36 Chapter Thirty-Six
"Brother-in-law..."
Chapter Thirty-Six
Liu Qingqing stopped and glanced at Liu Yuanzhou for a long time.
The Marquis's mansion has been raising Liu Qingqing very well, and his imposing presence has surprised Liu Yuanzhou.
Liu Yuanzhou then seemed to realize that he had said something wrong. Seeing his sister's expression, he hurriedly tried to make amends, "I didn't mean to blame you. It's just that the house is in chaos. After all, we are family, and we should look after each other."
"Where is Xiao Ying?" Liu Qingqing asked.
Seeing her unfriendly attitude, Liu Yuanzhou's expression changed slightly, but he did not discipline or reprimand her as usual. He simply said vaguely, "This morning, someone from the yamen came to ask Mother to come over for questioning."
Liu Qingqing was surprised, but did not show it on her face. She then asked, "Where is my sister-in-law?"
In Liu Qingqing's memory, although her sister-in-law was gentle, she was also practical, efficient, and methodical.
Liu Yuanzhou avoided eye contact. "Your sister-in-law is sick and bedridden."
“I need to go on duty and can’t take care of Qingying. You should take her back to the Marquis’s residence for a few days and she will be fine once Mother returns.”
Seeing that Liu Qingqing's expression was strangely different from before, Liu Yuanzhou could only add, "I've asked for leave today, so I have to go back now."
Liu Qingqing immediately lowered her eyes, and after a moment of silence, she said, "I understand. You may go."
Liu Yuanzhou breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Liu Qingying with concern, and hurriedly instructed, "Qingying, be good in the Marquis's residence. If anything happens, send someone to find me."
Perhaps not expecting Liu Qingqing to let her stay so readily, she hurriedly took out her money pouch and stuffed it into Liu Qingying's hand.
She's such a precious little sister, I'm afraid she'll fall if I hold her in my hands, and afraid she'll melt if I keep her in my mouth.
She used to feel wronged and secretly cry because of her elder brother's tendency to side with outsiders, but over the years she has become numb to it.
Liu Qingqing scoffed inwardly; she had long since ceased to feel wronged. Her gaze, now laced with a subtle mockery, sent chills down Liu Yuanzhou's spine, making him unable to meet her eyes. He turned and fled in disarray.
Fortunately, it was still early and there were no pedestrians on the street.
Liu Qingqing ignored her, took Li Mama's arm and got into the carriage. Liu Qingying followed suit, staring at her with wide eyes and asking curiously, "Sister, aren't you taking me back to the manor?"
Liu Qingying was adept at using her clear, round eyes to feign madness and deceive people.
Liu Qingqing didn't look at her: "My elder brother said the mansion is in chaos. Even though I'm married, I still have to go back and check on things."
She paused slightly before adding, "If you're going to stay at the Marquis's residence for a few days, you'll need to bring some clothes with you."
Liu Qingying nodded upon hearing this, and only then did she feel at ease enough to freely observe her sister. Her sister was now exuding wealth and nobility, and her aura was incomparable to what it used to be. The pearl hairpin she wore was the latest style in the capital. It was said that pearls were hard to come by, and only fishermen with exceptional swimming skills could find good ones by chance.
The carriages in this manor were also magnificent, with exquisite carvings even on the interior walls.
When her sister looked over, Liu Qingying quickly lowered her eyes to hide the jealousy in them, but forgot to hide her clenched fist.
In the past, the best things in the house belonged to her, and only the leftovers would go to her older sister. Now that her older sister is married, things are different, and even her older brother doesn't dare to neglect her anymore.
But these things should belong to her!
What hurt her most was the indifferent look in her sister's eyes, unlike before. She would rather her sister looked at her with the same heavy gaze as before.
Liu Qingqing glanced at her briefly before closing her eyes to rest, without saying a word to Liu Qingying.
They arrived at the Liu residence shortly afterward.
The stone lions at the entrance remained majestic, and the gatekeeper, seeing the young lady return this time, hurriedly came out to put out the carriage benches.
