When Tunan was leaving, Zhao Surui looked at her thin back, smacked his lips and said:

"I want to eat elbow."

The ordinary-looking maid stopped putting on her cloak and turned to look at him.

"Okay, I'll make elbows for the girl tomorrow."

Zhao Surui looked away and said nothing.

Only then did he let go of the estrangement that had started with Shao Zhiqing.

It’s been a long time since he’s eaten Tunan’s elbow!

Wearing an inconspicuous cotton cloak and coming out of the yamen, Tunan glanced to the west and saw a few men standing by the wall.

She lowered her eyes and quickened her pace to pass in front of several people, but was stopped by someone.

"The girl is Mrs. Shen's maid?"

Tunan stopped and half-turned to face the person who spoke, his eyes still lowered, his fingers hooked on his cloak, looking cowardly and harmless.

The speaker seemed to be more timid than her. He stopped three steps away from her and bowed briefly:

"I was serving the master and had a relationship with the girl. I wonder if the girl still remembers it?"

Tunan didn't say anything, just nodded slightly.

The man seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Please tell me, miss, is Mrs. Shen okay now?"

As if she didn't know how to respond, the young maid panicked for a moment before saying, "Sure, that's fine."

Her eyes moved lightly, darting to look at the waist and abdomen of others, not daring to raise her head. She looked like she had been in the house for a long time and rarely interacted with outsiders, and people couldn't bear to disturb her.

The man smiled and said, "A certain surname is Fang. The brothers behind me have been guarding here these days. If there is any trouble, just tell them."

With a slight nod, Tunan turned around and left.

The man stood there and looked at it for a while, and someone followed him with his head in the air:

"I am more familiar with Madam Shen's two maids, the one named Peifeng. Peifeng has a straightforward and free temperament. If she is not a woman, she has the character of a soldier. The one named Tunan looks... He knows how to practice martial arts, but he hides himself deeply in the house."

"Hidden deeply?" The person who had just spoken to Tunan turned around, with a clear and elegant face, "It is indeed hidden deeply, Si...Yu Simei, let your people guard Shen here." Madam, if something happens, go to Shen Mansion to find this Tunan girl."

"Boss Fang, do you mean that Tunan can speak in Shen's house?"

Fang Qi'en, who was out of the palace, did not answer, but asked again: "Have you checked Miss Tunan's family name?"

Yu Simei blinked her little eyes and glanced at the direction Tunan left: "My surname is Ling. When she was six years old, she joined Shen Shao with her father. Her father used to be a bodyguard. When Prince Duansheng fell into the water, her father I also jumped down and didn’t come back.”

Fang Qi'en nodded.

Nothing more was said.

On the other side, Tunan walked onto the avenue in one breath without looking back, secretly recalling what he had just seen.

She wears official boots, and the robe on her body looks plain green, but is actually made of dark floral satin. There are traces of stitching on the collar, probably because the fur collar on it was removed so as not to attract attention.

It looks like he is still in his twenties, the age to start a family and start a business, but he has not yet grown a beard...

The fingers are long and thin, and there are calluses between the fingers, which shows that he is also good at writing. When standing, his body leans to the right, which may be a problem after standing for a long time.

What kind of wealthy family has even the servants to wear dark floral satin? All their feet are wearing soap boots?

Can you still treat the people of Xichang like your own servants?

Prince, prince, prince? General’s disciple?

Walking around a tree covered with snow, several children passed by shouting, and Tunan let out a soft breath of white air.

Today's "girls" are arrogant and wanton yet cruel and stubborn. Most of them are spoiled young children of wealthy families, yet they wield great power and do not take human life seriously.

For such a person, his life will definitely be much easier than being trapped in a deep house.

only……

Tunan was still worried about his girl.

Turning around, under the cover of layers of roof tiles, she couldn't even see the Yamen she had just walked out of, let alone the place where her girl's soul was hidden somewhere in Yanjing City.

Fang Qi'en left the palace this time just to see Lady Shen. In other words, taking a look at Lady Shen was not something His Majesty asked him to do after leaving the palace. It was just that as a slave, he naturally had to put his master's thoughts first. In my mind, His Majesty has now transferred many of the memorials and files in the palace to the female officials from the hands of these eunuchs. Naturally, these eunuchs are ten times more attentive than before.

He got on the carriage at the gate of the Procuratorate's Yamen, and soon he arrived in front of a mansion.

There was not even a plaque on the door of the mansion, but there were a few men and women standing in front of the door.

"How's the cleaning going inside?"

"Returning to the palm print, the courtyard has been cleaned according to your instructions. The roof has been repaired before the snow falls, and new clothes, quilts and curtains have been purchased."

Walking up to the courtyard, this courtyard can almost be described as "seeing it all".

