Chapter 245: Chapter 246: Lending a Hand

Mrs. Gu Sr. held her hand, finally feeling relieved seeing that she was alright and still in good spirits.

As the two walked towards the mansion, Mrs. Gu Sr. spoke, “With such a big incident happening, how could I not worry? I thought your sister-in-law wouldn’t leave you behind, so I came to the mansion to wait and see. It’s only just now that I arrived, and you’ve just returned.”

“Li Si has already told me. Since Dalang has explanations for things on his side, you must also set your mind at ease. At this time, us women of the inner residence cannot be the first to panic. If something happens to us, there will be no one left to help them.”

While Mrs. Gu Sr. rambled, Lin Youning felt that the words held much truth, and it caused her some hesitation. After all, she was the only person Sister-in-law could rely on right now. If anything should happen to her, Sister-in-law would have even less hope, and what about Brother then?

Thinking of this, Lin Youning calmed down, reflecting that she should still heed Big Brother’s advice for now and observe the situation here. As she had told Sister-in-law, Big Brother, after all, was a Third-Rank military general, and it was impossible for Prince Xian Mansion to dispose of him straightforwardly.

Especially since Big Brother had already instructed someone to keep an eye on things. Even if Prince Xian Mansion were furious, there was still Dingyuan Marquis to contend with; they couldn’t possibly offend even Dingyuan Marquis…

By the time Lin Youning supported her aunt into the main courtyard, her heart had already steadied.

“Thank you, Aunt, for your concern. Your words have brought me much peace of mind.”

“Aunt watched you grow up. Whether or not you are Aunt’s biological child, in Aunt’s eyes, you are Aunt’s own child. At this time, there’s no need for formality between family. I just came to check on you. Now that I see you’re okay, I shall head back.” Mrs. Gu Sr. smiled, patting her hand.

Lin Youning was quite surprised, “Aunt just arrived and hasn’t even sat down yet. Why leave so soon?”

She knew that regardless of whether Aunt’s visit was genuine concern, previous matters had left something between them, creating a barrier that made sitting together awkward with nothing to say.

Aunt, being older, would hardly want to face such an atmosphere.

Despite understanding all this, Lin Youning didn’t know how to express it.

“You know, I go to the small Buddhist Hall daily to chant sutras, but today I was worried about these things, so I haven’t chanted yet.” Mrs. Gu Sr., afraid she might overthink and feel guilty, explained, “It’s not far, and since you’ve just entered the mansion, with many matters waiting for you, as the mansion’s leading matriarch, you cannot let the servants and workers be without guidance.”

Knowing persuasion would be fruitless, Lin Youning escorted her to the gate, watching the sedan chair depart before returning inside.

Soon after settling in the main courtyard, a servant announced Mrs. Dong’s arrival.

When Lin Youning went out to greet her, Mrs. Dong had already entered the second door, and rushed over to her in a fluster, “I only just heard about this. Please don’t fret; I’ve already had someone send a message to the Dong Mansion to ask Father and Brother for help.”

“Thank you.” Lin Youning hesitated on whether to call her sister-in-law or younger sister.

Thus, she simply omitted the term.

She would like to call Mrs. Dong sister-in-law, but with many servants around, in the East Mansion, how could she say it and maintain her dignity as the head matron of the Gu Family’s eldest branch?

Lin Youning was no longer the same as in her past life; she now foresaw the consequences of her every action.

Once they sat in the flower hall of the main house, Mrs. Dong resumed, “I heard the Marquis has gone to Jiangxi. To think Brother Xuan would get into trouble at such a time.”

Perhaps realizing the slip, Mrs. Dong quickly amended, “I am merely the legitimate mother and hardly dare to really manage him, especially with the Marquis and the Eldest Madam above. I used to be narrow-minded. Now, I think that if I had intervened back then, maybe Brother Xuan wouldn’t have strayed. But now that I understand, it’s already too late.”

“When in the mansion before, I didn’t interact much with you; that was also narrow-mindedness, always focusing on my own little area. Now that I understand, I’m probably a joke to my sister.” Blushing slightly, Mrs. Dong continued, “Thank you for understanding.”

“You are too polite, sister-in-law; I’ve merely done what I should.” Faced with Mrs. Dong’s concern and admission, Lin Youning didn’t know what to say and merely exchanged polite smiles.

“There’s no need to worry about this matter; if worse comes to worst, I’ll ask Father for a solution. Although Prince Xian Mansion is significant in the Capital, they’ve had many issues over the years. I refuse to believe the Royal Family won’t hold them accountable should a public outcry arise.”

After spending some more time with Sister Ning, Mrs. Dong finally departed.

Shanmoi and the others went out to gather news and hadn’t yet returned. Lin Youning sat idly in the mansion until evening, when Shanmoi and Hailan returned.

“The Crown Prince seldom lingers outside the mansion. Though assigned his own residence away from the Emperor, he usually stays home or visits the Imperial Palace.” Shanmoi had no luck gathering useful information.

Not knowing why my lady dispatched her for Crown Prince intel and feeling unable to help pained her.

“I did find out that Chancellor Liu loves to watch operas and sometimes spends the entire day there.” Hailan shared easier-to-uncover information, “However, opera houses mostly host noble family lords; women rarely visit.”

Thus, the details within were unclear to Hailan as well.

Lin Youning decided to stay passive for the moment, nodded, and dismissed the two for washing up, telling them to return to serve after their meal.

They curtsied before withdrawing.

In the evening, news from the West Mansion arrived, that Mrs. Dong’s requests for help from her brother and father were refused, leading her to oust the messenger from Dong Mansion angrily.

Upon hearing this, Lin Youning only nodded, saying little.

Regardless, Mrs. Dong’s actions now appeared, in outsiders’ views, as if she had severed ties with her own family for this outsider.

Repaying such kindness cannot be easily accomplished.

Would Mrs. Dong return the favor by acknowledging she didn’t vie for Big Brother?

Should this be true, it signified deep affection for Big Brother, indicating a determined break with her natal family to stand by his side.

Previously, Mrs. Dong had always been concerned about her family’s stance.

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