Afterwards, Shen Huaixu visited the Wan family and the Yang family again. After staying at home for about half a month, Shen Huaixu returned to Beijing.
After a long and dusty journey, she saw Lidong from the carriage window as soon as it entered the city gate.
For some reason, she felt that Lidong's expression was a little strange.
When the man came closer, she asked, "Is there anything wrong in the capital?"
Li Dong bowed, his lips moving slightly, and after a while he said, "It's not a big deal... Miss, you should go back to the Marquis' Mansion to take a look."
Chen Huaixu's heart skipped a beat. Although Lidong was usually taciturn, he always spoke frankly to her and her father without keeping anyone in suspense.
I'm afraid something happened in the Marquis' Mansion this time.
Her face turned cold, "Let's go back home."
Xiaoman didn't say how well she knew her young lady, but she knew that she would not easily show a cold face. If she did, something serious must have happened.
When the carriage slowly moved forward, she came to Lidong and asked, "What happened? Can't you just tell me?"
Knowing that something had happened but not knowing what it was, the period before the secret was revealed was the most difficult. Lidong was thinking about the Marquis, and she also had to think about her own young lady.
Li Dong stammered, "I just don't know how to tell the young lady... The Marquis brought back a woman, and that woman is now in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion."
Xiaoman couldn't help but open her mouth in surprise, speechless for a long time. After a pause, she asked a few more questions, hurriedly caught up with the carriage, and whispered the matter to Shen Huaixu.
Chen Huaixu tilted his head and glanced at Xiaoman with a complicated expression.
A few days ago, she swore to her mother and others that her father had no such plans for the time being. This slap in the face came too quickly.
"Do you know the name of that woman?"
"Miss, you recognize her. She's Hua Rong'er, the dancer who used to dance at Pan Feng Tower. Li Dong said she later went to Yanchun Pavilion, where they first met. The second time they met was on the street. Hua Rong'er had a dispute with a woman she was traveling with, and the woman pushed her, almost knocking her under the Marquis's horse's hooves. After that, the Marquis took her into his residence."
Shen Huaixu's slightly furrowed brows slowly smoothed out as Xiaoman spoke. His slender white fingers tapped lightly on the window, his heart full of confusion and curiosity.
She asked, "Is she hurt?"
Xiao Man thought to herself, this is the strangest thing. She said, "The Marquis reined in the horse in time, and Hua Rong'er was only scratched."
She wasn't injured yet was brought back to the Marquis's Mansion by the Marquis. What other explanation could there be except that he fell in love with her?
In her memory, when the Marquis's illness became increasingly serious, he would sometimes become unconscious, especially when he met the Jiang family. He seemed like a completely different person, becoming cruel and violent.
Normally, the Marquis is calm and composed and never does anything useless.
A dancer can be a concubine at most. The Marquis will not be so stupid as to let Hua Ronger be the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, otherwise the young lady will probably become a laughing stock in the capital.
After figuring this out, Xiaoman looked at Chen Huaixu worriedly. She was afraid that her young lady was too young to understand this.
Chen Huaixu and Xiaoman had completely different ideas.
If it was another woman that her father brought back to the Marquis' Mansion, she might have thought that she would have a stepmother, but that was Hua Rong'er, the somewhat strange Hua Rong'er that she had told her father about.
Not only was she not worried, she was even impatient to know why her father brought the person back to the Marquis' Mansion.
Just as Shen Huaixu was secretly thinking about it, the carriage stopped in front of the Marquis's mansion.
She walked quickly towards the backyard. Xiaoman followed behind her. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Miss, even if Hua Rong'er is taken in by the Marquis, she will only be a concubine or a bed-servant. No matter what, she is just a slave. The Marquis loves you so much, he will definitely not let you suffer any injustice."
Chen Huaixu slowed down his pace and looked at Xiaoman with amusement, "What are you thinking about all day long? She is a slave just to accompany Daddy. She has put herself in such a humble position. How could she let me suffer any injustice?"
Xiaoman, who knew a lot about the Jiang family's inner court, wanted to persuade her again: "Miss, please don't take pillow talk seriously..."
Chen Huaixu stopped, the smile on his face faded, and his clear eyes looked straight at Xiaoman.
Xiaoman immediately stopped talking and knelt on the ground without hesitation, "It is my fault for talking too much, please punish me, young lady."
After looking at her quietly for a moment, Shen Huaixu finally spoke, "Xiaoman, you and Lidong have been with Daddy all the way, so you should know his temper. If Daddy easily lets me suffer for others, then what is the point of his ten years of perseverance? What is the point of him enduring unspeakable pain to prolong his life just to find his daughter, Shen Miaomiao?"
After a pause, she softened her tone, "I know you're doing this for my own good, and I'm happy that you always put me first. I also know you're worried that I'll fall into Hua Rong'er's hands."
She leaned over and lifted Xiaoman's drooping head, staring into her tearful eyes. She smiled faintly and whispered, "You underestimated me, and you overestimated her position in Daddy's heart."
Xiaoman was stunned for a long while. In that moment, she seemed to see in Shen Huaixu the look on his face when he first saw the Marquis kill someone as a child. He was careless but sharp, like a blade that had not yet been unsheathed.
When she came to her senses, there was no one in front of her. She immediately stood up and followed Shen Huaixu.
Chen Huaixu did not go to find Hua Ronger. She returned to her own yard, drank a cup of tea brought to her by Nanny Ji, and listened to her talk about what had happened in the Marquis' Mansion in recent days.
After hearing this, she put down the teacup in her hand and said, "You mean, Dad never visited that girl once after bringing her back to the Marquis' Mansion?"
"Yes, after the young lady left, the Marquis's mansion was without a mistress, so the Marquis sent me to take care of that Hua lady. Her daily food, clothing, and expenses were all decided by me, and I know it best."
Shen Huaixu held his chin and pondered for a while. The more he knew, the harder it was to guess his father's thoughts.
It seems that Daddy has to come and answer her question himself.
Just as she was thinking, she heard footsteps outside. Not long after, a little maid came in and reported, "Miss, Madam Hua is outside asking to see you."
Shen Huaixu was slightly surprised, he was quite well-informed.
She smiled and said, "Please come in, Madam Hua."
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