Xie Yulan glared at her brother's conceited words and said, "Stop bragging, okay? If there really is such an honor, it should be attributed to Baili Ce."

Every word in this sentence reveals her helplessness and worry about her brother's unrealistic self-confidence.

Her voice was mixed with a hint of reproach and expectation, hoping to extinguish the spark of complacency before it ignited a raging fire.

However, Xie Yuxuan didn't seem to care about these minor details. He turned his gaze to Wen Zhu, who was standing nearby, and bowed gently with a smile. "I'm really sorry, and it may be a bit abrupt, but please allow me to introduce myself. I am the second son of the Xie family—Xie Yuxuan, the so-called unreliable but still quite interesting second brother that you often hear Yulan mention."

Although this opening statement is a bit direct, it unexpectedly breaks the slight awkwardness that may exist between first meetings.

"Nice to meet you, thank you, sir."

Faced with such a frank attitude, Wen Zhu, who has always been polite to others, did not hesitate to show her unique gentle smile and just the right return gift, making the atmosphere on the scene instantly more harmonious.

"Thank you for your generous assistance. Regarding whether we can undertake this matter, I will need to discuss it with my brothers before giving you a definitive answer."

Looking at the beautiful and intelligent woman in front of him, Xie Yuxuan couldn't help but admire her. The corners of his mouth raised into a slight arc, and he also expressed a clear explanation of the process that must be completed before the opportunity for cooperation comes.

"Okay, once you've made a final decision, remember to let me know by letter."

In response, Wen Zhu expressed her understanding and nodded in agreement. After all, she knew that no matter what the negotiation process was, it would always take time to reach a consensus.

Afterwards, in a luxurious carriage pulled by a black horse, servants specially arranged from the Xie Mansion to greet the two of them were slowly approaching; after seeing that everything was ready, Xie Yulan took the initiative to express her desire to ride in the same carriage with Wen Zhu, which would make it convenient for them to chat on the way and bring them closer to each other.

So when they received a positive response, they stepped into the open door together; while Xie Yuxuan got into another car driven by four strong men and sped towards the destination and went ahead.

We soon arrived at the destination of this trip - an ancient temple called Guanghua Temple not far outside the city.

There, in order to pray for Zhao Manxiang's good health and safety, Wen Zhu specially hung a wishing plaque with her name on it in front of the Buddhist temple, and donated a considerable sum of money to the temple as charitable support; at the same time, he also made specific arrangements with the abbot to go to her home for a prayer ceremony in the next few days.

After all the formalities were completed, the two did not leave in a hurry but chose to take a walk around the temple to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet before returning home.

As soon as she stepped into the familiar and nostalgic gate of Qifangyuan, Xie Yulan keenly felt an unusual fluctuation in the air around her.

Before she could carefully consider the hidden meaning behind this, a neatly dressed little girl in a green silk dress came up to her and whispered, "The old lady is waiting for you in the room now. Please go there as soon as possible."

After hearing this, he couldn't help but quicken his pace and walked towards the main house; at the same time, Wen Zhu also followed closely behind. Although his face remained calm, it could be vaguely seen that some nervousness and anxiety were swirling in his heart.

The first thing I saw when I entered the room was the old man with white hair, youthful face and a vigorous spirit sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Greetings to the old lady."

Wen Zhu bowed respectfully, her voice gentle and humble, revealing her deep respect for the old lady.

The old lady looked at Wen Zhu carefully for a moment, her eyes scanning her face back and forth, as if looking for some clues.

Then, her eyes suddenly became stern: "Kneel down, I want to ask you something!"

There was unquestionable authority in his voice.

Wen Zhu immediately did as he was told, bent his knees, and knelt on the ground, lowering his head and brows, showing a submissive attitude, waiting for the old lady's next words.

"How do you serve the young lady? It's only been a short time and you've already messed her up! Could it be that you're behind this?" Mrs. Zhao asked sternly, with anger and suspicion flashing in her eyes.

"I have been trying my best to take care of the young lady. Today I went to the temple to pray for her and to arrange the rest of the things." Wen Zhu explained. Her eyes were firm and clear, and her speech was neither hurried nor impatient, as if she was trying her best to prove her innocence.

Mrs. Zhao's expression became even uglier, her brows furrowed, and she clearly didn't believe her words. "Then how can you explain the strange things that happened at home? Are you trying to harm my daughter so you can take over?"

The words were full of accusations and hostility.

"That's not true, ma'am! How could I do such a sinister and cunning thing!" Wen Zhu hurriedly defended herself, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice trembled and she seemed very aggrieved.

After hearing this, Zhao's expression kept changing, and his eyes gradually turned from initial anger to thinking. It was obvious that he was struggling fiercely in his heart.

Wen Zhu whispered, "My biggest wish is that the young lady can get better soon. As long as the young lady is healthy, I will have someone to rely on."

The tears in her eyes sparkled with sincerity and hope, which made people feel sympathy.

Wen Zhu looked very sincere, and her tone was very genuine, without a trace of falsehood. All this told everyone that she was innocent, and she was just sincerely concerned about the health of the young lady.

"Okay, get up."

Mrs. Zhao sighed softly, and finally let Wen Zhu stand up, and her tone softened a little.

After Wen Zhu stood up from the ground, he brushed the dust off his clothes and tried his best to calm himself down.

At this time, Mrs. Zhao whispered, "I heard that the ancestral hall is haunted. Do you think there is anything unusual?"

A hint of concern and doubt appeared in her eyes again.

Wen Zhu hesitated for a moment before answering, "At first, I did have some doubts. Even though my foot was injured, I still insisted on going to the scene several times to check on the situation myself. But the gatekeeper firmly stated that he didn't see anything unusual, and I certainly didn't find any suspicious signs. I guess this might be some hallucination caused by the young lady's bad mood."

"That girl named Yu Ning..."

Mrs. Zhao looked at Wen Zhu and said slowly.

“That maid named Yu Ning was indeed not attentive to her work and failed to take good care of the young lady.