The two walked and talked, and soon they came to a fork in the road.
Wang Hanyu reluctantly said, "Second aunt, please go to my place and sit for a while, or I can go with you."
Zheng Xiu really had nothing to do, and she was a little worried about the people in Xiya Garden, so she nodded and said, "I haven't cleaned up my place yet, so I won't entertain you. I'll go to Xiya Garden with you."
Wang Hanyu smiled happily, took Zheng Xiu's arm and went to Xiya Garden together.
In Xiya Garden, Princess Guihe arranged a group of servants, but Wang Hanyu had to sort out the ranks herself.
The two maids who came with her as a dowry were both first-class, so there were still two places for first-class maids left.
After Zheng Xiu went, the two sat at the table drinking tea and talked about this.
Wang Hanyu sent the people away and asked Zheng Xiu, "Second Aunt, which of these servants should I recommend?"
Although Zheng Xiu had been in the Duke of Qing's Mansion for quite a while, her daily visits were limited to Haoye Hall and Changfeng Garden, so she was not very familiar with the servants in the mansion.
"You really asked the wrong person about this matter. These maids look unfamiliar to me. But anyway, you have two maids who came with your dowry, so you can recommend two more who are pleasing and honest. Just let your dowry maids take care of them more in normal times."
In fact, Wang Hanyu meant that she didn't want to use the maids in Xiya Garden anymore. After all, something like that happened on the day of her wedding the day before. She felt that these people were not so reliable, and she was not at ease to let anyone into the house.
She said, "Then I will put them all in the second or third class for observation for a while, and then bring them up after the observation is completed."
She was the mistress of Xiyayuan, and there was no need for her to mention these things to Zheng Xiu. She discussed them with her only because she was unsure when she first came to the Duke Qing's Mansion, and she thought of talking to her because she felt that Zheng Xiu was friendly and reliable.
Zheng Xiu thought of when she first came to the Duke Qing's Mansion, she didn't know anyone in the backyard except A Shao. She was also very nervous at the time. Although she appeared to be calm, she was indeed unsure many times. Fortunately, there were Minghui and the other three who could help her at all times, otherwise her life would not be so comfortable. So she didn't mind and listened to Wang Hanyu patiently.
After saying this, Wang Hanyu asked her again: "Do you think I should go over to the old lady to offer tea and pay my respects?" Offering tea to elders is a duty, but the old lady did not attend her wedding the day before. She also heard that the old lady had a strange temper, so she was undecided for a while.
Xue Qin's marriage was such a big event, so of course the old lady had to be notified. Princess Guihe also asked someone to invite the old lady to attend the wedding banquet.
But the old lady just said that she was already a person who lived in seclusion and did not want to care about worldly affairs, and was unwilling to leave the small Buddhist temple.
Princess Guihe did not get along with her in the first place, and did not say that she had to attend, so she left it at that.
"The old lady is devoted to worshipping Buddha. I asked to see her several times recently, but she refused to see me. She also told me not to go so often as it would affect her meditation. I was also afraid of disturbing the old lady. I haven't been to Bihe Garden for a long time. If you are willing, send someone to the small Buddhist temple to ask if the old lady is willing to see her."
Wang Hanyu nodded and said, "I'll go in person. I'd like to trouble Second Aunt to accompany me."
Zheng Xiu naturally did not refuse and accompanied her to Bihe Garden.
Who knew that the two of them went into the Bihe Garden and the small Buddhist temple. When Aunt Zhang, who was sweeping the garden, saw them, she said, "The old lady knows that the prince's wife is thoughtful, and she will definitely come today. However, the old lady has been unwell these days and it is really inconvenient for her to see people. Please ask the second wife and the prince's wife to go back first."
It was expected that Zheng Xiu would be turned away. She asked about the old lady's health and whether a doctor had come to see her.
Aunt Zhang said, "The old lady just has a common cold. The doctor came to see her and prescribed medicine. She has already taken it." As for the rest, she looked like she didn't want to say more.
Zheng Xiu and Wang Hanyu stopped talking and went back to Xiya Garden together.
In Xiya Garden, Wang Hanyu's two maids who came with her as a dowry, the tall and thin one was named Mo Yun, and the shorter one with a rosy face was named Bi Tao. Seeing that Zheng Xiu had accompanied Wang Hanyu for a whole day yesterday and took the trouble to accompany her to Bihe Garden today, the two were particularly attentive in serving her. When they returned to Xiya Garden, the two had already brewed new tea with Wang Hanyu's dowry tea leaves.
Zheng Xiu drank it. Although it was not as good as the ones from the nobles and the princess in Changfeng Garden, it was indeed more fragrant than the ones in her own Haoye Hall.