Liu Qingqing looked up at the plaque above the door. After hearing Liu Qingying's light landing, she turned to Zhao Pansheng and gave him a wink. Zhao Pansheng immediately stepped forward and curtsied, "Miss, my master has important business to attend to today. I will go with you to pack your luggage."
If she didn't listen to her sister today, she wouldn't be able to go to the Marquis's mansion. Even if Liu Qingying was spoiled, she knew this. So she reluctantly suppressed her dissatisfaction, smiled at her sister, and left with her maid.
As she left, she feigned innocence and inquired, "I've never seen you with my sister before. Are you a maidservant bestowed upon you by the Marquis's mansion, or is she a new maidservant my sister recently acquired?"
Zhao Pansheng simply curtsied without uttering a sound.
Liu Qingying pouted unhappily, snorted coldly, turned her head away, and stopped pretending. She put on airs and left.
Zhao Pansheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he obediently followed behind.
-
Fortunately, she had been with them when she went out today. Liu Qingqing asked Granny Li to go to her sister-in-law's place first to see what was going on, and then she returned to the courtyard with Qingju.
He first offered incense to his mother's memorial tablet before heading towards the storeroom in the side courtyard.
The dowry her mother left her was withheld by Xiao Yingshi. When she got married, Xiao Yingshi couldn't hold onto the large items, but many of the smaller items were gone. They were still in her mother's private treasury, so Xiao Yingshi couldn't make things too ugly.
The most taboo thing today is to covet other people's property. If someone were to openly and brazenly rob her dowry, even Liu Xu, a fourth-rank official in the current court, would be in trouble.
Surprisingly, no servants were seen along the way, and the warehouse courtyard was overgrown with weeds.
She naturally had a key to her mother's private vault, so Qingju went forward and opened the vault door first.
The door was wide open, and dust floated in the sunlight.
The pungent smell of mildew was so strong it made her cough. Liu Qingqing covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and looked around.
This place, which had been as difficult to access as an insurmountable barrier for over a decade, was now opened to the public so easily.
Unexpectedly, as if divinely ordained, everything she wanted to do became possible after her marriage, and things went so smoothly.
The floor had been unattended for a long time, covered in a layer of dust and densely overlapping footprints.
It must have been left behind by Xiao Ying before.
She knew that Xiao Ying disliked her mother, but she didn't know why.
Judging from this thick layer of dust, it must dislike it very much, otherwise why would it be too lazy to clean it?
Impatient and annoyed.
She could easily read Xiao Ying's emotions from the footprints.
This confirmed my suspicions once again—that Xiao Ying was holding onto the dowry because she was looking for something.
Judging from these messy footprints, it seems they didn't find it.
She followed the footprints and carefully examined every place where Xiao Ying had stood, but indeed she had no clue what to look for; they were just books and ornaments.
There were also some book boxes and makeup boxes.
Opening the makeup box, one could find the unused powder from her mother's time, and an earring lying on one side.
Her fingertips trembled as she ran them over the dust, but she didn't care, for she had never seen so many of her mother's belongings before.
It sits here quietly, as if it were just as it was yesterday, as if my mother had used it yesterday.
Liu Qingqing swallowed hard, blinked away the tears welling up in her eyes, and suppressed the sour feeling before softly calling for someone to come and "load everything in the house into the car."
She had a vague feeling that what Xiao Ying was looking for was right here.
This private vault may not look large, but it contains a lot of things. Fortunately, as if by divine intervention, Xiao Yingshi will not be able to return home for the time being.
The henchmen who followed Xiao Yingshi had also disappeared, which gave her an advantage.
Just a wall away, the servants in the woodshed were sprawled out and unconscious on the ground.
A figure flew up onto the roof from the shadows, amidst the swaying shadows of the trees.
Liu Qingqing waited there for a while, and then Li Mama came looking for her.
He whispered in her ear, "The young mistress is not feeling well and is sleeping."
