Chapter 672 Replacement
On the surface, she was obsequious, but on the day Fang died, she burned incense and set off fireworks. At the time, Xiangye did not understand what Zhuang Wanjun meant, but a few days later, she always saw Zhuang Wanjun and the eldest son together.
“Our eldest son is young and promising, and has long been serving in the Hanlin Academy. He is also a man of deep affection and loyalty. Since the passing of the young mistress, he has been wearing white clothes every day, which is no different from mourning for Madam Fang.”
Xiangye was heartbroken, and seeing Zhuang Wanjun and the eldest son together again made her even angrier.
Madam is currently too weak to manage, but with Madam Fang gone, the household still needs someone to take charge, and the eldest son will have to get married sooner or later.
Xiangye didn't say some things explicitly, but she hinted at them quite clearly.
Zhuang Wanjun coveted the position of the young mistress of the Zhuang family and had long admired her eldest cousin. Taking advantage of the situation when Fang Shi lost her unborn child, she seized the opportunity to have an affair with the eldest son.
"So you need to be careful. No matter how bad Fang is, she is still Miss Wanjun's cousin-in-law. Why doesn't she want people to be good to her?"
While Xiangye's words appeared to be an expression of sympathy for the Fang family, they were also mixed with strong personal emotions.
After a brief analysis, Lin Yuesha concluded that Zhuang Wanjun was indeed interested in the eldest son and had designs on him, while Xiangye, as a servant, was probably also after the position of concubine or mistress, and therefore valued people extremely highly, which was why she was resentful.
Back in the guest courtyard, Lin Yuesha sat down and asked Qingxing, "What do you think?"
“This servant does not know Zhuang Shi’s character, but it is very suspicious that she treats the small Buddhist hall as a taboo and does not allow anyone to enter or leave.”
Qingxing felt deeply guilty for her oversight. Previously, the master had sent people to investigate the Zhuang family mansion, but they had sneaked in several times at night without finding anything. They must have missed the small Buddhist hall.
Another point is that the Zhuang family's residence appears relaxed on the outside but is actually very tight on the inside, making it extremely difficult to visit them at night.
The small Buddhist shrine was the first place to be investigated, and Lin Yuesha was eager to see if there was anything unusual about it.
However, she dared not make any rash moves.
"We've just arrived at your residence, so let's not rush into anything. Let me observe for a couple of days."
Haste makes waste; the pockmarked man's repeated failures show how well Zhuangzi hid his secret.
The mistress and servant were having a private conversation when Bai Cha entered through the curtain and said, "Miss, Miss Wan Jun has come to see you."
"Sister Yue Sha, I just heard from the cleaning maid that you came to visit the manor. I didn't even know that until now."
Zhuang Wanjun's mouth was full of bitterness. Although she was at her aunt's house, she was living under someone else's roof. In particular, her aunt had recently fallen seriously ill, and her marriage had been temporarily put on hold.
"It was somewhat sudden, to be honest."
Lin Yuesha's visit to the mansion was merely an excuse; her main task was to prepare nourishing food for Zhuang Shi so that she could eat it.
“My aunt hasn’t been doing well lately. She’s been having frequent nightmares and has become extremely thin.”
Zhuang Wanjun sighed. If it weren't for the flower-viewing banquet at the Prince's Mansion, her cousin-in-law Fang would not have died along with her unborn child, and the mansion wouldn't be in this state now.
“I just came from the garden and saw a woman whose back view looks a lot like yours.”
Lin Yuesha didn't want to hear Xiangye's one-sided story, so she tried to probe with her words.
Zhuang Wanjun's eyes flashed, and her body suddenly stiffened. Then she pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Did Xiangye bring you here?"
"yes."
Zhuang Wanjun's behavior at least proves that Xiangye's words are half true.
When they first met, Zhuang Wanjun rarely spoke and was very cautious and shy. But now, after only a short time, she has become much more open.
