Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Protect Madam Well
The wedding preparations were complex, and after that day, Duan Wenpei never left the Zhao residence again. Only Liu Hui, Yu Rong, and the others shuttled back and forth, while secret orders were quietly passed from the courtyard to the outside.
Nan Xu was glad that he didn't come to bother her, but in her spare time, she felt lost and counted the days he hadn't come.
However, Doctor Huo seemed to have made some kind of decision since that day. He would go to the other courtyard whenever he had time. Over time, everyone could see his feelings for Nan Xu.
Nan Xu hinted that she had no such intention, but Doctor Huo was a persistent person, so persistent that people could not bear to ignore him.
There was no other way, Nan Xu could only hide.
Whenever he came, she would either say she was not there or that she was practicing archery in the backyard. If that didn't work, she would ask her eldest brother to help stop him.
Yin Ruizhu always shook her head and laughed at her. What others coveted was discarded like a worn-out shoe to her.
Nan Xu felt a little guilty, so she asked her elder brother to tell him to stop thinking about it.
From then on, Doctor Huo no longer went to the other courtyard, but wherever she was, his eyes would always be glued to her.
Until Yu Rong went to the drugstore to deliver a letter to her and saw this scene. When he saw Doctor Huo again the next day, his face suddenly turned blue.
When Yin Ruizhu asked him what happened, he avoided her gaze and stammered that he had fallen while getting up at night.
Yin Ruizhu and Nan Xu looked at each other and told him to be careful; Nan Xu also took the rare initiative to talk to him and asked him to get some ointment for treating bruises and injuries from the pharmacy.
Doctor Huo nodded hurriedly and ran away as if he was avoiding the plague.
Nan Xu was slightly startled, and vaguely guessed something in her heart, so she asked someone to give Doctor Huo a few more ingots of monthly silver.
The matter was over. When Nan Xu sat under the candlestick at night and carefully read the letter sent by Yu Rong, Doctor Huo's dark face kept appearing in front of her eyes. Nan Xu concentrated for a moment, picked up the pen and wrote a reply letter. The letter was very eloquent, and it was all about advising him not to be jealous and hurt other people's lives and reputation.
You must know that a handsome face is particularly important in future weddings and funerals.
When Duan Wenpei received the reply, he was reading a letter sent from Kyoto. He scanned the ten lines at a glance, and his gentle expression instantly fell.
"You only care about others and don't say a word to comfort me. Damn it, Ah Xu is really..." He didn't say what he meant by "really", but Liu Hui and Yu Rong who were standing beside him couldn't help but shivering in their cheeks.
Who would have thought that the famous Wei Yangbo would be sulking because his wife did not comfort him in the letter?
"Is the news from Kyoto true?"
Duan Wenpei held the letter paper that was half licked by the flames. The coldness in his eyes also cooled down with the dying flames. He pushed the pile of letters onto the table and leaned back in the armchair with some fatigue.
Yu Rong hurriedly said it was true, "In addition to what we received, Commander Xiao's line also received the same information. I don't think it's false."
After Xiao Jing disappeared, several of the secret guards she brought with her also disappeared inexplicably. Now there are only two people left to hold on. The correspondence with Kyoto is no longer so secretive. Yu Rong had to check it personally to confirm the authenticity of the source of the information.
Duan Wenpei rubbed his knuckles and fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Liu Hui couldn't help but ask him, "Commander Xiao is missing, are you really not going to send someone to investigate?"
After all, Xiao Jing was the deputy commander of Emperor Xuanwu's secret guards, the emperor's most trusted confidant. Now he is missing, and his body is nowhere to be found, but Duan Wenpei has not taken any action. If the emperor knows about this one day and asks about it, how will his master answer?
Moreover, in terms of standpoint, they belong to the same camp. Xiao Jing can handle many things easily and has a helper. It is really puzzling that her grandfather is so calm about Xiao Jing's disappearance.
It's not like he's so disgusted with her just because of his wife. Duan Wenpei raised his eyelids and glanced at him, as if he could see through his thoughts and said slowly, "Xiao Jing's ability won't be easily calculated by others. The Dark Guard Battalion is not that incompetent. Let's just wait and see how it develops."
"However, what was Madam's reaction after reading the letter sent by the Yong'an Marquisate?"
Nan Xu is secretly protected by their people, and sometimes Duan Wenpei will ask Nan Xu if she has been eating and resting on time recently.
Liu Hui replied, "Madam didn't react much, as if she already knew everything."
Duan Wenpei nodded, with a hint of smile and pride in his eyes.
"That's good. Tell the maid named Ruyi to take good care of the lady."
"yes."
