Chapter 77 Isn’t it her that Aunt Sun wants to harm?
Xie Yao looked back at Xie Yan. His pupils were very dark and his eyebrows were tinged with smiles, as if he was asking about the weather. In fact, he was deciding whether to kill Xie Chengbai.
"Nonsense." Xu Susu said in a deep voice.
Xie Yan smiled and said nothing more. He glanced at the people from the second house, and a hint of innocent cruelty flashed in his eyes.
Before the family dinner started, several noble ladies came over, their tone warm and somewhat deliberate.
"I rarely see Madam Bo. You look much better today."
"Young Master is handsome and talented. Sitting together with the Second Miss and Master, they are truly a perfect match."
"Why doesn't Madam Bo come out more often so that the younger generation can remember her well?"
Wenchangbo's family sat together. Xie Yao was extremely beautiful, and her younger brother Xie Yan was also handsome, with eyes and eyebrows very similar to Wenchangbo's.
When Wenchangbo was young, he was a famous handsome man in the capital. Even now that he is middle-aged, he still maintains himself well and has lost his youthful charm.
On the other hand, Lady Xu Susu was too thin and haggard, and her appearance was rather ordinary, not at all like Miss Xie II.
I heard that the lady of the Bo family came from a merchant family, and all the household expenses in the mansion were in the hands of Aunt Sun.
They only thought this in their hearts and could not say it out loud.
Just because the Jiang family girl looks down on the Xie family doesn’t mean others look down on them either.
Xie Yan, the only legitimate son of the Earl of Wenchang, has not yet married, and some of them are still hoping to get married through the Earl's family.
Mrs. He, who had asked Xie Yao to say hello to Xu Susu before, could not hide her excitement when she saw her at this moment.
"If I hadn't happened to be staying in the Earl's Mansion today and hadn't seen the Earl's wife, I would have to thank Prince Jingbei for smashing the car." Mrs. He joked.
Xu Susu: "Is it Sister He? Sister He and I haven't seen each other for a long time. Sister He is still so warm and straightforward."
Madam He sighed, "The last time I saw my sister was at the Winter Solstice Banquet five years ago. She's still as charming as ever, so why is she always so secluded in the courtyard?"
Another noble lady echoed, "It's been six or seven years since I last saw the Earl's wife. Could it be that Earl Wenchang doesn't allow you to come out?"
Xie Yao lowered her eyes and listened, only to see that Xie Ming'an looked a little ugly, but was trying to force a stiff smile.
If Old Madam Xie were here, she would definitely say that her mother was the daughter of a merchant and could not show up in public, and that showing up would bring shame to the Earl's family.
But now that Old Madam Xie was not around, Xie Mingan had to pretend to be magnanimous and let the ladies talk to Xu Susu.
After chatting for a while, Madam He said, "Madam, you should come out more often. Go shopping with us, play some zodiac games, and kill time. Why don't you come to your house some other day? Master, you won't disapprove, will you?"
"Of course I will allow it." Xie Ming'an thought of the rumors in Beijing, coughed, and responded to Mrs. He kindly.
The current Minister of Rites, He Yu, is an honest and respectful official, and his reputation is as good as that of his third-rank officials.
Mrs. He is the wife of the Minister of Rites. She likes to meddle in other people's affairs, but she knows the rules best. The noble ladies in the capital all say that she is kind-hearted and has noble character.
If he showed any sign of wrongdoing, Mrs. He would say that the whole capital would say that he favored his concubine over his wife.
Xie Mingan had a terrible headache and raised his voice, as if to explain to everyone, "My wife is in poor health and can't be exposed to the wind. She needs to be taken care of regularly, which is why she rarely goes out."
In other words, Xu Susu rarely shows up because of her own health, which has nothing to do with him.
"Madam, is that right?" Xie Ming'an leaned close to Xu Susu and asked in her ear.
Xu Susu's body suddenly froze, and she felt like she was being stuck by a poisonous snake.
"Uncle is right..." She said in a low voice, her body cold and her face growing paler.
Xie Yao grabbed her mother's hand under the table, raised her eyes, and said with a cold and sharp look: "Since my father has a clear conscience, why bother asking my mother again?"
The atmosphere at the banquet became tense. Xie Mingan narrowed his eyes and changed the subject, saying, "Today is the Winter Solstice Banquet. We should eat first and then drink the winter tea to dispel disasters. The time has come, let's start the banquet."
More than a dozen maids served the dishes one after another. Soon, there were hundreds of delicacies on the table. Each one was exquisite and delicious. Utensils made of jade, gold and silver, bowls and plates were also placed in front of everyone one after another.
