An ugly girl starts off, then becomes a beauty

After Nie Ce seriously intervened in the affairs of Shen's niece.

On the surface, there was finally some progress, and it came just in time. Shen Huajun had already reached the age of marriage this year, and it was time for her to look for a husband. Madam Zhaoyu always respected her son's opinion, and quickly put the matter on the agenda. For this purpose, she even made several trips to the West Mansion and talked with Shen several times.

No one knew what the sisters-in-law said to each other. Anyway, when everyone in the Marquis' Mansion went to the Hall of Justice to pay their respects during those days, they didn't see Shen Huajun. Second Madam Shen's face was still indifferent. She still smiled when greeting everyone, and no one knew what she was thinking.

But once when everyone left, she stayed behind alone and talked with Master Nie in the same room.

Sang Ling didn't stay for long, because the hall was full of "boys" who served the old man, so it was difficult to find out anything.

In the past few days, they let the matter develop on its own. People in the lunch garden were still eating the melons sent by Zhang. The fourth lady was also enthusiastic. Although she didn't dare to go to the lunch garden easily later, she saw Nie Ce muttering "melons are crispy" that day, so she sent a few large baskets.

The food in Wuyuan's kitchen had piled up like a small mountain, so Sang Ling gave the order, "There is no need to distinguish between masters and servants in the courtyard. Anyone who wants to eat can go and get it themselves." The weather was hot, and things would go bad if stored for a long time. The melons that Zhang had sent were all ripe, and there was no refrigerator in that era. Even if they were placed in a cool and ventilated place, they could only be kept for three to five days at most. It would be better to eat them early to avoid waste.

Not long after lunch at noon, the master and servants in the garden gathered by the door, set up a low table, and sat around to eat melon. Later, Ah Xi, a waiter from the kitchen, came to serve snow drinks, so Sang Ling kept him in the corridor and asked Zong Xiang and Wei Chu to set up a table there and send a plate of melon over, so that they could eat inside and outside the house.

They chatted for another half an hour, and then everyone went to take a rest - the management in Wuyuan was loose, and the servants did not need to be around all the time.

As soon as the door was closed, Zong Xiang and Wei Chu lay on the mats in the outer hall. The branches and leaves beside the corridor blocked the midday sun, providing a hint of coolness. The two children fell asleep quickly.

There was a lacquered screen in front of the back room, and a partition door connected to the backyard, which was not completely airtight. Cheng Lao sat cross-legged in the tent, fanning Sang Ling. The voices from inside were scattered, but fortunately, the noisy chirping of cicadas in the yard covered up most of the noise, so people outside could not hear it.

"The fourth lady is very enthusiastic and comes over from time to time, but I feel very nervous," said Aunt Cheng.

Sang Ling lay on his side, propped up his head and looked at her for a while. She was of course well aware of what this meant. Cheng Ai also knew that the person behind the scenes wanted to take action against Nie Ce. Since Nie Ce was still there, there would always be unrest in the mansion, so she always looked suspicious at everyone.

"We are now in the open, and the other party is in the dark. If we want to catch them, we can only wait for them to take action."

Old Mama Cheng put down the long-handled fan in her hand and asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know." Sang Ling shook his head and then lay down again. "That person's target is Nie Ce. Now that he's back, he might take action again. If it's really the Fourth Madam or the Second Madam behind this, we can't investigate anything. We can only wait for them to reveal their tracks. From today on, if they want anyone to come again, we will treat them warmly. I will also invite people to be our guests later."

As she spoke, the young lady's tone became solemn. "Give these melons to the people outside and send them around. Don't let us eat them all by ourselves. Although Fourth Aunt is not stupid enough to poison the things she sent, it's hard to say. If there are people coming to the backyard again, you should send people to keep a close eye on them. From now on, not only the masters, but also the servants who follow them, all the things they send and receive must be carefully checked."

……

A few days later, Sang Feng'e went to visit Marquis Mu Wu's mansion. -- I heard that she had handed in her visiting card a few days ago, but Madam Zhao Yu was still busy at the time and was not available to receive her until today.

