Xu Rong and Xiao Xin had a falling out. They went in and out of the room almost without speaking to each other.
This has never happened before. Now that life is better, it's strange that the masters are having trouble living.
Even so, it didn't have much impact on the servants, because neither Xu Rong nor Xiao Xin were the kind of people who would take their anger out on others like Madam Xiao. The atmosphere in the North Courtyard remained quite good, and the maids just watched with curiosity and concern, hoping that they would reconcile soon.
Xu Rong expressed his helplessness regarding this.
This cold war wasn't started by her. Things had come to this point, and she didn't think she could solve the problem by just muddling through and dragging things out. But Xiao Xin refused to communicate with her.
He was the one who uttered the harsh words, and he was also the one who started to dodge them afterward, as if he knew he was in the wrong and couldn't win the argument, so he simply stopped talking.
"Second Young Master, you can't be so childish," Xu Rong said solemnly, not caring whether he liked hearing such words or not.
As Xiao Xin was walking, his face fell, but he immediately turned his face away and remained silent.
Xu Rong: "..."
Alright, another failed attempt at today's work.
"Second Young Master, if you're so capable, then don't ever speak to me again." Xu Rong mocked him; she wasn't always going to be polite to him.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a slight smile gracing Xiao Xin's lips on his profile.
What's so funny?
He could still laugh.
Xu Rong was so angry that she wanted to push him. It wasn't hard, but Xiao Xin didn't put up any resistance and staggered a couple of steps because of her force.
Bai Fu behind him: "Tch."
Xu Rong was speechless. Her IQ didn't seem very high, and she was just infected by him.
After a bumpy journey, we finally arrived at the main courtyard.
They couldn't go in immediately because Chang Shuyin was inside.
"Second Young Master, Second Madam, please wait a moment. It seems that Eldest Madam has something important to report."
Even within Madam Xiao's territory, the maids' attitudes became much more amiable; in the past, they would merely obstruct her without offering further explanation.
Xu Rong nodded: "Understood."
Madam Xiao and Chang Shuyin seemed to be having a private conversation. Xu Rong noticed that several maids who usually served Madam Xiao had also been sent out and were scattered in the corridor to wait.
After a while, Xiao Shan arrived. She was in a different state now, much more energetic. Although, as far as Xu Rong knew, Madam Xiao had not yet given her consent, and it was inconvenient for Marquis Xiao to directly make demands to Old Madam Zhang, judging from this trend, if Madam Xiao remained stubborn, it was possible that Marquis Xiao would bypass her and speak directly with the Zhang family.
Because of Lord Xiao's insistence this time, the possibility of getting this son-in-law is becoming more and more certain. Xiao Shan is naturally in a good mood, and even being ostracized by Madam Xiao is nothing.
—As for Lin Ding's own wishes, no one thought to ask. He was a commoner from a military family who only turned his life around in middle age. A beautiful young lady from a noble family fell into his lap, and he seemed to have no reason to refuse.
Xu Rong didn't care. She was just a little curious about what Chang Shuyin could talk about with Madam Xiao so early in the morning. Because of her eldest brother, an irreparable rift had formed between the two sides. According to the maids, they had had another unpleasant argument just a few days ago.
In a way, Zhi Tao giving birth to this child can be considered as repaying her former master.
After waiting, Chang Shuyin finally came out.
However, Madam Xiao did not show up. Instead, Chang Shuyin relayed the message: "Madam has something to do today. Please go back."
No need for everyone to greet me.
Xu Rong noticed that she kept looking at Xiao Shan while speaking, which was not reasonable. Chang Shuyin and Xiao Shan did not have much of a conflict of interest. Chang Shuyin had to be a good elder sister-in-law and could not offend Madam Xiao or displease Marquis Xiao. She always tried to avoid Xiao Shan. Only when she could not avoid her would she give her a perfunctory answer. It was extremely rare for her to take the initiative to be associated with her like this.
...
On the way back, Xu Rong realized that she had overthought things again. She had decided not to get involved in the Xiao family's affairs anymore, but old habits die hard. She sensed something was wrong and decided to think about it.
Anyway, time is running out. Xu Rong comforted herself. Xiao Xin wasn't talking to her, and since she was just idling around anyway, it wouldn't hurt to think about it.
But she soon realized she hadn't thought much of it.
Anything that seems out of place is suspicious, no matter how small the anomaly may be.
At noon that day, Aunt Ruan suddenly dragged Madam Wei to the north courtyard. As soon as they entered, they pleaded, saying that Xiao Shan was trapped in the main courtyard for almost two hours, and it was almost lunchtime, but there was still no news. They begged Xiao Xin to go to the yamen to invite Lord Xiao back and rescue Xiao Shan.
Xiao Xin asked coldly, "Shan'er came back with us this morning, why is she still in the main courtyard?"
Aunt Ruan said anxiously, "She did come back, but then Madam sent someone to call her over again—several people came. I felt something was wrong when I saw them. It wasn't like they were inviting a young lady; it was more like they were detaining her. But I didn't dare say anything because of Madam's intentions. I thought maybe Shan'er was disrespectful and had angered Madam, and Madam wanted to call her over to scold her. I could only accept it. But she hasn't come back for so long. I was worried, so I went to check on her myself, but they wouldn't even let me into the courtyard!"
As Aunt Ruan spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. She then pulled at Madam Wei, pleading, "Sister, please say a few words for me. We're both mothers, you know how I feel. My heart is in turmoil. If I could get out of here, I would have already done so. I wouldn't be bothering Erlang. I really have no other choice!"
