As one of the important leaders of the family, this information would naturally be conveyed to Su Qiulu through the family's servant network.

In this way, Su Qiulu would naturally conclude that all this was the result of Wen Zhu's careful planning, and that she deliberately approached Sheng Huaichen and was very likely to have specially arranged people to monitor her actions.

After carefully analyzing the entire situation, the situation does not look optimistic.

Fortunately, the Duke's wife intervened quickly and prevented Su Qiulu from causing further damage.

At this moment, Wen Zhu tightly grasped the soft and delicate silk on the edge of the bed, and bit his lower lip anxiously. Indeed, if he could not master the key position of housekeeper, then Su Qiulu would be like a beast without claws, and would no longer be able to pose much threat. But on the contrary, if he could successfully resume this position, things might develop in a direction that is beneficial to him.

However, the most troublesome thing at the moment is that the Duke's wife is unable to personally handle these issues due to illness, making everything even more complicated and difficult.

He pondered these things over and over until late at night. When the surroundings became extremely quiet, Wen Zhu finally fell asleep slowly.

The next morning, after waking up in the dim light, the first thing she did was to go and greet the Duke's wife who had been bedridden for a long time.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, this distinguished woman asked cautiously, "I heard there are scars on your hands. What happened?"

"Last night, I was so nervous that I accidentally knocked the hairpin off my hair, and then... I pricked my finger like that."

When saying this, Wen Zhu's voice was a little shy. He looked down at his shoes and explained softly.

"When faced with malicious approach or attack, it's not uncommon in this mansion to use small accessories like hairpins to defend against a counterattack.

The Duke's wife concluded this incident in a calm tone.

"But besides this, where did 'Lingjunxiang' come from?"

After thinking for a while, she continued to ask another question.

“I’m also very confused about this.”

Hearing this question, Wen Zhu answered frankly.

Although she knew that Sheng Huaichen had indeed been contaminated with 'Lingjunxiang', she had no idea how he had obtained this special spice.

Therefore, she decided to keep this secret in her heart for the time being and not easily reveal any clues about her knowledge of the matter, for fear that she would accidentally expose her knowledge of the matter.

What's more, 'Lingjunxiang' is mainly used by men, so it is even less likely that she can give a reasonable explanation for this situation.

As a woman, if you rashly talk about how to obtain men's things, it will easily cause more misunderstandings and suspicions, which is definitely not a wise move.

The Duke's wife slowly stood up from her chair, her movements full of composure. "It's best for you to pretend you know nothing now. I'll handle the rest. This will be better for both of us."

Her tone was steady yet commanding.

"Thank you for your compassion."

Wen Zhu lowered her head, bowed deeply and saluted to express her gratitude.

She knew very well how precious it was to have the lady's protection during this sensitive period.

Afterwards, she set out again to find Su Qiulu.

When he saw Su Qiulu slowly rising from the bed and walking towards him, he lifted his hand and gently supported his chin. In a voice that seemed gentle but actually profound, he said, "It's fine that you're beautiful, and it's not surprising that you're favored by the Crown Prince. But why does even the mistress admire you so much? Even the judge's daughter is willing to become your close friend. It seems that you're really good at manipulating people's emotions!"

Faced with such doubts, Wen Zhu didn't look away, but looked directly into Su Qiulu's eyes, his eyes full of helplessness and grievance: "I have always done my best, especially towards you, the young lady, with sincerity and without any falsehood. But even now, I still can't understand what I did wrong to make you so defensive."

"Huh, you said you were the most loyal to me?"

There was a hint of disdain and doubt in Su Qiulu's voice, and her tone was as cold as frost in winter, making people feel cold.

"Young Madam, please think carefully. When have I ever been unfaithful? Yet, you always choose to trust Du Juan and Liu Yan more, and ignore me, who has always supported you silently."

At this point, Wen Zhu's voice began to tremble slightly, obviously affected by great emotional fluctuations.

"But I think I've acted honestly and honestly, and haven't done anything that goes against my conscience!"

This sentence is more like a firm confession to myself deep in my heart.

Seeing this, Su Qiulu finally stopped probing and directly raised the unresolved question: "So, can you tell me? What exactly happened between you and Sheng Huaichen?"

This question was simple yet weighed heavily on the two men's minds, as if just one answer could cause a huge storm.

Since the other party has already noticed something and has been involved, if I don’t tell her some of the truth, I’m afraid she will continue to make mistakes, causing the situation to deteriorate further.

"If I harbor any ill will towards the Second Young Master, Madam will definitely not let me go. Madam's methods are always swift and decisive. How could she possibly punish Liu Yan to protect me? The possibility of this is extremely small."

Wen Zhu said firmly, with a hint of vigilance and determination in his eyes.

After a moment, Su Qiulu stared at Wen Zhu's face, as if trying to find the answer from her expression. She slowly asked, "Is he interested in a little girl like you? I can't ask too directly about this kind of thing."

"No matter how insignificant, anything belonging to the Crown Prince or the Young Madam is not something the Second Young Master should covet. Furthermore, a mere maid like me should not have any improper desires."

Wen Zhu did not respond directly, but simply expressed his attitude in a light-hearted manner.

"Why didn't you confess to me before?"

Su Qiulu asked, with obvious dissatisfaction and anxiety in her tone.

"My stepmother has already warned him and given him Bamboo Shadow as punishment, but even so, he still has no intention of restraining himself. If I tell the young lady, it will not only be of no use, but may also cause you a lot of unnecessary trouble."

Wen Zhu sighed, his words filled with helplessness.

The room fell into a brief silence, with only the sound of flowing air being unusually clear. The two people had their own thoughts in their minds.

"He brought this upon himself. He deserves all the consequences."