Hearing this, Qing'er couldn't help but look surprised, "But... didn't the old lady say that we are not allowed to help beggars?"
The lady was punished last time, and she was afraid that her master would make the old lady angry again.
"If you and I don't tell me, who would know that she is a beggar?" Xia Tong raised her eyebrows and said with a smile: "Just say that she is a distant relative of yours. Just tell Butler Zhao and he will give you this face."
It was just buying a servant. How could the snobbish housekeeper Zhao not agree? After all, he was also a favorite of the old lady, and Qing'er was the head maid by her side. The other party would not be tactless.
Seeing this, Qing'er hesitated for a while, and thought that her master was just kind-hearted, so she didn't delay too long and left the house.
Xia Tong was looking forward to it. A good teammate could help her a lot. Besides, there were so many conspiracies and intrigues in the inner house. Bringing that person along was like carrying a poison needle with her.
After waiting for two whole hours without seeing Qing'er come back, Xia Tong had no choice but to go and have dinner with the old lady. She didn't know if the old lady had already figured out how to deal with the Duke's Mansion, because her complexion was much better than in the afternoon, and she was more friendly to her. Her aunts were even more so, asking about her mother's well-being and showing no concern, and they didn't look like they had before to take advantage of her mother's misfortune.
After receiving a lot of good things from the old lady, Xia Tong returned to her room in a good mood. With her current assets, she could at least eat and drink well for the next ten years after she ran away.
When she returned to the room, she saw Qing'er was followed by a pretty girl. She had changed into the clothes of a maid in the mansion. Although she was young, she was not timid at all. Qing'er was introducing the newcomer to other people in the courtyard. With Qing'er's relationship as a distant relative, no one in the mansion would dare to bully her in the future.
"Master, do you want to take a bath?"
Seeing her come back, Qing'er immediately greeted her respectfully. Xia Tong nodded slightly and glanced at the new girl.
Only after everyone entered the house did Qing'er immediately call on others to fetch water. Seeing that the little girl next to her was still motionless, she couldn't help but pat her, "What are you still standing there for? Go in and thank the master."
After he finished speaking, the latter immediately came back to his senses, lowered his head and walked in slowly.
The furnishings in the room were simple and plain, and there was a girl's fragrance in the air. A woman was half leaning on the couch, her delicate profile seemed to glow in the candlelight. Fang Yu secretly glanced at her and dared not look at her any more. Ever since her family was wiped out, she had seen a lot of ups and downs in the world, but she didn't expect that there would be anyone willing to help her.
"My humble name is Fangyu. Thank you for saving me today." She bowed. She had a very good memory since she was a child and had already memorized all the rules that Qing'er had told her before.
Looking at the girl kneeling over there, Xia Tong slowly put down the script in her hand and smiled at her faintly, "No need to be polite. I don't think you have ever done rough work. Why have you fallen to this point?"
She looked confused, as if she knew nothing.
Hearing this, Fang Yu's eyes slightly changed, and a strange color flashed across her fair face. Finally, she replied respectfully: "Because my family has fallen into poverty and my family members have passed away one after another, I wanted to come to the capital to seek refuge with my relatives, but I didn't expect that my relatives had already moved away, so I ended up here. I have to thank the master for saving me. I will serve the master wholeheartedly in the future."
After that, Xia Tong didn't say anything. It was definitely impossible to expect the other party to be open-hearted to her all of a sudden. It would be better for her to boil the frog in warm water and slowly let the other party open his heart.
At this time, the bathing water was ready. Xia Tong did not ask for anyone to serve her, but just looked at the closed door. Fang Yu stood outside the door for a while, her expression a little obscure. She could see that the fourth young lady of the Xiahou Mansion was not a treacherous person, but why did she only save herself?
The moon was bright and the wind was clear, but many candles in the palace had already been extinguished. The emperor was not feeling well, and the harem had long been treated as a decoration. Without anyone vying for favor, the place was like a stagnant pool of water, unable to stir up any waves.
