Chapter 545: Gossip is Good for Health [Thank you! Thank you again! 44k words owed]

In the blink of an eye,

It was the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

This day,

The bright morning sun gently spilled into Marquis Yongyi's Mansion.

In the back courtyard of the Hou Fu,

Because the geothermal heating wasn't burning very vigorously, Xu Zaijing's study was a bit cold.

The three maids, who had been chattering since morning, finally quieted down a bit by now.

Sitting behind the desk, Xu Zaijing, who had been grinding ink to calm his mind for a long time, could finally prepare to do the schoolwork left by Scholar Zhuang.

As a result, just after writing a few characters,

"Young Master~"

The voice of Yun Xiang speaking in a pinched tone came from outside the door.

Xu Zaijing sighed lightly and said: "If you have something to say, say it louder!"

The study door was opened,

The three maids, who had dressed up with care, walked in from outside the door wearing cloaks.

"Young Master, we're going out now!"

Qingcao said with a smile.

Xu Zaijing looked up and said: "Why do the cloaks you're wearing look a bit familiar?"

"Hehe."

The three maids looked at each other with a smile and showed the lines of poetry embroidered on their cloaks.

Looking at the lines of poetry, Xu Zaijing understood.

It was the poetry that Qingcao and the others had embroidered themselves some time ago. When Yun Xiang and her sister wore them out, they almost made the ladies of other families think they were legitimate daughters of some family.

Afterward, Xu Zaijing nodded and said: "This outfit is not bad, go ahead!"

Qingcao said: "Yes, Young Master! Remember to add charcoal to the charcoal stove by your side!"

"Also, Mama Zhu came over just now and said that in a while, a younger sister from the Madam's courtyard will come over to help serve."

Xu Zaijing continued to lower his head to write, saying: "Mm, I know."

The study door was closed,

Soon,

The room fell into silence,

Even the sound of the goldfish in the large vat turning over on the water surface was quite clear.

After adding charcoal to the stove, Xu Zaijing focused on doing his essay.

About half an hour later,

"Tap, tap."

A light knocking sound was heard.

"Enter."

Xu Zaijing said without raising his head.

"Young Master!"

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing raised his head and saw the little maid standing at the door, holding a tray, with a somewhat familiar face.

Xu Zaijing smiled slightly: "Whoa! It's you, little girl."

The little maid bowed and walked in with the tray, saying: "Young Master, these are the pastries the Madam ordered me to bring over for you."

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile: "Just put them on the tea table."

Afterward, Xu Zaijing lowered his head to look at his essay and said: "When did you come to the Hou Fu? Is your name still Tan Yun?"

The little girl put down the pastries and lowered her head: "Returning to Young Master, this servant has been in the Hou Fu for four months! My name was changed before, and now this servant is called Yunjin."

"Yunjin?" Xu Zaijing, who was looking at the essay, nodded lightly: "Mm, this name is not bad, it sounds wealthy and festive."

"Thank you for the praise, Young Master!"

The little girl bowed again and said.

"Mm. It's a bit cold in the study. Go wait in the outer room."

After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, he continued to do his schoolwork.

"Yes, Young Master!"

The little girl agreed, walked to the study door, and gently closed the door.

During the time he was doing his schoolwork,

Xu Zaijing looked at the study door a few times,

Relying on his outstanding hearing,

Xu Zaijing knew that the little girl was honestly waiting at the door, with very few small movements.

"Yunjin."

As soon as Xu Zaijing finished speaking, the study door was pushed open, and the little girl walked in.

"Go to the side room and find Mama Xia, bring a basin of silver-bone charcoal."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Afterward, the young girl also fed the fish in the study, changed the water for the brush washer on Xu Zaijing's desk, and finally helped Xu Zaijing finish off the two pieces of pastry on the tea table.

Outer city, East City Wall,

There is a city gate called Xinsong Gate,

Those entering Bianjing from the east mostly take this gate.

