She didn't intend to tell Xia Sang these things.
Qin Sheng said, "I will write a letter to my father on my mother's side and ask him to send a few skilled guards to escort Young Master Xia back to Hushan."
"Thank you very much, Madam Yin." Xia Sang bowed in thanks.
Qin Sheng said a few words to him and then got up and left.
...
On the way back, Qin Sheng's bad feeling grew stronger. In her previous life, Ye Jiaoniang had stayed in the Yin family for three years, but she had never heard of any extraordinary background of hers.
and---
The jade plaque that Xia Sang mentioned, which he had once seen in Ye Jiaoniang's mother's possession, Qin Sheng remembered that in the royal family, regardless of gender, after being born and given a name, a large jade plaque would be made from white jade and engraved with their name.
Xia Sang only saw the character '慧'. What was the other character?
However, it wasn't only members of the royal family who had the custom of engraving their names on jade plaques; other powerful and wealthy families also did it.
He returned to the Yin residence with a heavy heart.
Qin Sheng sat by the window, thinking about recent events.
It was getting cold, so she opened the window. After a while, the cold air made her face stiffen.
Qin Sheng closed the window himself and was about to call Emerald in when something suddenly flashed through his mind, and he froze, as if struck by lightning.
Wisdom...
Throughout the entire capital, she had indeed never heard of any official whose name contained the character 'Hui', except for one person…
The late Emperor Hui was wise and virtuous.
Could it be that Ye Jiaoniang---
Qin Sheng felt as if something had struck her chest heavily. Before she could calm down, Emerald and Qiao'er came in.
The new concubine will be entering the mansion tomorrow, and there are a few things that the two maids need to confirm with the madam.
Although no banquet was to be held, the family still wanted to have some fun. Following Madam Yin's wishes, they invited her great-aunt's family and her aunt's side of the family.
With the help of Granny Shi from the old lady's side, Qin Sheng basically didn't have to worry about anything.
While he was talking to two maids, Xuemei arrived.
It was getting cold, so she wore a thick cloak, but she still didn't look pregnant. However, her complexion looked much rosier.
"Madam." Xue Mei removed her cloak and bowed to the madam.
Qin Sheng maintained her calm expression. She asked Xue Mei to sit down first, while she continued talking to Emerald and the others.
Tomorrow's small banquet will be held at Cangmang Pavilion. Since everyone here is family, there's no need for us to sit separately.
As for tomorrow's dishes and the porcelain to be used, Granny Shi will arrange that; they don't need to worry about it.
"Madam, I'm afraid we'll need to add another seat tomorrow," Xuemei, who had been sitting and drinking tea, suddenly said with a smile.
Qin Sheng looked at her and asked, "What, are there other people coming tomorrow?"
"No, they are people from our household."
Xuemei didn't try to be mysterious and said, "Madam, don't forget Aunt Ye. The old lady had her confinement lifted early this morning."
"..."
Qin Sheng really didn't know about this.
Qiao'er immediately said, "But shouldn't this be our mistress's business? Why didn't the old lady inform the mistress beforehand?"
Xuemei said, "Yes, I think this Concubine Ye is really lucky. She made such a huge mistake, and she's back in favor after only a few days."
She was being sincere, but also testing the waters.
If Ye Jiaoniang is really... let alone lifting her confinement, even if she wanted Qin Sheng's position as his legal wife, Old Madam Yin would probably grant it to her.
"Who knows?" Qin Sheng's gaze fell on the teacup in her hand.
She knew the Yin mother and son all too well.
If Ye Jiaoniang really is... the daughter of the late Emperor Hui, then she would be a princess of noble birth.
What would Old Madam Yin, a person who always puts her son and the Yin family first, do?
...
The next day.
When the new concubine entered the house, the second wife, Madam Yun, also came, but she didn't bring her two daughters; she came alone.
The second wife already held her nephew Yin Wenxiao in contempt, but she simply didn't show it.
She sat on one side with Grandma Yu, while Qin Sheng chatted with the elders on the other side.
Yin Wenxuan sat next to Old Madam Yin, but she only drank her tea and did not speak or laugh with everyone.
However, Madam Bi couldn't help but whisper to Qin Sheng, "Your sister-in-law doesn't look too well."
Qin Sheng glanced at it indifferently, then quickly looked away.
The son-in-law recently joined the Ministry of Revenue, and Yin Wenxuan is pregnant; it should have been a double celebration.
Who knew that someone would send Zhang Jin a beautiful woman that day, and Zhang Jin would favor her that very night and then make her his concubine.
After so many years of marriage, at least on the surface, Zhang Jin loved his first wife, Yin Shi, very much. He had no concubines or mistresses besides his wife.
He suddenly took a concubine, and while his first wife was pregnant.
Yin Wenxuan's complexion was not only not good, but she looked extremely haggard, and even the makeup on her face could not hide it.
Madam Bi said, "I heard that woman has quite a background. She seems to be the illegitimate daughter of some noble family. She has powerful backers. You, as her elder sister-in-law, may seem strong, but you wouldn't dare to really do anything to that concubine."
Qin Sheng nodded: "Of course."
Now that there's a powerful and capable concubine in the household, Yin Wenxuan also has to deal with her husband's unmarried sister-in-law, so she's quite busy.
A short while later, the new concubine came over to greet everyone.
Everyone gave gifts, but Qin Sheng, as the matriarch, naturally received more generous gifts than the others: several bolts of new fabric, a string of white jade beads, and a pair of silver earrings.
Yin Wenxiao arrived just before the banquet was about to begin, accompanied by Ye Jiaoniang.
Ye Jiaoniang seems to have changed.
She had lost her delicate charm, wearing a plain blue dress and simple hair accessories. She looked much thinner, with a pointed chin and no makeup.
As soon as Ye Jiaoniang entered, she respectfully bowed to everyone according to her seniority.
Old Madam Yin was clearly in a good mood, and called to the new concubine, "Fanglin, come and greet the Earl."
The new concubine's name was Zhang Fanglin. In terms of beauty, she couldn't compare to Ye Jiaoniang and Xuemei, and in terms of temperament, she couldn't even match Qin Sheng's.
However, she had been involved in business with her father since childhood and had developed a knack for dealing with all sorts of situations.
Zhang Fanglin came over to greet Yin Wenxiao and then called Ye Jiaoniang "sister".
Yin Wenxiao treated this concubine, whom he had never met before, with indifference. He gave her a pair of gold bracelets, and Ye Jiaoniang also gave Zhiliu Su Zhuhua.
Everyone sat down at separate tables in a lively atmosphere.
Qin Sheng didn't know why, but ever since Ye Jiaoniang came in, she felt a little depressed.
She even felt a burning sensation in her arms and back, and thought of how she had been burned to death alone in a sea of fire in her previous life.
Madam Bi was sitting next to Qin Sheng and noticed that something was wrong with her. She asked in a low voice, "Sheng, what's wrong?"
Feeling that she and Qin Sheng had a good relationship, and worried that she might be uncomfortable, she asked, "Is it too stuffy in this hall?"
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