Madam Qin endured her anger and returned to Jinghua Courtyard.
"For the past two years, that little slut has been well-behaved and never caused any trouble. Why did she go and complain to the Old Madam this time? Go and investigate for me, what went wrong?" Madam Qin, after smashing a few things, gradually calmed down and instructed Madam Qin.
Earlier, at the Old Madam's place, while she spoke of respecting her status as the mistress of the household, the underlying meaning was to blame her. And then there was the Marquis's disgusted gaze. She didn't know how much more effort she would need to make to minimize the impact of this matter on her.
"Besides this matter, you also need to pay attention to those two wretched girls. There can be no mistakes. The Old Madam and the Marquis are watching," Madam Qin further instructed. "Their food, clothing, and daily necessities should be provided in accordance with the eldest young lady."
"Madam, those two are just concubines' daughters..." Madam Qin hesitated.
"They have someone backing them up," Madam Qin said fiercely.
Madam Qin had also seen the attitudes of the Old Madam and the Marquis at Chaohui Hall earlier. At least at that time, the Old Madam and the Marquis were protecting the third young lady. As for the second young lady, she heard that the Old Madam called her over every day to keep her company. Regardless of whether this was favoritism, at least the Old Madam paid enough attention to the second young lady. As for the eldest young lady, due to her personality, she had not been very close to the Old Madam since childhood. Instead, she was closer to her maternal grandmother, the Princess Consort. However, this was the Changping Marquis Mansion, and they were people of the Marquis Mansion, not the Prince's Mansion.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and take people to investigate!" Madam Qin, seeing Madam Qin standing still, couldn't help but urge.
Tinglan Courtyard.
Madam Yun's face was filled with unconcealed smiles. Although she was reluctant to see her daughter move out, being allocated her own courtyard proved that Zhenzhen was accepted by the masters of the mansion, which would be beneficial for her future.
"You all be careful and pack all of the second young lady's belongings. Don't miss anything," Madam Yun directed several maids to pack while standing by.
Qi Zhenzhen sat to the side, feeling quite speechless. "Concubine, even if we leave something behind, we can always come back to get it. It's only a quarter of an hour's walk away. You're making it sound like we're separated by the ends of the earth."
Madam Yun gave her a playful glare. "You child, moving is a big deal and requires carefulness. I originally thought you would take some time to be allocated a courtyard, I didn't expect it to be so soon. Longxiang Courtyard is a good place. In terms of scenery and exquisiteness, it's the best in the Marquis Mansion. The only drawback is that the place is a bit small, even smaller than Tinglan Courtyard."
"How small can it be? Not enough to live in?" Qi Zhenzhen asked with a smile.
"That's not the case."
"Then, size doesn't matter, as long as it's enough to live in."
All of Qi Zhenzhen's belongings amounted to only two chests. One contained clothes, and the other contained miscellaneous items. Two maids carried one each, and her belongings were quickly moved.
After Qi Zhenzhen arrived, she took a casual look around.
To be honest, her mother hadn't lied to her. The scenery, the exquisiteness, everywhere was picturesque, and everything exuded refinement.
She didn't need to bother with packing; Feixu directed the servants to do it.
Qi Zhenzhen couldn't sit still, so she led Lian Bei to Fangfei Courtyard.
Qi Xuanxuan had already settled in. Apart from Zisu, she did not have any maids serving her for the time being.
"Second Sister, you're here." Qi Xuanxuan's small face was adorned with a joyful smile.
"Is there anything Second Sister can help you with?" Qi Zhenzhen asked with a smile.
Qi Xuanxuan waved her hand. "Sister Zisu is very capable and has already packed everything. Second Sister, let me take you to my room to sit. It's spacious and large, and very beautiful."
Zisu bowed to Qi Zhenzhen. "Please come into the second young lady's room. I'll go and make you some tea."
In terms of size, Fangfei Courtyard was just a tiny bit larger than Longxiang Courtyard. Although it looked good, overall, Longxiang Courtyard had the advantage. Qi Zhenzhen understood that this was the Old Madam's kindness towards her.
"Second Sister, thank you. If it weren't for you..." Qi Xuanxuan held Qi Zhenzhen's hand and said earnestly, "I would still be enduring Green Leaf's mistreatment there. Also, Grandmother's embrace is so warm, and Father also sent me many things. These are things I never even dared to dream of, but now, they have truly happened. I know that all of this is Second Sister's doing. Xuanxuan will always remember Second Sister's kindness!"
The little girl solemnly expressed her resolve.
Qi Zhenzhen held Qi Xuanxuan's hand and pulled her to sit beside her. "We are sisters, blood relatives. It is only right for me to treat you well. Therefore, you don't need to deliberately remind yourself of my kindness."
Qi Xuanxuan shook her head. "I am also blood relatives with Eldest Sister, but Eldest Sister does not treat me like Second Sister does."
There is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and the larger the family, the more obvious this distinction becomes. Of course, in some families, illegitimate daughters live better than legitimate daughters. There are usually two reasons for this: either the man in charge dislikes his legitimate wife, thus affecting his legitimate sons and daughters; or the concubine has the cunning and means to completely win over her husband. This situation is extremely rare. In most cases, in large families, legitimate sons and daughters are favored, and they are the ones who receive favor. Therefore, in their eyes, illegitimate sons and daughters have very little status, even to the point of being like servants. Which legitimate son or daughter would lower themselves to genuinely befriend an illegitimate son or daughter? Even if they are blood relatives!
Qi Zhenzhen carefully explained the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children to Qi Xuanxuan. The little girl blinked her eyes and after a while, gently nodded. "I understand, Second Sister."
At this moment, Zisu walked in with tea. "This is this spring's Biluochun, sent by the Marquis."
Qi Xuanxuan's was a bowl of milk tea.
The little girl greedily sniffed her nose. "Milk tea is fragrant and sweet. I think it tastes much better than plain tea."
"Third Young Lady, you can only drink one bowl a day. Eating too many sweets will not only cause cavities but also affect your tooth replacement," Zisu reminded her softly. "Second Young Lady is here, let her be a witness. You are not allowed to go back on your word with me."
Qi Xuanxuan made a bitter face. "Second Sister, I don't know why I like sweet things so much. I can't control myself at all."
Qi Zhenzhen guessed that this was probably a psychological projection. The little girl had lived a hard life before, so subconsciously she yearned for all sweet things. Now that she had jumped out of the sea of bitterness, her love for sweets had erupted.
"Sister Zisu is right. Even if you like it, you should exercise some restraint. Also, after eating sweets, you should rinse your mouth promptly. Otherwise, if your teeth decay and turn black, how ugly would that be?" Qi Zhenzhen said. "Then when you open your mouth to speak, you'll reveal black teeth..."
Qi Xuanxuan instinctively covered her mouth. "I don't want to have black teeth!"
"Then you must be moderate with sweets in the future."