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Feeling as if someone was watching, Qu Moying looked up into the distance subconsciously. By the window, County Lady Jingyu withdrew her gaze. She pulled up her sleeves, picked up the tea on the table, and took a sip gracefully before putting the teacup down.

“The Empress said that there will be a palace banquet in a few days. Are you going?” Chen Hailan had already recovered from her reverie, so she asked in a low voice. The two of them had always been close. That was why they were having tea leisurely as they were not in a hurry to return to the mansion.

Chen Hailan heard that the Imperial Noble Consort had taken a liking to County Lady Jingyu and seemed to want to betroth County Lady Jingyu to Lord Jing.

“We’ll see when the time comes!” County Lady Jingyu frowned.

“Why? Is there something wrong?” Chen Hailan inquired.

In response, County Lady Jingyu shook her head. The worry on her face faded slightly as she looked at Chen Hailan, asking, “What about you?”

“I don’t know either!” Chen Hailan shook her hand. There was a slight contemplation in her eyes. She no longer looked like a young lady who was dreaming about love. In fact, it was not easy for a noble lady like her to lose her composure. The impression Pei Yuanjun gave her just now was too strong. It made her lose her mind for a moment, causing her to spit such improper words. “I’ll leave it to my father to make the decision!”

“Will Junior Prime Minister… agree?” County Lady Jingyu asked again in a hushed voice.

“I don’t know. What about you? Will your family agree?” Chen Hailan shook her head.

“No idea!” County Lady Jingyu shook her head helplessly. “We don’t have a say on this matter.”

“Let’s wait and see, then!” Chen Hailan comforted her jokingly when seeing her bitter smile. “You have the best reputation among others in the capital, and with that look of yours, why are you afraid that no one will marry you?”

The two of them could be considered as close friends, which was why they were able to say such words to each other. Otherwise, it might sound like they were being disrespectful.

Hearing that, County Lady Jingyu blushed and reached out to pinch Chen Hailan. “What nonsense are you talking about? Aren’t you beautiful as well? Why are you only talking about me?”

“I’m not as beautiful as you. Your mother is a famous beauty in the capital, and she can even be said to be the most beautiful one! She gave birth to you, a young lady as beautiful as a flower, and your mother’s father treats you so well. He didn’t ask for a title for his own son’s daughter but instead gave you the title. Duke Qi truly loves you.”

After saying that, Chen Hailan felt a sense of relief.

This kind of affection was not just on the surface. Some people even said that as long as one married County Lady Jingyu, he would receive support from the Minister of Works and Duke Qi, a founding member of the country. Duke Qi had saved the Emperor’s life before, and he came from a powerful family as well. With Duke Qi supporting her from behind, it was impossible for County Lady Jingyu to marry into a lowly family.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” County Lady Jingyu’s face turned scarlet red as she blushed like a blooming flower. She looked extremely lovable.

In this regard, County Lady Jingyu was indeed proud. Her grandfather had always been good to her as well as her mother. If there was something good in his sleeves, he would definitely share it with her. However, her grandmother was the one who treated them neutrally, and she did not know why.

But even so, her grandmother’s love for her was still extremely deep.

Qu Moying did not know that County Lady Jingyu was watching her. She got into the carriage at the door and went straight back to Qu Mansion.

When she arrived at Qu Mansion, Yu Dong helped her get out of the carriage and asked the chief maid, to bring a soft sedan chair over. After Qu Moying sent someone to apologize to the Old Lady for her failure to greet the latter, she returned to Qianyue House.

It was indeed inconvenient for her to greet the Old Lady in her current state anyway.

When Granny Wu arrived, Qu Moying had just entered the room and sat down.

“Fourth Lady, have you seen a doctor?” After Granny Wu entered the door and bowed to Qu Moying, she glanced at Qu Moying’s face. Seeing that Qu Moying’s complexion was not bad, she heaved a sigh of relief.

When the Old Lady heard that Qu Moying had fallen in Crown Prince’s Mansion, she immediately sent Granny Wu over.

“I’m fine. I’ve had an Imperial Doctor check on me at Crown Prince’s Mansion. I’m fine.” Qu Moying shook her head and answered with a smile.

Granny Wu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Fourth Lady, why did you almost bump into someone? Are the servants in Crown Prince’s Mansion so unruly?”

“It’s not a servant in Crown Prince’s Mansion. It’s Lord Yun,” said Qu Moying after a moment of silence. The incident would eventually spread out, and the Old Lady was bound to know, so it was better to inform her first so that she could be prepared instead of getting shocked from the news.

The elderlies couldn’t afford to suffer from shock.

“You… you bumped into Lord Yun?” Granny Wu’s heart skipped a beat as she stuttered. Even though she had always been calm, she could no longer remain composed now.

It was Lord Yun, not just any other ordinary person.

“I didn’t bump into him. I almost did, but I was the only one who fell. Lord Yun was fine and didn’t slip,” Qu Moying answered with a comforting smile, afraid that she would scare the Old Lady.

“That’s it?” Granny Wu inquired again.

“What else could have happened? I just fell and sprained my ankle. Nothing else happened. Princess Ji from Crown Prince’s Mansion has always been courteous, so she insisted that I should stay a little longer. I think it was better to return to the mansion to rest, so I came back,” Qu Moying explained.

