Snow Pear Courtyard was located in the northwest corner of the Prime Minister's residence. To put it nicely, it was "quiet and elegant", but in reality, there were few people there. It was located in a remote area and was far away from other places. Compared to the other girls, they had to walk a lot more to get to Old Madam's place.
Qin Yining brought Qiu Lu and Ruilan out of the courtyard. Zhu Mama, Liu Ya, and the maidservants respectfully sent them off.
Ruilan smiled flatteringly, "Miss, do you want me to instruct a few servants to prepare a small sedan chair? It's still a long way to go, I'm afraid you're tired. "She thought that Qin Yining had run for two hours straight after waking up, so she probably had no strength left.
"There's no need. The morning air is good and I can loosen my muscles and bones. Otherwise, I feel uncomfortable all over."
Compared to her previous self-sufficient life on the mountain, Qin Yining's recent days were too comfortable. She was used to the days where she would starve to death if she didn't work today. She was really afraid that her willpower would be worn away by this kind of life.
Everyone couldn't help but click their tongues. If it were them, they would be exhausted already. This person actually complained that her muscles and bones weren't even loosened. How good was her physical strength?!
Liu Ya reacted and immediately went forward to praise Qin Yining's physical strength along with Ruilan. It was as if they wanted to describe Qin Yining as a female warrior who had the strength to pick up a mountain. Even Qiu Lu, who wasn't good with words, looked at Qin Yining with admiration.
Qin Yining only smiled when she heard it.
Compared to yesterday's disrespect, the attitude of the servants today was like heaven and earth. It was obvious that her "fame in one battle" wasn't in vain.
This was exactly what Qin Yining wanted.
Since gentleness and understanding couldn't be exchanged for the love she deserved, she could only "draw her sword".
Otherwise, everyone would think that she was a pushover and could trample on her as they wished.
How could a legitimate daughter who didn't even have the ability to protect herself be followed by others without worry? Without subordinates, it was equivalent to not having any eyes and ears. How could she survive in such a large residence?
The current situation was a good start for her.
Qin Yining relaxed and led Ruilan and Qiu Lu to Ci Xiao Garden.
The morning air was cold and fresh, and there was a lot more smoke and fire than in the mountains. Compared to the desolation, Qin Yining really liked this place, which could be called "home".
As he walked, he admired his surroundings. Even the slightly mossy stone bricks were interesting.
Seeing that Qin Yining was in a good mood, Ruilan thought for a moment. She came closer and whispered, "Miss, Yuxiang boiled water until midnight yesterday. She even said that she would complain about you to old madam. You should be more careful. Don't let her frame you."
Qin Yining nodded with a smile. He didn't say anything, but he seemed to have taken Ruilan's words seriously.
Seeing this, Ruilan couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the young lady didn't intend to pursue her mistakes. Only such a tolerant and courageous master could make people feel safe.
Following the alley, they turned right at a fork in the road. The scenery in front of them suddenly widened. They walked forward and soon arrived at the back garden. Qin Yining couldn't help but slow down. She looked at the scenery in the courtyard with interest. She had seen a lot of wild mountains and fields, and she admired such a man-made and ingenious garden very much.
Just as she was feeling happy, a slightly childish and sharp female voice came from behind her.
"Oh, I was wondering who it was. So it was you! I didn't think that a barbarian like you would appreciate gardens. "
Hearing the voice, Qin Yining turned around and gathered her hair that had been blown by the wind. She looked at the speaker with a smile in her beautiful eyes. She didn't immediately respond.
The person who came was a young girl with a round face. Just like her, her hair was combed into two flat buns, with two silver butterflies in her hair. She was also wearing a pink and white peony palace flower. Her silver-red dress and collar were complemented by the white rabbit fur, making her apple-like face look very cute. She looked like a plum blossom that suddenly bloomed in the dark winter, making people's eyes light up.
Ruilan guessed that Qin Yining didn't recognize the young lady in the fu. She immediately saluted and said, "Sixth Young Lady, nice to meet you."
Qin Yining raised her eyebrows when she heard that it was the sixth young lady.
Last night, when she was copying books, she had Ruilan take care of the brush and ink. She also asked about the situation of the people in the fu.
The sixth young lady's name was Shuangning. Her birth mother was the second master's favorite concubine, Concubine Lin. Concubine Lin was very lucky. She gave birth to twins in one pregnancy. The sixth young lady, Qin Shuangning, was a little older. She had a younger sister who was less than a quarter of an hour younger than her. Her name was An Ning.
Although the sixth young lady and the seventh young lady were twins, their appearances and temperaments were completely different.
The sixth young lady was very close to Qin Yining. She was very dependent on her birth mother, Concubine Lin.
The seventh young lady, on the other hand, was very close to the third young lady and the eighth young lady of the third branch. She was even taught under the second madame's name.
The second madame gave birth to the eldest son, Qin Yu, and the fifth son, Qin Xian. She didn't have a biological daughter. The seventh young lady was taught under her name. Naturally, she was treated like a legitimate daughter.
Ruilan talked about this and praised the second madame for being virtuous.
However, Qin Yining felt that if the second madame was really virtuous, why would she lift up one of Concubine Lin's daughters and suppress the other? She could teach the one in her hands at will. Not to mention how she would turn out, the one she suppressed would be unfairly treated and would be full of grievances. In this way, at least the sisters would be at odds with each other.
Seeing that her twin daughters were at odds with each other and that one was not close to her, Concubine Lin was the most upset.
In terms of stirring up trouble, the second madame was really an expert.
