“Yes!” The cart driver answered as he looked at the old maid who just asked them.
“You are from Qin’s Mansion! Then please follow me. We would go that way for there are fewer people!” The old maid of Duke Xing’s Mansion was so excited for she found them and pointed at a direction.
She had asked many cart drivers along the road but no one was from Qin’s Mansion. Now since she found them, she would show them the way to Duke Xing’s Mansion first because of the requirement of her mansion.
“Follow her!” Shui Ruolan said to the cart driver outside.
The cart driver quickly turned the horse’s head and drove in a lane beside, where there was a side entrance. However, it was obvious that not everyone could use that door to get in the mansion. The traffic was very busy at the main entrance but here it was not. When seeing the two carriages driving towards the side entrance, those madams and ladies who had been waiting here for a long time looked at them and tried to figure out who they were.
Among them, some guessed the right answer while the others didn’t.
Following the old maid’s guidance, the two carriages entered the side door and stopped at a place after making several detours. Qionghua and Yujie lifted up the door curtain to let Shui Ruolan and Qin Wanru got off the carriage first. Then Qin Yuru and Qi Rongzhi also got off behind the first carriage.
The parking lot was very large and looked neat. There were tall trees around the parking lot in which there were only a few carriages.
When seeing those kinds of carriages, they knew that not every normal mansion could have those carriages. Everyone was huge and gorgeous. Qin’s Mansion’s carriages were good though, when stopping beside those ornate carriages, their carriages looked shabby and little.
Qin Wanru frowned. The traffic was so blocked at the main entrance and there were so many carriages. Now it seemed that they could not stop here!
“Madam Qin, Lady Qin, please follow me. Our madam has been waiting for you!” the old maid said with a bright smile, reached out and showed them the way.
“Your madam?” Shui Ruolan turned to look at her and asked.
“She is the Madam of Duke Xing. She has been waiting for a long time.” The old maid smiled brightly and looked very kind.
Shui Ruolan looked at Qin Wanru and Qin Wanru nodded without saying anything. Then they followed the old maid and kept walking.
Qin Wanru’s first impression of Duke Xing’s Mansion was that this mansion was so huge and seemingly boundless with endless detours. However, some parts seemed to be different. The part of building they just walked through was dominated by tall trees. In the middle of it, there were flowers. Now they were walking through a part whose theme was Jiangnan’s beautiful scenery with an exquisite bridge over a crystal-clear river.
Different architectural styles were used in one mansion, which showed the prosperity of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
They then met more and more people. Most of them walked along the same path with no servant leading them. However, only people from Qin’s Mansion walked along with an old maid leading. The old maid even talked to them in a low voice respectfully sometimes, seeming that she was introducing something. Then because of this, many madams and ladies they just met set their eyes on them.
They kept guessing who these people were and why Duke Xing’s Mansion would treat them in such a respectful way.
Qin Yuru and Qi Rongzhi quite enjoyed being eye-catching. They followed Shui Ruolan and looked very elegant and graceful, which seemed that they were sisters!
With two sisters who were attractive and decent, more and more people set their eyes on them.
They then walked into a flower hall as being watched by those madams and ladies.
There were many people in the hall, laughing and talking. A madam in the middle of these people was Madam of Duke Xing. She wasn’t very pretty but her behavior and her words made people feel comfortable. She treated others in a very kind way. It seemed that she was listening to you carefully whatever you were talking to her.
It was quite uneasy for her to do this because of her status.
She greeted her guests, listened carefully to people beside her and talked to them with a bright smile sometimes. Every time she would come to the point, making people think that Madam of Duke Xing was tactful. She not only handled things with skills and ease but also had a very good temper and character.
An old maid came to her quickly and whispered in her ears. Then she smiled much more brightly and even stood up excitedly. “Second Lady Qin is here! Bring her here quickly!”
She said softly.
Second Lady Qin? Several madams who sat beside her paused, not knowing who the Second Lady Qin was and why Madam of Duke Xing would become so excited.
“Who is Second Lady Qin?” A madam couldn’t resist asking.
“No idea!”, ” I don’t know!”, “Me neither.” …
Everyone was guessing whether this Second Lady Qin was a famous lady from an aristocrat family in the capital city but they finally found out that there was no person in the capital city could match.
Madam of Duke Xing didn’t talk to them but followed her old maid and walked towards them. Seeing Madam of Duke Xing greeting those people in person, all people were surprised. The crowd parted spontaneously to let her pass. Then they saw Shui Ruolan and her ladies who just walked in the hall. A sudden silence fell. Everyone was watching them.
They had become the center of attention when they just entered the hall. Qin Wanru frowned. “Does Duke Xing’s Mansion plan to give publicity for us or for themselves?”
Comparing two thoughts, she believed the latter was the answer!
Now Madam of Duke Xing walked to them with several servant girls and old maids following her. The old maid who showed them the way introduced for them smilingly, “This is our Madam of Duke Xing! Madam, she is the Second Lady Qin!”