Aunt Sang has arrived, so Madam Sang Ling has to be present. The two sides did not meet in the Jingsi Residence in the reception hall, but went to the Yunyue Pavilion in the back.

It was approaching the dog days of summer, and people would feel suffocated if they stayed outside for a while, but a dozen maids in embroidered long gowns were waiting in the corridor. Ice bricks for cooling down were piled behind the barriers on the wall. When the host sat down, a maid fanned him behind him. On the old rosewood table in front of him were all kinds of fruits soaked in ice water, as well as specially made pastries.

These things cannot be seen outside.

After all, aristocratic families are different. The Nie family is better off than ordinary aristocratic families. Even in the rich and prosperous capital, there are not many families that can be so luxurious. The food and daily necessities are all accompanied by ice cubes worth as much as gold.

The Gao family was indeed not considered very wealthy among the existing families, and in comparison, they were indeed poor. However, Sang Feng'e did not seem to be surprised, and her attitude was as generous and calm as ever - after all, she was a social expert in the circle of noble ladies in the capital, and the smile on her face made it impossible to see through her heart.

Although there was no grudge between Madam Zhaoyu and Sang Feng'e, there was always a hint of tension whenever the two sides met.

I don’t know what the final result was when Gao Heng went to the palace to treat the empress last time, and whether it was of any benefit to Gao Heng.

This time, the conversation between the husband's family and the wife's family was just a casual exchange of pleasantries. They talked about the weather, the excitement in various places in the capital, Nie Ce and Gao Heng, and asked about Sang Ling.

As the conversation came to an end, how could Madam Zhaoyu not see what Sang Feng'e meant? Although it was just a superficial greeting, she still arranged for Sang Feng'e to sit in the couple's lunch garden, giving the aunt and nephew a chance to talk alone.

"There will be a group of people from the farm coming to check the accounts later, so I won't entertain you, Madam. If you need anything, just call someone to come and tell them." Madam Zhaoyu stood up and nodded to Sang Feng'e, smiling, "Madam, I'm sorry."

The Sang family aunt and niece went all the way to Wuyuan. Although the sun was strong in the afternoon, they walked around the garden with umbrellas to see the living environment of their niece after her marriage. Wuyuan was located in the center of the East Palace, next to the Hall of Discourse and the Jingsi Residence. It covered a large area. After the landscaped front yard, the main house had three rooms for entertaining guests, living, and idleness. There was a narrow corridor with two or three empty side rooms. Behind the main house was the flower garden backyard, and further back were the servants' residences and workshops, with Wuyuan's own small kitchen and warehouse.

This layout and area can be considered a complete mansion not only for ordinary people but also for noble families.

In fact, when Sang Ling first came here, she also felt that this place was too big. Originally, Nie Ce lived there alone. Later, she thought about it and realized that it was like this in her era, not to mention the Imperial Dynasty. For rich and powerful people, why would they care about practicality? Having a lavish layout was enough.

Even if Nie Ce lives alone, the house must be grand enough.

"How is your relationship with that young Marquis Nie?" Sang Feng'e asked frankly.

Anyway, they had been married for more than half a year, and everyone was moving forward. Sang Ling replied warmly, "It's fine. The Marquis is a very righteous man."

"That's good." Sang Feng'e put down the teacup in her hand, finally showing some genuine relief, "I was always worried that you would be upset about Ya Nu's matter, but now just live a good life."

Before, Nie Ce escaped from his marriage, including the murder of Ya Nu. Afterwards, Madam Zhao Yu sent people to the Gao Mansion to explain the incident. Sang Feng'e was also clear about the superficial result of the matter.

