Chapter 95: Fight Today, You Can Only Win, Not Fail
In addition to recording every moment he spent with Xie Wuhen every day, Su He also took the time to go to Ping'an Lane.
She was about to leave the capital, and there were some things she needed to explain clearly to Uncle Qing.
Uncle Qing was a sensible old man who simply followed instructions and never asked any questions. "Miss, just focus on your own affairs. Xiaolian and I are here at Zijiyuan, so you can rest assured."
Su He was relieved. "Uncle Qing, don't worry about the expenses. I will send some money over regularly."
Uncle Qing waved his hand and said, "We can earn a little money now, which is enough to cover the expenses of this big family. Miss, just keep your own money and don't worry about us."
Su He smiled and said, "Having more money is always a good thing. Uncle Qing, there's no need to refuse."
Afterwards, she played with the children in the yard for a while, chatted with some old people, women and children, and then went back home in a carriage.
On the way back home, she looked at the carriage curtains blown up by the autumn wind and suddenly thought that the weather was getting colder and she had to buy two winter coats for herself and Zhang Xiuhua. After all, they couldn't take any of the Xie family's clothes with them, and it was very convenient to buy things in the capital.
She patted the wall of the carriage and told the driver to go to "Changsheng Clothing Store".
The driver said "Okay, ma'am" and turned the car around and drove towards the clothing store.
Su He carefully selected several coats.
After the payment and delivery were settled, he told Chunlan: "Send it to the inn where my aunt is staying later and ask her to collect it in advance."
Chunlan nodded and said "yes".
The carriage passed by Wuyou Teahouse.
Su He patted the wall of the carriage again and asked the driver to stop.
The driver said "Okay" and then stopped the carriage by the roadside.
Su He looked at the plaque with the words "Wuyou Teahouse" on the lintel of the teahouse and was speechless for a long time.
Chunlan asked, "Miss, do you want to meet Mr. Zeng?"
Su He answered the question irrelevantly: "I wonder if Mr. Zeng has been doing well recently?"
Ever since Xie Wuhen got jealous of her playing chess and drinking tea with Zeng Yidao, she hasn't been to the teahouse again, and it seems like a long time has passed.
Chunlan replied, "I did hear Wu Sheng mention that Mr. Zeng has been recuperating since he was released from the Dali Temple prison. He suffered some punishment in prison, but his injuries were not serious, and he is almost healed."
Su He breathed a sigh of relief: "Since he's almost recovered, I won't go to see him, so as not to cause him more trouble."
After thinking for a moment, he said, "When the time comes, please send him a can of good tea. It will be my farewell to him."
Chunlan lowered her head and replied "yes".
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the teahouse for a while, and then slowly drove away.
Su He even went to a mass grave. His father and mother must have been buried in this mass grave because they died unjustly that day.
But there are so many graves in this mass grave that it is impossible to tell whose graves are whose.
An autumn wind blew, making the dry grass on the grave rustle like sobbing sounds.
Chunlan was a little scared, shrank her shoulders, and urged quietly: "Miss, let's go back quickly."
Su He once again glanced at the endless graves and said, "Okay, I'll go back now."
It was already afternoon when we returned to Chunhuayuan.
As Su He stepped through the archway of the courtyard, she saw Erlang coming towards her holding a piece of colored paper. "Sister-in-law is finally back. Sister-in-law, please...quickly make a kite for Erlang."
Nanny Zhou also came forward and explained awkwardly, "The kite that Madam made for Erlang last time accidentally fell into the water, and now he's clamoring for Madam to make him another one."
Su He smiled slightly and took the colored paper: "Okay, I'll make it for Erlang right away."
As she spoke, she gave Chunlan a few instructions, then took Xie Erlang into the spare room and made a kite for him with colored paper and bamboo strips.
Erlang was so happy that he grinned and laughed, and his saliva wet his clothes.
Su He wiped him with a towel and said as she wiped him, "Today, sister-in-law will teach Erlang step by step how to make a kite by himself."