Then I heard a mournful voice singing a song in the distance, the tune of which was strange and chilling.
Granny Li said, "They say that the concubine lost her child and has been singing songs all day long, saying it's to call back the child's soul."
Liu Qingqing glanced in the direction of the voice and couldn't help but frown. No wonder Liu Yuanzhou wanted to send Liu Qingying to the Marquis's mansion. What kind of state is the Liu mansion in now?
"How could your sister-in-law possibly hear that?"
Granny Li shook her head: "They're too far away to hear it."
"That's good then. Granny, you can go back to the manor for a bit..."
Liu Qingqing gave some instructions in a low voice.
It took most of the hour to move the private treasury. To avoid any unforeseen complications, Liu Qingqing had Granny Li accompany the carriage to transport the items back to the Marquis's residence. After unloading the items, the carriage returned to pick them up.
Taking advantage of this break, Liu Qingqing went to see her sister-in-law. Sure enough, her sister-in-law stayed indoors. Her maid, wearing a veil, stood far away, bowed, and said that she had caught a cold and should not spread it.
They returned empty-handed without even entering the hanging flower gate.
But Liu Qingqing was concerned about this matter, so she told the maid the location of the clinic, "If the medicine doesn't work, go here and find Doctor Lu to take a look. We can't delay."
Still worried, Liu Qingqing added, "If you can't find him, go to the Marquis's residence to look for me. Do you understand?"
The maidservant gratefully replied, "Thank you, Miss. I've remembered everything."
When he returned to the courtyard, Liu Qingying was already waiting there, with a large bundle placed on the stone table in the courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Liu Qingqing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. How long were they going to stay at the Marquis's residence?
She didn't say much, wanting to see what tricks the mother and daughter would use next.
Once in the car, Liu Qingying sat obediently to the side, secretly making plans in her mind.
Mother said that this matter concerning her aunt was trivial and that she should not lose her composure. They were simply taking advantage of the situation to allow her to move into the Marquis's residence.
Otherwise, if the sisters weren't close, what reason would they have to move in together?
Only by living in the past can everything be possible.
She recalled the last time her brother-in-law held her sister in his arms; his broad, powerful arms were as majestic and handsome as a god descending from heaven. Just thinking about it made her blush.
Everyone knows that her brother-in-law is a top figure in the capital. I wonder if he will exchange a few words with her or give her a couple of small gifts.
She secretly cupped her cheeks, her heart overflowing with sweetness at the thought of living in the same house as her brother-in-law.
Liu Qingqing glanced at her and frowned.
They soon arrived at the Marquis's residence. Liu Qingying suppressed her excitement and followed her sister into the residence, looking around curiously.
This Marquis's mansion was indeed extraordinary, with its carved beams and painted rafters, and soaring eaves that dazzled the eye. She had thought her own home was already quite nice, but after seeing the Marquis's mansion, she realized what a celestial palace truly was.
If she lives here in the future...
Just thinking about it makes my heart tremble.
Liu Qingqing slowed her pace and watched from behind. If it were before, she might not have been able to see anything. But she had been in the Marquis's mansion for more than three months, and with Xie Lang teaching her, the old lady teaching her, and being influenced by the Prince's mansion, she could now be considered quite perceptive.
Her dear younger sister is always trying to snatch things from her; she's probably become too ambitious.
In the past, she would never have allowed Xie Lang and Liu Qingying to meet.
But now, perhaps Xie Lang made her feel at ease, she decided that it was better to guide than to suppress. She had to see what this mother and daughter were really up to.
Liu Qingqing sent Granny Li to settle Liu Qingying in a side courtyard, and then went to Shi'an Garden to pay her respects to the old lady.
He handed the stuffed pork with tiger skin that he had specially bought on his way back to Jialanju to Granny An: "I heard that you like this flavor. It just so happens that it was freshly made, so I brought some back for you to try. I don't know if you will like it."
The old lady smiled and told Granny An's servants, "I'm delighted that you young people have such thoughtfulness."
