A few days later, Bai Chuxiao and her party arrived in Kyoto. Lifting the carriage curtain and looking at the bustling streets, Lanxiang and Qingzhu excitedly exclaimed, "Miss, Kyoto is so lively!"
Bai Chuxiao looked at both sides of the street. Dingzhou was located on the northwestern border, so it naturally couldn't compare to the bustling and prosperous capital. However, she had secretly come to the capital many times, so she wasn't as surprised and curious as Lanxiang and Qingzhu. After passing through the outer city and entering the inner city, Xu Mama led the way to the East Alley. The carriage stopped in front of a grand house.
Xu Mama said dismissively, "Miss, we've arrived. Please come in." Without waiting for Bai Chuxiao to speak, she led her four maids into the mansion without looking back.
Qingzhu lifted the curtain, turned around angrily, and said, "Miss, that Granny Xu is too rude! I really want to teach her a lesson!"
Lanxiang helped Bai Chuxiao out of the carriage. Looking at the tightly closed gates of the Prime Minister's residence, she was also very angry. "Miss, they are really going too far! You've come all this way back, and they won't even open the gates!"
Bai Chuxiao surveyed the Prime Minister's residence. The plaque above the gate was written in a flamboyant style, and two stone lions flanked the entrance, giving the residence a rather imposing air.
Bai Chuxiao was still wearing her moon-colored long robe, her face deathly pale. She coldly ordered, "Lanxiang, go knock on the door, knock loudly, preferably so everyone can come and see the rules of the Left Prime Minister's residence."
Upon hearing this, Lanxiang immediately stepped forward, saying, "Young Miss is back! Why aren't you opening the door?" After knocking several times, there was no response from inside.
Bai Chuxiao sneered at this. "Well done! Lanxiang, come here. Qingzhu, go. Take out the whip and have some fun. I want to see just how sturdy the gates of this Prime Minister's residence really are."
Upon hearing this, Qingzhu excitedly drew her long red whip from her waist and lashed it repeatedly in front of the mansion gate. The commotion attracted a large crowd of onlookers, who, watching the commotion in front of the Prime Minister's residence, whispered among themselves, wondering if this was the legendary eldest daughter of the Bai family.
Just as everyone was speculating, the gates of the mansion finally opened, and an old servant who looked like a steward led several young servants in. Zhou Hai shouted loudly, "Insolence! How dare you cause trouble in front of the Left Prime Minister's mansion!" He then gestured to the servants to grab Qingzhu.
With a flick of her whip, Qingzhu silenced the servants. "You're the one who's being insolent! You dog of a servant, open your eyes and see clearly! This is the young lady of the manor. You unworthy servant, why don't you open the door and welcome her in? What are you trying to do?"
Hearing Qingzhu's words, the onlookers came to their senses. It turned out this was indeed the eldest daughter of the Bai family. Seeing her so weak and sickly, everyone felt pity for her. Just then, Bai Chuxiao suddenly pinched Lanxiang secretly.
Lanxiang immediately understood, and with tears in her eyes, she said to Zhou Hai, "Steward, I know Madam doesn't like the eldest young lady, but even if she doesn't like her, she can't keep standing outside the door. The eldest young lady has already caught a cold from her journey, how can she stand this?"
The housekeeper pointed hastily, "You're talking nonsense..." Before he could finish his sentence, Bai Chuxiao started wiping away tears again, and said weakly to Zhou Hai, "Please go and ask Aunt Xie to come out. Tell her that Chuxiao will definitely not compete with Second Sister this time she's back. Please don't turn Chuxiao away." Bai Chuxiao said this while sadly wiping away her tears.
The onlookers, unable to bear the sight, began to speak up for Bai Chuxiao, pointing at Zhou Hai and cursing, "Your Prime Minister's residence is truly rude! They won't even let the legitimate daughter in! The Prime Minister's wife is so narrow-minded!" Hearing this, Zhou Hai sensed something was wrong and hurriedly went into the residence to report to his wife.
