"Going home?"
"Exactly. Time is pressing. Please, Fourth Miss, quickly pack your valuables and set off with this servant as soon as possible."
The person who replied was a face Lu Yinxi had never seen before.
She introduced herself as Nanny Zhou, who served by Prime Minister Lu's side. Today, she was specially ordered by Prime Minister Lu to pick up Fourth Miss and take her back home.
Doubt welled up in the young girl's heart.
Just a few days ago, she had given Nanny Sun, who served by the Second Lady's side, a good lesson. And today, the Prime Minister's Mansion sent someone to pick her up.
To say there was no trick in it would be an insult to a three - year - old child!
But after only a moment of hesitation, she got up to pack her things. If she wanted to avenge the original owner, going back to the Prime Minister's Mansion was imperative.
Now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she couldn't give it up.
As the saying goes, when the soldiers come, we block them; when the water comes, we dam it. Anyway, she had the power of words, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
The original owner didn't have many things. Most of them had been snatched away by the evil servants on the estate. Lu Yinxi didn't care about those external possessions, so she didn't ask for them back.
However, some of the more timid ones had secretly returned a few items.
Picking up her包袱 and stepping onto a small stool, just before getting into the carriage, Lu Yinxi seemed to remember something. She looked at Aunt Liu behind her and smiled warmly.
"Aunt Liu, I almost forgot to tell you. Your daughter will never be cured of her muteness. It's useless to look for more famous doctors!"
The distance between the estate and the capital city was not short. Even if one rode a horse, it would take most of the day, not to mention traveling by carriage.
When the carriage entered the city gate, it was already getting dark.
The Great Qi didn't enforce a curfew. Through the carriage window, the young girl could occasionally see one or two passers - by, but most of what she saw were the candles in every household.
This was the capital city!
The carriage traveled smoothly for a while longer and finally stopped in front of a certain mansion's gate.
"Fourth Miss, the Prime Minister's Mansion is here."
The heart that had been calm all the way suddenly started to pound violently at these words.
Lu Yinxi knew very well that once she entered the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, she would have to face the Second Lady officially. After calming her emotions a little, she calmly got off the carriage.
What first came into view was a dark mass. One could vaguely make out the shape of a mansion.
"It's getting late. It's not convenient to open the main gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Please, Fourth Miss, enter the mansion through the side gate."
Nanny Zhou said in a matter - of - fact tone, without any emotion.
The young girl curled her lips. Was this the Second Lady's way of giving her a warning?
Presumably, during the journey, Nanny Zhou had been constantly checking the sky and controlling their speed just for this moment.
The side gate was the entrance for servants. Lu Yinxi was the Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion, a legitimate daughter. Logically, she should enter through the main gate.
But according to the rules, if the main gate of the mansion was to be opened to welcome someone in at night, the male master's permission had to be sought. And in Prime Minister Lu's heart, it seemed that this daughter was not worthy enough for him to open the main gate for her.
So in this situation, Lu Yinxi had to enter through the side gate.
"Then I'll have to trouble Nanny to lead the way."
The young girl smiled faintly, as if she didn't know the difference between the side gate and the main gate at all.
This wasn't wrong. Lu Yinxi wasn't the original owner. In her mind, as long as she could enter the Prime Minister's Mansion, the side gate was fine.
However, she had accepted the Second Lady's warning. Let's wait and see in the future!
That night, the half - moon hung high in the sky.
Shang Luoshu found his way to Lu's estate with ease. Then he sneaked into Lu Yinxi's original room. It was very quiet inside. He didn't even hear a sound of breathing. Only the clear moonlight was quietly shining on the ground.
No one!
The man immediately realized this. He strode to the bedside and saw that the quilt and pillow were neatly placed in one corner, but the person who should have been sleeping there was nowhere to be seen.
His brows furrowed, and doubts gradually grew in his heart.
A young lady of a noble family who had been raised on an estate wasn't in her boudoir at night?
"Chen Guang, is it true that the Fourth Miss of the Lu family really lives here?"
Since the master's injury hadn't fully healed, Chen Guang had been secretly protecting him all the way. Only when he heard Shang Luoshu's call did he appear.
"Absolutely."
