Chapter 66: Inquiring

  Under the bright candlelight, Ye Qinglan leaned comfortably against the thick headboard, looking relaxed and casual, as if what she had just said was nothing out of the ordinary.

  Ke Rui Xue's face was slightly complex, and after hesitating for a moment, she said in a low voice: "Miss, if Sixth Miss finds out about this, I'm afraid she won't be happy..."

  "So I'm letting you go." Ye Qinglan said calmly: "Remember, quietly investigate, don't let people associate it with me. Also, don't let Hongyu and the others know, and temporarily don't tell Guirong either." It's not that she didn't trust Guirong, but rather that Guirong was still young and had a straightforward personality, so she couldn't keep secrets at all.

  The snowflakes gently fell, and softly replied.

  This was the first task assigned by her master, and she had to do it steadily no matter what.

  All night, Rui Xue was thinking about how to proceed with this matter. Gu Xiannian is so famous, and there should be many people who know him. It's hard to find someone who knows a lot and likes to gossip.

  She is not a native of the mansion, and has been in Beijing for less than a month with her master. She spends most of her days inside the courtyard and is unfamiliar with the people and affairs of the mansion. Where can she find such a person?

  Besides, she has to find a suitable excuse to ask around anyway...

  Rui Xue racked her brains for a whole night and finally came up with a plan, only falling asleep peacefully as dawn approached.

  The next day, Ye Qinglan got up as usual and went to pay respects to Zheng Shi and Jiang Shi. Rui Xue naturally followed her.

  Because Ye Qinglan and Ye Qingning were close, Rui Xue naturally stayed with Zhi Xia. Next to them was the personal maid of Eighth Miss Ye Qingrou, Ru Yue, as well as the personal maid of Zheng Shi, Dong Yan. The four maids stood in a row, all of whom were exceptionally beautiful.

  If compared carefully, the most delicate and pretty one is Zhi Xia. The most dignified and calm one is Dong Yan, like a born beauty, with only her big eyes being slightly too lively. Rui Xue knew she was not bad-looking herself, but in front of these three maidservants, she couldn't muster up much confidence either.

  Rui Xue has been in Changyuan Bo's mansion for so long, and the three people she is most familiar with are these.

  Zhi Xia is Ye Qingning's personal maid, so she's not a good choice. Dong Yan is calm and quiet, even if you ask her, she won't say much. Thinking about it, the only option left is to start with Ruyue.

  The stationmaster had been there for a long time and quietly slipped out like going to the toilet.

  Rui Xue peeked out and quietly retreated. After a while, Ru Yue came over as expected. Rui Xue smiled and went to greet her, saying in a low voice: "The masters are talking, I reckon they won't disperse for a while. Let's just stay here and get some fresh air."

  This remark exactly hit Mo's intention, and she smiled in response. The two of them stood under the corridor, chatting idly for a few sentences that didn't get to the point.

  Rui Xue was thinking about how to speak up when she heard Ru Yue whispering with a smile: "Yesterday at the Dingguo Gongfu, I really opened my eyes wide. I had heard of Gu Si Gongzi's reputation before, but it was the first time I saw his true face! He is indeed extremely handsome. The few young masters in our house are not bad either, but compared to him, they are far inferior."

  As expected, he's a chatterbox who loves to gossip.

  Rui Xue's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded in agreement with a pretended air of melancholy. A hint of girlish longing flashed in her eyes: "If I can have the chance to serve such a master in this lifetime, it won't be in vain for me to have come into this world."

  "This remark has a deeper meaning, and in an instant, Yue Dun smiled slightly: "You'd better give up your wild fantasies. Even someone like Sixth Miss is not worthy of Gu Fourth Master's attention, let alone our master." As he spoke the last sentence, his eyes inadvertently revealed a hint of disdain."

  The maids want to get a good deal, and most of them have to rely on their masters. The master's marriage is going well. It's not hard for the personal maid to plan a good future either. In that case, she does have some opportunities.

  Ke Rui Xue is different. Having a sickly master, and being born out of wedlock from the third wife, even if she's clever and has a sharp tongue, ultimately doesn't have any backing. In the future, what kind of family she'll marry into...it's hard to say.

  Rui Xue saw the hint of disdain in Ruyue's eyes and a surge of anger rose up in her heart. She suppressed it and smiled calmly: "Sister Ruyue, you seem to know quite a bit about this Mr. Gu!"

  "That's natural." Kisaragi smiled with a twinkle in her eye: "I used to serve the old lady, and I've heard many secrets about the noble families of Kyoto."

  Rui Xue gazed at Ruyue with sparkling eyes: "Okay, Ruyue, tell me something. I'm really curious about this Mr. Gu." Her eager and expectant expression greatly satisfied Ruyue's vanity.

  Yuè's eyes rolled around, and she smiled mockingly: "You little hoof, you've only seen him once, and you've already given away your heart. I advise you to give up this thought early on. Who knows how many people have a crush on Gù Sì gōngzǐ? You're not even in the running."

  Rui Xue was scolded, and she held back a belly full of resentment, but still accompanied by a smiling face. After grinding for half a day, Rui Xue finally told everything she knew to Zuo Mo.

