Luo Xue smiled and said, "Today I am here on the orders of my young lady to thank Steward Xu and your master. My young lady said that you have worked hard these past few days."

Xu Nian finally understood; Miss Qiu knew everything they had been doing behind the scenes!

It's okay if what I did gets found out; it's not like I did anything bad.

"I can't accept Miss Luoxue's gratitude. It's all I should do. Before he left, Young Master Zhang repeatedly told me that I must not be careless in helping Miss Qiu."

Luo Xue was even happier to hear this. Zhang Tingyu was the future son-in-law, and his attention to the young lady was even better.

Then Luo Xue explained the purpose of her visit and brought a lot of nice things with her. Xu Nian had seen all sorts of nice things since he was with Bo Bo, but what Luo Xue brought was truly rare for him.

Qiu Wen relied on that marine aquaculture system, and naturally found a lot of good things. The ocean is vast and mysterious, and the food and supplies in it are a wealth that is known but unattainable.

She has that advantage, so she can gain something from it.

The snow brought high-quality pearls, but even though they were nice, Qiu Wen couldn't use them, since there were regulations governing their use.

Half-person-high red coral, as well as sea cucumbers and various other seafood.

After some initial hesitation, Xu Nian accepted the gift, since it would be difficult to get things done if he didn't accept it.

As the saying goes, you get things done by providing something; if you don't provide something, people will always think you might not be doing things properly.

That's only human nature.

Xu Nian also knew about Qiu Wen's breeding farm. In Cangzhou, after all, it was a name that had appeared in the mouths of the Emperor and Empress, so he had to pay attention to it.

He also knew that Qiu Wen's biggest income should not actually be from the aquaculture farm, as the farm is still in its early stages and her biggest income should be from her fishing trips.

Among the items retrieved from the sea were many priceless treasures, which is why Xu Nian was able to accept Luo Xue's gifts without any burden.

After delivering the gifts, Luo Xue left satisfied.

Although Xu Nian accepted the gifts, he couldn't keep them all for himself.

"Master, Miss Qiu's maid, Luo Xue, came by and asked me to investigate matters in the capital. She brought quite a few things with her."

Bobo asked, "What do you have?"

Xu Nian reported the contents of the package.

Bobo laughed and said, "That's quite generous. You can keep what you can keep. If the Dongzhu pearls are of good quality, send someone back to the capital so that Mother and Sister can make a couple of pieces of jewelry."

"Yes, this servant thanks you, Master."

After Luo Xue returned, Qiu Wen thought about it and decided to explain things to her.

"Miss, what do you want to say to me?"

"I originally planned to tell you later, because I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable. But since my background is related to the capital, I'll tell you now so you can be mentally prepared."

Qiu Wen's serious demeanor made Luo Xue a little nervous.

"Before Young Master Zhang left, he told me to ask Steward Xu for help if I needed anything. I didn't tell you that Steward Xu is a eunuch in the palace."

Snowflakes were dumbfounded: "Father-in-law?"

Is it what she thought it meant?

Looking at her young mistress's certain gaze, Luo Xue asked, "Miss, who is this Young Master Zhang?"

"He was the eldest prince's study companion and grew up with him. He has come to Cangzhou to train the navy."

Luo Xue listened with disbelief at this identity.

"Steward Xu serves the First Prince. You should have seen him before; he visited our estate last time."

"Then those who came with them, wouldn't they be...?" The Emperor, the Empress, and the Princess...?

After all, the eldest prince called his father and mother back then.

Qiu Wen nodded: "It's just as you guessed. I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you would feel guilty."

Luo Xue quickly said with relief, "Luckily, Miss didn't tell me, otherwise I probably would have been too scared to speak."

Similarly, Luo Xue admired her young mistress greatly. She was so calm and composed in front of the empress and the princess. She was truly worthy of being called a young mistress.

"I'm telling you this because you'll find out sooner or later anyway. You've had some dealings with Steward Xu recently, so there's no need for you to overthink it."

"Miss is very thoughtful."

Having received Luo Xue's request, Xu Nian was naturally able to investigate openly and legitimately.

According to the conditions given by Chen Xiang, he was a Manchu in the capital, born on the same day and year as Qiu Wen, the legitimate child of the main wife, and had a maid named Hua Lian by his side.

With so many conditions, it shouldn't be too difficult for Xu Nian to investigate.

Xu Nian had only sent people to the capital for less than ten days when news came that the candidate had been narrowed down to the Faka family of the Niohuru clan. In fact, it was already confirmed. More than ten years ago, Faka's wife did give birth in Cangzhou. At that time, due to some reasons, Faka and his wife separated. As a result, his wife gave birth halfway and stayed at the Qiu family's residence.

However, what Xu Nian found out was quite unexpected.

Xu Nian first told Bobo the results of his investigation.

“My lord, I have found out about Lord Faka’s whereabouts. More than ten years ago, Faka’s wife gave birth at the Qiu residence with Madam Qiu. At that time, Faka’s wife was already in premature labor. The entire delivery was arranged by her personal maid, Hualian. The midwife who delivered Faka’s wife that year has also disappeared.”

Moreover, due to special circumstances at the time, only a maid named Hualian and a servant boy accompanied Consort Fakafu. The servants were unsure whether they were involved in the matter. Furthermore, Consort Fakafu began to fall ill after returning to the capital, supposedly due to illnesses left over from childbirth, and was unable to serve the emperor.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!