The General's Mansion, Yunting Courtyard, is a quiet and solemn place, the residence of the old lady.
The sandalwood incense lingered, but the autumn wind blowing through the house had weakened it somewhat.
Granny Gui stepped forward and helped the old lady up after she finished chanting the sutra. "Old Madam, the matter just now has been resolved in the front courtyard."
The old lady put down her prayer beads and nodded gently. "Tell me about it."
"The general said that the old woman committed suicide, but I secretly sent someone to inquire and they said that she had ulterior motives towards the general and that she was so twisted that she poisoned herself."
The old lady, who had lived most of her life, had a head of silver hair streaked with white as she stood up, and a kind smile appeared on her wrinkled face. "Do you think so?"
Granny Gui hesitated for a moment, "This is indeed true, could it be that you suspect the eldest young lady, Madam..."
The old lady shook her head and waved her hand, "Xie Lingqin is somewhat clever. She thought of telling me about the old woman's fall, but if you say she really has the brains to predict all of this so accurately, I really don't believe it. Putting aside everything else, I never said I would go to the front yard to help her clarify things. If I hadn't gone, wouldn't she have been unable to defend herself? Perhaps if Chongming had acted faster, there wouldn't have been any trouble with Doctor Dong."
Upon hearing this, Granny Gui echoed, "The old lady is right. Besides, when I left, I didn't notice anything amiss in the young lady's expression."
"Alright, let's not concern ourselves with the matters in the front yard anymore. That second concubine is definitely involved in today's events."
Granny Gui nodded and helped the old lady into the inner room. However, there was still a thoughtful look in her eyes. If she really saw things so clearly, then her mind was truly remarkable.
...
Before Xie Lingqin and Zihe even reached Qingfeng Pavilion, they were blocked by someone.
"Young Miss."
It was Aunt Wan.
Wearing a lake-blue silk gauze dress with gold embroidery, she looked youthful and radiant despite being only thirty years old. However, compared to her second aunt, she lacked the air of a great lady and appeared somewhat petty.
At this moment, Aunt Wan raised her narrow eyes slightly and frowned slightly, her tone neither too loud nor too soft, "Miss, I also know about what happened at Nanshan Courtyard just now."
"Yes." Xie Lingqin nodded, her expression serene. "Fortunately, it proved my innocence."
"Is that so?" A meaningful smile suddenly appeared on Aunt Wan's lightly made-up oval face. "But, Miss, today, when I went for a walk in the back garden, I accidentally found a torn letter in the grass..." As Aunt Wan spoke, she looked at Xie Lingqin, trying not to miss a single detail of her expression, as if trying to see something, but in the end, she couldn't see anything at all.
Xie Lingqin's faint smile remained calm and composed throughout, leaving no room for criticism.
Aunt Wan's smile remained unchanged as she continued, "I was just curious, so I simply stuck this letter together. Guess what's inside?" As she spoke, Aunt Wan took a step closer, and her expression became strange.
Xie Lingqin's gaze then fell softly on Aunt Wan, her tone turning serious, "What is it?"
"What's written on there is about how Granny Yang discovered you cursing the master behind his back, and how you found out about it." As Aunt Wan finished speaking, she saw Xie Lingqin's eyelashes droop as if she were feeling guilty, and her chest puffed out. The smile that she had been holding back just now also widened from the corners of her eyes and brows.
At this moment, Xie Lingqin glanced at Zihe behind her and scolded in a low voice, "This is what you did."
Zihe Cishi lowered her head nervously, "Please forgive me, Miss. Perhaps I was too hasty at the time."
Aunt Wan looked at Xie Lingqin, her smile growing even wider.
"So, what do you want?" After a long pause, Xie Lingqin looked at Aunt Wan, her voice sounding softer than before.
Clearly sensing Xie Lingqin's guilty attitude, Aunt Wan straightened her sleeves, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes. "As for me, it's very simple. As long as Miss listens to me in everything from now on, we'll work together to deal with Second Aunt. When she falls, you can tell the General to help me become his legal wife. Then, as people in the same boat, this matter of trust..." Aunt Wan smiled, brushed her hair, and her voice suddenly softened, "...naturally, it won't exist anymore."
Xie Lingqin's eyes darkened, and she stood there with a graceful figure like a green bamboo. After a while, just when Aunt Wan thought she would compromise or roar, she saw Xie Lingqin smile gently.
Though beautiful, the smile was utterly devoid of any warmth.
"Aunt Wan, you have quite the big mouth."
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!
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