Qi Luo Yuan – the name of Yun Qian Meng’s quarters

“Daddy! Y-you, you are actually helping her!” Yun Ruo Xue’s eyes reddened the moment she heard she was under house arrest and pointed a finger at her sister’s face.

Yun Qian Meng only looked at the finger and called, “Eunuch Qu!”

“Yes!”

“Did you take a good look at today’s events?” she asked before her father could say a word.

“Yes young mistress, I will report everything back to the Dowager Empress,” Eunuch Qu served the Dowager Empress, it was no surprise he knew what Yun Qian Meng was planning. Besides, even if Yun Qian Meng didn’t have the Dowager Empress supporting her in the shadows he still would have reported everything regardless – under what circumstances did a child of a concubine possess the right to insult and point her finger at the legitimate daughter of the Estate? Such behaviour was disgraceful and made him look at Yun Xuan Zhi with disapproval.

“Then I will thank Eunuch Qu,” Yun Qian Meng moved to the side and bowed slightly, showing him respect, “It is getting late and the Dowager Empress will require her people. I will not keep you any longer.”

“Yes, I understand,” and with that, the eunuch and his entourage made their way back to the palace.

Once the crowd had thinned out Yun Qian Meng turned to her father, “I’m feeing tired,” she said politely, “and I will go back to my quarters first.”

“Daddy…” Yun Ruo Xue sidled up to Yun Xuan Zhi the second Yun Qian Meng left with her maidservants, already beginning to slander Yun Qian Meng’s name.

“Xue’Er,” but before she could begin, she was immediately pulled back by her mother, “don’t be rude. Your father made the right decision.”

Yun Qian Meng had won today’s battle and there was no doubt that Su Qing was even further away from her goal of becoming the official wife now that the eunuch was going to inform the Dowager Empress about today’s events not to mention the crowd of commoners who were still pointing and whispering about her and her daughter. It was clear that Yun Xuan Zhi did what he did to help them both get out of this situation.

But there was one thing she still didn’t understand, how come Yun Qian Meng came back from the palace an entirely different person? She didn’t even leave for that long…

“Young miss, I’m afraid that the Master’s decision to place Concubine Su and her daughter under house arrest was for their benefit,” Shui’Er piped up as the three of them made their way through the gardens towards Yun Qian Meng’s quarters.

Yun Qian Meng only laughed. If Shui’Er could figure out what her father was doing then how could she not? It was evident that Su Qing and Yun Ruo Xue had heard what had happened in the palace and had come out of the estate which the sole purpose to humiliate her. Nonetheless, they could plan and try to calculate her all they want, there was still no way they would guess that the Yun Qian Meng they once knew of had already disappeared.

“Dong!” The sound of a wooden bucket hitting the ground stopped them in their steps and before any of them could react, a figure a thrown itself in front of Yun Qian Meng, “Oh! Miss! Young Mistress! What happened? Why are you all bloody?”

Yun Qian Meng looked down to see a girl around fourteen or fifteen clutching her arm. It was Mu Chun, a maidservant her mother had given her when she was still alive but taken away by Su Qing so she could replace Yun Qian Meng’s maidservants with her own people. Instead, Mu Chun was transferred so she could slave away and cut wood all day, a job even the men had trouble with. The job hadn’t treated her way, the girl’s face was waxen, her hair withered and yellowing and her clothes full of patches.

Yun Qian Meng smiled faintly, “I’m okay,” she reassured the girl, “but you, you’ve thinned out again.”

Yun Qian Meng’s smile completely stopped Mu Chun’s tears, since when was the young miss so optimistic?

“I’m fine,” she said before realising she might get in trouble for loitering and quickly headed back to pick up the wooden bucket.

“Hold it,” Yun Qian Meng ordered, “Shui’Er, go and tell the housekeeper that from now on, Mu Chun will be serving me. There will be no need for her to return to the woodcutter’s quarters,” and with that, she turned and continued on walking to her own quarters.

Qi Luo Yuan…

This was a yuan zi located in the north-western corner of the Estate, it had fallen into disrepair with weeds creeping up all over the place and old rooms which were falling apart. The path from the entrance to the main rooms were muddy and grass had covered up the majority of the footpaths. If it wasn’t for Mu Chun who routinely did her best to maintain the place then she wouldn’t even be able to make it to her room.

“Miss, I’m so sorry-” Mu Chun was about to explain the state of the courtyard before being cut off by Yun Qian Meng.

“There’s no need to be sorry. We will wait for the housekeeper to come and sort this out for us, all of you can help me get changed first,” then she turned to Shui’Er, “go to my father’s study and ask him to come here once the housekeeper has arrived.”

“Yes!”

But one seriously had to compliment the housekeeper. Yun Qian Meng had waited over half an hour before she heard the footsteps of the retainers approaching her quarters…

“This servant greets the young mistress!” The housekeeper was careful to treat Yun Qian Meng carefully after witnessing today’s events but he still raised his head a little bit to shoot a glare at Mu Chun.

“Why is the housekeeper visiting my Qi Luo Yuan?” Yun Qian Meng asked, slowly lifting the tea set in front of her and taking a sip of water.

“This servant heard that the young miss wanted Mu Chun to serve her, however this maidservant was moved by the Mistress so I think it may not be a good idea…”

Yun Qian Meng simply lowered the cup and smiled at the housekeeper, “Mistress? Hmm, perhaps the housekeeper is talking about Concubine Su? See, this is something I simply don’t understand, why are all the servants in the Estate calling a mere concubine the mistress of the Estate? The legitimate wife of the Prime Minister?”