Chapter 299 The Spy
As it turns out, the lone survivor who "fought" his way out of the crowd, driven by the instinct for survival, exerted all his strength to eat his first meal after being born.
Sheng An, who had thought he was going to have to go through some twists and turns, breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but smile as he looked at the little guy in his arms eating happily.
No wonder she gave birth to them, they're so cute!
At this moment, Sheng An had no recollection of how, upon first seeing the little guy during the day, he had mentally complained that the little guy was as ugly as a hairless little mouse.
Xu Jinnian watched silently, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.
The little one was still small, and ate very little for his first meal. He was full in no time, smacking his pink little mouth as he fell soundly asleep.
Sheng An didn't put the little guy down immediately, but stared at him for a long time without blinking.
Seeing that she did not spit up or choke on milk, I breathed a sigh of relief and carefully placed her on the bed.
Xu Jinnian also breathed a sigh of relief, her voice softening unconsciously: "An'an, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Sheng An shook her head: "No, it's fine."
Aside from some initial pain, the little one felt nothing after taking the first sip of milk.
Recalling how she was almost ambushed while giving birth earlier that day, Sheng An immediately perked up and asked, "What happened to Granny Wang and the others? Did Princess Shanmin instigate them to harm my daughter and me?"
Xu Jinnian's gentle face turned cold and stern, and he said with some guilt:
"Someone kidnapped Granny Wang's only grandson and instructed the mother and daughter-in-law to do something to you, creating the illusion that you had a difficult childbirth and severe bleeding, in an attempt to kill you and your unborn child."
They don't know who instigated it, and I haven't been able to catch them yet. But besides that mother and daughter, I can't think of anyone else who would harm you.
Sheng An had anticipated this outcome, and held the man's hand to comfort him:
“That mother and daughter wield immense power, and countless people are willing to risk their lives for them. They certainly won’t let us easily find any fault with them, so you don’t need to feel guilty.”
Xu Jinnian gently stroked her forehead: "I have already sent people to investigate the clues. We will have results soon. Even if we cannot harm the mother and daughter, we will make this the last straw that breaks their backs."
Sheng An glanced at the man and suddenly asked, "Before coming to the capital, did the teacher arrange for people to help you?"
The guards in the manor, including Li Tian, were not men who could be completely trusted.
Such an important and difficult task would not be entrusted to a guard, so it must be that he has someone else on his side.
Xu Jinnian had always known that his wife was very intelligent, and when he heard her question, he couldn't help but smile: "I thought An'an would pretend not to know."
Sheng An glanced at him sideways: "You're making it so obvious, it's hard for me to pretend I don't know."
She could tell from the fact that he had been looking for a reliable midwife months in advance.
Xu Jinnian didn't beat around the bush and explained directly:
"Before leaving Qingzhou, the Master spoke with me alone and handed over the people he left in the capital to me, including the people planted in the residence of Princess Pingyuan."
Twenty years have passed, and of the fifteen people who were once planted, half were eliminated from the manor by the suspicious Princess Pingyuan, three were exposed and killed, and now only three remain.
After Xu Jinnian took over, he had doubts about the loyalty of these three people and tested them several times before confirming that they were not problematic.
Another group of people are scattered throughout the capital. These people come from all walks of life, including beggars, merchants, and peddlers. Some of them can no longer be trusted, and others have not been in contact with us for the time being.
Upon hearing this, Sheng An asked, "Was the cause of death of the Master and his wife's son, who died young, related to Princess Pingyuan?"
Xu Jinnian said with a heavy expression: "Yes, she killed my senior brother. My master's wife couldn't bear the shock and became like that. My master also resigned from his post and took my master's wife back to Qingzhou. He never set foot in the capital again."
Sheng An frowned deeply: "Even someone as capable as Master Fu was ruined by Princess Pingyuan, losing his family and unable to avenge his own son. This woman is more difficult to deal with than we imagined."
Xu Jinnian held her hand: "Things are different now. We can just wait patiently."
Sheng An gave a bitter smile, his voice tinged with helplessness: "There's no other way but to wait."
Xu Jinnian hugged her tightly: "I will do everything I can to protect you and the child."
Sheng An smiled faintly: "Yes, you've done very well."
The next day, Xu Jinnian asked for leave again and personally escorted Granny Wang and her daughter-in-law to the Jingzhao Prefecture.
The Prefect of Jingzhao personally received Xu Jinnian and, after understanding the cause and effect of the matter, immediately imprisoned the mother and daughter-in-law and dispatched men to search the entire city for the whereabouts of Granny Wang's son, grandson, and the person who instigated the incident.
Unexpectedly, the news that the newly appointed third-ranked scholar's wife had been murdered by villains and nearly lost both her and her unborn child spread throughout the capital before the person could be found was discovered.
In an instant, rumors spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys, with everyone discussing who was plotting to murder the scholar's wife and unborn child.
Ning Sihan received the news immediately and personally visited Sheng An and the child at the Xu residence.
Sheng An was in confinement after childbirth and it was inconvenient for her to receive guests, so Xu Jinnian entertained Ning Sihan in the study.
As expected, the person who instigated the crime was not caught: "Even if we did catch that person, we would probably only find a corpse."
Xu Jinnian humbly asked, "The person behind the scenes is very powerful. I wonder if Your Highness has any ideas?"
Ning Sihan glanced at him and said calmly, "An'an is my sworn sister and my savior. I will not stand idly by in this matter, and you don't need to test my stance."
He will only be loyal to His Majesty the present.
Xu Jinnian showed no embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed and personally poured tea for Ning Sihan: "Mingyu was overthinking it. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Ning Sihan picked up her teacup, took a sip, and considered it a closed case.
The two talked for a long time in the study, but no one knows exactly what they talked about.
Before leaving, Ning Sihan held the sleeping baby for a while and left a valuable jade pendant as a gift.
In the afternoon, Song Zhihang and his sister Tan Zhenlin also came over.
Xu Jinnian entertained two friends in the front hall, while Tan Qingrou came to the main room to visit Sheng An and the children.
Seeing that Sheng An looked a little pale but was in good spirits, and that the child was healthy and cried with a strong voice, Tan Qingrou's tense mood relaxed.
"Sister An'an, I'm so glad you and the child are alright!"
Tan Qingrou sat on the edge of the bed and held Sheng An's hand tightly: "When I heard the news, I was so scared that my hands were shaking. Thank goodness you and your daughter are safe."
She was embroidering her wedding dress when her hand trembled and she pricked her finger.
Sheng An felt a chill run down her spine when she thought back on it, but she smiled and said, "It's all in the past. From now on, Xiao Bao and I will definitely be safe and sound, and there will be no more hardships."
Their tragic fate in their past life has been rewritten; the mother and daughter have escaped death. The mastermind behind the scenes wants to take their lives again, but it won't be so easy.
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