The old maid pointed at Qin Wanru.
Madam of Duke Xing looked at Qin Wanru with her kind eyes and warm smile. Then she turned to Shui Ruolan and said, “Madam Shui, I finally see you! Come here!”
She immediately called her “Madam Shui”, showing that she had known Shui Ruolan’s background.
Although Shui Ruolan had never seen this scene before, she now calmed down. She bowed deeply to Madam of Duke Xing and answered politely, “I sure appreciate you, madam!”
Madam of Duke Xing showed them the way zealously and took them to the very front of the hall. They knew that the nobler those madams were, the farther seats in the front they sat in. Shui Ruolan stopped after several steps and said, “Madam of Duke Xing, we could have a seat beside. It is not proper for us to go there!”
“It doesn’t matter! If the Second Lady Qin didn’t save my Hao’er, he would have had an accident! You know, it is I who took him to the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’ Mansion. If something really happened to him, I would have had felt guilty.” Madam of Duke Xing smiled much more kindly and brightly. When she looked at Qin Wanru, she looked very gratified.
“You overstate, madam. Wanru just passed by and helped him!” said Shui Ruolan softly. She looked neither humble nor pushy. She said very naturally. However, she didn’t move.
The position of Qin’s Mansion was not comparable to the position of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Although Madam of Duke Xing acted very politely, if Shui Ruolan wasn’t clever and even still followed her, then Shui Ruolan was stupid and didn’t know her status.
“Second Lady Qin is so clever and kind. She is a good girl and looked really pretty. I like her very much! I would give you this as a present!” Finding out Shui Ruolan didn’t move, Madam of Duke Xing didn’t force her. She turned around and watched Qin Wanru carefully. She nodded and took a pair of bracelets out of her wrist. She walked towards her, picked up her hand and tried to help her wear the bracelets.
She just took them off her wrist. Not to mention how clear the bracelets were, they knew the bracelets were very valuable. According to her behavior that she took her bracelets off directly, everyone felt that Qin Wanru was so respectful.
Qin Wanru stepped backwards silently but her hand was held by Madam of Duke Xing so she could not go back. She raised her head and looked at Shui Ruolan, seeming that she felt awkward.
“Madam of Duke Xing, how could you do this? She is only a child and she could not receive these valuable presents like these!” Shui Ruolan hurried to stop her.
“Madam Shui, it doesn’t matter. It is only a pair of bracelets! I really like this girl and I feel this is our destiny!” Madam of Duke Xing wore the bracelets on Qin Wanru’s wrist. However, the bracelets were too big and her hands were small. The bracelets shook and almost fell. Shui Ruolan saw this and was stunned. She quickly held Qin Wanru’s hand.
“How generous Madam of Duke Xing is! Wanru appreciates you, madam!” Since Wanru wore the bracelets, it would be impolite to take it off again. Thus Shui Ruolan had to answer.
“Thank you Madam of Duke Xing!” Qin Wanru smiled, stepped forward and bowed to Madam of Duke Xing. Then she took the huge bracelets which almost fell off and gave them to Yujie, warning that she had to keep it carefully in a low voice.
She behaved very naturally. She acted like a lady of an aristocratic family and she was a little bit childish, which was accorded with her age.
Many people felt unpleasant when finding out that Madam of Duke Xing liked a lady they had never heard before. However, some of them chuckled when seeing Qin Wanru. However she acted decently and politely, she was a child.
Now some people who knew what happened in Rui’an Great Elder Princess’ Mansion had spread this story. Almost everyone in this hall knew it was Qin Wanru who saved the little devil of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
It was because of this! No wonder why Madam of Duke Xing would appreciate her!
However, Duke Xing’s Mansion’s arrangement was so perfect. They even let the little girl be so respectful.
“You’re welcome. How about having a look at the garden? There are many types of chrysanthemum and some of them are the valuable types which are given by the royal palace!” Madam of Duke Xing smiled. In the flower hall, most of the guests were madams and seldom ladies stayed because young ladies all went to the garden to appreciate the flowers.
Madam of Duke Xing said as she glanced at Qin Yuru and Qi Rongzhi. She even glanced at the bottom of their dresses. She laughed inwardly while her smile was still kind and gentle.
“Thank you, Madam of Duke Xing. However, I’d better have a seat. Yuru, Wanru and Lady Qi, how about you?” Shui Ruolan said in that she had been very tired when she was walking here. Now she didn’t want to move any more.
“Let me stay with you. Wanru and Sister Rongzhi could go!” As Qin Yuru thought it was a great chance to perform, she quickly behaved elegantly. It was Nanny Huang who taught her to say so but she didn’t want to be with Shui Ruolan here at all.
“Elder sister, you could go. I am tired now and I would stay with my mother for a while!” Qin Wanru pulled Shui Ruolan’s sleeve and said endearingly. She shook her sleeve and showed the embroidery pattern of bluegrass in front of Madam of Duke Xing.
Madam of Duke Xing stared at the pattern of bluegrass spontaneously…