The woman glanced at Aunt Liu, then looked at the lady beside her with contempt.
He raised the corners of his lips, revealing a hint of sarcasm.
Aunt Liu's body tensed up and she held her breath unconsciously.
"Master, please go in and wait for me. I will tell the servants to prepare a surprise for you."
The woman's white fingers drew circles on the man's chest.
"Okay, don't keep me waiting for long, Master."
The man smiled evilly, raised his hand and pinched the woman's face before walking into the private room on the second floor.
Aunt Liu was about to take Madam Wang away.
The woman behind him suddenly spoke, "Sister Xu'er, why don't you recognize me?"
Aunt Liu's body stiffened, and Mrs. Wang became alert, looking suspiciously back and forth between the two of them. It was obvious that they knew each other.
Aunt Liu's eyes were cold, and she said coldly, "Miss, you have recognized the wrong person. I don't know you."
The woman stood at the stairs, arms folded. "I was so sad when I heard Sister Xu'er was gone. Now it seems that Sister Xu'er has found a better life."
She leaned forward slightly, "Why, sister Xu'er, are you afraid that I won't be able to snatch it from you?"
Aunt Liu glared at the girl coldly, not wanting to pay any attention. She turned to look at Madam Wang and urged, "Madam Wang, don't keep Lord Wang waiting for too long. Let's go."
"Sister Xu'er, I'm waiting for you at Hanyue Tower. If you don't come, I'll search all over Chang'an for you."
The woman smiled devilishly and continued, "Oh, I forgot to tell Sister Xuer that my name is Yueyan in Hanyue Tower now."
Then came the woman's silver bell-like laughter.
Mrs. Wang took note of it and turned to say goodbye.
Aunt Liu was feeling uneasy.
In Prince An's Mansion.
Zhao Yunzhu heard that Lord Wang and his wife had already met General Liu.
"Have someone keep an eye on them and see what they are going to do."
After Zhao Yunzhu gave the instructions, she asked the maid to bring the food.
The next morning, after breakfast, I watched the sun rise.
She had just gone to Zhang's house with her maid.
The servant at the gate of Zhang's house saw the carriage from Prince An's mansion.
Hurry forward to greet him.
"Concubine Yun, my old lady is waiting."
Zhao Yunzhu nodded and got off the carriage with Linglong's help.
The old woman from the Zhang family led the way.
The maid walking in the corridor looked hurried, holding cloth in her hands, and the maid behind her was holding books in her hands.
The old woman leading the way saw Zhao Yunzhu looking at the busy maid.
He bowed slightly and explained with a smile, "Madam has instructed that I might not come back in the future, so I will take away everything I can from the mansion."
"Well, I'm afraid this will take some thought."
"Yes, we're leaving in three days, but there are still many things we haven't dealt with properly."
Smaller, movable items naturally had to be taken away, but the large pieces of furniture were difficult to carry away. However, Mrs. Zhang was unwilling to leave the items in the Zhang family, so she asked someone to sell them secretly.
Zhao Yunzhu followed the old woman all the way to Madam Zhang's yard.
Two maids were sitting under the corridor in the courtyard, making lace when they saw the old woman coming with someone.
Guessing who the visitor was, the two maids bowed to Zhao Yunzhu. One of them lifted the curtain, and the other rushed into the room and called out, "Madam, Concubine Yun is here."
"Concubine Yun, please come in."
The old woman took the curtain from the maid and invited Zhao Yunzhu into the house.
Old Madam Zhang was sitting on the kang, playing with three copper coins in her hand.
Seeing Zhao Yunzhu enter the room, get off the kang, and want to pay his respects.
Zhao Yunzhu quickly stepped forward and stopped Madam Zhang. "Madam, you are my elder. If I accept this gift, I'm afraid I'll suffer retribution."
"Since Concubine Yun has said so, it is not appropriate for me to say anything more, as it would only make me seem distant and awkward."
Old Madam Zhang raised her eyebrows and glanced at the housekeeper beside her. The housekeeper understood and sent all the maids out of the room.
"Concubine Yun, please sit down and talk to this old woman of mine."
Mrs. Zhang had a kind smile on her face, the smile of an elder towards a younger generation.
Zhao Yunzhu smiled and raised her hand to help Madam Zhang sit back on the kang. Then she took the two boxes from the maid and placed them on the low table on the kang.
He opened the lid of the box, revealing two ginseng plants inside. "Old Madam, I didn't know what to give you, so I asked someone to find these. In addition, there are some brocades. They are all my little gifts. I hope you won't mind."
Madam Zhang saw the ginseng in the box, all of which were of excellent quality. She smiled with satisfaction and nodded in praise, "Thank you for your trouble, Concubine Yun. I like it very much."
After saying this, Mrs. Zhang turned around and took out a red lacquer box carved with peonies from the box on the kang.
Mrs. Zhang's eyes softened a little, and she carefully placed the box on the table.
"I don't know what Concubine Yun likes, so I'm giving you this treasure that I've treasured for many years. I hope Concubine Yun won't dislike it."
Old Madam Zhang pushed the box in front of Zhao Yunzhu, who heard that it contained treasures that she had treasured for many years.
How could she accept it? She quickly pushed the box back and declined politely, "I appreciate Madam Zhang's kindness, but I absolutely cannot accept this thing."
"If Concubine Yun refuses again, I will be angry."
Old Madam Zhang deliberately put on a stern face and pushed the box over again.
This time, seeing Madam Zhang like this, she couldn't refuse anymore.
I could only smile and take the things, "Then I can only accept it without hesitation."
Only then did Mrs. Zhang nod in satisfaction and urge her to open it quickly and take a look.
Zhao Yunzhu opened the box under the expectant gaze of Mrs. Zhang.
The box was wrapped in scarlet velvet, and inside was a scarlet gold phoenix crown. The top of the crown was inlaid with an oriental pearl of extremely fine quality, and on the front of the crown were three scarlet gold phoenixes.
The phoenix held a pea-sized ruby in its mouth, with a string of pearls hanging underneath.
Such an exquisitely crafted phoenix crown came from the palace. Zhao Yunzhu remembered that even Empress Dowager Liu did not have a phoenix crown of this quality in her private treasury.
If anyone in the public privately casts a phoenix crown, it is a capital crime.
Moreover, the rubies and pearls on the phoenix crown are not something that ordinary people can easily obtain.
"this--"
Madam Zhang saw the suspicion in Zhao Yunzhu's eyes, smiled and sighed softly, explaining to her, "Don't be alarmed, Concubine Yun. This thing has its own identity."
"I wonder if Concubine Yun has ever heard of the Tian family?"
It’s the Tian family again!
"I've heard a little bit."
Mrs. Zhang's eyes gradually softened.
It seems like searching for past memories across the void.
"When I was young, Madam Tian once favored me. She adopted me as her adopted daughter in private, but no one in Chang'an knew about it..."
"This phoenix crown was given to the ancestor of the Tian family by the Emperor Retired, and later passed down to Old Madam Tian."
"Because I accidentally predicted the disaster of the Tian family, Madam Tian gave me this phoenix crown as a token of my gratitude."
Knowing the origin of the phoenix crown, Zhao Yunzhu could no longer accept it and quickly declined, "Old Madam, I cannot accept this either."
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