Li Man'er was in mourning and could not attend the banquet.
She had the old woman who delivered the message summoned and asked. She was only told that the County Princess was feeling unwell and wanted her to come over to take a look, not that there was a banquet.
Li Man'er guessed that Qi Yihan had probably returned and that his蛊毒 (gu poison) had recurred. This was why he had concealed the matter and sent a matron from the County Princess's residence to fetch her.
"Has the County Princess's leg ailment flared up again?"
"Yes, yes, yes," the matron replied. "The weather is getting colder, and the County Princess's leg is aching, which is why she wishes for you to come over."
"Ah~" Li Man'er said meaningfully, "I am still in mourning. This matter needs to be decided after consulting with Grandmother. I presume the County Princess wouldn't mind waiting a little longer, would she?"
The matron repeatedly said, "We dare not, we dare not. Please take your time to get ready, young lady. We will wait outside."
Li Man'er said loudly, "Then, please have a cup of hot tea first. After I report to Grandmother, I will return to the residence with you shortly."
The matron was led to a side room by Muyun to have tea. The matron tried to probe Muyun for information, but she couldn't get a single useful word. She couldn't help but think that this Miss Li really knew how to manage her subordinates; their lips were so tight.
The matron peeked out through a crack in the door and saw two maids hurrying out of Qingping Xuan. She didn't know what they were going to do.
Perhaps they were going to report to the old madam.
The matron's guess was not wrong. Ziyan indeed went to report to the old madam, but Luyi went out of the mansion to gather information.
Luyi had a good rapport with people and had several close friends in other residences.
Some were from the same hometown, and some were young ladies she had met while attending banquets with her mistress. Coincidentally, there was one in the County Princess's residence.
Luyi ran to the side gate of the County Princess's residence, gave the gatekeeper half a string of copper coins, and asked to see the young lady from the County Princess's residence. The matron, however, returned the money and said, "If it were any other day, I would have gone to call her for you even if you hadn't given me money, but not today. The County Princess has something important to attend to these days, and no outsiders are allowed to leave."
Luyi's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly seemed to understand something.
"You look unfamiliar. Which noble's residence are you from? And who are you looking for?"
Luyi's eyes darted around, and she immediately said, "Your servant is accompanying our master back to the capital from the south to report for duty. Uh, is Sister Yuebai still serving in the residence?"
"Oh dear, you speak of Yuebai, she got married many years ago..."
Luyi sprinted back to the Marquis's residence. After circling the outside of the mansion and confirming she wasn't being followed, she entered the mansion and returned to Qingping Xuan.
"Miss..." Luyi, with a solemn expression, recounted the information she had gathered to Li Man'er. She added, "I didn't dare to say which family I was from, only that I was accompanying the master back to the capital from the south to report for duty. I also inquired about a sister from their residence who had long since married, and only then was I able to get away."
Li Man'er said, "Well done. You don't need to accompany me to the County Princess's residence later. I'll have Muyun go with me."
"Miss, everyone knows something is amiss with them. What are they planning, and why do you still insist on taking such a risk?"
Li Man'er only said, "You can avoid the beginning of the month, but not the fifteenth. This time, that matron's evasive words exposed her. What about next time? We won't even have the slightest preparation!"
The maids all looked helpless.
"Change clothes!"
Ziyan and Luyi helped An Zixi change her clothes. An Zixi, meanwhile, tied the soft sword she had captured last time to her waist. Ziyan looked on with a pounding heart, "Miss?"
That was the sword of the assassin the second young lady had saved. It had actually fallen into Miss's hands. The scabbard of the soft sword could be worn around the waist. If one didn't look closely, the hilt was no different from a belt. When walking, it could be hidden by wide sleeves, and nothing would be visible.
Li Man'er only wore the most common single coiled bun, secured with two white jade hairpins, and not even earrings.
"Are you afraid?"
Muyun and Ziyan both shook their heads. "No matter the danger, we will accompany you, Miss."
Li Man'er said, "It's not a big deal, so there's no need to tread on thin ice. I have everything under control."
"Yes."
"Let's go!"
The matron had been waiting impatiently in the side room for a long time. Seeing Li Man'er finally appear, her face lit up with joy. "Are you all ready, young lady? Shall we leave now?"
The matron's gaze lingered on the medicine chest on Ziyi's body for a moment before returning to Li Man'er.
"I've delayed you for so long. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"You flatter this old servant, young lady."
The group then left the Marquis's residence and boarded the carriage specially prepared by Princess Wuyou.
The carriage was spacious, lined with soft carpets, and quite comfortable.
Inside the carriage, the mistress and servants did not exchange a word. Li Man'er closed her eyes to rest, while the two maids communicated through glances.
Li Man'er knew that their apprehension and unease stemmed from the change in Princess Wuyou's attitude. Previously, the Princess had greatly admired her young lady and treated her more kindly than others. How could things have soured to this point!
Muyun furrowed her brow, as if asking Ziyan, had Sister Luyi overthought things?
Ziyan shook her head, appearing to know the whole situation. Could their young lady really be overthinking? It was evident that something was indeed amiss in the County Princess's residence.
Muyun seemed to understand and stopped speaking. Her mouth pouted, and she couldn't understand why everyone was targeting their young lady. She hadn't offended anyone. Even when her young lady attended banquets at other people's residences in the past, she was repeatedly framed and ridiculed.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Li Man'er, on the other hand, felt that she had offended quite a number of people. Not to mention the original owner's erratic behavior, which had displeased many. Since her arrival in this kingdom, she hadn't exactly been low-profile or avoided offending people.
Putting others aside, the root of the problem with Princess Wuyou was likely related to Qi Yihan.
Li Man'er had long suspected the relationship between Princess Wuyou and Qi Yihan. Princess Wuyou was originally a commoner, and only after being adopted as a goddaughter by the Empress Dowager did she gain her current status.
Qi Yihan, as a prince, could be said to be second only to the emperor. Why would he trust Princess Wuyou so much? He even told her about his蛊毒 (gu poison) and treated it in her residence, clearly entrusting his life to her.
Princess Wuyou was married. Was it the status of a married woman that gave Qi Yihan a sense of security?
Uh...
She was thinking a bit too far ahead.
Thinking about Princess Wuyou's expression when she saw Qi Yihan, it now seemed quite peculiar, a mixture of fear and admiration, more like a superior-subordinate relationship.
Li Man'er speculated that perhaps Princess Wuyou was deeply in love with the Ninth Prince and, unable to obtain his affections, she had therefore...
But what did that have to do with her? Could it be that Princess Wuyou considered her a rival?
That would truly be friendly fire! She only wanted to latch onto a powerful figure, and that was all.
As Li Man'er was thinking, the carriage stopped. The carriage swayed slightly, and she heard the matron outside say, "Granddaughter, we've arrived."
Muyun and Ziyan jumped off the carriage, set up the mounting stool, and helped Li Man'er alight.