Chapter 411 Troubled Guests

The news of Qing Mei being driven away was brought back by Granny Miao.

“My lady, as per your instructions, I informed an old Granny about the incident where Third Lady mysteriously injured her foot. Afterwards, the eunuch who overheard our conversation went to report it to Lord Jing. After finishing his lunch, Lord Jing found an excuse to visit Third Lady. Later, at her place, he threw Qing Mei out. I heard that Qing Mei was still lying there, unable to move. Eventually, Second Young Master’s men took her to the East Mansion.”

Granny Miao reported, with a smile on her face.

The people would be delighted when something went wrong around Third Lady.

They were pleased by anything that caused a rift between Third Lady and Second Young Master. Granny Miao especially enjoyed such situations.

After being beaten yesterday, Qing Mei ended up staying with Qu Qiuyan, representing the desires of Qu Mingcheng. It was obvious that Qu Qiuyan felt frustrated by having to keep a maid who was clearly disloyal to her.

Today, when she injured her foot, it seemed like Qu Mingcheng was keeping a close eye on her, fearing that Qu Qiuyan would seek revenge from Lord Jing on her behalf. But now Lord Jing had visited, Qu Qiuyan would not tolerate it any longer. It was inevitable that she would cast Qing Mei aside.

No one would actually like to have a maid like Qing Mei in their hands.

Nobody wanted to use a maid who was clearly unfaithful.

Qu Qiuyan’s actions were influenced by this situation, and it was certain that she would act in the same way!

Qu Mingcheng’s protectiveness towards the maid piqued Qu Moying’s interest even more. Qu Mingcheng’s recent actions were indeed quite suspicious, raising doubts about the maid’s background.

It seemed necessary for her to investigate the specific origins of this maid. There were only a few people involved in the transactions of the Eastern Mansion, and the origin of this Qing Mei was highly questionable.

However, she didn’t want to personally conduct the investigation. It would be more appropriate for Qu Qiuyan to do it.

“If Second Young Master of the East Mansion seeks medical treatment for Qing Mei or any other related matters, make sure to spread the news to the West Mansion. They must be fully informed,” Qu Moying said, pausing briefly.

Since Qu Qiuyan didn’t like this maid, Qu Moying decided to test her further. It would depend on how Qu Qiuyan would handle the situation. This time, even Qing Ju, who was by Qu Qiuyan’s side, was at risk. Her resentment towards Qing Mei would only increase. With Qing Ju around, Qing Mei wouldn’t fare well with Qu Qiuyan.

This maid was too suspicious. While she had been by Qu Qiuyan’s side all along, it wouldn’t raise too much suspicion. But now that Qu Qiuyan had pushed her out and Qu Mingcheng took over, the situation seemed increasingly unusual.

Qu Mingcheng was young, and Qu Zhizhen had always had ideas about him. He wouldn’t want such a distracting maid by his side…

“I understand. There are a few trusted maids in the Eastern Mansion now. They will be the first to know about Qing Mei’s news,” Granny Miao responded promptly.

Qu Moying nodded. Her fingers lightly plucked the strings of the Qin, but her attention was elsewhere, her gaze serene.

“My lady, there has been some restlessness from First Lady these past few days,” Granny Miao added.

“What do you mean?” Qu Moying’s finger pressed on the strings, abruptly halting the melody.

“Yesterday, there was an incident in the West Mansion. Madam Luo from the East Mansion secretly sent someone to visit First Lady, bringing a large bag of silk threads, brocades, and similar items,” Granny Miao explained. She had been keeping an eye on Yu and First Lady Qu Xuexin. Although they were currently confined, Granny Miao felt that they were restless, and who knew when they would cause trouble again.

“Embroidery threads, you say?” Qu Moying raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, embroidery threads and such. I specifically inquired about the embroidery workshop in the East Mansion. They said that First Madam’s maid took away a large bag of silk threads, claiming that First Madam wanted to focus on embroidering something and needed to concentrate. Because the embroideries are delicate and require a considerable amount of thread, they even brought in some additional supplies.”

Granny Miao explained after giving it some thought.

“Continue to keep an eye on them. Let’s see what beautiful things First Madam can embroider and whom they are intended for,” Qu Moying said, her lips curling with a hint of mockery. Qu Xuexin was persistent indeed, so she would let her try. Their own household had limited involvement with the East Mansion. If Qu Xuexin had such intentions, she was more than willing to lend a hand.

The small Qu Mansion was entangled with various powers, and she could now understand her father’s intentions more clearly…

For now, her primary focus remained on the Yue’s Gold Pavilion.

After Granny Miao left, Qu Moying patiently waited for news from the Yue’s Gold Pavilion. As expected, she didn’t have to wait long. Two days later, news arrived from Madam Duan of the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. Someone had approached her, requesting a private meeting outside and emphasizing the importance of secrecy.

At the same time, Old Lady Ji tightened the restrictions on Madam Duan even further, finding an excuse to scold her and assigning her the task of copying the Lessons for Women ten times over. In other words, Madam Duan couldn’t leave the house.

However, Madam Duan had still made an appointment to meet someone at a teahouse.