*
At this time in Kyoto, plum blossoms are in full bloom.
In the flower hall in the backyard of the marquis's mansion, the marquis's wife, wrapped in a thick cloak, listened to the maid beside her read a letter. The letter was very thick, and the letter paper had a unique green plum fragrance.
After hearing the contents of the letter, the marquis's wife stretched out her thin hand and asked the maid to show her the letter.
After skimming over Nan Yicheng's lengthy speech, Madam Hou stared at the beautiful small calligraphy. Nan Xu's writing was very simple, but every word contained the word "mother".
Written by my mother.
Mother is well.
Born under my mother's knees.
......
As she watched, Mrs. Hou's eyes became moist.
She already knew the whole story. While she resented Li Zhan, she couldn't help but miss Nan Xu.
She is her only daughter, and this is the first time that mother and daughter have been separated since Nan Xu was born.
Shu was a remote place, and he didn't know if his daughter was doing well. Was she eating well? Was she sleeping well? Was anyone bullying her?
She dreams about her every night, but gets no answer. The only thing she receives are the monthly letters, which are just a few words filled with a daughter's longing and concern for her mother, but only one sentence saying that she is doing well.
Okay?
Mrs. Hou wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Only she, as a mother, could confirm whether it was okay by seeing it with her own eyes. A mother worries about her child even when she is thousands of miles away. She wished her heart could grow wings and fly to Shu immediately, to her daughter's side.
"Give this letter from my master to Ah Wu, and please help me comfort her." The Marquis's wife glanced at Nan Yicheng's letter and handed it to the maid beside her. "Although I am worried, after all, the brother and sister are together and can take care of each other. The eldest brother will not let himself down."
The maid said yes and was about to go out to the main courtyard when she was stopped by the marquis's wife behind her.
The Marquis's wife pondered for a moment, then turned and picked up a pen to write a few words on a blank piece of paper. "Send this to the second son's family and tell them that everything is going well for him in Shu and that they should not worry."
Mrs. Hou had already learned about Nan Yiling's situation from Nan Yicheng's letter. Although she felt sorry for him, she was still concerned about Zhao Yuqin and the children.
"Now that things have come to this, tell her that she should be strong and independent, be a good mother, and set a good example for her children. Don't be a coward and cry all day long. It's just making a fool of herself."
Not long after the maid left, a servant came in and said that the fourth young lady had arrived.
The marquis's wife took the tea handed to her by the servant, moistened her throat, and waved her hand to invite her in.
After the Chinese New Year, Nanqi grew one year older and taller, and she would be ready to get married in two years.
After Aunt Huan passed away, she was taken to be raised by the Marquis' wife. She was raised by the Marquis' wife alone. She always respected her biological mother and was very close to the Marquis' wife.
At this moment, he came in with a pale and panic-stricken face. Without waiting for the Marquis's wife to speak, he knelt down in front of her.
"Mother, this was all my daughter's idea. Please let Yuanbao and the others go! Mother, I kowtow to you, please!"
The young girl opened her big eyes and kowtowed to the marquis' wife again and again with tears in her eyes. The soft and chubby cheeks that the marquis' wife used to love to pinch had become thinner at some point, revealing only a small, pointed chin.
She looks exactly like her biological mother.
Nanqi kowtowed sincerely, but after a while, her forehead became red and swollen; the marquis's wife sighed and signaled the servants to bring her a cushion.
"Stop knocking." She coughed twice and made her kneel on the mat. "A country has its own laws, and a family has its own rules. Fourth Miss, when you tried to poison Nan Yun, you should have thought that I would not spare the people around you."
After a pause, she left her personal old servant to serve her, waved her hand to let the other servants leave, leaving only the mother and daughter to talk.
Nan Qi moved to the mat as instructed, but her back remained straight. "The hatred for killing my mother is irreconcilable. I did nothing wrong."
The Marquis's wife looked at her with some disappointment and asked, "Your mother's murderer was Concubine Zhou. You've already poisoned her to death. Why do you want to commit another murder? Has Nan Yun ever committed mother-killing against you?!"
"Mother is protecting her? She almost caused my second sister to lose her life!"
Nanqi didn't understand.
When she killed Aunt Zhou, the Marquis's wife knew about it, but she secretly covered it up for her and did not let her father, who was heartbroken at the time, know about it.
Now she wants to kill Nan Yun, and her mother obviously hates her just as much, so why would she help her?
"Mother!" She knelt a few steps forward, then crawled on the Marquis's lap like a child, tears streaming down her face. "It's true that Concubine Zhou was the only one who killed my mother, but how could her daughter not be an accomplice? If she and her daughter hadn't been so doted on by our father, coaxing him into disregarding the lives of his concubines and daughters, how could my mother have died? How could my second sister have been so frightened by the fire that year?"
