The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

Anyway, she had observed the alley when she entered; there were only four households. And since it was midday, there weren't many people around. Whether she went out or not, no one would probably know.

After finishing these tasks, she went into her spatial dimension to unload the carriage, then left the dimension, departed from her temporary residence, and went for a stroll outside.

The main focus of the trip to the prefectural city is still the Ming Prince's Mansion. This time she came alone, and it should be easier for her to investigate some things than last time. Even if the Ming Prince's Mansion is willing to stop Ling Silang, all eyes are on that place now.

After wandering around for a long time and buying some things, when she returned, Dong Shi and Dong Chengbao had already come back. They had even bought bedding, so Dong Shi didn't skimp on the money.

We bought less rice, flour, and oil for the house. Tonight, Dong's family cooked dinner again—simple noodles with nothing but salt.

Du Mingxian didn't rush to ask Dong Shi what her next plan was. After eating, seeing that there was nothing else to do, she planned to go and rest, but Dong Shi brought her hot water.

"Walking all this way must be tiring. Soak your feet, and I'll bring you some water in a bit."

Du Mingxian wanted to say no, but Madam Dong saw her intention and explained directly, "We are not related, but she saw that I was in trouble and was willing to help me. She took me all the way to the prefectural city and even rented a courtyard for me. I am very grateful and want to do something, but I am just a woman and I don't know how to do anything else but serve people."

“If you don’t even let me do this little thing, I’ll feel even more guilty and uneasy.”

Having said all that, what else could Du Mingxian say? She might as well just enjoy it.

After washing up, Du Mingxian went to sleep. Dong Shi was still busy outside and could hear the noise, but she made sure to move quietly.

After Dong returned to her room, Du Mingxian went into her private space to rest.

Feeling bored, she secretly left at night and strolled around the Ming Prince's mansion.

Perhaps because she felt safe here, the guards at the Ming Prince's Mansion weren't particularly strict. She strolled around the mansion, got a rough idea of ​​what it was like, and then left.

The next day, Du Mingxian finished exercising in her space and came out. Madam Dong had already prepared breakfast, but she didn't call her or eat it. She waited for her there with Dong Chengbao.

Seeing her come out, he hurriedly brought out the food, saying, "You can eat now."

Du Mingxian looked at the cakes made by Dong Shi, and they looked quite good.

No one spoke during the meal. After the meal, Madam Dong said slowly, "Today I want to go look for my Hongtao."

"Okay, do you need me to come with you?"

No matter how fierce Dong was, she was just a widow from the village and had never been to such a big place before. Yesterday, she took Chengbao shopping alone and had to constantly encourage herself to go.

Today she was going to see her daughter, and she was even more clueless about where she was. "Thank you for your help."

"It's alright, I came here with you anyway."

"I'll go wash the dishes, then we'll go find someone."

"it is good."

Dong quickly packed her things and then left with Du Mingxian and Chengbao.

Once they reached the alley entrance, Madam Dong said to Du Mingxian, "My maid Hongtao is a servant girl in the Prefect's residence. Where should we look for her now?"

Du Mingxian's heart skipped a beat; it really was a big fish, and it was worth the trip she had taken.

"You wait here with Chengbao for a moment, I'll go ask around and see how to get there."

"it is good."

Du Mingxian went to a small stall selling rouge and inquired about the price of the rouge. She also asked where she could buy a better hairpin at a reasonable price.

Since it was too far away for Madam Dong to hear, she chatted casually for a few minutes before turning back and leading Madam Dong and Dong Chengbao forward.

She knew about the prefect's residence. When Xiangyang and his companions first arrived, they had nothing better to do, so they found out exactly where all the officials lived and their exact locations.

It's a bit far from here, but Dong is a village woman, so walking is a piece of cake for her. It's just that Dong Chengbao is too small, and he gets a little tired after walking for a while, so Dong carries him from behind.

It took the two about an hour to reach their destination. The main gate of the Yao residence was extremely grand.

Dong felt a chill when she saw the main gate, but the death of her daughter made her extremely sad. Just as she was about to muster up the courage to ask, Du Mingxian stopped her, "What are you doing, Aunt?"

"I'll go and have someone call out Red Heart."

Du Mingxian knew that Madam Dong didn't understand these things, so she didn't blame her. "We're looking for servants. Servants have their own way of doing things. Let's go."

Starting from the main gate, Du Mingxian circled all the way to the side gate of the backyard before stopping. She handed Dong a two-tael silver coin, saying, "Have someone call Hongtao for you later. Give this to them."

"This is too much."

"If you give too little to a wealthy family, their message might not get through."

Dong trusted Du Mingxian and could only take the money to knock on the door. Du Mingxian watched from the side, trying her best to be inconspicuous. She had even dressed up specially for today, wearing a very ordinary housewife's makeup.

After knocking for a while, a plump old woman finally opened the door. "What do you want?"

"Hello, I am Hongtao's mother. Please tell Hongtao that I am waiting for her here." After saying this, Madam Dong handed over the silver in her hand.

The plump old woman didn't want to get involved, but when she saw the two taels of silver in her hand, her expression immediately softened, her smile became more friendly, and her tone became much better. "This Tao mansion is big, and there are many people. You need to tell me which courtyard your daughter Hongtao is serving in so that I can pass on the message to you."

"A second-class maidservant by the side of the eldest young lady in Qiulan Courtyard."

The plump old woman immediately remembered her, and since she was the young lady's maid, she was even more willing to deliver the message. "Alright, alright, you wait here, I'll go and deliver the message right away."

"Thank you."

The plump old woman closed the door, and only then did Madam Dong secretly breathe a sigh of relief. The imposing aura emanating from this gatekeeper of a wealthy family was almost overwhelming for her.

Turning back, she looked at Du Mingxian with eyes full of gratitude, "It's all thanks to the generous amount of money you gave me, otherwise I might not have been able to find the Red Peach today."

"Money can make a fool of himself."

Dong nodded slightly, her feelings becoming somewhat complicated, while Du Mingxian remained silent.

The three of them waited at the door, and the wait was unusually long.

Du Mingxian knew this was normal. After all, in her previous life, her general's mansion had become a prominent and wealthy family, and she was well aware of the intricacies involved.

Almost an hour had passed and no one had come out yet. Madam Dong was getting anxious. "Could it be that the message hasn't been sent? Why is no one coming out yet?"

"Just wait. For the sake of two taels of silver, even if Red Peach doesn't come out, that fat old woman will open the door and let you know."

Almost half an hour later, the door finally opened, and a young maid of about seventeen or sixteen years old came out. The moment she saw Madam Dong, her eyes filled with tears.