"Get up."
Xu Rong called to her first, then walked to the other side and sat down, before continuing, "Tell me slowly, don't rush, what's wrong with Xiao Yue?"
With a little time to cool down, Cai Die finally calmed down a bit. She got up with shaky hands and feet, but didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked around and hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Xu Rong understood her meaning. She glanced at Bai Fu by the door, and Bai Fu understood. She went out and took the two children, Hong Liu and Qing Zao, who were playing on the steps, a little further away.
Silence fell over the surroundings, and Xu Rong said, "Speak."
Butterfly's lips moved, but she seemed to hesitate and still couldn't speak.
Xu Rong waited a while, then said in a calm voice, "If you don't want to talk, then go out first."
She doesn't force people.
Butterfly panicked and hurriedly said, "I...I'll talk."
But she couldn't stand, so she knelt down again, her fingers gripping the cracks in the blue bricks, as if only then could she gain a little sense of security. Then she said, "It's the young master. The young master asked Brother Yue to go and buy medicine for abortion."
Xu Rong was shocked for a moment, then immediately thought of Chang Shuyin—she was the only pregnant woman in the mansion, but she immediately knew it was impossible; if someone were to have their baby aborted, it would be impossible for it to be her.
Upon further thought, she realized: "The young master has someone else outside? And that person is pregnant?"
Cai Die lay on the ground, nodded her head, and then could no longer hold back, sobbing, "Brother Yue delayed for several days, but he couldn't delay any longer, so he had to go today. I was worried about him, so I secretly went to see him just now, only to find out that he had already bought the medicine. Doing such a thing is immoral, sob, if Madam finds out, how can she forgive him?"
Xu Rong didn't speak for a moment; she needed to process it.
The first thing that came to her mind was that Xiao Lun had previously refused the two maids that Madam Xiao had given him.
I see.
I don't want the ones at home, because I already have the ones outside.
He neither wronged himself nor failed to gain favor with Chang Shuyin and her family.
It was a sure thing, but such a skill as having everything under control is rare. Things don't always go as planned, and Xiao Lun's operation was a bit unexpected.
He chose to erase the accident and assigned the task to those around him.
Xu Rong had considered the possibility that Cai Die might leak information about the North Courtyard—but unexpectedly, the situation was reversed, and she ended up learning Xiao Lun's secret.
She looked down at Cai Die and saw that she was more supported kneeling, so she didn't force her to get up. She just made her voice more gentle: "Are you afraid that if Xiao Yue doesn't obey the young master, she will offend him, but if she obeys him, it will be exposed one day and anger the madam?"
"That's all right," Cai Die said, skipping further explanation and simply nodding. "Madam won't blame the young master, but she won't let Brother Yue off the hook."
This is Madam Xiao's consistent style: no matter how many mistakes are made, it's always someone else's fault, and Xiao Lun is always innocent. Even Chang Shuyin has encountered this logic twice, let alone Xiao Yue, a mere servant.
Unless this matter remains hidden and is kept secret indefinitely, but given Madam Xiao's controlling nature, that's highly unlikely.
After finding out, Xiao Yue's life became uncertain—there are two possibilities. First, a child conceived by a mistress is still a child, and Madam Xiao cares about it, so she certainly won't let Xiao Yue off the hook. Second, Madam Xiao doesn't care about illegitimate children; she can just abort them. But this whole thing was done behind her back. This time she dared to cause such a big mess; what about next time?
To make an example of someone, Xiao Yue also had to be pushed out.
"Misfortune is lurking whether you advance or retreat," that perfectly describes Xiao Yue's current predicament.
"Who is the person the young master is keeping outside?" Xu Rong thought for a moment and asked first.
It's definitely not from the manor. Could it be that he's like Lord Xiao, who saw a beautiful woman on the street, followed her to her home, and took her as his concubine?
Cai Die shook her head: "I don't know... Brother Yue didn't tell me that clearly. He never said anything before because the young master ordered him to do this. He was really annoyed and scared, so he revealed a little bit to me."
That's normal. If Xiao Yue wasn't so loose-lipped, Xiao Lun probably wouldn't have assigned him to this task.
"You don't even know where your mistress lives?"
Cai Die could only shake her head again: "I don't know." She then said anxiously, "If Second Madam wants to know, I can ask her. I just beg Second Madam to help Brother Yue think of a way to stop him from doing such a thing."
Xu Rong immediately stopped her: "Don't ask. If you do, the advice I give you will be useless."
She was indeed not a very clever girl, which was why he had to ask her for help. But Xiao Yue wasn't stupid. He understood the unresolved issues between Xiao Lun and Xiao Xin's families better. If he found out that the idea came from her, he might not dare to use it and would become wary.
Cai Die didn't think that far ahead; she was simply filled with hope and straightened up, asking, "Second Madam, do you have an idea?"
Xu Rong nodded: "Yes, there is, but it's not good. He'll have to suffer some physical pain."
Without hesitation, Cai Die replied, "Second Grandma, don't be afraid. What's a little hardship to people like us!"
Preserving your life is the most important thing.
Since she had already said that, Xu Rong didn't hold back: "Tell him to pretend to be sick or injured to avoid these few days. The medicine has already been bought, and the young master has more than one person who can use it. There's no need to wait until he's fully recovered before having him come over to administer the medicine. Even if the young master can wait, his stomach might not be able to."
