"I remember that it was you who reported this case to the government office, right?" Qu Moying asked with a slightly cold expression.
"At first, I was just angry and wanted to find Miss San. I thought Miss San might be true... Now I think about it, what's the point? If Miss San wanted to leave, and she went so far, she wouldn't want anyone to find her. Why should we find her? As long as she lives well, that's enough, isn't it?"
Mrs. Duan said bitterly.
"You mean to say that my third cousin really eloped with someone." Qu Moying's face became even colder and sterner.
"Fourth Miss, I... I didn't say that. I just wanted to ask if this matter has been deliberately dug up by someone with ulterior motives." Duan was a little flustered and hurriedly explained.
"What do you mean?" Qu Moying's long eyelashes fluttered twice and she asked slowly.
"Fourth Miss, think about it. You are about to marry into the royal family. At this time, bringing up your affairs and Third Miss' affairs, are they trying to discredit you and ruin your reputation?"
Mrs. Duan analyzed it for her.
"I heard that the banquet at the Liu Mansion is also full of troubles, and it always involves the Fourth Miss. Even if it has little to do with the Fourth Miss, it will still involve the Fourth Miss. What I mean is that we should suppress this matter temporarily. If there is any suspicion, we can investigate secretly. We can investigate slowly by ourselves, so as to avoid others seeing the Fourth Miss's joke."
Madam Duan said that these words were taught to her by Madam Ji. She said them one by one, and the maid standing beside her was very satisfied. It seemed that Madam Duan was still obedient.
Sure enough, after hearing her words, Qu Moying's face became solemn, but not as sharp as before. It seemed that he must have heard something.
"Fourth Miss, just when you are about to get married, things happen one after another. Don't you feel something is strange? Is someone trying to deal with you, or is it... His Royal Highness the King of England?" Mrs. Duan continued.
This kind of ostentatious talk, which kept bringing up big things, almost made Qu Moying laugh. From the tone and words, one could tell that it was Madam Ji's intention.
In the past, she often made a big deal out of such matters, making it seem as if other people's crimes were unforgivable.
She puts herself in a favorable position and judges other people's behavior from a high position, as if she could not show her superior status otherwise.
"Someone wants to deal with me?" Qu Moying repeated, looking unconvinced.
"Miss Fourth, if it were in the past, I'm afraid no one would deal with you, but your identity is different now." Mrs. Duan sighed, her meaning was clear.
Qu Moying lowered his brows and said nothing.
The room fell silent, and Mrs. Duan did not interrupt her thoughts.
After a long while, Qu Moying hesitated and said, "At this time, can we make a big thing small, or a small thing nothing?"
"Yes, at least it's out in the open." Madam Duan nodded and said affirmatively, "I don't know who instructed Lord Yue to come here angrily, saying that he wanted to stir up this matter again, but it's really not appropriate at this time. Wouldn't it be better to wait for a more suitable opportunity in the future? It won't delay the Fourth Miss."
The maid sent by Madam Ji was delighted when she heard this. She didn't believe that the fourth young lady of the Qu family would not consider herself. If she wanted to marry into the royal family, she had to be careful with her words and deeds. Even the smallest thing could lead to bigger things. There were royal family members in their family too, so how could they not know this
"Do you want me to persuade my cousin?" Qu Moying said after a long while.
"It's the best that Fourth Miss thinks this way. Fourth Miss is the only one that Lord Yue will listen to." Mrs. Duan nodded.
"This is your family's business, and I keep interfering... It's not good after all. My cousin is gone, and my cousin is nowhere to be found. After all, my last name is not Ji. How will others see me?"
Qu Moying did not agree immediately and looked very hesitant.
"Don't worry, Fourth Miss. If anyone says anything about you, our Madam will naturally help you explain. It was also our Madam's idea to ask you to persuade Lord Yue this time. Now that the Crown Princess is gone, can your family members make things worse? Only when we work together can we get through this difficult time."
Mrs. Duan was taught these words by Mrs. Ji.
Every word and action of hers was in that tone that Qu Moying was familiar with. Even though Madam Ji was not around, Qu Moying could still imagine what she looked like.
"After all... it's not so good!" Qu Moying thought about it and shook his head.
The old woman following Madam Duan became a little anxious. She reached out and pulled Madam Duan's sleeve, meaning to ask her to persuade her again.
"Miss Fourth, my opinion is also the opinion of our Madam." Mrs. Duan said earnestly again.
"Madam Ji doesn't seem to like me very much." Qu Moying lowered his head and said with an unhappy expression.
"How is that possible? Our lady has repeatedly invited the fourth young lady to come over, but she's afraid that she's not available." Mrs. Duan said hurriedly.
"Mrs. Ji, do you really not mind me taking care of this kind of thing?" Qu Moying asked again.
"Of course it's true. Our Madam said that if the fourth young lady wants to investigate the affairs of the third young lady, she can go directly to the Ji Mansion to investigate, but don't make a big fuss and let everyone know. You can ask in private." Mrs. Duan said.
"Can we go to the Ji Mansion and ask about... my cousin?" Qu Moying asked again.
"This... should be possible!" Madam Duan didn't dare to agree so easily. She looked at the maid beside her, looking as if she didn't dare to make a decision.
