Chapter 13: The groom gets off his horse and goes into the mansion to marry his bride...

Su He's getting married soon, but no one in the Li family is willing to help her arrange the wedding.

He Manyun regarded her as a thorn in her side and immediately gave up the task.

Li Taian also turned a blind eye. After all, he thought that the dowry he gave was enough for his daughter, so he didn't want to bother with anything else and directly handed over all matters to Xia Zhuang, the steward of the mansion.

Xia Zhuang is just a middle-aged man, how can he take care of his daughter's marriage in every possible way?

Therefore, everything is done in a sloppy and perfunctory manner.

Fortunately, Zhang Xiuhua was not a careless person. She acted aggressively, striving for everything and keeping a close eye on things at all times, and finally made sure that all preparations in the mansion were basically in place.

There are only two days left to get married.

After Zhang Xiuhua counted Su He's dowry, she sighed softly.

Su He was puzzled: "Could it be that the number is wrong?"

"Don't worry, miss. The amount is accurate."

"Then why is Auntie sighing?"

Zhang Xiuhua felt an inexplicable sadness in her chest: "I just miss your mother."

Su He was silent for a moment.

Then she walked to the door and looked at the bright sky: "Aunt, you must remember that this is not a real wedding, it's just a temporary measure for us." She seemed to be talking to Zhang Xiuhua, but also seemed to be talking to herself.

Zhang Xiuhua said with a bitter face: "But... Miss's innocence..."

Since it is a marriage, it means sleeping with a man, and thus the woman's innocence will be lost.

Su He looked back and smiled slightly.

The sunlight outside cast a halo around her. She said, "Aunt, that's not important."

Zhang Xiuhua choked and was speechless for a moment.

This child has always been very opinionated, and there is nothing she can do about it.

The two of them sat in silence for a long time.

After a moment, Su He suddenly asked, "Aunt, what kind of person do you think my mother is?"

"Your mother is a very good person."

Zhang Xiuhua looked back on the past and recounted the story, "When I first met your mother, I didn't dare to interact with her. I was just a servant in the kitchen, strong and powerful, while your mother was a delicate and fragile beauty. People who didn't know her well would have mistaken her for the mistress of the Du family."

She smiled as she spoke, then sighed deeply. "Then there was this time when I made soup that was too salty, and I was beaten by Madam Liu from the Du family. My entire back was ulcerated and bruised beyond recognition. The pain was so severe that I was on my last legs. It was your mother who secretly bought me ointment and secretly brought me three meals a day. That's how I survived. To put it bluntly, your mother gave me this life."

Su He was overwhelmed with emotions: "No wonder my mother entrusted me to my aunt. My aunt was the person she trusted the most."

Zhang Xiuhua nodded heavily with tears in her eyes.

The past is like smoke and fog, with sadness and happiness, but nothing can go back.

The two were chatting when Chunlan suddenly entered the room and knelt down in front of Su He: "Miss, please be kind and save my friend."

Su He hurriedly helped her up: "We are sisters, don't kneel down so easily."

Then he asked, “What happened?”

Chunlan was so anxious that she couldn't even speak: "Xiaolian...Xiaolian is in trouble."

Su He didn't understand for a moment, "Xiao Lian?"

"That's... that's the girl who secretly told He Manyun last time that she was going to withhold the dowry. I guess He Manyun found out about it. She's been beaten with a stick and is being locked up in the woodshed. They say she'll be taken to the West Market to be sold tomorrow morning. Life is tough these days, and I don't know where Xiaolian will end up. If she ends up in a brothel..."

Chunlan's voice choked with sobs and she could no longer speak.

"Don't panic, don't panic." Su He gently comforted her and asked, "Is it really sold in the West Market?"

There are two large horse-riding houses in the capital, one in the West Market and the other in the East Market.

The so-called "koumahang" was a market where slaves and cattle and horses were traded together. During those years of displacement, she and Zhang Xiuhua were often tied up and stood with a group of animals, waiting to be selected.