  "Gu Gongzi was the fourth in line in the Dingguo Duke's mansion, with two older sisters and an older brother above him. He had been clever since childhood, recognizing characters and reading books at the age of four, writing poetry and painting at eight, and taking first place in the imperial examination at twelve, his name spreading throughout the capital. Countless noble ladies secretly admired him, including Luo Chengxiang's daughter, Luo Miaoyin. However, he was unmoved by all this - do you know why? Because he liked his distant cousin who had grown up with him since childhood..."

  Rui Xue perked up her spirit, pricked up her ears and remembered every single word that Ruyue said.

  Just as they were getting excited, Zhi Xia arrived and saw the two of them slacking off in the corridor. She couldn't help but laugh and said: "I've caught you two! You're not going to go serve, yet you dare to slack off and chat here? Just wait and see if I won't report your behavior later."

  Rui Xue's heart skipped a beat, fearing that Ru Yue would say something she shouldn't, and hastily said: "We'll go in now." She dragged Ru Yue along as they walked inside.

  Zhixia didn't suspect anything and just smiled before leaving as well.

  Rui Xue's expression was inevitably somewhat agitated, holding the news she had just heard. Ye Qinglan seemed to have noticed something and glanced at Rui Xue quietly.

  Rui Xue quickly understood the master's meaning and hurriedly lowered her head. In her heart, she secretly calculated that after leaving Changhe Hall, she would find time to tell Ye Qinglan about this matter.

  Unexpectedly, Jiang today kept Ye Qinglan and others in Changhe Hall for lunch.

  Ye Zhen didn't come back at noon, they were all women. An ordinary family banquet wasn't so particular, so there was no distinction of seats, old and young sat together in a circle, it was quite lively.

  Jiang sat at the top, with Zheng and Li sitting on either side of him. Ye Qingning sat next to Zheng, followed by Ye Qinglan. Ye Qingrou sat beside Li.

  Cui Wan didn't sit down, but stood smiling beside Zheng Shi and served dishes for her.

  "Alright, you shouldn't stand there either. Hurry up and sit down to eat some hot dishes and rice. If not, the food will get cold later. Let Dongyan handle these things."

  "Let me do it instead."

  Zheng didn't say anything else. Cui Wan waited until Zheng put down her chopsticks before hastily sitting down and casually taking a few bites. By this time, the dishes had all gone cold, and the flavors were somewhat lacking. However, Cui Wan continued to smile brightly, with not a hint of dissatisfaction on her face. It was clear that she was already used to it.

  Looking at the familiar expressions of everyone present, they also seem very used to it.

  Ye Qinglan felt uncomfortable in her heart but didn't have the right to say anything, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: being a daughter-in-law is much harder than being a daughter.

  Cui Wan was born into a prestigious family and was the eldest daughter of the main house, so wasn't she treated like a precious gem at home? But as someone's daughter-in-law, she had to follow a set of rules and be extra careful with everything she did, without making even the slightest mistake.

  From these few days of contact, it can be seen that Cui Wan, this daughter-in-law, is very proper and dignified in front of Zheng Shi, not even daring to crack a joke. It's clear that being a daughter-in-law is really not easy...

  Chiang was accustomed to taking a nap after lunch, and after finishing his meal, he would chat casually for a few words before everyone dispersed.

  Ye Qingning still remembered what Ye Qinglan had promised yesterday, and smiled as she said: "Didn't you say you wanted to practice the zither with me? It just so happens that Zeng's wife is coming over today, so why don't you come back to Huan Cui Ge with me now?"

  Ye Qinglan nodded with a smile.

  Ye Qingru's sharp ears heard the conversation between the two, and she looked at Ye Qinglan with a mixture of envy and jealousy. She had always envied Ye Qingning for having such a famous qin master like Zengniangzi as her teacher, and more than once had expressed her desire to learn together. But Ye Qingning had always been indifferent. Now, however, she had surprisingly agreed so easily to Ye Qinglan...

  Ye Qinglan ignored the two cold gazes and smiled as she left with Ye Qingning. Zheng watched the intimate figures of the two, her face thoughtful.

  Cui Wanshen was well aware of Zheng's temperament and smiled intentionally: "Since the tenth sister stayed in the mansion, Qingning has become much more lively than before."

  Yes, in any case, it's a fact that Ye Qingning is more lively and cheerful than usual. Even if it's clear that Ye Qinglan is intentionally trying to curry favor, why bother making an issue of it?

  Zheng smiled and suddenly said with profound meaning: "You're not bad to Lan's sister." Cui Wan certainly wouldn't be so good to someone for no reason!

  Cui Wan saw that she couldn't hide it from Zheng Shi, and indeed didn't hide it. She smiled softly and said: "Nothing can be hidden from you. Last time at grandfather's birthday banquet, mother came to congratulate him, saw Lan sister, and had a good impression of her. I also thought about taking this opportunity to observe her character!"

  Intelligent people don't need to speak too clearly. Zheng suddenly heard the implicit meaning, and smiled silently. She was right, Cui Wan was indeed for her family's unmarried younger brother...

  "You'd better think carefully about it. If that's really what you mean, you should discuss it with your third uncle sooner rather than later." Zheng Shi naturally omitted mentioning Xue Shi's unspoken words.

  With Xue's temper, where would she be willing to give up such a good marriage to Ye Qinglan? She's afraid that as soon as she hears the news, she'll eagerly bring out Ye Qingfu.

  Cui Wan understood the implicit meaning of Zheng's words, smiled and nodded. After thinking for a moment, she said in a low voice: "Speaking of this, I actually have something to discuss with you."

  Today's second update! o(n_n)o~