It's unlikely that a person's personality will change drastically in a short period of time; there's always a process of transformation. So Xiangye is right; Zhuang Wanjun does have some ulterior motives.
Women who live under someone else's roof are naturally concerned about their own future, which is understandable.
"Xiangye didn't say anything to me, did she? She seems to have some misunderstanding about me."
Zhuang Wanjun bluntly stated, "My cousin still can't let go of the Fang family, so I comforted him a bit."
After Fang's death, the Fang family caused a scene, and my aunt had a big argument with them, which made her sick.
“My uncle is the Left Censor-in-Chief. He is very busy with official duties and rarely returns to the mansion. Only my aunt manages it, so this huge mansion is very deserted.”
Zhuang Wanjun went for a walk in the garden and met her older cousin. He was writing a poem for his deceased wife, Fang, and every word was filled with blood and tears. Fang Wanjun was moved by his deep affection and also admired his talent.
Fang died without leaving a child, and her eldest cousin would eventually remarry. Being close to her, Zhuang Wanjun had her own considerations.
“If I marry my older cousin, my aunt will be my mother-in-law. My aunt has always doted on me, so it’s better than marrying an outsider.”
However, this was only what Zhuang Wanjun thought. There were many mischievous kids in the mansion who were eager to climb into his bed, and Xiangye was one of them.
"Alas, Fang lost both her child and her body. In the end, the culprit is Yu Zicheng, who listened to slander and believed in the palace secret recipe. This has nothing to do with Aunt Zhuang. Nobody wants anything to happen."
Lin Yuesha, standing on Zhuang's side, was indignant and believed that the Fang family shouldn't have been so tactless as to cause trouble.
"I don't know why either."
That day, Fang's parents came to the door and pushed all the blame onto her aunt, saying that she had committed sins and that it was all retribution. But her aunt said that the retribution had not fallen on others, but only on the Fang family.
In short, the Fang family made a huge scene, smashing all the ornaments in the main courtyard and even trying to demolish the Zhuang family's small Buddhist shrine.
"The Fang family has gone too far! What does this have to do with Buddha?"
Lin Yuesha continued to probe for information, feeling that she was getting closer and closer to the truth.
Fang died along with her unborn child. The Fang family seized on Zhuang's weakness and blamed her for the tragedy. However, Zhuang refused to back down, after all, she and Consort Fang had conspired to scheme against Madam Qi years ago.
"Fang's mother said that her aunt was hypocritical and vicious..."
Zhuang Wanjun didn't hear the rest of what was said very clearly.
"Sister Yue Sha, I actually have a favor to ask of you."
Some things are better left unsaid, so Zhuang Wanjun quickly changed the subject.
"Between sisters, there's no need for any requests. You don't want to learn to cook from me, do you?"
Lin Yuesha waved her hand, saying that it wasn't difficult for her, but Zhuang Shi might not agree.
"You understand me best."
Zhuang Wanjun wanted to learn how to make salted egg yolk pastries. She only knew the name; she had eaten them when she first came to the mansion. They were her eldest cousin's favorite pastry, salty, fragrant, and crispy.
That was Fang's specialty pastry, but Zhuang Wanjun didn't know how to make it, so she came to ask for advice.
The two of them sat down for a short while today, and my cousin mentioned that without Madam Fang, the mansion felt empty and lifeless, and even his favorite salted egg yolk pastry was gone.
To replace the Fang family, one must start with the details; this was Zhuang Wanjun's clever tactic.
"If you've ever tried it, describe the taste, and I'll make many different kinds."
Salted egg yolks can be used to make cookies, square pastries, and as a filling for egg yolk pastries.
"Let's go to the main kitchen!"
Zhuang Wanjun couldn't contain her excitement. She knew that asking Lin Yuesha for help was the right thing to do. Making salted egg yolk pastries was just an opportunity; she wanted to get closer to her cousin's heart and replace Fang Shi.
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