Chapter 186: Li Qingluo Enters the Pei Residence, Is Nan Jia Gravely Ill?

Deng Mama's aged face flushed a bit.

When the young lady of her household speaks, even this old, weathered thing of mine sometimes can't help it.

Deng Mama hurriedly added, "It is said that on that day, after the Lord brought someone back, that very night he favored Concubine Liu, and he paid no mind to the fact that you, young lady, had not yet returned home and were missing. In the Lord's mind, you are still… not a concern…"

Que'er huffed, "Our young lady doesn't fancy him at all!"

Li Qingluo patted Que'er's hand.

"What is Chun's attitude over at the hall?"

Deng Mama: "I heard the husband was furious, smashing everything in the house he could. Yet he was helpless, because the Lord assigned a whole house of people to attend Concubine Liu, as if deliberately opposing the wife."

Li Qingluo: "Did you get a clear answer? Afterward, did they drink the sitting‑fetus medicine or the avoiding‑child soup?"

Deng Mama smiled, "The Lord kept an eye on what Concubine Liu drank: the sitting‑fetus medicine."

Li Qingluo: "That's fine then. Keep a closer watch, don't let my own mother do any more tricks that could kill my siblings."

"Concubine Liu is healthy and young; if luck is on her side, she'll definitely bear a child next year. If she wishes, having several more would be even better."

"When I have many younger siblings, my father will be of little use…"

Li Qingluo reached out and with a 'snap' broke the withered wax plum beside her.

Pei Residence.

Li Qingluo rested for two days, then prepared to go to the Pei Residence to see Nan Jia.

Yesterday Princess Nanping went to Jiangjun Fu to visit Li Qingluo; the two arranged to meet today in front of the Pei Residence.

Because if Li Qingluo visited herself, she herself would be uncertain whether the Pei Residence would allow Li family members to enter its gate.

"Sister Luo'er!"

Princess Nanping arrived a little late, leapt from the carriage, ran to Li Qingluo, lifted the curtain and smiled.

The Pei Duke's Residence naturally would not block a princess; soon the inner house received a messenger, and the very respectful attendant led the two inside.

The grandeur of the Pei Duke's Residence even left Princess Nanping amazed.

"Indeed it is a centuries‑old great clan; look at this splendor, the scale of this mansion… *tch tch* it has far more depth than our Princess's residence."

She walked ahead with arms crossed, then suddenly remembered something and turned to Li Qingluo: "It's also better than your Jiangjun Fu. Your residence is just empty. Now there are more people; the first time I went, everywhere was a neglected garden, it gave me a huge startle!"

The servant beside them immediately glanced at Li Qingluo a few more times, as if already aware of her identity.

Li Qingluo: "…"

"Nanping, have you forgotten why I called you here today?"

She gave a slight smile; Princess Nanping seemed to recall just then and immediately covered her mouth.

"Heh. Hehehe… Sister Luo'er, look at the plum garden over at the Pei Duke's Residence, it's really beautiful, there are little birds there!"

Li Qingluo helplessly was dragged by Nanping into the plum garden again.

Just upon entering we bumped into a few maidens, their dress unmistakably those of the Pei Duke's Residence's daughters.

Seeing someone intrude, a maid scolded: "How daring! Who dares to barge in? Get out! Can't you see I'm here?"

The daughters of the Pei Duke's Residence are very special.

They are the most special family in the whole Jinling City.

The main line of the Pei Duke's Residence has three branches, each with several courtyards.

Each courtyard has several daughters.

By this count, the Pei Duke's Residence currently has a dozen or so unmarried daughters at home.

So, although the Pei Duke's Residence is huge, it is still a bit crowded, yet extremely lively.

Yet each of them lives reclusively; at most families' banquets, they rarely appear.

Like the young masters of the Pei Duke's Residence, apart from the current Pei Duke who holds a prominent court position, the other lords of each branch and courtyard are mostly in the most obscure posts, doing the most insignificant duties.

And those not in the court, such as Pei Sanlang, also rarely appear before the world.

The whole Pei Residence now, aside from Pei Nanjia who has been out more these days, the other Pei daughters, even Princess Nanping has never seen.

Thus rumors spread that the Pei daughters are so plain they have nothing to show, so the Pei family keeps them locked at home, not allowing them to see the world.

Even those Pei daughters who married out remain reclusive in their husbands' homes, disliking socializing.

So when they heard yesterday that Li Qingluo would come to the Pei Duke's Residence, Princess Nanping immediately became eager and agreed to come.

"Their Pei daughters are so mysterious. I want to see whether, aside from Nanjia, the Pei daughters are all dull and mediocre!"

Only I don't want to be scolded by a Pei daughter as soon as I arrive.

Nanping immediately placed her hands on her hips and shouted back: "I am Princess Nanping! Today I come to visit your second house, second courtyard's Pei Twelfth Lady, merely passing this plum garden, I didn't expect your Pei family to treat guests like this!?"

Upon hearing a princess, the few daughters before them exchanged glances.

