"The second son of the Guan family is the legitimate son, while the eldest son is a concubine's son. The legitimate son of the second son serves as a lieutenant at the West City Gate. When the late Princess Duan was still alive, he was very popular with Prince Duan. This job was found for him by Prince Duan, and it was found after the late Princess Duan passed away."
Meng Qi looked at Wang Chenghai in surprise. It seemed that Lady Bai must be Prince Duan's confidant. But why did she keep visiting the Guan household? Reporting news? That was too obvious. Even Li Mancang, Prince Cheng's confidant, and Lady Zhang, Prince Jing's confidant, who had been discovered, must have had special methods of transmitting information. And why was Lady Bai actually visiting?
"Do you know who she went to meet at the Guan family? Was she really going to meet the second master of the Guan family?" Meng Qi asked.
"Jiang Wu bribed a woman from the second house of the Guan family. She was responsible for going out to buy needles and thread for the favored maids. The woman said that every time Aunt Bai went there, she would buy a lot of food and sometimes even bring clothes. These were gifts for a young man with a mental disability who lived in the second house of the Guan family."
"Is there something wrong with the young man's brain?" Meng Qi said in surprise.
"Yes, it is said that the young man was brought back to the Guan family by the second master of the Guan family two or three years ago. He was just said to be the son of his former classmate. The classmate had once been kind to him. Now the classmate's family is broken up and he is left with only this son who is a little mentally retarded."
Meng Qi stood up and paced back and forth, "How old is that young master?"
"She's about twenty years old. She usually stays in that small courtyard and doesn't make any noise. She's fine as long as she's fed." Wang Chenghai thought for a moment and said, "Princess, I remember that Concubine Bai only has one younger brother. After she followed Princess Lin into the palace, she was promoted to a concubine. That brother then redeemed himself and left. He even came to the palace to see Concubine Bai a few times."
Meng Qi was stunned, then slammed the table. She knew. Prince Duan's men must have taken her away, and then used Bai's brother to threaten Bai into serving Prince Duan. Although Bai was only a concubine, she served Xiao Lin, and Xiao Lin was a mere figurehead. For so many years, Bai had followed Xiao Lin's side like a military advisor.
"What is the reason why Bai always goes out?" Meng Qi sat back down.
"Usually, it was Concubine Lin who allowed her to go out. As for the reason, it was mostly to go to the Lin family, and sometimes it was under the pretext of burning incense. As you know, before you entered the palace, Concubine Lin was the one who made the decisions about the affairs of the palace, especially the cards that allowed the servants to leave the palace, which were in her hands."
Meng Qi nodded. That was true. However, after she got married, the Bai family no longer had such convenient conditions. So, last time, she took the opportunity to change her clothes and go out when she went back to the Lin family with Lin.
"Ask Jiang Wu if he can get a token of Bai's younger brother's memory."
Wang Chenghai's eyes lit up, "It shouldn't be difficult. I've seen Jiang Wu's kung fu skills are amazing."
"Okay, let's do the rest after we get it done. Now let's talk about Madam Hai's eldest son and what's going on."
Wang Chenghai took the tea Yuandong had poured and took another sip. "Madam Hai's eldest son didn't go south with lung disease as she said."
"Oh? What's the reason?" Meng Qi asked.
Wang Chenghai cleared his throat and said, "Princess, this story about Madam Hai's eldest son is a bit long."
Matron Hai had two sons and one daughter. Her eldest son had previously held the most lucrative position in the government procurement department, where he could accumulate a tidy sum even with a little thriftiness. Taking advantage of his frequent travels, he became a regular customer not only at restaurants and shops, but also at brothels. He even followed the example of other young men and kept a mistress. When his wife discovered this, she cried and made a scene, and only after Matron Hai intervened and dismissed the mistress did the affair cease.
This eldest son is also a domineering person. Because of the respect that Nanny Hai has in front of Song Chengze, he can almost walk sideways in the mansion. Most of the servants without any background have been exploited and bullied by him, and everyone dares to be angry but not to speak out.
But he showed a completely different face to the prince and his masters, appearing diligent and honest. Even if someone dared to say a few words to the prince, the prince would have people investigate a few times. He did find a few mistakes, but they were just small amounts of money worth a few dozen taels. After the prince scolded Madam Hai, he had no time to care about these things.
After being scolded by Madam Hai, he would turn around and do bad things to the person who reported him. As time went by, no one said anything to him anymore, which made him even bolder.
Two years ago, he didn't know who led him to become addicted to gambling. After a few small wins, he was not satisfied with the small amount of money he won, so he went to the big gambling places. After the sweet taste, he lost everything, and it was out of control.
During that time, Mammy Hai had beaten and scolded him for this bad habit, but it was no use. Every time Mammy Hai made a hole in him, he would make another one. For a while, Mammy Hai even tied him up at home and did not let him go out.
I don't know what happened, but half a year later, news suddenly came out that he had lung disease. Although it was not contagious, the doctor said that the temperature changes in the capital were too great, which was not conducive to his condition. It would be best if he could go to the south where the climate is mild to recuperate. Otherwise, he would not live for a few years.
Nanny Hai was extremely anxious and came to beg the prince to let her eldest son go to the south. For Nanny Hai's sake, the prince sent him to the southern farm.
Hearing this, Meng Qi looked up at Wang Chenghai and asked, "Southern Village?"
Wang Chenghai nodded. "Yes, it's in a small town below Quanzhou, on a farm. That's where Concubine Lian's family lived. Later, because of Concubine Lian, the Lin family moved to Yangzhou, but they still have property in the town. That farm was originally bought by the Lin family for Concubine Lian."
Meng Qi was surprised. She had never known in her past life that Concubine Lian's family was originally from a small town in Quanzhou. She also didn't remember that Concubine Lian's family was now living in Yangzhou, let alone what the Lin family was doing.
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