The life of a slave is as worthless as that of a pig, dog, cow or horse.

She added, "We need to determine the sales location before we can rescue them."

Chunlan thought for a moment and said, "The driver said the steward of the mansion told him to go to the West Market tomorrow morning. I think he should be right."

Su He replied "Okay" and turned to write a letter at the desk.

He then folded the letter and took out a bag of silver from the wooden cabinet and handed it to Chunlan: "Go to Ping'an Lane to find Uncle Qing and ask him to take you to the West Market tomorrow morning to buy Xiaolian."

Uncle Qing is a sixty-year-old man, and he was once a starving person who received relief in Suhe.

Because his body was covered with abscesses, she placed him in the utility room of the other courtyard to recuperate. After returning to the city, she rented a house for him in Ping'an Lane. Unexpectedly, the old man turned out to be a good worker after recovering from his illness. He repaired shoes and sold tofu in the city, and made a prosperous life. He also helped one or two elderly, weak, women and children from time to time.

Now, there are many hungry people living in the house of Ping'an Lane who are not relatives but are better than family. They help each other to support themselves in the city, do small businesses and make a living.

Chunlan weighed the bag of silver and asked, "Miss, what you gave me...isn't it too much?"

Normally, buying a maid at Koumahang would cost at most twenty taels of silver.

"It can only be more, not less, to ensure that nothing goes wrong. The remaining money will be given to Xiaolian so that she can settle down in Ping'an Lane first."

Chunlan nodded repeatedly and said, "Thank you, Miss."

Su He replied: "There's no need to thank each other, just go."

Chunlan hurried out of the house.

The next morning, he and Uncle Qing rushed to Xishi and bought Xiaolian.

Just when Xiaolian was rescued, Li Jianye of Moxiangyuan was still thinking about the disappeared birthmark.

The sun was shining brightly, the flowers in the yard were in full bloom, and flocks of butterflies were fluttering around.

Niu Er was crouching in the flowers reading a storybook, and was unaware even when his master approached.

Li Jianye was so angry that he kicked, "You bastard, how dare you hide here and be lazy."

Things have been going wrong for him these days, and he's just worried about having no place to vent his anger. Now he's met someone who has brought him bad luck, and he has to punish him severely.

He was still not satisfied after kicking her once, so he pounced on her and punched her until she was coughing continuously.

Niu Er was also beaten so hard that his face was covered with scars. He lay on the ground and begged for mercy: "Master, please forgive me. I will never dare to do it again."

Li Jianye finally stopped coughing and glanced at the notebook that had fallen to the ground. The words "Slave" were clearly written on the blue cover.

He slowed down and asked casually, "Where did you steal the book from?"

Niu Er replied timidly, "I dare not. I found it on the road when I was out shopping. It just so happened that... I could read a few words, so I took a look at it."

He asked again, "What's in it?"

Niu Er replied: "Tell a story?"

"What's the story?"

"A...slave's story."

Li Jianye lost his patience and kicked Niu Er again.

He coughed every time he exerted force, and only after the coughing subsided did he continue panting, "You'd better stop talking nonsense to me."

Niu Er's voice trembled. "It tells the story of... a servant who killed her master, and then... disguised herself as her master... and sought revenge on her enemies."

Li Jianye paused after hearing this: "Disguise?"

He had heard of disguise, but had never seen it with his own eyes.

Li Jianye thought for a moment, walked forward, picked up the notebook and flipped through it. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. Could it be that Li Shuli was also in disguise?

In this way, the disappearance of the birthmark can be explained.

So, could it be that the real Li Shuli was also killed?

His chest suddenly began to beat wildly, as if he had figured something out.

However, there is no real evidence, so I dare not jump to conclusions for the time being.

Li Shuli is getting married tomorrow, so it will be difficult to punish her.

He had to find solid evidence before that and expose her true face in public.

Li Jianye immediately ordered Niu Er: "Go ask Xia Zhuang where that old lady Wen went."

Mrs. Wen was a maid who came with Li Taian's first wife, Guo. Mrs. Wen accompanied Li Shuli from birth to growth, and knew her very well.