Upon receiving this information, Qu Moying instructed Yu Dong to prepare a veil, and she arrived at the designated teahouse earlier than the appointed time.

The teahouse location is excellent, right across from Yue’s Clothing Pavilion and Yue’s Gold Pavilion. With its three floors and impressive appearance, it attracts a considerable number of customers coming and going.

Qu Mo Ying arrived early, supporting Yu Dong’s hand as they got off the carriage. Today, she didn’t wear a veil, only a long curtain cap that concealed her identity.

Upon reaching the upper floor, they called a waiter to reserve a private room facing the main street. From there, they could clearly observe the people coming in and out of Yue’s Gold Pavilion.

“My lady, should I wait downstairs?” Yu Dong asked as he assisted Qu Mo Ying in sitting down, glancing at Yue’s Gold Pavilion through the window.

Qu Mo Ying shook her head and replied, “No need. Since we have an appointment with Madam Duan, and we know she won’t come out, there’s no need for her to hide. You wait here, and when you spot the lad servant we saw that day, go and invite them over.”

As expected, they didn’t have to wait long before seeing a lad servant standing in front of Yue’s Gold Pavilion, anxiously looking around as if searching for someone. After a while of fruitless search, the servant called a waiter and made inquiries. Then, they went inside to speak with the manager, seemingly asking about the owner of Yue’s Gold Pavilion.

Finally, the servant stood at the entrance of Yue’s Gold Pavilion, appearing visibly worried.

Qu Moying noticed that the dishes were almost ready and nodded at Yu Dong. She left the room, and while the servant was still glancing around, he noticed Yu Dong approaching and was momentarily taken aback.

He thought no one would be able to come. Why was this maid here?

Seeing that Yu Dong was alone without any significant entourage, the servant breathed a sigh of relief. He promptly approached and said, “Where is your Madam? Our master has been waiting for a long time. He’s in the teahouse across the street. Please bring your Madam out!”

The servant began complaining as soon as he approached but maintained a polite demeanor.

“Our master has been here for a while, just across the street. We’ve been waiting for you, but we didn’t see your master,” Yu Dong pointed toward the teahouse behind him.

“Your Madam is here?” the lad servant paused for a moment and asked anxiously.

“Naturally, she’s been here for a while. Our master arrived, not Madam Duan,” Yu Dong explained with a smile.

“Who is your master?” the servant inquired.

“You’ll find out when you see him,” Yu Dong smiled and beckoned the servant, who was still standing there stunned. “Hurry up and come over before they become impatient.”

The lad servant followed Yu Dong, asking along the way, “Is your master Young Master Ling’an?”

That was the only person the lad servant could think of. Apart from Young Master Ling’an, there was no one else in the main household.

“You’ll find out when you see him. In which private room upstairs is your master?” Yu Dong playfully smiled and continued walking.

The servant had no choice but to follow along.

When they reached the upper floor, he pointed to their own private room and said, “Our master is in there. Where is yours? You’re not the only maid, are you?”

“Go to the private room and wait. Our master will arrive shortly!” Yu Dong smiled faintly. The private room was indeed nearby, just a short distance away, separated by only two other rooms. When they arrived, the room was empty, indicating that their Lday had arrived after they had.

Unexpectedly, someone indeed came here!

“Very well, please hurry. I’ll go and inform our master,” the servant nodded and entered his own private room, wearing a perplexed expression.

Another lad servant was already in the private room and asked upon seeing him, “What happened to that maid? Did Madam Duan from Earl Ling’an’s Mansion arrive?”

The windows of this private room face the street, allowing Qu Moying to see from inside, and they can also observe the scene across the street.

“It’s said that their mistress is here, but she isn’t Madam Duan. I don’t know who it is, but she is supposed to be right next to us and will be coming over soon,” the lad servant stepped forward and respectfully reported to the occupants inside.

Seated by the window was a slender young master, with handsome features that carried a hint of aloofness. When he raised his striking eyes, they revealed a deep, mysterious hue, and his facial lines were well-defined. He exuded a sense of refined charm not commonly found among the young masters of the capital, though it wasn’t overly pronounced.

“A female mistress, but not Madam Duan?” he spoke with a deep voice.

“I believe so. It should be a female mistress, but I don’t know who she is. I suspect she might be the Second Madam.” the servant replied.

They were all accompanying their young master on this visit and were well aware of the situation at hand. They had also thoroughly investigated the matters concerning Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. As soon as the incident occurred, they promptly established contact with the chief maid by the side of Madam Xiao, the Second Madam of Earl Ling’an’s Mansion, which led to the current situation.

“It’s unlikely to be this Second Madam,” the young master shook his head, his cold and handsome gaze shifting towards the outside as he pondered.

This Second Madam would not arrange to meet him alone, especially not with such a pretext. It would serve neither him nor her any good.

In this matter, Second Madam Xiao would undoubtedly maintain her distance in order to handle the situation smoothly.

“Excuse me, is anyone inside?” A knocking sound suddenly came from the door. The master raised his eyes, glanced at the door, and nodded to signal the lad servant.