No wonder Nian-ge'er was scared!
However, these were ultimately other people's family matters, and Yu Zhou couldn't interfere. After the woman thanked him repeatedly, Yu Zhou left with Yu Sili and An Mu.
Qin Feng then appeared.
"Nian-ge'er, you're going to worry me to death!" Upon seeing Qin Feng, "Aunt Ping" cried even harder, ignoring Qin Feng's greeting and only embracing Nian-ge'er, sobbing, "If anything happens to you, I won't live anymore! But I have no face to face my sister in the afterlife—"
Nian Ge'er's small body was held tightly in her arms, and he squirmed uncomfortably. Then, when he heard her mention his mother, he started to cry.
Qin Feng finally spoke up, unable to bear it any longer. "Miss Qingping, I think we should go inside first. It's getting late, and Nian-ge'er is weak and can't stand the cold."
"What Lord Qin says is true. When I saw Nian-ge'er, I was both happy and remorseful, and I forgot about it."
Qingping then stopped crying and led Nian-ge'er, limping, into the inner room.
Qin Feng followed behind them, frowning.
Qingping took two old women to help Nian Ge'er wash up and change his clothes. Qin Feng instructed the other two Imperial Guards he brought to keep a close watch on him. He then called Zheng Peng out to speak.
"I really don't know how she brought Nian-ge'er from Yunnan Prefecture to here!" Zheng Peng said with some dissatisfaction. "Fortunately, it's in the countryside. If it were in the city, Nian-ge'er might have been kidnapped. How would we explain that to the Marquis?"
"This happened so soon after we arrived!"
Today they received a letter from Qingping, saying that they had arrived in the capital and were temporarily staying in a village in the countryside.
Zheng Peng and Qin Feng rushed over, only to find Qingping crying and complaining that Nian Ge'er had disappeared while she was in the house getting something.
The two of them panicked upon hearing this and rushed off to find someone.
Before long, the rest of the Imperial Guards who had been summoned and belonged to Lu Mingxiu's former subordinates also arrived, bringing with them two old maids who had been prepared in advance.
Because of Nian Ge'er's sensitive identity, they dared not make a fuss and could only search for him secretly, until Qin Feng finally discovered him.
If the other party wasn't An Ran, Qin Feng would have brought Nian Ge'er back directly. Remembering his brief encounter with An Ran at the Nan'an Marquis's residence, Qin Feng dared not act rashly and could only follow behind them, watching Nian Ge'er return safely.
Qin Feng gave him a look that said, "Take it easy."
"She has done her best to take care of Nian Ge'er." Although Qin Feng said this, a thought still flashed through his mind. He said lightly, "It was not easy for her to take Nian Ge'er on the way. Although she hired people, she still suffered a lot. Yang Shi entrusted Nian Ge'er to her, and she must have had her reasons."
Qingping didn't go immediately because she had sprained her ankle the day before, and her journey had left her feeling listless, as if she had accidentally eaten some kind of fruit. This caused her to neglect watching over Nian Ge'er, allowing him to run away.
"Fortunately, we've already picked them up!" Zheng Peng finally breathed a sigh of relief. "These past month or so have been filled with anxiety and worry; it hasn't been easy."
Qin Feng nodded.
He hesitated for a moment, then said to Zheng Peng, "When I was looking for Nian Ge'er, I met someone, and it was she who instructed me to properly send Nian Ge'er back."
Zheng Peng looked at Qin Feng with suspicion and asked, "Isn't it Yu Zhou?"
Qin Feng shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I met Madam."
"Madam?" Zheng Peng was taken aback.
Lu Mingxiu's trusted confidants all knew their master's thoughts. After the imperial decree of marriage was issued, they privately began to address An Ran as "Madam," which was much easier to pronounce than the awkward "Miss An Jiu."
Qin Feng then told Zheng Peng the whole story.
“I’m afraid we can’t tell Madam about this yet.” Zheng Peng looked thoughtful. “Let’s consult the Marquis first and see what he thinks.”
Qin Feng agreed with his opinion.
"I will write to the Marquis in a little while. Firstly, to tell him that Nian-ge'er has been successfully received, and secondly, to tell him that the Madam has met Nian-ge'er by some twist of fate."
As the two were talking, someone from the Pingyuan Marquis's residence came looking for Qin Feng.
"Lord Qin, this was sent from the Marquis of Nan'an's residence," the messenger said. "They said it was for you."
Upon seeing the elegant handwriting on the envelope, Qin Feng immediately guessed that it was a letter from the lady to the marquis.
What a coincidence! I was also going to deliver a letter to the Marquis anyway.
Qin Feng accepted the money and told the person to stay there for the next day. He and Zheng Peng went to write a letter to the Marquis, which we won't go into detail about.
******
The Marquis of Nan'an's residence.
Since An Ran left, the conflict between Liu Niang and Qi Niang has become increasingly acute.
With no common enemy around, and the two of them living in the same courtyard, Seventh Sister used to always cause trouble for An Ran. Now that An Ran wasn't in the mansion, she naturally turned her attention to Sixth Sister.
Tenth Sister didn't need to be at odds with her. After all, Tenth Sister was younger and had grown up with Seventh Sister since childhood, so naturally she had a better relationship with her than with Sixth Sister.
In the past, Sixth Sister would have been more tolerant of Seventh Sister.
But now that An Ran has been betrothed, her marriage to Qi Niang is imminent, and she can no longer tolerate it.
Therefore, from time to time, in front of the elders, especially in front of Zhao Shi, Sixth Sister would make Seventh Sister suffer some hidden losses, trying to make Seventh Sister's impression on Zhao Shi even worse.
Sixth Sister knew in her heart that her stepmother didn't like her illegitimate daughters at all. Even Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister, who grew up by her side, were not truly loved by Zhao Shi.
If I can make her dislike Seventh Sister, things will be much better for me, and my marriage prospects will also improve.
Last time, Sixth Sister's attempt to expose An Ran to Marquis Pingyuan failed, leaving her disheartened. However, she wasn't discouraged; it was just that someone had disrupted her plans. If no one had interfered, perhaps she would have already revealed An Ran to Marquis Pingyuan!
If Marquis Pingyuan knew the truth... he would definitely not tolerate it! Of the four concubine daughters of the Marquis of Nan'an, only she and Anran were the most outstanding in appearance. If he did not marry Anran, the Marquis might marry her instead!
Sixth Sister still held a sliver of hope in her heart.