Inside the underground palace, where torches were lit, Guo Yan and Meng Xin bowed slightly and stood respectfully before Aunt Xin.
Aunt Xin, dressed in an intricately patterned black dress, frowned and rubbed her forehead, saying impatiently, "Meng Yuxiu, he really does everything to oppose us."
"It's said that the deputy sect leader has never been able to establish his authority properly because of him!" Meng Xin said indignantly.
Guo Yan immediately glared at her, and only then did she calm down.
Aunt Xin pondered and said, "That old scoundrel is suspicious by nature. He should never be impatient for quick success. He is wary of even Meng Yuxiu, let alone others. It would be fine if you didn't remind him not to be impatient, but why are you so confused?"
Meng Xin was too scared to speak, so Guo Yan changed the subject and said, "Fortunately, Chang Lili is alright, so it was a close call."
Speaking of this, Aunt Xin had another headache: "Is there still no clue about Chang Lili's background?"
Guo Yan said with shame, "Not yet."
“Aunt Xin, you don’t know, there’s no way to find out anything. Our Da Shun was wiped out, and all our things were destroyed. Apart from those of us who escaped, there are very few survivors left. The clues were lost more than ten years ago,” Meng Xin said with a frustrated expression.
Guo Yan shoved her, but she kept talking until she realized that Aunt Xin was staring at her coldly. She quickly lowered her head and didn't dare to breathe.
"If it were so easy to find out, would we need you? I should have found out more than ten years ago!" Aunt Xin's voice was slightly angry, with a hint of sadness hidden in it.
Guo Yan hurriedly said, "Aunt Xin, although it's difficult to investigate, we have other ways. Since we can't investigate secretly, we'll investigate openly."
"Clear observation?" Aunt Xin looked at Guo Yan with suspicion.
Guo Yan's gaze became distant, and she said with certainty, "Actually, I went to see Aunt Chang."
Aunt Xin's expression changed, and she said unhappily, "You've entered the General's Mansion?"
Guo Yan immediately knelt down: "Aunt Xin, I'm sure that's Mama Chang. You didn't see it, that's Mama Chang! Although I only saw her a few times when I was little, that's the gentle Mama Chang. I would never mistake her for someone else. I couldn't resist and sneaked into the General's Mansion. Don't worry, no one else will find out."
A sharp glint flashed in Aunt Xin's eyes, but after a moment her expression softened: "Don't act rashly. A slight mistake could ruin our Three Pages Sect."
"I'm sorry, Aunt Xin, but after going there this time, I'm sure it was indeed Mama Chang. I spoke with her, and she just told me to leave; she didn't expose me," Guo Yan said sincerely.
Aunt Xin was moved by what she heard: "Now that you say that, I'd like to go and see it too."
Mengxin remained obediently silent, but she was somewhat surprised that Aunt Xin, who was always decisive and even more capable than men, would show such an expression.
Once, she was just a young girl, following the Empress, under her protection and cared for by Chang Mama.
Later, when the country was destroyed and her family was destroyed, she had nothing left. They all left her, and she had to shoulder the heavy responsibility alone with a group of younger generations.
But she also gets tired and longs to see old friends again and be taken care of.
“That must be Mama Chang, but we can’t bring her over now. There’s Meng Yuxiu in between, and bringing her over would alert him,” Aunt Xin said thoughtfully.
Guo Yan recalled what Chang's mother looked like and ultimately said nothing, only saying, "Aunt Xin, the most important thing right now is to find out Chang Lili's identity. Since the clues have been cut off, we can just go and ask Chang's mother directly."
Aunt Xin chuckled and said with satisfaction, "Yes, we can just ask Mama Chang directly. Why go through so many detours? You've always been steady and reliable, and besides, you've already met Mama Chang. I'll leave this matter to you."
Guo Yan immediately agreed, but felt a little uneasy.
She felt that things were not quite as Aunt Xin had imagined. Aunt Xin must have thought that Mama Chang had recognized her and protected her as she left the General's Mansion.
But that wasn't the case. Chang's mother was clearly avoiding her, clearly didn't want to acknowledge her, and clearly didn't want to talk to her much.
Is it because you don't want to give up your current peaceful life? Or is there another reason?
Guo Yan didn't know either, so she could only ask her in person and find out everything.
"How can a young girl like you say such things without any shame? Besides, what do you know?" Chang Lili said, puffing out her cheeks and blushing.
Lu Ming looked at Chang Lili in shock and said in a panic, "It's over, it's over, Lili-jie, you're doomed! You've been bewitched! The general has turned into a vixen and has bewitched you!"
Startled, Chang Lili quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "What nonsense are you talking about? Keep your voice down!"
Lu Ming, still wanting more, slapped her hand away and whispered obediently, "Sister Lili, even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen pigs run? Let me tell you, we can't trust them too much. We still need to make ourselves better so that they won't look down on us!"
Normally, Chang Lili would never listen to the nonsense uttered by this little girl, but she actually believed it. She remembered attending the banquet hosted by Xiao Shuer before, where those rich young ladies mocked her, and she felt terrible.
She gritted her teeth and made up her mind to change herself.
In the study of the general's mansion, Meng Yuxiu was studying military strategy when Jingmei knocked on the door and entered, bowing to Meng Yuxiu and reporting to him one by one.
"What? You didn't even have dinner?" Meng Yuxiu put down the book in his hand and frowned.
"Yes, the future madam also asked me to buy needles, thread and a women's ring," Jingmei obediently reported.
In the eyes of her and all the servants in the mansion, it was already a foregone conclusion that Chang Lili would become the general's wife.
They all secretly wished to simply call her "Madam," but knowing that young women are sensitive, they still addressed her as "Miss Chang" to her face, while behind her back, they were already calling her "Future Madam."
Meng Yuxiu was pleased to hear this, and the matter was tacitly approved.
"Needle and thread? A women's ring? What is she trying to do?" Meng Yuxiu asked, puzzled.
Jingmei was still waiting for Meng Yuxiu's reply, wondering whether to buy it or not.
"Of course, you should buy the things. In the future, you can buy whatever Madam asks you to buy, but you still have to tell me first. Go ahead and don't arouse Madam's suspicion." After Meng Yuxiu finished speaking, he got up and left the study.
Chang Lili and Jingmei were already familiar with each other, and recently Chang Lili had been asking Jingmei to buy things for her frequently. Jingmei always completed the task perfectly, so Chang Lili trusted her more and more and never suspected her. Meng Yuxiu had to keep such a good informant.
After leaving the study, he went to the kitchen, instructed them to prepare some light food, packed it in a food box, and took it to the courtyard where Chang Lili lived.
At this moment, the old woman was also pacing in the garden, looking anxious. When she saw Meng Yuxiu, she disregarded etiquette and grabbed him as if he were her savior.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with Lili. She’s been coming home very early these days, and she always seems restless. Did something happen to her at the military manufacturing plant?” the mother-in-law asked anxiously.
Meng Yuxiu smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Mother-in-law, she's fine. You don't need to worry, leave her to me."
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