Chapter 46: What are you curious about?

General Huo was clearly taken aback. On the battlefield, a man's affairs are naturally forgotten, and romance is naturally forgotten. Moreover, at that time, danger lurked everywhere, and it was not easy to move. How could he have the mind to get married and have children?

"My mother died early, and my father is a rough man. However, His Majesty once said that if a princess is born into the royal family in the future, he will bestow a marriage upon her."

General Huo even gave a special explanation, fearing that Su Zhenzhen and Hensheng might get confused.

The "Your Majesty" here refers to Emperor Chang, Jiang Zaide, the father of Jiang Yichun. The Jiang family's imperial lineage had historically been sparsely populated, with Jiang Yichun being the only crown prince for a long time. Other princes and princesses either died shortly after birth or suffered from constant illnesses, failing to reach adulthood.

With this background, it's easier to understand Su Zhenzhen. Later, she gave birth to a monster like Jiang Sijin. It was already good enough that she wasn't killed, let alone sent to harass the general on the outskirts of the town.

It's not that Su Zhenzhen wants to think too badly of people, it's just that Jiang Zaide is immoral. He was making empty promises to General Huo about marrying off a princess, but now that the princess is gone, the Huo family still has a daughter. Can't they arrange a good marriage for her? Instead, they insist on making her marry someone who relies on his ancestors for a living.

As for General Huo's father, it's hard to comment; he was loyal to the emperor and loved his country, so let's just say he died a traitor.

"Do you want to reunite with your sister?" Su Zhenzhen asked directly. People in ancient times valued kinship very much. Besides, the current situation was very passive, and she didn't know what to do.

General Huo nodded. "I never met her while she was alive, and there's no need for us to keep in touch after she's gone."

Su Zhenzhen nodded to indicate that she understood, "Then I'll take you in first."

General Huo was put into a storage compartment.

In just a short while, the sky gradually darkened, the heavy ink faded, and a faint white light appeared on the horizon.

Su Zhenzhen stretched her limbs and beckoned to Hensheng, "Let's go meet this Madam. The descendants of loyal ministers and generals shouldn't be too bad. But first, we need to do your makeup. Old Madam Xu has left an indelible mark on my heart."

Su Zhenzhen gave Hensheng a simple "disguise," making him look ordinary.

As the two walked out of the courtyard, Cui Niang forced a yawn.

"Huh? Why does this male deity look different now?" Cui Niang exclaimed in sudden realization. "This must be the kind of magic that's mentioned in operas."

Su Zhenzhen didn't have time to explain to her and went straight to the point, "Does your wife have any taboos? I'd like to pay her a visit."

Although Cui Niang didn't understand, she knew that immortals had their reasons. "I have never dealt with the First Madam, but Uncle Zhong is an old man in the mansion, so I'll have him make the arrangements."

Uncle Zhong is the old steward of the mansion, and he looks even older than Master Zhu.

They treated Cui Niang with respect. Uncle Zhong, who had seen Master Zhu's spirit the previous night, was aware of Su Zhenzhen's abilities and was not surprised by her request to see the First Madam.

"Please come with me, gentlemen."

Su Zhenzhen and Hensheng followed behind Uncle Zhong. Despite his age, Uncle Zhong walked quite steadily.

Su Zhenzhen deliberately tripped Hensheng.

Hensheng wasn't paying attention and fell straight forward.

Uncle Zhong quickly caught the person and helped them to their feet.

Su Zhenzhen narrowed her eyes slightly; this was no ordinary old housekeeper.

"How many years has Uncle Zhong worked for the Zhu family?"

"It's been going on for years, I've lost count," Uncle Zhong said, trying to evade the question.

Su Zhenzhen didn't seem to care, and pretended to be chatting casually. "I heard that the First Madam's maiden name is Huo. Who is General Huo, who is so famous in the Northwest, to her?"

