Ci Jinzhi

 Mid-Autumn Festival is a major festival that cannot be ignored for any family in the Great Xia Dynasty, and wealthy families pay more attention to it.

Despite the **** chaos in the court during this period, Duan Shaoqing was less troublesome now because of his ordinary background, low official position, and few connections...all the shortcomings that would have made him uncomfortable in normal times. In this way, Shaoqing's Mansion is still in a good mood for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

Thinking that she would be busy during the festival tomorrow, the old lady found it a bit troublesome for Duan Yunlang to suddenly talk about something after dinner. She rinsed her mouth with tea and asked, "What's wrong with Lang'er?"

Duan Yunlang looked around and said, "Grandma, can you ask the waiter to step aside?"

The old lady frowned and signaled the servants in the room to go out. Soon, only the owners of Shaoqing's Mansion were left in the flower hall.

  “Say it.”

Duan Yunlang hesitated and glanced at his younger sister sitting next to his mother.

Seeing this, the second wife, Mrs. Zhu, pulled the fourth girl, Duan Yunyan, to stand up: "Old lady, Yan'er goes to bed early every day, and my daughter-in-law takes her back to Suxinyuan first."

 The old lady nodded.

Duan Yunlang endured it until Zhu left with Duan Yunyan, and immediately said: "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and my grandson still couldn't see his cousin when he went to Wanqingju. Grandma, uncle, did something happen to cousin Qing?"

As soon as these words came out, the old lady and Duan Shaoqing couldn't help but look at each other.

It was not only Duan Yunlang but also Duan Yunling who stared closely at the two elders.

She has been to Wanqingju many times in the past two months, but has never been able to see her cousin. She can only guess from Xiaolian's reaction that her cousin is fine. If something really happened to her cousin, as her closest personal maid, Xiaolian couldn't be so calm.

 The silence between the old lady and Duan Shaoqing made Duan Yunlang pale: "Is my cousin—is she gone?"

“Second brother, what are you talking about!” Duan Yunchen scolded.

Duan Yunlang suddenly looked at Duan Yunchen, his respect for his brother was not as much as for his elders: "Does the eldest brother also know about it?"

He looked at his stern-faced grandmother, uncle, eldest brother, and father who looked puzzled. His head was buzzing, and he blurted out his guess: "Are you putting your cousin under house arrest and thinking of taking back Qingsong Bookstore and my cousin's shops? "

Duan Yunchen strode over and pinched Duan Yunlang's wrist: "Second brother, do you know what you are talking about? How can you guess your elders like this?"

Duan Yunlang actually regretted what he said. When Duan Yunchen questioned him, he became angry again: "Why don't you tell me, brother, why Cousin Qing hasn't left Wanqingju's door for the past two months? Have you never found it strange?"

Duan Yunchen looked ugly when asked, and pursed his lips and said: "I only know that my young cousin took the initiative to ask my grandmother to meditate and practice, so I will respect her plan instead of making a fuss with the elders like my second brother."

He naturally felt strange, but his grandmother and father didn't tell him. He was just a cousin, so why did he ask so many questions.

“I’m not making a fuss, I just want to know how cousin Qing is doing.” Duan Yunlang shook off Duan Yunchen’s hand.

 He is talking nonsense. If something happens to cousin Qing, the eldest brother will be the biggest beneficiary in the future. It's just that these words are so ugly that if they ever get spoken out, the brothers will completely fall out.

 “Yunlang.” Duan Shaoqing finally spoke.

 Duan Yunlang looked at him.

“If you don’t believe what the adults at home say, then ask Xiaolian to come over.”

Soon Xiaolian rushed over from Wanqingju. After hearing the reason, she looked at Duan Yunlang with eyes that were both moved and helpless.

“I want to have a few words with the second young master alone.” Xiao Lian bowed to the old lady and others without being humble or overbearing.

 The old lady nodded and rubbed her eyebrows.

When we got to a place where it was convenient to talk, Duan Yunlang said: "Xiao Lian, don't have any worries, just tell me how cousin Qing is doing. Since we have made trouble in front of the elders today, I will never be willing to do it until we find out."

He went to Wan Qingju before and asked about cousin Qing, but Xiao Lian ignored her. He thought that Xiao Lian might have something to hide, so he didn't ask further questions. Now it was the uncle who asked Xiaolian to come over. Even if Xiaolian told the truth, he could not blame her as a little maid.

Xiao Lian glanced in the direction of the flower hall and whispered: "My maid said, Second Young Master, please calm down."

"I can bear it, you say." Although Duan Yunlang said this, his voice was choked with sobs. It’s over, my cousin must be gone!

 “The girl is not in Wanqingju.”

 Not here anymore?

“My cousin is indeed gone. I had a premonition...”

Seeing Duan Yunlang's big eyes quickly filling up with tears, Xiao Lian twitched the corner of her mouth and said: "The girl went out to play in the capital. She was afraid that others would gossip, so she lied about meditating behind closed doors..."

Duan Yunlang was dumbfounded and asked blankly for a while: "Grandma knows?"

Xiaolian hesitated for a moment: "The old lady should know..."

　Judging from the fact that the old lady has not found a girl in the past two months, the eldest man may have told the old lady.

 “What about my uncle?”

"The elder knows." Xiao Lian's tone was more certain, after all, she was the one who told Duan Shaoqing.

 “Then my eldest brother——”

Seeing that Duan Yunlang was planning to ask questions one by one, Xiaolian hurriedly said, "No one else should know."

Duan Yunlang was stunned for a long time, then he rushed back to the flower hall, knelt down in front of the old lady, and hugged her legs: "Grandma, my grandson is wrong!"

 The old lady shouted angrily: "Let go!"

 “Grandma, my grandson is really wrong!”

Looking down at her shameless grandson, the old lady sighed heavily: "Go back to your own room."

　　Perhaps he is used to being made trouble by his granddaughter, but this **** realizes his mistake and asks for mercy, so he can no longer get angry.

Duan Yunlang let go of his hand and knelt in another direction: "Uncle, my nephew is wrong!"

What else could Duan Shaoqing say? He said with a straight face: "Don't be so impulsive in the future."

 Duan Yunlang made a promise and left Ruyi Hall with his father Duan Wenbai.

The father and son walked in tandem silently through the night. After a while, Duan Wenbai said, "Lang'er, you are really impulsive today."

Duan Yunlang took a big step forward, walked beside Duan Wenbai, lowered his head and whispered: "My son knows. It's just that I don't feel at ease if I don't ask clearly..."

If he doesn’t ask, who else in the Shaoqing’s residence will ask?

Duan Wenbai patted his son on the shoulder in silence.

In the Ruyi Hall, after everyone else had dispersed, the old lady asked Duan Shaoqing: "Wensong, did the gods tell you in your dream when Qingqing will come back from training?"

"Soon…"

 Duan Shaoqing returned to his residence after dealing with his old mother, sat down on a chair, and pulled his hair out with worry.

It’s really hard to live through this miserable life!

On the next day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Xingyuan went to court as usual. After that, he dealt with political affairs and listened to the ministers reporting on the arrangements for the reunion banquet. He felt a little bored while listening.

Xinxin had just been buried, so he was actually in no mood to hold a palace banquet. However, the Mid-Autumn Festival is unusual. Even if you don't care about other people, you can't help but care about your mother's mood.

Emperor Xingyuan felt a little unhappy when he thought that the palace was bustling with people having a reunion dinner, while Mu'er was alone in the imperial mausoleum.

 He thought for a while and sent congratulations to Qingxiao to meet him.

 Little Yuzi is about to fall off her horse~