Zhu Shi died and Jiu Qu chased after him, about to speak, when Chu Ye Ning raised his head...
Inside the study, Jiuqu felt somewhat uneasy and bewildered by the two strangers who had appeared in the Marquis's residence. He said, "My lord, what does His Majesty mean by this? Logically speaking, if he was worried about offending you, wouldn't it have been better to just summon Chief Cai? Why invite a female official as well? Two big shots."
Chu Yening sat in the armchair, looked at the landscape painting in front of him and smiled: "The Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Food Bureau have a system of checks and balances. You've figured out a way to make them fight like dogs."
Jiuqu's eyes lit up: "That's one of my strengths. My lord, Aunt Ruan has always been in charge of preparing the food for the manor in the kitchen. What should we do next?"
"Let Aunt Ruan rest for a while. These next few days, go to Shuiyunlou and get some food. Also, tell Old Zhong to keep an eye on the servants, this important study, and the newly built Qingyi Garden. Apart from that, don't stop them from going wherever they want." Chu Yening put away the painting and got up to walk towards the door. Then, as if remembering something, she turned back and said, "But don't let me see the food."
Jiuqu looked bewildered and asked Songyang, who had remained silent beside her, "What do you mean?"
Songyang, sparing with words, simply said: "Pour it out."
Jiuqu caught up and was about to speak when Chu Yening raised her eyes and gazed at the withered tree in the garden, saying lazily, "I don't trust anyone anymore."
"Also, I want to see all the magnolias in this garden next spring."
Jiuqu smiled suddenly: "My lord, I remember. But I don't agree with that statement. If you don't believe them, what about Miss Qin and Young Master Luo?"
Chu Yening didn't speak again, but Jiuqu could clearly see the obvious smile in his eyes. He then said quietly, "I'm going out of the manor for a while. If there are any little tails... remember to shake them off before I find out."
*
Inside the Changxing Marquis's residence, Lady Zhu, the wife of the Marquis, had been suffering from a poor appetite ever since she went to the mountaintop and entered the Chengxin Nunnery some time ago. Her personal maid, perceptive as ever, knew that the lady of the house was upset.
Madam Zhu was dozing off in the inner quarters when she soon fell asleep. In her dream, she was having a heated debate with the quick-witted young girl outside the Chengxin Nunnery. Then the scene shifted, and she was facing off against the Marquis of Jingning in court, while the little nun stood on the platform, standing on tiptoe and smiling at her triumphantly.
Zhu was furious, her face turning ashen. She was about to roll up her sleeves and give the young nun from the nunnery a good beating when a dark shadow flashed by and then struck her hard on the shoulder. She jolted awake, her eyes snapping open. The inner room was quiet; she had accidentally fallen asleep in her armchair, and her personal maid was massaging her shoulders from behind.
Zhu felt annoyed and waved her hand, saying, "Go away, don't get in my way." She then muttered to herself, "He's like a persistent ghost. Even when I'm dozing off, I can still dream about that jinx. I think I should go up the mountain again another day and talk to Aruo again."
The maid was about to leave as instructed when she heard Madam Zhu muttering about Chengxin Nunnery. Although her voice was very soft, the room was extremely quiet, and the sound reached her ears. After considering for a moment, the maid stepped forward and said, "Madam, there is something I wish to say, but I am not sure if I should."
Madam Zhu raised her eyelids slightly and glanced at her, still looking annoyed: "What did you say?"
The maid pursed her lips, glanced back out the window, and then stepped forward, fiddling with the hem of her robe with a slightly uneasy expression. She whispered in Madam Zhu's ear, "Madam, I'm just guessing. Don't you think that little nun looks familiar?"
Confused, Madam Zhu asked blankly, "Familiar? How so? What? Your relative has entered a nunnery and you want me to step in and disrobe them?"
The maid choked upon hearing this, then continued, "I felt that the little nun looked familiar when I first saw her that day. After returning to the manor, I thought about it again and again, and indeed she did look familiar. Madam, I think she looks somewhat like you, and even more like your brother, Lord Zhu."
Madam Zhu was stunned for a long while, her expression shifting from bewilderment to astonishment to anger. Then, she abruptly stood up, slammed her hand on the flower stand beside her, and gritted her teeth, saying, "You know what? You really have to believe it! My niece is truly audacious. She dared to switch the prince with a cat! This is a crime of deceiving the emperor! No wonder I suddenly dreamt of those evil stars today; it turns out it was a message from the Bodhisattva!" She trembled with rage, "No! I must go to the palace immediately and explain this to the Emperor and Empress. Otherwise, it will implicate my Changxing Marquis's mansion. Not only will the Marquis's life be in danger, but my life will be forfeit! After all, I am still surnamed Zhu!"
