The veteran general exuded a chilling and dignified aura.
Xie Jinyao had never seen her father like this before, and it was nighttime, so she was so frightened that she knelt down immediately.
"It was Uncle Fu who invited us. Every time we went to see Grandma, he would visit her and then invite us to his house."
Occasionally…occasionally he would stay overnight. His…his house didn't look impressive from the outside, but it was luxurious inside, much more comfortable than his grandmother's secluded dwelling.
"Your mother also stayed overnight?"
"Yes, we all live at his house. My grandmother sometimes goes there too. Uncle Fu and my grandmother get along well, so he specially reserved a courtyard for my grandmother at his house."
Over the years, Liu would take the children to Qingzhou almost every year, which means that she would stay in another man's house every year.
His mother not only did not stop him, but also indulged him.
What does Mother want to do?
The Marquis of Loyalty and Valor's voice grew even colder, "Why have I never heard you mention this before?"
"My mother said that she was on good terms with Uncle Fu because she was grateful for his care of my grandmother, and she also hoped that he would take better care of my grandmother in the future."
If some things were said aloud, it would easily arouse suspicion about his intentions. If bad rumors spread, it would cause Uncle Fu to distance himself from Grandmother, and it would always be worrying for Grandmother to be alone in Qingzhou.
She also liked Fu Jiang's generosity. She received so many gifts from him every year, so it was natural for her to have a good impression of him. Keeping his secret for him wouldn't be difficult.
She was truly terrified of the Marquis of Zhongyong's current state, fearing that he might actually kill her in a fit of anger, so she added, "Since you didn't ask, I didn't specifically mention it."
Marquis Zhongyong felt a chill in his heart. He didn't ask, and they kept it from him. How wonderful.
As the matriarch of the dignified Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, why would she need to curry favor with a county magistrate? If he asked, even the prefect of Qingzhou would rush to curry favor with her.
"Has Yunzhou been in Qingzhou all these years?"
Xie Jinyao shook her head, then nodded. "I heard from my mother that my brother went to Qingzhou, but then left. I don't know exactly where he went."
My brother seemed to dislike Uncle Fu, speaking with obvious disdain, which led my mother to scold him for being impolite.
She begged for mercy, "Father, that's all I know. I have nothing more to hide. Please spare my life."
With the threat of death looming over her, she dared not even think about the Marquis of Zhongyong taking her back to his residence.
She only thought that once the Marquis Zhongyong left, she would find a way to tell her grandmother what had happened tonight and beg her grandmother to save her.
If my grandmother could save my mother, she can certainly save her too.
But the Marquis of Zhongyong's cold words shattered her hopes.
He said, "I will have He Ming take you to the slave quarters next to the military camp. From now on, you will follow them to wash clothes and farm. If you dare to slack off like you did at the horse farm again, Xie Jinyao, you will never be able to return to the manor."
"Father, please don't!"
The slave quarters housed either prisoners of enemy states or women who had committed crimes.
I heard that they have no freedom every day, yet they have endless work to do, and filling their stomachs is a luxury. Some even have to serve as military prostitutes to satisfy the needs of the soldiers.
“Father, I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s family, the daughter of your Marquis Zhongyong. How can I go to such a place?”
Marquis Zhongyong stared at her intently. He had never intended to make Xie Jinyao a military prostitute; he simply needed to isolate Xie Jinyao before uncovering the truth, to prevent her from revealing what had happened that night.
The female slave was under the jurisdiction of the military camp, which was his territory. If he didn't reveal it, Fu Jiang and his men wouldn't be able to find her.
But as he looked at her, he suddenly realized that Xie Jinyao's appearance didn't resemble his at all.
That absurd idea from before had taken deep root in his mind.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhen was also awake. She received news that after visiting Xie Jinyao, Fu Jiang went to the manor to pay respects to Xie Yunzhou.
Ye Zhen sneered, "He's certainly very busy."
He became increasingly certain that Xie Yunzhou was also Fu Jiang's child.
She took her night clothes to change behind the screen and instructed Wanxing, "Go to Moyuan and tell them I have something to do tonight and won't be there."
The mask-making process is progressing as Xie Tingzhou expected, and not going tonight won't cause any delays.
Wanxing accepted the order and returned quickly, only to be followed by Xie Tingzhou.
Are you going to the village?
The man got straight to the point.
Ye Zhen pursed his lips. "Why do you think so, brother?"
She is indeed going to the manor.
A man dressed in black stepped in. "Fu Jiang went to the manor today to pay respects to Xie Yunzhou. I guess Xie Yunzhou is also his child."
You want the Marquis of Zhongyong to know this, but you can't tell him directly.
The only way is to expose the fact that Xie Yunzhou was being worshipped, thus leading the Marquis of Zhongyong to investigate who exactly was worshipping Xie Yunzhou.
Xie Yunzhou was buried so hastily that no one in the village knew about it. The only way to find him was…
He paused, then pulled out a Luoyang shovel from behind him. "To dig up graves and steal corpses."
Even if Xie Yunzhou is buried on a flat piece of land, as long as the coffin inside is dug out, it will be discovered.
A grave was discovered near Zhuangzi, and it had been robbed. The people of Zhuangzi will report it.
Having all his thoughts guessed, Ye Zhen began to doubt whether cooperating with Xie Tingzhou was a wise move.
This man is frighteningly intelligent.
But since he had been guessed correctly, Ye Zhen saw no need to hide it anymore and took out the shovel he had been hiding at his waist. "Brother, would you like to do it for me?"
Stealing corpses is no easy task, so why not take advantage of the labor that's offered to you?
Xie Tingzhou followed behind her with a smile, except that there were two tails hanging behind him.
Xing Ze and Fu Guang each carried a shovel; they were the main force tonight.
Xing Ze pulled out two handkerchiefs from his pocket, handing one to Fu Guang. They had sacrificed a great deal so that their master could win the heart of his beauty…
Just as the four left the manor, the servant returned from outside and reported to the old lady, "I went to find where Master Fu was staying, only to find out that he had gone to the horse farm. By the time I got there, he had already left. When I found him again, he had just returned from paying respects to Young Master Yunzhou at the manor."
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