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Lu Man thanked the maid with a smile and also gave her a purse.
She thought to herself that Lady Han (eldest Young Madam Han) always knew how to maintain her reputation. Using the estate’s money not only required Lu Man to remember her kindness, but the Princess would also praise her for being efficient.
Lu Man then called for He Mingzhu and He Cheng, who were copying books in the study, to join her in viewing the new house. Upon hearing this, the old Marquis, Jiang Jiu, and Jiang Zhanyan also insisted on coming along.
Thus, the group proceeded towards the backyard.
Exiting through the side gate of Donghui Courtyard led to a path paved with green stone slabs. On the opposite side stood the long wall of the mansion.
This path was secluded, rarely frequented by people.
Walking through the rear side gate of Donghui Courtyard and proceeding north for over half a mile brought them to the rear wall of the Princess Changting’s residence, where Yuling Courtyard was located – the two courtyards were not far apart.
Yuling Courtyard was situated at the northeast corner of the Princess Changting’s residence. To the north lay a broad road, beyond which was a large area where the servants lived, known as the backstreet.
This street clearly defined the affluent and quiet south side from the northern side, which appeared more ordinary, with some children of the servants playing and laughing.
The small entrance to Yuling Courtyard was on the east wall, leading directly to the side of the east wing. The courtyard was not large, with bluestone paving, a bare old elm tree at the center, four rooms in the main building, and three rooms each in the east and west wings. The freshly painted buildings looked new, but there was no well on the premises.
He Mingzhu and He Cheng were very pleased with Yuling Courtyard, their faces beaming with joy.
Upon hearing Lu Man’s concern about the lack of a well, He Mingzhu chuckled and remarked, “You’re accustomed to a life of luxury, not understanding how the poor live. In the countryside, your Uncle Wu and Aunt Fu have to walk over a mile every day to fetch water from the village well.” She added, “Since this place is close to Donghui Courtyard, they can go there to fetch water.”
After touring the house and discussing arrangements to purchase wood and hire a carpenter to make furniture, these tasks were entrusted to Deputy Steward Wang and Mr. Wu to handle.
Lu Man had already made arrangements with He Cheng that she would personally fund all the household items in the house, and in the future, they would use their own money for daily expenses. Additionally, she had already arranged for the title deed of the Tongren Hall courtyard to be transferred to He Cheng’s name and had given him three hundred taels of silver as rent.
The earnings from Tongren Hall were not divided yet. Initially, Lu Man had invested a significant amount of money, mainly relying on the profits from the Renhe clam oil and Renhe Postpartum Ointment, with further significant investments planned.
Upon seeing the house, the old Marquis expressed disdain, commenting, “This place is not good, small and plain. It’s better for dear in-law and Cheng to live in our mansion, we have plenty of empty courtyards…”
Lu Man intercepted, laughing, “My mother and brother are not part of the Jiang family, so how can they live in the Princess Changting’s mansion?”
After inspecting Yuling Courtyard thoroughly, they headed back satisfactorily.
Just as they exited the small gate of Yuling Courtyard, they spotted a vendor carrying a load, calling out along the backstreet. Perhaps to avoid disturbing the nobles in the mansion, his voice was not overly loud.
Suddenly, they noticed a crack opening in the long wall across the street, and a thirteen or fourteen-year-old maid hurriedly emerged, running towards them.
The maid rushed up to the group, glanced around, then approached Lu Man, curtsied, and said, “Are you Third Young Madam Jiang? I am a maid from the Duke Pingguo Liu’s mansion, and our young miss wishes to meet you.”
Lu Man was momentarily perplexed. The current Duke Liu, was a vice-commander of the Imperial Guards, a second-grade official, and a close friend of the Emperor. Why would a maid from his mansion secretly come out to meet her in this secluded backyard and claim that her mistress wanted to see her? It was unusual, they should not be acting so discreetly. Perhaps the mistress was unwell or unable to come out, indicating an underlying issue. Moreover, the maid dared not reveal her name or her mistress’s identity, leaving Lu Man uncertain whether the mistress was from the Liu family or a relative.
Seeing Lu Man hesitate, the maid’s eyes welled up with tears. She whispered, “Our young miss and I heard that this little courtyard would be for Third Young Madam Jiang’s maternal family to reside, and we were overjoyed, eagerly anticipating the chance to meet Third Young Madam Jiang.”
Lu Man sensed that the maid’s secretive behavior indicated that the Liu mansion was reluctant to openly let the young miss seek treatment. Either the young miss was unwell, or there were secret matters in the Liu mansion. Unwilling to get involved in the mansion’s affairs, especially while pregnant, she was cautious about any potential contagion or hidden issues.
She inquired, “Does the young miss have a hidden illness?”
The maid did not deny and said, “Please, Third Young Madam Jiang San, help us take a look.”
Before Lu Man could respond, Liu Ya stepped in front of her, solemnly stating, “Our mistress is pregnant, and currently the Princess does not allow her to attend to anyone’s medical needs. Moreover, your young miss may have a hidden illness. If we violate this, it would be a transgression, and we, the servants, would also suffer.”
With that, she guided Lu Man forward.
Lu Man didn’t want to escalate the situation and followed along. After a few steps, she turned back to the tearful maid still standing there and said, “If your mistress can leave the mansion, then go to Tongren Hall for treatment.”
That was all she could do.
Seeing the maid in tears, He Cheng, who was at the back of the group, approached and said, “Allow your mistress to seek treatment at Tongren Hall. If the physician there can’t help, they will come to discuss it with my sister.”
Before the group reached Donghui Courtyard, they saw Xing rushing towards them.
Frowning, Lu Man asked, “What’s the rush?”
Xing anxiously replied, “Third Young Madam, it’s bad news, old Madam Lu and Madam Lu are here. It wouldn’t be appropriate to keep them waiting outside, so we invited them in.”
They must have heard about He Mingzhu and her son returning.
He Mingzhu hurriedly suggested, “Manman, mother doesn’t want to see them. Mother and Cheng will hide in Yuling Courtyard.”
Lu Man intervened, “Mother, avoiding them now won’t solve the issue. They want to see you, it’s best to meet them, face the music, and clear the air, putting an end to their expectations.”
He Cheng agreed, “Mother, sister is right. Once we’re back in the capital, we won’t be able to avoid these family members, we must have a clear conversation.”
Upon returning to Donghui Courtyard, Lu Man had Jiang Jiu take the old Marquis and Jiang Zhanyan to play in the west courtyard.
She then went with He Mingzhu and He Cheng to the main hall, where they found the old lady Lu and Mrs. Ding seated on chairs in the right side of the hall. The old lady, considering herself the elder, had initially intended to sit in the main seat on the opium bed but was redirected to the chairs by Xing.
Earlier that day, Mrs. Ding had visited a neighbor. The neighbor mentioned having seen the former second Madam of the Lu family, He Mingzhu, a few days prior at Tongren Hall, accompanied by Lu Man and a very handsome young man, during a visit for medical treatment.