Chapter 47: Past Events 4: Isn’t that idiot a son of adultery?
Mei Zi doesn't want to go to the east gate.
The East Gate is the "trap" prepared by the cousin for the young lady. If she goes there, won't she fall into the "trap"?
She smiled and declined, "The feast is about to begin, and the kitchen is a mess... How about I stay here and help? It's only ten pounds of crabs, so it's no problem to have Tiezhu help the young lady carry it."
Tiezhu is the servant in the kitchen who is responsible for chopping firewood.
The more Mei Zi refused, the more Su He was sure that there was something fishy going on.
The more strange it seemed, the more she wanted to find out.
She grabbed Mei Zi's wrist and said, "You're the one who's going to pick up the crabs you ordered. Let's go together."
Without waiting for Mei Zi to break free, she pulled her out of the house and headed towards the east gate.
Mei Zi was panicked for a moment and quickly winked at a maid named Zhien behind her.
Zhien understood and quickly slipped out of the kitchen when no one was paying attention.
Su He had never been to the east gate of Xie's mansion.
That was originally a spare side door, usually locked and completely inaccessible.
Besides, the Xie Mansion is huge, and she has only been married for a few months, so she hasn't had time to get to know every corner of the mansion clearly.
At this moment, she walked and looked around. The corridor was winding and silent. It seemed that she was getting more and more remote. In the end, she could not even see any passing servants.
She couldn't help but ask, "Is there no one living on this east side?"
Mei Zi looked somewhat bewildered: "There is indeed no one living on the east side."
Su He asked: "Why?"
Mei Zi chose her words carefully, "Because the Feng Shui master said that the east side of the mansion was a place of filth and iniquity and unsuitable for living, the old lady moved the population to the west and south sides of the mansion."
Su He thought about it and realized that Chunhuayuan was indeed located in the south of the mansion.
Then he asked, "Since the east is simply unsuitable for living, why don't you dare come?"
The question was too direct and Mei Zi choked for a moment.
After a moment, she murmured, "Young Madam, you are too kind. I am not afraid to come. I just saw that the kitchen was too busy, so I wanted to stay and help."
Su He glanced at her sideways and smiled without saying anything.
The two of them walked through a curved corridor one after another and turned into the corridor on the easternmost side.
A strange light flashed in Mei Zi's eyes, and she stretched out her hand and pointed forward: "Young Madam, the east gate is just ahead."
Su He looked in the direction she pointed and saw an inconspicuous wooden door.
On the other side of the wooden door, several feet away, stood a courtyard with three large characters written above the gate: Anxinyuan.
It looked like a courtyard that had been in disrepair for a long time. Even the gate was mottled and there was thick green ivy climbing on the wall.
Su He was puzzled: "Isn't it said that the east side is not suitable for living? Why is there a yard?"
Mei Zi looked flustered and looked around, "Young Madam, please open the door quickly and bring in the ten kilograms of crabs first."
Su He took out the key and opened the east gate as she said.
The crab vendor outside the door seemed to have been waiting for a long time. His face was red and black and he was angry, and he was about to complain.
Mei Zi hurriedly took the crab from his hand, stuffed the silver into his hand, and warned him in a low voice: "The money and goods are settled, don't say anything more."
The crab vendor took the money, glared at Mei Zi, then glared at Su He, and turned away silently.
Mei Zi breathed a sigh of relief and weighed the crab in her hand: "Don't worry, Madam. This man will definitely not dare to cheat on the weight."
Su He doesn't care about "shortweight".
What she cared about was why Mei Zi brought her here!
The two of them carried the crabs back into the courtyard wall, and then Su He locked the east gate again.
She turned to look at Anxin Courtyard and asked casually, "Is there anyone living in that courtyard?"
Mei Zi took a deep breath and said, "Young Madam, if you go and take a look, you'll know whether anyone lives there or not."
Su He asked back: "Do you really want me to go and see it?"
Mei Zi quickly shook her head: "I dare not, I just want to see... the young lady wants to see."
Su He smiled and said, "Let's go and take a look together."
Since she was already here, she wanted to see what secrets the Xie family was hiding.
Mei Zi was a little embarrassed: "But the kitchen is still waiting for the crab in my hand."