Uncle Zhong's answer was perfectly watertight: "You'll have to ask the First Madam. How would a servant like me know so much?"

Su Zhenzhen is now certain that Uncle Zhong is truly not afraid of ghosts. Last night, those who were afraid of ghosts were so afraid that they wanted to tell her all sorts of bad things about peeing on the stove when they were kids.

How can someone not be afraid of ghosts? Or does he see ghosts frequently? What exactly was that old woman in the outhouse last night? And who exactly is this Uncle Zhong working for?

Soon they arrived at the First Madam's courtyard, and as usual, Uncle Zhong knocked on the door first.

A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and Granny Huo looked displeased, glancing at Su Zhenzhen and then at Uncle Zhong.

"Uncle Zhong, what's the matter so early in the morning?"

Uncle Zhong pointed at Su Zhenzhen, "This Taoist priest wants to see the First Madam; she can summon the Master's ghost."

Uncle Zhong was unaware that Su Zhenzhen had mistakenly entered the First Madam's courtyard the previous night, and he only told her what he knew.

Granny Huo looked puzzled. "Come in, Uncle Zhong, go and prepare a table of food and wine."

Uncle Zhong obeyed and went downstairs, while Su Zhenzhen and Hensheng followed Granny Huo inside.

Su Zhenzhen saw that "Shefang" again. At night, it looked like a latrine because of its size, but now it looked like a small temple during the day.

"Granny, which deity is worshipped there?"

Granny Huo acted as if she hadn't heard anything, focusing only on walking.

Su Zhenzhen stopped in front of the house where she had knelt the night before, and saw Granny Huo respectfully call out into the house.

"Madam, our distinguished guest has arrived."

Su Zhenzhen's eyes flickered slightly. It seemed that this Madam had long anticipated that she would come to her door.

There was no answer from inside. Granny Huo stepped forward, pushed open the door, and gestured for Su Zhenzhen and Hensheng to enter.

Su Zhenzhen went in first, while the First Madam sat at the table, dressed neatly.

The First Madam poured herself a cup of tea and pushed it forward.

Su Zhenzhen also sat down opposite the First Madam without any hesitation.

Hensheng originally wanted to stand behind Su Zhenzhen.

But the First Madam smiled and said, "Why don't you sit down, young man? Is it because my tea service has been inadequate?"

Having no other choice, Hensheng sat down next to Su Zhenzhen.

The First Madam poured Hensheng another cup of tea.

Uncle Zhong quickly brought the food over with his servants.

Breakfast should not be too heavy in flavor. A bowl of red date porridge, a bowl of steamed egg custard, and a basket of crystal shrimp dumplings are all good choices.

This is basically what the master usually eats. It's prepared on the stove in the middle of the night so that the master can eat it when he wakes up in the morning.

Uncle Zhong personally ladled porridge for Su Zhenzhen and Hensheng, asking, "Would you two like anything else to add?"

Su Zhenzhen took a sip of the porridge and said, "No need to trouble yourself."

Hensheng was more polite, waiting for the First Madam to start eating before he began.

With the bowl of porridge empty, Su Zhenzhen had also thought of her words. She realized that it was wrong of her to lie to people last night.

“Well, Madam, last night I had to go to the toilet and went to the wrong place. Then I wanted to find a place to wash my hands and I ran into Granny Huo. At the time, Granny Huo thought I was a new maid in the manor. I was curious about you, so I followed her advice and wanted to see you.”

The First Madam gently fiddled with her prayer beads. "What is there for an old woman like me to be curious about?"

Su Zhenzhen was about to express her curiosity about why the lady of the house would let a concubine manage the household, but the words got stuck in her throat, and she became dizzy and disoriented.

"Boom—" Hensheng collapsed onto the table.

Su Zhenzhen felt her eyelids drooping; she should have known better than to be greedy and eat too much.

"Boom—" Another sound rang out, and Su Zhenzhen finally succumbed to the powerful effects of the medicine.