“That’s right. You’ll feel at ease to rest in your own mansion.” Granny Wu nodded repeatedly and asked about some details before hurriedly returning to report to the Old Lady.

After Granny Wu left, Yu Chun served some tea and retreated to the side.

Soon, Granny Miao came in to report, “My lady, I’ve done the investigation. There is a new old maid by Third Lady’s side. This old maid used to serve the Second Madam, but she was not a first-class chief maid. Not long after she served the Second Madam, she was sent to Third Lady’s side. Third Lady values her very much these days.”

Qu Moying had instructed Yu Dong to do it before, but after contemplating that it was an inner yard matter, she felt it was easier for Granny Miao to inquire about it.

Granny Miao had been in the mansion for a period of time now and was familiar with the people in the mansion. The matters in the yard were basically handled by Granny Zhou by now. Therefore, it was more convenient for her to obtain information.

“How long has she been here?” Qu Moying asked.

“It should be after you arrived at the mansion, my lady,” Granny Miao reported after thinking for a while.

Qu Moying put down the teacup in her hand while looking at the light-green-colored flowers and asked, “Did it happen after the fire incident?”

“Yes. It was after the fire incident. I heard that it wasn’t just because of that, but also Qing He’s incident. Rumors said that Qing He was careless, so an old maid was sent here, and she was first trained by the Second Madam for a few days.” Granny Miao’s eyes lit up as she nodded repeatedly.

“Is there anything special about that old maid?” Qu Moying muttered.

“I didn’t find anything unusual. Her surname is Qing, so everyone calls her Granny Qing. She now works for Third Lady, but she’s not the most favored one. She’s not the chief maid in Third Lady’s yard, but only a second-class old maid. If not for…” Granny Miao paused.

Qu Moying’s watery eyes rolled as she inquired softly, “Is there something different that you’re suspicious of?”

She believed in Granny Miao. There must have been something that made Granny Miao suspicious.

“Yes, there is. From her appearance, she doesn’t seem to be from Central Plains.” Granny Miao hesitated for a moment before offering a vague reply.

Granny Miao herself was not from Central Plains. She had accidentally fainted in front of Qu Moying’s village and had no relatives or friends there. She came there to search for a relative, but she wasn’t able to find that person. She felt cold and hungry, and then she fainted. It was merely an accident that she met Qu Moying. She was going to return to her hometown if nothing else happened.

But she stayed because she was grateful to Qu Moying.

“What do you think, Granny Miao?” Qu Moying threw another question.

“I… actually am not too sure about it. I’ve sneaked a look, and I don’t think she looks like someone from Central Plains, but if you want me to explain it in detail, I can’t tell clearly. Or perhaps, she seems to be someone from Great Zhou, who has lived in the North.” Granny Miao shook her head. She only felt that there was something slightly different.

“Granny Miao, when you are free, do pay more attention to her, but don’t let her find out that you are checking on her,” Qu Moying reminded.

“Don’t worry, my lady. I will be careful.” Granny Miao nodded. “My lady, I once met the people of Great Zhou, which was a long time ago.”

“When?” Qu Moying asked casually.

“About twenty years ago. I met such people from Great Zhou around that time. Their clothes were different from the North’s, but they were also different from what ordinary people from Great Zhou wore. They just looked a little strange.” Granny Miao thought for a moment and continued, “I even took a few more glances at them back then. Rumors had it that they were rebels of Great Zhou.”

Rebels of Great Zhou? Qu Moying pondered for a moment and realized what she was talking about. Thirty years ago, there was indeed a rebellion. It was said that it was started by several kings at that time. Rebellion of Three Kings was renowned among the public. When she was Ji Hanyue back then, she heard her father mention it many times.

The three kings who plotted the rebellion naturally died in the end. However, some from Pei Family escaped. It was rumored that the most powerful team escaped to the North. However, her father also mentioned that it was just a rumor. Almost every one of that era had died. Even if they had descendants, their descendants were not pure-bloods from Great Zhou anymore, and they no longer carried the blood of the royal family of Great Zhou.

Her father had repeatedly used this as an example and told her about Rebellion of Three Kings. In fact, there was one king who was extremely innocent at that time. However, the situation had already made a bad turn, so even though he did not want to rebel, he had no choice but to do it.

It was said that on the day when the three kings died, many of the aristocratic families in the capital also fell. Some of the aristocratic families who were implicated were killed or demoted. The downfall of many aristocratic families was caused because of this incident, and there were very few innocent people among them. Of course, there were also some who made up for their mistakes.

Some of the branches of the aristocratic families also lost their power because of this incident. The ones left weren’t wife-born branches. Duke Qi Mansion was one of the most typical examples. The original Duke Qi was the current Duke Qi’s elder brother, but since the former was also involved in the rebellion, the first branch of Duke Qi’s Mansion was exterminated. Because the current Duke Qi was meritorious, Duke Qi Mansion was not demoted. Therefore, the title of Duke Qi was passed on to the second branch of Duke Qi’s Mansion.

“My lady, Third Lady sent some maids to pass a message.” An old maid stood outside the door and reported.

Behind her stood three young maids and two old maids. They were the servants from Qu Qiuyan’s yard.

“What is it?” Yu Dong walked out and asked. When he saw the items in their hands, he was shocked!