As soon as she opened her eyes, she was forcibly carried back to the East Palace by the paranoid pri

"What qualifications do you have to come and see me off on behalf of my mother?" Duan Zan was annoyed and scolded without thinking.

"Does it mean that if you come to see me off, I should be grateful to you?"

Manager Ma was unlucky and ran into Duan Zan's wrath all of a sudden.

He didn't see his mistress very often in a year, and he even avoided her intentionally. He didn't like the feeling of being nervous in front of her at all.

So naturally there wouldn't be any deep emotions between them, it was all just a fake performance. The reason why he wanted to see her so urgently was just because he wanted to ask the mistress to help him again!

He was used to a comfortable life, surrounded by people who were good at pleasing others, or concubines who depended on him for a living.

Duan Zan is a very self-aware person. He knows that he will never be able to catch up with his father who is as powerful as a mountain. He can accept giving the position of head of the family to someone else, but he really doesn't want to suffer somewhere else!

Duan Chuanhe, who came to see him off out of courtesy, acted as a middleman and said to Duan Zan, "Brother, don't be angry. Manager Ma is just a messenger. It is the love of mother to you that makes you envy and desire."

Duan Zan sneered, but gave Duan Chuanhe some face in the end. He stopped nagging Ma Guanshi, tugged at his cloak to keep warm, and softened his tone, "So, brother, have you seen mother?"

Duan Chuanhe showed an awkward expression, tugging at his sleeves with his fingers, and said softly to Duan Zan, "I haven't met him yet. I will go to meet him when mother comes back."

"Then you guys go back. It's windy outside. I won't keep you any longer." Duan Zan said with a melancholy tone.

Duan Chuanhe seemed to be expressing his sincere feelings, so Duan Zan could only step on the footstool and get into the carriage.

After the carriages had left, Steward Ma sighed and said, "Thank you, Second Young Master, for your help."

Duan Chuanhe smiled kindly, "Brother is just a little straightforward and angry."

"Let's go. I still have to go to the inner three houses to say good morning to my mother." Duan Chuanhe sat in the sedan chair waiting nearby.

Manager Ma followed on the right, his hands warm from rubbing together, muttering to himself that the eldest young master only greeted his mistress good morning once every two weeks, and normally would go to the inner three houses to ask for help from the mistress when he had done something he couldn't cover up for himself.

The second young master is three years younger than the eldest young master, but his temperament is much calmer. No wonder the clan and the mistress chose him to be the second young master.

When Duan Chuanhe went to the inner three houses to pay his respects, He Yue had just finished breakfast. He knelt on the ground and said, "Good morning, mother! I was late for an hour today because I had to send my brother away from home. I hope you can forgive me."

"Get up." He Yue called him up, her tone gentle and kind, "It has been snowing frequently at night recently, and the weather is freezing cold. Sometimes the servants don't have time to clear the snow from the night before, not to mention the thin frost. I often worry about what will happen if you fall. Wait until the weather warms up before you pay your respects."

He Yue was not a person who followed rules, and paying respects was a torture for two people.

She doesn't have a fixed time to get up in the morning. Sometimes she gets up early, and sometimes she sleeps until noon.

Duan Chuanhe was standing in the outer courtyard of the inner three houses waiting as soon as the sky began to brighten. As soon as she opened her eyes, she could hear the maid report that the second young master was waiting outside.

Bodhisattva! It's very torturous, okay?

Duan Chuanhe understood the hidden meaning and naturally would not disobey. Paying respects was originally an act of pleasing the mistress. If he made her irritated, it would be counterproductive.

After paying his respects, Duan Chuanhe withdrew respectfully.

He Yue let Xiaobi tie the belt of her cloak. The ink-black fur collar made her skin look even whiter and more radiant.

Manager Ma was reading about some menial affairs in the mansion. Which lady in the outer house was having an affair with the servant who was in charge of the yard, which master favored his concubine and killed his wife? These were matters that used to involve the entire clan, but now they were all handled by the mistress.

There had never been a mistake in the past year, so the clan felt relieved and naturally satisfied with He Yue. In fact, they also knew that she could handle these things well, after all, she was once the queen.

"Beat the slave who has an affair with his master with a stick, and don't let the scandal be exposed. Beat the servants who know the news, and lock the woman up in the Buddhist temple, and don't let her go out easily."

"That concubine......"

He Yue handled the matters one by one. Manager Ma said some flattering words as usual, and added one more sentence seemingly unintentionally, "I think the second young master is really a filial man. He waited outside for an hour to pay his respects yesterday and refused to leave. The eldest young master only pays his respects a few times a month."

He Yue looked back suddenly, and Manager Ma immediately lowered his head and eyes, sweat pouring down like rain. He raised his hand and slapped himself twice.

"Crack! Crack!"

"Look at my mouth. It is not for me to casually judge whether the second young master and the eldest young master are filial or not. Alas! I just didn't think for a moment. What a cheap mouth!"

"Clap! Clap! Clap!..."

He slapped her seven or eight more times, without holding back any strength at all. His face was raised high and blood was flowing from the corners of his lips.

"Step back." He Yue said in a light tone and took the veil and put it on herself.

"Thank you so much, my mistress! Thank you so much, my mistress!" Manager Ma kowtowed several times on the ground before leaving.

Xiao Bi was puzzled and asked, "Manager Ma has been the manager of the inner house for more than ten years. He is also a smart man. Why is he so foolish and overstepping his authority now?"

"Smart people love to test things." He Yue walked out slowly.

Manager Yuan of the Inner House is the confidant of the clan elders and even has a say in some decision making. Manager Ma is jealous.

He Yue was helped into the sedan chair, and the sedan chair was carried towards the side door, which was the route out of the Duan family.

…………

"Oh! Boss Duan finally opened the shop. I was wondering before that Boss Duan should have opened the shop for business at this time!" The tall and thin old woman was waving her handkerchief at the door of the rouge shop and her eyes lit up when she saw He Yue.

Her third daughter was getting married, so she waited at the door early, planning to choose some good rouge and powder. It was only the first time for a girl to get married, so she had to dress up well.

"I heard that your daughter is getting married, so the first business I'm going to do today is a happy event." He Yue opened the door of the shop with a key and laughed, "I can also share in your daughter's blessing for once."

The tall and thin woman walked into the store and went straight to the most expensive cabinet. After listening to He Yue's words, she also laughed out loud, "That's right, Boss Duan, you have to pay a little money and give me a few cents."

He Yue sat on the chair and took out the account book and spread it out. "I will erase everything within twenty cents for you."

"Oh! Boss Duan is so generous!" The tall and thin old woman laughed so hard that her body shook with laughter. She made up her mind and took a more expensive one.

Today, the inner three house Xiaobi has given all the instructions, so she stayed in the rouge shop to help her mistress.

She pouted, she still didn't understand why the mistress could be so kind to these people who were not even worthy of setting foot in Duan's house.