"Miss, please wake up." Looking at the dark shadow on the curtain at the door, Yudong stepped forward and called for help.
Qu Moying opened his eyes, "What's wrong?"
"This is the outer courtyard. The maid from the East Palace asked you to move to the courtyard where the female family members rest." Yu Dong said as he supported Qu Moying.
"Okay!" Qu Moying said.
After sitting up and tidying up a bit, Yu Dong took the opportunity to show Qu Moying the jewelry box in his sleeve, implying that the jewelry box had been touched by someone.
It was the same jewelry box, exactly the same as it was at the beginning, but Yudong knew very well that this jewelry box was no longer the same as before, it had been replaced.
Speaking of which, Yu Dong also felt that Concubine Ji was really shameless. A concubine from the Crown Prince's Mansion would actually take a fancy to her own lady's bracelet and even use such means to exchange it. It was really extremely embarrassing.
No matter how valuable this bracelet is, it is just a bracelet. This concubine has such a narrow vision. It can be seen that the character of this concubine is indeed not good.
When someone said that she entered the Eastern Palace just to take care of the Crown Princess, he was the first one to not believe it.
In this matter, Yu Dong actually misunderstood Ji Youran. If this bracelet was not of special significance, Ji Youran would never have used this method to exchange for Qu Moying's bracelet.
It’s not that she has a narrow vision, it’s just that this pair of bracelets is very important to her.
Qu Moying narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded, picked up the jewelry box and shook it gently a few times. There was a sound of fragments inside, and it sounded like it was not a whole piece. Then he put it into his sleeve and walked out holding Yu Dong's hand.
Outside the house, the maid was waiting there. When she saw them come out, she first bowed to Qu Moying and then led the way.
Qu Moying followed the maid slowly, with a hint of coldness in his eyes. This road did lead to the inner courtyard, but it was not the most direct way to the inner courtyard. In fact, he could choose another road, which led more directly to the inner courtyard's hanging flower gate. But the maid had obviously seen it just now, but took him to this road without hesitation.
It can be seen that Ji Youran had arranged it early on.
What she was sure of now was that the bracelet Ji Hanyue was wearing at that time must have been broken or shattered. Of course, judging from the situation, there might still be a few pieces left.
There was an intersection ahead, and the maid waved to them. Yu Dong helped Qu Moying forward. Before they turned the intersection next to the rockery, a person suddenly bumped into them. Yu Dong was so frightened that she hurriedly pulled Qu Moying back, took two steps forward, and bumped into him.
There was a servant standing opposite them. After being bumped into heavily, he and Yu Dong both took two steps back and fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Qu Moying was pushed away by Yu Dong before, but even so, he almost fell down and had to hold on to the rockery on the side to stand steadily.
"What's going on?" A man's voice came from behind the servant, and then he saw a group of people coming out from behind the servant. Looking at the sickly man surrounded by the crowd, Qu Moying immediately knew that the person who was plotted against at the same time was Wei Wang Pei Qingmin.
The people present today are not so easy to calculate, and this one is indeed a little weak.
"What happened?" King Wei's eyes fell on the two maids and servants who had fallen to the ground, and he asked with a low cough.
"I greet His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei." The maid from the East Palace stepped forward to apologize. "I came here with Fourth Miss Qu. Unexpectedly, Fourth Miss Qu's maid walked a little too fast and bumped into His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei. Please forgive me, Your Highness the Prince of Wei."
Qu Moying also walked out from the corner of the rockery and bowed to Pei Qingmin: "Greetings, His Royal Highness the King of Wei."
Pei Qingmin had seen Qu Moying in the mourning hall just now. Qu Moying looked different from the others. The veil on her eyes was an easily recognizable mark. Especially since she had fainted in the mourning hall just now, the King of Wei deliberately took a few more glances at her.
Now he immediately recognized that the person in front of him was the fourth young lady of the Qu family.
After looking her up and down for a few times, he said gently: "No need to be polite. Is Miss Qu Si feeling better?"
"Thank you, Your Highness. I... am much better now." Qu Moying said with a pale face. She didn't look like she was getting better.
Prince Pei Qingmin of Wei was in poor health, so he took a few more glances at Qu Moying, who was also in poor health. There had been a lot of rumors about the fourth young lady of the Qu family recently, and some of them seemed to be overturning the previous rumors. The fourth young lady in front of him was not tall, and her stature and figure were not big enough. In addition, she seemed to be a little timid, and it seemed that she was indeed in poor health.
She had jet-black hair, simply pinned up with a hairpin, a pale face, and light-colored cherry lips. The lip shape was beautiful but the color seemed a little too light, revealing a light color that made people feel pity. If such a face was matched with a pair of heart-piercing eyes, Pei Qingmin felt that she must be a girl with extraordinary appearance.
He was in poor health and was quite particular about calligraphy and painting. He knew very well what a pair of sharp pupils would look like on Qu Moying's face. The rumor that such a girl was ugly was too false. Needless to say, it must have been spread by Qu Zhizhen's jealous stepwife.
This step-wife even dared to lay hands on the daughter born to the legitimate wife at the Crown Princess's funeral hall. What else is there that she wouldn't dare to do!
