Chapter 203 Less Nonsense
Jiang Wan Ning summoned the steward from the Marquis's residence.
The steward bowed and said, "This old servant did not see Miss Song leave the manor, but only saw her wandering around in the back garden."
"When I turned around, he was gone."
“Anyone who has seen Miss Song, bring them to see me,” Jiang Wanning said.
"yes."
The housekeeper called out everyone who had seen Miss Song on duty that day and asked them one by one, but no one had noticed where she had gone.
"Is she a girl wearing a pale yellow dress, with two little tiger teeth when she smiles, and a pair of sweet dimples?"
Chuntao stepped forward timidly.
"Yes, you saw him?" Shen Ruzhi asked.
Chun Tao is now her maid, and she brought her along today, but she used to be alone.
They always carry things with them and then forget about them, eventually losing them. Fortunately, Chun Tao always manages to find herself.
"Where have you seen this before?" the Empress asked, unable to hide her anxiety.
Chun Tao lowered her head and said, "I saw her near the back gate of the Marquis's mansion, but when I turned around, Miss Song seemed to have vanished into thin air."
"Your Majesty, don't worry, this Marquis's residence is very safe, Miss Song will be fine," Jiang Wan Ning reassured the Empress.
"Go look in the backyard."
"I will go too," the Empress said.
The commotion was so great that it also alerted Zhou and Wang, who came out with their bellies sticking out.
“Mother, Aunt, there’s nothing wrong here. You’re not feeling well right now, so you should go back and rest.”
Now, both Zhou and Wang are six months pregnant and are finding it difficult to move around.
Madam Zhou shook her head. "Such a big thing has happened, how can Mother sit still? Besides, it happened in our Marquis's mansion."
This Miss Song was not only the granddaughter of Prime Minister Song, but also the younger sister of Empress Song, and was the darling of her family.
If she were to disappear into thin air at the Marquis's residence, not only would the Marquis and she be implicated, but Ningning would likely also be affected.
Zhou was worried.
"It'll be alright, Mother, don't worry," Jiang Wan Ning reassured softly.
The group hurried to the place Chuntao had mentioned in the backyard.
"Sister!" Song Zhuran rushed out from behind the artificial hill in the corner. "Why are there so many people here?"
The Empress strode forward, grabbed Song Zhuran's arm tightly, looked her up and down with concern, and asked, "Where did you go just now?"
“I saw a butterfly fly by here, and I chased after it. It was right there,” Song Zhuran said, pointing in the direction of the artificial hill.
"I was so engrossed in watching that I forgot the time. Sister, did I cause you any trouble or make you worry?"
The Empress's anxiety subsided. "Don't be so naughty next time, or I'll never take you out again."
"It's good that Miss Song is alright." Madam Zhou quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Sister, shall we leave now?" Song Zhuran stepped forward and took Song Zhuyi's arm.
Jiang Wan Ning glanced down at the mud on Song Zhu Ran's feet and skirt, "Let's take Miss Song to change her clothes first."
As soon as Jiang Wan Ning said this, everyone looked down at Song Zhu Ran's dress.
“The yard was watered a few days ago, so there’s still some mud,” Zhou said. “Someone, take Miss Song to change her clothes.”
"It was my fault for being playful, don't blame me." Song Zhuran smiled sweetly, "Sister, isn't it a bit late to go see Young Master Xuan's performance now?"
"It's all my fault. I was too playful. My sister only comes once in a long time."
"If you had changed your clothes earlier and talked less nonsense, you could have made it in time," Shen Ruzhi said casually.
Song Zhuran felt a little wronged. "I...I'll go change my clothes right now."
After taking a couple of steps, she turned back to look at everyone and said, "Why don't you two go ahead, Sister Jiang and I'll come find you after I change my clothes?"
"It's not easy for my sister to leave the palace, don't let me delay her again."
"I heard that wherever Young Master Xuan goes, there are no seats left if you arrive too late."
“It’s alright,” Jiang Wan Ning said. “I’ve already had someone arrange the seating in advance.”
Song Zhuran hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sister Jiang is so thoughtful. I'll go and come back quickly."
After Song Zhuran left, Jiang Wanning asked Zhou Shi and Wang Shi to accompany the Empress to the front hall.
I then strolled around behind the artificial hill.
The mud on Song Zhuran's feet and skirt didn't look like it had been splashed on by normal walking.
Jiang Wan Ning looked down at the footprints Song Zhu Ran had left. The footprints were quite deep, as if she had taken a running start. Following the footprints along the wall...
Sure enough, marks were found on the wall.
Song Zhuran actually knows martial arts!
Jiang Wan Ning was also shocked, even though she knew that Song Zhu Ran was not simple and was not sick.
But it's not easy to learn martial arts while hiding from everyone.
It seems that since it was her suggestion to visit Young Master Xuan, she went out to make arrangements beforehand.
That just proves that Song Zhuran is not alone; she must have someone helping her behind the scenes.
"Ningning, are you done yet?" Shen Ruzhi called from outside.
Jiang Wanning came out from behind the artificial hill. "Alright, let's go."
"What were you looking at when you stayed behind?" Shen Ruzhi whispered. "Do you suspect that Song something-ran?"
Jiang Wanning nodded, "It's not advisable to make this public for now; we still don't know her specific purpose."
If it's just something within the Song family, then it's nothing; after all, every family has its secrets.
But her intuition told her that Song Zhuran's actions were not just an internal matter of the Song family. She wondered what could possibly make her so willing to harm her own family.
"This girl looks harmless at first glance, but she's actually very cunning. I always feel that she doesn't want you to treat the Empress."
"Right after you left, she kept testing me to see if I knew what you were doing back at the Marquis's residence."
Although Shen Ruzhi is carefree and easygoing, she is actually very thoughtful.
"They're here." Shen Ruzhi tugged at Jiang Wanning's sleeve.
Jiang Wan Ning looked up and saw that Song Zhu Ran was wearing her own sky-blue long dress, paired with two headbands of the same color.
She exudes a lively and playful energy, like a ray of sunshine.
If she remembered correctly, because she didn't wear this outfit often, the peony had been hidden very deep inside. It seemed that Song Zhuran had really gone to a lot of trouble to buy time.
"Sister, let's go." Song Zhuran said with a smile.
As soon as the group sat down at the teahouse that Young Master Xuan frequented, a waiter came forward to pour them tea.
Young Master Xuan has been performing on stage for a while now.
"What would you like to eat?"
Jiang Wan Ning casually ordered a few dishes.
"Is it safe for you to sit in this lobby, sister? Why don't we find a private room?"
"Miss Song doesn't know, the most interesting thing is inside the teahouse lobby, especially since this is the second floor, which has the best view."
Song Zhuran nodded and pointed to the curtain on the stage, "Sister, look!"
The crowd watched the performance behind the curtain.
As the waiter brought over the snacks, a customer next to him called out, "Waiter, is it really Young Master Xuan who's coming to perform at your teahouse today?"
"This gentleman, who else could it be but Young Master Xuan?"
"You're talking nonsense. I've heard Young Master Xuan perform more than once or twice, and that was clearly not Young Master Xuan."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com