Several noble ladies who stayed in the Xie family and noble ladies from Beijing who were present at the banquet were all from high-ranking officials and noble families. Seeing this family banquet, they secretly sighed at the wealth of the Xie family.
Xie Mingan sat in the main seat, and the dishes were served by Nanny Zhu, who served him closely in his study. He ate first, and then others started to ask their own servants to serve the dishes.
"This sweet-scented osmanthus white jade cake was made by the pastry chef from Xiangyuezhai. Please try it and see if it tastes good."
"This dish of bird's nest and eight immortals mixed duck is the specialty of the chef in the mansion."
Xie Mingan took the initiative to introduce the dishes, hoping to show the dignity of the Earl's Mansion through these delicacies.
To show his love for Xu Susu, he pointed to a dish of grilled fish sashimi on the table, his eyes full of tenderness: "Madam, this is the Jiangzhou perch I ordered people to find. It was still fresh when it was delivered to your house. Try it and see if it tastes like home."
Jiangzhou is where the Xu family made their fortune and is Xu Susu's hometown.
Sang Ruo served food to Xu Susu.
The fish meat was white and tender. Xu Susu took two bites and nodded slightly: "Thank you, Uncle. The fish sashimi is indeed delicious."
Seeing this, Second Master Xie couldn't help but say, "This Jiangzhou perch is so hard to find even with the market price raised several times. Big brother's love for big sister-in-law is truly unmatched by anyone."
Xie Mingan smiled, sweeping away his previous gloom. "The food is on the table. Today is my Xie family's dinner. There aren't many rules. Everyone, enjoy yourself."
Xie Yao did not pick up her chopsticks. She was still wondering where Aunt Sun would poison her.
Food? This huge banquet in front of me couldn't possibly be all poisoned. Could it be that Aunt Sun wanted to poison the whole family, plus a few outsiders?
If she saw that she liked sweets, she would poison the sweets. She looked at the dozen or so sweet soup dishes on the table, and others had eaten a lot of them.
Could it be that there was something wrong with the dishes and chopsticks? She looked down and saw that her dishes and chopsticks were no different from those of others.
Xie Yao glanced at Aunt Sun from the corner of her eye, and her trusted confidant, Madam Liu, was serving the dishes behind her.
Seeing that the master and servant hadn't made any movement, Xie Yao stood up and said, "I'm going to change my clothes."
She has already given the opportunity, it depends on whether Aunt Sun can seize it.
Xie Yao deliberately took Rendong out of the dining room and looked at the scenery in the corridor outside for a while. Pu Wei suddenly appeared with a little maid.
"Miss, this girl came to Wanxiangyuan and said she had something important to tell you and she had to see you."
Pu Wei said, "Now that I've met you, Miss, tell me what's going on."
The little maid was Ming'er, who was originally a maid in Aunt Sun's outer courtyard. Before that, she was in the stable, guarding the horses for her.
At this moment, Ming'er looked nervous and her whole body was trembling.
Xie Yao guessed that she saw something that was related to Aunt Sun's plan to poison her.
"Don't be afraid, speak slowly, I'm listening." Xie Yao looked calm.
Seeing the Second Young Miss so calm, Ming'er nodded vigorously, feeling a little more at ease. She said, "Second Young Miss, I saw Madam Liu send the cook away and even put some seasoning in the dish! I suspect Madam Liu is planning to poison it!"
Xie Yao had known for a long time that Aunt Sun was going to poison her.
However, when she heard the words "grilled fish sashimi", her expression changed slightly: "You said you saw what Madam Liu poisoned?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. It was grilled fish sashimi."
Honeysuckle also understood what was going on and quickly comforted her: "Miss, there are so many people eating each dish at the banquet. Aunt Sun would not dare to poison the food."
"Pu Wei, take Ming'er downstairs first and take good care of her," Xie Yao ordered in a deep voice. "Then go get Qiliang and have him go to Shengji Hall to find his uncle and ask for two doctors. Remember, two."
After saying this, she immediately returned to the table with Honeysuckle.
Xie Yao took a seat and the first thing she looked at was the grilled fish sashimi on the table.
This dish was sea bass that Wenchang Bo found for his wife from his hometown Jiangzhou. No one else at the banquet ate it.
Only Xu Susu took two sips at the beginning.
Xie Yao took a deep breath, and her breathing became heavier.
Long before she returned to Beijing, her mother had been poisoned with Mantuo Powder. Without an antidote, she would have only a year to live.
So Xie Yao never expected that Aunt Sun wanted to harm not her, but Xu Susu!
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