Chapter Fifty-One: Missed

  In the backyard, a handsome young man with a white embroidered long gown and a brown waistband tied around his waist, with a fine sheep fat jade pendant hanging on his right side, walked quickly in the garden, occasionally looking around as if he was looking for someone.

  A youth of similar age to the Sixth Prince, drenched in sweat, followed closely behind: "Sixth Prince, can we take a break? I'm really exhausted and can't walk anymore. We've been walking for ages."

  "This is all because of your incompetence. You said Liu Rong would come to the Weibei Hou Mansion, but until now, there's no sign of her." The Sixth Imperial Grandson continued walking forward.

  Liu Bo helplessly said, "I just secretly asked my great-grandmother, and she said Liu Rong went to the garden to enjoy the scenery. But this garden is so big, it's not easy to run into each other, why don't we not look for her for now? Anyway, tonight we'll all be going to the back garden theater to watch a play, let's take a rest first and talk about it after dinner."

  He didn't know that Liu Rong was hiding behind the screen in the house at that time. The madam couldn't say it clearly, so she had to find an answer to get past it casually.

  It's all because of these two people who were searching for clues in the wrong places.

  Shangguan Chen didn't respond and continued walking forward, looking around in all directions.

  Ever since his father found out that he had secretly gone to the Wen Dinghou Mansion, he had given a strict order not to let him enter the Wen Dinghou Mansion again, otherwise he would be punished with house arrest. This was also the reason why he hadn't been to the Wen Dinghou Mansion for so many days. So missing this opportunity, next time it won't be easy to have such an opportunity to see that strong-willed, persistent, calm and thoughtful woman who wasn't for himself.

  "Houhuayuan, we've almost turned a circle, and even looked around the theater, maybe Liu Rong isn't here, I'll try walking back along the way I came." Shangguan Chen said to Liu Bo, changing direction to continue searching.

  Liu Bo had no choice but to continue following him, knowing he had said a lot of nonsense.

  But then Liu Rong led Dong Er towards the theater, walking not very quickly, but rather with a leisurely and playful air, looking left and right, as if she had never seen the flowers and grass in this garden before.

  Dong Er looked at Liu Rong and felt a bit strange, but still followed quietly behind her. At the same time, she was delighted that Liu Rong walked slowly, perhaps this way they could miss handing over the drawings to the other party, and thus avoid some danger.

  Liu Rong didn't know that Dong Er still had such an idea in her mind, she just looked at the lush greenery in the garden and thought about the current season, feeling a bit topsy-turvy: "Dong Er, you said it's already winter, how come the flowers and plants in the Weibei Hou Mansion are still growing so well?"

  These are not plum trees or anything, and they can still be lush and green, even in modern times, this is extremely rare.

  Dong Er heard Liu Rong's question, and after a moment of silence, he finally spoke up: "Actually, our manor was also this prosperous when the young lady was little, but after Auntie's family declined, it wasn't good anymore."

  Liu Rong was hearing Dong Er mention these things for the first time: "Tell me in detail."

  "The young lady should know that the Zhong family was implicated in treason and suffered a tragic end, with all members of the household being executed. Although the Wen Ding Hou Fu was spared due to imperial favor, the elders of the household were forced to step down from their important positions and could only hold minor posts. Winter said, pausing slightly: 'With such a large estate, without important official positions, how can they maintain their expenses? The people in the mansion are all extremely concerned with saving face, so on the surface, everything looks good, but inside, it's very tight. Therefore, everyone dislikes Clock Mother extremely, and finally, due to fear of being held accountable by those above, the Old Madame took charge and demoted your mother, while Liu Dà Niáng was promoted due to her close relationship with the Old Madame.'"

  "When Liu Dà Nǎi was still a concubine, she was actually quite good. It's just that somehow, after being promoted to the position of Dà Nǎi, she changed. Dong Er shook her head slightly: "Later on, the Wén Dìng Hóu Fǔ declined year by year. Although they still had a noble title, it was already impossible to compare with other noble households."

  Dong Er said with a sigh, these things, some of which she had seen herself, and many of which were told to her by the housekeeper who used to follow the Zhong family, but over the years, even the superficial layer of goodness could not be maintained, and all these people were dismissed.

  Liu Rong seemed to have some understanding of the attitude of the Wen Ding Hou Fu towards the Zhong family. As for Liu Dà Niáng's change, it was probably because she had been suppressed for many years and later became powerful, but still felt that the person who made her humble herself in the past was an eyesore, as if there was always someone in front of her, reminding her of her once humiliating existence.

  Of course, she understands Liu Dainai's mentality, but that doesn't mean she can tolerate Liu Dainai bullying Zhongshi. This person is good in all other aspects, except for one thing - being biased and protective of her own people.

  Dong Er saw Liu Rong's ears perk up as she listened intently, a look of interest on her face, and so continued: "In the past few years, although we've gradually had more interactions with other noble families, things have gotten better, but because there are relatives who assisted in treasonous plots, all the larger family clans only maintain a superficial relationship. They're afraid that if they get too close, it will be seen as a problem."

  "The Marquis probably saw through all this, which is why he submitted Ninth Aunt's nameplate to the palace, hoping to change some circumstances by sending women into the palace. But Ninth Aunt's temperament..." Dong'er didn't say anything more.

  Liu Rong knew that with Liu Xuan's current temperament, entering the palace would likely end in her death, and her clever grandfather had probably made a mistake.

  "Dong Er, from now on when you have nothing to do, tell me in detail about the various mansions inside and outside the government that you've interacted with. I find it quite interesting to listen." Liu Rong instructed Dong Er seriously.

  Winter son happily nodded: "Eh."

  "Let's hurry up, I'm afraid someone is waiting for us and getting impatient." Liu Rong smiled and stopped lingering around here. With so much time, it should be enough for some people to prepare a grand feast for her.

  But just as Liu Rong quickened her pace, she happened to be walking in the same direction as Liuxi, who had been searching for her everywhere, and they narrowly missed each other as he walked from the backyard to the front yard.

  Sometimes, between people, there is still a bit of fate involved. Fate can be subtle, but it's indeed true.

  But Miss Zhen waited until Liu Xuan and the others left the pavilion before emerging from her hiding place, only to avoid being discovered by them. However, in order not to be seen, she couldn't take the shortcut that Liu Xuan and the others took, so she had to go back the way she came with Liu Rong. Unfortunately, the road behind was unfamiliar, and she had no choice but to return home to find her own maid before chasing after Liu Rong.

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  Last night, I stayed up late to write that chapter, and it was a bit of a struggle. I got up at 6 am this morning to continue writing, but my writing speed is really slow. Hope you all like it.