He said firmly. But when he saw the empty room, he became a little unsure. He could only hesitantly speak again.
"Tomorrow is Prime Minister Lu's birthday. Presumably, the Fourth Miss has been taken back?"
"Prime Minister Lu's birthday?"
Shang Luoshu thought carefully. It seemed that there was such a thing. For this, His Majesty had even specially issued an imperial edict allowing Prime Minister Lu to take a day off.
In that case, he would just wait until tomorrow!
"Chen Guang, tell the steward to prepare a birthday gift early tomorrow morning. I'm going to congratulate Prime Minister Lu on his birthday."
Prime Minister Lu's Mansion
"It's getting late. It's not convenient to arrange maids and food. Please, Fourth Miss, make do for now."
There was no food, and no maids to serve.
After leading Lu Yinxi to a remote small courtyard, Nanny Zhou left these words and then hurriedly led her people away without a moment's delay, as if Lu Yinxi was some kind of flood beast.
The young girl didn't expect that the warning would come one after another. It was really a good excuse that it was getting late.
But it didn't matter. After traveling for most of the day, she didn't have the energy to fight with the Second Lady now. It would be better to have a good sleep and gather strength for tomorrow.
Rongjing Courtyard
A young woman in gorgeous clothes was looking down at the ledger. When she heard the noise at the door, her eyes didn't leave it.
"Is Nanny Zhou back?"
"Greetings to the Lady!"
The middle - aged woman knelt respectfully at the woman's feet. For some reason, her eyes were red.
"Nanny Zhou, what are you doing? You're someone by the Prime Minister's side. Why do you perform such a great courtesy to me?"
Although she said so, the woman didn't let her get up. She just turned a page, as if she was looking at something extremely important.
Nanny Zhou was already used to this. She immediately sensibly told the woman everything that had happened on the way of picking up Lu Yinxi and taking her back to the mansion, without missing a single word.
"... This servant took Fourth Miss into the mansion through the side gate. Then, according to your instructions, I settled her in Luoxia Courtyard.
It's a remote place, and the servants are not willing to go there. The First Lady and the young master definitely won't know that Fourth Miss has come back.
And Fourth Miss should not know that tomorrow is the Prime Minister's birthday either."
"Well done!"
The woman finally put down the ledger in her hand. She ordered someone to help Nanny Zhou up, and then took out a small pouch and placed it on the edge of the table.
"There are three thousand taels of silver notes here. It should be enough for your husband to pay off his gambling debts."
With red and blood - shot eyes, Nanny Zhou struggled internally several times. In the end, she tightly clutched the pouch in her hand.
Only then was the woman satisfied, and the smile on her face deepened.
"If you have time, Nanny, you should persuade your husband more. Gambling is something that should be quit as soon as possible. Finding a proper job is the right way."
"This servant will surely follow the Lady's teachings!"
The Next Day
Lu Yinxi was woken up. It wasn't even fully light yet, but there was a chattering sound in the yard. It was really annoying.
Forcing herself to get up, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and opened the door.
She saw not far away, several twelve - or thirteen - year - old little maids were gathered together, chattering about something. They didn't even notice her approaching.
"What are you chatting about so early in the morning?"
Suddenly, a strange voice interrupted them. The little maids were stunned at first, and then they fell silent and knelt down to beg for mercy.
"This servant didn't know that a noble person was here. We have offended you. Please, noble person, spare our lives."
What was going on?
Lu Yinxi was a bit confused. Why did the servants in the Prime Minister's Mansion seem so strange?
Just as she was about to ask, she heard a male voice approaching from afar.
"Has something happened?"
As the voice faded, its owner stepped into the courtyard gate.
He was wearing a green long gown, with jade pendants on his clothes. He was holding an ancient scroll in his hand. He was truly a gentle young master and a graceful scholar.
This made Lu Yinxi can't help but think of the saying "The man on the street is as gentle as jade, and the young master is peerless in the world." This must be the kind of person it was talking about!
The scholar who entered the door first glanced at the group of little maids, and then noticed the young girl beside them.
At this glance, he froze on the spot. The familiar yet strange eyebrows and eyes, and the name hidden in his heart for many years blurted out.
"Xier? Are you Xier?"