Entering Xinsong Gate and walking straight west will lead to the South Corner Gate of the inner city.

Outside the South Corner Gate, there is a three-story restaurant occupying a fairly large area, with a plaque hanging at the main entrance with the four characters 'Huixian Restaurant'.

Beside the railing facing the street on the second floor,

Zhao Taifeng, who had disguised himself and looked like a wealthy Bianjing resident, stood there, accompanied by Gao Yunqing, who knew Bianjing quite well.

Looking at the carriages driving over from downstairs, Gao Yunqing said: "It's the Xu family's carriage."

Zhao Taifeng said 'mm', looked at the four people who got off the carriage, and said: "Who are these four women?"

"Chief, the tall woman is Da Niangzi Hua from Qingyun's family, and the other three are Zaijing's personal maids."

Zhao Taifeng nodded lightly, looking like he was knowing it for the first time.

At this time,

Voices came from downstairs.

"Qingyun? Why are you here?"

On the side of the street not far away, two young men who were riding horses, dressed very brightly, and slightly older than Xu Zaijing, shouted.

Qingyun, beside the carriage, looked back, saw the two young men who had called out, and after seeing them, a smile appeared on his face, and he bowed and cupped his hands: "Greetings, two young masters."

The Li family brothers, Taotie and Chimei, dismounted with a smile and walked toward Qingyun.

Seeing Hua Qing led Qingcao and the others and bowed to the Li brothers.

The Li brothers returned the bow to Seeing Hua Qing and Qingcao extremely skillfully, then smiled and said to Qingyun: "Is Fifth Young Master here too?"

The two looked toward the restaurant with great interest.

This action made Zhao Taifeng on the building retreat slightly, dodging the sight of the two brothers.

After Qingyun explained, the Li brothers said 'oh' a few times with disappointment.

These two brothers, who were from the royal family of Bai Gao, were now Great Zhou Viscounts, and the residence they were granted was inside this South Corner Gate, very close to here.

And near their residence was the Duke of An's Mansion, and crossing the Tan family's residence was the courtyard of the Huyan family where Anmei lived.

"Two young masters, are you going to...?"

Hearing Qingyun's question, the Li brothers looked a bit embarrassed.

"Umm?" Qingyun looked at the two in confusion.

Before the Li brothers could speak,

Alan, Hearing Chu Zhan, and the others, who had bought quite a few snacks like sugarcane and candied haws on the back of their horses, also walked over.

After another round of conversation, Qingyun finally found out that these two were invited by Da Niangzi Wu to meet with the 'girl's family' at a noble family not far away.

Qingyun, Alan, and the others asked a lot, and finally asked clearly which family it was.

Qingcao and the others on the side also occasionally interjected a few words.

After all, they had been in the capital for many years and had attended countless polo matches, elegant gatherings, and flower-viewing parties. They always heard about what kind of girl a certain family had through the conversations of maids and servants.

"Eldest Brother Li, if you buy expensive materials, that young lady might not care, but if you buy a few rare incense-making items, I imagine it will be twice the result with half the effort."

Hearing this, the Li brothers looked at each other and said: "Good, then we'll listen to Sister Qingcao and go buy a few pieces."

Qingcao nodded with a smile.

After saying a few more words, the Li brothers couldn't delay any longer and mounted their horses to leave.

Seeing Hua Qing, Qingcao, and the others had already gone upstairs,

Qingyun looked at Hearing Chu Zhan, who was still looking at the backs of the Li brothers beside him, and said: "What's wrong with you, kid?"

Hearing Chu Zhan turned his head to look at Qingyun and didn't speak.

Qingyun smiled: "When we return to the mansion, we'll stop by the Li family and bring some delicious food for the younger brothers and sisters of the Li family!"

"Hehe!" Hearing Chu Zhan laughed.

"Alright, go up."

"No, I'll wait here with Brother Qingyun."

Qingyun smiled, looked at Hearing Chu Zhan, who was sniffing his nose and running snot, and said: "Alright, wait until you stop running snot before you stand here!"

