Upon entering the inner room, the Old Madam was still seated in the main chair, smiling as she conversed with the elderly woman sitting below her. The two were chatting and laughing, clearly getting along very well.
Seeing Chu Muqing enter, the Old Madam smiled and said, “My eldest granddaughter is here. This is Cui, who serves your maternal grandmother. You haven’t met her yet, have you?” There was no trace of the displeasure she’d shown a few days earlier in her tone.
Hearing this, Nanny Cui turned to look at Chu Muqing. The moment she saw her appearance, her eyes turned red, though she restrained herself because they were still in the Old Madam’s hall.
This young lady truly looked like their eldest young mistress, especially her eyes, they were exactly the same.
“Greetings, Nanny Cui.” Chu Muqing felt a rush of emotion upon seeing her. Nanny Cui had been her maternal grandmother’s dowry maid, treating her mother as though she were her own child, and thus had taken great care of her. Yet in her previous life, Chu Muqing had ultimately failed to live up to her mother’s kindness.
Seeing Chu Muqing bowing, Nanny Cui hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, smiling as she said, “Greetings, Miss. I’m so happy to finally meet you today.”
She then bowed toward the Old Madam and said, “Old Madam, our Lady has not seen the young miss for many years and misses her dearly. Now that she has returned to the capital, she wishes to invite the young miss to our residence to meet her. We hope Old Madam will grant permission.” After speaking, she took out an item list from her sleeve. “Our Lady is grateful for the care you have given the young miss all these years. This is a small token of appreciation prepared by her. Please accept it.”
Nanny Liu took the gift list and handed it to the Old Madam. After glancing through it, the Old Madam smiled and said, “The Old Duchess is far too courteous. Muqing is my granddaughter, of course I love her. Now that she has returned to the capital, it is only right that Muqing, as her granddaughter, goes to visit her.”
Then she turned to Chu Muqing, speaking kindly. “Go along with Cui.”
The Old Madam agreed so readily for two reasons. First, she still held a bit of fear toward the Duke of Dingguo’s household. No matter how prestigious the Yongding Marquisate was, it was still ranked below a duke. In the past, the Duke of Dingguo had merely been stationed outside the capital, but now that he had returned, the emperor might restore his former standing. Naturally, she did not wish to offend them unnecessarily. Second, the generous gift prepared by the Old Duchess had touched her heart. Of the smile she now wore toward Nanny Cui, seven parts were politeness, and three parts sincerity.
“Yes,” Chu Muqing replied.
Then, taking Bai Zhi with her, she left with Nanny Cui for the Duke’s residence.
The Duke of Dingguo mansion was not far from the Yongding Marquis’s residence, and the carriage arrived in just half an hour.
Along the way, Nanny Cui held Chu Muqing’s hand and chatted with her.
“You have suffered a great deal in the past, Miss, but now those hard days are over, and you’ve finally returned to the capital. Back then, the Old Lady wanted to take you with her, but your grandmother refused.” As she spoke, resentment filled Nanny Cui’s heart. Their eldest young lady had been so lively and kind, yet she died only two years after marrying into the Yongding Marquis’s household. Along with her, their young lady had also suffered torment at the Marquis household’s hands.
At that time, the Old Duke had just passed away, and the Dingguo Duke’s residence had been banished from the capital. They were barely able to protect themselves, so although the Old Lady had wanted to take the young miss away, there had been no way to do so. As a result, they had not seen each other for so many years.
She wondered how much hardship the young lady had endured all these years. Thinking of this, her heart ached, and she quietly wiped away a tear.
As though sensing what Nanny Cui was thinking, Chu Muqing gently said, “Nanny, I’ve actually been doing quite well these past few years. My second uncle and aunt treated me kindly. I just miss my grandmother.”
Hearing that, Nanny Cui felt both saddened and relieved. This young lady was simply too sensible, just like the eldest young lady back then.
They continued chatting about other things, and Nanny Cui introduced the members of the Dingguo Duke’s family to her one by one. Although Chu Muqing already knew them, she still listened earnestly.
She thought to herself, It’s wonderful that these family members are still alive.
“Madam, we’ve arrived,” the coachman called from outside.
Nanny Cui quickly said, “Miss, let’s get down. The old lady must already be waiting for you.”
Chu Muqing smiled and agreed.
The coachman set a small stool beside the carriage. A girl in a light purple dress lifted her skirt slightly and descended step by step. Her movements were light and graceful. A breeze blew past, lifting a few strands of her hair. Bathed in sunlight, she seemed to glow.
This was the scene that greeted the people waiting outside the gates of the Duke of Dingguo’s residence.
Chu Muqing lifted her gaze and saw two women standing before the grand vermilion gate, accompanied by several maids. The older woman wore the hairstyle of a married lady and carried a heroic, dignified air. The younger girl beside her, dressed in light green, also had a spirited, valiant demeanor, unlike the gentle, delicate women of the capital.
Chu Muqing recognized them immediately, this was the Duchess of Dingguo and the eldest young lady of the Duke’s residence, her aunt and cousin.
The Duchess of Dingguo had not been born into a noble capital family nor into wealthy family. Her father had been a general under Chu Muqing’s maternal grandfather, and she had trained in martial arts with him since childhood. Later, the heir of the Duke of Dingguo fell in love with her at first sight. He believed a woman like her was no lesser than the noble ladies of the capital and felt she was exactly the kind of wife he should marry. Thus, the marriage was arranged between the two families.
It’s a pity that the old Duke of Dingguo, her maternal grandfather died in battle.
As soon as the Duchess saw Chu Muqing approach, she eagerly took her hand. “You must be Muqing. I am your aunt,” she said warmly, then gestured to the girl beside her. “And this is your cousin, Yuzhu.”
Chu Muqing smiled and bowed politely. “Hello, Aunt. Hello, Sister Yuzhu.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yuzhu sized her up carefully, then grinned. “Cousin, you’re truly beautiful. Grandmother used to mention you often, and I was always curious about what you looked like. Now that I’ve seen you, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined. I’ve never seen such a lovely girl even out at the border.”
Chu Muqing smiled gently. “You look beautiful too, Sister.” Her tone was sincere, making it clear she meant it.
She truly did. With the Xiao family’s features, Xiao Yuzhu was naturally not unattractive. It was only that growing up on the border, where wind and sand were constant, her complexion wasn’t as fair as the ladies in the capital.
Hearing Chu Muqing’s words made Xiao Yuzhu even happier. Although she didn’t consider herself pretty, praise from such a fairy-like cousin filled her with joy. Before the Duchess could say anything, she grabbed Chu Muqing’s hand and pulled her forward excitedly.
“Cousin, I’ll take you to see Grandmother! She’s missed you terribly!”
The Duchess laughed and scolded lightly from behind, “You little rascal, slow down! Don’t drag your cousin and make her fall.”
But the girl ahead didn’t even look back. Her clear voice simply floated back confidently, “Got it, Mother!”
Despite saying so, she didn’t slow at all. Another smiling girl followed along beside them, matching her pace. In the blink of an eye, the two disappeared from sight.
The Duchess of Dingguo smiled and said to Nanny Cui, “Let’s go too.”
And so they headed together toward the old lady’s courtyard.