The room suddenly became quiet, and all eyes turned to Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia twitched the corners of her lips slightly. The old lady had been out playing for a day, and she knew everything when she came back. It seemed that she couldn't just ignore everything!
"To answer the old lady, it is true." She lifted her clothes and knelt down, confessing honestly, "When the madam heard that it was me who persuaded you, she called me over and praised me, saying that I helped the masters solve their problems and was loyal, so she rewarded me with a hairpin."
"Your loyalty is commendable, haha!" The old lady sneered twice, "Madam is right, you really racked your brains to help her solve her problems, and went through so much trouble to tell me stories to make me happy and let me relax my guard. Your loyalty is indeed worthy of praise. Where is the hairpin? Since it was given to you by the master, why don't you wear it? Wearing it can better prove your loyalty, right?"
The old lady's face was frosted as she fiddled with the sandalwood Buddhist beads that the abbot of Fanyin Temple had just given her. Everyone in the room could sense her displeasure and lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
Zhao Lanzhi was also very frightened, but because she was worried about Xie Nanjia, she mustered up the courage to call out, "Grandma..."
The old lady glanced at her, like a knife, and instantly made her shut up.
Xie Nanjia didn't want to implicate her, so she hurriedly said, "Old Madam, you misunderstood me. Everything I did was purely for the good of our family, and I didn't do it to please any particular master. If I were that kind of person, I wouldn't have followed the Fourth Miss. I didn't keep the hairpin that Madam gave me. I gave it to the nurse when I went to Sijin Courtyard to see the young master."
When the old lady heard her mention the young master, she vaguely remembered what she had done for the young master. Afterwards, she refused the opportunity to be the housekeeper for the young master, selflessly recommended the painting building, and remained in the big kitchen.
As for why she followed the Fourth Young Miss later, it was because she felt that the Fourth Young Miss was pitiful, had no one to rely on, and had no one to use, so she asked the Second Young Master to transfer her over.
Everything was just as she said. She was not trying to please anyone in particular, nor was she greedy for money.
Are there really such pure and selfless people in the world? The old lady couldn't help but wonder.
"Why did you give the hairpin to the wet nurse?" she asked, with a hint of relief on her face.
Xie Nanjia answered truthfully: "It's not for anything else, but I'm afraid that the old lady will misunderstand that I'm playing both sides."
"Oh?" The old lady put down her Buddhist beads and took a sip of tea. "Aren't you afraid that Madam will be unhappy if she knows that you gave away her reward?"
"Since you have rewarded me with this, it belongs to me. Madam is generous and I believe you will not mind it." Xie Nanjia said.
The old lady looked at her deeply, put down the teacup, and raised her hand: "Get up!"
"Thank you, old lady." Xie Nanjia bowed and slowly stood up.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the old lady continued, "To be honest, even though I promised not to care about the prince's marriage, I still can't get over this. Since you have convinced me on behalf of the lady, you have to find a way to help me get rid of this anger, otherwise I still can't forgive you."
“…” Everyone was stunned. It turned out that the old lady was determined to make things difficult for Xiu’er today.
Zhao Lanzhi glanced at Xie Nanjia worriedly.
Xie Nanjia signaled her not to worry, and said to the old lady with a smile: "Please forgive me for my presumptuous behavior. I want to whisper a few words to you."
The old lady chuckled and said, "You have overstepped your authority, come here!"
“…” Everyone looked at each other. This old lady had changed so quickly that they were a little overwhelmed.
Xie Nanjia stepped forward and leaned over to talk in the old lady's ear for a while.
The old lady's expression gradually relaxed as she whispered, and she even laughed out loud.
"Okay, okay, you little devil, let's do it." The old lady laughed, "There's a saying among the country folks, 'A toad lying on the back of your foot, even if it doesn't bite you, it's disgusting. This time I must disgust her."
Everyone: “…”
After coming out of Ci'anju, Zhao Lanzhi, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask, "Xiu'er, what did you say to grandma? Can you tell me? I'm dying of curiosity."
Xie Nanjia insisted on keeping it a secret, and said seriously: "The secret cannot be revealed, the fourth lady will know it when the time comes."
After returning to Yilan Courtyard and having dinner, the master and servants gathered together to chat.
Seeing that Xie Nanjia looked very well, Nanny Li brought up the old matter again and asked her when she would take back the job of making midnight snacks for the Marquis from the Painting Tower.
"When I went to the kitchen to get food, I heard someone say that the Madam has said that once the new prince's wife comes home, the next step will be to find a husband for the young ladies. You must hurry up and help our young lady negotiate with the Marquis. It will be too late if you are late."
"Oh, Ma'am, why are you here again!" When Zhao Lanzhi heard her mention her marriage, her face turned red with shame.
"Miss, being shy is useless." Nanny Li said seriously, "This is related to your happiness for the rest of your life. We must be cautious."
"Mammy is right. We need to be careful about this matter." Xie Nanjia agreed. "Without further delay, I will go find Hualou and go to the front yard with her. I will find a chance to talk to the Marquis about letting me make the midnight snack."
"Oh, that's right, you should go quickly, go quickly." Nanny Li happily sent her out of the courtyard.
Xie Nanjia originally wanted to find an excuse to go out and visit Zhao Jingyu in the west wing, but in order to have an explanation to Nanny Li after she came back, she decided to go to the front yard with Hualou to meet Marquis Dingyuan first.
When Hualou heard her say that she was going to the front yard, he thought she was going there for the matter between him and the Marquis. On the way, he told her hesitantly that she must not say anything when she met the Marquis.
When they arrived at the front yard, the gatekeeper saw two people coming and stopped them to ask questions. He immediately recognized that it was Xie Nanjia and joked, "Oh, what day is it today? The master and the apprentice are here together."
