Chapter 125 Leaving the Capital (Part 9) Let Him Go (First Update)! ...
After saying all this, Jiuli realized that there were eavesdroppers on the other side of the wall. Fearing that Xiuzhi might overhear, she went to open the door and lift the curtain to peek. Fortunately, no one was in the corridor, so she felt relieved and went back inside the screen. She saw Du Zhong still sitting on the bed in a daze. After a while, he managed a weak smile and insisted that what she said made no sense.
She could only sigh, "You should weigh whether it makes sense or not yourself. I know it's pointless to advise you. I just want to tell you not to rush into a fight with your uncle. He will never agree before he finds out the details about Aunt Guo. Don't provoke him first."
"After all that talk, this is the only thing that makes sense." He chuckled. Anyway, he believed Xiuzhi was innocent and wasn't afraid of Yu Qi asking.
As he spoke, his eyes glanced up and saw that Jiuli was wearing a light brown jacket with a silver fur lining, over which she wore a brown long coat, and a light purple skirt. She looked bright and warm all over, as if she was about to go out. He couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going today?"
“I’m going to the dock to see Manbao off onto the ship, and I’ll also deliver her daughter’s medicine to her.”
Delivering Zhang Manbao inevitably meant running into Xu Bai. Du Zhong pursed his lips and asked, "Does Master know?"
"Of course I know."
He stood up and said, "Then I'll go with you. It's boring sitting at home."
That won't do! Today we're going to the dock to deliver the treasure, and we also need to find a ship to the capital with Xu Bai. If he comes along, won't Yu Qi find out? She quickly pressed him back down, giving him a reproachful look, "If you're bored, just go for a stroll in the streets. Why do you have to follow me?"
"What's wrong with following you? We've been inseparable for over ten years, eating and living together, like we were born from the same mother. Oh, so now you don't want to be with me anymore?"
“No,” Jiuli’s eyes darted around, and she finally came up with an excuse. “You’ve already dealt with Xu Bai, and you haven’t even exchanged a few words with Manbao. What are you going to deliver? I’ll go by myself, so don’t get involved.”
Seeing that she was behaving strangely, Du Zhong suspected that she must be hiding something, so he smiled at her insincerely and said, "I can't be bothered to get involved!"
After saying this, he went back to his room. After she left, he also went out through the ceremonial gate and hired a mule cart to go to the dock. On the shore, he saw the servants of the Qi family carrying chests and boxes onto a multi-story ship. Looking over, he saw Jiuli standing at the bow of the ship talking to Zhang Manbao in the morning light.
The wind was strong on the deck, blowing Manbao's hair into disarray. The sun cast an orange-red glow on her face, but beneath that radiant color lay a lack of vitality. Jiuli knew it was because she had experienced too much lately, and the successive changes had left her no time to react. That paleness was a sign of bewilderment and stunned silence.
But now that she was leaving, she gazed at the river and finally showed a hint of sadness. "Miss Jiuli, you are familiar with our Second Master. Do you know why he didn't seem very sad when his mother died?"
Jiuli turned her head and looked into the cabin. The light inside was much dimmer. Xu Bai was giving instructions to the servants who were with him in an orderly manner. He looked calm and composed, without any sense of urgency or grief over the loss of his family. Perhaps Yu Qi was right. He was born to do great things.
She watched him quietly for a while, then turned back to smile at Manbao, "He's probably hiding his sadness in his heart."
“I’m afraid he’ll keep his talents to himself and get sick from it.” Manbao sighed softly with a smile. “But who knows? I’ve been married into the Qi family for so many years and thought I knew everything about them, but I later realized that I didn’t know anything. If I had to say what I knew, I only knew one thing: Xuyun never had me in his heart. He had someone else in his heart from the very beginning, and that was his second aunt.”
The phrase "at the very beginning" was quite mysterious, and Jiu Li couldn't help but glance at her sideways. "You knew about their affair before that Taoist priest extorted you?"
Manbao nodded. "He and I are husband and wife, we sleep in the same bed. I can see through his eyes and his heart. Miss Jiuli, if you have someone you love, you will be able to sense whether he has you in his heart or not. If he has someone else in his heart, you will also notice it." She smiled and turned to face the river. "There is no need to talk about evidence for this kind of thing."
That's true, Jiu Li thought to herself. The reason she insisted on arguing with Yu Qi back then was because she realized that he felt the same way about her. If he didn't like it, there was no point in her being stubborn.
"So you didn't question Brother Qi about this?"
"What's there to ask? When two people are married, they have to turn a blind eye to each other's problems."
Jiuli suddenly felt something was wrong. Whether it was Sirou or Enoki, he knew it all but never asked them. He hadn't even told Xuyun about being blackmailed by Fanyi and Chen Zifang. Now it seemed that Manbao was the same. How did Xuyun know that his affair with Enoki had been exposed?
