Chapter 168 Can’t give birth?
Although Mrs. Zhao nodded, she suddenly realized that she had never thought about the reason for the divorce between the two. Zhao Yan had said before that they had a disagreement in their relationship.
Now that I think about it, that's probably not the case. If it's about a relationship disagreement, it doesn't seem to be the case now. When Yu Huatang came this time, he gave her many instructions and made all kinds of concessions.
If you say you want to arrange a marriage for him, but he doesn't say anything in return, he just looks at you and smiles, without saying whether he is willing or not. It just makes people feel uneasy.
They are talking about adoption for no reason. Is it really impossible to have a child?
Finally, Mrs. Zhao lamented, "What a sin..."
Not long after Yu Huatang returned, someone came to the door. The man looked at the corner door for a while, hesitant and embarrassed, but finally walked over.
"Is this Miss Yu? I am Huang Mei, the concubine in the Second Young Master's room."
It turned out to be Zhao Yu's aunt. Yu Huatang remembered that when she left, her second brother didn't have an aunt yet. At that time, Xu Yuanyi had just given birth to her first child, Jun Ge'er.
Madam Zhao promised her that she would wait until she gave birth to her second child before allowing Zhao Yu to take a concubine. Now Xu Yuanyi has both a son and a daughter, and the new concubine looks very charming.
Yu Huatang said, "Yes, what does Aunt Huang want to talk to me about?"
Huang Mei said, "I once had a maid I brought from my mother's family. She followed me since she was a child, but one day she fell ill and died. This maid was also from Fuzhou Prefecture and was good at making lanterns. She was holding a lantern in her hand when she died. The coroner said it was an accident, but I don't think it was. I know Miss Yu is the chief lantern maker in Quanzhou. I want to ask Miss Yu if the mechanism in the lantern can kill people invisibly!"
Qingxing listened from the side, her mouth wide open in surprise.
Yu Huatang asked, "Why do you ask this, Auntie? Is there something strange about the maid's death?"
Huang Mei glanced outside and said, "I was the second person to discover her. I clearly saw a long needle stuck in her head, but when the coroner arrived, the needle was gone, and there was no wound either. I heard that the mechanisms in Quanzhou lanterns can sometimes be used on weapons, so I wondered if someone had left a mechanism inside, waiting for this girl to get it, and then she was killed. But this person's technique was so advanced that it was impossible to detect."
Yu Huatang was silent. "What Auntie said is possible. In my hometown, there was a murder case involving a lantern mechanism before. But I can't jump to conclusion whether Auntie's maid was framed."
Huang Mei said, "How can we find out who tampered with the mechanism?" She lowered her head as she spoke.
Yu Huatang didn't want to get involved in the inner-court disputes and simply said, "Generally, lantern mechanisms have fixed materials. Anyone who comes into contact with them, and touches vinegar, will have their hands turn black."
Huang Mei suddenly seemed to have thought of something, but hesitated to speak. She just shed tears silently without saying anything. Finally, she said, "So that's how it is... Thank you Miss Yu for clearing up my doubts."
After saying that, he took off a bracelet from his hand and handed it to Yu Huatang.
Yu Huatang shook her head and said, "Auntie, you are too polite. We were just chatting for a few minutes and I didn't say anything. If I can't help you in any way, please take it back."
"This..." She wiped her tears, and seeing that she was serious, she had to take the bracelet back, "...Then I will make some cakes for you tomorrow."
Yu Huatang refused, "Really, no need, Auntie."
She acted as if nothing had happened, so Huang Mei didn't want to bother her anymore. She stood up and said, "Thank you, Miss Yu."
Yu Huatang said, "Take care, Auntie."
After Huang Mei left, Qing Xing came over and said, "Master, why do I feel this concubine is so strange? Why would she ask anyone else but you, an outsider? Could it be that their second young master's wife, surnamed Xu, arranged this? So she can test Master's skills?"
The Second Young Master's wife seemed gentle and dignified, and she was good at her job and very polite to them, but Qingxing felt that this was just superficial. It was like when she and her father visited wealthy relatives, who were outwardly welcoming but secretly criticized them for being poor.
Yu Huatang said, "Perhaps someone died in vain here, and she just wanted to come and ask about it. After all, she was the girl she brought here, and as a concubine, she doesn't have much to rely on. But this is none of our business, so we don't need to ask."
Qingxing then remembered that her master had lived here before. This concubine had a family, but her master was all alone here. She didn't know how much injustice her master had suffered here in the past.
In such a situation between the principal wife and the concubine, it is better not to bring trouble upon oneself. After waiting for a while, Qing Xing said, "But from the reaction of Aunt Huang just now, I think she must have guessed who killed her maid. Could there really be murder here? Then we won't be surprised by what Master Shi said, that vinegar can be used to identify it, right?"
Yu Huatang said, "I just stated this situation. As for the true situation, it is up to the government to determine, and it is not something we can determine with just a few words."
Qingxing nodded, and finally understood why Master Gang didn't accept the things and just said that they were just chatting for a while, so as not to have anything to do with them.
Here, Mother He was relaying what she had just heard to Xu Yuanyi. After listening, Xu Yuanyi gave her some silver and let her leave.
Chu Rui, standing by, said with an unhappy look on her face, "What's wrong with Yu Huatang? Why did she tell Aunt Huang about this? Isn't this clearly embarrassing Madam?"
Xu Yuanyi remained silent. Chu Rui said, "Don't worry, Madam. That man is clean. Aunt Huang can't find out. We sent him away long ago. The maidservant is dead and there is no evidence against him."
Xu Yuanyi thought that the maid's death was actually accidental, so he didn't say anything more. At this time, Chu Rui pinched her shoulders and said, "How about we secretly have a few servants give Yu Huatang and the others a hard time? They will naturally understand. Even if we bring it up, Madam will just say she didn't know."
Xu Yuanyi scolded, “What do you know? My Third Uncle asked me to treat someone well. If someone is wronged, he will not show mercy.”
Xu Yuanyi was silent for a moment, "Let's leave it there for now, she won't stay here for long."
Chu Rui said, "The servants are all talking about it, saying that the Third Young Master is not getting married just because of Miss Yu, otherwise he wouldn't be so kind."
Xu Yuanyi chuckled as if hearing a joke, "That's impossible. He used to look down on her because she was from a small town and had no knowledge, and her mother never took her out. Now that she's a craftswoman and spends all day with men, how could Zhao Yan still be interested in her? He never even entered her room before. Besides, I don't think Yu Huatang has any such intentions."
"Madam's analysis is correct." Chu Rui said.
Xu Yuanyi ordered, "Let's pretend that nothing happened today. If Aunt Huang asks about the past maids, just tell them to shut up. If they say anything they shouldn't, send them away."
Chu Rui said, "I understand."
The next morning, Zhao Yan took her to the carriage and said, "Today I will go in and tell Eunuch Cao, you come with me."
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