Liu Qingqing sat obediently and then told him about her younger sister from her maternal family coming to stay for a while.
Upon hearing this, the old lady simply said, "It's good that my younger sister from my maternal family is coming to stay for a while. It doesn't matter how long she stays."
He took Liu Qingqing's hand, patted it, and said, "You've been married for some time now..."
Liu Qingqing thought the old lady was going to talk about having children, and her heart skipped a beat. Before she could even open her mouth, the old lady raised her hand to stop her.
"Let me, this old woman, speak first."
The old lady spoke slowly, but her eyes were bright and sharp. As she spoke, she took off the Buddhist prayer beads from her wrist and put them on the girl's wrist, reassuring her, "Now that you have married into the Xie family, and I am getting old, after you have calmed down a bit, you can come and learn how to manage a household from me."
“Your mother-in-law passed away early, and the men in the family are always running around outside. The family can’t be without someone to manage it. I’m getting old now, and the Marquis’s mansion will have to rely on you in the future.”
"I'm giving you these prayer beads. From now on, you can make decisions on small matters in the household. If you're unsure about anything, just ask me."
"While I can still walk, I'd like to have a great-grandchild so I can hold him/her. I can also help you take care of your children."
This haphazard approach left Liu Qingqing dizzy and disoriented, her eyes wide and her red lips slightly parted, unsure of what to say. In other households, even if they didn't explicitly object, they would at least make a big show of it. How could this be, how could she be pushed into this position so easily?
Liu Qingqing was astonished and immediately tried to get up, but the old lady gently pressed her down. She looked at the old lady in a panic, and the old lady stared at her for a long time before finally uttering a meaningful sentence, "Alright, go. Remember not to let yourself suffer."
When she returned to Jialan Garden, she was still not recovered. She barely managed to walk to a chair and slumped down in a daze.
It took him a while to come to his senses, and he hurriedly called Zhao Pansheng in, "Go to the study and see if the master has returned home?"
Zhao Pansheng accepted the order and went ahead. As he walked around the corridor and was about to enter the outer courtyard, he caught a trace and raised his hand to tidy the ends of his hair.
A servant boy standing guard under the eaves saw that the person who had come was the head maidservant of the madam and hurriedly bowed, "Miss Zhao, what brings you here? Does the madam have any instructions?"
In the dark room of the study, Xie Lang had just taken off his blood-stained black boots and thrown them aside. Just as he was about to get up, he heard a noise and lifted his eyelids to look at Xie Wu.
Xie Wu immediately obeyed the order and hurried away. He pushed open the study door and carefully closed it again. As soon as he turned around, he met Zhao Pansheng's clear eyes. His dark face immediately turned bright red. He blinked his narrow eyes repeatedly and quickly went down the steps to lead her to the side before whispering, "Miss Zhao... Miss Zhao."
Zhao Pansheng followed his movements, but after stopping, he suddenly covered his mouth and laughed, tilting his head to tease him, "Brother Xie, you looked like that just now, did you think you forgot who I am?"
Xie Wu waved his hands repeatedly as if he had burned his paws: "How could I forget?"
He saw her every night, and woke up every day drenched in sweat; how could he forget her...?
Even in his embarrassment, Xie Wu remembered the important matter. After straightening himself up, he asked with concern, "Is there something wrong, Madam?"
Zhao Pansheng also straightened his face, looked around, and seeing that no one was around, took a step closer to him, pretending not to notice his tense posture, and told him about what had happened that day, "Today, Madam originally went out of the manor to visit the farm..."
Fearing they might not take it seriously, Zhao Pansheng's eyes flickered, and he cleverly added, "After Madam returned from the Liu residence, although she didn't say anything, I could tell she wasn't feeling well."
Xie Wu felt dizzy and lightheaded. The fragrance emanating from her words was so hot that he dared not breathe. But since it concerned his wife, he forced himself to listen carefully. By the end, Xie Wu could not help but become serious.
"The master is dealing with urgent matters; I will go and report this."
