Chapter 40 Crossword (Part 2)

Amber was stunned: "I don't know!"

She had never thought about it.

Eleventh Lady’s eyes lit up.

Finally, there is a glimmer of hope!

"The people in the house can be brought from Yuhang, but the driver must not be brought from his hometown." She said to Amber with a smile, "Tomorrow you can take two taels of silver and ask the driver to buy some famous food from Yanjing. Take this opportunity to ask him if he knows the Jiang family in Leping?"

Amber hesitated and asked, "How can a person who is just trying to catch a car know about the Jiang family in Leping?"

"You grew up in the inner courtyard, so there are some things you don't know." Eleventh Lady smiled, "When it comes to being well-informed, no one can compare to the porters and sedan chair drivers. They travel from village to village, know many people, and have seen many things. Any movement in Beijing will not escape their eyes and ears. Just go and ask. You can even ask about the incident in which Young Master Wang beat someone to death." At this point, she frowned slightly, "Since the Xu family's maids know about it, these people can't be unaware of it." Her voice gradually lowered, "If we are lucky, maybe there will be some rumors about why Young Master Wang has never married!"

Amber nodded and left.

Dong Qing was very depressed: "Miss, that Prince Wang... no matter why, he killed someone, he is not a good person. You'd better think of sending a message!"

"I know." Eleventh Lady smiled bitterly, "People always have a sense of luck. They think there is still a future, and they will meet someone better, so they hesitate, wander, and hesitate... But when there is no future, all they can do is focus on the present!"

Dong Qing was very puzzled: "Miss, what are you doing..."

"It's okay, it's okay." Eleventh Lady waved her hands, "Let's go to bed early. We've been shopping all day and we're really tired!"

At the beginning of the second day, Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang went to pay their respects to the first wife. The first wife had already gotten up. The room was filled with boxes and crates. The first wife sat on the bed, listening to the eldest wife and mother Xu holding account books and looking at the things in the boxes and crates. The sixth concubine served by the side with her head lowered and her eyes obedient.

Seeing them coming in, the eldest wife just raised her eyelids and said, "Here they come!"

Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang hurried forward to greet the first wife and the eldest grandmother.

"I'm busy here, you guys can go down and have a rest!" The eldest wife said in a light tone.

Everyone knows that Master Liuge has retired now, and the three elders of the Luo family are all free at home... They all live with tension in their hearts. Who dares to ask more questions or say more in front of the first wife?

The two of them bowed and retreated.

Wu Niang asked Du Ya who had escorted them out, "What are you doing?"

Du Ya whispered, "Gift!"

Wu Niang's eyes were bright: "Where should I give it to the Marquis?"

Du Ya shook his head: "I don't know!"

Wu Niang's eyes darkened, and she was quite disappointed. She sent Ziwei to approach Luo Xuan, but Luo Xuan was very tight-lipped because of Lian Xuan's presence, and she could not get anything out of him. She only saw that the eldest master and the eldest wife were very busy - the eldest master went out early and came back late every day, and the eldest wife often took the eldest grandmother to check the boxes.

During this period, the eldest wife had visited the Yongping Marquis's residence twice. She left Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang at home and took only Xu's mother with her. She went there after lunch and returned before dinner. She visited relatives and brought a few boxes of snacks or some cloth, just like she usually did.

This made Eleventh Lady very concerned - who knew what the purpose of the eldest wife's visit was?

From time to time she would stop sewing and stare blankly.

Fortunately, there was news from Amber: "... Young Master Wang came out of Cuihua Hutong early in the morning, and an old vegetable seller happened to pass by him. For some reason, Young Master Wang got angry and beat the old vegetable seller... Later, the fifth master of the Xu family stepped in and paid 1,200 taels of silver. The people did not sue and the officials did not pursue, so the matter was left alone." As she spoke, she showed some hesitation on her face, "I told the driver that I was originally from Yanjing. When the old lady died, I was taken back to Yuhang by the second wife, and later given to the young lady. I have been staying in Yuhang for the past few years. I originally had a younger sister who worked in the mansion of Duke Mao..."

That’s a good excuse!

Eleventh Lady looked at Amber with some admiration.

"Who knows? When the driver heard this, he hurriedly told me, 'You should find a way to go to the Duke of Mao's mansion as soon as possible! Just last month, two of their maids were gone - one died of illness, and the other fell into a well. You have been away from the capital for three or four years. Who knows whether your sister is dead or alive?"

Eleventh Lady couldn't hide her surprise.

Amber's forehead was also covered with sweat. "Miss, how about I go to the Duke of Mao's mansion secretly? I can say I'm going to look for my sister. The driver also said that if I want to go, I can change my clothes. He borrowed a friend's car and it will only take an hour. As long as the matters in the inner house are arranged, no one will know."

"No." Shiyi Niang refused flatly, "His idea is indeed good. But if he drags you to some other place, no one will know about it either."

Amber hesitated to speak.

Eleventh Lady's expression froze, and she said solemnly, "Let's stop with this matter. Don't ever mention going to the Duke of Mao's mansion to get information again!"

Amber had no choice but to agree.

