Yun Xiyi was startled!
"Is Miss serious?"
"Absolutely serious. I've already had the maids tidy up the study. If there's nothing else, we'll start tomorrow."
Although this had nothing to do with the task assigned by Empress Dowager Lu, in the long run, if she wanted to turn the tide and accept the culture of this era, learning to write in the language of this era was definitely essential. Besides, having a female teacher readily available, why waste time on painting portraits of handsome men?
Hearing Grace's decisive words, Yun Xiyi didn't know what to say. Even though she had prepared herself psychologically, she still felt sudden.
This incompetent person, who was being played around both inside and outside the house, had she finally come to her senses?
Or was she playing with her?
As a precaution, she suggested, "This matter shouldn't be a problem, but Miss should discuss it with Madam first."
Madam again!
Grace spoke seriously, "Mr. Yun, you're mistaken. This is my family affair. You were invited into the mansion by my father to teach me etiquette and knowledge properly. Therefore, you should obey orders. Madam is just temporarily staying here to look after me. Even if you're happy that the prodigal son has returned, or if I'm forced to learn, Mr. Yun should still stick to your position.
"And now you're asking me to get Madam's approval. Are you implying that Madam interferes too much in my affairs on weekdays?"
"..."
Yun Xiyi, who had read a lot of books, was speechless at this moment.
Grace took a sip of tea, then turned her head to look in the direction of Mei Yingzhai.
In Mei Yingzhai, separated by a corridor from Qiyu Pavilion, Aunt Ning, who was having dinner, put down her chopsticks.
"Did she really say those things?"
"The servant doesn't dare to lie. Miss seems to have changed completely, even inquiring about Madam and the Marquis as if she were a different person. Fortunately, the Marquis left later, so Miss didn't ask anything else."
Aunt Ning sat still for a while, then gave Caiyun a strange look.
Caiyun inexplicably took a step back, biting her lip and bowing her head.
"It seems that Miss is becoming more sensible," Aunt Ning said. "It's no wonder she came out of the palace unscathed. It shows that she has remembered my teachings. Although she often causes trouble, for a family like ours, it's not a big deal. In such a good era, young ladies should live freely."
Caiyun raised her head in a daze.
"Go back, don't let anyone notice anything."
After sending Caiyun away, Aunt Ning immediately wiped the smile off her face and looked at the nursemaid Autumn. "Why do I feel like something's not right?"
Autumn came over. "It does feel a bit off! Miss used to hate talking about household matters the most. She couldn't be bothered about anything that happened at home. But suddenly, she's changed her tune. Yesterday, not only did she ask Madam about the Flower Moon Society, today she directly talked to the Marquis—
"It's really worrying. Has Miss been influenced by something evil? Or is it because she was frightened by the Empress Dowager yesterday in the palace?"
"She's about to step into trouble. We must avoid any mistakes," Aunt Ning said anxiously.
"That would be a huge loss. Yesterday, Miss even suggested to the Marquis to take a concubine. Madam has spent twelve years here. If she ends up being replaced, what would Madam be? Raising a young lady to this age isn't easy. If it weren't for Madam's hard work, letting Madam raise the third Miss, the third Miss wouldn't have grown up so well. The Marquis should remember that too! As for the third Miss, she shouldn't forget Madam's kindness!"
Aunt Ning's face darkened as she listened. "This girl used to be obedient, but suddenly changed her tune. Someone must be behind this. —Has Madam and the others gone to Qiyu Pavilion these past two days?"
"Madam and the others went to Qiyu Pavilion when Miss just returned and accompanied her back to her room. But they haven't been there since."
"And did they send anyone over?"
Autumn thought for a moment before saying, "Yesterday after dinner, Madam sent Zisu, who was by her side, to Qiyu Pavilion to deliver a calming soup to Miss. Madam and the others stayed there for quite a while!"
"Exactly as I suspected!"
Aunt Ning seemed to have figured something out and clenched the handkerchief in her hand. "The main family has long been at odds with me. Initially, it was for the sake of the third Miss, but Aunt Xing almost confronted me. Later, although there were no more incidents, she might still be worried that I would take the position of the Marchioness of Qingyun in the future and ride on her head. The one who's inciting the third Miss is probably not someone else, but someone from within this house!"
"Madam isn't someone to be underestimated. As her sister-in-law from another branch, she's reached into her little brother's room. We should be on guard."
Aunt Ning gritted her teeth. Then, her expression softened. "Yes, Miss previously asked me about whether Cheng's brother had any thoughts of setting up a separate residence. Plus, she volunteered to tell the Marquis about agreeing to take a concubine without consulting me first. Could it be that she's been instigated already?"
Autumn also panicked. "Then Madam is really good at playing with people's hearts!"
Aunt Ning sat down heavily. "Stop dawdling. Spend more money and make sure to keep both sides under tight control!"
"Yes!"
...
Yun Xiyi was at a loss for Grace's sudden change. She never expected to be confronted by someone she had always looked down upon!
What's worse, Grace spoke so convincingly that she couldn't refute her!
Just then, Hua Xiangrong returned in a hurry. "Miss!"
Grace waved her hand, signaling for Xiao Lan and Xiao Ju to leave. "What happened? What did you find out?"
Hua Xiangrong couldn't contain herself. "That damn maid went to Mei Yingzhai!"
Yun Xiyi interjected, "Caiyun?"
Hua Xiangrong tapped the table lightly. "I went out and quickly caught up with that annoying girl, and she led me straight to Mei Yingzhai. She was talking with Aunt Ning inside for quite some time. I managed to sneak around to the side window and eavesdrop. I heard Caiyun mention that Miss met with the Marquis and thankfully, the Marquis left. It made me furious!
"This maid eats the food from Qiyu Pavilion but still tries to please Aunt Ning. If I could act without repercussions, I would have torn her arm off to let her know the consequences of playing dirty tricks!"
Yun Xiyi was bewildered. "How did Miss discover Caiyun?"
She had long suspected something was
wrong with Caiyun, but Grace shouldn't have!
Has this fool really become enlightened?!
"There's nothing difficult about it. Since she's always been stopped whenever she tries to study, there must be someone informing on her. There aren't that many people in the house, so I dug a small hole to test it out. If it didn't work the first time, I'd try again until I found out."
Grace didn't think it was anything special. Not only that, but she also felt a bit troubled now.
She had just made a move, and Caiyun fell into the trap immediately, completely disregarding whether she was being watched or not. It seemed that the Marquis's inner residence was even worse than she had imagined.
The key was that even Grace's own people had been bribed by Aunt Ning. It wasn't just that Aunt Ning's reach was too long; it was almost as if she had covered the sky with one hand!