Not long after Song became a wet nurse, her husband and second son died of illness. With their father gone, their mother spent a long time nursing the young master at the mansion. The eldest, fifteen-year-old son, He Qu, was left unsupervised, led into drinking, whoring, and gambling. When he ran out of money, he borrowed, borrowed more, and then went on whoring and gambling, only to lose money again. This cycle continued, compounding interest, until within six months he owed over five hundred taels of silver. The gambling den threatened to chop off his hands and feet, and he was so frightened that he turned to Song for help.
Just as Song and He Qu were at their wit's end, Chai Jun's concubine, Xiao Shen, approached Song and offered her eight hundred taels of silver if she obeyed. Hearing this plan, not only would they clear their gambling debts but they would also pocket nearly three hundred taels of silver. Crucially, they wouldn't appear to be at the scene of the child's accident, exonerating them from the situation. Song gritted her teeth and agreed.
When Song returned home on leave, someone from the old Shen clan quietly visited her again. They claimed that Old Madam Chai had already known about the evil plans of Little Shen and Song, and that if Song would keep Chai Zixiao for another six months, she would give her and her son two thousand taels of silver. She would also arrange for someone to register them as local landlords in the suburbs of Jingchang Prefecture, allowing them to live a luxurious life there under a different identity. If she didn't agree, Old Madam Chai would tell Princess Nanyang about her and Little Shen's plans...
The man threatened and promised huge profits, and He Tong was looking for even greater profits, so the Song family finally sided with the old Shen family. The mother and son successfully took Chai Zixiao away, but the child got lost at the Jingchang Wharf without their knowledge.
Unable to stay in Jingchang any longer, they fled to the mountains of Nanping County. Fearing recognition, He Qu scratched his face, while Song Shi blackened it and created a large mole. The mountain village was isolated from the outside world, and no one recognized them. They didn't buy property or land, living in a thatched hut near the village. Occasionally, He Qu would bring some mountain goods to sell in the small town, but he was discovered by Zhang Heizi, a former head of the police...
Qin gritted her teeth and cursed, "God has eyes, and evil will be punished. Those two's good days are coming to an end." Then she went to the window and said to the sky with tears in her eyes, "Mother, did you hear that? We've found the witness. The people who harmed us will be in trouble... That evil man is not worthy of being a human being, not worthy of being a father."
Zhao Wu sighed and continued, "The mother and son only confessed how Little Shen, Old Shen, and their servants instigated them, but they didn't mention Chai Zhengguan. Lord Min confirmed again and again that the mother and son were indeed unaware of Chai Zhengguan's involvement. If Old Shen had kept her mouth shut and refused to expose Chai Zhengguan, Chai Zhengguan would not have received the punishment he deserved based on this case alone."
Qin said angrily, "That man has always been like this. When I was in the Chai family, all the bad things seemed to be done by Shen, and he would even pretend to be a good person in front of me. It was only before I hanged myself that I realized that without his tacit approval and support, Shen would not have succeeded so easily."
Xu Lanyin snorted coldly, "The net of heaven is vast and wide, and nothing can escape it. If we can catch the cunning old Shen, we can also catch the even more cunning Chai Zhengguan."
Zhao Wu then explained that the He family mother and son had committed the crime in the capital and that they must be taken to the capital and handed over to the Jingzhao Prefecture for sentencing. The Fujian household assigned him two escorts and allowed him to rest for two days before departing.
Xu Lanyin thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the capital with you. After the case is tried, we'll see how the government, Princess Nanyang, and Prince Consort Chai deal with Old Shen. If possible, I'll tell them about my mother's situation and ask for their help. How to tell them, whether to tell them or not, I'll decide based on the circumstances. My uncle doesn't have time, so I'll ask my cousin to go with us to the capital."
Even without mentioning that Qin was still alive, Qin Che and Qin Ru could still question Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen's greed for money and murder, killing Qin's biological mother, Qin Huiniang. Qin Huiniang was a noble concubine, not a lowly concubine to be sold at the will of her master. She also wanted to claim the dowry sent by the Qin family; it couldn't just keep benefiting the couple or their descendants.
Zhao Wu also wanted Xu Lanyin to go with him. Seeing that she took the initiative to propose, he nodded repeatedly.
With Zhao Wu on the road and Xu Qingyan in the capital, Qin no longer worried about Xu Lanyin's safety. Furthermore, she was eager to avenge her aunt and severely punish Old Shen. She readily released the person and instructed, "Yin'er, please don't act rashly. Even if you expose that villain and Old Shen, don't reveal your identity..."
Qin's biggest fears were Princess Beiyang and Wang Yi. As long as Wang Yi refused to relent, even if all the evil deeds of Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen were exposed, she would still be Wang Yi's woman under the law. If Wang Yi was disgusting, she could just hang herself, but her children's status would be in jeopardy. And then there was Xu Qingyan, who had narrowly escaped death to become a legitimate military officer. No matter how angry and resentful she was about him, she didn't want him to suffer...
Xu Lanyin said, "Don't worry, mother. I won't act rashly."
At this time, Zhao Wu frowned and took a breath, and Xu Lanyin realized that he seemed to have been hunching his back.
She hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"
Zhao Wu smiled and said, "Nothing. I'm just not familiar with the mountain road, and it was night time, so I fell while chasing He Qu and got hit by a rock."
Xu Lanyin said anxiously, "What do you mean 'nothing'? How dare you take a bath when you're injured?" He called Ding Gu again and asked him to go to the clinic and ask a doctor who was good at surgery to see the patient.
Seeing her face flushed with anxiety and looking at him distressedly, Zhao Wule grinned widely. He consoled her, "Sister, it's really nothing. I applied hemostatic herbs when we were in the mountains..."
Xu Lanyin became even more anxious, sweat breaking out on the tip of her nose, and said, "They even used hemostatic grass, which shows that they bled a lot."
If Qin hadn't been here, Xu Lanyin would have already lifted up Zhao Wu's clothes.
Qin was also anxious and said, "Look at you, child. Why don't you go to the clinic first if you are injured?"
When the doctor arrived, Qin took Xu Lanyin to the side room.
It took more than half a minute for the doctor to treat the wound before Xu Lanyin and Qin went to the living room.
The doctor said that the wound was not serious and had been applied with medicine. Just don't let it come into contact with water until the scar forms.
Xu Lanyin felt relieved only after hearing that Zhao Wu was really fine.
Zhao Wu had already invited the Fujian people to have dinner here in the evening, and Qin asked Ding Gu to invite Qin Che's family to come in the afternoon to discuss the punishment of Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen.
After lunch, Zhao Wu and Li Luo went home.
Xu Lanyin was still worried about Zhao Wu's injury, so she quietly went out to Zhao's house.
Zhao Wu was waiting for her at home. He was sure that Xu Lanyin would come to see him.
Xu Lanyin said, "Let me take a look at the wound. If it's serious, use some Ruyu Regenerating Cream." Ruyu Regenerating Cream is not only for beautification, but also helps the skin heal quickly.
Zhao Wudao, "No need. Using that kind of medicine god is like overkill." He grabbed his collar with his hand, not wanting Xu Lanyin to see.
Xu Lanyin still stubbornly pulled open his collar and untied the bandage. She saw that the wound was covered with black medicine paste, about an inch long and not very deep.
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