Seeing that she looked a little reluctant, Shiyi Niang repeatedly reminded her of the saying "Be careful and you will be safe" and then asked about the Jiang family: "...Did you find out anything?"

Amber said hurriedly, "The Jiang family has a five-story house in Shishi Hutong. Now it is occupied by Jiang Hanlin and several of the Jiang family's children who came to study at the Imperial College. They have a strict family tradition and treat others very humbly. The little six said that a rickshaw driver he knew once passed by Shishi Hutong when someone suddenly came out of the entrance of the hutong. He hurriedly pulled the reins and scared the man so much that he sat down on the ground. His friend saw that the man was dressed very simply, but he had white teeth and red lips, and his hand was longer than a girl's. He also wanted her to be fair and pretty, and he knew at first glance that she was a young master from a certain family. He was so scared that he hurried forward to apologize. Who knew that the young master not only did not blame him, but also gave him one or two silver coins to suppress his fear. He did not dare to take it. The young master gave it to him and left. He was afraid that it was a "honey trap". He went to inquire and found out that it was the young master of the Jiang family. The man also said that since it was given by the young master of the Jiang family, you can just take it. They are not the kind of family that bullies others by taking advantage of their power. Only then did he happily take it. He also told his relatives and friends everywhere. "

So the Jiang family is unwilling to get involved in Wang Lang’s affairs?

Eleventh Lady pondered and asked Amber, "Who is Xiao Liuzi? Do you also know about "honey trap"?"

Amber blushed slightly, and said uneasily: "The driver we hired was called Xiao Liuzi. He told me about the "honey trap", which is a trap set to trick those who are greedy for small profits and suffer big losses..."

Eleventh Lady laughed, but then she thought of the completely different styles of doing things of the Wang and Jiang families, and the smile on her face faded.

How did these two families get married?

The thought flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but ponder.

Marriage requires that the couple be of equal status, support each other, and have the same aspirations...

Why did the Luo family want to marry into the Wang family?

If it was for the sake of giving her concubines a good family, then she could tell from the little she had heard that Wang Lang was not a good man. If it was for power, then even the servants of the Xu family knew that the Duke of Mao's mansion was in decline, so it was impossible for Yuanniang not to know. It would be better for her to marry one of those officials who had lost their wives and held real power as a successor.

Moreover, according to general circumstances, Luo Yuanniang should have focused all her energy on how to maximize the interests of her brother if she died. How could she spare the energy to arrange a marriage for her half-sister whom she had not seen for more than ten years?

Thinking of this, Eleventh Lady was shocked.

Yes, at this time, everything Luo Yuanniang thought, did and did should be for Zhege... Then, what benefits does this marriage bring to Zhege?

The Luo family, the Wang family, the Xu family, the Jiang family... they kept spinning in Eleventh Lady's mind like a revolving lantern.

She asked herself: What would I do if I were Luo Yuanniang?

As soon as the thought came to my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Internally, find a successor who can be controlled by the Luo family to ensure that Brother Zhe grows up smoothly. Externally, seek strong support to confirm Brother Zhe's position as the crown prince as soon as possible. After all, Brother Zhe is the legitimate son born to Xu Lingyi's first wife, and his status is more noble than that of the legitimate son born to the successor, and he is the first heir to the title.

Now, Yuanniang has made up her mind about internal affairs. As for external affairs...

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but stroke her forehead.

The Jiang family... a family that is able to keep itself clean, low-key and introverted, a family with a good reputation... they don't need him to protect them, they just need to stand up and say a fair word for Brother Zhe at a critical moment. But at the same time, they are also a political family. Such a family has its own measure of words and deeds... How can this family be tied to Brother Zhe?

The best way, of course, is marriage!

It just so happened that Duke Mao had a daughter who married into the Jiang family, and a son needed to find a wife...

She smiled bitterly: "Does the Jiang family have daughters? How many daughters?" Without waiting for Amber to answer, she murmured, "Of course there are daughters. Otherwise, why would they go through so much trouble..."

Amber said hurriedly: "How about I go ask Xiao Liuzi again?"

Eleventh Lady shook her head, "Once is enough, don't ask anything more." Then she pointed to the east, "lest people get suspicious."

Amber nodded quickly: "I understand."

Eleventh Lady nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Go and have a rest!"

She needs to think carefully about what to do about this matter.

Amber stepped back and bumped head-on into Emerald.

"Why are you here, sister?" She smiled and invited Feicui to go to the west room where she lived.

Feicui smiled and shook her head: "I'm here to invite Miss Eleven - the Third Madam has come, bringing the Fifth and Sixth Masters, and is drinking tea with the First Madam. The First Madam asked me to come and say hello to Miss Fifth and Miss Eleven."

Amber smiled and nodded, waited for Feicui to go to Wu Niang to convey the eldest lady's words, and then accompanied her to Shiyi Niang.

After knowing the purpose of Feicui's visit, Eleventh Lady packed up and took Amber with Feicui to go to the First Lady's place.

Compared with when she was in Yuhang, the 27-year-old Third Wife looked visibly more haggard.

After Eleventh Lady saluted her, Fifth Master and Sixth Master standing beside her smiled and called out "Eleventh Sister".

(On duty tonight. I heard that they might have to divert the floodwaters...)