This was Heyue's second visit to the Eighth Prince's residence. The last time was when the Eighth Prince married Lady Guoluo, but due to the special circumstances and her mood, she did not properly appreciate the occasion.
Upon arriving at the Eighth Prince's residence again, Heyue wasn't particularly curious about it. However, because of the lady of the house, Lady Guoluo, she felt a sense of closeness and...sweetness as soon as she stepped inside.
Guo Luoluo took Heyue directly to the main house in the backyard.
The main courtyard was decorated in a way that suited the lady of the house. The courtyard was large, the pomegranate trees had not yet blossomed but were already in bud, and the peonies were in full bloom, exuding elegance and nobility.
Upon entering the room, I found that while the furnishings were not luxurious, the room was elegant and clean, exuding warmth throughout, much like the atmosphere of my sister's room in my previous life.
Upon seeing the scene inside the room, Heyue's heart stirred, and she subconsciously looked at the Eighth Prince's wife.
The Eighth Prince's wife, however, sat upright in the main seat, not feeling anything was amiss. She pointed to the seat beside her and smiled warmly, saying, "Please sit down."
Heyue thanked her and sat down, staring intently at the Eighth Prince's wife.
"Are you satisfied?" the Eighth Princess asked with a smile, casually accepting the teacup handed to her by the maid, her eyes smiling as she looked at Heyue.
The question seemed abrupt, but Heyue understood what she meant. Her smile blossomed like a flower, and a hint of playfulness flashed in her eyes: "The Eighth Princess Consort has excellent taste, but it is very similar to my sister's preferences."
"Oh? Your sixth sister? I didn't recognize her." The Eighth Princess Consort looked at her with a hint of doubt, resting her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on her, unable to hide her curiosity.
With Sixth Sister's unconventional personality, she would naturally not share the same preferences as Guo Luoluo.
Heyue shook her head, carefully examining everything in the room, a warm smile appearing on her lips: "She is another sister, not related by blood, but closer than blood sisters. It's just that she disappeared later. Eighth Prince's wife may not know, but the sister and Eighth Prince's wife look very, very alike, like the same person."
As she said this, her gaze was fixed on the Eighth Prince's wife, trying to discern something from her expression.
The Eighth Prince's wife's smile remained unchanged: "That's quite a coincidence. No wonder you called me 'sister' that day."
Heyue's eyes flickered, and she asked seemingly casually, "Won't the Eighth Princess think I'm lying and trying to get close to her?"
Raising an eyebrow slightly, the Eighth Princess Consort gazed at her intently for a moment, then chuckled and shook her head: "I don't think you can fool me, little girl. You're quite interesting, and also very strange. I'd like to know why you're in such a hurry to find the sister you speak of? Since there's no blood relation, it makes no sense."
He Yue didn't know if she genuinely didn't remember or was just pretending to be confused, but she couldn't find a reason why she wouldn't acknowledge her. Feeling a little depressed, she absentmindedly answered her question: "A life-saving grace, sisterly affection."
"I never would have guessed that you, at such a young age, would be so sentimental," the Eighth Prince's wife praised without reservation.
She smiled shyly and didn't say much. In this situation, it wouldn't be appropriate to say more. It was a rare opportunity to get close to her, and she didn't want to break the peace.
"I heard that the latest ideas from Jinxiufang were your idea?" The Eighth Prince's wife suddenly asked about something else.
He Yue wasn't surprised that the Eighth Prince's wife knew, nor did she intend to hide it. She shook her head frankly: "It was the idea of someone I know, and the Eighth Prince's wife likes it very much?"
"The idea is beautiful. I don't think any woman would dislike it. I'm just curious how you could come up with such a method at such a young age. Whether it was your idea or not, it's already remarkable that you have this thought."
Just then, Liu Cheng came in to report: "Princess Consort, Fifth Princess Consort has arrived."
The Fujin sat up straight and nodded slightly: "Please invite Fifth Sister-in-law over."
Although Heyue felt a little regretful, she still got up to say goodbye: "Then Heyue will take her leave."
The Eighth Prince's wife smiled and said, "I won't keep you any longer. Please come to my residence often if you have the chance. It's rare to have someone I like to talk to, and I'm very happy."
He Yue's mood improved, she bowed, and left the main room.
On her way out of the mansion, Heyue happened to meet the Fifth Prince's wife, Tatara, who had come with her maid.
He Yuecui bowed and said, "Greetings, Fifth Princess Consort."
Fifth Princess Consort glanced at her, recognized Heyue, and said with a smile, "So you are the Seventh Princess from the Ministry of War's residence. What a coincidence."
In February of this year, Marhan was promoted to Minister of War, a first-rank official.
The Fifth Princess Consort was rather puzzled. When did this princess from the Marhan household become acquainted with the Eighth Brother's wife? Could it be that the Eighth Brother's wife, like the Fourth Sister-in-law, had taken a liking to children?
However, she didn't think much of it. There was nothing to talk about with a little kid, so she went to the Eighth Prince's wife's room.
After leaving the Eighth Prince's residence, Heyue, seeing that it was still early, went to Yuxiu's place.
Ma Qi has been promoted from Minister of Revenue to Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, rising from the first rank to the highest rank, reaching the pinnacle of officialdom.
One was a first-rank official, and the other was a second-rank official; there wasn't much difference between them, and the two families continued to maintain close ties.
When Heyue saw Yuxiu, she noticed that Yuxiu was sullen and seemed to be in low spirits when she saw her.
"What's wrong? What happened?" He Yue was taken aback, as this was the first time she had seen her so downcast.
Yuxiu pulled her to sit on the daybed by the window, dismissed the maid, and sighed before speaking.
Heyue waited quietly for her to speak, her heart pounding with anxiety, wondering if something had happened to the old lady.
However, when I came in just now, the servants looked normal and there was nothing wrong with them, so it shouldn't be the old lady.
“Yesterday, one of my cousins passed away.” Yu Xiu sighed softly, her expression filled with indescribable sadness.
"My cousin was only twenty-three years old this year. She married a deputy commander. She was so young and should have been in the prime of her life, but she suddenly passed away. How can we not be heartbroken?"
"What happened?" Knowing it wasn't the old lady, Heyue breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still puzzled. It was indeed strange that she had died so young.
Yu Xiu frowned, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, her expression a mixture of anger, sorrow, and helplessness.
Sure enough, there was something unspeakable about it. He Yue guessed that there were many disputes in the inner quarters of wealthy families in ancient times, and it might be related to this.
Sure enough, Yuxiu then explained the reason: "I overheard my mother talking to the nanny beside her. It seems that my cousin's husband took a concubine a few years ago and has been spoiling her ever since. My cousin isn't usually a jealous person, and she never said anything about her husband's favoritism. However, in recent years, he has become increasingly indifferent to her, and he rarely even visits her room anymore. Some time ago, it was said that the concubine became pregnant but suddenly miscarried. The baby couldn't be saved, and my cousin's husband took his anger out on my cousin, saying that she..." My cousin couldn't tolerate the concubine's child, so she had it aborted. No matter how my cousin explained, it was no use. Her husband pushed her, but unexpectedly, my cousin was also pregnant, and that push also caused her to lose her child. Instead of comforting her, her husband went to be with the concubine. My cousin fell ill in anger. My mother and I went to visit her; she was already unrecognizable. My mother comforted her a few times, even though my cousin had promised to take care of herself, but… but a few days later, my cousin passed away.
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