Xu Lanyin had no idea that her act of kindness would lead to another windfall. Most importantly, with the help of Princess Nanyang, who was behind Chai Jun, Qin Shi became Chai Qingyan again, and her dream of living an upright life became easier to achieve. She could also deal with those two evil people, Chai Zhengguan and Shen Shi...
She put the brocade box into the secret compartment and hid it. Among the money, there was also half of Zhao Wu's.
Lying on the bed, next to me is the soft and delicate Min Jia.
Xu Lanyin had noticed that Chai Jun was somewhat displeased with Zhao Xingchen's clothes. Actually, Zhao Xingchen and Xu Lanting both had two nice sets of clothes, but they weren't usually given them to wear. Min Jia, too, dressed more casually when she wasn't back at the Min Mansion. This made it easier to play with the neighborhood kids and avoid attracting attention.
Thinking about how much money Chai Jun gave her, she might as well make Zhao Xingchen a few more sets of clothes made of good materials, even if he doesn't wear them...
On March 19th, the affairs at the yamen came to a close, and after leaving the yamen, Min Hu went to the Xu family. He missed his daughter, and he missed Xu Lanyin too. He had already thought of an excuse to go: to take his daughter home to live. Tomorrow, he would send his daughter to the Xu family again, so he could visit her when he missed her... Leaving his daughter at the Xu family would not only benefit her, but also allow him to see Miss Xu often.
When we arrived at Xu's house, the lights were already on. Xu Lanyin and a few children were chatting and laughing in the yard after just finishing their meal.
Before the Fujian residents even entered the hanging flower gate, they could hear laughter coming from the inner courtyard, including that of the girls.
Seeing his daughter's agile and cheerful figure, as well as that graceful posture, Minhu's heart was filled with sweetness again.
Xu Lanyin had to personally lead the servants to cook for him and several followers.
Minhu smiled and said, "Let the servant do it. I have something to say to Miss Xu."
Xu Lanyin thought that since there was no meat at home and it would be awkward to feed them leftovers, she asked Aunt Yang to kill a rooster and make a mushroom-roasted chicken, stir-fried leeks and eggs, garlic sprouts and dried tofu, and a pickled radish, chicken blood, and vermicelli soup. The garlic sprouts and leeks were planted in two rows against the backyard wall. It was a lean time, and without greenhouses, seasonal vegetables were scarce.
It was already night, and it was not appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone in the house. The children were playing in the east wing corridor, so the two of them sat in the west wing corridor and talked in low voices.
Min Hu said, "This time when I returned to the capital, I not only handled official business, but also some personal matters."
Xu Lanyin knew that the private matter he was referring to was probably related to An's death, so she looked at him.
Sadness welled up in Minhu's eyes as he spoke, "My people found Chunzhi and secretly brought her back to the capital and locked her up in one of my villas. Chunzhi has confessed that it was Mrs. Tan, Xiaowen's confidant, who told her to do this and promised to give her a hundred taels of silver afterwards. Chunzhi didn't do this just for the money, but because she dared not not do it. The reason she was the only one who escaped death among the several people involved was because one of her sisters-in-law, also a confidant of Xiaowen, pleaded for her. But her sister-in-law was still afraid that Xiaowen would worry about her, so she married her off thousands of miles away. She would neither be an eyesore to Xiaowen nor harm her business..."
Xu Lanyin asked, "Why would Xiao Wen do that?"
Minhu sighed deeply and said, "Your analysis was correct. Xiao Wen forced Shishi to death to avenge me. She wanted to make me suffer for the rest of my life. More precisely, she was seeking revenge against my grandmother. It was me who implicated Shishi, and I feel so sorry for her."
Xu Lanyin looked at him in surprise.
Min Hu was a little embarrassed to speak, and after pressing his brow, he said, "I received a letter from my eldest uncle, telling me an old story. When my mother passed away, my mother had two half-sisters who were old enough to marry my father as second wives..."
To protect her grandson's interests, Old Lady Wen imposed a harsh condition: whoever married into the Min family had to give birth to a child after reaching the age of ten. At the time, Old Lady Wen preferred another concubine, whom she considered gentle and less attractive than Little Wen. Little Wen volunteered, offering to marry into the Min family for ten years, wait until she reached the age of ten, and then give birth to her own child.
Xiao Wen's conditions impressed Old Lady Wen, and she eventually married into the Min family.
In the months leading up to Xiao Wen's wedding, Madam Wen had her prescribed a drug. This drug would cause a cold uterus, but it wouldn't cause complete infertility. Doctors couldn't find any evidence of her taking any strong or inappropriate drugs. However, if she continued to drink the contraceptive decoction for years, combined with the drug, it would lead to true infertility, something even a miracle doctor couldn't cure.
For the benefit of her grandson, Old Lady Wen had no intention of letting her concubine's daughter give birth to her own child.
Xiao Wenshi was clever, and she had a trick up her sleeve. During those ten years, even though she had kept her promise not to have children, she frequently asked the imperial physician to diagnose her pulse and administer remedies, hoping to become pregnant as soon as the agreed time came.
"After the ten-year period was up, she still hadn't conceived. Perhaps she became suspicious and investigated the elders of the Wen family. After all, my grandmother and grandfather had passed away long ago, and the Wen family was far less powerful than the Min family. As the head of the Min family, with some of my father's men, she had the connections and money to dig up some old stories... Alas, my grandmother was so protective of me, and that incident was indeed unfair to little Wen. However, little Wen shouldn't have taken her anger out on the innocent Shishi, forcing her to death. She's driven mad by revenge. She didn't hesitate to turn against me, but to find a way to marry her nieces and nephews to me. She must be trying to control those people. She not only wants me to be childless, but also to make me unhappy for the rest of my life..."
Minhu clenched his fists and hit his thighs twice.
So that's how it is. So, Xiao Wenshi was also a victim. Perhaps she was genuinely in love with her brother-in-law, Minister Min, or perhaps she was drawn to the Min family's immense wealth, so she married into the family regardless of the consequences. She treated Xiao Minhu well as promised, and she also kept her promise to avoid having her own child, constantly drinking contraceptive soup. However, when she learned what Old Madam Wen had done to her, her mindset changed, and she launched a frenzied revenge.
However, as Minhu said, her hatred shouldn't be directed at An, and she was so cruel to force An to death... Of course, if An didn't die, she would definitely not listen to Xiao Wen's manipulation and cause trouble with Minhu...
Xu Lanyin asked, "Has the matter been verified? Have you dealt with Xiao Wen?"
Minhu shook his head and said, "My father must personally handle the matter of Xiao Wenshi. He's currently busy with that major case and often doesn't even come home. This matter has been suppressed. Once my father is done with his work, I will expose Xiao Wenshi's true face and let my father and grandmother punish her."
Xu Lanyin consoled her, "If Xiao Wen is punished, Sister An's spirit will rest in peace."
Minhu nodded and said, "Thank you. Without you, Shishi would have been wronged for the rest of her life, and Xiaowen would have continued to harm me." He looked up at the giggling Minjia and added, "Jiaer wouldn't be so happy."
He looked at Xu Lanyin, his eyes full of tenderness. He said softly, "Miss Xu, I..."
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