Qu Moying frowned slightly and asked again.
"The concubine hasn't returned home recently." Madam Duan shook her head. Although a lot of things happened in the mansion during this period, they basically had nothing to do with the concubine. At most, they were related to Xiao and the Madam Dowager.
Mrs. Duan did not intend to say much about the fact that Mrs. Xiao and the old lady blamed her for selling Yuejin Pavilion to Qu Moying.
The matter ended with her. No matter how many things the old lady and Xiao had said to each other, openly or secretly, Mrs. Duan didn't care and had no regrets.
Under the circumstances at that time, she could not protect Yuejin Pavilion no matter what. Miss Qu Si was able to take over, which meant that the old master's property was preserved. This was the best thing that could happen.
No matter how much Mrs. Xiao and Madam Dowager blame her or make things difficult for her, she will still do this!
Qu Moying fell silent and stopped talking. He recalled in his mind the way Ji Youran spoke to him just now and his expression.
So Ji Youran just asked me to ask Madam Duan to get a lamp from inside? And after the incident, Pei Luoan reprimanded me and Madam Duan
This is indeed very possible. Given Pei Luoan's personality, others probably don't know how much he cares about the deceased Crown Princess. It is very likely that he will use himself and Madam Duan to establish his authority.
But how could Ji Youran be so sure that she would definitely let Mrs. Duan do this
Lantern? Where was the lantern from? As far as she could remember, she had never made a lantern with Ji Youran. She had made one with her sister, but it was not very similar. In the end, her sister took it away, saying that she liked it.
When did this happen? It seemed that it was not long ago, and a part of the memory slowly became clear. The lantern really existed, but this lantern was not in Ji Hanyue's hand, but in the hands of her younger sister Ji Yanyue. The two of them made it together. It must have been made on their mother's memorial day!
Because it was the anniversary of his mother's death, the two of them worked on it together and specially found a lot of things. When Pei Luoan heard that he wanted to make lanterns, he asked someone to send some items for making lanterns. In the end, it seemed that the materials used were the ones he sent. What he said at that time was that he was grateful to his mother for giving birth to Ji Hanyue. Although he couldn't make lanterns by himself now, he could at least use his utensils to express his gratitude.
Later, Ji Hanyue and her sister used the ones sent by the East Palace. Ji Youran seemed to want to help, but Ji Hanyue and Ji Yanyue insisted that they finish it together, saying that it was a kindness to their mother. Ji Youran felt embarrassed to intervene, but she still followed and helped, and seemed to care more about it than Ji Hanyue and her sister.
So, the lantern that Ji Youran mentioned really exists, and it is this one, and it is not just a casual remark.
The lantern was not well made and was even a little crooked, but the two sisters took it very seriously and painted a picture of their loving mother on it. When they were worshiping, Pei Luoan was there too, and he also burned incense and worshipped his biological mother. Ji Hanyue was very moved by this. Pei Luoan was very busy, but he still found time to come and worship his biological mother.
Afterwards, Pei Luoan said that he had something else to do in the Eastern Palace and left in a hurry without having dinner at the Ling Anbo Mansion.
Ji Hanyue originally wanted to burn the lantern for his mother, but Ji Yanyue disagreed, saying that his mother had already seen it and now he was leaving it to her as a remembrance.
Ji Hanyue loved her sister very much. Seeing her crying and hugging the lantern, she could only agree. So the lantern fell into Ji Yanyue's hands.
She brought it back to her yard and has kept it there ever since, and she really likes it.
She pursed her cherry lips slightly. If Ji Youran was talking about the lantern, this lantern was probably in Ji Youran's hands right now.
So, she wants to put the blame on others
He felt a chill on his back and suddenly raised his head to look at Xiao opposite him, meeting Xiao's scrutinizing gaze. When he saw him raise his head, Xiao turned his eyes away as if nothing had happened, and curled his lips sarcastically with a bit of contempt.
Qu Moying grabbed Madam Duan with her hands, her fingers cold: "Will the prince come today?"
"I will come. I told you so long ago." Mrs. Duan nodded.
Qu Moying stood up suddenly. Her movements were so fast that they startled the two ladies who were talking above. They all stopped talking and looked at Qu Moying.
"Ying girl, what's wrong?" Madam Qu asked with concern.
Qu Moying's hand had already fallen from Madam Duan's. When she heard Madam Qu's question, she raised her pale face and said, "Grandma, I feel a little uncomfortable. I want to go out for a walk."
"Do you want to find a room to rest?" Mrs. Qu asked worriedly.
"No need, just walk for a while!" Qu Moying said softly.
Although her face was a little pale, her expression was still calm. Madam Qu nodded and gave her a few more instructions before Qu Moying took Yu Dong's hand and left.
I still left through the side door and casually turned onto the path I had taken before. The path was still very quiet.
