When Rongrong got up, she found that the grand Yuhua Palace was empty.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the past few days that all hit her last night.

She had slept so deeply that she didn’t even notice when Yuanbao had gotten up.

Rongrong lazily sat up, feeling a bit embarrassed.

No one in the palace thought she was here to be a proper maid, but she had taken the task of caring for Yuanbao very seriously.

However, it had turned out poorly.

The dragon bed was just too comfortable, with its pillows filled with calming and sleep-inducing herbs, which made her sleep so soundly.

After she nervously changed into her clothes and walked out of Yuhua Palace, everything was as usual.

Rongrong sighed, thinking she really needed to talk to Yuanbao about leaving soon.

Yuanbao was a sensible child and surely wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

“Miss, breakfast is ready. Would you like to eat now?” a young palace maid asked.

Rongrong was surprised, “Me? Breakfast prepared for me?”

The maid replied, “Prince Yuanbao had some poria congee this morning and liked it, so it was saved for you to have after you woke up.”

So it was leftover food.

That was fine.

Rongrong followed the maid and asked, “Where are the Prince and His Highness?”

“They have already entered the palace,” the maid paused and added, “The Lord has left a carriage for you. If you wish to visit your grandmother, you can go ahead. Both masters will return only after dinner today.”

Was this arranged by the Crown Prince?

Rongrong was a bit skeptical but felt very happy inside.

It was fine when Yuanbao was around; she could chat and laugh with him, so it didn’t feel awkward.

But when the father and son left, Rongrong felt uneasy being alone in the Eastern Palace.

The maid brought out the breakfast, which was said to be leftover from Yuanbao but looked as fresh as if it had just been made.

Rongrong happily ate two bowls of congee and then instructed the carriage to head to Wutong Alley.

As usual, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley.

As Rongrong got out of the carriage and walked forward, someone suddenly bumped into her.

“Ah!” Rongrong’s shoulder was jostled by the person, who then fell heavily and ended up sprawled on the ground.

Rongrong saw that it was a woman who had bumped into her.

Despite the pain in her shoulder, she helped the woman up and recognized her.

“Qiu Yue, are you okay?”

Qiu Yue’s face looked pale.

Seeing she had bumped into Rongrong, she quickly said, “I’m fine. Miss Xue, are you okay?”

“Glad to hear you’re both fine.” Rongrong used a handkerchief to wipe the dust from Qiu Yue’s face. “Why aren’t you at the embroidery shop at this hour?”

“Today was supposed to be the day for Boss Mei to inspect the embroidery pieces.

We’ve been waiting at the shop for a long time, but she never showed up.

The shopkeeper came by the house earlier and said no one was there.

Now he’s sent me again to check. Where could she have gone?”

Boss Mei wasn’t found?

Rongrong said, “Don’t worry, maybe Boss Mei went out for some leisure.”

“She has never missed an inspection before.”

“That might have been true in the past, but it doesn’t mean it’s the same today. Don’t worry, Boss Mei is a reliable person. She’ll be fine.”

Qiu Yue sighed heavily, “Thanks for your kind words. I hope I can find her at her house now.”

“Go ahead. I won’t keep you any longer.” Rongrong bade Qiu Yue farewell and then went to her own home.

As soon as she entered, she saw Chunxing washing clothes in the courtyard and Old Lady Xue lying on a chair, squinting and enjoying the sunlight.

Although her head was still bandaged, her expression was very calm.

Chun Xing looked up when she heard the door open and saw Rongrong.

She immediately greeted her with joy.

“You’re back, Miss!”

Though it had only been a few days, so much had happened that Rongrong felt it had been much longer.

Living in the Eastern Palace was luxurious, but it wasn’t as carefree as the days spent with Chun Xing in Wutong Alley.

“Is Grandmother sleeping?”

“Yes,” Chun Xing nodded, pulling Rongrong into the main room. “Old Lady Xue said she had been lying indoors for too long. This morning, she thought the sunlight was nice, so she asked the young master to carry her outside to sunbathe. She was talking to me just before she fell silent.”

Rongrong smiled and asked, “Why is it just you?”

“The young master insisted on going to the street to find some work, so he left after breakfast. Fei Cui went out to buy vegetables and hasn’t come back for quite a while.” Chun Xing lowered her voice, “She’s probably out slacking off.”

That was indeed possible.

Rongrong raised an eyebrow in resignation.

“Miss, why don’t you go to the Marquis’s residence and return Fei Cui?”

“You forgot? Fei Cui has a disability, and the Marquis’s residence won’t accept her.” When Fei Cui first arrived, Rong Rong was somewhat wary.

Now that she’s in the Eastern Palace, she’s no longer concerned; she just lets Fei Cui do as she pleases.

As they were talking, Old Lady Xue in the courtyard slowly opened her eyes and asked, “Is Rong Rong back?”

Rong Rong’s spirits lifted.

Although she had visited her grandmother yesterday, her grandmother was still unconscious then.

Today, she was truly awake.

She hurried outside and, before reaching her grandmother, saw that her eyes were already filled with tears.