The two sat opposite each other in silence for a moment. Sang Ling thought about it and decided to tell the truth. "Ya Nu was not murdered by rape. Someone poisoned the wedding wine. She took the wine cup by mistake and suffered this disaster. The person behind it was going to target Nie Ce. The murderer is still unknown." As she spoke, she clenched her hands again. "But it is very likely that it was an uncle or aunt in the mansion. Grandpa only wanted harmony in the family. Madam Zhaoyu was afraid of the old man, so she had to cover up the truth. Moreover, Nie Ce is busy with official duties now. If the mansion cannot be peaceful, it is also afraid that he will be distracted. I only know this about this matter, but my mother-in-law has not told me whether there is any specific progress of the investigation."

Sang Feng'e saw everything in Sang Ling's expression when he said this. She examined her niece minute by minute, and extracted the most critical point in her words, and asked, "Why didn't she tell you?"

This case is also related to the bride. Why didn't Madam Zhaoyu, the mother-in-law, tell her daughter-in-law about the progress? Although the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law seemed to get along harmoniously in Yunyue Pavilion just now, how could Sang Feng'e be easily blinded by appearances?

Sang Ling did not comment, and directly explained the reason, "Because Nie Ce and I have not slept together yet, her attitude towards me is only superficially close."

After saying this, Sang Feng'e's expression was not as shocked as she had imagined. Instead, she remained silent for a long time. When she spoke again, her attitude was surprisingly calm. "Since it is difficult to investigate now, just pretend you don't know. What's most important is to handle your relationship with Lord Nie with peace of mind."

She immediately shook her head and did not think about hiding herself in front of her aunt. "No, I have been dragging it out for more than half a year. There is not much I can do here. I can't wait like this any longer. I need a clear result. Aunt, to be honest with you, now that Nie Ce is back, I plan to investigate thoroughly. Since his target is Nie Ce, he may strike again. I will interact with the people in this mansion, be prepared, and wait for him to expose himself. Even if I can't make that person confess his crime immediately, at least let me know who it is."

"You think too simply." Sang Feng'e finally began to have some emotional ups and downs. Although she knew that she and Ya Nu had a master-servant relationship and that they could even sleep in the same room when they were close, if she was doing this just for Ya Nu, and she was alone in the mansion, how could she fight against the murderer who she didn't even know who he was? "It's too dangerous for you to do this. What if that person kills you as well?"

"I'll be careful." Unexpectedly, her attitude remained resolute.

"Why do you have to do this?" The eldest sister of the Sang family, her aunt, and the female head of the Gao family could no longer hold back and stood up, their voices suddenly rising a few notches. "If that person wants to rush, he will go after Nie Ce. Why can't you wait? Why do you have to take the risk?"

"But he killed Yanu." Sang Ling looked up and his eyes suddenly turned red.

The sound of confrontation was heard in the house, and Cheng Lao reacted instantly. She waved her arm, dismissed the servants waiting in the corridor near the door, and quickly closed the wooden door of the front hall.

"She's just a maid!"

The disbelief in Sang Feng'e's tone was like a sharp, cold sword that pierced Sang Ling's chest from above. She was shocked and stopped talking for a moment.

Maybe it was because the previous conversation went too smoothly, or maybe it was because her aunt was too kind to her, she subconsciously thought that their thoughts could be similar. After all, Ya-nu was also a member of the Gao family before, and even if she was indifferent to life, she couldn't have such an attitude.

"But..." She raised her head and spoke in a serious tone, "On the day of the wedding, Nie Ce ran away from the marriage. She was the only one who complained about the Nie family. Only she."

The Nie family was not careful in their work and they dared to go to pick up the bride on that day. At that time, no one in the Sang family dared to say anything. Even Sang Feng'e did not take any action until after the fact.

As a slave, Ya Nu dared to complain about this family. What about them, her real family members?

Sang Feng'e was obviously stunned. The anger in her bright eyes seemed to be extinguished by a basin of cold water, and she was speechless in an instant.

Sang Ling had to try her best to control her tears, but her eyes remained firm. "So she is not a maid! Aunt, she is my friend."

He is one of her few true friends, both in modern times and in ancient times.

He was also a witness and supporter who accompanied her throughout her painful transformation.

In Sang Ling's heart, Ya Nu is no less important than any of Sang Feng'e, Gao Heng and Cheng Ai.