No one blocked her way, and Bai Chuxiao didn't go in. She remained standing in front of the door, wiping away her tears. After a while, Xie Shi, a woman of about forty years old and remarkably well-preserved, wearing a purple brocade robe with auspicious cloud patterns and adorned with pearls and jade in her hair, came out, supported by a maid. Behind her were Xu Mama and Zhou Hai, who had just arrived.
Madam Xie's face was full of smiles and a hint of heartache. She hurried over and took Bai Chuxiao's hand, "This must be Chuxiao. It's been so many years. How come you're so thin? Your mother has been waiting for you to come back."
Seeing this, Bai Chuxiao, still wiping away her tears, cautiously said to Madam Xie, "I thought Madam Xie disliked Xiaoxiao, which is why she had the steward leave Xiaoxiao outside the gate and not allow her to enter the mansion. Xiaoxiao is truly wronged."
Hearing her call her "Auntie," Madam Xie was furious, but dared not show it in front of so many people. She could only turn around angrily and yell at the steward, "You insolent servant, who gave you the audacity to stop the eldest young lady from returning to the manor?"
Zhou Hai knelt down with a thud and kowtowed, crying out, "Madam, this old servant knows his mistake! It's just that the eldest young lady has been raised in Dingzhou for many years, and this servant didn't recognize her at first, thinking she was here to cause trouble."
Ignoring the steward, Madam Xie spoke kindly to Bai Chuxiao, "Chuxiao, it's just a misunderstanding. You've been away from home for many years, and the servants don't recognize you. I will certainly punish them severely."
She changed the subject, then said worriedly, "But Xiaoxiao, you absolutely cannot let your maid wield the whip. This is not something a proper young lady should do. After returning to the manor, you must not keep that maid by your side to serve you. But then again, you've been in Dingzhou for many years, and no one has taught you these manners. I will definitely teach you properly in the future. You are the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's manor, and you cannot disgrace the manor."
Upon hearing this, Bai Chuxiao sneered inwardly. Was this an attempt to solidify her reputation as incompetent and immoral? On the surface, however, she cried even more bitterly, weakly saying, "Aunt Xie, I'm not well. My grandfather arranged for Qingzhu to serve me for my safety. Qingzhu is only doing this to protect her mistress."
Bai Chuxiao coughed a few times, then continued, "But these wicked servants in the manor are truly despicable. When Granny Xu, who was supposed to come to fetch me, entered the manor before me to announce my arrival, these wicked servants actually claimed they didn't know the eldest young lady was already in front of the manor. There must be someone behind this, otherwise how could a mere steward dare to stop the eldest young lady of the Prime Minister's manor?"
Madam Xie was filled with resentment, but she didn't want to linger outside the mansion gates any longer. With so many people watching, it wouldn't be good for her reputation. So she could only force a friendly smile again, "Xiaoxiao, it's windy outside. Let's go back inside first. Mother will definitely seek justice for you."
Bai Chuxiao didn't argue. She glanced at the shadowy alley to the right, then let Xie Shi lead her inside. The onlookers dispersed once the main characters had gone inside.
At this moment, two figures darted out from the corner. Yu Fengyang, fanning himself, teased the man in black robes beside him, "Tianze, your fiancée may look frail, but she's not as easy to bully as the rumors say. The Left Prime Minister's residence is about to have a good show."
Chu Tianze smiled, but his words were cold: "So weak and frail? That's not necessarily true." The Prince of Yan thought to himself, "That glance just now clearly showed Bai Chuxiao had already noticed us."
Yu Fengyang looked at Chu Tianze's smile with disbelief, "Tianze, you can actually smile? It seems you're quite satisfied with this Miss Bai. Have you decided to marry her?"
Chu Tianze didn't answer, his smile still playing on his lips. He simply stared blankly at the Left Prime Minister's residence, lost in thought, his mind unreadable.
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