Hailan and Shanmoi naturally kept it in mind.
Wu Xueqin in the small courtyard also knew that her actions would certainly attract others’ attention, but she had no choice now. Last night, soone had left a note in her room again. When she lay on the bed, she found this note beside her pillow. She worried that Yangtao might find the note, but she felt the worry was unnecessary. If Yangtao had found the note, she would have surely told her imdiately. Obviously, the note was placed on the bed after Yangtao had made the bed for her.
Today, the only ones who entered her room were Yangtao and the cleaning maid. Wu Xueqin never paid attention to these maids and couldn’t guess which maid had left the note.
The note had simple content, rely instructing her to go to the front courtyard early the next day.
Wu Xueqin couldn’t think of any other reasons. She knew the Marquis left the mansion early in the morning, but she pretended not to know so she would have an excuse to go.
She ended up eting the Eldest Prince. The Prince didn’t say anything, just nodded slightly and left with his entourage.
After returning, Wu Xueqin was so angry she nearly smashed everything in the room. The Eldest Prince was just playing with her. She went to great lengths to find an excuse to go to the front courtyard, only for the Prince to have no matters at all.
Wu Xueqin still didn’t know if the Marquis would beco suspicious. She could only hope that the Marquis was too busy to notice her side.
In the camp, Gu Yifeng was talking to the Hidden Guard, "Have you already investigated? The Eldest Prince cos to find soone? Do you know who these people are?"
"I couldn’t find out, but I do know the Eldest Prince is searching for a man who seems to be quite old. Also, the search was very discreet, with Hidden Guards dispatched from the palace by his side, preventing us from getting close."
"Keep a close watch on them," Gu Yifeng tapped his finger lightly on the desk, "Did the note from Aunt Wu get passed on to her, what was her reaction?"
It turned out the note placed beside Wu Xueqin’s pillow was arranged by Gu Yifeng.
He did this to see if there was any secret dealings between Wu Xueqin and the Eldest Prince. If the note was written in the Prince’s na and Wu Xueqin went, then they must have private interactions. If Aunt Wu and the Eldest Prince were not involved, she would ignore the note even if it wasn’t handed over.
However, after hearing the Hidden Guard describe the morning’s events in the mansion, Gu Yifeng was confident that Aunt Wu indeed had secret dealings with the Eldest Prince.
Gu Yifeng nodded, "We don’t need to do anything for now, just watch the Eldest Prince’s side."
The Hidden Guard retreated after receiving the orders.
Gu Yifeng rubbed his temples lightly, as he hadn’t slept all night, thinking about the matter concerning Sister Ning. Receiving signals from the Hidden Guard before dawn, he took off early in the morning, feeling sowhat conflicted.
After all, he had lost his temper with Sister Ning yesterday, and now directly facing her, he wasn’t sure how to address the matter.
As if nothing had happened, it felt sowhat inconsiderate to him.
Over in the Capital, Mrs. Dong’s belly was already slightly noticeable. Mrs. Gu Sr. saw her coming for greetings again and scolded her not to bother, suggesting she rest well in the courtyard.
"Actually, I just received the letter from Zhou Mansion, who wanted to host a banquet and invite the girls from our mansion. With the Imperial Concubine and the Eldest Prince having connections, I wasn’t sure what to decide, so I ca for advice," Mrs. Dong said, her expression growing more gentle since becoming pregnant.
"So that’s the matter. Now that Sister Hui and the others have grown up, they should attend banquets organized by other mansions. Given the invitation from Zhou Mansion, let them go. But you are pregnant, and traveling is inconvenient, I’ll take them there myself." At a place like Zhou Mansion, Mrs. Gu Sr. was naturally not at ease and insisted on accompanying them.
"Then I will reply to Zhou Mansion," Mrs. Dong said, gently stroking her belly, "The Marquis must have received the ssage too, but I wonder how things are at the border, especially as Sister Ning’s health is always weak; I don’t know if she would adapt to the climate there."
"The Marquis has gone to the border alone for many years. Now, with Sister Ning by his side, you need not worry. Sister Ning will take care of him. As for her health, Nanny Guo is watching over her; she is from the palace, there won’t be any mistake." Mrs. Gu Sr. clearly didn’t enjoy ntioning Sister Ning frequently, but since Mrs. Dong was pregnant, she didn’t delve deeper. "You are pregnant now; prioritize the child in your belly. Hopefully, it’s a boy to add a male heir to the mansion. Although your family is close in the Capital, you are still early in pregnancy, so avoid going back often. If you miss your mother, invite her to stay a while. The big young master is not around, so there’s no inconvenience."
Since becoming pregnant, Mrs. Dong frequently visited Dong Mansion, an issue Mrs. Gu Sr. always had opinions on.
Upon hearing Mrs. Gu Sr., Mrs. Dong quickly stood to apologize, but Mrs. Gu Sr. stopped her, "It’s alright, alright. I was just thinking of your early pregnancy; you might have forgotten those things worth being cautious about. Just reminding you a few points."
Mrs. Gu Sr. didn’t want to speak much with Mrs. Dong, "In the future, if things co up, let the maids handle it. Spend more ti in the courtyard."
Mrs. Dong agreed repeatedly and sat for a while before leaving.
Mrs. Gu Sr. sighed to Nanny Chang, "She has improved, which makes happy. Now that she’s pregnant, if she can add a male heir to the mansion, she’d be a major contributor. However, I don’t know why, but I’ve just never ward to her over the years."
"Madam is too focused on rules and is unlike the First Madam, who grew up with you, sharing everything with you and never keeping things in her heart," Nanny Chang indirectly indicated that Mrs. Dong and Mrs. Gu Sr. were emotionally distant.
The First Madam she referred to, naturally, was Lin Youning.
Talking about Sister Ning made Mrs. Gu Sr. smile, "I wonder how things are with her and the big young master. The big young master has always had a cool disposition, yet he thought of bringing Sister Ning to the border this ti, clearly showing he cherishes her. Otherwise, in our Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, who would worry about others secretly plotting? I know he made an excuse to bring her and didn’t stop him."
Nanny Chang laughed along with her, "The Madam has thought it through. If this were openly discussed, both the Marquis and the lady might feel embarrassed."
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