The incident occurred because of the talisman that Enoki prayed for at the Baiyun Temple. However, Xu Yun did not go to the Baiyun Temple with her that day. He had no idea that Enoki had written that talisman, so how could he have guessed what happened afterward? Since he was kept in the dark, how could he have deduced that Enoki was the murderer and thus taken the blame for her?
On second thought, even if he thought Enoki was the murderer, he should have taken the blame for Enoki after Chen Zifang died. Why did he have to wait for the two Taoist priests to be murdered?
No, no! Everyone has taken this too lightly—
She suddenly looked up at Manbao, "Grandma, are you also aware of the toxicity of oleander?"
Manbao was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have heard Wang Mama mention it before."
"Does Brother Qi also know that you are aware of the toxicity of oleander?"
Manbao frowned and thought carefully, "I probably know, but I'm not quite sure. I think he mentioned it when we were chatting before. Is there any connection between this and other matters?"
Just then, Manbao's maidservant came over and said a few words. Jiuli's mind flashed to Xuyun's face. That face was always gentle and polite, but only once did she see a hint of annoyance under his smile.
She grabbed the maid and continued to ask Manbao, "Madam, you said you had the maid deposit the two hundred taels of silver into the bank, was it her?!"
Manbao nodded in surprise, and Jiuli turned to ask the maid, "Does your master know about you depositing those two hundred taels of silver?"
The girl glanced at Manbao and nodded blankly. "That day when I left the manor, I ran into the master in the garden. When he saw me carrying those silver coins, he casually asked me a question. I said I was going to the bank to exchange them for paper money for the mistress. He asked me why I suddenly deposited that money, and I said I didn't know."
Perhaps they were all wrong—
Jiuli slowly released the maid's hand, gradually regaining her composure.
Manbao then dismissed the girl and turned to Jiuli, who was staring blankly. She couldn't help but ask, "Miss Jiuli, why are you suddenly asking about these things again? Is there something wrong with that case?"
Jiuli shook her head blankly, and after a while she raised her eyes and stared at her, saying, "Grandma, have you ever thought that Brother Qi didn't want to take the blame for Second Aunt? He originally wanted to take the blame for you."
Manbao was horrified. "Take the blame for me? I didn't kill him!"
"Perhaps, perhaps Brother Qi thought you killed him. Just like at the beginning, we all suspected that you had an affair with Master Fanyi. Maybe Brother Qi thought so too, so after Fanyi died, he guessed that you killed him to cover it up."
A few words left Manbao speechless. "Maybe" and "perhaps" were just guesses. Jiuli was an observer and could guess whatever she wanted, but she was an insider and couldn't place her wishful thinking on a dead person; that would be self-deception.
She laughed in fright, shaking her head repeatedly. "No, no, you're overthinking it. How could he possibly die in my place? We've been husband and wife for years, and besides our daughter, we have nothing. I've never dared to ask for anything more." She shook the tears from her eyes and stared at Jiuli with a smile. "Miss Jiuli, your way of calming people down is truly ingenious."
Jiuli knew that Manbao must be frantically searching her memories for evidence at this moment, but love is something that "only heaven, earth, you, and I know." Trying so hard to prove that someone loves you is a pathetic thing in itself. If she wanted to prove it for her, this kind of pity would also be extremely pathetic. Suddenly, she ran out of words and gave up trying to persuade her to believe. She watched helplessly as Manbao turned and went into the cabin.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Xu Bai arrived at some point and glanced into the cabin. "Why is my sister-in-law crying?"
Jiuli shook her head blankly, glancing at him sideways, "Your older brother—"
"What's wrong with my brother?"
Jiuli fell silent again. Since the person was already dead, what was the point of guessing? She shook her head. "It's nothing. Grandma was just crying because she was thinking of Brother Qi."
Xu Bai looked into the cabin for a while and sighed, "The ship is about to leave, let's get off."
After giving a few more instructions to the servants accompanying him, he and Jiuli disembarked. Once the boat had traveled a bit further, he led Jiuli around the dock to inquire about various places. Finally, they found a boat that could take them to the capital. The two boarded the boat and had the boatman lead them around inside and outside the cabin.
Du Zhong watched from afar in a tea stall on the dock, puzzled. The two men were pacing back and forth as if inquiring about a boatman. Did someone else need a boat? Only after Jiu Li and Xu Bai disembarked from the boat did he go up to ask the boatman. He then learned that Jiu Li was planning to go to the capital with Xu Bai again, and the agreed date was at the end of the month!
Du Zhong then hired a carriage to rush home. He intended to tell Yu Qi, but hesitated at the door. If Jiu Li knew he had betrayed him, she would certainly refuse to speak up for him in Xiu Zhi's matter in the future. It would be better to persuade her secretly first. If she agreed not to go with Xu Bai, everything would be fine. Why provoke Yu Qi's anger again? Thinking of this, he lightly punched his fist into his palm and went into the shop.