Su He replied: "It's just a dish, it's not that important." After she said that, she walked straight ahead.
Mei Zi was in a panic, not daring to go, nor daring not to go.
After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to follow Su He at a close distance.
The gate of Anxin Courtyard was ajar. Su He pushed it gently and the door opened.
Weeds grew wildly in the yard, and the area was covered with moss.
The doors and windows of the wing room not far away were closed, and there were many holes in the window paper.
It was a sunny summer day, but the yard was filled with a chill.
Su He asked casually, "Could this be an abandoned courtyard?"
Mei Zi stammered and lowered her head without answering.
Su He seemed nonchalant: "It turns out there's nothing interesting to see."
She said this, looking away and turning to leave.
Mei Zi pointed to a place not far away and said, "Young Madam, look."
Su He looked in the direction she pointed, and suddenly saw a boy coming out from the bushes beside him, standing on the corridor in the yard, looking at them confusedly.
The boy had a banana leaf on his head, a snow-white shirt, and was barefoot.
The banana leaves blocked the sunlight above his head and most of his face.
Su He was puzzled: "Who is he?"
Mei Zi shook her head: "Slave...slave dare not say."
Su He was too lazy to talk nonsense with her, so he simply walked forward, walked to the boy, squatted down, and asked him: "What's your name?"
The boy ripped off the banana leaf on his head and handed it to Su He: "Here you go."
The boy's face was exposed to the light without any obstruction. With his broad forehead, big eyes, fair skin, and high nose bridge, he looked somewhat like Xie Wuhen.
But upon closer inspection, they don't look that similar. At least the light in their eyes lacks some spirit, and there's even a bit of dullness.
The boy grinned, a few drops of saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth: "Do you like the umbrella I gave you?"
Su He took the banana leaf and smiled: "I like it, thank you." Then she took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the saliva from the corner of the boy's mouth.
The boy was well-behaved and tilted his head to let her wipe him.
Then Su He asked, "What's your name and how old are you?"
The boy frowned and thought for a while, but couldn't come up with an answer. He shouted anxiously, "Madame Zhou, please come here quickly and tell me my name and how old I am."
But a moment later, a maid came out of the house. Seeing Su He, she was horrified and ran over quickly, kneeling down with a plop: "This old servant did not know that the young lady would come. Please forgive me, young lady."
Su He helped her up: "Madam, there's no need to be so polite."
Nanny Zhou brushed off the dust on her body, her face was horrified, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment.
The boy tilted his head and looked at her: "Your name is 'Young Madam'?"
Su He didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's okay if you call me that."
The boy giggled and called out loudly, "Young Madam."
Then he asked Madam Zhou: "Tell me my name and how old I am."
Nanny Zhou had a bitter face. Seeing that the boy was not wearing shoes, she hurriedly took the shoes from the steps and bent down to put them on him.
Then he sighed and said, "Your name is Xie Erlang, and you are eight years old."
The boy's face was filled with joy as he quickly relayed to Su He, "My name is Xie Erlang, and I'm eight years old."
Su He paused: "Xie Erlang?"
The second son of the Xie family?
At this time, in the main hall of the Xie family, Xu Nanzhi was about to lead everyone to the side hall for dinner.
The maid Zhien rushed into the room in a panic, shouting in panic: "Old... Old Madam, something bad has happened, something bad has happened..."
Xie Wuhen turned to look at her and asked in a cold voice, "What happened?"
Xu Nanzhi also stopped and asked, "Even if something serious happens, we must speak with our tongues straight."
Zhien was so frightened that her face turned pale: "Young... Young Madam, enter the Anxin Courtyard at the east gate..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the main hall fell inexplicably silent for a moment.
Then Xie Wuhen turned around and went out, striding towards the east gate.
Xu Nanzhi's body softened and she almost fell, but fortunately Nanny Han caught her.
There was a sudden noise in the hall.
Xie Jin glanced at Xu Nanzhi meaningfully, then hurried out of the main hall.
Wang Yue'e sneered, walked up to Xu Nanzhi, and said, "You brought this upon yourself, you deserve to die." Then she waved her sleeves and left.
