Red Mansion Rebirth: Ghost Phoenix

The next morning, Qiao Lian quietly found Ru'er and told her, "Hongdou cried for half the night last night. When she woke up this morning, her eyes were swollen badly. Before five o'clock, she went to get well water to apply to her eyes.

"I pretended to be sleepy and didn't notice. But when I woke up yesterday, I heard her muffledly grumbling and cursing, saying something like, 'It's not my fault...'"

Ruer narrowed her eyes and asked her, "Have you told anyone else?"

"No! Sister An'er was helping Liangdi wash up this morning, and I didn't find a chance, so I didn't tell her." Qiao Lian stood on tiptoe to look at An'er who was busy in the inner hall, feeling a little uneasy.

——She was An'er's apprentice, but she reported the matter to Ru'er.

Ruer patted her and encouraged her with a smile: "You did the right thing. Do this in the future. If there is anything strange, report it in time. An'er was busy telling me, and I was busy telling her.

"If you feel something is wrong and neither of us are around at the moment, report it directly to Liang Di!"

Qiao Lian was even happier to be affirmed by Ru'er, who was not her master. However, she knew that this was not the time to show her happiness, so she just curled her lips with bright eyes, knelt down and whispered, "Yes!"

"I know about Hongdou's matter. Please keep an eye on her. If she does anything, you don't have to worry about it. Just tell me and I'll take care of it." Ru'er gave her one more instruction and let her go.

Qiao Lian left quietly again.

Ruer returned to the inner hall gracefully, looking as if nothing had happened.

After An Er took the two newly added palace maids away, he stepped forward and helped Wang Xifeng to sit down at the table to wait for breakfast. He whispered what Qiao Lian had just said, and then said:

"Look, that slave girl can't stand it any longer."

"Well. You look for an opportunity and add fuel to the fire. It's best to let it start before the new person enters the palace." Wang Xifeng ordered softly.

Ru'er hesitated for a moment and whispered, "That may not be easy. Whether it's her or the people behind her, they are probably waiting for the newcomer to enter the palace to make trouble."

Wang Xifeng thought for a moment and smiled, "It's not difficult. From now on, just let her take care of Jia."

Ru'er's face changed: "Doesn't that give Jia a big loophole... Uh, good! I understand!"

Suddenly she understood what was going on and laughed.

In the afternoon, when Hongdou was about to take over Qiaolian's shift and serve in the inner hall, she was stopped by Ru'er, who asked her to go to Cheng'en Hall to pick up Jia and return: "From now on, all her affairs will be under your care.

"This woman's thoughts are written on her face, and you know it all. Qiao Lian is not good at talking, and if she makes trouble, Qiao Lian is no match for her.

"In the past few days, it was either me or Sister An'er who went to pick her up, but later on, we became busier and busier, and we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to take care of her.

"I'll take you along for a walk today, and you'll be the one keeping an eye on her from tomorrow on.

"It will only take about a month. When the Crown Princess recovers from her injuries, the palace affairs and Jia and Liang Di will be handed back to me."

Unexpectedly, Hongdou retorted, "Sister, don't bully me for not being on duty this morning! I had a court meeting early this morning, and the Emperor has announced to the world that the abdication ceremony will be held on April 28th!"

"The Crown Prince has also asked Consort Liang to be in charge of our palace move.

"If I take over the Jia family, it will be a job for at least two or three months..."

Ruer's eyes were sharp: "Who told you all this?!"

"Yes, Liang Di hasn't received the news yet!" Qiao Lian was dumbfounded. "The date of abdication has been set? And Liang Di is also responsible for moving the palace?"

Hongdou panicked: "You, you really don't know?"

Facing Ru'er's suspicious gaze, he stammered even more: "I, I was, I was overhearing people chatting outside..."

"Who dares to talk about this?" Ru'er stepped closer. "The affairs of the outer court are never discussed in the back hall. If it weren't for the people from Lizheng Hall or Cheng'en Hall telling us, we wouldn't know anything about this.

“You were listening to people chatting outside?

"Where were you outside and who did you hear chatting? Tell me clearly, right now and here."

Hongdou knelt down quickly, lowered her head and closed her eyes, making up a story: "I went to the kitchen to check on the lunch, and when I passed by Cheng'en Hall, I heard two palace maids talking about this matter..."

Ruer has just said that this kind of news can only come from Lizheng Palace or Cheng'en Palace, so she can just say the source is one of these two.

She definitely won't have the chance to go to Lizheng Hall, so the only option is Cheng'en Hall.

Ru'er looked at her head coldly, endured it for a while, and then changed her tone to a gentle one: "Don't be so sneaky in the future. If the people in Cheng'en Palace find out, they will frame you for sneaking in to get information. Liangdi can't explain it."

Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief and then stood up.

Ruer motioned for her to follow her.

The two of them slowly left Yichun Palace and headed towards Cheng'en Hall.

Seeing that there was no one around, Ruer comforted her softly, "Don't worry. Just keep an eye on Jia for two months. Once we enter Daming Palace, someone will naturally take care of her."

How could Hongdou dare to talk back at this moment? She could only remember this statement secretly and nodded her head in agreement.

Jia Yuanchun, who was becoming more and more skilled at her job, could clean the courtyard of Cheng'en Hall faster and faster. Now she could basically finish it by the time of lunch every day.

Coincidentally, the Crown Princess also heard that it was Ru'er who brought Hongdou here today. She frowned and told Kailan, "Ask them to come in."

Kale lowered his eyes and agreed, then went out and ordered, "You guys, the Crown Princess is summoning you."

Ruer took Hongdou inside, and Jia Yuanchun followed with her head lowered and her eyes submissive.

Gan Lan reached out and pushed her on the shoulder with such force that Jia Yuanchun fell to the ground. Gan Lan himself wiped his hands vigorously with a handkerchief and threw it on the ground.

He snorted, "I've told you long ago that the masters don't want to see you! Just kneel down and wait here!"

Jia Yuanchun fell on the blue bricks. Although her arms and legs were not scratched because of her thick clothes, she stretched out her hand to support herself, and now half of her palm was scraped. She gasped in pain.

But he still lowered his head, knelt respectfully, and said nothing.

Ruer glanced at her sideways, lowered her head and walked into the inner hall.

The Crown Princess looked at her carefully and said with a smile, "I heard that when Wang Liang Di was young, she had four girls, all of whom were safe and happy. Now only you and An'er are left. She is really blessed."

"Yes." Ruer said nothing more.

The Crown Princess smiled and said, "But since those two are gone, why did your palace's Qiao Gui change her name and no longer use those two characters, but instead changed it to Hongdou?"

"To answer the Crown Princess, Sister Ping'er is still alive and still uses the name. Yi'er is a traitorous maid, so the name is unlucky. That's why we, the Concubine, have never used it."

Ruer had no choice but to defend Wang Xifeng.

The Crown Princess nodded: "I see. Red beans sound nice too. Red beans grow in the south, and they are the most nostalgic!"

He looked coldly at Hongdou who had already started to tremble behind him.

Ru'er sighed inwardly and had to speak again to defend Hongdou: "To answer the Crown Princess, we are vulgar and don't understand these elegant words. It's because Hongdou loves to eat red bean cakes that Liangdi changed it casually."

"Oh, what a coincidence. I happen to have a plate of red bean cakes here. I'll give it to you." The Crown Princess said with a smile, "Also, I see that Jia only works half a day every day, which is really too idle.

“When people have too much free time, they tend to get bored and cause trouble.

"You also have a courtyard in Yichun Palace, so let her clean it as well."