The butler of the mansion happened to be stepping out of the main gates just as he spotted Qing Yin and Qing Bao standing by the carriage. Qing Yin reached out a hand to assist someone down.
His eyes lit up, and he immediately hurried over to greet them.
The talisman Mother Qing had given him to try previously had been remarkably effective. He had been looking for an opportunity to ask Lu Zhaoling for more, but since the Prince had not yet returned to the mansion, he hadn't dared to take the initiative to contact her on his own.
Now, however, the Second Miss Lu had come to his doorstep herself.
"Uncle Yun, why are you so worked up?" Qing Bao asked as she turned around, seeing the butler's face practically crinkling with excitement.
This brat, he thought. What does she mean by 'worked up'? Couldn't she call it 'enthusiastic'?
Was it wrong for him to welcome the Second Miss Lu with enthusiasm?
Lu Zhaoling had already stepped down from the carriage with Qing Yin's help. She looked over at the butler.
"Hmm?"
The moment her eyes landed on him, her brow furrowed.
"Miss, this is the mansion's butler, Uncle Yun," Qing Yin said. Seeing her mistress's reaction, a sense of foreboding settled in her heart.
The butler was also a man who knew how to read a room. Noticing Lu Zhaoling's expression was off, he immediately reigned in his overly enthusiastic smile and bowed respectfully.
"This old servant greets the Second Miss."
He didn't dare put on airs, referring to himself as an "old servant" in her presence.
"Stretch out your hand and let me see," Lu Zhaoling said.
The others found it strange, but Qing Bao grew anxious and immediately grabbed the butler's arm.
"Uncle Yun, our Miss said to see your hand. Hurry up."
Had the Miss spotted something wrong?
The butler sidestepped her and extended his hand on his own.
Lu Zhaoling saw his fingers were dotted with tiny, blood-red specks.
"What did you just touch?"
The butler looked at his hand blankly. Nothing seemed amiss to him; his skin was simply rough, and his palms were thick with calluses.
This old man's hands certainly weren't pretty to look at.
"Touch something?"
While the butler was still lost in confusion, Lu Zhaoling had already started walking toward the main gates. "Let's go inside to talk."
There were still quite a few people watching from outside the mansion.
Someone saw Lu Zhaoling enter the gates of Prince Jin's Mansion.
"Prince Jin's Mansion actually welcomed a young lady inside!"
"Who is that? Usually, no woman ever sets foot in there."
Passersby not far away couldn't help but huddle together to gossip.
"That must be the Second Miss Lu, the second daughter of Lord Lu Ming. Haven't you heard? She's been granted a marriage to Prince Jin."
"Is that for real? Hey, why didn't you say so sooner? If you had, I would've plucked up the courage to run over and see what she looks like."
"I heard she's from the countryside."
"So she's just a little village girl?"
"That's not right. I heard that Second Miss Lu is exceptionally beautiful."
Nearby, a man dressed in a green robe with wide sleeves listened to their chatter, casting a glance toward the mansion as well.
Beside him stood a youth in martial attire.
"Master, aren't we leaving? Today's edition of the Capital News hasn't been laid out yet."
"How should we write about Prince Jin's betrothal in the latest Capital News?" the man asked in a low voice.
The youth blinked. "But... that's Prince Jin."
"Prince Jin can't be written about? This is exactly why, with so many reservations, the Capital News never sells well. Have them gather more stories about Prince Jin and the Second Miss Lu. Find someone to polish the prose and put it on the front page of the latest edition."
The youth replied with a respectful "yes."
Lu Zhaoling had no idea people were planning to write gossip about her. Once she entered Prince Jin's Mansion, she felt her entire body relax.
This mansion truly lived up to being the home of that "supply station" of a man. The place was overflowing with Spiritual Energy; the magnetic field was a perfect fit for her.
She really wanted to move in.
In that moment, Lu Zhaoling even felt her original plan wavering. She had originally intended to cooperate with Prince Jin for half a year and then break the engagement, but now she felt that becoming the Princess Consort of Jin wouldn't be bad at all just for the sake of living in this mansion legitimately.
However, as she rounded the spirit screen, that comfortable feeling felt as if it had been swept away. Instead, thin threads of Yin Energy began to entwine around her.
Talk about polar opposites!
Lu Zhaoling stopped in her tracks.
The butler immediately stopped as well.
Lu Zhaoling looked around the area.
The front courtyard looked perfectly fine. The ground was paved with white jade tiles, and carved balustrades lined both sides. Trees were planted throughout, with fragrant orchids growing beneath them.
Further ahead, two rows of pine trees led directly to the front hall.
It was a spacious, grand mansion.
In the distance, servants were pruning the greenery, and maids were sweeping the paths.
The Prince was the only master, yet the servants were numerous.
"Second Miss, is something the matter?" the butler asked. "Your visit today is..."
Lu Zhaoling hadn't even mentioned the purpose of her sudden arrival yet.
"I'm here to file a complaint. I was bullied, so I'm looking for Prince Jin to tattle. I want him to help me deal with someone," Lu Zhaoling said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Eh?" The butler was stunned by her words. "Who?"
"Commandery Princess Changning," Lu Zhaoling said. "Send someone to the palace to pass him a message. Tell him to get some payback for me."
Qing Yin and Qing Bao exchanged glances. Neither of them had expected Lu Zhaoling to come to Prince Jin's Mansion for such a reason.
The butler didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he still nodded. "This old servant will send someone to the palace to deliver the message to the Prince."
Lu Zhaoling was satisfied.
The people in Prince Jin's Mansion were quite nice; they had good attitudes and did whatever she asked.
Since that was the case, she would help this Uncle Yun.
"Now, back to your hand. What did you touch just now? Was it something related to the decorations in this front courtyard?"
The Feng Shui of the courtyard had changed suddenly; something improper must have been added.
The butler was shocked. "How did the Second Miss know? I just finished hanging a few lanterns over there."
He pointed to a row of small trees on the right, where three white lanterns were hanging.
"The mansion had already been decorated, but someone sent these three Thousand-Craft Lanterns over this morning. I thought it would be good to offer prayers for the Retired Emperor, so I hung them up."
Fearing Lu Zhaoling didn't know what they were, Qing Yin whispered an explanation. "Miss, these Thousand-Craft Lanterns are made by the Liu family in the capital. Their lanterns are very famous.
The craftsmanship is incredibly complex and they are weatherproof. A single one is worth a hundred taels, and even then, they are nearly impossible to obtain."
Thus, these three lanterns were a rare gift.
However, making Thousand-Craft Lanterns in white for use in funerals was even rarer. Usually, who would be willing to spend so much on a funeral?
"So, your hand touched those three lanterns?"
As Lu Zhaoling asked, she began walking toward them.
"Yes. After I finished hanging them, I thought I'd step out for a bit. I didn't touch anything else," the butler said, hurrying to keep up.
Lu Zhaoling stood beneath the trees. They weren't tall; she could reach the lanterns by standing on her tiptoes.
Getting closer, she saw that these lanterns were indeed exquisite. The top and bottom were woven from dense, fine bamboo strips. The covers were a warm white, but they didn't look like paper rather, they looked like extremely thin skin.
Vague patterns could be seen through the material, and the entire cover appeared to be seamless.
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