Le Yao frowned in displeasure, and Tong Minzhi seized the opportunity to quickly leave with the children. He asked Zhi, "Where’s Min? Why haven’t I seen him?"

"Third Brother went to the study!" Zhi replied in his childish voice to Tong Minzhi: "Seventh Uncle, didn’t you say you’d come yesterday? Why didn’t you come?" Xing and Sheng also nodded: "We’ve been waiting for you."

Tong Minzhi chuckled, "I went to prepare something good for you all, come with me." The children followed Tong Minzhi and ran to the outer courtyard.

Le Yao tugged on Ruan Pingrong’s sleeve. Ruan Pingrong understood immediately, stood up, and asked Xiqiu, "Fourth Madam, where is the washroom? My sister and I need to go."

"Bihuai, take the two ladies to the washroom." Xiqiu replied with a smile, and Le Yao and Ruan Pingrong followed Bihuai out of the room. As soon as they were outside, Le Yao waved her hand to Bihuai: "You don’t need to accompany us; we can find it ourselves." She said, grabbing Ruan Pingrong’s hand, "What are they up to?"

Ruan Pingrong shook her head as she ran, "We’ll find out if we go and look." Saying so, the two of them ditched a few maids and ran out of the courtyard, randomly grabbing a servant woman to ask, "Where have the young masters gone?"

The servant woman immediately pointed towards the outer courtyard: "They seemed to have gone to the outer courtyard." Ruan Pingrong and Le Yao crouched down and followed all the way to the outer courtyard...

At noon, everyone had longevity noodles together and then gathered around two tables of card games, causing a commotion throughout the afternoon. Xiqiu kept the ladies for dinner, but they insisted on leaving. Le Yao and Ruan Pingrong, however, were nowhere to be found, as they had disappeared entirely from the courtyard. Madam Le chuckled and shook her head: "These two girls never seem to grow up; they must have gone to play with the boys."

Xiqiu was curious. The past few days, the group had been mysteriously busy, and even Tong Minzhi seemed occupied today...

Since they couldn’t be found, a few people were left to stay, with Xiqiu and Ruan Jingliu accompanying them, and they gathered again for card games!

In the Marquis Mansion, Madam Shen, carrying a food box, looked at Bilian and said, "You and Wang used to serve the Grand Dowager together, calling each other sisters, and now Wang and I are sisters too, so naturally, we are closer."

"I dare not." Bilian replied with a smile, "Did you come specifically to find me, Madam Shen, because there’s something you need?"

Madam Shen placed the food box on the table: "Nothing in particular. I just made some snacks in the kitchen and thought, since the Grand Dowager is not at home, you must feel lonely with no one to talk to, so I came to keep you company." Saying so, she sat down beside Bilian.

Bilian smiled and said, "This is too much trouble; thank you, Madam Shen." Madam Shen held Bilian’s hand, smiling, "I must say, among you girls, you’re the most clever."

Bilian laughed, and Madam Shen continued, "In the future, whoever marries you will be blessed for three lifetimes."

Bilian blushed, and Madam Shen observed her face, clicking her tongue and sighing, "I hadn’t noticed upon casual observation, but today I see little sister Bilian is quite beautiful. Besides the Fourth Madam, you might be the best-looking in this mansion."

"I wouldn’t dare compare myself to the Fourth Madam, and Madam Shen’s beauty is unmatched." Bilian blushed even more, "I neither have the fortune of the Fourth Madam nor the skillful hands of Madam Shen. We really are as different as clouds and mud."

"When it comes to fortune, indeed, the Fourth Madam is blessed; Fourth Master treats her exceptionally well, and he vowed not to take a concubine when they married. He has kept his promise all these years, though the lack of a legitimate son is a shortcoming. This proves nothing is perfect in this world. You should have faith too; maybe you’ll marry someone even more illustrious than the Marquis or Second Young Master one day." Saying this, she paused, pulled Bilian closer, and before she could respond, continued, "Do you think Young Master Min’s birth mother will come back? I wasn’t here back then, but I heard Fourth Master brought him back the day after the late Empress passed away. Is that really true?"

Bilian furrowed her brow, recalling, "Yes, it was that night. I remember Fourth Master came in holding a child in the middle of the night, and I was the one who opened the door. It gave me quite a shock." Madam Shen’s eyes shifted, and she asked, "The Grand Dowager must have been furious, given the scandalous nature of the birth mother’s background."

"Yes, the Grand Dowager was indeed angry, but anger aside, since the child is Fourth Master’s flesh and blood, he had to stay." Bilian paused and then continued, "However, Young Master Min was very well-behaved, not crying all night, eating when fed, and sleeping quietly otherwise... truly heartwarming."

"Really!" Madam Shen was filled with doubt. If so, all the maids were there at the time, and since they were present, Fourth Master Xiao wouldn’t have told the Grand Dowager the child’s true background. Could the child indeed have been born of an actor?

She was full of uncertainty, while Bilian, suddenly realizing her slip of the tongue, slapped her hand over her mouth, "I deserve reprimand for speaking of masters behind their backs." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"There’s no outsider here; I won’t say a word." Madam Shen pressed her hand, "Enjoy the snacks at your leisure. I’ll go check on Wang. If you have time, come visit me."

Bilian agreed, escorting Madam Shen to the door.

Madam Shen headed towards Mei Garden. Recently, she had been inquiring around the mansion, gathering a lot about that night’s happenings. Many even witnessed Fourth Master bringing the child in, but no clues were found. Should she report back to the Grand Dowager?

She hesitated for a moment, shaking her head. Without concrete evidence, the Grand Dowager would surely think she wasn’t doing her job well.

But how could she find compelling evidence?

Suddenly, she halted abruptly in front of the Second Madam’s courtyard. If something so significant truly had hidden layers, the Marquis was bound to know. If the Marquis knew, might the Second Madam also?

The Second Madam, now in a mad state, might provide some leads. She thought to herself that her reasoning was correct. Since the servants were unaware, only the masters remained to investigate. The Marquis was glimpsed only once a month, hardly exchanging two words. As for the Grand Dowager and First Madam, that was unthinkable. Only the Second Madam offered a chance.

How could she know without trying?

Having reached a decision, Madam Shen quickened her pace towards Mei Garden, pondering how to inquire about the Second Madam.

At dusk, Xiqiu had a meal laid out in the main hall. Tong Xiyan was sitting with Madam Zhou, chatting without reservation, and Madam Jiang watched with amusement...

Xiqiu was concerned about Fourth Master Xiao. He hadn’t been seen all day, supposedly taking time off to spend a day at home with her. However, with the arrival of the ladies, he had to retreat to the outer courtyard and hadn’t come to the inner courtyard all day. She was about to send someone to inquire when suddenly, Biwu came over with a grin, calling out to Xiqiu: "Madam, Seventh Uncle asks for you outside."

Xiqiu was taken aback, asking, "Did he mention what it was about?" She was already on her feet, as Biwu blinked and merely gestured, "I don’t know!"