"Miss? Miss, what's wrong with you? Why has your complexion suddenly turned so pale?"
Zi Yuan, who was standing beside Feng Yunshu, noticed her strange expression and quickly stepped forward to support her.
It was not until the voice in her head gradually faded away that Feng Yunshu seemed to come to her senses. She shook her head and said, "I'm fine. I just suddenly had a headache."
"Miss, are you catching a cold?" Zi Yuan reached out to feel Feng Yunshu's forehead.
Feng Yunshu forced a smile and shook her head. "It's not a cold. Maybe I just didn't rest well."
"Zi Yuan, I have a question for you. You must answer me truthfully."
Zi Yuan nodded. "Okay, Miss. Please ask."
"Regarding the situation when my mother gave birth to me, how much do you know? Everyone says that my mother died of difficult labor, but I find it very suspicious. Moreover, there is not a single item related to my mother in the entire prime minister's mansion, not even a single painting in this Yunshu Courtyard. What's going on?"
Mentioning this, Zi Yuan's face immediately changed.
"Miss, this..."
"Just tell me what you know. Don't hold back."
Zi Yuan took a deep breath before speaking. "Miss, although I was still young when Madam passed away, I vaguely remember that not long after Madam's death, the prime minister remarried and took in the current First Madam. As soon as First Madam entered the mansion, she threw away and burned all the items related to Madam."
"Not only that, First Madam also prohibited everyone in the mansion from mentioning Madam. She just wanted to wipe Madam out of this prime minister's mansion."
After hearing this, Feng Yunshu's eyes turned a bit colder.
"Okay, I see. Then what about the situation of my mother's difficult labor back then?"
"This... All the old maids who used to serve Madam were driven out of the mansion by First Madam. I only heard that Madam did have a massive hemorrhage during childbirth, but I'm not very clear whether that's the reason for her death."
Feng Yunshu recalled all sorts of things from the past in her mind. However, regarding the period after her mother's death, since she was still in swaddling clothes at that time, she had no impression at all and couldn't extract any information.
Zi Yuan was a few years older than her and did have some impressions of what happened back then.
"Zi Yuan, do you still remember who those old maids who were driven out of the mansion were? Where did they go?"
"Ah? This question..." Zi Yuan was obviously stumped. "I really don't remember..."
Suddenly, Zi Yuan slapped her head. "I remember! There's an Aunt Yu. She was extremely loyal to Madam in the past and was also very kind to me. I remember that her family seems to be in a village on the outskirts of the capital. It seems to be... Qinghe Village?"
"Qinghe Village?"
Zi Yuan nodded. "Yes, I should be right."
"How old is she approximately now? Can we still find her?"
Zi Yuan shook her head. "I really don't know about this. Aunt Yu was nearly thirty when she was driven out of the mansion. If she's still alive, she should be around forty now..."
"Okay, this is the most important piece of information. I have to find this Aunt Yu!"
...
It was almost noon. Feng Yunshu took Xiaoling and Zi Yuan out to meet the Great National Master.
As usual, the three of them crawled out through that hole. After crawling through it a few times, Zi Yuan was now very nimble and got through smoothly.
However, Feng Yunshu didn't notice that not long after they crawled out, a figure jumped out from behind a big tree beside them. After repeatedly confirming that Feng Yunshu and the others had left, this person immediately turned around and ran towards First Madam's courtyard.
In Lan Courtyard.
"First Madam, I saw very clearly just now. Miss Feng took her maid and crawled out through a dog hole under the back wall of the prime minister's mansion..."
"Tie San, you go after them right away and see where that dead girl is sneaking off to. You must report all her words and deeds to this madam."
The black - clothed man named Tie San nodded. "Yes, First Madam!"
After saying that, this person turned around nimbly and quickly left Lan Courtyard.
"First Madam, this eldest miss is really strange. She seems to have completely changed after her marriage."
"Yes, First Madam. The eldest miss used to be submissive in front of you and the second miss and didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Who would have thought that she would now dare to openly oppose you like this!"
"Since the eldest miss came to the mansion, the whole prime minister's mansion has been in a complete mess. The second miss was even punished by the prime minister to go to a nunnery for self - reflection. This is just too..."
First Madam was just about to reach out to pick up the teacup to drink tea. Hearing this, she suddenly swept all the teacups on the table to the ground.
"Wasn't that bitch's mother also very favored back then? So what? Hehe, didn't she end up as a ghost under this madam's feet! I didn't expect that she would escape the spiritual fox incident. I underestimated her. But it doesn't matter. With the poison on her body, I'd like to see how long she can still jump around!"
...
On the long street.
Feng Yunshu was holding Xiaoling in her arms. The three of them, mistress and maids, walked familiarly to the Five - Spice Restaurant.
The shopkeeper saw Feng Yunshu and immediately greeted her. Feng Yunshu looked around and asked, "Is your young master not in the restaurant today?"
"Yes, the young master has been busy contacting the pharmacies and commercial firms to get goods these days. He said that he has to compare different sources to choose the best one..."
Feng Yunshu nodded in satisfaction. "Well, good. It seems that Xiao Changfang is really putting his heart into it."
"Does the boss want to find the young master? How about I send someone to call the young master here? I'll say that the boss is here."
Feng Yunshu shook her head. "It's okay. No need. I'm not here to find him today. I just came by to take a look. I'll go directly to the private room. Later, you call a waiter to take my order."
"Also, if a relatively tall man comes later and asks where the private rooms are, you ask the waiter to take him up."
The shopkeeper quickly nodded. "Okay!"
After giving these instructions, Feng Yunshu went upstairs to the private room by herself.
She had been sitting for a short while when footsteps were heard at the door. Feng Yunshu's ears twitched slightly and she quickly recognized that it was the footsteps of the Great National Master.
Sure enough, the door was pushed open and Kong Ze walked in from outside. Looking up and seeing that Feng Yunshu was already waiting, he couldn't help but smile and said, "It's rare for you, girl. You actually came early."
Seeing Kong Ze coming, Feng Yunshu immediately got up with a bright smile and greeted him. "What? Can't I change my ways? Third Senior Brother, you came just in time. Try the special dishes here. They're really delicious! Eat as much as you like!"
"Ouch, when did our little junior sister become so generous?"
Kong Ze sat down with a smile. "Looking at you all dressed in gold and silver, it seems that your cheap husband, although not in good health, is quite wealthy, right?"
Saying this, Kong Ze sighed with emotion. "Amazing. Truly, the world is ever - changing. Who would have thought that our lazy little junior sister would finally bloom like an iron tree and even catch a wealthy husband. Tsk tsk... Master would surely be very pleased if he knew."
"Pfft!" Feng Yunshu couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
"Third Senior Brother, stop talking nonsense! Do I look like someone who lives off others? What you said makes me sound so useless. Let me tell you, I own half of this restaurant. I'm also half of the boss, so eat as much as you like. You won't eat me out of house and home."
"Oh? This restaurant is your property?"
Feng Yunshu squinted and nodded. "Yes."