Xie Wu knew that his wife was having a hard time in the Liu family, but he never expected that her elder brother would be so cowardly and irresponsible. How could he abandon his younger sister to her married older sister? There was probably some other trouble going on here.
Last time, Madam Ying used a wicked drug. Although the master didn't explicitly say so, Xie Wu, who had been by the master's side for a long time and had seen a lot, guessed a thing or two. If the master hadn't given the drug to Madam without hesitation, things might not have ended well.
The master kept it a secret from the lady and used Yanluo Pills to cure most of the poison. The lady was unaware of the danger involved and thought it was just a minor incident.
Yanluo Pill is said to be a miraculous medicine that can bring the dead back to life. The fact that such a life-saving drug still leaves residual poison after administration shows how vicious it is!
This trip back home wasn't very pleasant; I wonder if I've fallen into some kind of trap again!
Everyone in the Marquis's mansion is protective of their own. Even though the lady's younger sister is only fourteen years old and hasn't come of age yet, what if she takes after her good mother and has bad intentions? And their lady is so kind-hearted.
Xie Wuzhen truly felt that the Liu residence was a place teeming with wolves and tigers, not a good place!
Xie Wu hurriedly went to the study, and Zhao Pansheng, seeing this, also hurriedly went back.
She could tell that Qingju was honest and kind, and that Granny Li was getting old and inevitably making mistakes; there was no ruthless person by the Madam's side. So she decided to play the bad guy.
When Xie Wu pushed the door open again, Xie Lang had already changed into clean clothes and was straightening his collar.
He stepped forward and whispered about what had happened that day, adding that the lady seemed to be feeling unwell.
Xie Lang's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but he quickly changed into a new pair of boots and walked out.
"How are things going at the manor?" Xie Lang asked.
Liu Qingqing had previously mentioned seeing his mother's figure in a daze, and he had been thinking about it ever since.
However, there were too many constraints to conduct a thorough investigation. Firstly, he was afraid of alerting the enemy, and secondly, he was afraid that his father would find out. He knew that his father was also secretly searching for his mother's whereabouts, but he didn't know if his mother wanted his father to find her, so he had to avoid his father.
He had a strong intuition that his mother was not dead.
What's even more frightening is that, perhaps it's the darkest place under the lamp, but his mother might not be far away.
Xie Wu cautiously replied, "To avoid alerting them, Xie Liu and I have been conducting a thorough investigation of the servants in the mansion, both openly and secretly. No new people have joined the mansion this year, and we hadn't figured out a reason to do so last year."
Xie Lang pondered for a moment: "There will be a sacrificial ceremony in a while, and we'll make a big show of it. Let's find an excuse to summon all the servants to come and see."
Xie Wu carefully observed, then mustered his courage to say, "But the Marquis is quite wary of..."
The Marquis refused to acknowledge his wife's death, and was enraged during the annual ancestral rites last year.
Xie Lang: "I have my own way of handling this, so don't worry. But everyone in the manor must be checked one by one, and no one should be overlooked."
Xie Wu: "I understand!"
Before they knew it, they arrived at the main house. As soon as they entered the hanging flower gate, they saw a pretty young girl standing under a willow tree. A gust of wind blew her hair and the willow branches.
Hearing the noise, the girl turned around, her fair face instantly blushing as alluringly as a ripe berry.
"Brother-in-law..."
Liu Qingying remembered her mother saying that her profile was the most beautiful, and she turned her head slightly to give Xie Lang a gentle curtsy.
Xie Lang's gaze swept over her quickly, as if she were a dead wooden block, without lingering or uttering a single word.
Liu Qingying froze, her face turning red and then white. She choked on her breath, her eyes reddening. It took her a while to recover before she looked at the tightly closed main room door in disbelief.
Was she not beautiful, or was Xie Lang simply oblivious to romance? Every time she strolled through the market, she was followed and stared at by many, both openly and secretly. Why was it different today…?
How could this be!
