Chapter 283 – Plum Blossom Nunnery Again
Soft brocade was the material that Jing Wenyan had given Yan Huaijing before!
Shufei hurriedly turned around to report to Wei Yuewu. After pondering for a moment, Wei Yuewu asked Shufei to invite the shopkeeper in.
After the shopkeeper greeted Wei Yuewu, he respectfully said, “Sixth Young Lady, the soft brocade that was put in our store last time was sent here by an ordinary middle-aged scholar. When he came to get the money later, I asked someone to follow him and found that he lived outside the city, near Plum Blossom Nunnery.”
Plum Blossom Nunnery? It was actually Plum Blossom Nunnery again?
Inexplicably, Wei Yuewu thought of the soft brocade in the courtyard she lived in. Such an item must not be left behind for no reason. Therefore, she put the soft brocade away and waited for the owner to ask for it. But even until now, no one came to ask for this piece of soft brocade.
It could be seen that someone had deliberately left it there to attract her attention!
But what did that person want to do? Judging from the situation at that time, that person should not have any ill intention towards her. Nevertheless, after the elapse of so much time, no one could guarantee that person was still having a goodwill towards her.
“Does he live alone?” Wei Yuewu asked after pondering for a moment.
“Yes, he’s alone. Normally, he only wrote and drew for a living. Nobody could tell that he was the owner of the soft brocade! However, I followed him for a few days and found that he seemed to be related to one of the stewards of the mansion of Duke of Jing. As for the specific details about their relations, I couldn’t find out!”
The shopkeeper reported.
So this matter was still related to Jing Wenyan as she had expected? Back then, Jing Wenyan wanted to curry favor with Yan Huaijing, so she used such a reason to give away this piece of soft brocade. With the mansion of Duke of Jing’s strength, it was quite a normal thing for the mansion to have such a piece of soft brocade.
However, what made Wei Yuewu feel strange was the middle-aged man. It was too coincidental that he lived near Plum Blossom Nunnery.
“Is that person still there?” Wei Yuewu asked softly.
“Yes, he’s still there. I heard that he has been living there alone for many years. He makes a living by selling works of calligraphy and painting. He doesn’t have many visitors and he is also a good person!” The shopkeeper replied.
He was a fallen scholar and lived by the side of the nunnery. Well, this was all the information that Wei Yuewu could get. Moreover, he had been living there for years. It seemed that he had nothing to do with the mansion of Duke of Jing, except that he was related to one of the mansion of Duke of Jing’s stewards.
“Manager, can you keep an eye on him for some time and see what he usually does? Try to find out if there is anything special about him. If there is nothing unusual, there is no need to come back!”
Wei Yuewu thought for a moment and ordered the shopkeeper.
There was nothing strange about a scholar who had been living quietly for so many years. Nevertheless, it was strange that he was still so calm after the incident in the mansion of Duke of Jing, as if nothing had happened!
After doing the mansion of Duke of Jing such a big favor, the man would definitely receive a generous reward from the mansion of Duke of Jing. However, this person still lived on as if nothing special had occurred. From whichever perspective, this man’s behavior was unreasonable.
“Yes, I understand!” The shopkeeper was not stupid. He immediately understood the meaning of Wei Yuewu’s words and nodded repeatedly.
“If you have any new dresses, bring a few sets over. Just pick some simple and elegant ones!” Wei Yuewu said casually.
“Yes, there are a batch of new dresses that haven’t been put on the shelf yet. Sixth Young Lady, wait a moment. I will get someone to send some to you immediately!” The shopkeeper replied with a smile. Then, he turned around and went downstairs.
In a while, a few shop assistants brought in some dresses.
Wei Yuewu picked a few dresses and let the shop assistants take the others away. She already had some dresses, and the Madam Dowager also gave her some dresses recently. Now, she had enough dresses for the trip to the Palace.
After choosing her dresses, Wei Yuewu returned to the mansion with her two maids.
Jin Ling had already been back to Lotus Courtyard. After Wei Yuewu entered the inner room and took a seat, Jin Ling served her tea. “Miss, I have never seen the Lord Marquis’ guest before. But this time, I went closer and saw more clearly. He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties. He had a great bearing. I pretended to rush out accidentally and almost bumped into him. He did not care at all and only took a step back.”
Because Jin Ling wanted to know something more about this person, she deliberately pretended to be a reckless maid and bumped into him. However, that person actually remained calm despite of the reckless behavior of a maidservant.
He just quickly retreated a little and then continued to walk forward calmly.
Wei Yuewu received the tea and took a sip. She leaned back in her chair and asked with a smile, “Which mansion is he from?”
“It’s the Tu Mansion!” Jin Ling replied. When she apologized to this lord, she took the chance to ask Wei Luowen’s lad servant about this man out of curiosity.
“Tu Mansion?” Wei Yuewu’s heart skipped a beat. Was this Tu Mansion the same as that Tu Mansion famous for its outstanding daughters?
“Is he from the mansion of Grand Preceptor Tu?” Wei Yuewu sat up straight, her eyes filled with surprise.
“He’s not from the mansion of Grand Preceptor Tu, but he is a distant relative of Grand Preceptor Tu. As for the specifics, the lad servant didn’t explain it clearly, and I couldn’t keep asking.”
Jin Ling thought for a moment before answering. Well, the mansion of Grand Preceptor Tu had always been famous for its outstanding daughters who were really extraordinary and well-known to all the aristocratic families.