"You're here to visit Twelfth Lady? She's been ill for a while, yet she actually has a friend? And a princess at that."

Their unfriendly gazes shifted from Nanping to Li Qingluo.

"And who are you?"

Li Qingluo had heard Nanjia speak of her childhood.

So she never expected any of the Pei daughters to be friendly.

Li Qingluo's tone was naturally stiff: "If our status is in doubt, your Pei family wouldn't let us in. If we disturbed you just now, we would leave immediately, why be so fierce?"

The other's complexion was not very good.

Finally, the maid wearing a red cloak stepped forward.

She politely said, "I am Pei Fourth Lady. Earlier I didn't know your status, so I may have offended, please forgive."

"After all, our Pei Duke's Residence rarely receives outside guests, and this plum garden is only accessible to us masters; normally the servants cannot come freely."

Another daughter quickly added, "Yes, how could we know they were here to see Twelfth Lady? We thought it was some ignorant servant barging in."

"Indeed. Even a princess must be reasonable…"

Princess Nanping glared and said bluntly, "Since when has this princess stopped being reasonable? And what precious value does this broken plum forest have? You've never seen anything good, so you treat this place as a forbidden land!"

"Still a servant? Have you ever seen a servant dressed so splendidly? You dog‑eyed!"

Princess Nanping wasn't afraid of offending anyone; after speaking, she tugged Li Qingluo and huffed away.

Li Qingluo turned back, saw a few girls led by Fourth Miss Pei, and her gaze lingered mournfully toward the direction they were leaving…

"The girls of Duke Pei's residence really made my expectations futile. Each one is so lowly, as annoying as Pan Li. No wonder they can't go out; otherwise they'd make enemies everywhere."

Li Qingluo shook her head and smiled.

"Enough of that, more people are coming ahead."

Before reaching Nan Jia, they ran into one group after another.

This time, however, it was the senior maid accompanying the Duchess.

She, on behalf of the Duchess, said a few polite words to make Princess Nanping's stay at the Duke's residence more pleasant, and said she wouldn't disturb the young ladies' mood.

She also told Princess Nanping that if any unpleasantness occurs, just inform them, and the Duke's residence will handle it strictly.

Princess Nanping naturally became blunt on the spot.

"The Duchess is reasonable, but the younger ones today won't bother her, lest my upbringing in the northwest makes me ignorant of etiquette and hot‑tempered, saying unpleasant words."

"Today, this princess originally only came to see Sister Nan Jia."

"But unfortunately we offended a few of your household's girls; we didn't know the plum garden was a forbidden area of the residence, and as outsiders we shouldn't approach it—otherwise being scolded by a servant would be deserved."

Unexpectedly, Princess Nanping became sarcastically ironic.

This made Li Qingluo, standing nearby, unable to suppress a light smile.

But it's hard to say what attitude the Duchess would take upon hearing this.

The senior maid kept a straight face and respectfully escorted Li Qingluo and the other to outside the second house.

Then she hurried back to the main house's main courtyard before the Duchess and repeated Princess Nanping's words.

The Duchess's complexion changed upon hearing this.

"Which ones collided with the princess in the plum garden? Such disregard for etiquette shows they've been overly spoiled."

The maid replied, "It was… Fourth Miss, as well as Fifth Miss, Sixth Miss, and Eighth Miss."

The Duchess instantly raised an eyebrow: "Why Fourth Miss? She's always the most steady; today she must have been led by Fifth Miss and the others! Go fetch Fourth Miss for me now."

Li Qingluo and Princess Nanping were finally taken to the second house's second courtyard, and in Nan Ping's small courtyard they met Nan Jia.

Nan Jia was indeed gravely ill; her body had thinned a great deal.

This gave both Princess Nanping and Li Qingluo a huge fright.

How long has it been since the last parting at the Princess's residence?

"You've arrived."

Duke Pei's Nan Jia saw Li Qingluo and Princess Nanping, and a smile appeared on her pale face.

"I'm sorry I couldn't go to the racetrack on the seventeenth. I heard a rebel bandit uprising outside the city, worried for a long time; now that I see you both safe, I'm relieved."

Li Qingluo tucked away her stunned expression and hurried over.

"Don't worry about the two of us. Tell me, what exactly is wrong with you? What illness is this so severe?"

"Have you seen a physician? What did the doctor say?"

"Which physician did you summon?"

Princess Nanping's eyes were red; she came over and hugged Nan Jia: "Sister Nan Jia, I'll request the imperial physician; when I return I'll have my mother go to the palace to ask the imperial physician to come see you!"

Nan Jia shook her head: "I'm fine. I just accidentally took a bit of poison; my father has already begged the Emperor's grace and summoned the imperial physician to examine me."

Nan Jia said this with smiling eyes, seeming completely unaffected by the poison.

But now her eyes are bluish, her complexion dark, and her cheeks hollow.

She is a far cry from before; how can this be nothing?

Li Qingluo asked directly: "Nan Jia, is your poisoning related to Qingyangzi?"