Chapter 91 Feeling at Ease and Justified

Gu Pan watched from a distance as the young lady was sent back by Qingshan. The young lady's eyes were still deep and it was impossible to see any emotions in them. After she passed through the moon - shaped gate and politely bid farewell to Qingshan, Gu Pan dared to step forward and ask what had happened to the young lady today. Pan Yueqing looked back at Qingshan's departing figure, then raised her hand and placed it on Gu Pan's hand that was reaching out to support her. She smiled and said, "I'm fine." Then she raised her eyes and looked at Luoshui, who was following behind, "You've worked hard."

If it hadn't been for Luoshui's words to Dongzhu at the end, with Dongzhu's character, at most she would have spoken vaguely and it was even less likely that she would have told the truth and exaggerated it. Although she had initially planned to make the Old Madam Pan suffer in silence, she didn't expect that it was really the Old Madam Pan who had instigated it behind the scenes.

Luoshui responded in a low voice, "It's what this servant should do."

Nanny Zhao came in a mighty manner from a distance, leading a group of newly purchased maids. She had always been strict with the rules. Pan Yueqing spoke respectfully with a smile, "Concubine Li said that there are not enough maids in the young lady's courtyard after all, so she asked this old woman to buy some maids. Please, young lady, select some."

Pan Yueqing knew the hidden meaning of Nanny Zhao's words, that is, she had carefully examined these people and they were all trustworthy and of clean backgrounds. Among these ten or so maids of different sizes, Pan Yueqing saw a pair of very familiar eyes. She met the gaze of the girl standing in the corner, whose hair tips were unhealthily yellowish. She opened her mouth and asked, "You." She could see clearly that there were still some small wounds on this girl's face, but she had a regular appearance. Moreover, this was exactly the girl that Qi Sian had obtained under the Yongye Underground Palace that day.

The girl had originally lowered her head, but she instinctively raised her eyes and looked at Pan Yueqing with a somewhat puzzled look. Pan Yueqing nodded, "Can you read and write?"

The girl nodded somewhat nervously. Pan Yueqing ordered someone to bring the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and then gave an order, "Write... Canghe." Pan Yueqing just pronounced the two syllables. The girl looked at Pan Yueqing in a daze. She knelt down on the ground and spread out the rice paper. With a somewhat skillful gesture, she raised the writing brush with her hands full of small scars. But when she was about to write, she paused. Her eyes gradually became clear, and when she wrote again, she smoothly wrote the two characters "Cang He".

Pan Yueqing looked at her delicate handwriting. It was obvious that she had learned calligraphy and wasn't from a poor family. She also knew that this girl's coming to her side must have been Qi Sian's intention. But in some ways, she instead felt that Qi Sian's people were safer. After all, to Qi Sian, she was still useful.

"Change the character. The 'he' of the river. She is Luoshui, and you are Canghe," Pan Yueqing nodded. Then she looked at the remaining girls, waved her hand lazily, and signaled Nanny Zhao and Gu Pan to arrange them.

"Second Miss!" Seeing that Pan Yueqing was about to turn around and leave, a very pretty girl quickly called out to stop Pan Yueqing. The girl looked no more than twelve years old, wearing a newly issued light yellow maid's outfit. She curtsied gracefully to Pan Yueqing, with a somewhat proud look, "This servant's name is Chang Yue. I'm a servant born in this mansion. According to the rules, I should have been selected first. Even if I'm not to the young lady's liking, you shouldn't have chosen such a beggar."

Pan Yueqing turned back and took a deep look at Chang Yue, who was kneeling on the ground submissively. She let out a soft laugh and walked up to Chang Yue. She slowly squatted down and reached out to lift Chang Yue's chin. Her eyes were smiling, but the coldness in her eyes couldn't be hidden. She gently said, "You said... what's your name?"

In Chang Yue's frightened pupils, Pan Yueqing, who was smiling, was reflected. Her mind went blank instantly. She had forgotten that the Second Miss's given name was "Yueqing". Her name, Chang Yue, exactly violated the Second Miss's taboo. Looking at Pan Yueqing's smiling face, she felt a chill in her heart. Ignoring the pain of Pan Yueqing's red nail polish pinching her face, she instinctively lowered her head and prostrated herself on the ground, "This servant was wrong! This servant has no name! Since this servant has entered the young lady's courtyard, it's natural for the young lady to give me a name!"

"I don't want to." Pan Yueqing was already in a bad mood. Looking at Chang Yue's frightened appearance, her eyes were extremely cold. Looking at the group of maids who were trembling and were about the same age as her, she raised her voice and said icily, "Those who are self - righteous and think they are superior don't need to come to serve me. I have a bad temper and won't show any mercy to your parents. Sooner or later, I'll beat you, sell you, or assign you to someone!" Chang Yue naturally knew that these words were aimed at her. At the moment, she trembled and didn't dare to make a sound. She bit her lower lip tightly, extremely regretful that she hadn't listened to her mother's words and had directly come to serve in the legitimate young lady's courtyard.

"Get out." Pan Yueqing didn't bother to really argue with a servant. She turned around. Her graceful figure disappeared completely from everyone's sight as the wooden door opened and closed. Chang Yue was shaking violently. She didn't expect that just this impatient word would bring such great consequences to herself. You know, if she wasn't selected as a second - class maid here, she would only be assigned as a third - class maid no matter which courtyard she went to later.

In the evening, Pan Yueqing watched as Gu Pan finished tidying up. She beckoned Canghe to grind the ink. Canghe stood beside the desk. Pan Yueqing didn't pick up the writing brush but crossed her arms and looked at Canghe with a leisurely expression, "Tell me, what did he send you here for?"

"Master said that it's not possible for the young lady to have no reliable maid by her side," Canghe was honest after all. She was used to living by observing others' expressions. Now she also raised her eyes and glanced at Pan Yueqing's face. She had been told several times by the master who had taken her away from that dark place to "tell the truth". She still had some doubts, but now seeing Pan Yueqing's normal expression, she finally felt a little relieved.

Reliable... Pan Yueqing sneered in her heart. What did "reliable" mean? The maids by her side were all reliable to her, but none of them were from Qi Sian's side. This "reliable" should mean reliable to Qi Sian, right?!

Seeing that Pan Yueqing didn't say anything further, Canghe was also on tenterhooks. She gently put down the inkstone and quickly knelt down to Pan Yueqing, "Don't worry, young lady. Canghe is yours and won't..."

"Remember, when you're by her side, you just need to protect her. You don't need to worry about anything else. And don't mention to her that it was me who said this. Just pledge your loyalty to her."

The master's words had always been in her mind. But looking at the young lady who had just been angry but didn't show any anger on her face, she was also worried. She was both afraid and intimidated by this person who could decide someone's life and death with a smile.

Pan Yueqing knew what she was going to say. Although she didn't believe it in her heart, she still thought that it wasn't a bad thing for Qi Sian to know something about her situation sometimes. After all, Shangbei Fang, which she was in control of now, had great value. In the Pan family, it was almost impossible for her to trust anyone anymore. Even for Li Rou, she still had some misgivings.

"Coos, coos." A pigeon flew into the bookshelf and perched on the antique shelf. Pan Yueqing stood up and untied the note on the pigeon's leg. She poured tea water on the blank note, and then Su Ruoqing's flowing handwriting appeared.

"Come to the Marquis's Mansion tomorrow. There's something important."