Seeking Letter
Ever since Jiang Feiche warned her, Li Wan felt that the boy was too scheming, but now she couldn't just not talk to him.
"Is your studies tiring, little brother? When you are in the palace, you must be careful in everything you do."
"Thank you for your concern, sister. I understand."
The two exchanged questions and answers, and the matter was thus resolved on the surface.
"Ahem." Jiangnan Yuezhong coughed and said, "Now that you have married into the Marquis's mansion, you must put your husband and the Marquis's mansion first in everything. You can no longer be as willful as you were when you were a young lady."
"Yes." Li Wan nodded.
Seeing that his daughter was healthy, obedient and sensible, Jiang Nanyue felt much of his anger subside. However, thinking about the current situation in the court, he couldn't help but worry for his daughter and husband.
"His Majesty is seriously ill, the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, and your husband is assisting the state. Although he has unlimited power, there are countless eyes watching and countless schemes waiting behind him, which cannot be avoided. Although I am still the Minister of Revenue, the power in the court is divided, and my real power is not as great as before. Although you are in the inner palace, you must know about these dangers and risks."
Jiangnan Yue spoke with deep meaning, saying that Xie Qi was an extremely powerful figure, and if his daughter was too naive and knew nothing about the court, she might incur Xie Qi's displeasure and have a difficult life.
Li Wan understood Jiang Nanyue's good intentions and solemnly said, "Daughter understands."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zou couldn't help but speak up, "There's one more thing."
"The other day I was playing mahjong with the other ladies when I heard that the only son of the Chief Minister Chen was forced to drink more than a dozen jars of strong liquor at a restaurant. Although he did not die, the doctor said that the alcohol had damaged his heart and brain and that he would be bedridden from now on."
Madam Zou glanced at Li Wan and lowered her voice, "It is said that the perpetrator was the son-in-law. Are you aware of this, Wan'er?"
Li Wan paused, not expecting the matter to have spread so far. She dared not say that the matter was caused by her, and only asked Jiang Nanyue, "Father, did Chief Minister Chen make trouble for my husband in court?"
Jiangnan Yue pointed to Li Wan, his voice tinged with helplessness, "It seems you still don't quite understand your husband. He's a master strategist, incredibly intelligent, and would never be attacked by others."
Madam Zou looked surprised. "But they lost their only son, how could they let it go so easily?"
Jiangnan Yue sighed, "Chairman Chen was naturally filled with resentment. On the day the eldest son of Chen was brought back, he submitted a memorial to the Emperor impeaching Xie Qi. Unexpectedly, at the morning court the next day, before the Crown Prince could even bring up the matter, the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review jointly submitted a memorial accusing the eldest son of Chen of oppressing the people and abusing weak women for many years, taking countless lives, and committing numerous evils. The evidence was conclusive."
"And then?" Li Wan asked.
"After that, of course, all the officials petitioned to thank the Minister for eliminating the scourge for the people, praising his integrity and virtue. The Crown Prince reprimanded the Chief Minister Chen for failing to properly educate his son and ordered the Ministry of Justice to imprison the eldest son of the Minister Chen. The Chief Minister Chen was so angry that he collapsed in court."
"In other words, Young Master Chen is not paralyzed on his bed, but paralyzed in prison," Madam Zou murmured, feeling a chill run down her spine after hearing about the methods used by Wan'er's son-in-law.
Li Wan felt relieved; keeping a dissolute playboy like Young Master Chen around would only cause endless harm.
"elder sister."
Jiang Feiche, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, and Li Wan instinctively looked at him.
On the young man's handsome face, his phoenix eyes were particularly bright, and his dark pupils seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. "Sister, what brings you back to the manor today?"
Li Wan's eyelashes fluttered, then she smiled and said, "Of course I missed my father and mother and came back to visit them."
"Oh?" Jiang Feiche stared at her intently, a faint smile on his lips. "Your younger brother thought that you had been wronged at the Marquis's residence and had come back to your parents' home to cry."
Li Wanxin breathed a sigh of relief. "How could that be? I just said that everything is fine for my elder sister at the Marquis's residence."
"Is that so? But I heard that you and your husband still live in separate courtyards, and that the concubine in the Xie family has arranged for a maid to serve in your room."
"What!"
Before Li Wan could speak, Madam Zou slammed her teacup down. "Auntie? Is it because after Madam Lin's death, Lord Xie was worried that the Marquis's mansion would be without anyone to manage the household affairs, so he promoted that concubine surnamed Lin? Ha, she's just the daughter of a lowly fifth-rank official, yet she dares to reach into Wan'er's room."
"Wan-jie, have you dealt with that girl?"
Li Wan was surprised that Jiang Feiche knew so much about her backyard affairs. When she heard Zou Shi's indignant question, she could only lower her eyes and say, "Jixiang is a good person, and my daughter gets along well with her."