Inside the main room, Liu Qingqing was pacing anxiously back and forth. When she saw the door being pushed open, her eyes lit up and she saw Xie Lang hurrying towards her. Upon seeing him, her expression relaxed, and she quickly went to greet him.
Looking over his broad shoulders, she saw that Liu Qingying had actually arrived. At this moment, she didn't care that Liu Qingying was still there; she just wanted to quickly say a few words to Xie Lang in private.
In her haste, Liu Qingqing grabbed Xie Lang's hand and pulled him toward the inner room. Xie Lang's heart sank when he saw her anxious appearance just now, and he followed her as she pleased, but his dark eyes kept glancing down at their intertwined fingers.
Once behind the screen, Liu Qingqing turned around, eager to show him the Buddhist prayer beads, but he suddenly grabbed her hand. His large hand gripped her slender wrist, and Liu Qingqing, startled, looked up at him.
Xie Lang's Adam's apple bobbed, his dark eyes blazing with fury, and he said in a low, hoarse voice, "So you think?"
It's broad daylight outside, how can you not hold back at all?
What are you thinking about?
Want to learn how to manage a household? Of course!
Seeing her nod, Xie Lang's jaw tightened even more, as if two armies were engaged in a fierce battle in his mind.
Indeed, from a young age he was told that one of the Xie family's rules was that no one was allowed to engage in lewd behavior during the day.
Seeing her rapid breathing and flushed cheeks, Xie Lang looked her up and down and sighed helplessly, "Are you feeling unwell again?"
Fearing she might notice the lingering poison, he only said that the itching and numbness from the ant bites were caused by the tonic soup, and that once she recovered and stopped taking the soup, the numbness would stop.
Lately, before taking a nap at night, Liu Qingqing would always complain to him about how bothersome the herbal soup was.
He recently took advantage of her unpreparedness to secretly look at her books with a furrowed brow.
Only then did I realize that besides sexual intercourse, there are many other ways to bring pleasure.
He couldn't do such a thing in broad daylight, but if she really wanted to, there were other ways.
It was in her book; the two of them could relieve some of the tension by entwining their lips and tongues.
Seeing her looking at him with cool, expectant eyes, Xie Lang felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him from the sky, running straight from his back to the top of his head. A tingling sensation shot up his head, and Xie Lang took a step forward, put his arm around her waist, and before Liu Qingqing could react, he suddenly bent down and picked her up in his arms.
The world spun around her, and by the time she came to her senses, she was already lying down comfortably. Just as she was about to speak to Xie Lang, she saw him turn around, wave his long arm, and the bed curtains fell down. Only a narrow slit let in a little soft light.
Liu Qingqing was taken aback.
The surroundings suddenly darkened, and she could no longer see clearly.
What's wrong?
He hasn't had lunch yet, and it's not even evening. What's wrong with him?
Liu Qingqing had never seen Xie Lang like this before, and was at a loss for what to do.
I completely forgot what I wanted to say to him.
What should we do?
Should we stop him from doing this during the day, or wait and see?
Xie Lang is upright and self-disciplined; he is not the kind of person who acts this way!
If she were to object, and he had no such intention, wouldn't that be belittling him? It would also make it seem like she was thinking about that kind of thing all the time.
In the blink of an eye, a myriad of thoughts raced through Liu Qingqing's mind like a mad white horse galloping wildly.
When I came to my senses, I heard a rustling sound of fabric.
Liu Qingqing: ?
Before she could hear anything more clearly, she was pulled into a warm embrace by long arms.
"Husband... my husband..."
She quickly braced herself against his chest, straightening her upper body to find his eyes.
This is bad. The moment I bumped into his dark eyes, I felt...
She licked her dry lips, and murmured helplessly, "Husband..."
Each sound, falling into Xie Lang's ears, seemed like a plea, like a yearning.
Suddenly a sigh escaped her lips, and the world spun around her. Before she could even voice her doubts, she was lying solidly on the bed.
"lady……"
A helpless sigh of indulgence.
He bent down.
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview:
"My husband, would it be alright if my younger sister came to stay at our residence for a few days?"
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