Chapter 80
This is my first night in the capital.
Yi Ning didn't sleep well. When she woke up, she heard a strange voice calling in her ear: "Miss, Miss..."
When Yining opened her eyes, she was greeted by the lavish furnishings of her room. Across from her was a rosewood screen inlaid with jade and depicting hundreds of birds paying homage to a phoenix. Each feather was lifelike and shimmering. Above her head was a five-linked palace lantern, still softly lit in the twilight.
Only then did she remember that she was no longer in the Luo family in Baoding, and was now the daughter of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion.
Zhenzhu helped her up. "You asked me to wake you up at this time last night, so I did... But the Duke instructed us when he left this morning that you should get some more sleep since you were tired last night. The old lady likes quietness, so we don't have so many rules about going to the office. You can sleep in a little longer and go later."
Yi Ning shook her head: "I'm not tired, let's get up." The Duke of Ying's Mansion is different from the Luo family. After all, it is the first time that Old Lady Wei has met her, so it is only right for her to pay her respects early.
Zhenzhu stopped trying to persuade her. Daimao came in with a group of little maids, still half-kneeling, with clothes on a tray for Yining to choose from.
The wealth of this aristocratic family is really not comparable to that of the Luo family. Yi Ning took a look and found that the clothes and jewelry brought today were exactly the same as those brought yesterday.
As she put on her clothes, she asked, "Father left early this morning. Did he go to court?"
Daimao shook his head and smiled, saying, "He said he went to visit the Marquis of Dingbei. The Duke doesn't attend court very often, so he can go once every three days."
She had to learn the rules of the Duke of Ying's mansion, otherwise she would feel like she knew nothing and was stuck among the maids. Yi Ning glanced inside the room and found that Songzhi and Qingqu were not in the room. She asked again, "Where are Songzhi and Qingqu?"
"The Duke has chosen Miss Songzhi to help you take care of the maids, and Miss Qingqu to take care of the small kitchen and is currently overseeing the goat milk you will drink in the morning." Zhenzhu replied.
Yi Ning frowned slightly. Wei Ling actually transferred the two girls away from her?
He probably didn't like the Luo family, as he even replaced the maids around her with his confidants, and didn't allow the maids from the Luo family to serve him closely.
"Tell them to come back and serve." Yi Ning picked out a simple jade hairpin and handed it to Daimao, pointing to the silk flower in her hand and said, "Don't want that one."
Zhenzhu seemed a little embarrassed after hearing this: "Miss, this is all the Duke's orders. It's really hard for me to say..."
Come to think of it, how could they dare to change Wei Ling's orders? Yi Ning sighed, "Bring them back. I'll naturally explain everything to father."
Only then did Zhenzhu agree and asked a little girl to bring back pine branches and green canal.
Only then did Yining go to Jing'anju to pay her respects to Old Mrs. Wei.
Old Mrs. Wei had just gotten up to worship Buddha when she came back to see a small figure sitting in the room waiting for her, seemingly gazing at the calligraphy and paintings hanging on her wall.
Old Madam Wei asked the maid to bring her some Tremella soup and asked her with a smile, "Do you also know how to paint?"
"Dong Qichang's 'Snowy Mountains,'" Yi Ning said, looking at the painting. "My third brother, Luo Shenyuan, likes Dong Qichang's paintings and has learned a little about them from him. The brushwork is vigorous, and the white space is rhythmic. It must be an authentic Dong Qichang work."
Mrs. Wei was moved by her innocent and innocent face. She thought her mother must be very beautiful.
She took her granddaughter's hand and sat her on the Luohan bed, saying, "Your father doesn't like calligraphy and painting in this family, and neither does your sister Mingzhu. But I do. Now that you're here, we can keep each other company."
Actually, she didn't like it either—Yining thought, what a disappointment to the old lady. It was all because of Third Brother that she had to write a letter to thank him. She smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm also a half-baked person, I can only give a general idea."
Old Madam Wei sighed, stroked her hair, and asked softly, "Yining, can you tell me about your time in the Luo family? Did anyone bully you?"
There was no bullying...Yining felt a little nostalgic when she thought of the days at the Luo family.
When Zhao Mingzhu came, she heard the voices of Old Lady Wei and Yining talking in the house, and laughter could be heard from time to time.
Seeing her coming, Old Lady Wei asked her to come over and sit down. She said to Yining, "...I'm afraid you'll be bored, so I called your sister Mingzhu's usual playmate over so you can play together. She gets along well with Shen Jiarou, the second daughter of the Zhongqin Earl family, and the two daughters of the He family." Old Lady Wei patted Mingzhu's hand and said, "You must take good care of your sister and don't let her get tired."
Zhao Mingzhu felt better after hearing what the old lady said yesterday. She stood up and smiled.
Yi Ning wasn't particularly interested in the young girls from the aristocratic families of the capital; the thought of a bunch of them gathered together to discuss cosmetics and jewelry gave her a headache. But the old lady's intention to find her a playmate was well-intentioned, so Yi Ning didn't say anything and followed Zhao Mingzhu to the flower hall. The flower hall was built right next to the railing she'd seen yesterday, and the view was particularly beautiful.
Yining had seen Shen Jiarou, the second daughter of the Zhongqin Marquis's family, yesterday. She was a year older than Yining, and not as good as her name suggested. She had a somewhat arrogant personality. The He family's family background was not as good as the Duke of Yingguo's or the Zhongqin Marquis's. The two daughters lacked confidence, spoke softly, and were not particularly impressive.
Shen Jiarou had been friends with Zhao Mingzhu since childhood, so naturally, she had the best relationship with her. When she saw Yining, she pulled Zhao Mingzhu aside and whispered to her for a while.
Zhao Mingzhu asked the maid to bring silk thread to play with, and the two young ladies from the He family helped cut the thread. None of the young ladies dared to offend the newly arrived Yi Ning, as she was the most senior—and of course, they didn't talk to her. Yi Ning was a little bored, and she suddenly turned her head and asked the third young lady from the He family, "What kind of thread can you make?"
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