Xie Nanjia smiled and said, "I came to see you. I'm afraid you'd forget me if I don't come for a while."
"I can't forget it. Sister Xiu'er is so beautiful. I can remember her for a lifetime after seeing her once." The servant chatted with her while personally leading the two to the study of Marquis Dingyuan. He said through the door, "My Lord, Miss Hualou is here to bring you supper."
"Let her in!" said Marquis Dingyuan from inside.
The servant gestured to the two men and left.
Xie Nanjia heard the faint sound of conversation inside and asked Hualou in a low voice: "The Marquis has guests. Is it convenient for us to go in?"
"It's okay, it's the Marquis's guard." Hualou said, "Open the door!"
Xie Nanjia felt a little uncomfortable when she heard her tone, which was as familiar as if she was at home. She wanted to say something but didn't. She reached out and pushed open the door.
When the door opened, it was indeed Marquis Dingyuan who was talking to a guard. The strange thing was that the guard was sitting opposite the Marquis with his legs crossed, and his slender fingers were tapping on the armrest of the chair from time to time.
Xie Nanjia was secretly surprised, but when he saw the guard's face clearly, he was instantly relieved.
This isn't some guard at all; he's clearly the second young master Zhao, who is so suave and charming that even the guard's uniform can't conceal his dazzling brilliance!
Hualou is so blind that he couldn't even recognize him
And Wei Jun, isn’t he always inseparable from the Second Young Master? Why didn’t I see him just now
Zhao Jingyu also saw Xie Nanjia, his long eyebrows raised slightly, and a smile of ambiguous meaning hung on the corners of his mouth.
"Your servant Xiu'er greets the Marquis. May the Marquis be blessed with good health!" Xie Nanjia retracted her gaze and respectfully bowed to Marquis Dingyuan, but did not mention the Second Young Master at all.
He dressed like this, probably because he didn't want people to recognize him. In that case, she couldn't be smart.
However, her previous guess was correct. Zhao Jingyu was indeed trying to escape.
When Marquis Dingyuan saw the two maids coming in at the same time, he was also stunned for a moment, then he smiled and asked Xie Nanjia to stand up, saying, "I haven't seen you for a while. You look good, but you are a little thinner than before. Are you tired from following your second young master out?"
"..." Xie Nanjia subconsciously glanced at Zhao Jingyu and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Lord. The Second Young Master has taken good care of me. I am not tired at all. Maybe I lost weight because I am not used to the climate there."
Tsk! Zhao Jingyu secretly rolled his eyes, thinking that this girl had no other skills, but her ability to make up stories was unmatched.
As they were talking, Hualou had already set the table for the meal and quietly asked Marquis Dingyuan to move over and have his meal.
When Marquis Dingyuan heard her calling, he put down the pen in his hand and walked towards her.
Hualou wrung out a hot towel and handed it to her. Dingyuan Hou took it, smiled gently at her, and whispered, "Thank you for your hard work. What delicious food did you make today?"
Hualou blushed slightly when she heard his low voice and reported the names of the dishes carefully.
Marquis Dingyuan was amused by her cute and naive appearance and laughed heartily. He handed the handkerchief back to her, lifted his clothes and sat down in front of the desk.
Hualou put down her handkerchief and went over to serve.
Xie Nanjia stared at the two people's tacit understanding, feeling mixed emotions in her heart.
Zhao Jingyu was watching her silently from the side. Seeing that she was looking at the two people over there with a complicated look, he couldn't help but wonder, this girl, could it be that she is jealous? Could it be that she really loves the Marquis
Hiss! He took a deep breath, supported himself on the armrest and stood up, and said to Xie Nanjia: "Miss, in order not to disturb the Marquis's meal, how about we go out for a walk?"
After saying that, he didn't care whether Xie Nanjia agreed or not. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out, then closed the door.
"Hey..." Xie Nanjia looked at the closed door helplessly and said depressedly, "My Lord Guard, please let me go. Do you understand that men and women should not touch each other?"
"You're sleeping together, but you don't want to kiss. How can you kiss?" Zhao Jingyu chuckled and stared at her with burning eyes.
Xie Nanjia's heart was beating like a drum, and she warned him in a low voice: "Don't talk nonsense, otherwise..."
"What else?" Zhao Jingyu asked, "Are you going to scare me with the Marquis's waist pendant again?"
"..." Xie Nanjia said helplessly, "Anyway, you can't just ruin someone else's reputation."
"All the things have been taken away, so why not take the little rabbit?" Zhao Jingyu was too disdainful to discuss reputation with her. She changed the subject and pulled her towards the garden in the courtyard.
"Ah?" If he hadn't said it, Xie Nanjia would have almost forgotten that they brought the little rabbit back with them on their return trip that day.
Zhao Jingyu keenly noticed her strangeness and said unhappily, "Did you forget the gift I gave you?"
"I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten." Xie Nanjia waved her hands. "Raising those little toys is a pastime for the young ladies. I'm just a servant, and if I suddenly bring a little rabbit home to raise, people will gossip when they see it, so I haven't figured out what to do yet."
"Are you afraid of what people say?" Zhao Jingyu sneered, but he still believed her in the end. "In that case, just keep it with me. When it's fat, I'll eat it with wine."
"Isn't it too cruel to serve it with wine?" Xie Nanjia thought that the little rabbit was just right for her son to play with, so she suggested, "How about you ask someone to send it to Sijin Courtyard and say it's for the young master to play with. I'll go see it when I'm free, okay?"
Zhao Jingyu pretended to think about it for a while, and then said, "Okay, but you have to agree to one condition of mine."
"What conditions?" Xie Nanjia asked.
(End of this chapter)