a flawless heritage? Compared to others, the Duan Prince's Mansion is already considered a rare exception."
Apart from the extravagant Zheng Huiyi, there was nothing particularly surprising about the rest.
Gu Qinlan immediately turned to Hongye and instructed her: "Go and investigate carefully about the former principal wife."
She was referring to the biological mother of Zheng Huaiyu and Zheng Fengyun, a woman named Zou.
Although Zou had remarried two or three years ago, it was obvious that her influence on Zheng Huaiyu and his siblings remained profound. She couldn't help but wonder if the three of them maintained some kind of connection in private.
Even so, this is understandable, after all, they have an unbreakable blood bond.
However, she had to be wary of any ill intentions Zou might be harboring.
She wasn't against a woman remarrying after losing her husband, but a woman who couldn't wait to remarry while her husband's body was still warm could hardly be called kind.
Not to mention, Ms. Zou also had two children, so she was not without support in her later years.
As Xiaoman just mentioned, when Zou Shi remarried, she caused a huge uproar in the mansion, even making Princess Duan fall ill.
Ultimately, Zheng Dinglian had to make a decision and agree to Zou's request to remarry. At that time, Zheng Huaiyu and Zheng Fengyun's father had been dead for less than half a year.
Would such a heartless and selfish woman care about the future of her ex-husband's children?
The answer is naturally no.
Therefore, the intentions behind the maids and nannies she deliberately kept are truly intriguing. Combined with Zheng Huaiyu's remarks yesterday, this Zou Shi is clearly coveting something.
Not long ago, the red leaves drifted away, and then a young maidservant stepped lightly and quickly into the room.
"Madam, just now someone from the Ji family came to inform us that there will be some amusing things to do at the Ji family."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qinlan laughed with delight: "Tell me in detail, what exactly was this playful incident?"
She had already planted spies in the Ji family, but there had been no news of them recently. Unexpectedly, joyous news suddenly broke out like a clap of thunder in spring.
The maidservant smiled sweetly and whispered, "The maidservant beside Young Master Ji is pregnant. We only recently learned of this news, and Old Madam Ji was overjoyed. She immediately promoted the maidservant to the rank of concubine and plans to hold a banquet in the mansion to celebrate and entertain guests from all directions."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qinlan couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
Looking back, when she entered the Ji family, she married into the Duan Prince's mansion half a month later than Gu Qinlian.
At that time, there was no news of any maidservant being pregnant, yet one maidservant was still promoted to Ji Yinli's concubine.
Later, in order to make him wholeheartedly plan for his future, Ji Yinli deliberately sold the maid to someone else.
In this life, Gu Qinlian deliberately delayed the wedding, intending to make her experience the embarrassment and humiliation of her wedding night as well. As a result, this led to the scandal of Ji Yinli having a child with that maid.
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