Zhu Shi acted immediately, her previous listlessness completely gone. She hurriedly instructed her personal maid to call the coachman to prepare the carriage, and then went to her bedroom to change back into her formal robes for the palace.
In the outer courtyard, a tree's green leaves rustled in the wind, while in the inner house of the Zhu family, a small window was suddenly blown open by the wind.
The maid exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Why is the wind so strong today?" As she spoke, she stepped forward, one hand on the windowsill, the other already touching the half-open window. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed before her eyes. Startled, she didn't even have time to see clearly, but instinctively she wanted to scream. However, before the words could leave her mouth, she felt a sharp sword pierce her throat in an instant, and blood gushed out, gurgling down her neck to the ground.
"Madam... Madam." Only silent fear remained.
Zhu's heart pounded. She was changing into the formal robes she would wear to the palace, this time with the help of her maid. Suddenly, she heard unusual noises in the room. Just as she was about to go around the screen to look, a tall, unfamiliar man entered her room and walked towards her. She was about to shout for her maid, but the man pressed closer, suddenly closing in on her and wrapping an arm around her neck. Then, Zhu felt a piercing pain in her neck. Looking in the bronze mirror, she saw that her neck had been snapped. Zhu died with her eyes wide open, unable to close them in peace.
Luo Yuan stepped forward to check the maid's breath again, then, sword in hand, walked into the inner room and frowned as he looked at the strange man.
The man bowed respectfully to him and said, "I am a servant of the Marquis of Jingning's household. I am a friend, not an enemy."
Luo Yuan's eyes flashed, then he shifted his gaze to the fallen Zhu Shi, whose eyes were wide open: "I've taken down everyone outside. Zhu Shi is dead, and if her death is unclear, it might arouse suspicion." With that, he turned to leave.
Seeing this, the tall man asked, "Sir, are you going to..."
Luo Yuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's go to the Marquis of Changxing's study and see the secrets of his manor!"
The tall man chuckled upon hearing this, "That's exactly what I was thinking too, that's perfect." He then reached out to put his arm around the man's shoulder.
Luo Yuan slightly shifted his body to the side, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. The people in the Jingning Marquis's mansion were all smiling tigers, each one stranger than the last. He smiled faintly: "Remember to deliver the secret to that dead maid."
Inside the old residence of the Qin family.
In the courtyard of Qingliang Garden, under a grape vine, Qin Weixi lay on a wicker chair, eyes closed, her face covered by an ancient book. Zhoufeng, meanwhile, lay sprawled on his back, basking in the sun with a contented expression. Sparrow Tongue, always restless, hopped from rooftop to rooftop. Lately, it had been hot, and Zijin, fearing the young lady might be thirsty, had gone back to the Luo residence to fetch tea to brew a pot.
Qingliangyuan is the courtyard where she lived in her childhood. This small courtyard, full of grapevines, also holds eight years of her memories.
Luo Yuan has been preoccupied with many matters lately. Although Que She and Zi Jin are always by her side, Luo Ling also sends other guards and a few trusted confidants from the manor to accompany her. Looking at the grapes that stretch freely from under the trellis, emitting a faint fruity fragrance, she recalls what her brother asked at the Qin family's old residence that day. Jiang Yuanjun mentioned that she and A Xiao only come to the old residence to tend to the vines and clean up the house every New Year. Why then is someone still looking after these grapevines? Could it be her brother?
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Qin Weixi's ears twitched slightly, and Zhou Feng immediately stood up, full of alertness. Just as she was about to put away the ancient book and get up, Chu Yening walked in silently.
Qin Weixi sighed slightly, stood up and said, "Fourth Brother, it seems these guards are only useful to others."
Chu Yening recalled the scene she had just witnessed and chuckled softly, "I didn't see you at the Luo residence, but I knew you were here."
"Didn't you want to go to Woxue Pavilion? Fourth Brother will take you there."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up.
"When have I ever lied to you? But Little Seven, you should change your clothes."
Chu Yening looked down at Zhoufeng, who was sticking out his tongue as if he were laughing: "But it can't go."
Qin Weixi said, "I'll have someone send it back."
When Sparrow Tongue saw the newcomers, it chuckled and leaped off the roof, approaching the two and bowing respectfully, saying, "So you are the Marquis of Jingning."
Chu Yening narrowed his eyes, while Qin Weixi smiled gently beside him. Que She continued, "I am now a member of the Qin family, and it is my duty to protect the young lady's safety. Also... my former master, Lord Marquis."
Chu Yening showed no annoyance upon hearing this, instead displaying an expression that seemed to say, "You seem to have some understanding." She then glanced casually at the grapevines in the courtyard, leaving the sudden breeze to the sparrow's tongue. Just as the two were about to walk out of Qingliang Garden, Luo Yuan suddenly strode over. He was slightly surprised to see the Marquis of Jingning there, then whispered, "Miss, Madam Zhu has gone."