Mrs. Wei patiently comforted her, "Don't worry, the eldest daughter is still at home. Even if the madam is strict, she should be safe."
Aunt Ruan simply shook her head: "You don't understand, this has never happened before..."
As Yi Xing spoke, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably; he was truly in a state of panic and disarray.
Lady Wei could only look at Xiao Xin with a troubled expression.
Xiao Xin paused for a moment. He didn't understand why Aunt Ruan was in such a hurry, but since Aunt Ruan had persuaded Madam Wei, he said for the sake of his birth mother, "I'll go."
Aunt Ruan looked relieved and said repeatedly, "Second Brother, thank you so much."
As Xiao Xin left, Xu Rong invited him to stay, saying, "Please, both of you ladies, sit here for a while and wait for news."
Aunt Ruan found this reasonable and went inside. Xu Rong brought hot water, and Aunt Ruan washed her face and tidied herself up before calming down a bit.
"Sister, Second Madam, I'm sorry to have made you laugh." Aunt Ruan forced a smile. "Shan'er is a pampered girl who has never suffered any hardship since she was a child. She is also a bit rough on manners. I'm really afraid that she will suffer."
This reason was far from sufficient to explain her excessive worries, but it was enough for Madam Wei. She even nodded in agreement: "Yes, Erlang has been very stubborn since he was a child. I am always worried that he will make the Marquis and his wife angry."
Xu Rong drank his tea in silence.
She initially guessed that Xiao Shan had angered Madam Xiao because of the marriage, but she quickly realized that this was not the case. This matter had been going on for more than a day. Madam Xiao had not even seen Xiao Shan at the beginning of the day, so there was no reason for her to suddenly turn on her and start a fight. Moreover, the key issue was not Xiao Shan, but Marquis Xiao. It would be useless for her to take her anger out on Xiao Shan, unless she simply beat her to death—Madam Xiao was not crazy and would not do such a thing.
Then there's only one other possibility.
She didn't want this possibility to come true. As she said before, she didn't have that much of a grudge against Xiao Shan, and she didn't want to see her suffer. Besides, she was about to make the trip, and she didn't want this bombshell to explode before she left, causing unnecessary complications.
However, she also knew that this matter was probably beyond her control, so there was no better way than to stand by and watch.
**
Meanwhile, Xiao Xin's whereabouts were unimpeded, and he successfully arrived at the Five Armies Commandery and found Lord Xiao.
When Lord Xiao came out upon hearing the news, he was in a good mood. As soon as the soldier sent word inside that his second son was looking for him, a well-informed subordinate immediately asked him, "May I ask, Lord Xiao, is this the son who passed the provincial examination with top honors? He is truly a young talent, and one can only envy him!"
Upon hearing this, the others gathered around and showered him with flattery, which made Lord Xiao feel quite proud, and he even lingered a little longer before leaving.
His expression changed drastically when he heard Xiao Xin's purpose.
"Prepare the horses!"
Lord Xiao was quite old, and he used to travel to the government office by sedan chair. But now he didn't want the sedan chair anymore. He ordered someone to bring out a horse, mounted it, and rode straight home.
Fortunately, Xiao Xin had come alone on horseback, so he wasn't much slower than him. The two entered the mansion one after the other, but since he had been entrusted by Consort Ruan to give her a reply, he didn't follow her to the main courtyard but returned to the north courtyard instead.
Aunt Ruan was feeling uneasy, but when she heard that Lord Xiao had been summoned back, she breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and hurried away.
Seeing that nothing was wrong, Lady Wei left shortly afterward, leaving only Xu Rong and Xiao Xin in the room.
Xu Rong didn't look up, but noticed that Xiao Xin hesitated for a moment before sitting down in the seat that had originally belonged to Wei Shi opposite her. She ignored him.
She had something on her mind.
It's quite common for a legal mother to discipline her illegitimate daughter, yet Lord Xiao responded immediately to her call, showing no less anxiety than Consort Ruan. It seems obvious whether he knew Xiao Shan's true parentage.
It seems that Xiao Shan will not suffer any catastrophic disaster because of this.
Her biggest question now is not who Xiao Shan's biological father is, but why Chang Shuyin was the one who brought this up.
The timing of the outbreak, as well as Chang Shuyin's reaction in the morning, clearly indicate that it is inextricably linked to her.
How could she know a secret that even Madam Xiao didn't know?
When and by what circumstances did she find out?
"Second Young Master—"
Xu Rong finally looked up, but before she could speak, she saw Xiao Xin's expression change, and he stood up to leave.
"...I have something important to tell you!" she said, slamming her hand lightly on the table in exasperation.
If he's so capable, he should stay far away from her. Why does he have to keep hanging around her? Xu Rong really doesn't like to use violence, otherwise she would have given him a good beating.
That's too much.
Xiao Xincai shuffled back and said, "I won't write a divorce agreement."
Well, he still needs to shut her up first.
"I didn't tell you about this," Xu Rong said irritably. "It's something else, which I haven't told you about."
She glanced out the window, and seeing no one was around, she lowered her voice as much as possible: "It's Zhi Tao, when her brother left—"
"Second Young Master, someone from the Marquis's side has come and wants you to come over."
Bai Fu's voice rang out from outside the door.
Xiao Xin replied, "Hmm."
He looked at Xu Rong, waiting for her to continue.
Xu Rong hesitated for a moment: "--Never mind, the Marquis must have something to say to you at this time. Let's talk about it when you come back."
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