Who came to Jiuwang Mansion this early in the morning and handed over a greeting card?
"who is it?"
Xiao Mingxuan's voice was calm, and he reached out to take the greeting card and looked at it with a stern look on his face.
"The Duke of Yiguo?"
"Go and invite people into the living room."
"yes."
The man stepped back.
On the side, Qin Yin stepped forward.
"Master, are they the Duke Yiguo and the second young lady?"
"Um."
There was no expression on Xiao Mingxuan's face, but he got up and went back to the house to change his clothes.
Qin Yin stood outside the house, touched his nose, and felt that his master was a little different today. Why did his master change his clothes specifically to see outsiders?
But having said that, Miss Luo Er is not considered an outsider.
Arriving outside the living room, Xiao Mingxuan saw the mother and daughter sitting and drinking tea.
Today, Luo Jiuli is wearing a light blue dress, her skin is like snow, her eyebrows are like distant mountains, she is wearing light makeup, and there is a smile on her lips.
He felt that this kind of Luo Jiuli lacked some of his usual coldness and sharpness, and was a little more soft and gentle.
Luo Jiuli seemed to feel someone's eyes on her, so she raised her head and looked out the door.
Just then, he saw Xiao Mingxuan walking towards him with his hands behind his back, dressed in black clothes and with flying black eyebrows.
As soon as Xiao Mingxuan came in, the Duke's wife quickly pulled Luo Jiuli to stand up and salute.
"My wife meets the Ninth Prince."
Xiao Mingxuan waved his hand and deliberately slowed down his voice.
"With no courtesy, Madam, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Duke's wife thanked her, but did not sit down.
"Your Majesty, I brought my daughter here today to thank you for saving my daughter's life."
Xiao Mingxuan raised his eyes and looked at Luo Jiuli, who was standing behind the Duke's wife, and looked at a pile of exquisite and high-end thank-you gifts neatly placed on the table opposite.
"Madam, you are very polite. Miss Luo Er already thanked you yesterday."
The Duke's wife pinched the handkerchief in her hand. She was somewhat afraid of the God of War Prince. After all, whether it was rumors or reality, the Ninth Prince was indeed difficult to deal with.
What's more, she has also heard some things in recent days. Her daughter seems to be getting closer to the Nine Kings, and she does not want her daughter to make the same mistakes again.
"Yesterday was yesterday, and today, my wife is officially here to express my gratitude on behalf of my husband."
"Your Majesty has a distinguished status. This time, my daughter is safe and sound thanks to His Majesty's blessing. However, my daughter is young, has an unstable temperament, and has experienced some changes. I have been helped by Your Majesty several times, and I am grateful."
"If there is any need for the Duke of Yiguo in the future, please ask the prince to speak."
"I am in a hurry today, so I have specially prepared some small gifts, and please be sure to accept them, Your Majesty."
Xiao Mingxuan's dark eyes were piercing. Listening to Madam Guogong's calm words, he already understood in his heart that Madam Guogong wanted him to keep a distance from Luo Jiuli.
"Here comes someone."
Xiao Mingxuan sat on the chair with a stern expression.
At the door, the housekeeper came in.
"Your Majesty."
"I received the thank-you gift from the Duke's wife."
"yes."
The butler responded.
The Duke's wife secretly breathed a sigh of relief and saluted.
"Then, my wife will not disturb the prince."
"Um."
Xiao Mingxuan nodded and glanced at Luo Jiuli who was standing aside.
From beginning to end, she didn't say a word.
At the door of the living room, Xiao Mingxuan clenched his hands tightly behind his back as he looked at the backs of the mother and daughter.
——
In the carriage returning home, Luo Jiuli couldn't help but look at his mother.
"Mother, why did mother emphasize those words in the Ninth Prince's Mansion just now?"
The Duke's wife looked at her.
"Did you hear it?"
"Since you have heard it, then the Ninth Prince should also be able to understand it."
"Mother, what are you-"
"Jiu'er."
The Duke's wife took her daughter's hand.
"Although mother has lived in the back house for a long time, there are some things that mother doesn't know. The last time the imperial concubine announced that you entered the palace, it was not just because of your reconciliation with King Zhao. Mother also listened to the slander that the Hu sisters slandered against you.
My heart is like a knife."
Luo Jiuli was startled. She hid a lot of what happened last time, but she didn't expect that her mother would find out after all.
"Mother, do you know everything?"
The Duke's wife nodded.
"How could you not tell your mother when you have been so wronged?"
Luo Jiuli smiled easily.
"It's not a grievance. The Hu sisters didn't get any benefits either."
"Oh! You."
The Duke's wife sighed.
"Although the Ninth Prince is a king among men, he is also the uncle of Prince Zhao. In the future, you should not have too much contact with him, so as not to cause gossip."
When Luo Jiuli heard this, he snorted.
"What other people think of me has nothing to do with me, let alone, does my mother think it is possible?"
"We are the ministers of the Duke of Yiguo. We eat the royal food and receive the royal salary. Our status is here. Whether it is the emperor, the nine kings or the royal family, how can we say that we will not have contact without contact."
"I am open-minded and have a clear conscience. Why should I be afraid of those people's gossip?"
"What's more, the Ninth Prince has helped me several times. If you let me be that ungrateful person just because of Hu Bingyu, let alone if I don't do it, even if my father knows about it, he won't agree."
The Duke's wife was so shocked by her daughter's volley of words that she could not recover for a long time.
"You girl, who asked you to be such an ungrateful person? Mother only told you not to have too much contact, but did not say not to let you have contact. Mother was afraid that you would be hurt."
Seeing his mother's face angry, Luo Jiuli quickly wrapped his arms around his mother and rested his head on his mother's shoulder.
"Mother, my daughter understands that you are sincerely doing it for her own good, but she knows what she should do and what she shouldn't do."
"Don't worry, mother, I will keep a proper distance from the Nine Kings in the future, but if the Nine Kings need my help, I will definitely not stand idly by."
After all, the conditions she negotiated with Xiao Mingxuan were still fresh in her mind, and she still needed Xiao Mingxuan's help for some things.
"Oh! Let mother say hello to you."
The Duke's wife sighed again.
"You just need to remember that in this capital, no one should be offended easily, whether it is among the courtiers, the various mansions, or the noble ladies and ladies, especially the Grand Sima Mansion."
"And the eldest lady of the Hu family is not as dignified and elegant as she appears. Don't let her suffer in her hands."
"Yes, I know."
"It is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain. A gentleman will be open-minded and will not do things that harm others behind his back. He will be aboveboard and show his sword and spear clearly. But that Hu Bingyu, dignified and elegant on the outside, is actually a vicious and cruel master on the inside."
The Duke's wife was a little surprised. She didn't expect that her daughter could see clearly.
Half of the worries in his heart were gone, he put his arm around her shoulders and sighed:
"My daughter has indeed grown up, and my mother can finally relax."