“My child, this illness has caused you so much suffering!” Her grandmother was deeply pained. “You finally redeemed yourself, and now you’ve fallen into another fire pit!”

The Eastern Palace, because of the young prince’s presence, wasn’t really a fire pit.

Rong Rong quickly wiped her grandmother’s tears. “It’s not too hard. I was planning to find a job anyway.”

Though she wasn’t truly upset, seeing her grandmother so emotionally distressed made her tear up as well.

After Old Lady Xue cried on Rong Rong’s shoulder for a while, she slowly calmed down. “I heard from your second brother that you’re working as a nanny for a wealthy family. Is the employer good?”

“Yes, the employer is nice, and the child isn’t naughty. Since I’m not too strict, I might be able to visit you every few days.”

Old Lady Xue was pleasantly surprised but still had some doubts. “Really? Is there such a good job?”

Rong Rong smiled. “Just joking. I can’t come home every day, but I can visit every three to five days. The child goes to school during the day, so I don’t need to be around.”

“It’s true that children from rich families go to school at such a young age. It’s a pity about your brother…” Old Lady Xue was disappointed that her son, Xue Da Cheng, didn’t succeed and that Rong Rong had to be sold to the Marquis’s residence when she was young.

Therefore, Old Lady Xue was closest to her adopted grandson, Xue Xiaoshan.

The village teacher once praised Xue Xiao Shan, saying he would surely achieve something if he continued his studies.

Old Lady Xue still regretted that Xue Xiaoshan didn’t continue his education.

Remembering that Chunxing mentioned Xue Xiaoshan wanted to find work in the capital, Rong Rong had an idea. “Grandmother, since we’re not short of money, why don’t you persuade my second brother not to rush into finding a job? Instead, he should find a school in the capital and continue his studies.”

“Go back to studying?” Old Lady Xue frowned and thought for a moment. “But that school is full of young children. Wouldn’t it be awkward for your second brother to go there?”

Rong Rong smiled. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You might not know, but there are plenty of elderly people who succeed in the exams. With my second brother’s intelligence, he’ll catch up quickly.”

Old Lady Xue hoped for Xue Xiao Shan’s success, and hearing Rong Rong’s words made her smile more.

“Then I’ll do as you say and talk to him when he returns.” Just then, Old Lady Xue suddenly clapped her hands and said, “No, we need to save the money for your redemption. We can’t spend it anymore.”

Hearing her grandmother say this, Rong Rong felt moved, but her troubles weren’t something money alone could solve.

“Grandmother, don’t worry about the silver at home. If it’s not enough, just have Fei Cui come and ask me for more.”

The silver from the Eastern Palace should be spent if it can be used.

Hearing this, Old Mrs. Xue felt increasingly uneasy.

While Spring Apricot was busy in the kitchen, she pulled Rong Rong’s hand and asked quietly, “Rong Rong, tell me honestly, have you been kept in a secret place?”

A secret place?

Seeing Rong Rong’s shock, Grandma Xue, unable to bear the thought, lowered her head and said, “I’ve heard that sometimes wealthy families in the city keep mistresses secretly. I thought it was absurd, but now I can’t believe that my own granddaughter…”

Grandma Xue grew more agitated and slapped herself hard. “It’s my fault for being so old. I should just die and not drag you into this…”

Just as Rong Rong was hesitating how to explain to Old Mrs. Xue and try to stop her from hurting herself, it was too late.

Fortunately, Old Mrs. Xue had just recovered from a serious illness.

Although she slapped herself with all her strength, it wasn’t too heavy and only left a big red mark, which was still enough to make Rong Rong feel heartbroken.

Grandmother, who had always lived in the countryside, knew about mistresses?

Thinking about it, with her wealth and frequent travels, it did seem like she could be someone’s mistress.

“Grandmother, I promise you, I haven’t lied. Don’t worry, I’m still a pure maiden!” Rong Rong didn’t know how to explain further and decided to be straightforward.

This statement indeed calmed Grandma Xue down.

Even though her doubts weren’t completely gone, hearing Rong Rong say this made her believe it was true.

In the end, it was their own inability that led to this situation, where even their granddaughter couldn’t be protected.

With this thought, Old Mrs. Xue sighed heavily again.

“Alright, I’m just an old woman with no use. I only hope you’ll be well. If you say there’s nothing wrong, then it must be fine.”

“Grandmother, please don’t worry. It’s really fine.”

“Hmm,” Old Mrs. Xue patted Rong Rong’s hand, “Poor child, you’re already eighteen, and I haven’t been able to help you with marriage arrangements. Sigh…”

A granddaughter so beautiful couldn’t find a suitable match in Lin Wan Village. If she looked in the capital, Old Mrs. Xue was at a loss.

But with Rong Rong being eighteen, delaying further would turn her into an old maid.

Rong Rong’s face flushed slightly. “Grandmother, don’t worry. These things can’t be rushed. If it’s meant to be, it will happen naturally.”

At this moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Is Miss Xue at home?”