Luo Yuan recounted what had happened at the Changxing Marquis's residence, as well as the arrival of the Jingning Marquis's men. Qin Weixi was surprised that he had been keeping an eye on the Jingning Marquis's residence all along.
Qin Weixi said calmly, "Very well. Besides, I've never been a kind person."
Chu Yening instructed Queshe: "Go and spread the news. It would be best if the matter of the Marquis of Changxing's residence became the talk of the town."
The sparrow tongue obeyed and withdrew.
Qin Weixi said to Luo Yuandao, "Brother Luo, we need to inform my elder brother about this matter beforehand."
Luo Yuan nodded: "Miss, should we inform the Crown Prince's wife about this?"
Qin Weixi shook his head: "No need. Soon someone will be keeping an eye on Chengxin Nunnery and Uncle Zhu, and they will understand."
Zi Jin returned with tea and, upon hearing of this, could not hide his anger: "That damned Zhu!" Hearing that the two were going to Woxue Pavilion, he hesitated to speak.
Chu Yening raised an eyebrow and glanced at him lazily: "Mu Tong's fiancée?"
Upon hearing this, Song Zijin suddenly recalled what Qin Weixi had said about Jingyun Temple that day, when the young Marquis of Jingning was almost shot by Mu Tong's arrow. She smiled awkwardly, but then, remembering how the Marquis of Jingning had kept his mouth shut, causing many to misunderstand, her face turned cold again. However, remembering the ten years of hardship in the snowy wilderness, which she had heard about from Mu Tong before, she softened her tone and suddenly bowed to Chu Yening.
Qin Weixi found it amusing. Just then, Song Yang suddenly walked over carrying a wooden box. Song Zijin said, "Miss, you should go. The sooner the Qin family is exonerated, the sooner the young master will be at ease." She glanced quickly at Song Yang and said, "I'll protect you from the shadows with this fellow."
Chu Yening stood to the side with his arms crossed, looked at the object in Song Yang's hand, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Where is it?"
Upon hearing this, Song Yang blushed and bowed to him, saying, "My lord, I forgot. Please forgive me."
However, Chu Yening had already walked leisurely out of the courtyard: "Another day."
Qin Weixi listened to the master and servant's question and answer from behind, looking completely bewildered.
Within half an hour, the events at the Marquis of Changxing's residence had become the talk of the town. The Marquis's study had been robbed, the steward had been inexplicably slit in the throat outside the study, and four servants in the outer courtyard had died in front of Madam Zhu's room in the inner courtyard. The guards and maids that Madam Zhu had brought from her maiden home in the inner courtyard had also perished tragically, with one maid clutching a secret document about the Marquis's residence before she died. As for Madam Zhu, her neck had been broken, and she died a gruesome death in her bedroom, still wearing the formal robes she wore when she was about to enter the palace.
When Xu Lin arrived with his men, he witnessed this extremely tragic scene. Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a large number of people had gathered outside the Changxing Marquis's residence. Rumors in the city spread that the Changxing Marquis and his wife had been secretly fighting for a long time. The Changxing Marquis had been making a fuss about divorcing his wife, while Zhu Shi had been refusing to give up her position as the mistress of the house.
Just before the case came to light, Zhu sneaked into the study of Marquis Changxing after he left the mansion for social engagements, intending to find incriminating evidence against him and secure her position as the Marquis's wife. However, she unexpectedly discovered that Marquis Changxing was secretly engaged in business. For an official to engage in business was forbidden in the Great Xia Dynasty. Marquis Changxing had been unsuccessful for many years, and if the imperial family found out, he would face certain death, and the Changxing Marquis's family would never recover. This was discovered by Marquis Changxing's trusted steward, who saw Zhu dressed in formal palace robes, about to enter the palace to lodge a complaint with the emperor.
The mistress, out of favor with the Marquis and who was even threatening to divorce him, was chosen by the steward to take matters into his own hands. He ordered his guards to silence her. Amidst the ensuing conflict between the outer and inner courtyards, infighting ensued. A maid, clutching evidence of the Marquis's crimes, attempted to escape but was brutally assassinated by the Marquis's already dying confidant. Finally, the gatekeeper, who had been secretly given wine and sensed something amiss upon waking, discovered the horrific scene inside the inner courtyard and immediately scrambled out of the mansion to report it to the authorities.
It was true that Marquis Changxing was doing business outside, and it was also true that he was making a fuss about divorcing his wife. The evidence was conclusive, and there were witnesses to testify, but Xu Lin had a vague feeling that this matter might be related to the girl who was living in a nunnery and no longer cared about worldly affairs.
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