Chapter 274 The Last Gift
Shen Qingtan didn't shy away from Zhao Yi: "What news came from the other courtyard?"
Seeing this, Liu Yue quickly said, "Last night, there was a fire in the villa. Third Master and Third Madam were inside and couldn't escape."
Shen Qingtan had been waiting for this day to come. When he heard the news, he felt like the dust had settled and his heart was at peace.
Zhao Jue died, and her great revenge was achieved.
There is no need to worry about Zhao Jue making a comeback.
Shen Qingtan asked, "Has the Duke's Mansion heard the news?"
Liu Yue replied, "The Duke's Mansion has heard the news, and the Duke has sent a steward to take care of the affairs of the Third Master and the Third Madam."
Shen Qingtan was not surprised. The main reason why the Duke and the Old Lady expelled the Second Branch from the family was that they were too disappointed in them and worried that they would destroy the Duke's Mansion.
Secondly, it was to stop the second branch from fighting for power and to make them reform.
Whether out of emotion or reason, the Duke's Mansion will arrange someone to handle Zhao Jue's funeral.
Liu Yue said worriedly, "Second Madam, the villa is under your name. If something happens to Third Master and Third Madam in the villa, the Master and the Old Madam won't blame you, right?"
"Before I gave the yard to Shen Mingzhu, I consulted the old lady." Shen Qingtan raised his eyebrows slightly. "Zhao Jue betrayed his wife and abandoned her, forcing Shen Mingzhu into a desperate situation. Shen Mingzhu died with him. What does it have to do with me?"
Liu Yue understood that Second Grandma was just being kind enough to lend the house to Third Grandma, and she even made things clear in front of the old lady.
The second grandma had nothing to do with the fire in the villa, so even if someone wanted to investigate, they couldn't pin it on the second grandma.
Thinking of this, Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief: "Are you going back to the Duke's Mansion?"
"Don't worry." Shen Qingtan felt uncomfortable after sitting for so long, so he leaned against the bed with a thin blanket. "When Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt come back, we'll discuss it and make a decision."
Liu Yue had an idea in her mind. She looked at the bright sun outside the window, then at the Second Master who was sitting quietly beside her. She asked, "Second Madam, are you going to get up?"
Shen Qingtan was in high spirits and had some serious matters to deal with, so he naturally couldn't stay in bed any longer.
"Second Master ordered the kitchen to make you braised pigeon with Chinese yam, fish wontons with tender filling and thin skin, jade shrimp dumplings, steamed milk pancakes, and vegetarian three-fresh buns. I added your favorite crispy bamboo shoots to the buns."
At this point, Liu Yue remembered something: "You wanted to eat pickled cucumbers to stimulate your appetite last night, so the Second Master sent someone to bring them back from the foot of the mountain."
Shen Qingtan was thinking about this dish, so he quickly said, "I'll get up right away. Apart from the pickled cucumbers, you don't need to prepare any other meat or vegetable side dishes."
After a pause, she turned to look at Zhao Yi: "Second Master, have you eaten?"
Zhao Yi said gently, "I'll wait for you."
Shen Qingtan quickly threw back the quilt and stopped lying there: "Yue'er, go to the kitchen quickly and tell the cook to prepare breakfast."
Liu Yue glanced at the marks on Shen Qingtan's body, quickly lowered her head, and her ears turned red.
"I will go now."
Liu Yue said this and left in a hurry.
Shen Qingtan noticed something strange from Liu Yue's reaction, and belatedly realized something, and looked down at his body.
She was wearing only a single undergarment, her fair skin dotted with red plum blossoms. Looking down, a circle of red marks was left on her ankle.
She looked up and saw the man staring at her legs, his clear eyes darkening.
Shen Qingtan smelled a hint of danger and immediately became alert, and was about to pull the quilt to cover himself.
The man withdrew his gaze, took the clothes beside him, and put them on her one by one.