Hearing Chu Zhan walked toward the main gate unhappily, and then was shouldered by Alan and Xunshu into the restaurant.

After waiting for a while longer,

Buwei and Zhique rode their horses and accompanied a carriage with a wooden plaque hanging with the character 'Gu' to the front of Huixian Restaurant.

The coachman was from the Xu family's dowry when Pingmei got married, and he smiled and greeted Qingyun at the door.

When Qingyun was talking to Buwei and Zhique,

Someone came out of the Gu family carriage,

It was Qiuniang, Gu Tingye's personal maid.

Just when Qingyun thought there was no one else and wanted to ask the coachman to move forward, another girl climbed out.

Seeing this girl, Qingyun was stunned, then a smile appeared on his face, and he said: "Qingzhi, why are you here?"

Qingzhi, Pingmei's personal maid who got off the carriage, smiled and bowed to Qingyun, saying: "Brother Qingyun! The Da Niangzi heard from the Second Young Master that you were having a gathering today! Knowing that Qingcao was coming, the Da Niangzi let me follow along."

Qingyun nodded with a smile, turned his head to look at Buwei, whose expression was a bit unnatural, and said: "Then today, this girl Qingcao will surely be overjoyed!"

Hearing this, Qingzhi also laughed.

"Alright, you guys go up first!"

Qingyun waved his hand and said.

After Qiuniang and Qingzhi bowed and walked upstairs, Qingyun grabbed Buwei, who wanted to follow, and said: "Buwei, accompany me to wait for the Sheng family sisters."

"Oh!"

Buwei said with a smile.

"Can't tell, your eye for people is good enough."

"Ah? Brother Qingyun, what are you talking about?"

"Pfft! Qiuniang that girl already saw the clues, and you're still pretending with your brother?"

Buwei's expression became a bit awkward instantly, and he changed the subject: "Brother Qingyun, the Princess knew I was coming and even let me bring a jar of good wine."

Qingyun nodded with a smile: "The Princess is indeed kind to others."

After speaking, Qingyun looked at Buwei and continued:

"Qingzhi and my sister Qingcao are from the same hometown and village, and they don't have any relatives or influence in Bianjing! You are a personal attendant by the Young Duke's side, and your future is bright. You should think clearly before doing some things."

Buwei looked at Qingyun and nodded: "Brother Qingyun, I understand."

Qingyun smiled and patted Buwei on the shoulder.

Soon,

Three carriages drove over,

Buwei said beside Qingyun: "Why did the Sheng family bring so many carriages today?"

Qingyun looked at the carriages and said: "The young masters and young ladies of the Sheng family mostly have two personal maids each, I imagine they all came."

Sure enough,

As the carriages stopped steadily, there were four servants and maids for Changbo and Rulan of Weiruixuan, the same number for Linqi Pavilion, and only Xiaotao came for the Hall of Longevity and Peace plus the Jinnan Study.

Moreover, Xiaotao wasn't sitting in the Sheng family's carriage, but in the carriage of Wei Yiniang, Minglan's aunt, who was following behind.

On the second floor,

Gao Yunqing said: "Chief, the ones coming out are the Sheng family's maids and servants."

Zhao Taifeng nodded, looking at Xiaotao, who was beside Wei Wei Yima Wei, with a rare gentle expression in his eyes.

Especially seeing the rabbit fur scarf around Xiaotao's neck, although the style was similar to the other maids of the Sheng family, he recognized at a glance that this scarf was the one he had given her.

Zhao Taifeng's mouth curled into a smile.

Downstairs,

Wei Yiniang, dressed decently, nodded to the few, and after giving a few instructions, let Xiaotao follow Xique, Rulan's personal maid, and go up to the restaurant together.

Watching Xiaotao enter the restaurant,

Wei Yiniang smiled at Qingyun and said: "Being able to eat at this Huixian Restaurant, the ladies and mistresses in this Duke's mansion are truly kind and benevolent!"

