When Zhen Muyao heard Xiaocao say that she was going out for a while and asked Zhen Muyao to cover for her, Zhen Muyao was a little surprised. Where was she going now? Why didn't she go out openly? Although he didn't ask directly, he looked at Xiaocao and his eyes showed this meaning.
Some things are really hard to explain. "Muyao, can I tell you later?"
Zhen Muyao thought, this is not the first time Xiaocao has said this to her. The last time was about the prince of the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion. Could it be the same this time? Is Sister Xuan paying too much attention to that person? But since she didn't want to talk about it, Zhen Muyao naturally didn't ask to the end, "Okay, you know, you definitely can't leave for too long."
"Don't worry, I'm near the Wenren family. I'll be back soon."
Zhen Muyao nodded and said, "Take more of those strange medicines with you for self-defense."
Xiaocao was a little speechless, but still agreed. If she didn't agree, she was worried that Zhen Muyao would not let her go.
To be honest, the people who live here are all people of status and position. Unless something happens, ordinary people will not easily set foot in this place. The security is very high. It is impossible to encounter trouble when going out. But it is just in case.
Xiao Cao asked the maid to bring her a set of clothes and said, "Don't tell my mother. I will be back in a quarter of an hour at most."
The maid hesitated for a moment, "Miss, at most two quarters of an hour."
The implication was that he would go find his wife if the time was over. Xiaocao understood and nodded readily. It had been a quarter of an hour, half an hour. She was really near the Wenren family, which was more than enough.
Xiaocao changed into a maid's clothes and slightly altered her appearance. Although she was not very good at putting on makeup, she had her own methods. It was possible for her face to turn into a completely different person.
After packing up, Xiaocao went out the back door openly. He didn't hide anything at all. Even if he met someone, he was very calm. Of course, they were still quite far away from each other. If they were closer, they would probably find something wrong. After all, they all lived in the same house and were familiar with each other. No matter if they were bought from outside or chosen from the farm, the first thing to do when entering the house is to learn the rules. After learning them well, they can stay. The next step is to recognize people. Everyone has to be familiar with each other, otherwise, if strangers get in, that would be terrible.
Xiaocao was able to do this today because everyone was busy and hurried. Occasionally, she would catch a glimpse of a figure. Therefore, servants of different ranks had a certain number of clothes. When she saw the clothes, she basically knew roughly what they were. She was too busy and would not stop to take a closer look most of the time. In addition to her strong psychological quality, it was probably because this was her own home after all, so it would not matter if she found out.
Of course, it was not so easy when still inside, but it was not so easy when going out. Han was very demanding, and the gatekeeper was also serious and responsible, knowing that he couldn't just get out so easily. Xiaocao simply revealed her identity, and asked the middle-aged maid to keep it a secret for her, just this time, and it would not happen again. She also told her that she might need to add more people to her yard, and if the family had a daughter or niece of the right age, they could send her in to take a look.
For low-ranking maids like them who were just gatekeepers, if someone in the family could enter the young lady's room to serve, it would be a great job. The maid's heart was pounding, and in the end she couldn't resist the temptation. However, she still had a bottom line, "Fourth Miss, one quarter of an hour, just one quarter of an hour. If I don't see you come back..."
"A quarter of an hour is fine, thank you." Xiao Cao casually gave her a small piece of silver. She was also corrupted now, and it was easy for her to give rewards. You know, in the past, it was not easy to see silver, especially in the eight years she followed her adoptive father, there were few opportunities to see copper coins. So she simply often gave people free medical treatment, and she would not be short of food.
Xiaocao went out the back door. There were several side doors in the Wen family's house, but today only the two on the east side were opened to welcome the female guests. She turned and walked to the west. From time to time, she could still run into people, some of whom were also servants in the mansion. The servants were still in a very high-ranking position, and they all did rough work. When they saw Xiaocao's clothes, they subconsciously lowered their heads and dared not offend her. Xiaocao couldn't accept this kind of thing at first, but now she has gradually become indifferent to it.
