"Ying'er!" Huangfu Yue opened the door and went to Ying'er's room, gently knocking twice and calling softly.
"Coming," Ying'er replied from inside the room, hearing her mistress's voice. She immediately opened the door.
"Ying'er, help me get ready." She had only been a lady of wealth for two days and had already grown accustomed to being served.
"Yes. I was just thinking of coming to your room to see if you were awake, so I could help you get ready," Ying'er curtsied respectfully and nodded.
"Please return to your room, Miss. I'll go fetch a basin of water for you to wash your face," Ying'er said.
Last night, after Huangfu Yue brought Ying'er and the others here, she realized they would need to wash up in the morning. So, she used her earth elemental abilities to dig a well at the end of the corridor.
After quickly digging the well, Huangfu Yue had the space deliver water to fill it, allowing the people from the manor to fetch water from it.
Huangfu Yue also prepared basins, face towels, combs, and other toiletries for each room in the manor.
Two minutes after Huangfu Yue returned to her room, Ying'er arrived with a basin of washing water, a face towel, a comb, and other grooming tools.
Ying'er first helped Huangfu Yue comb her hair, and after that, she helped her wash her face, and then brush her teeth and rinse her mouth.
"Ying'er, do you know if those who are awake have had breakfast?" Huangfu Yue asked after she had finished freshening up and rinsing her mouth.
Last night, she had placed food in each room, telling everyone to eat if they were hungry, and to save the leftovers for breakfast.
"Don't worry, mistress. I've already checked all the rooms. Except for the second young madam, who is still asleep and hasn't had breakfast, everyone else has already eaten," Ying'er replied.
Although her mistress hadn't explicitly told her to keep an eye on the situation in each room, Ying'er thought that since she was idle and had nothing to do, she could monitor the rooms at any time. She was sure her mistress would want to know and planned to tell her once she woke up.
"Mistress, are you hungry? Would you like to have breakfast? I'll fetch some pastries for you," Ying'er asked with concern.
When Huangfu Yue had placed food in the rooms last night, she had also put some pastries in her own room.
Huangfu Yue nodded. At this hour, she was indeed a little hungry.
Ying'er quickly brought a plate of exquisite pastries and placed it in front of Huangfu Yue. Huangfu Yue picked up a piece and took a bite, her eyes suddenly flashing as if she remembered something.
"Ying'er, have you eaten?" Huangfu Yue looked at the maidservant in front of her. "If you haven't, eat with me."
"Thank you, mistress. I have already eaten," Ying'er waved her hand.
She had been hungry when she woke up and saw the pastries her mistress had given her in her room. She had eaten several pieces and was still a bit full.
"Then go to my second sister-in-law's room and tell her I want her to wake up. What time is it, and she's still sleeping!" Huangfu Yue ordered.
"Yes." Ying'er immediately took the order and left the room.
After Huangfu Yue had enjoyed two more pastries, Ying'er returned.
"Mistress, I have delivered your message and told the second young madam to wake up, but... she seems a bit displeased," Ying'er reported.
"Did she curse at anyone?" Huangfu Yue asked.
She had expected Xu Yuqing to be displeased.
It would be strange if Xu Yuqing was happy!
"No, she just had a dark expression and glared at me," Ying'er shook her head and replied truthfully.
"It's progress if she didn't curse," Huangfu Yue smiled and curved her lips.
If it were in the past, Xu Yuqing would definitely have scolded Ying'er and even her, and come to make a fuss.
It seemed that the "poison" within her made Xu Yuqing quite wary.
Huangfu Yue ate three more pastries, felt no longer hungry, and then stood up.
"Come with me to my grandmother's room."
"Yes." Ying'er curtsied slightly and followed Huangfu Yue out of the room.
After walking a short distance with Ying'er, Huangfu Yue arrived at the door of Consort Zheng's room. The door was closed.
"Old Madam, Eldest Miss requests an audience," Ying'er stepped forward, surpassing her mistress, and knocked loudly on the door.
The door immediately opened, and one of the maids serving Consort Zheng opened it.
"Eldest Miss, please come in quickly." The maid made a respectful gesture of invitation.
Huangfu Yue, with Ying'er, entered the room and saw a very exquisite screen. The screen was from Prince Dai's manor; she had collected it incidentally while collecting things from Prince Dai's manor and placed it here as a decoration.
Walking around the screen, she saw Consort Zheng sitting at the table, drinking tea. Huangfu Yue immediately bowed to pay her respects.
"Yue'er pays her respects to Grandmother. May Grandmother be blessed with peace and prosperity."
"No need for formalities. Come and sit quickly," Consort Zheng said with a face full of kindly smiles, beckoning her granddaughter.
Huangfu Yue came to her grandmother's side and sat down. "Grandmother, did you sleep well last night? Have you had breakfast?"
Although she knew her grandmother had already eaten, she still asked, to show her care.
"I slept very well and have eaten. And you? I went to your room earlier and heard you were still sleeping, so I thought I'd let you sleep soundly and not disturb you," Consort Zheng replied.
"I took a nap and am quite energetic now. After I got up and freshened up, I had breakfast... I came to tell you that we are now five hundred li away from the blockaded capital. We are temporarily safe... We are currently outside a county town called Fumin, and we can enter the city at any time," Huangfu Yue said with a charming smile.
"You've worked hard. Let's enter the city now and see what this Fumin County is like," Consort Zheng's smile deepened.
"Alright. I'll send everyone out of the Qiankun bag now," Huangfu Yue said, and then instructed the space to send everyone outside.
She had originally intended to ask Ying'er to notify the people in each room that they were leaving, but then she realized there was no need for that. She could simply have the space send everyone out.
The people in each room were suddenly bewildered when the place they were in suddenly changed. In the blink of an eye, they had left their previous rooms and were standing on an official road.
They looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion, until they saw Huangfu Yue appear and announce that she had led them five hundred li away from the blockaded capital, that they were now outside Fumin County, and that she was preparing to take them into the city. Only then did they come back to their senses.
"We're outside Fumin County now?!" Jiang Shangyun exclaimed with surprise, drawing everyone's attention.
"Judging by your reaction, you know this Fumin County," Huangfu Yue said to Jiang Shangyun.
Jiang Shangyun nodded. "Not only do I know Fumin County, my home is in Fumin County."
"Your home is in Fumin County?" Xu Yuqing exclaimed in surprise. "I thought your home was in the capital, or Bazhou."
"My family originally lived in Bazhou. Two years ago, my father went north to do business and went to the capital. I followed him to the capital and found a job as a constable. Later, my father's business in Fumin County went well, so my father moved my mother to Fumin County to settle down," Jiang Shangyun explained.