Wang Hanyu took out some spices to share with her, and asked Zheng Xiu to choose the spices she liked, and said that she would give her the recipe.
There is no noble lady in the capital who does not use spices, and some people give spices when they are socializing, but the recipes of spices are regarded as treasures and kept secret.
Zheng Xiu declined the recipe and only chose two spices with light flavors.
Wang Hanyu didn't force it, just smiled and said, "As long as Second Aunt likes it, send someone to tell me when you're done, and I'll have someone make it and send it to you."
Zheng Xiu smiled and thanked her, Wang Hanyu said, "Second Aunt, don't be polite to me, you are the best person in the mansion to me, I remember it in my
heart." Zheng Xiu smiled and said, "If the prince hears you say that, he will be unhappy."
When mentioning Xue Qin, Wang Hanyu smiled shyly, "I'm telling the truth, I have nothing to do if he is unhappy." After Zheng Xiu left last night, the servants changed their faces. It is conceivable that if Zheng Xiu was not there during the day, she would be treated differently.
The two talked for a while, and it was almost time for lunch.
Wang Hanyu originally wanted to keep Zheng Xiu to have lunch together, but Zheng Xiu declined, saying, "A Shao will be back for lunch at noon, and the prince will be back to accompany you soon, so don't keep me."
Wang Hanyu nodded, got up and sent her out.
After learning the news that the old lady was ill, Zheng Xiu felt a little uneasy, and asked Minghui to ask the doctor in the mansion during the day.
After Minghui came back, she said that the old lady had just a common cold, and the doctor prescribed medicine, so she felt relieved. After
Xue Zhi came back in the evening, Zheng Xiu had to mention it to him.
The mother-son relationship between Xue Zhi and the old lady was not as close as that of ordinary mothers and sons, but after all, they were close relatives, so he was also concerned. He didn't care about having dinner, and went to Bihe Garden in person.
Zheng Xiu asked Xue Shao to eat first, and she was going to wait for Xue Zhi to come back before eating together.
Unexpectedly, Xue Zhi came back with a disappointed look on his face after a while.
"Didn't you see anyone?" Zheng Xiu asked.
Xue Zhi shook his head and sighed, "Let's eat first."
The room was filled with charcoal basins and was very warm. Zheng Xiu took Xue Zhi's hand and walked into the room, but found that his whole palm was cold, so she didn't ask any more questions and asked someone to serve the meal.
Xue Zhi had a poor appetite and put down the bowl and chopsticks after eating most of the bowl.
Xue Shao had finished eating and went back to the room to do his homework.
Seeing that he was not quite right, Zheng Xiu stopped and asked people to clear away the food. She pulled Xue Zhi to sit on the kang near the window, asked Minghui to serve hot tea, and then dismissed everyone else.
After there were only two people left in the room, Xue Zhi sighed heavily and said, "Axiu, I feel like my mother... looks like something is going to happen."
Zheng Xiu was startled and asked quickly, "What do you mean by 'looks like something is going to happen'?"
Xue Zhi looked straight out the window and said, "When I was a child, my mother was not like this... I heard from the old people in the mansion that my mother always wanted to have a daughter, but after giving birth to my older brother and me, she couldn't get pregnant. Later, something happened in my aunt's family, so my mother asked someone to bring my cousin to the mansion. My cousin is only slightly older than me, but my mother favors her. When she grew up, she was even more gentle, virtuous, and considerate. My mother liked her very much and treated her as her own daughter. When my eldest brother grew up and it was time to get married, my mother wanted to marry my cousin to him, but my father was strongly opposed, so the plan was postponed... Later, my father became seriously ill, but before he died, he sent my cousin away..."
As he spoke, his face showed pain, "We didn't know where she was sent to, but later we heard that my cousin jumped off the carriage on the mountain road and had an accident, and the servants searched for her for a long time but couldn't find her. When my mother heard that her cousin, whom she loved like her own daughter, ended up with a body missing, she fainted and almost died... After waking up, she moved to the small Buddhist temple to live, and she didn't even come out when my father died..."
"Since then, the old lady has never left the temple again?"
Xue Zhi shook his head. "No, three years later, my eldest brother got married and married my eldest sister-in-law. At that time, my cousin had also passed away for some time, and my mother's mood had calmed down a little, and she had returned to her former self. At that time, she disliked my eldest sister-in-law very much. She felt that before my father passed away, he had reached an agreement with the Queen Mother to marry my eldest sister-in-law, who was a princess, and that was why he sent my cousin away, causing such a disaster... She seemed to have a fighting spirit and moved out of the small temple. Especially when she later found out that my cousin was still alive..."
"Still alive?" Zheng Xiu already had a hunch, "A Shao's mother is..."
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