As expected, Jiu Li returned first and was pacing back and forth in the inner room talking to Yu Qi. He walked over to the gauze curtain and overheard them talking about Zhang Manbao and Qi Xuyun.
"According to my guess, Brother Qi actually thought that Madam was having an affair with that Taoist priest. You see, the couple wasn't close to begin with, so it wouldn't be surprising if Madam had someone else outside. Besides, the women of the Qi family often went to Baiyun Temple to burn incense, so it's not surprising that the adulterer was a Taoist priest there! Therefore, it's only natural that Brother Qi thought that Madam was being blackmailed by the adulterer and killed him in a fit of anger. Even Chen Zifang's death, he thought was because Chen Zifang knew about Madam's affair and tried to blackmail her, which led to Madam killing him. So, he actually wanted to take the blame for Madam!"
Yu Qi sipped his tea, glanced at her, and said indifferently, "What's the point of guessing all this?"
Jiuli turned to face him, "Perhaps Brother Qi does like Grandma."
"Even if you guessed right, it only shows that he feels guilty towards the eldest madam. Who he cares about and who he doesn't is something only heaven, earth, and himself know. What nonsense are you spouting as an outsider?" Yu Qi chuckled as he put down his teacup. "I only ask you, what did Qi Xubai and the eldest madam say to each other?"
"Hmm?" Jiuli was slightly surprised and doubtful that he would ask about other people's family affairs. "He didn't say anything. Xu Bai only gave instructions to his servants on the boat."
"What did they confess?"
"How would I know? I wasn't there listening." She pouted, then realized something was off. No wonder he didn't object when she went to deliver Manbao, even though he knew Xu Bai was there. Was it just to find out this kind of thing?
She scrutinized his face. "Why are you asking these questions?"
"It's nothing." Yu Qi shook his head, lowered his eyelids and said, "Sit down properly and stop pacing around in front of me. You're making my eyes blurry."
As soon as she stepped aside, he saw Du Zhong standing outside and called him in, "Where have you been again?"
Du Zhong glanced at Jiu Li and said with an embarrassed smile, "I just strolled around the streets for a while."
Regardless of whether what he said was true or false, Yu Qi didn't ask any further questions. He just glanced at the two of them and said, "I asked Zhang Daxin to find a woman surnamed Yuan. She will come to the house tomorrow to replace Sister Guo."
Upon hearing this, Du Zhong nearly jumped up in anger. "If you want to punish someone, punish me! Why drag Xiu Zhi into this?! She has two mouths to feed at home. If you drive her away, how will she survive in the future?!"
Just then, Yuqing was in the shop and came over when she heard the noise. She said, "Don't blame the master. Xiuzhi packed her things at noon and came to tell the master that she wanted to quit her job."
"She's already gone?!"
Yuqing nodded. "She left after lunch."
As Du Zhong spoke, he tried to run out, but Yu Qingfengqiao quickly stopped him outside the gauze-covered cabinet, and Jiu Li also went up to pull him away. Only Yu Qi remained seated, smashing the teacup beside him on the ground with a bang, and angrily said, "Let him go! Don't stop him, let's see what tricks he can pull!"
Yu Qingfeng had no choice but to step aside. Jiu Li also walked back dejectedly, looked at Yu Qi for a while, and then cautiously asked, "Did Aunt Guo really want to leave on her own? You didn't kick her out?"
He sneered, "So what if I kicked her out? Do you think I can't decide who gets hired in my household? I didn't build this business for you to give away as charity!"
Jiuli was somewhat unconvinced, but considering that she and Xubai would soon be secretly going to the capital, she was already in the wrong and dared not argue. She could only stick out her tongue secretly and sit properly in the chair, watching his expression.
He was probably really annoyed with Du Zhong. Even when Yu Qing asked him at dinner if he should save some food for Du Zhong, he still coldly replied, "If he's not back by now, he doesn't know he's hungry. Why should I save any for him? Besides, he's a grown man. Do you think he'll starve to death outside?!"
No one dared to utter a sound, and the meal was eaten in complete silence. It wasn't until dark that Du Zhong returned home, but instead of going to his room, he walked dejectedly into Jiu Li's room. Jiu Li, who was at her dressing table removing her hairpins and ornaments, saw him silent and turned around to hold up a lamp to illuminate his face. "Did Aunt Guo blame you?"
He shook his head.
"So, Aunt Guo isn't home? You didn't see her?"
“She’s home.” Du Zhong glanced at her, his voice low. “But she won’t let me in; she’s kicking me out.”
No wonder she has that expression. Jiu Li clicked her tongue and shook her head, then moved her bottom back onto the stool, put down the silver lamp, and started putting her hair down in front of the mirror. "She's probably angry. It's alright, women are all prone to getting angry. Just go and coax her when she calms down."
Du Zhong glanced at the back of her head, feeling utterly dejected. "She told me not to go see her anymore."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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