"The Da Niangzi is right!"

"Alright, you guys go have fun, I have something to do." Wei Yiniang waved her handkerchief and said with a smile.

Watching Wei Yiniang walking toward the carriage, Qingyun and Buwei bowed together: "Go slowly, Da Niangzi."

On the second floor of the restaurant,

In a private room with a fairly large area, two banquet tables were set up,

A row of partitions stood between the two banquet tables,

Maids sat inside the partitions,

While outside the partitions were Qingyun, Zhique, and other personal attendants.

Everyone sitting there was a personal attendant of their respective young masters and young ladies. They had monthly allowances and lived and ate at their masters' houses, so their income was actually very considerable.

With no one to serve, everyone sat and drank and chatted, and the atmosphere was very relaxed and enthusiastic.

But because everyone wasn't very old and mostly followed their young masters and young ladies to study in the schoolroom every day,

So, when it came to gossip in Bianjing, they mainly relied on Seeing Hua Qing, who was in the Xu family shop, and Qingzhi, who often participated in the incense-clothing gatherings with Pingmei.

Qiuniang, Gu Tingye's personal maid, while cracking the melon seeds she was holding, asked with a face full of gossip:

"Sister Qingzhi, I heard from the Mama by the Da Niangzi's side that the second son of the Marquis of Zhennan's second

The Sheng family's maidservants by the table pricked up their ears one after another and looked toward Qingzhi.

Xiaotao even widened her eyes in a dazed, surprised expression.

Hua Qing, who was sitting next to Qingzhi, sighed slightly after touching the mark on her own face.

Qingzhi nodded and said: "Yes!"

Changfeng's beloved Ke'er said softly: "Sister, that Madam hasn't been pregnant for two years; hasn't she thought about finding a concubine or a bed-chamber maid for that Young Master Han?"

Qingzhi shook her head.

"Ah? Is she that jealous?" Once Ke'er said this,

Yanghao, the maidservant of Changbai nearby, curled her lips, exchanged a glance with Rulan's maidservant Xique, and rolled her eyes.

Qingzhi shook her head and said: "It's not that the Madam is jealous; it's that the Young Master Han himself doesn't want one!"

"Ah? If he doesn't want one, then doesn't he think about incense and heirs?" Ke'er continued.

For a moment, no one in the crowd replied.

Cheng Qiuniang said: "But how come I heard people say that it's the Young Master Han from the Marquis of Zhennan's house who is himself incapable?"

"Ah?"

The maidservants at the banquet looked at each other with fascinating expressions, their faces full of disbelief.

Qingcao asked doubtfully: "But I remember that the Young Master Han of the Marquis of Zhennan's house was fighting against Jin warriors on the polo field with the Young Masters before."

"He must be someone who practices martial arts, so how could there be such a rumor?"

Hua Qing pursed her lips and said: "This rumor does exist. I heard it was spread by the servants of the Duke of Korea's mansion!"

"The Duke of Korea and the Marquis of Zhennan use the same genealogy; how could they spread such family shame?" Yanghao asked, frowning.

"That's right! Could it be that there is some grudge?"

Xique's eyes turned as she spoke.

Hearing this, Qingzhi looked at Xique with appreciation and said: "I heard it was the Madam of the eldest branch of the Duke of Korea's family who wanted to introduce her niece from a concubine to the Marquis of Zhennan's mansion, but the matter didn't succeed!"

"Ah? The mother of that Young Master Han of the Marquis of Zhennan is a princess; how dare they spread such news?" Yunxiang clicked her tongue.

"That Madam has never been pregnant, which just confirms such rumors! Besides, people in the palace were already discussing it before, let alone a Marquis's son?"

Another young maidservant whispered: "But before, wasn't it circulating among the civil officials' servants that the Fifth Young Master of the Duke of Korea's family was incapable? How did it become the Young Master Han of the Marquis of Zhennan's mansion now?"

Subsequently, there was another round of discussion in the private room.

(End of chapter)