"Miss, what did you find?" Yu Dong said impatiently when he saw that there was no one around.
Although the young lady and Mrs. Duan spoke softly just now, Yu Dong, who was standing nearby, heard everything clearly. Seeing that her young lady's face looked strange at this moment, she became very nervous.
"Yudong, let's go forward and see if there is a road leading to the outside." Qu Moying did not answer Yudong's words, but continued to move forward, his steps were a bit hurried.
If Pei Luoan had come out of the capital early at this time, he should be here soon.
How could Pei Luoan, who always boasted of his deep love for Ji Hanyue, not come earlier
Seeing Ji Youran staying in the main hall at this time and not leaving for a moment, it was clear that they were almost there.
Yu Dong looked at Qu Moying's expression and didn't dare to ask any more questions. He followed closely. After walking a few steps, Qu Moying suddenly stopped and asked, "Is there anyone else here?"
"Don't worry, Miss. There are two secret guards following you secretly." Yu Dong nodded. When he went out, the two secret guards followed him all the time. Now they are also in Qingyun Temple, but they are mixed in the crowd.
When he first came to Qu Moying, he brought two secret guards with him.
"Come here, just do this first..." Qu Moying waved to Yu Dong, who hurried over, nodding as she listened. After Qu Moying finished speaking, Yu Dong was still a little hesitant, "Miss, are you going over there alone now?"
She was really worried about her young lady going to the front door alone.
"There's no time. Go find someone first. When you've finished giving instructions, come find me." Qu Moying nodded.
“But Miss…” Yu Dong wanted to say something else, but Qu Moying shook her hand, signaling him not to say anything more, and turned around and walked outside.
When Yu Dong saw what Qu Moying was doing, he didn't dare to waste any more time and hurried to find someone.
Qu Moying walked outside, and the main road of Qingyun Temple gradually appeared in front of him. He looked back at the hall behind him. This section of road happened to bypass the door of the hall in front. He also saw some passers-by outside the door of the hall, but he didn't see any reaction. Pei Luoan should not have come yet.
That means there is still time!
He breathed a sigh of relief and gently pressed his forehead with a handkerchief. He walked too fast and sweat broke out on his forehead.
After calming down a little, Qu Moying walked along the main road of Qingyun Temple towards the gate.
There are quite a few Qingyun Temples, and there are many large halls along this road. Fortunately, the largest main hall was used to hold a sacrifice to the Crown Princess this time, and it was facing the main road of Qingyun Temple. There were basically no detours, and the mountain gate in the distance seemed to be in a straight line, making it very convenient for Qu Moying to find the mountain gate.
Seeing the mountain gate from afar, Qu Moying stopped and looked around. This was a good place to see the mountain gate. There were also several big trees nearby. The trunks were very thick, enough to be hugged by two or three people. Standing behind the trees was both hidden and not easily discovered, and the view was also far.
Qu Moying didn't stay there for long. Yu Dong came over along the road and was relieved to see Qu Moying standing behind the tree safely.
When a young lady from an aristocratic family travels, she is always accompanied by a maid. If someone sees her without a maid, and sneaking around in a crowded place like a Taoist temple, who knows what bad rumors might spread.
Yu Dong came over and bowed to Qu Moying: "Miss, I have already arranged everything!"
Seeing Yu Dong, Qu Moying also breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of whether it made sense to do so, at least it was a precautionary measure and it was always one step further than Ji Youran.
"Miss, what's in that lantern?" Yu Dong was really worried. He had just left in a hurry and had no time to ask more questions. Now that the young lady was standing here, he could ask her the reason for the incident.
"Those are lanterns made by my cousin." Qu Moying said slowly, her eyes cold under her veil.
"But... even if it's the Crown Princess's, what does it matter?" Yu Dong still didn't understand.
"This lantern is not actually in the hands of my cousin, but in the hands of my cousin. Now it should be in the hands of Xiao or Concubine Ji."
Qu Moying said, "I heard Madam Zhou talking to me about this matter before."
The following sentence was Qu Moying's vague explanation. She certainly couldn't say that she remembered it on her own. She was Qu Moying now. No matter how she explained, she couldn't explain why she knew about this matter. She might as well just put the blame on Nanny Zhou and say that she knew it during a casual chat.
Yu Dong still didn't understand: "Miss, even if it is in Miss Ji's hands now, so what? Could it be that this concubine can still frame you and Madam Duan? You..."
"Wait a minute, let's talk later!" Qu Moying waved his hand to stop Yu Dong's words, his eyes fell on the group of people coming from the mountain gate. The first one, wasn't it Prince Pei Luoan? Behind him followed a group of people, and some brought some offerings, and they brought quite a lot of things.
Pei Luoan was wearing a light yellow brocade robe, with a sickly and melancholy look between his brows. He looked as if he was depressed, just like the prince who was rumored to be devoted to Ji Hanyue.
It's coming really fast...