Ziyi answered truthfully, "The madam did take a fancy to several families, but the master wants the young master to advance further, so he didn't approve of those families."
Marquis Yongyu truly harbored no small ambition!
Liu Xuan was truly curious now. "I wonder, which families could catch the Marquis's eye?"
Ziyi shook her head. "This servant was originally only a second-rank maid in the madam's courtyard; I truly do not know."
Seeing Liu Xuan frown, she hurriedly added, "But the master once instructed the madam to interact more with the residences of the Three Masters."
The Three Masters?
Weren't those the Junior Preceptor, Junior Tutor, and Junior Protector to the Crown Prince?
No wonder Li Ying would think of arranging for her to enter the Marquis Yongyu residence—it turned out someone had already put in a word for the Marquis Yongyu family with him.
He knew Marquis Yongyu wanted to use him to rise in power, so he would definitely dare to take this risk, making him more trustworthy than others.
Liu Xuan sighed inwardly. That poor husband of hers, Tiedan—who knew if he would be so angry tonight that he couldn't sleep?
And that Yindan, after today's events, would he at least be quiet for three to five days?
Li Ying truly couldn't sleep.
He clearly understood: once led to twice, twice led to thrice. Once some things began, there would be no turning back, only sinking deeper and deeper.
Moreover, no one knew better than him how alluring his Xuan'er was. Having tasted her, no one could kick the habit, including himself.
Therefore, he had to meet with Xuan'er as soon as possible and let her know who her true husband was.
Even if Xuan'er couldn't accept it for the moment, he could wait slowly. The trauma she had suffered, he could also slowly heal. But if Li Heng were allowed to continue like this, the consequences were unthinkable!
After asking about Chu Yu's affairs, Liu Xuan bathed and went to sleep.
She hadn't slept well these past two days, so the moment she lay down, she slept until the sun was high in the sky.
Anyway, she was blind and couldn't tell the time; since no one woke her, she simply slept her fill.
After washing up and eating, she had Ziyi support her to pay respects to Madam Yin.
Ziyi hadn't slept all night. After Liu Xuan had retired yesterday, she arranged for two second-rank maids to keep watch, then hurried out to retrieve Zilan's body. The family asked what had happened; after hearing the whole story, no one spoke again, only instructing her to serve the Eldest Miss well, then hastily buried Zilan.
Now Ziyi didn't dare refuse any of Liu Xuan's requests. Hearing this, she immediately supported her out the door.
Even now, Ziyi wasn't clear whether the Eldest Miss she served was truly blind. Sometimes she felt she should be able to see, but whenever this thought appeared, she would observe that whether in behavior or manner, the Eldest Miss was exactly like a truly blind person.
By now, she had completely given up investigating. Blind or not blind, it wasn't for her to speculate. The only thing she could do was serve her master loyally and attend to the Eldest Miss properly; otherwise, Zilan would be her fate.
Liu Xuan walked slowly along the way, memorizing all the paths.
When Madam Yin saw her arrive, a smile immediately appeared on her face. She quickly rose and personally came out to welcome her. Without waiting for the salutation, she stepped forward to support her and said softly with some heartache and reproach, "You don't move conveniently, so you don't need to come specifically. If you want to talk with Mother, send someone to say so, and Mother will come find you."
Liu Xuan hurriedly said, "How could that be appropriate? Since I've acknowledged Mother, I must fulfill my duties as a daughter. How could a daughter call upon her mother to come talk every day? Mother, rest assured. Although Xuan'er cannot see, as long as someone leads me, moving about is no problem."
Hearing these words, Madam Yin's heart felt a surge of warmth. Every time Liu Xuan called out "Mother" or "Mom," it made her heart tremble with pain and tenderness—the kind she had never experienced from Chu Yu.
Nanny Xu heard the voice and hurriedly ran out. The moment she saw Liu Xuan, she was instantly stunned.
Alike! Too alike!
Back then, that person had the looks of a woman despite being a man, incomparably beautiful. Now the Eldest Miss surpassed even him.
It's just a pity, those eyes…
Recalling what Madam Yin had told her, her heart filled with regret. If only she had been bolder back then and directly sent the Eldest Miss to be adopted by others, would the Eldest Miss's eyes be able to see?
But it was too late to say these things now.
She gathered all her emotions, stepped forward, and saluted, "This old servant greets the Eldest Miss."
Liu Xuan tilted her head slightly, seeming to distinguish her voice. "This is…"
Madam Yin introduced, "This is your mother's wet nurse, Nanny Xu, who watched your mother grow up from childhood. She had already left the residence to retire, but recently returned."
She of course knew who Nanny Xu was; after all, that was a face she didn't dare forget for a moment.
Liu Xuan's expression didn't change as she said obediently, "So it was Nanny Xu."
Seeing her so soft and obedient, Nanny Xu immediately recalled that porcelain doll who had smiled at her back then. She hurriedly smiled and stepped forward. "Let this old servant do it."
"There's no need."
Madam Yin avoided her and said to Liu Xuan, "The weather is quite nice today. Let's chat in the courtyard."
Liu Xuan responded and followed her to sit in the courtyard.
Madam Yin quickly called for people to prepare fruits and pastries, and also had someone brew fine flower tea.
Liu Xuan accompanied her in conversation, talking about interesting matters from childhood. Nanny Xu and Madam Yin listened from the side, as if seeing a little girl slowly growing up.
After sitting for about an hour, Liu Xuan rose to take her leave. Madam Yin had wanted to keep her for a meal, but feared being too enthusiastic would frighten her, so she exhorted Ziyi a few times more and personally saw her out the courtyard gate.
After leaving the main courtyard, Liu Xuan didn't directly return to her own courtyard. Instead, she had Ziyi take her for a walk in the garden to experience the spring floral fragrance.
However, when she reached the garden, she walked a few steps and stopped, only squatting by the pond, rolling up her sleeves and playing with the water.
The moment Chu Yu entered the garden, what he saw was this scene.
An incomparably beautiful woman revealing half a jade-white arm lightly caressing the pond water, a smile on her face. The spring breeze brushed past, lifting her hair. The ordinarily familiar garden suddenly became so beautiful it didn't seem like a place on earth.
He watched entranced, but saw the "fairy" suddenly lose her footing, her body falling toward the pond!
"Be careful!"
Chu Yu rushed forward in one bound, grasping her arm and pulling her toward him with slight force.
A subtle fragrance immediately assailed his nostrils. A light cry rang out, and instantly soft fragrance filled his embrace.
He clearly felt two soft mounds press against his chest. Seeing her unsteady on her feet, he subconsciously wrapped his arm around her waist.
Instantly, the two pressed even closer together.
The closer he got, the more clearly Chu Yu could feel how full and proud those two soft mounds were. In his palm was a slender waist less than a handful; at the tip of his nose was her sweetness. A strand of hair lightly brushed past his ear, making him somewhat itchy.
He lowered his gaze to look at the person in his arms, suddenly feeling somewhat parched, his Adam's apple rolling uncontrollably.
Liu Xuan raised her head. Her flawless little face carried a faint flush from the fright. Testing the waters, she softly called out, "Big Brother?"