There are a few cypress trees in the not-so-open courtyard, which blocks half of the skylight. There is still snow on the eaves and walls. Even though it has been cleaned both inside and outside, it still shows some signs of decay caused by not being inhabited for a long time.

Fang Qi'en looked around and saw the water tank on the wall.

"Are these two water tanks new?"

"Returning to the palm print, there were originally two water tanks in this yard, and the bowl lotus should have been planted in them. However, the yard has been open for a long time, the water in the tanks dried up, and the bowl lotus also died. We got a new water tank, and put the bowl I dug out the roots of the lotus, and I don’t know if it will be able to survive next year.”

"If there is no bowl of lotus, just move two bamboos to the corner."

"yes."

Several people did it immediately.

Fang Qi'en still felt that there were many things missing in this courtyard. Although he was a eunuch with a humble background, he had seen the most prosperous and beautiful scene in the world. This empty little courtyard really made him dislike it.

"Isn't the color of the window screen too fancy..."

"I think it's just right."

Hearing the woman's voice, Fang Qi'en quickly turned around and saluted:

"I've met Mrs. Mi, I've met Mrs. Shoucheng Hou."

The two women who came together also returned the greeting:

"I've seen Fang's palm print."

Mi Xinlan raised her head and looked around, sighed softly, and said with a half-smile: "I really didn't expect that one day I would be able to welcome Sister Yao here."…

Fang Qi'en lowered his head and said nothing.

His Majesty decreed that a number of old ministers should be reinstated. The first one to bear the brunt was Chu Jiyuan, the former Minister of Household Affairs. Chu Jiyuan's house was confiscated that year, and his house was also confiscated. It was also in this house that Chu Jiyuan, who had been in charge of Dayong's treasury for more than ten years, was confiscated. The man dug out all his family assets, but only thirty taels of broken silver.

Not even an official ingot.

Such a person was demoted to the southwest just because he disagreed with His Majesty's Western and Northern Expeditions?!

Mi Xinlan thinks this is a joke.

Chu Jiyuan's wife Yao was kind-hearted and open-minded, and she was on good terms with her. Because of this, when His Majesty asked her to welcome Yao back to his old house, she did not spit on the eunuch who sent the message.

If given the chance, Mi Xinlan would even like to ask Your Majesty in person, what kind of person does Your Majesty want to stand in such a big court when a loyal and good person like Chu Jiyuan still has to suffer relegation and humiliation? A petty person who is corrupt, perverts the law, practices favoritism, and practices malpractice.

Human? Or a groveling mediocre person?

Liang Yuying, Madam Shouchenghou, took the basket from the maid's hand and said with a smile:

"Mrs. Mi, I brought Magu wine and four-color snacks to wash Mrs. Yao's dust. I don't know if I can satisfy her. I am a very clumsy person. I was assigned this job and I don't know how I can do it well.

, I thought for a long time before I realized that I have some skills in making dim sum. I made these dishes of dim sum myself."

Seeing her honest smile, Mi Xinlan had no choice but to bear the anger in her heart. The woman in front of her was also a miserable person, and she would have to hurt her if she let out the anger.

See

Mrs. Shouchenghou coaxed Mi into silence, and Fang Qi'en felt relieved:

"Mrs. Mi, Your Majesty means that Mrs. Yao should also have someone to serve her. The specific decision is entirely up to you."

"I brought people here, all of whom are elderly people, and hired a cook from outside. Sister Yao is a generous person, and she is not a widow. How can I not use the pink window screen? I think this window screen is good, no need

Change it, that is, the steps in front of the door need to be re-stretched, otherwise they will be too slippery with frost and snow."

This is also simple. Fang Qi'en waved to someone, and someone immediately came over to raise the stone steps. There was no need to re-draw the texture on them. In less than two moments, new stone steps were replaced.

Mi Xinlan saw that they were working neatly, but she didn't say anything.

An hour later, a carriage wrapped tightly in cotton stopped in front of the door.

First, a woman in her twenties led a seven or eight-year-old girl out of the carriage. When she saw two ladies in luxurious clothes waiting in front of the door, she quickly pulled the child to salute.

Mi looked at her for a moment, feeling happy at first. The next moment, she saw clearly the white flowers on the woman's head and the plain white cotton-padded jacket on the little girl's body.

Shocked, Mi looked into the carriage in disbelief and asked urgently:

"Yuan Jin, where is your mother?"

Chu Yuanjin buried her head in her arms. After a long while, she whispered:

"Aunt, my mother has been working hard since she took me back to her place of origin, weaving and spinning every day and sending money to my father. She became ill from overwork and left in October this year."

Mi Xinlan took a step back, her heart was shocked. She never thought that Yao had worked hard all his life with Chu Jiyuan, but he left just before he could see some light.
To be continued...