Erlang was puzzled: "I already have a sister-in-law, why do I have to do it myself?"
"Sister-in-law may not be able to stay with Erlang in the future."
Erlang paused when he heard this and tilted his head to look at her: "Where are you going, sister-in-law?"
She replied: "A very, very far place."
Jilang asked, "How far is far?"
Su He raised his hand and pointed outside the door: "It's the other side that you can't see."
Erlang turned and went to the door, stood on tiptoe and looked hard at the other side of the sky, and then burst into tears.
Su He was worried about disturbing others, so she hurried to comfort him: "Erlang, why are you crying? Be good, don't cry."
Erlang cried and said, "I want to go to a faraway place with my sister-in-law, I want to go too..."
She had no choice but to nod: "Okay, I'll take Erlang with me, let's go together."
Erlang then burst into laughter and wiped his tears with his sleeve: "I knew my sister-in-law would not abandon me." In his heart, his sister-in-law was more important than his mother.
Su He felt a little uncomfortable, but tried his best to suppress the discomfort.
Time quickly came to Zhou Yuanze's birthday.
Before Xie Wuhen left for duty, he went up to her bed and kissed her forehead, then whispered softly in her ear, "I might have to be busy all night, so don't wait for me for dinner, ma'am."
She had actually woken up a long time ago, but pretended to be sleepy: "Husband, please be careful."
He bit her ear gently and said, "Don't worry, my lady. I will return safely." Then he kissed her forehead again and turned to leave.
She stared at his back as he disappeared out the door, then got up as well.
Chunlan came into the room and helped her wash and dress.
She ordered in a deep voice, "Tell Ah Si to get up early and keep an eye on what's going on at Changlong Restaurant."
The birthday party was in the evening, so she had plenty of time.
Chunlan replied "yes" and turned to go to the back room to call Ah Si.
At this time, Li Shuli was standing at the window as usual, staring at Xie Wuhen as he got on the carriage and headed towards the Dali Temple.
After reading Su He's records for the past few days, she knew the man in front of her very well. She said to herself: "It's the sixth day. Tomorrow you will be my, Li Shuli's, husband." After saying that, she smiled with satisfaction.
At this time, the Zhou family.
Zhou Ping first went to Jingya Garden and sternly warned his son, "Today I will remove most of the guards from the palace and place them in Changlong Restaurant. You must not take this opportunity to go out and mingle with others outside the palace. Otherwise, if anything happens to you, even the Daluo Immortal will not be able to save you."
Zhou Yuanze readily agreed, "Don't worry, father. I will stay in this room and won't leave."
Zhou Ping breathed a sigh of relief. "If you can do your duty, I will be relieved. After we kill the murderer tonight, you can go wherever you want from now on. You don't have to be confined to this mansion anymore."
Zhou Yuanze bowed to his father and said, "Father, you have worked so hard for me. I am deeply grateful. Once this crisis is over, I will obey your every word."
Zhou Ping's face was filled with satisfaction. He patted his son on the shoulder and said "very good". Then he turned around to arrange the guards and assassins in the mansion.
Zhou Yuanze looked at his father's back, a cunning smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.
In Kunning Palace, Nanny Qing hurried in to report, "Your Majesty, the spies just came in to report that the eldest son of the Xie family has made some moves."
The Queen was tending to the orchid flowers in the pot and paused when she heard this: "What's going on?"
Nanny Qing replied, "He actually planted many people around the Changlong Restaurant."
The Queen was puzzled: "Today, my brother is setting up a trap to capture the murderer of Ze'er. Why is Xie Jia Dalang going there to join in the fun?"
Nanny Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Could it be that the eldest son of the Xie family is keeping an eye on the Zhou family on the emperor's orders?"
The Queen shook her head: "Now that the Zhou family has lost power, there is no reason for the Emperor to keep targeting them."
She sighed as she spoke, "Never mind. No matter what that Xie family eldest son wants, we just need to keep a close eye on him." Finally, she instructed, "Send more people to Changlong Restaurant to assist my brother with his plan."
