Exhausted from the journey the night before, Pei You fell asleep shortly after lying down on the soft bed and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and full of energy.
After asking a maid who was sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard, she managed to get a basin of clean water for washing.
Once washed up, Pei You eagerly wandered around Feihua Courtyard. The servants in the Marquis's Mansion were naturally snobbish, and Feihua Courtyard was considered the most remote place in the entire estate. Since the Madam had assigned Pei You to live here out of disdain, the servants naturally had no desire to waste any effort trying to win her favor.
Accustomed to playing by herself, Pei You didn't feel anything was amiss.
Although Feihua Courtyard was spacious, it was cold and desolate. All the elaborate rockeries and flower beds meticulously built elsewhere in the Marquis's Mansion were entirely absent here.
Yet Pei You liked it very much, because this was her own courtyard, proving that she finally had a place to call her own in the Marquis's Mansion—not to mention that the courtyard was huge.
It was at this moment that Chen Yunxin arrived at Feihua Courtyard, accompanied by two maids.
She wore a water-blue brocade dress meticulously embroidered with fluttering butterflies in fine stitches, and her necklace and bracelets were a matching set of gold-inlaid jade.
Even the two maids following Chen Yunxin wore garments with embroidered details. But look at Pei You: she was still wearing the same pink dress she had worn yesterday, and her hair was simply tied back with a matching ribbon.
Zhixia raised her chin and asked, "This servant heard that My Lady gave Miss Pei You a box of jewelry yesterday. Why aren't you wearing a single piece of it? Do you not like them?"
"Zhixia," Chen Yunxin softly reproached, though she made no real attempt to stop her.
"I like all of them very much, so I'm afraid they'll get knocked around and damaged if I move them around too much," Pei You answered her question earnestly and sincerely.
Actually, strictly speaking, Pei You was the legitimate young lady of the Marquis's Mansion, while Zhixia was merely a maid. There was no need for Pei You to answer her questions, but back in the village everyone was equal, so Pei You had no awareness of the social gap between them.
"Mind your manners," Chen Yunxin scolded Zhixia before walking over to Pei You's side. "Sister, the clothes you brought from the village cannot be worn here. Older Sister will take you out to pick out some new ones."
Pei You nodded, a pair of dimples showing when she smiled, looking like a piece of candy melting on the tongue.
The carriage was already waiting at the entrance of the Marquis's Mansion. Supported by Lichun, Chen Yunxin stepped up onto the mounting block.
Pei You stood to the side, glanced at the calf-high mounting block, and simply stepped directly into the carriage.
The interior of the carriage was lined with rugs, and the warm, lingering fragrance made one feel somewhat drowsy. With a shout from the driver, the carriage moved forward.
"Sister, this carriage belongs exclusively to Older Sister. If you want to go out next time, you can tell me." She immediately added with a hint of implication, "Don't mind it, Sister. Older Sister often has to attend various banquets, and Mother, knowing how hard I work running around, specially assigned this carriage to me with a dedicated driver."
Before getting into the carriage, Pei You had noticed that the hind legs of the horse pulling it were of uneven thickness. A horse's legs were its most precious asset, and just as she was about to mention it, she heard Chen Yunxin say that the carriage had a dedicated attendant.
"What if the horse gets hurt, then?" Pei You asked.
"Horses are looked after by grooms; dereliction of duty is punishable by death." Chen Yunxin's gentle and delicate face remained completely natural, as a human life on her lips was lighter than the wind outside the carriage.
A chill ran through Pei You's heart, and the words of warning on the tip of her tongue swallowed themselves back into her stomach. She wilted slightly and didn't reply, lifting the carriage curtain just a fraction.
The sunlight outside was brilliant, and the streets were bustling. Small vendors carrying little flags and pushing wooden carts wove through the crowds.
The people in the village were far fewer than in the Capital! Pei You stared unblinkingly at the lively street outside, unable to help feeling a surge of cheer as the depression caused by Chen Yunxin's callous remark about human life being worthless dissipated.