Madam Zou was exasperated. "You've only just entered the manor and you've already had your husband taken away. How will you ever establish yourself in the Marquis's household again?"
"My daughter just wants to live a peaceful life." Li Wan said helplessly; she couldn't be bothered with the infighting and power struggles within the wealthy and powerful families.
"Does my sister really just want to live a peaceful life, or does she simply not care whether Lord Xie will be taken away by someone else?"
Jiang Feiche took a sip of tea and said in a low voice, "Or rather, my sister's heart is not with Xie Qi at all."
Upon hearing this, Li Wan's heart sank. She sensed that the boy's words contained a hidden meaning, and that he seemed to know quite a lot.
Just as she was pondering how to answer him, Madam Zou glared at Jiang Feiche and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Since your sister is married to Lord Xie, whose heart is she if not him?"
Jiang Feiche chuckled lightly, "That's a question for you, elder sister."
"Alright," Jiang Nanyue interrupted the three of them, displeased. "It's rare for Wan'er to come back, so don't say anything that will upset her."
After saying that, he paused and said to Madam Zou, "You can teach her about matters of the inner quarters in private."
Madam Zou replied "yes," secretly thinking that although her husband didn't say it, he was actually worried that his precious daughter would suffer in the inner quarters of the Marquis's mansion.
After exchanging a few more words, Jiang Nanyue left to attend to official business.
Li Wan avoided Jiang Feiche and told Zou Shi that she needed to retrieve some old things from her former boudoir, thus returning to Changfu Garden, where she lived before her marriage.
Perhaps Jiangnan Yue had specifically instructed that everything in Changfu Garden be exactly the same as before her marriage, even the cleaning maids hadn't left.
Li Wan entered the main bedroom and her gaze fell on the carved black lacquer and gold-painted canopy bed. She immediately noticed the blue and white porcelain vase on the narrow edge of the inner side of the bed.
Yes, she returned to the mansion today specifically for this blue and white porcelain vase.
Since Xie Qi explained to her that Jiang Feiwan's poem said there was a letter hidden in jade and porcelain, she has been thinking day and night about where this 'jade and porcelain' is.
Since it was something to be hidden, it must be in a place she was most familiar with and could keep an eye on at any time, so she guessed it must be in the Jiang residence.
And when you think of 'jade', the only piece of jade with the character '言' (speech) that Jiang Feiwan kept was actually in 'porcelain'.
Therefore, Li Wan was certain that Jiang Feiwan's letter was hidden in a blue and white porcelain vase.
"Madam, what old things are we here to retrieve?" Xiuhe, who had returned with her, asked, puzzled, when she saw Li Wan staring intently at the canopy bed.
Li Wan grabbed Xiuhe's hand. "Okay, Xiuhe, you go and stand guard at the door for me. No matter what you hear or how long it takes, don't let anyone in."
Xiuhe had never seen the young lady speak so seriously before, so she nodded emphatically, "Don't worry, I will not let anyone disturb you."
A moment later, Xiuhe closed the door tightly as she left.
Li Wan carried out a blue and white porcelain vase from the inside of the couch.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the porcelain bottle shattered on the blue slab floor.
A corner of a foreign object was clearly visible through the gap at the bottom of the porcelain bottle.
Li Wan pulled out the foreign object, peeled off the outer layer of heat-resistant gold paper, and found a long letter inside.
Just as Li Wan's fingertips touched the yellowed letter, the sound of raindrops tapping on the eaves of the house could be heard outside the window.
"despair."
The sound was extremely crisp, like a jade bead shattering on a bluestone slab.
She slowly unfolded the letter, the subtle rustling sound clearly audible in the quiet room.
The sound of rain gradually became denser, from sparse to dense, from light to heavy, and it pattered down, enveloping the world.
Li Wan remained motionless for a long time, the letter still unfolded. Her back was ramrod straight, but her shoulders were slightly slumped. Her gaze lingered on the words, moving slowly, word by word.
I don't know how much time passed, but the rain outside the window continued to fall, and the sky grew darker and darker.
Li Wan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a tear rolled down unexpectedly, landing with a "plop" on the signature of the letter, blurring the ink into a small, dark blot.
Startled by the tear, she blinked, and more tears silently welled up.
She didn't make a sound of sobbing; tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
finally.
She wiped away her tears with her wide sleeves, folded the paper neatly, and put it into her bosom.
The door was suddenly pulled open.
Xiuhe, who was standing guard outside the door, was so startled that she stood up: "Madam..."
Li Wan seemed not to hear, and walked straight into the corridor. Fine rain was blown in by the wind, instantly wetting her temples and shoulders.
Without pausing, she walked step by step into the rain.
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