Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, Lady Qian greeted him with a smile, personally assisting Zhu Xian in washing up and bringing him freshly brewed tea.
Zhu Xian sat on a chair covered with a soft red carpet of butterflies and flowers, rubbing his temples in frustration.
Mrs. Qian placed the tea on the table and considerately came over to massage his shoulders and head.
After a quarter of an hour, Zhu Xian's furrowed brows relaxed a little. Qian Shi glanced at him and said with a smile, "My lord, Yi'er will be coming of age soon. Don't you think we should arrange the marriages for the two children as soon as possible?"
Zhu Xian frowned and said, "Your niece's father and mother are dead, and her family background is so low. Yi'er is going to inherit the title, and she has no brothers to help her. It would be better to find a better family for her."
Zhu Xian's words struck at the deepest wounds in her heart. Qian's face stiffened, and after a long while, she grinned and said, "Yi'er and Zhiqing have grown up together since they were little, and they are very close. If we separate them like this, I'm afraid Yi'er will resent me as her mother." She glanced at Zhu Xian and said, "You know that he is not my biological son. Although I have treated him as my own son all these years, there is still a difference. It's very difficult for me."
Zhu Xian shrugged nonchalantly, waved his hand irritably, and said, "That's easy. Once we're married, we can just take her as a concubine. She's been in our household since she was little, so it's up to you to decide how to handle it."
Madam Qian was furious. How could her beloved niece only be a concubine? But she couldn't deny that Zhiqing's family background was indeed not commensurate with that of the Marquis's family, so she could only remain silent.
The room fell silent again, and Zhu Xian began to ponder what had just happened, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Seeing that he frowned again, Madam Qian thought of pleasing him and, if possible, would make one last effort. Even if she became a concubine, she would want to be a noble concubine and even provide additional dowry: "Does Your Excellency have something on your mind?"
Zhu Xian absentmindedly responded and casually said, "I don't know what's wrong with me today, but those old guys are looking at me very strangely."
Madam Qian laughed and said, "You seem strange. Could it be that the current emperor has assigned you some task, and those people are jealous?"
Zhu Xian shook his head, looking utterly dejected. "It's been a long time since they've assigned me any work. With my current job, who would be envious? I must have made a mistake somewhere, and these guys are just waiting to see me make a fool of myself."
Qian's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that someone had found out about what happened a couple of days ago?
After thinking it over carefully, Ms. Qian realized that there was no one around at the time, and she had already cleaned up the mess. Even if someone knew that someone had fallen into the water, they wouldn't know who did it.
Zhu Xian sighed and continued, "In the imperial court, a slight misstep can lead to losing everything. That fellow Zhou Yunli is a prime example; after today, his family will cease to exist in the capital."
Madam Qian paused, her voice trembling, "Something happened to the Zhou family?"
Zhu Xian had his back to Qian Shi and didn't see that her face had turned pale. He was still shaking his head and saying, "That's right. He reported the truth with falsehoods and got exposed. As a result," he spread his hands, "he was stripped of his job and had to pay compensation and return to his hometown."
Madam Qian's fingers trembled as she gripped the handkerchief tightly. It was Zhiqing who had instigated the Zhou family girl to do it that day. She had thought that the Marquis of Ningyuan had fallen on hard times and that only his son was an official outside the family, and he was even a third-rank official.
Even a third-rank official could be hit by a random falling plank in this capital city.
Qian didn't take it to heart at all. When she learned that the person had been rescued and that no one had died, she only politely offered to apologize, but she didn't really intend to pay any compensation. Could it be that the other family intervened?
Only then did Madam Qian begin to feel afraid. Thinking of what the Marquis had just said, her heart clenched. If the title in the manor or his job were ruined because of her, she couldn't imagine how Zhu Xian would treat her. After thinking about it, she felt that she was overthinking it. That family shouldn't have that much power.
Madam Qian pondered for a while and decided that no matter whether this matter had anything to do with the Ningyuan Earl's Mansion or not, she couldn't let him find out from other people, otherwise she would only be in a more passive position.
"My lord, I have something to say," Madam Qian said, walking around to Zhu Xian's front and kneeling gracefully.
Zhu Xian casually agreed, then looked down and saw that her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked extremely aggrieved. He quickly helped her up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Madam Qian lowered her head and wiped away her tears. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a report from outside the door that Lord Zhou had come to visit.
Zhu Xian frowned, remembering what had happened in the hall that day and wanting to avoid the topic, so he said, "Just say I'm not here."
He responded and left.
Zhu Xian frowned irritably, pacing back and forth in the room. He waved his hand and said, "Wait a minute." He paused and said, "Please ask Lord Zhou to go to the study. I will come over later."
He had a good relationship with Zhou Yunli. Could it be that this guy was relying on their relationship to ask him to use his connections to clear things up?
Zhu Xian shook his head. Although he was a marquis, he held a sinecure and had no say in front of the emperor. Moreover, his crime was a sinecure that the royal family feared.
Zhu Xian found it increasingly troublesome. He had previously received some money through Zhou Yunli, so he wondered if this guy would take this opportunity to threaten him.
Zhu Xian felt that if he were to suddenly distance himself, the man might become desperate and act rashly. It would be better to appease him now and make further plans after he left the capital.
Zhu Xian flicked his sleeves and strode out.
Qian opened and closed her mouth, wanting to speak, but it was too late.
Madam Qian was somewhat uneasy. On one hand, she worried that Lord Zhou would tell Zhu Xian about the trivial matters between her youngest daughters, which would surely anger Zhu Xian. On the other hand, she was also worried that Lord Zhou's matter was indeed caused by this incident, and that the Marquis would certainly not forgive her.
The sky was getting dark, and Madam Qian craned her neck, looking out frequently. She hoped that the Marquis would come so that she could find out what was going on, but she was also worried that he would come and interrogate her.
The personal maid, Yihong, brought over a teacup to serve tea. Madam Qian tapped the rim of the cup in annoyance and said in a low voice, "Go and see if the Marquis is held up by something."
Yi Hong accepted the order and left. Granny Ruan stepped forward and massaged her shoulders, saying, "Madam, don't worry. The Marquis is a man. He cares about important matters in the court. He has no patience to listen to those trivial matters of women."
Ms. Qian shrugged slightly and said, "That's what I thought too, but for some reason, my heart feels like it's overgrown with weeds, and I feel particularly uncomfortable."
Granny Ruan smiled, recalling what the two had just discussed, and said, "Don't worry about Miss Biao's matter. It's good that you care about her, but you also need to take care of yourself. The Marquis is the head of the household. Since he has given his word, you have no choice but to do it, even if you don't want to."
Mentioning Qian Zhiqing, Madam Qian's expression softened, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Such a small child, growing up little by little in front of me, how could I not feel sorry for her? It's just a pity that her brother passed away, and now the family is in such a state. If it were an ordinary family, it would be fine, but she likes Yi'er. I just hope that I can help her and let her have her wish."
Knowing that Madam Qian doted on Qian Zhiqing, Granny Ruan made polite remarks, saying that since the young lady was so beloved by her, if she were to have someone by her side in the future, she would have someone to keep her company.
Qian's mood improved after hearing her words, and she beckoned for someone to bring her food.
No sooner had the messenger left than a thud was heard outside the door, followed by Yi Hong's painful moan.
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