High-class Spring Joy

Qingyuan went to bed late last night, and when she opened her eyes, Hongdou had already brought her breakfast from the small kitchen.

Two bowls of congee, a dish of pickled vegetables, and two eggs.

Qingyuan finished washing up and went inside.

Hongdou tapped the egg on the table, cracking the shell. She carefully peeled away the cracks, revealing the white, tender egg, and handed it to Qingyuan: "Sister, eat it quickly. It's still warm; it won't taste good when it gets cold."

A bowl of congee, a small dish of side dishes, and two eggs—that's what she usually eats. It's not a fancy meal, but she has someone to keep her company. When she eats with Hongdou, Hongdou always carefully peels the eggs for her.

Hongdou has no other faults, except that she loves to eat. But the good thing is that no matter what makes her happy or unhappy, as long as she eats something delicious, she can forget about it and it will pass quickly.

Hongdou held the bowl and drank the porridge sip by sip along the edge, savoring every drop.

Seeing how happily and sweetly she ate, Qingyuan was also infected by her appetite. She didn't have much of an appetite at first, but she forced herself to finish the bowl of porridge.

Actually, sitting and drinking a bowl of porridge with the people you care about is a very happy thing. Everything feels peaceful and calm, and that is the best day.

That's the peaceful and smooth life that Qingyuan wanted.

"Sister, are you going to the palace today?" Hongdou asked. "If you are going to the palace, I happen to be leaving the manor today. Let's leave together, and I'll see you to the palace gate."

Qingyuan shook her head: "Princess Mingyue from the Southern Frontier is here. I heard she's been spending these past few days copying scriptures and discussing Buddhism with the Empress Dowager. I just slapped her in the face last night. If I go up there rashly now, the Empress Dowager won't have time. If I don't say anything, and I run into Princess Mingyue, it could be another disaster. I can't expect the Empress Dowager to offend Princess Mingyue for the sake of a servant like me if something happens to me. So it's best to avoid her. I suppose Princess Mingyue will return in half a month at most. Or I can go to the palace after this storm has passed."

"Sister is right, it's not really the right time. Would you like to come out of the manor with me?" Hongdou asked again, her big, bright eyes blinking as she looked at Qingyuan, as if trying to read some expression from Qingyuan's face.

Qingyuan could easily see the worry in her eyes, and smiled, "Don't worry, I've long since given up on him and I'm heartbroken over the Fifth Young Master. Even if I saw the Fifth Young Master and Jiang Qingge in front of me, I wouldn't be sad."

As she spoke, Qingyuan affectionately pinched Hongdou's nose: "But you little rascal, don't worry about me all day long. I'm perfectly fine, I'm alright, don't worry, go out of the manor and have fun."

"It's good that my sister is alright. Actually, everyone in this mansion can see through the intentions of those two Jiang sisters. The old lady doesn't necessarily like them that much either. They're just shamelessly refusing to leave."

As Hongdou left, she comforted Qingyuan, "It's alright, sister, I'll bring you back some brown sugar rice cakes from Biguixuan!"

This little girl…

Qingyuan shook her head, feeling both soft-hearted and helpless. She was just a young girl herself, yet she worried about her every day. It was Hongdou's simple concern that made Qingyuan feel the rare care and affection in the world after her sister left.

-

the other side.

Jiang Qingyun went to the back garden early in the morning to practice whipping.

Several maids and servants were tending to the flowers and plants nearby, some watering them, others pruning them.

Everything looks harmonious.

As morning approached, she turned back from the back garden to Baiyun Courtyard.

Jiang Qingyun had only taken two steps when she was startled by a large pair of scissors that suddenly appeared in front of her. She instinctively took two steps back, and in her panic, she accidentally stepped on one of the maids' feet.

A scream came from behind her, followed by a blast of icy water that soaked her to the bone.

Just as Jiang Qingyun was about to lash out, the servants and maids beside him immediately reacted, hurriedly kneeling down at his feet and apologizing one after another.

"Please forgive me, Second Miss! Please forgive me! I was watering the flowers and plants just now and didn't see clearly. Second Miss, you stepped on me, and my hand trembled as I instinctively splashed water on you. Please don't hold it against me!"

"Please forgive me, Second Miss! I was merely tending to the branches and leaves. I never expected you to appear so suddenly. It is a grave offense of mine to offend you. You are a distinguished guest of Young Master Wu, and even more so, a distinguished guest of our Zhenguo Marquis's residence. How could we dare to be disrespectful? It was truly an accident. Please forgive me, Second Miss!"

Despite the maids and servants repeatedly apologizing, Jiang Qingyun's anger not only failed to subside but instead burned even brighter.

If this were at the residence of the Minister of Justice, Jiang Qingyun would have already lashed out with a whip, making the servants and maids in front of him beg for mercy.

Even when Jiang Qingyun first arrived at the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, he acted in the same way, showing no restraint.

But she had truly learned her lesson from the punishment she received from the old lady: kneeling in front of the ancestral hall without food or drink, and having to endure the disdain and contempt of the servants.

Even though Jiang Qingyun was furious, she could only suppress her anger in the face of the growing number of maids and servants gathering around her, and forced a smile, saying, "How could that be? You were just being careful and accidentally hurt someone. You just need to be more careful and not hurt anyone else."

Jiang Qingyun spoke through gritted teeth, then turned and walked away without looking back. As she walked, she overheard the whispers of the maids and servants:

"Does she really think she's the master of this Zhenguo Marquis's mansion? We tolerated her before only because the Fifth Young Master took it seriously, and the Old Madam didn't say anything. Who knew she would dare to destroy the Old Marquis's portrait? If it weren't for the Fifth Young Master pleading for her, the Old Madam would have kicked her out long ago. How dare she act so arrogantly in our Zhenguo Marquis's mansion?!"

"Who says otherwise? No matter what, we are servants, we are still from the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, not from the Dali Temple Minister's mansion. The Dali Temple Minister may sound prestigious, but he is worlds apart from our Zhenguo Marquis's mansion! Even if he wants to punish us, it shouldn't be an outsider like him who dares to bully us so easily!"

Jiang Qingyun returned to Baiyun Courtyard with a bag full of anger, just about to vent it on something:

"Sister!! Do you know how outrageous the servants in this mansion are?! These unruly servants completely disregard us! They're clearly just trying to avenge that wretched girl!"

After she finished speaking, Jiang Qingyun heard a man's voice coming from inside:

"Yun'er, what upset you?"