Chapter 53 Exchange Conditions
Lian Qiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, Granny Cao said that she wants me to give you something, but not in front of anyone else."
Mu Xi dared not be careless: "Aren't you and Bai Ji both serving the Second Young Master? You don't even trust Bai Ji? Take out whatever you have, or leave."
Lian Qiao lowered her head and bit her lower lip, seemingly still hesitating about something.
Taking advantage of this lull, Mu Xi asked again, "Since you are from the Second Young Master's courtyard, why didn't you come to see him when he was here? Now that he has just left, you've come. By the way... you claim to be Granny Cao with something to deliver, but Granny Cao is from the West Courtyard. What connection do you two have?"
"This...this...this servant cannot say..." Lian Qiao stammered.
Mu Xi adopted a defiant stance: "If you can't speak, what are you doing here? Hand over whatever you have, or wait for the Second Young Master to return and deal with it."
Left with no other choice, Lian Qiao took out a small package wrapped in blue cloth from her bosom and presented it with both hands: "Your Highness, this is what Granny Cao specifically requested to be given to you."
"What is this?" Mu Xi gestured for Bai Ji to take it.
Lianqiao's voice was barely audible: "This servant doesn't know, this servant is illiterate."
"Can't read? So you've already read it?" As she spoke, Bai Ji had already taken it and opened it for inspection.
Four sheets of paper covered in writing were visible inside.
The paper looked unremarkable, so Baiji presented it.
Mu Xi took the four sheets of paper and flipped through them one by one, glancing at each one.
The four sheets of paper appear to contain texts from some scripture, but the texts are unrelated, as each page has a word marked in red wax: "woman," "I," "save," and "son."
"Save my daughter?" Mu Xi's mind exploded.
What does this mean?
Exchange conditions?
Mu Xi couldn't glean any further information from the four sheets of paper, so she could only ask Lian Qiao again, "What is your relationship with the Cao family?"
Lian Qiao lowered her head even further: "When I first entered the manor, I was under the care of Granny Cao."
"You mean... Granny Cao was originally one of the Second Young Master's people?" Mu Xi thought she could have reacted even faster if she hadn't lost too much blood these past few days.
Lianqiao nodded.
Mu Xi then asked, "Did Granny Cao say anything else when she gave you the things?"
Lian Qiao replied, "The item was secretly given to me by Granny Cao yesterday, who instructed me to be sure to ask the young master for it."
"Why me and not the Second Young Master?" Mu Xi felt there must be more to the story.
Lian Qiao answered readily this time: "Granny Cao said that we probably can't count on the Second Young Master, so we can only count on the Heir Apparent."
"Do you know what Granny Cao wants from me?" Mu Xi remembered that Lian Qiao had just said she couldn't read, but judging from the way Lian Qiao spoke, she probably already guessed what it was about.
Lian Qiao was still young, and once she spoke, she couldn't help but speak her mind: "This servant guesses that Granny Cao is only after Sister Pan'er's matter."
"Pan'er?" Mu Xi didn't know again.
Lian Qiao answered directly: "Sister Pan'er is Granny Cao's only daughter. She has been working with Granny Cao in the West Courtyard all these years."
"Someone from the West Courtyard again?" Mu Xi frowned, flipping through the four pages in her hand again, but still couldn't glean any more information. "Why didn't Granny Cao come to plead with you herself? Instead, she made you use such a subtle method..."
Lian Qiao knew she had guessed correctly and suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Your Highness, please save Sister Pan'er! Sister Pan'er is innocent!"
"Explain yourself clearly." With something juicy to share, Mu Xi sat up straighter.
Lian Qiao pursed her lips: "Originally... originally, the young master only needed to ask the second young master to know about these things, and I shouldn't have said anything. But if the young master agrees to save Sister Pan'er, I will dare to tell the young master first."
"Go ahead and tell me. If the Second Young Master blames you for anything, I'll take responsibility." Mu Xi didn't care about the rules and regulations of a noble family.
Lian Qiao then said, "Granny Cao and Sister Pan'er are both very good people. They have always been honest and dutiful in their work in the mansion, as everyone knows. But about half a year ago, one day, Steward Li from the West Courtyard suddenly arrested Sister Pan'er, accusing her of stealing from the storeroom, and insisted on sending her to the authorities for prosecution. But everyone knows Sister Pan'er's character; she would never do such a thing. Steward Li must have wronged her."
Whether or not something was stolen is beside the point.
Mu Xi thought of another point: "The so-called family scandal should not be aired in public. Even if something was stolen, there is no need to easily hand it over to the authorities."
Lian Qiao shook her head vigorously, quite certain: "This servant knows Sister Pan'er. Sister Pan'er would never steal anything. She must have been wronged by Steward Li."
"Why would Steward Li frame her?" Mu Xi didn't know much about Steward Li from the West Courtyard.
All the original owner's memories combined only showed that he was the second steward of Jin Fangjun's mansion, and could never surpass the head steward Pei Dong.
Lianqiao looked troubled, as if she dared not say more.
Mu Xi then asked, "Moreover, even if you are imprisoned for theft, your life is not in danger. Why is Granny Cao in such a hurry to come to me?"
Lianqiao bit her lower lip hard, her expression showing even greater fear.
"There's no one else here, so you can speak freely," Mu Xi softened her tone. "Besides, if you're going to help someone, you should help them to the end. Now that you've already spoken, why hesitate?"
Lian Qiao mustered her courage and said, "Your Highness, as far as I know, Sister Pan'er is naturally beautiful, and the Third Young Master has long harbored feelings for her. Sister Pan'er refuses to give in, so Steward Li has been finding excuses to make things difficult for her every now and then, hoping she will comply. Sister Pan'er has always refused, which is why she was wrongly imprisoned. Originally, being imprisoned was just a scare tactic; if Sister Pan'er were to relent, she would naturally be released safely. Unfortunately, Sister Pan'er has always refused, so she has been imprisoned for more than half a year..."
“This…is truly despicable.” Mu Xi also deeply abhorred such bullying behavior, but still couldn’t understand, “Even so, he shouldn’t be in any danger to his life, why did it have to be like this…”
Why would Granny Cao risk her life for another?
This is what Mu Xi can't understand the most.
Lian Qiao didn't understand the meaning behind the words and remained kneeling.
Mu Xi then asked, "Do you know where Granny Cao went after she gave you her instructions?"
Lian Qiao replied, "This servant does not know. Last night, I was entrusted by Granny Cao to wait outside the courtyard all day. I only had the opportunity to see the young master just now."
Mu Xi had a feeling there was more to the story: "It sounds like the sister Pan'er you mentioned is out of danger. She's been in prison for so long. What did she steal? If it wasn't something very valuable, it's like she's already paid back half a year's worth of money. Why would I, the young master, need to save her?"
"This...this...this servant cannot answer. This servant is only relaying a message from Granny Cao. If the young master wants to know anything more, he should just ask the second young master, who will know more." Lian Qiao clearly dared not say any more.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
