Shen Zhixiu got up early and left the main courtyard. Wenzhu was already waiting at the gate.
"Third Master, something happened."
Shen Zhixiu didn't stop walking, "What happened?"
Wen Zhu followed him and said, "Last night, the three members of the Li family committed suicide by hitting their heads against the wall."
Shen Zhixiu paused slightly. "What did the Ministry of Justice say? Was it suicide or was it someone who killed him beforehand?"
Wen Zhu shook his head and said, "Minister Wang is also investigating, but there are no clues at the moment."
Shen Zhixiu was puzzled. Princess Yongjia had pleaded for her daughter yesterday, so how could she have committed suicide out of fear of punishment? But if someone else had done it, why?
It was obvious that Li Jingchuan and Princess Yongjia would not survive today, so why was there a need to eliminate them half a day in advance?
What kind of unexpected events could happen in this half day?
Wen Zhu continued, "There's one more thing. Last night, there was a fire at our farm outside the city. An hour ago, I took the coroner to the other courtyard, and he confirmed that those people were poisoned to death."
Shen Zhixiu stopped and asked, "There's a fire at our farm? Why didn't we report it earlier?"
Wen Zhu said awkwardly, "I heard that the Third Madam has been feeling unwell, but after thinking it over, I decided not to disturb her. I thought I would investigate thoroughly first and then report to the Third Master."
Shen Zhixiu nodded and said, "You did the right thing. Even if you reported it, I wouldn't be able to go there."
"Who dares to attack our family's manor, and why?"
He suddenly thought of Li Hu, "Li Hu left last night?"
Wen Zhu nodded and said, "As soon as it got dark, Li Hu left with the travel permit and household registration documents."
Shen Zhixiu didn't say anything for a long time. If what he said in the hall was true, Li Hu should have stayed at the manor last night.
Could it be that they are targeting Li Hu?
Li Hu's departure from the capital the previous night was already suspicious. It was as if he had anticipated someone's intentions. Who was it that would attack Li Hu? It certainly wasn't the Emperor.
The death of the three members of the Li family was also unusual.
Shen Zhixiu lowered his eyes and recalled what happened in the hall yesterday, but his attention was all on the emperor and the Li family yesterday, and he did not notice anything unusual about others.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Zhixiu instructed Wenzhu, "Find out who attacked Zhuangzi last night. Bury the deceased servants with honors and pay their families the full amount of money according to the rules."
"As for Chen Ping, just get rid of him. There's no need to keep him here."
Wenzhu wrote them down one by one, and then Shen Zhixiu got on the carriage.
At the imperial court, the Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial requesting that Mr. Zhou be granted the title of Prince of Qi. Emperor Xuande approved the request and ordered the renovation of the Li family's residence, which would later become the Prince of Qi's residence.
That’s how the capital is, you never know how the feng shui will change.
In a few years, or maybe even less, no one will mention the Li family anymore.
After the court session, Shen Zhixiu didn't even go to the cabinet duty room, but went straight back home.
He was worried about Su Qingyu, wondering if she slept well and whether she woke up after he left.
After returning to the mansion, I went straight to the west courtyard. When I entered the main courtyard, I found out that the old lady had come to see Su Qingyu.
Hearing that the person was still asleep, he sat in the hall and waited, not allowing anyone to call him, saying that he had been waiting for almost half an hour.
Shen Zhixiu hurried into the hall. When he entered, the old lady was dozing off with her elbows on the table.
I opened my eyes when I heard footsteps, "You're back? Are you tired?"
Shen Zhixiu walked to the old lady and said, "Son, I'm not tired, but mother has been waiting here for so long, how can her body bear it?"
The old lady pulled Shen Zhixiu to sit down and said, "She finally slept soundly, and I didn't let anyone wake her up. I'm here to watch over my daughter-in-law and unborn grandson, and I feel at peace."
Afterwards, Shen Zhixiu told the old lady what happened in the palace yesterday.
When she heard that Li Jingchuan and his family of three had committed suicide and the entire Li family had been executed, the old lady sighed and said, "No matter what time it is, one must keep one's heart right; that is the foundation of being a human being."
"If you do too much evil, you will eventually perish. If you do too much evil, even God will not tolerate it."
He also instructed Shen Zhixiu, "Teach these little ones at home more. I don't expect them to achieve great things in the court, I just hope they can be upright people."
"Tell them that my Shen family will not tolerate people who do evil and cause trouble. If you find them, you will be kicked out of the house and will not be allowed to enter the mansion again for the rest of your life."
Shen Zhixiu bowed and said, "Yes, son, I've taken note of it."
After chatting for a while, Feicui came in and reported, "Old Madam, Third Master, Madam is awake."
The old lady stood up after hearing this and said, "I'll go take a look."
Shen Zhixiu hurriedly stood up and supported the old lady, and the two walked towards the main room.
When she entered, she heard Su Qingyu scolding the people below, "How dare you! You didn't even inform the old lady when she arrived, and you made her wait for so long?"
Pearl lowered her head and admitted her mistake, not daring to talk back.
This was indeed her fault. She felt sorry for the old lady because she didn't get a good night's rest. So when the old lady said not to report it, she really didn't report it.
In fact, she is the lady's dowry maid, and she should be more considerate of the lady. When the mother-in-law comes to visit, she should ask the lady to get up. Otherwise, if this matter gets out, people will say that Mrs. Shen is arrogant and disrespectful to her mother-in-law.
The old lady came in and said with a smile: "Don't blame them, it was all my orders."
"These girls are worried about your health. I think you are fine. Madam Hua, give them ten taels of silver each. In the future, take good care of the Third Madam. You will definitely benefit from it."
Su Qingyu sat up and said to Zhenzhu and the others with a smile, "The old lady is so kind. Why don't you come forward and thank her for the reward?"
Zhenzhu and the others were all smiling. They stepped forward to thank the old lady and then stepped aside.
Su Qingyu wanted to get out of bed and bow, but the old lady held her back, "We're family, why should we bow?"
"How do you feel now? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Feicui handed over some warm water. Su Qingyu drank most of it and then replied, "Mother, don't worry about me. I'm much better now. I don't feel hungry, but I feel very tired."
The old lady glared at Shen Zhixiu when she heard this and said, "Don't let her come to the palace to make trouble in the future. She was exhausted yesterday."
Shen Zhixiu immediately said, "Mother is right. It was my son who was inconsiderate yesterday."
The old lady also instructed Su Qingyu, "Just lie in bed for the next few days and take good care of yourself."
Then he said, "I think your pregnancy is hard, so I want your second sister-in-law to take care of the household chores for you first. What do you think?"
In a large household, household management is the most sensitive matter. Even if the wife is pregnant, the head of the household is reluctant to hand over the reins. Instead, he usually hands the responsibility over to a capable butler nearby, while he keeps an eye on things from the side.
Because Shen Zhixiu was already quite old, the old lady attached great importance to Su Qingyu's pregnancy, fearing that she would get tired or angry and disturb the fetus again.
In the old lady's view, nothing is more important than her grandson.
She also understood Su Qingyu and knew that she was not someone who coveted power, so she spoke up.
Su Qingyu recalled the discomfort she had felt last night and nodded, saying, "Mother is thinking about Zhou Xiang, but I don't know if Second Sister-in-law is willing."
As soon as she finished speaking, a little maid came in and reported, "Madam, the second lady is here to see you."
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