Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Truth Behind Mu Mu's Death in Her Previous Life
Zhao Yu returned to the Duke's mansion.
Three days after returning to the capital, this was the first time he had stepped into the mansion.
The maidservant in the Zhang family's courtyard waited at the door for three days. Finally, she saw him and stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Young Master, Madam is looking for you."
Zhao Yu strode directly to the Zhang family's courtyard.
The courtyard was deserted, with no maids or servants in sight.
Zhao Yu went inside.
Three days later, Zhao Yu saw his mother again. Madam Zhang sat in the hall with her eyes downcast, and the books on the bookshelf were scattered on the ground.
Upon hearing the sound, Madam Zhang raised her head, her eyes filled with the twilight.
"It's He'an."
Zhao Yu frowned slightly and poured a cup of tea for Madam Zhang.
"He'an, where are the Xu sisters now?"
Zhao Yu remained calm: "Why did Mother suddenly ask about this?"
A mocking expression appeared on Zhang's face, and she threw the cup full of water to the ground.
Zhao Yu pursed his lips, "What did Mother hear the people from the Marquis of Nan'an's residence say?"
Zhang smiled bitterly, her eyes red.
How could she possibly say that?
That old woman was capable of such a thing; she was too ashamed to tell her son!
Zhao Yu's jaw tightened. "If Mother doesn't explain clearly, how am I supposed to find the Xu sisters?"
Madam Zhang sneered: "Isn't that girl suffering from a terrible illness? There's a skilled physician in the manor who can cure her. No wonder she's been sick since childhood because of the sins you've committed, sir."
Zhao Yu frowned. "Mother, be careful what you say."
Tears streamed down Zhang's face as she pointed at Zhao Yu, "You...you're still siding with those two sisters! Do you even know who that brat is?"
Zhao Yu stared intently at Zhang Shi.
Madam Zhang closed her eyes briefly: "Enough, no need to mention it again. In short, bring those sisters in as soon as possible, so they don't embarrass themselves in public."
Zhao Yu asked in a deep voice, "What is Mother suspecting?"
Zhang gritted her teeth and refused to say anything.
If word gets out, she, He'an, and the Duke's Mansion will become a laughing stock in the capital!
Zhao Yu let out a deep breath: "The Prince of Cheng is backed by the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion. Mother needs to consider the words of the Marquis of Nan'an's wife."
Madam Zhang frowned: "We already have the evidence, what's there to deliberate about?"
Zhao Yu pressed further, "If Mother suspects that girl's background, wait for Father to return and decide."
Zhang's face was contorted in a ferocious expression.
"Don't mention your father to me. He has the nerve to do something like that. I don't want to deal with his mess!"
As soon as she said it, Madam Zhang realized she had misspoke. She frowned and said with disgust, "In short, find the Xu sisters for me as soon as possible."
After getting a few words from Zhang, Zhao Yu came to a conclusion.
He frowned, his eyes strange, and pursed his lips as he said, "Father and Second Uncle have always doted on Aunt, and Grandmother is no exception. The little girl's face was poisoned."
Zhang sneered.
"Poisoning? He'an, don't lie to me."
Zhao Yu: "I don't know what the Lady of Nan'an said, but it's definitely not what my mother thought."
Madam Zhang stared at her son, her expression shifting repeatedly. "You guessed it?"
Zhao Yu pinched the bridge of his nose, a mocking look in his eyes. This was the 'secret' his mother had refused to reveal until her death.
Zhao Yu let out a heavy sigh. "What does Mother intend to do with that child?"
Madam Zhang was surprised that Zhao Yu had made the connection so quickly. She lowered her voice and said, "Find a manor to keep him, and never let anyone find out."
Zhao Yu lowered his eyelids slightly and said in a calm voice, "I thought Mother was planning to take direct action."
Zhang asked incredulously, "He'an, what did you say?"
Zhao Yu raised his eyes and pursed his lips.
Zhang stepped forward and kept patting Zhao Yu's shoulders and arms.
"You naughty child, you've wasted all your education! You're unworthy of being the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Do you really think your mother is such a heartless person?"
“It’s not her fault that the child comes from a bad family, but it must never be exposed to the public, otherwise your father, your mother, and the entire Zhao family will lose all face!”
Zhao Yu let out a low chuckle, which made people feel inexplicably sour.