Shen Qingtan watched the man skillfully tying her belt. She was a little surprised by his thoughtfulness, but it seemed that her thoughts were not very pure and she thought he was too dishonest.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Yi looked at her dazed look and asked in a low voice, "What are you thinking about?"
Shen Qingtan blurted out: "I thought the Second Master wanted to..." Realizing what he had said, he quickly stopped talking.
Zhao Yi looked at her, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment because she had said the wrong thing.
"I wanted to do this when you were asleep." Zhao Yi's eyes were filled with smiles as he kissed her on the fair face: "Nothing can be hidden from Madam."
Shen Qingtan: “…”
After this man broke his vow, he became more skilled and comfortable in such intimate matters.
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After breakfast, Shen Qingtan sent Tingxue to wait at Wangyou Tower, waiting for Zhao Qiyuan and the fourth lady to come back after watching the sunrise, and then come to Yunlanju to report.
She calculated the time to go to the mountains to watch the sunrise, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to come back for a while.
Shen Qingtan called Zhao Yi to go see the foal they raised in the West Mountain.
They walked out of the yard and passed a path, then heard a burst of cheerful laughter coming from a distance.
Shen Qingtan looked over and saw the fourth lady sitting on a swing beside a pleasant water pavilion, swinging high in the air, her figure as light as a swallow.
Zhao Qiyuan stood under the wooden frame, his deep eyes following the Fourth Madam's figure, and there was no trace of impatience on his stern face.
The autumn sun bathed his face, softening the edges.
Suddenly, Zhao Qiyuan looked towards them with sharp eyes, but when he saw that it was them, the sharpness in his eyes faded.
When the fourth lady swung back, he stretched out his long arms, grabbed the rope of the swing, held her soft waist, and carried her down.
The sudden action frightened the Fourth Lady. Her heart was beating rapidly and her fingertips dug into Zhao Qiyuan's strong forearm.
Before the Fourth Madam could lash out, Zhao Qiyuan was the first to remind her, "Su Rao, my second nephew and his wife are here."
The Fourth Lady quickly pushed Zhao Qiyuan away, calmed her heartbeat, and looked back at Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi.
She lowered her eyes and said with a smile, "Tan'er, where are you going?"
Shen Qingtan walked towards the Fourth Madam. "Fourth Aunt, I heard the news that there was a fire in the villa, and Third Brother and his wife were unable to escape. Second Master and I came here specifically to discuss with you and Fourth Uncle. Are we going down the mountain today?"
The Fourth Madam also received the news early in the morning, but because of the surprise she gave to Shen Qingtan yesterday, she did not send anyone to disturb them.
"Although Zhao Jue is no longer a member of the Duke's Mansion, the Duke is probably still thinking about him." The Fourth Lady smoothed her wind-blown hair and said, "We have to go down the mountain and save face."
Shen Qingtan nodded slightly: "When are we going down the mountain?"
"Now." The Fourth Lady looked at Shen Qingtan's rosy face and suddenly remembered something. She dug into her sleeve and took out a purse. She avoided the two men and secretly put it into Shen Qingtan's hand: "This is the last gift that Fourth Auntie will give you on this trip to Xishan."
Shen Qingtan had a hunch that it was not a good thing.
The fourth lady said mischievously, "You'll need it."
Shen Qingtan thought of the anklet and silently accepted the sachet.
The Fourth Lady looked at Shen Qingtan, whose cheeks were red but she pretended to be calm, and thought she was very interesting. She pinched her cheek while facing Zhao Yi's gaze.
"Niece-in-law, let's make an appointment after we return home."
The Fourth Lady left these words and left with Zhao Qiyuan.
Shen Qingtan touched his cheek and looked at the back of the Fourth Madam as she left, feeling vaguely that he was being teased.
It was not until the Fourth Madam's figure disappeared in the corridor that Shen Qingtan withdrew her gaze and saw the man staring at the purse in her hand.
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