High-class maid

Outsiders say that Duan Laohu is treacherous and cunning, and does all sorts of evil, but those who know him well know that he treats his brothers very well, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are his relatives without blood ties.

During the time Duan Laohu was captured, only two of his brothers remained alive. He had been worried about those two brothers in the dungeon, but he was unwilling to talk about it, fearing that others would find something to use against him.

Unexpectedly, the young man in front of him was able to truly understand his thoughts.

"Alright, alright, I'll give you another piece of information: the person who can cure this curse might be in the palace." Out of gratitude, Duan Laohu gave Song Wenyang another clue.

Song Wenyang paused for a moment, said thank you, and then went up without looking back.

"How did it go? What did you find out?" The Second Prince, who was dozing off waiting at the dungeon entrance, asked hurriedly when he saw Song Wenyang come out.

"I got the information. Although the clues are few, they're enough for me to find the truth," Song Wenyang nodded and replied softly.

"This is not the time to talk about this. Let's go back to my residence and talk," the Second Prince interrupted him, fearing that someone with ulterior motives might overhear.

"Yes, I'm too shocked. I haven't recovered yet. Let's go to your residence." Duan Laohu's words kept echoing in Song Wenyang's mind. He was stunned, his eyes were empty, and he obviously couldn't accept it.

Seeing him like this, the second prince did not blame him for his loss of composure, but patted his shoulder with concern.

"Brother Song, what you want to know, did that tiger tell you?" Inside the Second Prince's residence, the two talked in the hall.

Song Wenyang nodded, considered it for a moment, and then told the Second Prince everything that Duan Laohu had told him.

"What! I never imagined your mother was really murdered." The Second Prince was shocked by the complexity of Song Wenyang's family and instantly felt a sense of kinship with him.

"Yes, how I wish he would tell me that this was just my guess, but it is true. And the poison in my body, he said it was a Gu. Who could be so cruel as to use Gu on my mother and me?"

Song Wenyang scratched his hair in frustration. He really didn't want to think of his family in such a bad light, but reality kept hitting him hard.

"It's alright. Now that we have a clue, let's search slowly. The truth will come out eventually." The Second Prince knew that saying anything more now would be futile, so he could only offer words of comfort.

"Brother Rong, I'm sorry you had to see this. I owe you another favor," Song Wenyang said dejectedly.

"What's the big deal? There's a saying that every family has soot at the bottom of their pot. As a prince, I have even more to say about my family's affairs... Do you think the person who poisoned you could be your father?"

It's no wonder the Second Prince thought that way. Everyone in the capital knew that a year after Jin's death, Song Wenyang's father brought home a woman, and not long after, the second son of the Song family was born. During that time, everyone was talking about it behind his back.

"I don't know, Brother Rong. My mind is a mess right now. He said it's both far away and right in front of me. Everyone looks like a bad guy to me." Song Wenyang was unusually clueless.

"Why don't we find that lame old servant first?" the second prince suggested.

“Yes, I’ll listen to you, Brother Rong. You’re busy guarding against the Crown Prince and dealing with court affairs, so you shouldn’t get involved in this matter,” Song Wenyang politely declined.

"It's nothing, just giving an order to a servant, it's no big deal."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you!" Song Wenyang stopped being coy. The Second Prince was, after all, a member of the royal family. With his help, the truth would only get closer and closer to him.

"Alright, I'll have the servants bring some wine and dishes, let's drink to our hearts' content!" The Second Prince's way of comforting people was rather simple and crude. How about I have a drink with you?

Song Wenyang laughed heartily and said, "Alright! I've always been the one drinking with you, but today Brother Rong will be drinking with me! I'll have to trouble you then."

For a time, the two drank and toasted each other until the sun rose the next day. After this hangover, Song Wenyang returned to his former gentle and refined demeanor. No one would have guessed that such a young man carried so many worries on his mind.

After spending a few more days on the ship, the group finally arrived in the capital on a sunny midday.

"Oh, we've finally arrived! I can barely walk after getting off the boat!" Shen Xing'er exclaimed happily as she looked at the long-awaited capital city.

Shan Tao wrapped her cotton-padded coat tighter around herself and said, "This capital city is even colder than Jinling. Alright, the masters have all disembarked, let's hurry up and move our things."

Shen Xing'er sighed and said, "If I knew magic, I could make all these bags return to their original places automatically, and we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble."

Her words were overheard by Wang, who laughed and said, "You little rascal, why don't you go write a storybook? Hurry up and move your things, Danxue is watching you."

Shen Xing'er stuck out her tongue, blew a breath into her hand, and resignedly went to move the things.

After the servants finished preparing, it was already past midnight. Shan Tao was so tired she lay on the bed, not wanting to move. Shen Xing'er shook her and said...

"Shantao, soak your hands before you go to sleep. I've brought the water. If you don't soak them, your skin will get dry tomorrow."

Shan Tao struggled to get out of bed and said, "When I went to Jinling, I only got tired from walking a few days ago. I rested for the other two months. I can't handle working all of a sudden."

"We're just too relaxed. Otherwise, with so many people outside, why would they all be so eager to work in the manor?"

"Yes, I heard my mother say last time that a distant relative of ours insisted on giving my mother money to buy her a position, even if it wasn't for the Minister's mansion, just being a long-term worker in the mansion would be fine," Shan Tao sighed.

"The people inside the manor are trying every possible way to get rid of their slave status, but the people outside the manor are even trying to sell themselves to the Minister's mansion?" Shen Xing'er said.

“Yes, even though I’m a servant, when I go out and say I’m a servant of the Minister’s mansion, outsiders will look at me with more respect. Who wouldn’t want to come to this mansion? By the way, where is that younger sister?” Shan Tao asked.

"My mother brought her to my house, but I don't know if she's back yet. The wind picked up again tonight," Shen Xing'er said worriedly, listening to the howling wind outside the window.

Since Zhang Yuzhu was not from the Minister's residence, the fact that the Madam had allowed her to come by boat was already considered a great favor. Therefore, after arriving in the capital, Madam Wang hurriedly sent Zhang Yuzhu home after finishing her work in the mansion.

Completely unaware of her daughter's worry, Wang was on her way back to the mansion, pulling her cotton-padded coat tighter around herself as she walked, muttering to herself.

"How foolish I was! Madam told me to come again tomorrow, how could I refuse? I'm freezing!" With that, he quickened his pace and hurried back to the mansion.

"No, I have to go see if my mother has returned. The wind is so fierce, is it going to snow?" Shen Xing'er became more and more worried as she thought about it, and got up to put on her clothes and get out of bed.