Nanny Qing bowed and replied “yes”.
At this time, in Changle Palace, the eunuch Chuanzi also hurried into the palace: "Your Majesty, Xie Wuhen has made a move."
Concubine Shu was applying a cucumber to her face on the couch. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly sat up and brushed the cucumber slices off her face. "What did he do?"
Chuanzi replied: "He has sent a lot of additional staff to Changlong Restaurant."
Concubine Shu frowned: "What are you going to do at Maolong Restaurant?"
Chuanzi replied, "I heard that the Zhou family is holding a birthday party for Zhou Yuanze at Changlong Restaurant tonight."
Concubine Shu was increasingly puzzled: "Zhou family?"
Chuanzi was also somewhat puzzled: "Could it be that Xie Wuhen was following the emperor's orders to keep an eye on the Zhou family? The emperor... wants to wipe out the Zhou family?"
Concubine Shu shook her head. "Impossible! Zhou Ping is still the Minister of Chancellery. Moreover, even the Empress has a new support in the Fifth Prince. If the Emperor truly wanted to wipe out the Zhou family, he would first make my son the Crown Prince to put an end to Zhou Xiaoxiao's wishful thinking and leave the Zhou family without hope. Yet, the Emperor, while caring about my son, allowed the Fifth Prince to enter the Kunning Palace openly and honestly."
When she said this, she was filled with regret and resentment. If anyone in the palace was the most cunning, it would undoubtedly be the emperor on the dragon throne.
Chuanzi asked, "What are your plans now, Madam?"
Concubine Shu said with a cold face: "We can only keep a close eye on Xie Wuhen and act according to the situation."
Chuanzi clasped his fists and replied “yes”.
The hours in the clepsydra moved forward slowly, and soon it was dusk.
Ah Si hurried into Chunhua Courtyard and said, "Madam, Changlong Restaurant is preparing to serve the banquet."
Su He's expression slightly calmed down, and he said "Okay". He then grabbed a handful of dried fruit and gave it to Ah Si. "Your mission for today is complete. Go back to your room and rest."
Ah Si took the dried fruit, a hint of worry in his eyes: "Madam, are you sure about what you can do today?"
Su He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure of it."
Only then did Ah Si happily take the dried fruits back to the house.
As soon as he left, Su He instructed Chun Lan: "After I leave, you should tell Ah Si to stay away from Li Shuli, or send him directly to the Tzu Chi Center. Xie Wuhen knows that he often goes to the Tzu Chi Center, so he will not be suspicious."
"I'll remember that." Chunlan felt inexplicably uncomfortable. "Miss, you've taken care of everyone. You should also think about yourself. Today is a matter of life and death for you."
She smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's okay."
Then he sat in front of the mirror and glanced at himself in the mirror, "I don't need to hide my appearance too much today."
Chunlan was puzzled: "What if Zhou Yuanze recognizes me?"
Su He replied, "Zhou Yuanze was born with a pair of devilish eyes. No matter how hard I try to hide it, I'm afraid he'll see through it. It's better to just face him directly."
Perhaps, it was because he remembered his mother's appearance so clearly?
She then ordered, "Brush my hair into two long buns."
Chunlan paused and said, "That's the bun the maids wear."
She nodded: "Yes, I want to become a maid." She also wants to become her mother.
Walk up to him in the form of a mother and kill him!
Chunlan was worried: "If Zhou Yuanze recognizes me, there will be no way out."
She secretly clenched her fists and said, "Therefore, today we can only succeed and not fail. Zhou Yuanze must die."
In just a few moments, Chunlan had combed her hair and put on makeup for her.
She then put on the bracelets herself and changed into a fancy boat girl dress.
It was already dark outside, with a bright moon and few stars.
Before leaving, Su He also gave Chun Lan a packet of poisonous spices and a tinderbox. Then the two of them left the mansion through the back door and headed towards the south bank of the Qingshui River...
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