Wei Yuewu knew that Jin Ling was very cautious. She asked, “Did you see Concubine Dong’s people?”
“Yes, I did. I followed behind that Lord Tu all the way out. At the entrance of a courtyard, I saw that Jinzhu, who was a maidservant of the Third Young Lady. She stood there and seemed to be waiting for a chance to speak to him. However, when she saw me, she retreated.”
Jin Ling followed Lord Tu all the way to the gate. She didn’t leave until she saw that Lord Tu had left the mansion. Jinzhu also followed them from a distance. However, because she saw Jin Ling was also there, she did not have any chance to speak to Lord Tu.
Wei Yuewu lowered her head and pondered for a moment. No matter what Concubine Dong wanted to do, it was clear that she had completely failed to achieve anything.
Her watery eyes fell on the pastries on the table. Wei Yuewu had tasted one before, but there were still many left.
It could be seen that Concubine Dong had carefully cooked this plate of pastries and had also made some special preparation, but in the end, all her efforts were in vain!
Moreover, the plate was also extremely outstanding. Such an outstanding plate was extremely compatible with the delicate pastries contained in it. The pastries were like flowers blooming on the plate, forming an extremely delightful scene.
This plate and these pastries looked exactly like a set.
However, the pastries were newly made by Concubine Dong. Therefore, where did Concubine Dong find this plate for holding the pastries? How many such plates did she have? If there were only a few such plates, Concubine Dong would not be able to remain calm and would definitely try to get the plate back from her!
Her target should be this Lord Tu, right? It was a pity that she wouldn’t have any chance to meet him in a short period of time. She would probably explode in anger…
However, there was more for her to suffer.
“Shufei, take a new plate and put some pastries in it. Send them to the Madam Dowager’s Tranquility Courtyard. Tell her that Concubine Dong made the pastries and sent them to my father, and my father specially asked me to send some to the Madam Dowager!”
As Wei Yuewu said those words, her delicate little face looked a little cunning, but she also looked lively and enchanting.
“Send some pastries to the Madam Dowager? But since the Madam Dowager will know they were made by Concubine Dong, there is no need to change the plate!” Shufei pointed at the plate of pastries. “This plate looks very unique and is extremely beautiful. The Madam Dowager will be happy to see it.”
“There’s no need to use this plate. It’s fine as long as the Madam Dowager is interested in Concubine Dong’s pastries!” Wei Yuewu raised her eyebrows and her smile became even more brilliant!
She wanted Concubine Dong to be angry, and she was doing this to provoke Concubine Dong. The angrier Concubine Dong was, the easier it was for her to find out what Concubine Dong had done to her mother. It was easier for an angry Concubine Dong to make a mistake…
In her courtyard, Concubine Dong, who had received this news, was really about to explode in anger. She frowned and asked in a stern voice, “What? You said that the plate of pastries were taken away by Wei Yuewu?”
“Yes, I secretly went to ask the lad servant in Lord Marquis’ courtyard. He said that the plate of pastries were taken away along with the plate!” Nanny Dong’s face was also gloomy. That plate was found with great difficulty by Concubine Dong. It had an extremely important role in Concubine Dong’s plan.
Concubine Dong was so angry that her pupils contracted as she said angrily, “Go, tell the Sixth Young Lady to return the plate to me!”
She could endure the humiliation of being punished with protracted kneeling by the Madam Dowager, but she could not bear to see the plate falling into the hands of Wei Yuewu!
“I am afraid this is not appropriate. The Sixth Young Lady is very vigilant. Jinzhu also said the Sixth Young Lady’s maid, Jin Ling, had been following Lord Tu.” When Nanny Dong saw Concubine Dong was so angry that her face turned green, she hurriedly reminded her. “It is impossible for the Sixth Young Lady to know about that matter. At most, it was just a coincidence. If you particularly asked for the plate, wouldn’t the Sixth Young Lady become suspicious of the plate?”
Concubine Dong clenched her fingers tightly. “This bitch, did she really find out something?”
“That’s impossible. Be at ease. At that time, the Sixth Young Lady was not born yet, and she couldn’t possibly know anything. The Sixth Young Lady must have been called there by Lord Marquis by chance and she liked that plate of pastries when she saw them!” Nanny Dong also thought that Concubine Dong was unlucky. How come the Sixth Young Lady went to the Lord Marquis’ study just after Concubine Dong left the study?
Nanny Dong continued, “I also learned that it was Lord Marquis who asked the Sixth Young Lady to go to his study. At that time, the Sixth Young Lady just returned from the Palace and didn’t know anything about it!”
“Then what should we do?” Concubine Dong also felt that Nanny Dong was right, but when she thought about how she had racked her brains and was only a step away from achieving her goal but ended up in vain simply because of Wei Yuewu, how could she not be angry?
“It is better to take it easy. Fortunately, Lord Tu has a good relationship with Lord Marquis. Although it is impossible for him to specially come to the mansion for you, it is very likely that he will come to the mansion in the future. When the time comes, you can make some pastries again. As for this plate…” Nanny Dong didn’t know what to say. It would indeed take some effort to get back the plate that had fallen into Sixth Young Lady’s hands without alarming her.
“No, there is only one such plate. I must get it back!” When Concubine Dong heard Nanny Dong mention this plate, she suddenly stood up and said angrily. She had spent so much effort to find the plate, and she could not really allow it to fall into Wei Yuewu’s hands.
“Is Concubine Dong here?” A voice suddenly came from the courtyard. Concubine Dong was stunned for a moment. How could she come at this time?
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