Seeing her so careless, the maid had no choice but to step forward, bowed deeply to Qu Moying, and said with a smile: "This old servant greets the Fourth Miss Qu."
"Are you Madam Ji's man?" Qu Moying's face changed and asked.
"Yes, old servant. The Madam asked me to come here mainly because she was afraid that Madam Duan couldn't explain clearly. She didn't want to listen to what Madam Duan and Fourth Miss Qu said." The old woman knew what Qu Moying was concerned about and hurriedly explained.
"You say!" Qu Moying's expression lightened up a little.
"Our Madam's idea is to persuade Lord Yue not to cause trouble first. It's best to suppress it first. As for other things, they can all be discussed. We can't become a knife in the hands of others. The Ling'an Marquis's Mansion is different from the past. The Crown Princess and the Marquis have had accidents one after another, and they can no longer withstand the wind and rain."
The old woman said with a smile, and her smiling face looked very amiable.
"Just let this matter go?" Qu Moying said unhappily.
"Of course, it's not like that. Our Madam promised Fourth Miss that if Fourth Miss Qu wants to inquire about this matter in the future, she just needs to come to the mansion. The people in the mansion will certainly cooperate with Fourth Miss and will not let this matter go unsolved." The old woman answered on behalf of Madam Ji.
This means that Qu Moying can go to Ji Mansion anytime to investigate Ji Yanyue's affairs. Ji Mansion will not say anything and will cooperate fully.
In Madam Ji's opinion, Qu Moying is now busy with her wedding. After the wedding, she will be the Princess of England, and she cannot go wherever she wants.
As a daughter-in-law of the royal family, it is much more inconvenient for her to go out than for the young lady of the Qu family. There are people around her watching her every word and action, and it is even more impossible for her to interfere in the affairs of the Ling Anbo Mansion.
So although this sounds nice, it actually has no effect at all and is just a delay.
What is Mrs. Ji fighting for
Qu Moying naturally knew what he meant. His eyes fell on the old woman in front of him. After a moment's silence, he slowly said, "I heard that Madam Ji has a pair of cards in her hand, which can be used to recruit people at any time. I wonder... can Madam Ji give it up?"
"A pair of cards? Fourth Miss Qu wants the pair of cards in our Madam's hand?" The old woman said in astonishment after being stunned for a moment.
This was something that Mrs. Ji really didn't expect. She originally thought that if she needed compensation or something, Mrs. Ji would also spend some money to avoid the disaster. She just needed to get this matter over with first.
"Yes, can you please give me a pair of cards as a token of trust, Madam Ji?" Qu Moying said with a smile, "Otherwise, if I intervene in the affairs of the Ji Mansion in the future, no one will think that I am meddling in other people's business. Madam Ji gave me a pair of cards to show her trust and recognition of me."
Of course, Qu Moying couldn't really order the servants of Ji's house with a pair of cards, and there was no need to do so. However, the pair of cards was an important message to the mistress back then, and giving away a pair of cards showed Madam Ji's approval, and was also an affirmation of what she said today.
Otherwise there is no basis for the argument. Some things can be said in either way.
"This old servant cannot make the decision." The old woman said helplessly.
"Then go ask the one who can make the decision." Qu Moying waved his hand, signaling the old woman to go back and ask.
Mrs. Duan also agreed, but the final decision on this matter was made by Mrs. Ji.
The old woman had no choice but to take the carriage back to ask Madam Ji's opinion.
Not long after, the old woman came back. She came with the approval of Madam Ji.
If one piece was given away, the other one would be unusable. Madam Ji's meaning was very clear. The pair of cards originally used in the mansion were discarded, so just make another pair. There was no need to make Qu Moying suspicious because of such a small matter as a pair of cards. Naturally, she showed her utmost sincerity in a hurry and was very generous. She gave away a pair of cards and promised to give away all of them.
When asking for help from Qu Moying, Madam Ji would not be petty. No matter how selfish she was, she would never do such a mean thing. She would only agree to send one piece...
"Miss Qu Si, our Madam is sincerely doing this for the good of everyone, and she did not stop Miss Qu Si from investigating Miss San's affairs. This is our Madam's sincerity." The old woman handed it up with a smile.
Yuchun took two steps forward, took it, and placed it on the table in front of Qu Moying.
Unlike ordinary pairs of cards, the pair of cards in Madam Ji's hand is very recognizable. They are extremely exquisitely made, and the patterns on them are also different from ordinary ones. I don't know whose idea it was, but there is a pair of swords engraved on the cards. Although they are just carved, they make people feel imposing inexplicably.
The handwriting of Ling Anbo Mansion in the corner is a little blurry, but it can still be made out clearly if you look closely.
Qu Moying was very satisfied with the result, and told Mrs. Duan that she would look into the matter and persuade Yue Wenhan. Of course, she did not take on too much responsibility and directly said what the final result would be, but she would just try her best.
Mrs. Duan expressed her gratitude again and again, then left with her maid.
Nanny Zhou sent Madam Duan to the gate of the mansion.
"Miss, what is the use of this pair of cards?" Yu Dong asked curiously as he looked at Qu Moying who was playing with the pair of cards. Apart from being a little different from ordinary pairs of cards, there was really nothing special about this pair of cards.
"This... is of course useful!" Qu Moying curled his lips and smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
A large part of this action is for this pair of cards...
This pair of cards was originally from my mother...