Wei Huaixu arranged for personal guards to be by her side, ready to respond to her every call.
Qingying sent him a message, and he came.
Liu Chengfeng had been pondering this question all the way before finally asking, "Your Highness the Crown Prince and my sister... what is your relationship?"
Wei Huaixu thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "For now, let's consider each other friends."
Liu Chengfeng was completely baffled. His younger sister stayed in the mansion all day long and never went out. How could she have become friends with His Highness the Crown Prince?
Meanwhile, Qingying sat in the courtyard playing with the white deer, while Yu Yue couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Why did you ask His Highness the Crown Prince and the eldest young master to go with you to investigate the case?"
Qingying smiled and said, "With his status as the Crown Prince, everything will be much easier if he takes the lead. If any inappropriate rumors spread, he can cut them off faster than we can. Besides... I'm just testing him."
"A test?" Yu Yue frowned. "Does the young lady truly intend to marry into the royal family?"
Her eyes sharpened. "Is the royal family such a thing as marrying someone I can just decide to do or not do?"
Yu Yue hurriedly knelt down, "This servant misspoke."
She waved her hand dismissively, "Get up, don't kneel all the time."
"yes."
Qingying gently stroked the soft fur on the white deer and said slowly, "I haven't reached the age of marriage yet, so the marriage can't be brought into the open. They can only try their best in secret. And these few months are neither long nor short, and anything can change."
Yu Yue was somewhat puzzled.
She felt that her daughter was sometimes as simple as a child, and sometimes as profound as someone her age.
Qingying didn't say anything more.
Bai Lu fell asleep by the table, while she picked up a book and continued reading. The afternoon sun was warm, and she lazily nestled in its glow. The two of them, one human and one cat, were perfectly harmonious.
...
Liu Chengfeng returned in just three days.
As soon as he entered the mansion, he went straight to Qingying's bedroom.
"We've investigated everything." He had been running in a hurry, and now, panting, he sat down, picked up a teacup, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp.
Qingying waved her round fan, smiling sweetly, "Brother, there's no need to rush. Let's talk slowly."
Liu Chengfeng drank another cup before he could catch his breath.
Qingying then asked, "What have you found out? Could you tell me?"
"I came here specifically to tell you this."
Liu Chengfeng dismissed his attendants, pulled her into the inner room, and said, "We went to the Luo residence and, through both overt and covert investigations, we've finally found some clues."
"Before Luo married into the Liu family, she did have a childhood sweetheart named Gu Sheng, who was also a merchant. However, Gu's business was not as good as Luo's and was declining. Naturally, Luo and her husband looked down on Gu Sheng. Later, in order to climb the social ladder by marrying into our family, they forcibly separated them."
Qingying asked, "What kind of business does the Gu family run?"
Liu Chengfeng said, "He ran a cloth shop, but I heard that after the death of the Gu family patriarch a while ago, Mr. Gu sold many of his shops and suddenly became addicted to gambling. Now he has disappeared without a trace."
"So, the one in the woodshed really is Gu Sheng?"
Liu Chengfeng nodded and said, "We secretly interviewed people who were acquainted with the Gu family, and after they described the situation, we had an artist create a portrait."
As he spoke, he pulled a neatly folded piece of yellow paper from inside his clothes. Unfolding it revealed a portrait of a man, who indeed bore a striking resemblance to the man in the woodshed.
Qingying looked at the painting and clicked her tongue in admiration, "The painters in the palace are truly exceptional in their skills."
Liu Chengfeng glanced at her and said, "Is our focus now on painting?"
"It's just a sigh." After all, she has some unique insights into painting.
"Brother, please continue."
Liu Chengfeng then continued, "While my uncle was away, I sneaked into the west courtyard and searched it. I discovered that Luo Shi and Gu Sheng were actually exchanging letters."
"What about the letter?"
"They were all burned down by the Luo family."
"Then how do you know that they were corresponding?"
"She kept the envelope from which the letter was written. His Highness the Crown Prince took out the poems that Gu Sheng usually wrote from Gu Sheng's room. We compared the handwriting and confirmed that they were undoubtedly written by Gu Sheng."
Qingying was still puzzled. "If Madam Luo didn't even dare to keep the letters he wrote, how could she dare to bring him into the mansion?"
Liu Chengfeng shrugged and said, "You'll have to ask Luo himself."
He paused, then added, "However, during our investigation, we also discovered that Mr. Gu and Luo Xiuzhu had also been in contact."
"Luo Xiuzhu?" She was a little taken aback when the name was first mentioned.
“Luo’s sister,” Liu Chengfeng reminded her.
"The one who married into the Chen family?"
"Um."
Luo's original name was Luo Xiuzhen, and Luo Xiuzhu was her younger sister. She married the second son of the Chen family, who became a seventh-rank official in the Hanlin Academy. The Chen family were related to the maternal family of the old lady, Wang, so it was Wang who initiated this marriage.
Qingying's impression of Luo Xiuzhu was that she was weak and helpless, and her delicate appearance was even better than that of Qingying, a daughter of an official.
What is her relationship with Gu Sheng?
Liu Chengfeng shook his head. "This is not easy to investigate, but His Highness the Crown Prince is still following up on it secretly."
Indeed, they cannot reveal Luo's adultery, otherwise they will be hesitant to investigate, lest it affect the General's Mansion.
Qingying was somewhat troubled. The key to this matter lay with Madam Luo, but she refused to utter a single word.
How... can I get her to talk?
Just as the brother and sister were at an impasse, Tong Xia suddenly asked to see them from outside.
"Come in," Qingying said.
Tong Xia hurried over and immediately knelt down when she saw Liu Chengfeng, saying, "This servant greets the eldest young master."
"No need for formalities," Liu Chengfeng waved his hand.
Qingying looked at her and asked, "What is it?"
Tong Xia glanced at Liu Chengfeng before continuing, "Something happened on the second branch of the family."
"What is it?" Liu Chengfeng asked first.
Tong Xia immediately said, "The second master got drunk and beat the second madam half to death. Doctor Qin has already gone there, and we don't know what's going on inside."
This was not unexpected for Qingying. Her uncle's personality had changed drastically since he became lame. He used to be a cheerful and outgoing person, but now he was gloomy and depressed, and had also developed a drinking problem. It was strange that he was so calm before.
"I'll go take a look." Liu Chengfeng put away the portrait and walked outside.
Qingying quickly followed, saying, "Brother, wait for me."
The brother and sister rushed to the west courtyard and saw Wang standing in the center with a cold and stern expression, Pan standing dignifiedly to the side, while Liu Hui sat with his legs bent under a withered tree, head down and silent.
Qingying walked to Madam Pan's side and asked softly, "Mother, how is Aunt...?"
When Madam Pan saw her, her expression softened, and she said, "Doctor Qin has been inside for a while now."
Qingying, being very perceptive, retreated to the back and stood with Liu Chengfeng, waiting quietly.
After a long while, Doctor Qin came out with his young apprentice. His face was somewhat cold and stern. He walked up to Madam Wang, bowed, and said, "Reporting to the old lady, the second madam is more than two months pregnant."
Wang stared in shock, her eyes wide. "Dr. Qin, what you're saying... is it true?"
“It’s absolutely true, but the Second Madam just…” He glanced at Liu Hui under the tree before continuing, “The Second Madam is currently in a weak state, and if she doesn’t take good care of herself, she could miscarry at any time.”
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