After Guo's death, Mrs. Wen also fell seriously ill. I heard that she was placed elsewhere, but no one knows where.

After receiving the order, Niu Er hurried to find Xia Zhuang.

After just two cups of tea, he hurried back to report, "Master, I've heard that Mrs. Wen has been placed in a townhouse in the back alley of the mansion. She's said to be very ill and incurable. It's unknown whether she's alive or dead."

Li Jianye's face was gloomy: "Then let's go to the townhouse now and see if she is dead or alive." After that, he got up and walked out.

The back alley was shabby and dilapidated, with sewage flowing everywhere.

The people living in the row houses in the back alley were all servants and maids of the Li Mansion.

Mrs. Wen used to be favored by the mistress, so naturally she would not live in such a residence. Now that the mistress has passed away and a new mistress has taken over the mansion, she has fallen into poverty and has been squeezed out here.

Li Jianye covered his nose and walked through the long stairs, and finally found the house where Mrs. Wen lived at the end of the stairs.

It was mid-afternoon, the sun was shining brightly outside, but the house was cold and dark.

Mrs. Wen was lying on a bunk bed with a tattered quilt covering her body. She was motionless and looked as if she was in a coma or dead.

Li Jianye couldn't stand the strange smell in the house, so he just stood at the door and asked Niu Er to go and call Mrs. Wen.

Niu Er followed the order and stepped forward, trying to call out "Mrs. Wen" several times.

Mrs. Wen on the bed had her eyes closed and was lifeless.

Niu Er had no choice but to reach out and feel Mrs. Wen's nose, and then he said, "She's not dead, she's still breathing."

Li Jianye ordered: "Keep calling until he wakes up."

For the rest of the day, Niu Er kept calling for Mrs. Wen in the row house, but he couldn't wake her up.

Li Jianye was unwilling to give up, so he brought a doctor with him the next day.

Even if he had to give her an acupuncture needle, he would wake the old woman up.

And this day was also the day Su He got married.

Early in the morning, bursts of firecrackers were heard outside the mansion gate, and red silk was flying everywhere in the mansion, full of festive atmosphere.

Li Taian and He Manyun also went to the door to welcome the guests.

After all, it is the Li family’s happy event. If there are guests, there will be money to give. Who doesn’t love money!

Zhang Xiuhua also invited a matchmaker early in the morning to help Su He knead dough, do her makeup, and then change her into a bright red wedding dress and embroidered shoes.

The girl is already bright and beautiful, and with this outfit, she is truly charming and stunning.

Even the matchmaker couldn't help but admire: "I have served so many ladies, but today I met a fairy-like person."

Zhang Xiuhua was so happy to hear this that she gave the old woman some money as a gift.

At this time, Xie Wuhen also rode out of the mansion on a tall horse, leading the huge wedding procession straight to the Li family.

He was dressed in a black suit, with his hair tied up with a jade crown. His handsome features were as if carved by a knife or an axe, with the sharpest lines carved out, seeming brighter and more dazzling than the warm sun above his head.

The people on the street were gathered in three layers.

Wu Sheng led a group of officers to clear the way in front, allowing the wedding procession to pass smoothly.

Someone was whispering:

"Isn't the eldest son of the Xie family not interested in women? Why did he suddenly get married?"

"He married the daughter of a minor official."

"Well, isn't she Li Taian's daughter? She's said to be very domineering."

"Wasn't the eldest son of the Xie family going to suffer?"

…

Xie Wuhen seemed not to care about these messy discussions.

He always kept his chin slightly raised, and his eyes revealed his innate superiority and confidence.

He also always believed that someone who had saved him was worth his effort to save.

The Xie family and the Li family are separated by two streets.

In less than half an hour, the wedding procession arrived safely outside the Li family's gate.

The sound of firecrackers resounded through the sky.

The groom dismounted and went into the house to marry the bride.

In the townhouse in the back alley, under the doctor's acupuncture, Mrs. Wen finally woke up...