However, in the central palace, bright candles were still burning. The luxurious and extraordinary hall was silent, with faint white smoke rising from the incense burner, refreshing the heart.
The queen half-leaned on the soft couch, holding a white piece in her hand. She stared at the chessboard in thought for a moment, and then slowly placed the chess piece on the fiercely fighting chessboard.
"Today, I went to Guanglu Temple and saw the fourth daughter of Xiahou Mansion. She is a lovely girl." The queen raised her eyes and looked at the man opposite her calmly. "It's time for you to appoint a crown princess. Do you have a favorite candidate?"
The man had a handsome face, star-shaped eyebrows and sharp eyes. Hearing this, he just put down a chess piece without any emotion on his face. "It's up to the Queen Mother to decide."
In fact, she should have lost the game of chess long ago, but the child was sensible and kept dragging on to accompany her to pass the time. The queen smiled with relief, and only at this moment did she put aside all her majesty, her face full of concern and kindness.
"Qin girl from the Duke's Mansion is not bad, but she is not dignified enough and I am afraid she cannot manage the backyard. I think the fourth girl from the Xiahou Mansion does not seem like a meddlesome person. She also knows when to act and when to retreat. I believe she is a generous child and will be able to manage the backyard well for you. Now that Xia Zhian has been transferred back to the capital and is appointed to an important position, the Xiahou Mansion will be a relative by marriage, which can both help you but not too much. What do you think?" The queen took a sip of the hot tea beside her.
Xiao Jing, who was standing by, had no expression on his face. Thinking of the woman he had met in the bank that day, he paused for a moment before saying calmly, "Everything is up to the Queen Mother."
In the past, when she mentioned other girls, her son always looked unhurried. Now he is so sensible, he must have seen the fourth girl of the Xia family somewhere. No one would dislike such a pretty girl, and the key is that she is not nosy.
"Then I will talk to your father some other day and see what he says?" said the queen with a smile.
Xiao Jing didn't say anything, as if he didn't care about the matter of the Crown Princess.
The sky was covered with dark clouds and the moon gradually disappeared into the darkness. When the man came out from the inner hall, the palace maids outside all bowed to see him off.
The voice in the inner hall was neither too loud nor too quiet, and those who practiced martial arts could hear it. Thinking of what the queen had just said, the man in black beside him looked at his master with doubt, "Are you really going to marry the fourth lady of Xiahou Mansion?"
During this period of time, the master had been asking her to pay attention to Miss Shen, and he thought that this position belonged to Miss Shen.
The road to the palace was blurry in the darkness, but the man walked forward step by step as if it were daytime, with an upright posture.
"It doesn't matter who it is, as long as you don't meddle in other people's business." He spoke in a light tone, as if he was talking about something insignificant.
Having seen too many intrigues in the harem, he didn't want to be like his father, wandering around in the fights between women all day long. That Xia Tong didn't look like a meddlesome person, and that was enough.
——
At the same time, in a daunting mansion in the capital, a candle was lit. The study was silent and solemn. On the desk piled with official documents stood a blue jade of excellent quality. Under the candlelight, it looked crystal clear and it was obvious that it was not an ordinary item.
"Master, I heard that the prince also wants to have a piece of the pie. Does that mean we need to send more people from Yingzhou?" The man in green holding the sword asked seriously.
The man with a stern and three-dimensional face in front of the desk was staring at the blue jade in front of him with a leisurely gaze, and his thin lips slightly opened, "If even a nouveau riche can't take it, then what's the point of keeping these rubbish."
The calm tone inexplicably carried a chill, and the man in blue immediately kept silent. He also believed that the people under him would not be so incompetent.
Seeing that the master was still looking at the blue jade seriously and seemed very interested in it, he could not help but reply immediately: "I heard that this is the secret treasure of the Meigaoli tribe. It is not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also can nourish the body and prevent people from getting sick easily. I will have someone make a new jade ring for you tomorrow."
Under the candlelight, the blue jade seemed to glow. The man's black eyes dimmed and he said in a low voice, "Have someone make a jade bracelet for me."
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