noffsinger Chapter 153: There is news about the matter you asked me to inquire about
Chapter 153: There is news about the matter you asked me to inquire about
Qiu Ning didn't know when Murong Zhi left.
She only remembered that when she returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion in a daze, Yueya ran over with an excited look on her face and handed her a stack of invitations.
"Miss, good news! Ever since the Prime Minister and the eldest son returned to the capital, the mansion has received numerous invitations over the past two days. They are all invitations to you and the madam to attend banquets, as well as the eldest son. I suspect it's because the ladies of the aristocratic families in the capital saw that the Prime Minister and the eldest son had returned to officialdom and are vying to win them over."
"These have all been selected by Madam. She said it's up to you to decide whether or not to choose two families to attend the banquet."
Qiu Ning just came back to his senses from what happened in Fanlou, and suddenly realized that he had been in a trance the whole time. He cursed himself for being so useless that he was distracted for most of the day by a kiss from Gu Li.
She patted her hot cheeks, reached out to take the post from Yueya's hand, and looked through it carefully.
Without exception, they were all flower-viewing banquets held by the noble circles in Beijing, or birthday banquets for some old lady, or full-moon banquets for a baby, etc., and basically all the invitations were from the wives of officials of the third rank and above.
Qiu Ning picked out two invitations and handed them to Yueya, saying, "The dates of these two families' birthdays are relatively close, so let's go to the birthday party of the wife of Duke Chengguo first."
Duke Chengguo is a veteran of three dynasties and has a very high prestige in the court. Since the Qiu family has also been invited to his wife's 60th birthday, they must give her this honor.
"Oh, Miss, there is one more thing I am not sure whether I should tell you or not."
After Yueya took the post, she carefully looked at Qiu Ning's expression, seeming to be hesitant to speak.
Qiu Ning said in a somewhat annoyed tone, "Yueya, you've been with me for so many years. Don't you know what kind of personality I have? If you have anything to say, just say it."
"Yes, miss!"
Yueya mustered up her courage and continued, "It's not a big deal, actually. I just felt I should tell you, young lady, about that pink handkerchief you used earlier. I remember washing it and hanging it in the yard, but I couldn't find it yesterday. I don't know if it was blown away by the wind or just lost..."
In this dynasty, the personal belongings of young ladies in the boudoir must be carefully preserved, especially things like handkerchiefs, bellybands, pajamas, etc., which must not be left outside. Otherwise, if they are picked up by someone with ulterior motives, it will ruin their reputation.
Qiu Ning couldn't help but frown when he heard this. "Did you remember it wrongly? Have you searched every place?"
Yueya: "I really remember that they were clearly hung out to dry in the yard. I definitely didn't collect them. I also searched around the yard and couldn't find them at all. So it's unlikely that they were blown away by the wind."
Qiu Ning thought that perhaps because they had just arrived at the mansion and were so busy, the servants might have made some trouble. So he ordered:
"Well, since it's lost, I'll just have someone make a new one. Also, go ask the maid in the outer courtyard to see if anyone has picked it up."
"Yes, miss, I'll go right away." Yueya looked guilty.
I hope the lady’s handkerchief won’t fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, otherwise we’ll be doomed.
After Yueya went to the outer courtyard and asked around, she found that no one had picked up Qiu Ning's handkerchief, so she simply put the matter behind her and had someone embroider a new handkerchief to replace it.
However, Yueya did not notice that there was a servant girl named Hong'er in the yard. When she lowered her head, a look of panic flashed in her eyes.
At the same time, in Prince Yong’s Mansion, Lingbo Garden.
Qiu Yao was looking through a book of some noble ladies from aristocratic families in the capital, intending to choose a suitable woman for Qiu Shaoheng, who could be controlled by her and also had the ability to gain a foothold in the Prime Minister's Mansion and take the power of housekeeping of the entire Prime Minister's Mansion into her hands.
She knew that her mother had handed over the management of the current Prime Minister's Mansion to Qiu Ning. If that was the case, how could she get money from her mother's family to support Prince Yong in the future?
But she was already a married woman and could not openly ask her parents for money, so she came up with a brilliant idea.
That is to choose a woman of low status but ambitious as a wife for his brother Qiu Shaoheng, and to snatch the power of the family from Qiu Ning.
Therefore, she has been privately looking for suitable candidates these days.
At this time, Xiang He walked in with a happy look on her face, opening the door curtain and bowing to Qiu Yao.
"My Lady, good news! There's news about the matter you asked me to inquire about a few days ago!"
Upon hearing this, Qiuyao slammed the booklet in her hand shut. "Oh? You found a suitable candidate so soon?"
"Who is the other party?"
What Qiu Yao asked Xiang He to inquire about was exactly about selecting a suitable girl from aristocratic family for Qiu Shaoheng.
Xiang He took out a booklet from her sleeve, pointed to the portrait of a woman on the first page, and said:
"I have made inquiries. This girl's name is Ji Ruyun. She comes from the now-declined Ji Bohou Mansion. She was originally the eldest daughter of the mansion, but because her biological mother died young, Ji Bohou later remarried. Her stepmother gave birth to two sons and two daughters. Her position in the mansion was very stable. Therefore, Ji Ruyun, the daughter of his deceased wife, was in an awkward position.
I heard that Miss Ji's life in the mansion was even worse than that of ordinary servants. She often lacked food and clothing, and the clothes she wore were all hand-me-downs picked up from her two younger sisters.
After hearing about Ji Ruyun's experience, Qiu Yao nodded with satisfaction and said:
"She's beautiful, but she's not favored by her stepmother. A woman like this is either destined to become a stepping stone for advancement in the Marquis's family, or she must strive on her own to find a good future."
Xiang He nodded in agreement and continued, "Young lady, you are right. I have heard that the wife of Marquis Ji Bo is looking for a marriage partner for her recently. It seems that she has chosen a middle-aged wealthy businessman and wants to marry Ji Ruyun to him as his concubine."
When Qiuyao heard this, she was stunned at first.
"Ji Ruyun is the legitimate daughter of a legitimate Marquis, but she's marrying a lowly merchant as a concubine. Isn't this tantamount to abusing her? Did Marquis Ji agree to this?"
Xiang He: "I'm not too sure about this. I heard that Lord Ji is very henpecked, and all matters in the mansion are basically decided by his wife."
Qiu Ning understood.
If that's the case, then it makes sense.
Turning around, Qiuyao picked up the teacup, scraped off the foam, and said to Xianghe, "In that case, let's find a time to meet with Miss Ji!"
As long as Ji Ruyun is not stupid, she should know what to choose.
At the same time, in the courtyard where Murong Zhi was.
Ever since Murong Zhi came back from Fanlou, she hasn't said a word or drank a sip of water for a whole day.
She didn't even care about the noise made by the young master in the next room. She was absent-minded, as if her soul had been taken away.
When the servants in the yard saw this, they were all a little worried.
So, a servant took the initiative to make a decision and told Qiuyao about this.
Because all the servants in the mansion knew that Concubine Qiu and the princess had the closest and best relationship, and even her child was adopted by the princess to be raised.
It just so happened that Prince Yong was away from home these days on official business, so when his servants had any problems, they thought of Qiuyao first.
With doubts, Qiuyao soon came to Murong Zhi's yard.