Xu Lanyin understood and said, "Yes, concubines, murder, robbery, scheming encounters between men and women, as well as greed and complete lack of conscience, these are exactly what Chai Zhengguan and Old Lady Shen are best at. But the wife used to abuse the concubine and her children, and it was their wealth that they were robbing, but the concubine abused the wife's children, and it was their status that they were robbing. Moreover, they are related to Chai Jun, and it is very likely that they knew about Grandma Chai's infertility and passed it on to Old Lady Shen's family, the Shen family."
Zhao Wu nodded, then said regretfully, "While in the capital, I was busy with my eldest brother's affairs. I only visited Chai Zhengguan's mansion at night and didn't have time to investigate other matters. Let Uncle Xu handle this matter after returning to the capital. If that little Shen is really related to the old Shen, our suspicions will be almost certain."
Xu Lanyin continued, "Chai Jun's father is the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. He protects the palace. Could they have only investigated the surface?"
Zhao Wudao, "We've uncovered quite a bit. Little Shen's wet nurse, biological mother, and one of her brothers were all involved, and more than a dozen servants were implicated. Little Shen lost her unborn child, her biological mother committed suicide, her brother was crippled and exiled to the north, the head of the Shen family was demoted two ranks, and all the other servants were beaten to death. The Chai family didn't know how wicked Chai Zhengguan and his wife were, so they didn't blame them for many things..."
The only two servants who hadn't been apprehended were Chai Zixiao's wet nurse, He Dajia, and her son. He Dajia was a young widow, and her son was heavily indebted to gambling debts. The reason they were able to abduct Chai Zixiao so easily was because He Dajia was in a carriage not far away, and the carriage left the city immediately.
Xiao Shen had already agreed with them that the He family mother and son would throw the child into the river and drown him, and that would be the end of the matter. Perhaps the He family mother and son wanted more money, so instead of drowning the child outright, they kidnapped him and hid him in Jingchang Mansion. However, the child escaped at the Jingchang dock, and the mother and son disappeared without a trace.
If Little Shen was truly related to Old Shen, then Old Shen must have reported the incident and orchestrated it behind the scenes, but she kept it a secret, avoiding any incrimination. Perhaps the mother and son from the He family were related to her as well...
Xu Lanyin's face turned cold, and she said, "I'll tell my dad when I get home. Humph, those who do evil will eventually perish. Those two evil people are so evil."
Zhao Wudao said, "Uncle Xu told me that he would come to my house later. If I tell him about this, he might not blame me for being so reckless at night." He then said dejectedly, "Your father is at home, I don't dare to look for you in the middle of the night."
Xu Lanyin laughed and said, "You shouldn't go to a girl's house in the middle of the night, even if it's your sister. It's not right."
Looking at Xu Lanyi's serious expression at the moment, and thinking of her extreme excitement when she went up to the roof, Zhao Wu shook his head helplessly.
It was already completely dark, and the servants lit lanterns in the corridor. Zhao Wu and Xu Lan couldn't stay in the house any longer, so they went to the corridor to watch the children playing.
At the beginning of the Xu hour, Xu Lanyin took the children home. As soon as she left Zhao's house, she saw Xu Qingyan leaving Xu's house and coming back to Zhao's house.
Xu Lanyin pulled his sleeve and whispered, "Dad, don't tell Zhao Wu about that."
Xu Qingyan said, "I only talked about him jumping over the wall."
Xu Qingyan returned home at the beginning of the 11th hour. Xu Lanyin hadn't rested yet, drawing a comic strip in the living room. It was a gift for Chai Zixiao, featuring a few inspirational stories from the dynasty, with accompanying text that incorporated her own interpretations of the stories.
When she heard Xu Qingyan coming back, she went out and they went to the west room of the upper house for a private conversation. Qin had already gone to bed, and the room was quiet.
Xu Qingyan whispered, "I heard Zhao Wu talk about the Chai family incident, and I suspect it's related to Old Shen. The Shen family's ancestors rose to prominence through military merit and were granted the title of marquis, but the title wasn't hereditary. The current head of the Shen family has been demoted to a brave general of the third rank. The Shen family is extravagant, and most of their children are untalented and bold. Old Shen murdered your mother and even schemed against the Beiyang Princess's residence. Of course, she also had the audacity to murder the Nanyang Princess's great-grandson, and perhaps even Grandma Chai in the future. It seems that Old Shen has spies in the Nanyang Princess's residence, and I suspect the Shen family also has spies in the Beiyang Princess's residence. You must not go to his house with Chai Jun and his son, and find an excuse to avoid it. I'll investigate further after I go to the capital. If Little Shen is really related to Old Shen, I'll try to hint it to Deputy Commander Chai. He's a smart man, and he'll naturally know what to do."
Xu Lanyin nodded. The two discussed for a while before going to rest.
Zhao Wu, from the Zhao family, was so excited that he couldn't sleep. This was the third time he had suffered from insomnia in his life. The first time was the night his mother died when he was three, and the second time was the night his father died when he was seven. At other times, no matter how great the blow, it never affected his sleep.
He kept thinking about his conversation with Xu Qingyan.
Uncle Xu said that if he knew that he dared to take his daughter to climb the wall in the middle of the night again, he would never be able to become his son-in-law.
Zhao Wu was overjoyed and asked hurriedly, "Uncle Xu, do you mean to agree to my sister and I being together?"
Xu Qingyan denied it again, "I didn't say that. Yin'er is very opinionated. No matter who your aunt and I like, if she doesn't agree, we can't do anything." He then said earnestly, "A man should be able to stand up for himself and support his family. Only then will girls feel safe."
Zhao Wu knew that both Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu considered him a good candidate for son-in-law, but his sister always treated him like a younger brother, fearing he wouldn't be able to support the family. He knew he had to behave well in front of his sister and be a man of integrity. He thought of the rooster crowing in the backyard before he drifted off to sleep.
In the morning, Zhao Wutui and Li Luo went to Xu's house for breakfast.
Although Zhao Wu was very excited inside, he appeared very calm in order to show his composure. Even Xu Lanyin didn't notice anything different about him.
On the morning of the fourth day of June, Xu Qingyan took Xu Lanzhou, two personal soldiers and a long-time attendant to the capital.
Qin was filled with reluctance and cried sadly while holding Xu Lanzhou's hand.
Qin was not only reluctant to let go of Xu Lanzhou, but also fearful and worried about the future. Her son was old enough to pursue his career in the capital, but if her identity was exposed, it would be a devastating blow to his future and even implicate Xu Qingyan, which would mean the end of the family.
Xu Lanyue couldn't bear to leave her father, so she hugged his waist and cried for a long time.
Xu Qingyan coaxed Xu Lanyue for a few words, then looked at Qin, his heart aching. Every time he was about to leave home, his wife would hold him and cry, giving him earnest instructions, but now...
He said to Qin, "Don't be sad, Sister Yan. I will take good care of Lan Zhou. I will also work more shifts and save up more vacation time. Maybe I can come back to see you in a few months."
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