To put it bluntly, Xiaocao came out to look for someone. He wanted to see whether the Prince of Wei would appear near the Wenren Family today.
The last time he followed the Han family here, whether it was intentional or a coincidence, it is still unclear, but the same method must not happen again. If he is really just a former friend of Tingyu, a generous gift would be enough. If not...
Some things just need further confirmation, however, Xiaocao didn't have to make much effort and he saw people... Well, to be exact, it should be a carriage, although it was just a very ordinary carriage and the driver was vague and not very real. However, based on Xiaocao's understanding of the human skeleton, Xiaocao was not unfamiliar with him. He was the man named Wen Xin beside Prince Wei, and every time Xiaocao saw Prince Wei, this person was basically by his side.
The curtains of the carriage were not closed tightly, leaving a small gap. One could not see anything from the outside, but if the person in the carriage was sitting in the main seat, he could see the door of the Wenren family by just slightly turning his head.
Xiaocao's eyes flickered, and she turned around without much pause, still going in through the back door. The maid was naturally happy to see her come back so soon, and her heart was relieved.
Zhen Muyao was also surprised when he saw Xiaocao. He blinked: So fast? She hasn't even started to fool people yet.
Xiaocao smiled and nodded.
Zhen Muyao didn't realize that her mood was a little off. In fact, when she was changing clothes, Xiaocao had almost prepared herself mentally. Today was her birthday, her mother had put a lot of thought into it, and the whole family was busy. She couldn't show anything wrong at this time. If they found out, it would be more than just worry.
—We must not let their hard work and kindness go to waste.
Xiao Cao made up her mind. Even if the prince of Wei avoided her, she would find a way to see him. If it didn't work, she would just go to his house. If she wanted to treat his leg, he could refuse. Other people in the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion could refuse. Could the Marquis of Pingyang's wife refuse? At most, she would ask the King of Dingbei for help. She would tell him from her own experience. She didn't believe that she couldn't see him.
With this decision, Xiaocao felt much more relaxed and stopped thinking about it.
Wei Tingyu probably didn't expect that he would be caught red-handed by Xiaocao.
Because it was Xiaocao's birthday, he couldn't help but come over to see her, just like today two years ago, when she was alone, he didn't take her birthday seriously, or maybe he had forgotten it all. At that time, she was still doing what she was supposed to do, and knowing the pattern of her work, it was actually quite easy to see her. He felt sorry for her being alone without anyone by her side. On the contrary, today, she was in a wealthy family, many people celebrated her birthday, and it was very lively, but he couldn't see her. Even so, he still came.
Who would have thought that Xiaocao had been completely focused on him. As long as he thought of the possibility, he would take action. In fact, in Xiaocao's view, it didn't matter even if he couldn't see anyone. It was just a waste of time. However, the sudden idea really brought him a lot of gains.
It can only be said that Prince Wei's intelligence is easily reduced when it comes to Xiaocao. At other times, he can fully consider the possibility of any unexpected events. He just watched silently, and then saw the ceremonial guard of the Dingbei County Prince's Mansion.
The front and rear carriages are very good. You can tell without even looking that King Dingbei must be in the front carriage.
Prince Dingbei's injuries have recovered very well, at least he has no problem sitting up now. He went to the palace to meet Emperor Xuanren a few days ago. Emperor Xuanren was really happy and gave him a lot of rewards with a wave of his hand. However, Prince Dingbei came back secretly after all, and although it was understandable, rules are rules, so he was punished just for the sake of courtesy.
Ever since Prince Dingbei was seriously injured and returned to the imperial city, the Prince Dingbei's Mansion has been closed. The first time he went out, he went to the Wenren family. Many people knew that the two families had a good relationship before, but the old concubine had basically never set foot in the Wenren family. This time, even Prince Dingbei came in person, and it was just for the birthday of the fourth Miss Wenren.
—In previous years, on Wen Renyang’s birthday, the old empress dowager would just send a gift, and occasionally ask Princess Changning to come over once or twice. This time it was so solemn, and the significance was naturally extraordinary.
