Inside the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion.
It was nearly dawn, and many people in the Xiao Mansion were already awake. The estate was far from quiet.
The chefs in the rear kitchen were busy cooking while apprentices washed vegetables and stoked the fires, the entire place bustling with activity.
In the various residences, Maids were helping their masters and mistresses wash up and dress.
Household Servants took advantage of the rain to clean the courtyard walls and pavilion corners.
The front courtyard was the busiest of all.
Several grooms had prepared carriages early in the morning, ready to take the masters who served in the Government Office to check in for duty.
The steward and gatekeepers recorded the purpose of any visitors who had been waiting at the entrance since dawn, accepted calling cards, and sent messengers to the residences in the back.
But in the Qingjing Residence, located in the central courtyard, the Old Marquis had dismissed all his attendants.
