Chapter 71

The first thing Aunt Qiao thought of was that she should tell Luo Chengzhang about this matter immediately.

But after thinking about it, she calmed down.

First of all, what would happen if she really told Luo Chengzhang about this?

He would definitely be very angry, and then ignore Luo Yining, or even ask her to move out of the Luo family. But would he admit that Luo Yining was an illegitimate child?

Aunt Qiao's heart slowly calmed down. Luo Chengzhang certainly wouldn't do that. He wouldn't even let this matter get out. This incident tarnished Gu Minglan's reputation, but wouldn't it also bring shame upon him and expose the Luo family to criticism? This incident would affect not only Luo Yining, but even Luo Yihui, who was far away in the capital. And even more so, it would affect the reputation of the Luo family.

But with Luo Chengzhang's personality, it is impossible for him to endure it. No man can endure it.

What she could do was to provoke Luo Chengzhang's disgust towards Luo Yining, the deeper the better, so deep that Luo Chengzhang didn't want to see Luo Yining appear in front of him.

Aunt Qiao took a sip of water and finally sorted out her thoughts.

This kind of thing, the sooner you do it, the better. If you delay, there will be complications. There is still Luo Shenyuan in the mansion, and Luo Yining is also a tough guy, so he can't be discovered.

Luo Yilian was also surprised when she learned the whole story. Anything was possible in this world. Luo Yining wasn't actually her father's biological child, but the child of Gu Minglan and a lowly guard! If her mother hadn't confirmed it over and over again, she wouldn't have believed it! She quickly realized the benefits she could gain from this matter.

This matter is disadvantageous to almost everyone, but it is a good thing for her. Without Luo Yining, she would be the only lady in the second house.

Thinking of this, she even felt a little sympathy for Luo Yining. From being a legitimate daughter, she suddenly fell into this state. She didn't know how she could bear it.

Aunt Qiao looked at the exquisite and luxurious furnishings in the house and asked her daughter, "Tomorrow is the Cold Clothes Festival, right?"

Luo Yilian looked at her: "What are your plans?"

Aunt Qiao shook her head and smiled, "No plans, I don't need to plan this. I'll bring him to your father and make sure Luo Yining can never stand up again."

"It's just that we have to worship our ancestors during the Cold Clothes Festival." Aunt Qiao said softly.

It was not until the evening that Luo Shenyuan saw the servant in the study.

He hurried into Luo Shenyuan's study, his expression grave. Luo Shenyuan dismissed his attendants and asked him to speak slowly.

The servant said, "I've found out everything. The man is the wife of one of the shop assistants in Aunt Qiao's shop. She's seriously ill. There's nothing unusual about her. She was originally from Baoding, but later married and moved to Jingzhou. She only returned to Baoding a few years ago with the shop assistant. I heard that the shop assistant stole money from Aunt Qiao's shop to treat her illness, and Aunt Qiao almost beat him to a cripple. I don't know why, but Aunt Qiao later forgave him, and his family is fine. He even helped Aunt Qiao buy some household items..."

Luo Shenyuan sat down on the Dongpo chair, his fingers unconsciously clasping the armrests: "Is that all?"

The servant nodded and said, "People nearby are not familiar with their family, so I haven't found out much."

Luo Shenyuan paused and asked, "Is there any movement from Aunt Qiao?"

The servant shook his head. "Nothing happened. After entering Concubine Qiao's courtyard, I didn't see anyone come out. Concubine Qiao is in the house making shoes for the Fourth Young Master as usual."

Luo Shenyuan looked at the dark sky outside the window and wondered what Aunt Qiao was going to do.

Some seemingly unrelated things are simply because there's no connection. But if you think about it carefully, everything is necessarily connected. There's nothing wrong with Aunt Qiao bringing a sick person into the house; this person must have some connection to her, though she just doesn't know it.

"Don't delay any longer. Send a few more people to investigate." Luo Shenyuan said calmly, "Don't let go of Aunt Qiao's shop either. Come see me tomorrow morning."

The servant nodded and left.

That evening, a strong wind blew, breaking a tree near the courtyard steps. When Yi Ning woke up the next day, she found the broken tree had crushed the steps. Today was the Cold Clothes Festival, and they were to worship their ancestors in the afternoon. Dressed simply, Yi Ning went to Lin Hairu's place. Luo Chengzhang was already there with Lin Hairu for breakfast.

He was drinking porridge, and Aunt Qiao was standing beside him serving him.

Seeing her coming, Luo Chengzhang looked up and said, "It was windy last night. I heard a tree in your yard was blown down. Is there anything wrong with it?"

Yi Ning sat down, and the maid immediately brought her a bowl of bird's nest porridge. Aunt Qiao's eyes were fixed on Yi Ning's bowl of bird's nest porridge. The hand holding the bowl was adorned with a pair of icy jade bracelets. Yi Ning's clothes were always made of kesi silk and Hangzhou silk. She was so beautifully nourished, her face looked as if it could be squeezed out of water.

A faint smile played on the corner of her mouth.

Yi Ning noticed that Aunt Qiao had been looking at her for a long time without taking her eyes off. Of course, she certainly didn't think that Aunt Qiao liked her. Yi Ning said, "It's nothing, just blocking the steps."

Next, they discussed ancestral worship. They were to go to the ancestral hall that afternoon to burn incense, and the second wife's family had already arrived. Luo Chengzhang led the second wife's children to the ancestral hall, where they worshipped their ancestors and burned winter clothes. Yining looked at her grandmother's place in the tomb. Her grandmother had been dead for over three years. Without her grandmother by her side, she hadn't let her down. But thinking of the old lady's love for her, she still felt a pang in her heart. She would never forget the scene of her grandmother's death.

Luo Chengzhang couldn't help but feel sad when he saw his mother's ranking. Seeing Yining burning incense for his grandmother, he thought of how the old lady loved her like the apple of her eye. The child remembered his grandmother's kindness. He called Yining to his side and gave her detailed instructions.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!