I heard that Miss Qu Si had her engagement broken off by Xu Lipeng, the son of Marquis Yongning. It seems there must be some hidden cause and effect behind this. She is a very pitiful person.
Xiao Shi and Yu Dong both stood up and glared at each other without daring to say anything more.
"If Fourth Miss Qu needs anything, just tell Concubine Ji." Pei Qingmin said gently again, and then led his people forward, while Qu Moying stepped aside.
After the King of Wei left, Qu Moying took Yu Dong's hand again and left with the maid of the East Palace.
No one would think that there was much of a problem with such a small incident. After all, it was just a collision between a maid and a servant. For the two masters, it was no big deal.
The maid led Qu Moying to a courtyard, which was indeed the place where the female family members rested. After leading her there, she arranged for someone to serve her, and then the maid left.
After getting out of the gate, he hurried to a courtyard in the inner courtyard. This was the courtyard where Ji Youran lived, and it was closer to the courtyard of the former Crown Princess Ji Hanyue.
When he entered the main room to report, Ji Youran was sitting in the middle.
The maid stepped forward and bowed, holding a jewelry box in her hand, which was the same one that Qu Moying had seen before: "Madam Concubine, the jewelry box has been replaced."
Ji Youran nodded, and her personal maid Shui Ning stepped forward to take the box, placed it on the table in front of her, opened it gently, and saw a blood jade bracelet inside.
Ji Youran picked it up and looked at it carefully. From the color to the pattern, and then to the dark patterns on it, they were all the same. She couldn't help but smile.
Another maidservant went into the room and took out another jewelry box. Compared with this jewelry box, the other one was more gorgeous.
Afterwards, I also saw a bracelet inside.
Ji Youran also took it out and placed the two bracelets together. Everyone could see that they were a pair.
The quality and appearance are exactly the same.
Ji Youran's face showed a proud smile. She put one bracelet on her wrist first, and then put on the other bracelet. Comparing the two, she felt even more satisfied.
Now the bracelets are finally a pair. Whenever she saw a bracelet, she would think of many bad things and feel heartbroken. Now it’s okay, they are finally a pair.
Shaking the blood jade bracelet on his hand, the more he looked at it, the more satisfied he felt. Thinking back to when Ji Hanyue wore the bracelet in front of him, he just wanted to take a look at it, but Ji Hanyue said that it was her grandmother's thing and he had to be careful with it. She only let him look at it and didn't allow him to wear it.
Now that Ji Hanyue's bracelet is on his hand, everything belongs to him.
Zhi looked around with satisfaction. She had envied Ji Hanyue countless times in her heart, but now she was the master of this place. Ji Hanyue had been dead for a long time and everything she had was in her hands.
Including Ji Hanyue’s dowry.
"Miss, will Miss Qu Si make a fuss?" Shui Ning asked worriedly. She was Ji Youran's maid who came with her dowry, and she entered the Eastern Palace with Ji Youran. It was very rushed at that time, and it was impossible for her to bring more people in at once, so she only brought this most trusted person.
"How could Fourth Miss Qu dare to do that? She was always very timid. The Crown Princess had told her not to be afraid of trouble and to speak out if there was any problem. The Crown Princess would back her up. If she said nothing, the Crown Princess would not be able to intervene. But she just stayed in the manor and acted like she wanted to live out the whole manor."
Xie Feng curled her lips and said disapprovingly that she was Ji Hanyue's maid before, and now she was Ji Youran's maid. She just happened to fill the gap of the head maid beside Ji Youran. She always talked to Ji Youran, and now she stood wholeheartedly on Ji Youran's side and completely forgot about her original master.
"But, Madam sent a message before saying that Miss Qu Si should not be underestimated." Shui Ning was still a little uneasy. She looked worriedly at Ji Youran who was staring at the bracelet in her hand with great interest.
The news sent from the Qu Mansion said that the Fourth Miss Qu was not easy to mess with, so the Queen was asked to be careful.
"Shui Ning, what are you worried about? The mansion just asked the Madam to be careful, and they didn't say that this person is powerful. This fourth young lady is really not powerful. She doesn't even talk to people on weekdays, and she lowers her head when she talks to people. Although she is better now, she won't be much better. What she said in the Ji Mansion must have been taught by others. How could she know how to say it herself, and how dare she say it!"
Xie Feng became more and more disdainful. She had actually seen this Fourth Miss Qu. One time when she was sent by Ji Hanyue to the manor to deliver something, she saw this Fourth Miss Qu. With that look on her face, she really didn't know what Shui Ning was afraid of.
Ji Youran finally finished appreciating it, and put the blood jade bracelet into the gorgeous jewelry box, then closed the lid and said slowly: "It's okay, it's not my business if there's a fuss. The person she bumped into was the King of Wei, what does it have to do with me? If I have to find someone to argue with, I'll go to the King of Wei!"
In this matter, she was not really afraid of Qu Moying making a fuss, especially at this time. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in a bad mood. No matter who made a fuss, they would get into trouble if they ran into the Crown Prince.
"My Lady Concubine, His Highness wants you to come over." As she was speaking, a maid came in in a panic to report. For a moment, the room fell silent, and several people looked unhappy...