Wei Tingyu's face was horribly dark, especially since he had learned that Princess Dingbei was gone. Prince Dingbei was still young, and he also needed an heir, so remarrying was a must. Wei Tingyu didn't even need to think about it, he knew that there was a 90% chance that the old concubine would set her sights on his Xuan'er, not just because of the life-saving grace, and not just because Xuan'er had "physical intimacy" with Prince Dingbei. Although he had never had direct contact with the old concubine to understand what kind of person she was, by looking at what she did when she was in charge of Prince Dingbei's Mansion, he could understand her character a little. It was hard not to like a woman like Xuan'er, especially since she had already walked through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and she would not take many prejudices against women into consideration.
But the more he thought about it, the darker Wei Tingyu's face became. How dare Mu Bei, a dirty widower, touch his Xuan'er? - If others knew Wei Tingyu's evaluation of King Dingbei, I wonder how they would react.
Wei Tingyu had full faith in Xiaocao's medical skills. As for Mu Bei's situation, as long as he was saved, he would be able to stand up again. Who could guarantee that he would not return to Northern Xinjiang one day? If he married Xuan'er, wouldn't Xuan'er have to follow him to the most dangerous places in the future? Although major wars in Northern Xinjiang were rare, small wars occurred frequently, and major wars could break out at any time. As long as there was a war, there would be casualties. With Xuan'er's temperament, could she ignore those wounded soldiers
Therefore, if Xuan'er really married her, she might not only face danger in the future, but also have to work hard for his soldiers all day long! Whenever he thought of this possibility, Wei Tingyu wanted to accuse Dingbei King of weaving silk, uproot Dingbei County Prince's Mansion, and chop Dingbei King into pieces and feed him to the dogs.
Also, your wife is dead, her body is still warm, why don't you stay at home to mourn for her, but come to visit others in such a blatant way, what's the meaning? Don't you think it's unlucky for you? In short, Wei Tingyu was definitely unhappy with the King of Dingbei.
Wen Xin heard his master's suppressed cough, then looked at the grand procession of the Wenren Mansion. He hesitated for a moment, but finally sat still. The Young Master must have gone crazy again at this moment.
Who said before that the Madam would get married in the future? Now it is just a possibility and there is no news from either family, yet the Young Master is so gloomy now.
Wen Xin sometimes wanted to scratch his head. In his opinion, women like Hua Yu were hard to understand, but how could a wise and intelligent man like the Crown Prince do such incredible things
A woman's heart is like a needle in the sea. Some men's hearts are also like that needle in the sea.
Upon learning that Prince Dingbei, the old concubine dowager, and Princess Changning were coming, the entire Wenren family was alarmed, even the Wenren old lady. It was naturally impossible for the old concubine dowager and Princess Changning to enter through the side door, so everyone in the Wenren family went to the main gate to greet them.
In the Qi Dynasty, unless the emperor himself came, the prince and other guests did not need to gather to welcome him. However, everyone's curiosity could not be stopped. It was okay for those who were of a certain age, even if they had some ideas in their minds, they could still sit still. But young people were different, they were restrained by their elders and had no choice, and those who were not restrained would find an opportunity to slip away.
By the time the masters of the Wen family came out, Prince Dingbei had already been helped down from the carriage by his servants. He couldn't yet use his injured leg, but the other leg was not a problem. However, as the injuries on his waist and back had not yet healed fully, he did not try to be brave and was sitting in a wooden wheelchair just like Prince Wei.
Later, the old empress dowager and Princess Changning got off the carriage.
The people of the Wen family greeted them one after another. The old concubine hurried forward and supported the old lady of the Wen family. "You don't have to be so polite. In fact, it was us who came here suddenly and caused the Wen family to mobilize so many people. It is our fault."
"What are you saying, old concubine? It is a great honor for our humble home to have you and the Prince of Dingbei here."
The two exchanged pleasantries, and Madam Wenren's eyes fell on King Dingbei. She was no stranger to King Dingbei. Mu Bei had come to play at Wenren's house from time to time before, and he and Wenren Xu had a very good relationship. "Is the prince well now?" She asked with some concern for her own younger generation.