In Songhe Hall, Su Qingyu knelt at the old lady's feet with red eyes, and the maid Feicui behind her was holding a food box in her hand.
The old lady was in her bedroom, gently twirling her Buddhist beads. Seeing Su Qingyu kneeling beside her with red eyes, she hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Su Qingyu lowered her head and said docilely, "Grandma, I'm worried about my third sister and eldest brother. It's so cold today, I'm afraid they won't be able to bear it without eating. What if they get sick from the cold?"
The old lady didn't expect that Su Qingyu could still care about the brotherhood after going through a conspiracy, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.
"It's hard for you to still care about them. You have to endure the cold. You committed such a serious mistake. Kneeling for three days is the least of your punishment."
Su Qingyu reached out and took the old lady's arm, and said coquettishly: "Grandma, I'm asking for a favor for my eldest brother and third sister. I made some vegetarian dishes. Why don't we go and take a look and let them fill their stomachs, okay?"
Su Qingyu was already bright and beautiful, and this act of coquettishness revealed the sweetness and innocence of a young girl. Furthermore, Su Qingyu's words had reached such a point that the old lady couldn't bear to refuse. Looking at the sky, she said, "Then go now. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."
Su Qingyu smiled and helped the old lady up, and the two of them walked towards the Buddhist temple in the backyard of Songhe Hall.
As soon as I pushed open the door of the outer room of the Buddhist hall, I heard laughter coming from inside. It was Cheng Ruijin's voice.
"Cousin, please enjoy this crispy duck. I asked the kitchen to fry it for a little longer."
"Third cousin, this whitebait is specially made for you. Try it and see if it suits your taste."
Then came Su Yuankai's voice, "Thank you, cousin. We're glad you're thinking of us."
"That Su Qingyu, next time I will make sure she has no chance to turn things around."
The old lady's face turned pale and she walked inside.
I saw three people sitting on the ground in the Buddhist hall, and Su Yuankai and Su Yihui were eating with their mouths full of oil.
The old lady's habit was to get up early to burn incense and kowtow, and she would not come in the evening. At this moment, the three people kneeling on the ground looked towards the door in surprise. The old lady's terrifying gaze made them shrink their necks unconsciously.
Cheng Rujin reacted the fastest and quickly knelt on the ground to apologize. "Grandma, please calm down. This is my fault. I thought it was cold and hungry, so I forgot the rules of the Buddhist temple. Please punish me, Grandma. Rujin will not hesitate."
Su Yuankai and Su Yihui also reacted. They didn't even bother to wipe the grease off the corners of their lips, and knelt down together to apologize.
But no matter how you look at it, none of them are as sincere as Cheng Ruijin. Especially Su Yuankai, who apologized while swallowing the meat in his mouth with force.
Madam Su's chest heaved with rage. She angrily ordered Zhichun, the head maid beside her, "Go inform the Marquis and ask the ancestral family law to punish these three evildoers in the Buddhist temple today."
Su Qingyu supported the old lady, gently stroking her back and admonishing her, "Grandma, calm down. My cousin is worried about my eldest brother, but she just forgot the rules of our Su family. After all, she is not a member of the Su family, so it is understandable."
The old lady thought of Cheng Rujin's life experience, and a hint of disgust subconsciously welled up in her eyes. She used to think that this girl was well-behaved and sensible, but now it seems that she is also confused.
"Rujin, you are going to be a concubine in the Shen family. Although you are not a girl from our Su family, you grew up in the Su family. After you go to the Shen family, you must not behave like this again. You have brought shame to our family."
The old lady deliberately said that she was not a girl from the Su family in order to warn her, and she also secretly did not want to acknowledge her identity.
Cheng Rujin knelt on the ground with her head lowered, clenching her teeth, and hated Su Qingyu in her heart. If it weren't for Su Qingyu, why would her grandmother come to the ancestral hall at this time?
"Yes, Grandma, I won't dare to do that again."
Soon, Pingning Hou Su Chengye walked in quickly, followed by the butler Su Zhong holding a whip in both hands.
On the way here, Su Chengye already knew what was going on, so after entering the door, he pulled out the whip and hit Su Yuankai on the back first.
ah.
Su Yuankai let out a scream, and blood oozed out of his back.
A hint of pleasure of revenge flashed across Su Qingyu's eyes, and she felt comfortable all over.
After three lashes, Su Chengye finally stopped. Su Yuankai had never been punished like this before, so he knelt beside Su Chengye's legs, hugging them and begging for mercy.
The old lady stood by without saying a word, twirling the small-leaf Buddhist beads with her eyes slightly narrowed.
Seeing Su Chengye stop, he spoke up, "It's not easy to whip girls. Let them kneel here for three days."
"Madam Yuan, you personally bring people to watch over them. Don't give them any food, and don't let them slack off. Make them kneel down for three days."
Kneeling in the Buddhist temple was a common form of punishment in the inner chambers of aristocratic families. Normally, one could take a break from the punishment, even a nap. This time, the old lady was furious and refused to compromise. Three days of kneeling in the dead of winter was a near-fatal blow.
Without waiting for the two men to plead, the old lady walked out, obviously not wanting to say anything more. Seeing this, Su Chengye ordered someone to carry Su Yuankai back and left.
Only Cheng Ruijin, Su Yihui, Nanny Yuan and her maid Panxia were left in the Buddhist hall.
"Ladies, please kneel down properly." Nanny Yuan said in a deep voice.
The two of them had no choice but to kneel facing the Buddha statue. Su Qingyu looked at the food box in her hand and said regretfully, "Then I can only take these vegetarian dishes back. I'll host a welcome party for you after the two sisters leave."
The next morning, Su Qingyu had just woken up when she heard that Songhetang had sold off its two gatekeepers. She smiled faintly, thinking that this household needed some clean-up.
After breakfast, she went to pay her respects to the old lady. Su Qingyu asked Zhenzhu to call her mother's companion Lin Er in.
Lin Er was in his forties and managed all of the Lin family's dowry assets besides the shop. He also managed the farms on the outskirts of the city and the real estate in the city.
"Miss, do you have something to talk to me about?" Lin Er came in and bowed before asking.
Su Qingyu motioned him to sit down, ordered someone to serve tea, and then whispered, "Second Uncle Lin, I have something to trouble you with. Please help me find a reliable and smart person to go to Xuanfu to investigate something."
Seeing Su Qingyu's serious words, Lin Er's expression also became solemn, "Miss, please give your orders."
Su Qingyu said, "I suspect Su Yuanche is not my father's bloodline. My father brought this child back from Xuanfu back then. The concubine named Mo Yu was taken in when my father was exiled. I'd like to ask Second Uncle Lin to help me find out whether Mo Yu is pregnant and the details of the birth."
Since they said that Su Yuanche was born to the concubine Mo Yu, she might as well take advantage of the situation and see what they had to say in the end.
Lin Er's face changed when he heard this. "This matter is of great importance. I will go to Xuanfu in person and tell everyone that I have something urgent to do in my hometown and am back to visit my relatives."
Su Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. Second Uncle Lin is very careful in his work. I'll be relieved if you go in person."
He then whispered, "If this child is not Mo Yusheng's, then the evidence must be on paper, and whoever can be brought back should be brought back."
"Don't be afraid to spend money, bring more money with you when you go out."
"Also, remember, no matter how much you find, you must return before the Chinese New Year."
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