Chen Yunxin secretly sneered at Pei You for acting like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world. "Sister is fortunate not to be as lowly as the merchants outside, who toil and hustle through the streets all day long, yet still don't make enough for even a single piece of pastry like this."
Pei You glanced at the piece of pastry in Chen Yunxin's hand—which had only been nibbled at slightly—and a sudden wave of confusion washed over her. If a piece of pastry that looked so crude was enough to sustain the people outside the carriage for an entire day, then the merchants of the Capital must have it far too rough.
The carriage, which had been proceeding slowly, came to a halt. Chen Yunxin was helped down from the carriage by someone else, and Pei You followed her down, yet remained lost in thought over what Chen Yunxin had said inside the vehicle.
When Master Zhang taught books in the village, he had mentioned that the *Classic of History* contained the phrase, "The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is solid, the country is tranquil." Yet here she was, right at the feet of the Son of Heaven in the Capital, and from the mouth of someone like Chen Yunxin—who enjoyed the benefits provided by the common people—she could not feel any sense of respect for them.
"This is the largest clothing workshop in the Capital." Chen Yunxin was followed by two maids, making Pei You look all the more solitary by comparison.
Pei You looked up and saw the three large characters "Feiyi Workshop" on the plaque. From the bold, unconstrained strokes that were full of free and easy style, she sensed a hint of familiarity.
Why did this handwriting look a bit like Jiang Sinian's?
Seeing Pei You staring intently at the plaque upstairs, Chen Yunxin mentally mocked her thoroughly for not knowing how to read before speaking up, "This says Feiyi Workshop."
Pei You didn't understand what she meant, but she still obediently nodded and followed her inside. As soon as they stepped in, a shop assistant quickly came forward. "Miss Chen."
Chen Yunxin was one of the external faces of the Marquis's Mansion and frequently visited Feiyi Workshop, so the assistant naturally recognized her. However, he found himself in a difficult spot regarding Pei You.
Very few people knew that the Marquis's Mansion had found its true legitimate young lady, and Chen Yunxin naturally had no intention of publicizing it.
"Pick out a couple of outfits for my younger sister here." The assistant acknowledged the order and led the two of them upstairs. "You two young ladies have come at just the right time; a few new shipments arrived just the couple of days ago."
There were fewer people on the second floor. When the displayed garments caught Pei You's eyes, she was momentarily stunned.
That Hangzhou silk moon-pattern skirt—she seemed to have had one just the year before last; and that dark cyan vine-patterned cloud-brocade vest seemed to still be gathering dust in her wardrobe... Anyway, from a quick glance, why did all of these look like outdated clothes?
Pei You asked the assistant doubtfully, "Who wrote the plaque at your entrance?"
"It was written by our boss," the assistant replied promptly.
The boss of Feiyi Workshop was very mysterious. Although the workshop was deeply rooted in the Capital, and even though the Old Duke Estate never explicitly acknowledged its relationship with Feiyi Workshop, everyone in the Capital tacitly assumed the estate was the master behind it.
After all, apart from the Old Duke Estate, which family had the capacity to support such a massive business?
Hearing this answer, Pei You felt much more settled inside. Jiang Sinian spent every day teasing cats and dogs back in the village; how could he possibly have traveled thousands of miles to the Capital and set up such a huge establishment?
As for these identical clothes, it must have been a coincidence.
Several assistants in uniform hurried up from downstairs, indicating through their demeanor that someone was coming to clear the venue.
Pei You didn't particularly care. After all, she already had seven or eight tenths of the clothes here, so they held no attraction for her.
However, Chen Yunxin frowned slightly. "Who is clearing the venue?"
The assistant smiled apologetically. "It's His Highness the Ninth Prince."
Hearing this, Chen Yunxin smiled slightly. "That's no problem at all. This younger sister of mine is the Ninth Prince's fiancée."