After Li Man'er and Ziyan left Songhe Hall, the mistress and maid walked back along the covered corridor.
The original host lived in Qingping Xuan, which was quite remote. Li Man'er wasn't in a hurry to return; instead, she took Ziyan for a stroll around the mansion.
Even now, she hadn't fully adapted to this new identity. A perfectly healthy person, one moment the sect leader of a Xuan Medicine family, and the next, a helpless and pitiful individual in an ancient marquis's mansion. The contrast was too stark.
Ziyan followed Li Man'er silently. Several times she wanted to ask something but ultimately chose to remain quiet. Seeing Ziyan hesitate repeatedly, Li Man'er found it amusing and took the initiative to ask, "If you have something to say, just say it. What's with all this stammering?"
Ziyan felt as if the mistress before her was completely different from the young lady she used to serve. The former young lady had a bad temper and would flare up at the slightest provocation. No matter who it was, after a few taunting words, the young lady would charge forward like a maddened bull, wanting to fight to the death, completely disregarding the consequences!
Moreover, the young lady was clumsy with words and not very sharp-witted, always being tricked and having her rightful arguments turned into baseless ones.
But for some reason, after that incident at the Princess's mansion, the young lady seemed to have changed, becoming smarter and more articulate. Her imposing presence was on par with the Princess, and she could even fend off the martial arts-practicing young marquis...
"This servant wanted to ask, why didn't Young Lady take the opportunity to ask Old Madam to bring Granny Wu back from the countryside!"
Granny Wu was a trusted person left by Li Man'er's mother, Madam Ning. She had been wrongly accused by Madam Guo and sent to a manor in the countryside.
As soon as Granny Wu left, Madam Guo had pushed Granny Xu into Qingping Xuan, ostensibly to be a pillar of support for her.
"It's not the right time for this matter," Li Man'er replied.
Not the right time?
Ziyan frowned. If not now, then when! Granny Xu was already gone!
"One cannot rush success; rushing leads to failure! Only by doing the right thing at the most opportune moment can one achieve twice the results with half the effort."
Ziyan's eyes widened. Were these words really from her young lady?
"Young Lady..." She was so worried! Could her young lady have run into something… unclean?
"What are you afraid of?"
"This servant, this servant isn't afraid..." Ziyan became even more nervous. "It's just that... it's just that Young Lady seems a bit different." As she spoke, she nervously glanced around, afraid of being overheard.
Li Man'er couldn't help but chuckle, "People change. Do you know what happened to me at the Princess's mansion?"
"This servant naturally knows, but is there something more that this servant doesn't know?"
"We'll talk about it when we get back." Li Man'er deliberately created suspense and led Ziyan back to Qingping Xuan.
"Young Lady, you're back. We were so worried," a round-faced maid greeted them softly. "There's hot water in the kitchen. This servant will prepare it immediately. Young Lady should take a bath and change before resting."
The sun was strong outside, and the clothes of ancient people were layered and voluminous. Li Man'er was already sweating.
This arrangement was excellent.
While bathing, she didn't ask for anyone's service, only keeping Ziyan waiting outside the screen.
Listening to the sound of water from behind the screen, Ziyan felt extremely uneasy. She knew clearly that Li Man'er had kept her behind to talk about what happened at the Princess's mansion and her changes.
As she was thinking, Li Man'er suddenly spoke from behind the screen, "People don't change without reason, especially overnight. No matter how much one changes, it won't be so drastic. Ziyan, do you think I've changed?"
Ziyan shivered but truthfully replied, "Young Lady has changed, changed a lot." It was as if she had become a different person in such a short time, which truly made one suspicious.
"The kind are bullied, the good are ridden." Li Man'er sighed softly and asked, "Do you know the story of Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly?"
Ziyan was literate and knew some allusions.
"This servant knows a little. Does Young Lady mean you had a dream? Did you dream of something?"
Li Man'er rolled her eyes and continued, "Yes, I had a very long dream. At the time, I was unconscious but dreamed of many things that hadn't happened in reality. I dreamed that Li Zhaor led the Princess and several ladies into that side room. Unlike reality, Young Master Geng didn't disappear but slept on the same couch with me!"
Ziyan gasped. Wasn't this equivalent to being caught red-handed?
"In the dream, I was accused of having an illicit affair with a man and being promiscuous. After returning to the mansion, I was shunned by everyone. Father ordered me to cut my hair and become a nun. Madam Guo said I might as well die and preserve my purity. Grandmother was so angry that she ordered people to strangle me..."
Ziyan's heart pounded rapidly, as if it were about to leap out of her chest.
"I dreamed that I really died, and Li Zhaor married into the Duke of Rong's mansion in my place, living a happy and fulfilling life with the dowry left to me by my mother. The world declared Li Man'er an inauspicious person, saying my mother was immoral to have given birth to me. Even my maternal grandfather's family was implicated."
This was, of course, Li Man'er's fabrication, but if she hadn't transmigrated, the original host's fate would have been similar.
Ziyan trembled slightly and asked curiously, "Young Lady, what happened later!"
"Later! In the dream, I met someone else, an immortal."
"Immortal... immortal?"
"The immortal touched my crown, and I received eternal life." This world had no Li Taibai, so Li Man'er shamelessly borrowed the line. "The immortal had white clothes and white hair, with a very long beard..."
"Uh..." The mention of a long beard made Ziyan feel something was off, but the previous line was so powerful.
"So, the immortal showed Young Lady a way forward?"
"Not only did the immortal show me the way, but he also enlightened me and taught me skills. He became my... master." She suddenly recalled the scene of Sun Wukong apprenticing in Journey to the West and added, "But he didn't want me to call him master, saying that immortals and mortals are different, and our karma wasn't that deep. Thus, he imparted his skills and enlightened me, but he didn't want me to mention this matter."
Ziyan knelt down with a thud, "Young Lady, please don't say anymore! It's this servant's fault; this servant shouldn't have asked, nor should she have thought too much." She had entered the marquis's mansion at the age of seven and was assigned to serve in Qingping Xuan half a year later. She had been with the young lady for a full ten years; how could she not believe her?
"Ziyan, I also find it unbelievable and feel very uneasy, and I don't know who else I can talk to. Among those serving me, there are only you few. Yin Zhu is young, Mu Yun is too boisterous by nature, and Lu Yi is loyal and spirited, but she's not as steady as you. Besides, you've been in the mansion the longest; you've practically watched me grow up..."
"Young Lady, please rest assured. This servant will keep your secret and never tell anyone else." Ziyan was deeply moved. She was truly the person her young lady valued the most, and it was worth following her for so long.
"You may rise. The water has cooled. Change your clothes."
"Yes!"
The conversation between the mistress and maid ended there.
Li Man'er changed into her clothes, tied her hair simply at the back, and sat on the large heated couch by the window, gazing at the flowers on the veranda.
Her courtyard was quite grand, with four main rooms, two side rooms, and back rooms, totaling over a dozen rooms. It looked no less impressive than Madam Guo's Zhaohui Yuan. The furniture and items used were all of good quality, creating an atmosphere of wealth, resembling a nouveau riche.
Just then, Yin Zhu ran over in a panic. Upon entering, she exclaimed, "It's bad, it's bad, Young Lady, something terrible has happened."