Xu Nanzhi was in a state of confusion and fear, and even her lips were trembling slightly.
Zhang Qian'er pretended to be well-behaved and comforted her: "Don't worry, aunt, there are no outsiders in this house today, no one dares to gossip."
She added, "It's all this young lady's fault for not knowing the seriousness of the matter and making trouble out of nothing. When the time comes, the eldest aunt will definitely punish her severely. It wouldn't be too much to even persuade Brother Ziyu to divorce her."
Xu Nanzhi covered her face and shook her head, speechless.
Nanny Han couldn't help but say, "Miss Qian'er, please stop talking."
"Okay, then I'll go take a look at the situation outside first. You can have a good rest." After saying this, Zhang Qian'er also stood up and left the main hall.
A group of people filed out.
Those who knew the reason naturally wanted to see a good show, such as Zhang Biyu from the third room.
Those who didn't know the reason were just confused and joined in the fun, such as the siblings Xie Wujiang and Xie Shuang from the second house.
And those who half understand, such as servants who are unwilling to be driven but hope that their masters will suffer misfortune and make a fool of themselves.
The corridor leading to the east gate was very busy at once.
Xie Wuhen was the first to arrive.
At that time, the gate of Anxin Courtyard was wide open, and Su He was saying goodbye to Xie Erlang in the courtyard.
Xie Erlang refused and pulled her sleeve to play hide-and-seek with her.
Xie Wuhen stood at the door with his hands behind his back and called out "Madam".
Su He turned her head suddenly, curled the corners of her lips and smiled: "My husband is here too."
He didn't smile, but looked at her solemnly.
The sunlight fell, casting his shadow on the floor tiles on one side, making him look even taller and straighter, and also more cold, arrogant and aloof, like a murderous demon.
Xie Erlang was so scared that he retracted his hand and hid behind Nanny Zhou.
Nanny Zhou was also frightened and turned pale. She hunched over, not knowing whether to go forward or retreat.
Su He whispered comfortingly: "Don't be afraid, it's okay."
Then he walked to Xie Wuhen's side and said, "Husband, who is this Xie Erlang? Is he related to us?"
He bit his back teeth, causing the muscles on his cheek to bulge and then collapse. Then his eyes flashed, and he caught a glimpse of Mei Zi standing at the courtyard wall carrying ten pounds of crabs.
That look was like a cold arrow, frightening Mei Zi so much that she felt a chill on her back and lowered her head guiltily.
He suppressed his anger and replied calmly: "My lady, don't worry about this. Let's go back first."
Su He also knew that the banquet was about to begin, so she didn't ask any more questions and followed him out.
As soon as I reached the gate of the courtyard, I saw Zhang Qian'er leading a group of people towards this side.
Zhang Qian'er was filled with righteous indignation. "What a young mistress of the Xie family! The entire Xie family, including my own Li family, has come here to celebrate your husband's birthday. Instead of preparing a banquet in the kitchen, you're here to waste time. I wonder if you're uneducated or just lacking in friendship?"
When she mentioned the word "no friendship", she even glanced at Xie Wuhen's face, and then continued: "Do you know that this courtyard is the hidden pain of the Xie family? As the mistress of the Xie family, you should respect your husband and the reputation of the Xie family. But today, you have disregarded your integrity and the face of the Xie family and exposed this family's hidden pain in public. What is your intention?"
Su He was completely confused and couldn't understand how a courtyard could become a hidden pain for the Xie family.
She was about to ask back, but Xie Wuhen spoke first, "Zhang Qian'er, do you really want to refuse my toast and drink the wine for punishment?"
Zhang Qianer said confidently: "I'm doing this for the sake of the Xie family."
Xie Wuhen said sternly, "Your surname is Zhang, and the affairs of the Xie family have nothing to do with you."
Zhang Qian'er choked, hatred overflowing from her eyes.
Wang Yue'e, who was standing by, suddenly stepped forward and laughed wildly, saying, "There's a fool hidden in the Xie family's Anxin Courtyard. This matter has nothing to do with Zhang Qian'er, but Ziyu, it is related to your uncle. Isn't that fool the illegitimate child of your uncle and your mother?"
As soon as these words came out, the surroundings suddenly became silent...
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