"My second sister and I are lucky. Mother protected us with her own life. But think about it, mother, if Mother hadn't protected us at that time, how could my second sister and I be alive? Mother! I have always wanted to take their lives and avenge my mother. Mother! Please grant your daughter's wish!"
Nanqi inherited Aunt Huan's gentle and elegant appearance very well. She is like a snow lotus blooming on a high mountain. She cannot be called beautiful, but she has a noble temperament.
The Marquis's wife looked at the young face that was raised, and her mind was filled with memories of the past.
Speaking of which, she is also responsible for Aunt Huan's death.
At that time, Aunt Zhou seduced the Marquis into spending his days in revelry. She was pregnant with Nan Xu at the time, so she thought of taking a concubine to share her favor. After looking around, she finally chose the daughter of a poor scholar.
Concubine Huan's unique temperament quickly attracted the Marquis of Yong'an. After eating too much sweet cakes, one always wants to try the light white porridge. It was at that time that Concubine Huan became pregnant with her first child.
Unfortunately, she lost the baby. After she gave birth to Nanxu and Aunt Zhou gave birth to Nanyun, she finally got pregnant with Nanqi in the gap.
By the time Concubine Huan gave birth to Nanqi, she had already taken control of the entire backyard of the marquis's mansion. Concubine Zhou was still loved by Marquis Yong'an, but because her body shape changed after giving birth, Concubine Zhou suppressed her everywhere and she ended up being disliked by Marquis Yong'an.
The cause of the fire was that she had tricked Concubine Huan into regaining the attention of Marquis Yong'an, leading Concubine Zhou to become consumed by jealousy and take the risk of her life...
She reached out her hand and slowly stroked the top of Nanqi's hair, her eyes full of complexity, "Mother knows, Mother knows everything."
She embraced her like a real mother, her tone indescribably gentle, "Mother cannot bear to see your hands stained with blood. Aunt Zhou deserved death, but Nan Yun's crime is not. She is your sister, the second daughter of the Marquis's Mansion. If you kill her and the news gets out, how will you discuss marriage? You are so young, and you are responsible for two lives. How will you sleep peacefully for the rest of your life?"
"Qi'er, listen to your mother's advice. Don't let yourself fall into an endless hell for others, and don't let hatred cloud your eyes." The Marquis's wife patted her back earnestly and murmured softly, "Evildoers will be punished by evildoers. Just wait and see. Our third young lady will suffer the consequences of her own actions without you having to do anything."
Hearing that every word the Marquis said was for her, Nanqi finally couldn't help but hugged the Marquis and burst into tears.
Years of forbearance and grievances turned into hot tears that fell on the Marquis's lap.
The Marquis's wife held her in a loving embrace, pondered for a moment, and finally relented, "Forget it, Yuanbao and the other maids will be spared for now, but they can no longer serve you. Send them to the farm, and I'll find you some reliable replacements."
Nanqi knew that this was the biggest concession made by the Marquis' wife, so she naturally had no objection. The Marquis' wife comforted her for a long time, and explained many of the reasons behind it to her. Finally, she confined her house and asked her to copy Buddhist scriptures in her own yard for reflection.
Looking at Nanqi's back as she left silently, the Marquis's wife tiredly supported her forehead and fell back on the couch weakly.
Time is not forgiving, she seems to be really old...
*
Besides the Marquis' wife, the other people who felt that they were old were Concubine Yu'an in the palace.
She has been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures recently, and has lost a lot of weight.
The palace maid said that when Concubine Shu asked for an audience, she twisted the incense and inserted it into the incense burner. She thought slowly for a long time before letting Concubine Shu in with a wooden face.
Concubine Shu was wearing a bright palace dress, which was out of place with the lifeless and decadent atmosphere of the Cining Palace.
"The Emperor is ill. Concubine Shu is dressed like this. Aren't you afraid that the Emperor will dislike you?"
Concubine Shu sat directly below the Concubine Dowager, showing no respect at all. "The medicine has already taken effect. Even the Golden Immortal cannot save his life. Why would I be afraid?"
Her eyes gleamed with ambition, "I'll just wait for His Majesty to die and my son to ascend to the throne. By then, who would dare to despise me?!"
The concubine was no longer surprised by her words, but there was one thing that she was very curious about.
"The emperor dotes on you, so why do you insist on joining forces with me to take his life?"
Concubine Shu's smile froze, as if she had remembered something terrible. Her expression turned very ugly. She clutched her cloak tightly and said bitterly, "What doting? He's a pervert. They are both the same, both torturers!"
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