Cai Die's eyes lit up: "This... I'm afraid the young master will become suspicious. The young master is extremely shrewd—"
"That depends on how convincingly your brother Yue is acting," Xu Rong said. "Besides, compared to arousing the prince's suspicion, or personally getting involved with the prince's offspring and leaving behind a deadly disaster, you should weigh the pros and cons yourselves."
The latter is definitely more terrifying.
Cai Die finally had the strength to get up and stammered, "Thank you, Second Madam. I knew you had a plan. I am one of your people and I am willing to follow your orders."
This is a response to what Xu Rong said about her yesterday.
Xu Rong chuckled and waved her hand: "You go first. Your brother Yue might not be willing to do it. Just tell him it was your own idea, so he won't overthink it."
Cai Die agreed and hurried off, but then turned back and whispered to Xiao Xin, "Second Young Master, Brother Yue and I—I didn't mean to keep it a secret, but I just didn't dare to say it. Brother Yue's family doesn't approve either, so we might not be able to make it work."
No, she was still worried about Xiao Yue, and in her desperation, she even went to Xu Rong for help.
Xiao Xin glanced at her: "It's your own business, do as you please, go ahead."
Cai Die breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little embarrassed. She knew that the Second Young Master was like that; he didn't pay much attention to them, so she had no choice but to ask Xu Rong for help.
She wiped her eyes and turned away.
Once her figure disappeared outside the courtyard gate, Xu Rong stood up and called out energetically, "Hongliu."
Hongliu, who was picking small flowers under the osmanthus tree, hurriedly handed her hands full of flowers to Qingzao and ran over, saying, "Second Grandma, what did you call me for?"
Do you know anyone in the Great Madam's compound? Can you pass on a message?
Hongliu immediately nodded: "Yes!"
Xu Rong carefully confirmed with her: "It can't be directly from someone in that courtyard. It has to be a roundabout way, so that no one knows the message came from your mouth. And it can't be spread too quickly, so that everyone knows."
Hongliu asked curiously, "What message does Grandma want to convey?"
Xu Rong whispered a few words to her.
Hong Liu's eyes widened, and after a moment of stunned silence, she exclaimed "Wow!"
"Can you do it?" Xu Rong asked her.
Hongliu snapped out of her daze, her eyes darting around, and confidently said, "Grandma, don't worry. The eldest mistress also has maids in the outer courtyard. My brother can easily strike up a conversation with one of them and let him get some fresh air. He can just say, um—"
"Your brother overheard it from the young master's servant that the young master seems to be keeping someone outside," Xu Rong continued.
Hongliu nodded quickly: "Yes!"
She was very enthusiastic about doing this kind of thing, and she ran off quickly.
Xu Rong turned around and saw Xiao Xin still sitting there, looking at her. Thinking he was waiting for her explanation, she went back and said, "If Cai Die asks too many questions, it will easily alert the enemy. It's better to let the person in charge handle it."
The opportunity to seize leverage over Xiao Lun was rare, and she certainly wouldn't let it slip by, which was why she needed to be even more cautious. It would be best for her to follow behind Chang Shuyin, like a cicada stalking its prey.
Xiao Xin continued to gaze at her.
Xu Rong: "—?"
She asked in confusion, "Second Young Master, aren't you going to study anymore?"
She thought Xiao Xin wouldn't want to get involved in such a thing, and she didn't want him to either. Keeping a mistress and getting an abortion was too dirty.
Xiao Xin said quietly, "My shoulders are sore."
"Huh? -- Oh!"
Xu Rong suddenly realized what he meant, couldn't help but laugh, then helplessly stood back behind him, raised her fist and pounded him haphazardly for a while, then pushed him: "Are you done yet? Go study now."
Xiao Xin was easy to deal with; judging from his expression, he seemed quite satisfied. He stood up and went to the east side room.
Xu Rong stood there for a while, frowning slightly, yet also finding it somewhat amusing. What kind of situation was this?
Her worries didn't last long; before dark, both Cai Die and Hong Liu returned.
Xu Rong only summoned Hong Liu in and asked her a few questions. After learning that the message had already been passed on to her brother, she didn't ask any more questions.
As for what the outcome will be for Cai Die, whether Xiao Yue intends to follow her plan or not, she doesn't care at all.
However, she found out the result the next day.
In the afternoon, the news spread throughout the mansion that Xiao Yue had gone out on errands, spooked his horse in the bustling city, and fallen off, breaking his leg. His family carried him home in tears and called a doctor to examine him. It was said that he would need at least two or three months to recover.
Xu Rong: "..."
He's a ruthless person.
She never expected Xiao Yue to be so thorough.
If someone is startled and falls, they could die.
But perhaps only in this way can Xiao Lun's suspicions be avoided as much as possible, and this blood-stained job be avoided.
But this matter is certainly not over yet.
The other, larger belly remained there, waiting for another person to deliver the abortion pills, or—perhaps—Chang Shuyin.
Three days later, Xu Rong received news that Chang Shuyin had gone out.
It is said that she is going back to her parents' home.
It was a bit of a coincidence that Madam Xiao was not at home that day. She had gone out early to attend a wedding banquet. Chang Shuyin was unable to go because she was pregnant, and Xu Rong was not fortunate enough to go with Madam Xiao unless there were special circumstances. So the two of them were left at the mansion.
Upon hearing the news that Chang Shuyin had gone out, Xu Rong immediately asked Hong Liu to tell her brother to prepare a car.
The car provided was not one from the manor, but one rented from outside.
Not long after Xu Rong followed Chang Shuyin's car ahead, she knew she hadn't made a mistake.
Because this is not the direction to the Duke of Chang's residence.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
