"Mrs. Du, I won't stay with you any longer. I have something else to do. So, I'll take my leave now."
Zhao Yunzhu placed the teacup in her hand heavily on the table, stood up and spoke with a faint smile.
"Concubine Yun, please go and do your work first. I will wait here for the Ninth Prince to return."
Seeing that she was determined not to leave, Zhao Yunzhu asked someone to send some tea and snacks over before leaving.
On the way back, Zhao Yunzhu reminded Xiao Min, "Send a few strong maids to the front hall to serve. If Madam Du insists on forcing her way in, don't be polite. After all, this is the Ninth Prince's residence, not the Yong'an Marquis' residence."
Zhao Yunzhu's eyes were cold, and Xiao Min retreated in response.
Linglong stepped forward and supported Concubine Yun back to Lanxiang Garden.
"In the past, Madam Du Er often said such annoying things about Concubine Yun. Now, she has the audacity to come forward and talk about their past friendship. She is really shameless."
Linglong recalled the look on Mrs. Du's face just now and felt indignant.
When her eldest daughter came into the family, the second wife relied on Old Madam Du's favor, and Old Madam Du often spoke ill of her eldest daughter.
Zhao Yunzhu just smiled faintly and didn't respond.
The past was like a curtain, flashing through her mind one scene after another. The images in her mind used to be very clear, but she didn't know when they became so blurry.
After all, the way the Yong'an Marquisate treated her was nothing compared to the way the emperor exterminated her entire Zhao family.
When she returned to Lanxiang Garden and had just sat down to have a cup of tea, a servant came to report.
Mrs. Du was trying to force her way in.
Fortunately, Zhao Yunzhu had made arrangements in advance. Several strong maids stopped Madam Du and prevented her from succeeding.
"Concubine Yun, shouldn't we go over and take a look?"
Seeing that she had no intention of getting up, Xiao Min asked tentatively.
Zhao Yunzhu shook her head slightly. "No need. If we go, Madam Du will only make things worse. She wants to wait for His Highness to return, right? So let her have her wish."
Xiao Min stopped talking and didn't ask any more questions.
When Qin Zongzhi returned home, he heard that Madam Du had been waiting there for a whole day.
He immediately frowned and went to the front hall.
When Zhao Yunzhu heard that he had returned, she ordered people to send food to Lanxiang Garden.
The food had just been served when Qin Zongzhi came back.
"Mrs. Du has returned?"
Zhao Yunzhu walked forward and saw that he was exhausted and still wearing the same clothes he wore when he went out today. It was obvious that he came here after meeting Madam Du in the front hall.
She took the clothes that had been prepared for Qin Zongzhi from the hanger.
Personally help him change his clothes.
Qin Zongzhi looked at her lovingly as she ran around for him.
"Mrs. Du refused to leave and insisted on seeing Du Jiaojiao. I had a few maids hold her down and send her back to the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion."
Zhao Yunzhu was stunned when she heard this.
Qin Zongzhi continued, "I sent someone to tell Madam Du that Concubine Du is recuperating and should not be disturbed. If anyone from the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion insists on entering to look for her, they should be sent back. They don't need to be sent back again in the future."
"What if the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion makes a scene at the palace? What are you going to do after Concubine Du recovers in a few days?"
Zhao Yunzhu fastened the last button for him and took the initiative to lead him to the dining table.
"The palace is in chaos right now, so how could the Queen care about such trivial matters?"
Qin Zongzhi's eyes were full of disdain.
"When Concubine Du recovers, tell her not to come out again to avoid any trouble."
When Qin Zongzhi mentioned Du Jiaojiao, his eyes were full of annoyance.
"By the way, I'll be leaving in two days. I'm afraid Chang'an City is a little unstable these days. If you don't have anything to do, don't go out. Be careful. If there is anything urgent, tell Xiao Min and she will protect you."
The chopsticks in Zhao Yunzhu's hand froze in mid-air. "So fast?"
Although I knew he was going out, I didn't expect it to be so soon.
Qin Zongzhi didn't want to talk more about this topic and repeatedly reminded her not to go out unless necessary.
After dinner, Zhao Yunzhu packed his luggage overnight, and Qin Zongzhi went out in the dark the next night.
"Xiao Min, His Highness will not be able to return to the mansion for a while. You should take care of the affairs of the mansion. You can help Steward Xu manage the affairs of the mansion these days. You don't need to serve me for the time being."
As soon as Qin Zong left, Zhao Yunzhu called Xiao Min into the house to talk.
Xiao Min was completely unprepared and was stunned for a long time when she suddenly heard the result.
When her thoughts came back to her, she looked at Concubine Yun suspiciously, trying to confirm whether she had just hallucinated.
"Concubine Yun, are you asking me to work somewhere else?"
Ever since Zhao Yunzhu entered the Ninth Prince's residence, Xiao Min has been following her side and serving her.
There had never been any mistake, and she also understood that Concubine Yun did not trust her. After all, she was the Ninth Prince's person, and could not be compared to those people from the Zhao family who had served her since childhood.
"Um."
"Concubine Yun, did I do something wrong? I will correct it right away."
Xiao Min said in a hurried tone and promised quickly.
Zhao Yunzhu smiled helplessly, took Xiao Min's hand, and asked her to sit down and talk. "Xiao Min, I've been trusting you these days with me. Don't worry. His Highness is not at home right now. Firstly, I can only feel at ease if you follow Manager Xu to take care of all the affairs at the mansion. Secondly, after His Highness returns home, you can continue to serve me."
Zhao Yunzhu explained it to her in detail.
Xiao Min looked lonely. She also understood that once Concubine Yun made a decision, no matter who came, no one could change the result.
Zhao Yunzhu ordered someone to clear out a small courtyard for Xiao Min to stay there temporarily, and sent two maids to help.
If there is anything important on weekdays, let these two maids run errands and pass on the message, so Xiao Min doesn't have to run back and forth.
The gate of Lanxiang Garden was locked, and the maids serving in the yard were all those who had been serving Zhao Yunzhu since she was a child.
The lights in the main room were blown out.
In the pitch-black night, the door of the main house was quietly pushed open.
Nanny Hua was followed by Linglong and Yazhi, and Zhao Yunzhu was sitting next to the desk.
There was only a palm-sized oil lamp lit on the table, with a dim candlelight flickering.
Zhao Yunzhu wrote furiously, and even when there was a noise at the door, she didn't even look up.
"Concubine Yun, everyone in this courtyard is from the Zhao family."
Aunt Hua knelt down and bowed. Zhao Yunzhu then looked up and put down the brush in her hand.
He took another look at the handwriting on the letter, examined it carefully, and only felt relieved when he found no mistakes.
"Mammy, you three have been with me since you were little. If I were to ask, in this world, who can I trust, now I can only trust you."
Zhao Yunzhu stood up, took Nanny Hua's hand and went to the inner room to sit on the soft couch to talk. She then looked at Linglong and Yazhi, motioning them to sit down and talk together.
There is no one else in the room now.
Nanny Hua naturally understood why Concubine Yun was like this today.
These days, I have observed with a cold eye that the Ninth Prince treats Concubine Yun sincerely.
It’s a pity that the ninth prince was born into a royal family.
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