Chapter 98
A lively performance of "The Jade Hairpin" was underway on the stage. Old Mrs. Wei was discussing the lines with someone else when Mother Song came swiftly down the aisle and whispered something gravely in her ear.
After hearing what Mother Song said, Mrs. Wei's face changed immediately!
Even though it was warm in April, her hands were sweating. She quickly gathered herself and told the maid, "...Go and tell the performers to stop and send the ladies away. Tell them I'm not feeling well and need to end the show early."
Luo Yihui thought something big had happened at home, but when she stood up, she realized that Yining had not returned yet.
She waved and called Songzhi over, but he didn't know anything. She was puzzled and rushed to Jing'anju.
The stage had already dispersed, and the few young ladies who had come to visit the Duke of Ying's mansion had also gone home. Zhao Mingzhu saw Shen Jiarou off through the hanging flower gate. When she returned, she found that Jing'an Residence was guarded by several burly maids outside, while no one was walking inside. As soon as she entered the second gate, she found the maids and maids who served Yining on a daily basis kneeling outside. Jing'an Residence was so quiet that there was no sound at all. She suddenly felt a little uneasy and pulled a maid guarding the door to ask, "Where is my grandmother?"
The old woman bowed and said, "The old lady is inside with the young lady."
Zhao Mingzhu wanted to go in and take a look, but the old woman stopped her and shook her head, saying, "The old lady said no one is allowed in."
When Zhao Mingzhu walked around the Duke of Ying's mansion, anyone who dared to stop her would immediately become angry and say coldly, "Who do you think you are? How dare you stop me!"
Su Xi, who hurried over from behind, tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Ms. Mingzhu, please stop talking!"
Zhao Mingzhu was still furious, but the old woman looked unmoved. She was a little annoyed, but Su Xi pulled her aside. She only then noticed that Su Xi's face was almost pale, and Su Xi's voice was very low: "You just told me... you showed Mr. Shen the way and asked him to find Miss Yi Ning, right?"
"That's nothing," Zhao Mingzhu said, "I showed him the way, but he wanted to find Luo Yining himself."
Upon hearing this, Su Xi grabbed Zhao Mingzhu's hand, dragged her behind a clump of bamboo, and said to her, "Do you know what I saw just now... I saw Master Shen kneeling in the main hall, guarding him with his cousin and his two personal attendants!... Master Shen's face was bruised! But his cousin still looked at him with a cold gaze, and the two attendants kept pressing Master Shen. Miss Yining never showed up... Miss Yining's brother who was the top scholar didn't show up either! I'm afraid Master Shen did something inappropriate to her..."
Zhao Mingzhu was shocked when she heard this and murmured, "He...he did something illegal. What does it have to do with me?" She suddenly remembered something and tugged at Su Xi's sleeve, asking, "Then Luo Yining's innocence has been damaged. Doesn't that mean...she's really going to marry him?"
Su Xi looked at Zhao Mingzhu, and was really helpless that Miss Mingzhu couldn't turn her head! "Think about it, if he was forced to ask, saying that you pointed him in the right direction, can you escape the responsibility? Besides, how could the Duke let the young lady marry Shen Yu? It is possible that he would break Shen Yu's legs on the spot! You have to think of a good excuse quickly, because the old lady will definitely call you in for questioning. This matter is different from usual. No matter how much the old lady wants to protect you, there is no way. You will be punished at the least, and you may be kicked out of the Duke of Ying's mansion... You have to think about it quickly!"
After hearing Su Xi's words, Zhao Mingzhu felt a tightness in her heart and suddenly realized the seriousness of the matter.
Just now, she was just pointing Shen Yu in the right direction. She couldn't bear to see Luo Yining doing well, and she hoped that she would just marry Shen Yu and not compete with herself. But no matter how courageous she was, she couldn't have deliberately let Shen Yu flirt with Luo Yining... No matter how stupid she was, she knew that if Luo Yining was harmed in the slightest, she would not be able to stay in the Duke of Ying's mansion anymore! How could she have expected Shen Yu to do such a thing!
If Luo Yining really had any mishap because of Shen Yu... No, no, Luo Yining has never appeared until now, Shen Yu must have been close to her... Then Wei Ling will definitely not let her go!
She felt her legs go weak, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and she felt like disaster was about to happen. She murmured, "But I just showed him the way... He did it, it's none of my business."
Su Xi sighed, "What's the point of you telling me this! Besides, do you think the Duke will listen to you?"
Zhao Mingzhu opened her mouth, but was suddenly speechless.
The door over there creaked open, and then a pair of footsteps approached.
Zhao Mingzhu couldn't help but hold Suxi's hand tightly.
A maid walked around the bamboo forest, approached her, and bowed, saying, "Miss Mingzhu, the old lady invites you in. She has something to ask you."
*
In the west side room, Yi Ning curled up in Luo Shenyuan's arms. She still had a headache that made her want to vomit, and she felt weak all over. She was afraid that the cold she caught last night had made her symptoms worse. But when she smelled the unique scent of her third brother, she gradually calmed down.
Luo Yihui watched quietly from the side. Luo Shenyuan would soon be an official, and Yi Ning was no longer a child. It wasn't safe for them to be so close. But thinking of her pale, lifeless face when she was brought back earlier, she felt heartbroken. Yi Ning had relied on Luo Shenyuan since she was a child. It wouldn't be a big deal if her third brother held her for a while.
She stood up and bowed to Old Madam Wei, saying, "Although I am the wife of the Crown Prince of Dingbei's Mansion, I cannot interfere in the affairs of the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion. But I am still Meimei's elder sister and have watched her grow up. If the old lady wants to ask Miss Mingzhu, I would also like to listen. I wonder if the old lady agrees?"
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