Seeing Zhao Yu like this for the first time, Madam Zhang couldn't help but ask, "He'an, what happened?"
Something seemed to surge within Zhao Yu's heart. He clenched his fists, wanting to ask a question, but what did his mother in this life know?
After Mu Mu died in her previous life, her mother kept silent about the truth, but she often shed tears and even talked about the sins in her dreams. Later, she moved away from the Duke's mansion and lived alone far outside the city without any complaints. At that time, Zhao Yu thought that his mother regretted it and regretted hurting Mu Mu.
What my mother says now is very different from what she did a few years later.
It's a change in mindset.
Or were there still doubts about the temple's destruction at that time?
Zhao Yu preferred the latter. In his previous life, his father died early and his mother disliked Mu Mu. Mu Mu was well-behaved and low-key in the mansion and posed no threat. Even if his mother really wanted to do something to Mu Mu, she didn't have to do it on the way to the temple with her.
After the incident, the mother refused to say much. She was deeply entangled in the mystery of the 'incestuous' relationship between Duke Zhao and Zhao Ying. Because of this scandal, even though she was considered the murderer, she did not reveal a single word of the truth.
Zhao Yu tapped the table, his face grim.
"He'an?"
Zhao Yu stood up and said in a deep voice, "That child has a complicated background and has nothing to do with his father."
Madam Zhang frowned, about to speak, but seeing the seriousness in Zhao Yu's expression, she swallowed her words. She gripped her son's arm tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline, "He'an, Mother..."
“Mother, everyone knows that Prince Cheng has returned to the capital and harbors wolfish ambitions. The words of the Marquis of Nan’an cannot be trusted.”
Madam Zhang laughed and cried at the same time, "That's good, that's good... He'an, your mother really thought..."
"My mother met my aunt and knew she wasn't that kind of person."
Zhang knew this.
However, the people from the Nan'an Marquis's Mansion produced letters between Zhao Ying and Consort Ning before Zhao Ying's marriage. At that time, the two were still close friends. The letters were full of longing for that old man. Zhao Ying's love for Prince Ding was just a pretense.
With those things laid out before her, Zhang's mind went blank. She trusted the old man's character, yet she was also troubled by those letters.
As he left the Zhang family courtyard, darkness fell outside, and Zhao Yu's expression was sharp and cold.
Before leaving the mansion, Zhao Yu went to Old Madam Zhao's courtyard again.
Upon seeing her grandson, the old lady felt sorry for him and said that he had lost a lot of weight. She immediately asked the kitchen to add more dishes. Zhao Yu was still thinking about Mu Mu, but he hadn't seen the old lady for many days and couldn't refuse.
"You've already returned to Beijing, why are you still so busy?"
"How did Butler Chen do his job? He's lost so much weight."
"If that doesn't work, you can go back to the manor tonight."
Steward Chen used to be the manager of the old lady's shop outside, and was later sent to Wenju.
Zhao Yu said helplessly, "Grandmother, it's just a matter of a few days. It'll be fine once we get through this."
Not content with that, Madam Zhao then brought up the topic of settling down and starting a family.
"Let's not talk about the Shen family's daughter. You've now passed the age of twenty, and it's time for you to get married."
"Now that you're married, your second son and your daughter will be here soon too."
"You are the eldest brother, you should set an example."
Zhao Yu, however, said there was no rush, which angered the old lady so much that she slapped him on the shoulder.
Zhao Yu's brow twitched slightly, but he quickly regained his expression.
After leaving the old lady's courtyard, Zhao Yu did not return to Songchi Courtyard, but instead rode back to Wenju.
Despite the wind and snow, upon arriving at the mansion's gate, he immediately dismounted and strode inside.
But when he arrived outside Xu Chumian's bedroom, he stopped in his tracks, as if he were feeling a sense of trepidation as he approached home.
Zhao Yu's phoenix eyes were dark and unfathomable as he stared at the door in front of him, his lips gradually tightening.
The lights were still on inside.
A slender figure could be vaguely seen inside.
Xiao Tao opened the door, and a cold wind blew in through the cracks.
Xu Chumian stood in the room, wrapped in a wide robe, holding a hand warmer in her hand. The sickly look in her eyes had not yet completely dissipated.
His clear black and white eyes met Zhao Yu's gaze.
Xu Chumian asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
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