Chapter 204 Jun Cai's reputation is well-deserved.

Xie Lei couldn't describe his feelings. He had always been proud of being the legitimate son of the Xie family, but now someone was telling him that he was actually born to a prostitute.

He had thought he would be abandoned by the family and pushed out to "contribute" to the family, but now the future head of the Xie family told him that he could help him escape.

Whose life has been so full of ups and downs?

But in any case, saving his life was the most important thing. Without thinking for long, he said to Xie Ning'an, "Thank you, brother."

His words of thanks were sincere.

"But what about my mother?" Xie Lei asked again.

Xie Ning'an thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you to see your second aunt in a bit. If she agrees to go with you, I'll send you both away together."

Xie Lei nodded, feeling very nervous, worried that Madam Xie would no longer acknowledge him.

"Come on, I'll take you to see your second aunt." Xie Ning'an got up and pushed Xie Lei out of the courtyard. Once outside, Xie Lei asked Xie Ning'an, "Will Grandfather punish you if you see me off?"

"Perhaps, but it won't be very serious," Xie Ning'an said.

Xie Lei nodded in agreement. He also felt that Xie Yun wouldn't be too harsh on Xie Ning'an, because Xie Ning'an was the most outstanding junior in the family, and the future of the Xie family depended on him.

Then there was silence. When they arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall, the old woman who was guarding outside came over and bowed to the two of them, "Young Master, Second Young Master."

“We’ve come to see the Second Madam,” Xie Ning’an said.

The old woman hesitated for a moment, then said, "This servant will open the door for you."

The old woman wouldn't have opened the door for anyone else, but Xie Ning'an was different.

The old woman took out the key and opened the door to the ancestral hall. Xie Ning'an pushed Xie Lei inside and saw Madam Xie sitting on the ground with her eyes glazed over.

"Mother." Xie Lei called out cautiously. Madam Xie slowly came back to her senses, and when she saw Xie Lei, her emotions became agitated again. She roared, "Get out! Get out of here!"

"Mother, I..."

“I’m not your mother. Your mother is Lan Mudan, the madam of a brothel. Get out of here.”

Madam Xie glared fiercely at Xie Lei, wishing she could devour him, but she just stared at him without rushing over to hit him like she would in the study.

"Mother, I will acknowledge you as my mother." Xie Lei's voice choked with sobs. Upon hearing this, Madam Xie Er began to shed tears. After a while, she said, "Get out of here. I never want to see you again."

"mother...."

"Get out!" Madam Xie shouted again, silencing Xie Lei.

"Brother Lei, let's go back first," Xie Ning'an said.

Madam Xie was too emotional to listen to anything they said.

Xie Lei looked at Madam Xie with tears in his eyes, "Mother, I'm sorry."

Madam Xie turned away from him. Xie Ning'an pushed Xie Lei out and back into the study. Xie Ning'an dismissed all the servants and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Judging from Auntie's condition, she won't go with you now. I'll send you away first, and we'll talk about other things later."

In fact, Xie Ning'an did not want Xie Lei to leave with Madam Xie. Madam Xie had seen Lan Mudan, and Xie Yun would probably kill her soon. If she left with Xie Lei, not only would they be easily discovered, but Xie Lei might also lose his life even faster.

Moreover, he guessed that one of Jiang Yu's purposes in arranging for Lan Mudan to meet with Madam Xie was to get Lan Mudan to leave with Xie Lei, and then for the Xie family to get the information and kill Xie Lei and Lan Mudan.

He could say that Jiang Yu was ruthless, but he couldn't say she was wrong. First, the Xie family plotted against Jiang Chengye by buying a ship for smuggling salt; then, Madam Xie the Second plotted to ruin Jiang Yu's reputation; and then there was the matter of the Chu State Duke's mansion switching children, in which Lan Mudan was also involved. If it were him, he would have killed her too.

"Will my mother's life be in danger?" Xie Lei asked.

Xie Ning'an paused for a moment before saying, "I will inform the Tao family."

The Tao family is the maternal family of Madam Xie. If the Tao family does everything in their power to protect Madam Xie, they should be able to save her life.

Xie Lei breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, brother."

"Get ready, I'll send you away tomorrow," Xie Ning'an said.

"good."

The two agreed, and Xie Lei turned his wheelchair to leave. Xie Ning'an took two steps forward and whispered, "No matter who asks you to meet Lan Mudan, don't agree."

Xie Lei gritted his teeth, "I know."

He hated Lan Mudan. Since she had kept the matter hidden for so many years, why didn't she just keep it a secret forever? If she hadn't suddenly appeared, none of this would have happened.

He turned his wheelchair and went out on his own. Xie Ning'an watched his figure disappear before returning to her study to arrange the next steps.

...

As Xie Ning'an had predicted, Jiang Yu arranged for Lan Mudan to meet with Xie Lei, but the information she received was that Xie Lei would not be meeting her.

After Jiang Yu learned of this, she remained silent for a while, then said to Li Zhong, "Keep a close eye on the Xie family."

"yes."

Li Zhong left, and Jiang Yu rubbed the jade pendant in her hand back and forth. Xie Lei refused to meet Lan Mudan, which was not in his nature. Xie Lei was impulsive and easily angered. Knowing that he was Lan Mudan's son, even if he hated Lan Mudan and did not want to acknowledge her, he would still meet with her to find out about his background, or vent his anger on Lan Mudan.

But Xie Lei didn't; he must have been stopped by someone. Who could it be? It could only be Xie Ning'an.

The reputation of Xie's future heir as a talented individual is well-deserved.

Jiang Yu curled her lips slightly; she was curious to see how Xie Ning'an would break the deadlock the Xie family had created.

......

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year. Before dawn, the sound of firecrackers could be heard outside, and the festive atmosphere was getting stronger. Jiang Yu had gone to bed late last night and was briefly awakened by the sound of firecrackers, but she closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.

But just as he was drifting off to sleep, he heard Xia He's voice in his ear, "Lord Duke, Steward Li is here."

Jiang Yu opened her eyes immediately upon hearing this, "Tell him to wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Xia He went out to report to Li Zhong, while Dong Xue helped Jiang Yu get dressed. She casually threw on an outer robe and tied her hair into a bun before entering the study.

Li Zhong didn't dare to linger his gaze on her. As soon as she sat down, he immediately reported, "Xie Lei has left the Xie family mansion and should be at the city gate by now."

Jiang Yu checked the time. "The city gates have just opened. Did you send someone to follow us?"

“We followed them, but didn’t let them make a move,” Li Zhong said.

Jiang Yu hummed in agreement. She had no intention of killing Xie Lei, but if Xie Yun were to make the move, the scene would be even more interesting.

It all depends on whether Xie Yun will make a move. And if Xie Yun does kill Xie Lei, what will Xie Ning'an do?

Jiang Yu thought for a while and said to herself, "It all depends on whether Xie Ning'an has the courage."

...

At the city gate, the guards opened the gate, and a simple carriage drove in. The guards glanced at it, yawned, and walked to the side to stand.

The simple carriage had barely left the city gate when a group of people on horseback came galloping towards it. The guards at the gate naturally tried to stop them and ask questions. But before they could speak, the leader produced a token with the word "Thank You" clearly engraved on it. The guards then abandoned their attempt to stop them and watched the group speed away.