Qin Yining smiled and said, "So it's sixth younger sister. You're also going to greet the old madame? "
"Yes. Of course I'm going to greet the old madame. I also want to see how my fourth sister is doing. I didn't expect to meet a wild hussy like you on the way. It's really bad luck. "The sixth young lady snorted with her nose up.
Qin Yining's eyes turned cold, but his voice was very gentle. "I didn't expect that you 'city people' would greet each other like this. You've really opened my eyes. "
The sixth young lady saw the contempt in Qin Yining's eyes and immediately became angry. "You don't need to be so proud! Look at your domineering appearance. You dared to hit people on the first day you returned home. You even dared to hit my fourth sister! Just wait for grandmother's punishment! "
Qin Yining smiled slightly. "Sixth young lady, are you talking about Qin Huining? It seems that you're not well-informed. Speaking of punishment, grandmother already did it yesterday. Qin Huining provoked the harmony between my father and mother, which made grandmother very angry. She was already punished to copy the 'Book of Filial Piety'. "
"You! Nonsense! "The sixth young lady was so angry that she stomped her feet." You're distorting the truth! "
"I think Sixth Sister is still young, but she's confused!" Before Qin Yining could speak, three young ladies walked out from the corner. The one who spoke was the eighth young lady, Qin Yining. Her crisp voice came out of nowhere. Then, she flew over like a nimble swallow. She bent her knees to salute Qin Yining while glaring at the sixth young lady.
"Yesterday, Eldest Uncle just said that Qin Huining is only an adopted daughter. Now that Fourth Sister is in the genealogy, you still call her by the wrong name. You can't even tell which one is your Fourth Sister. Be careful, Eldest Uncle and Old Madam will punish you if they find out."
Upon hearing this, the sixth young lady's eyes turned red with anger. She said in a shrill voice, "Qin Baoning, you're too heartless! This wild hussy just came back and you don't recognize Fourth Sister anymore? According to the news I got, she even beat up Fourth Sister! We've been sisters for so many years. Don't you care about Fourth Sister? "
"I care about her. What I care about is why Qin Huining asked for a beating! Since she asked for a beating, it's naturally her fault! "
As the eighth young lady said this, she rolled her eyes at the sixth young lady. She wanted to continue mocking her, but the third young lady, Qin Jianing, secretly pulled her back. Only then did she shut her mouth.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of hand, the seventh young lady, Qin Anning, who had been silent, quickly stepped forward and took her sister's arm. She said with a smile, "Sixth Sister, let's go and pay respects to Grandmother first. Don't delay the time."
The sixth young lady pushed her twin sister away and said disdainfully, "Okay, okay, okay. You can stay away from me. I don't want to talk to a traitor like you. Don't you usually like to hug the thighs of the third branch? Why are you pretending to be a good person now? "As she said this, she shook off Qin Anning's hand and left.
The seventh young lady's face turned red.
Although the third old master, Wang, was born of a concubine and had no achievements in his official career, he was successful in business. Therefore, the third branch was the economic pillar of the Family. Even the children of the third branch didn't rely on the public money. The young ladies and young men of the third branch were naturally different from the young ladies who relied on monthly allowances.
The seventh young lady had indeed received some small gifts. Now that she had lost face, how could she not be angry? She immediately said angrily, "If that's the case, haven't you always hugged the thighs of the eldest branch? You even hugged a fake one. "
When the eighth young lady heard this, she clapped her hands and laughed. The sixth young lady was so angry that she turned around and glared at everyone. In the end, she felt that she couldn't gain any advantage and finally left.
After she left, the third young lady held Qin Yining's hand and said, "Fourth Sister, don't be offended. Shuang Jie 'er has always played with Huining Miss. This time, she was just being impulsive."
"Third Sister is right. Sixth Sister is naive and unaffected, but she is also very interesting. "Qin Yining smiled.
Every time she was in a new environment, whether it was deep in the mountains or with a crowd, Qin Yining always liked to carefully observe the environment and analyze the people and things around her. Only by understanding her surroundings could she feel safe.
Now, she had a general understanding of the sisters in the fu.
Seeing that Qin Yining didn't show her emotions and didn't treat others as bashfully as yesterday, it was as if she had suddenly opened up a lot, the third young lady couldn't help but treat Qin Yining more seriously.
The sisters chatted along the way, and it didn't take long for them to reach Ci Xiao Garden.
Just as they passed through the hall and stepped on the square bricks in the courtyard, the young maidservants serving under the porch uniformly curtsied to greet them.
Two maidservants, one on the left and one on the right, pulled up the beautiful warm curtain made of bamboo. A pair of green jade gourds were hanging at the corners of the curtain, and the light blue tassels on the corners swayed beautifully.
Today's warm curtain was different from yesterday's.
As Qin Yining sighed at the luxurious lifestyle of the rich, she took off her cloak and handed it to the maidservants to put away. Then, she followed the crowd around the screen that was "beaming with joy" and entered the inner room.
Today, the old madam was wearing a sapphire blue wide-sleeved jacket embroidered with longevity patterns. Her white hair was tied up in a bun with a gold and ruby hairpin inserted diagonally. At this time, she was sitting cross-legged on the arhat bed by the window with a gloomy expression.
Second Madam Su shi and Third Madam Wang shi accompanied her as they sat on her left and right.
Eldest Madam Yao Clan and Second Madam Meng shi stood behind their respective mothers-in-law with their heads bowed.
In the middle of them was Qin Yining, whose face was half swollen like a pig's head.
When she saw Qin Yining, Qin Yining's pupils shrank and she couldn't help but tremble. She bit her lip and had a pitiful appearance of being wronged but not daring to resist.
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