Chapter 119

Jiang Yanyi was angry and a little nervous at the same time.

Feng Shuo had already met Chu Changping and Old Lady Chu, but he had never met the Grand Empress Dowager.

It is said that an ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her parents-in-law. Although Jiang Yanyi is not ugly, she is still unsure. The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has always been a big problem since ancient times. After

seeing Madam An and Mrs. Liu's attitude towards their daughter-in-law, Jiang Yanyi is even more afraid of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Madam An was gentle, but she looked down on her humble family background. As a noblewoman from a rich family, Xue was definitely marrying down to Chu Chengbai, and she was also very sensible in her dealings with others. However, Liu still disliked this daughter-in-law, thinking that Xue was plain-looking and unworthy of her handsome son. She also used the fact that Xue had not given birth to any children to suppress Xue.

Chu Chengbai's late concubine Yue Niang was not actually liked by Liu either. Liu thought Yue Niang was too coquettish and would only seduce her son all day, delaying his studies.

If you really meet a mother-in-law like Liu, life will be unbearable.

With a troubled look on her face, she asked Feng Shuo, "What kind of women does the Grand Concubine Dowager like? One who is gentle, well-educated and well-mannered, or one who is cheerful and outspoken?"

Feng Shuo glanced at her and said with a smile, "Mother likes women I like."

Jiang Yanyi raised her fist and hit him, "Stop talking nonsense at this time."

Feng Shuo knew what she was worried about, and said, "Mother has a kind personality. She will definitely like you when she sees you. Don't worry."

He glanced at the night sky, "It's getting late. I have to go back."

Jiang Yanyi said, "Wait."

Then he turned around and went to the bed.

Feng Shuo urged, "You don't want me to leave, so you want me to sleep on your bed with you?"

Jiang Yanyi glared at him and took out a pair of silk stockings that she had spent several days sewing from under the pillow: "A New Year's gift for you."

Her embroidery skills were much better than before, but she had been busy with the Chamber of Commerce's fundraising and had no time to make clothes, so she only had time to make a pair of silk stockings.

Feng Shuo's eyes lit up: "For me?"

Jiang Yanyi shook the eye-catching jade bracelet on her wrist and deliberately said: "It's a matter of reciprocity."

Feng Shuo was amused by her: "So this bracelet can only be exchanged for a pair of stockings?"

Jiang Yanyi was about to take back the stockings: "If you don't want it, I'll give it to my uncle."

Feng Shuo avoided her hand: "How can I take back something I gave away?"

Jiang Yanyi muttered: "Don't you want it?"

Feng Shuo put the stockings into his sleeve pocket: "When did I say I didn't want it."

"Knock knock--"

The door was knocked twice at this time, followed by Huo Jianjia's voice: "Boss, are you asleep?"

Jiang Yanyi hurriedly made a silent gesture to Feng Shuo, and then said: "I just went to bed, what happened?"

Huo Jianjia said: "The maid in the young lady's room came to say that Young Master Sun is missing."

Chu Nian'an is missing?

How could a baby of a few months old disappear for no reason?

At this time, Xue would definitely not dare to disturb Old Lady Chu and Liu. If Liu knew that Chu Nian'an was missing, she would definitely cry in front of the old lady and ask for her grandson to be with her.

Jiang Yanyi said to the outside, "Ask her to tell my sister-in-law that I'll pack up and go over."

Huo Jianjia said yes, and the footsteps slowly faded away.

Jiang Yanyi put on his cold-proof cloak, tied the belt and said to Feng Shuo, "You should leave the house now. The guards will block the walls and corner gates in a while, and you won't be able to leave."

Feng Shuo suddenly asked, "Did anyone send wine to the Chu family's guards at night?"

Jiang Yanyi shook his head, "The guards on duty, my third uncle, don't let them drink."

Feng Shuo said, "Maybe there's a traitor in the Chu family. When I came in from the backyard, I saw several guards drinking in the corridor."

After he said this, Jiang Yanyi She didn't know the purpose of the people who took Chu Nian'an away, but she couldn't help but panic in her heart: "Did they send the guards away and secretly take Chu Nian'an out of the house?"

Feng Shuo saw the worry on her face and said: "It's snowing heavily. You can see the wheel tracks wherever the carriage passes. I will send people to look for it along the wheel tracks. Your third uncle has a token that can pass through the city after the curfew. You go and get the token and wait for my news."

Taking a baby less than a year old out on a snowy day, only riding a carriage can conceal it from others.

Jiang Yanyi nodded: "My sister-in-law must be worried now that the child is missing. I'll go to her first."

Feng Shuo looked at her hurriedly leaving back, and a trace of displeasure flashed across his face, but this displeasure was not directed at Jiang Yanyi, but at the person who made Jiang Yanyi unable to sleep peacefully on a snowy night.

When Jiang Yanyi passed by, Xue was scolding the nurse who was taking care of the child.

"You were in the same room with Nian'an, and you didn't even know that the child was missing. What did you do?" Xue's eyebrows were filled with anger.

The nurse said with a pale face, "Madam, I am really wronged. I drank a bowl of pig's trotter soup sent by the kitchen, and I have been upset. When I came back from the toilet, I found that Master Nian'an was missing."

As she was speaking, her face changed again, and she covered her stomach and said, "Madam, I... my stomach..."

Xue waved her hands tiredly and said, "Go."

The nurse covered her stomach and retreated in a hurry. She

bumped into Jiang Yanyi at the door and left without even having time to say hello.

Mrs. Xue was sitting in an armchair, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. When she saw Jiang Yanyi, she managed to calm down: "Ayi, you're here."

Jiang Yanyi comforted Mrs. Xue: "Don't worry, sister-in-law. How could a child be lost in your own home? Ask a few servants and you will always find out who took Nian'an away."

Mrs. Xue just shook her head and couldn't stop crying: "I am always on guard, afraid that something might happen to the child and they would take him to the wrong place. So I played mahjong with you sisters tonight, but when I came back, the wet nurse said that the child was missing. I only dared to discuss it with you. The pig's trotter soup that the wet nurse drank was sent by my mother..."

Jiang Yanyi had not expected this reversal. No wonder Mrs. Liu wanted to go back to her room early. It turned out that she was going back to arrange everything.

She asked, "Do you mean Nian'an is with Great Aunt?"

Xue was a little exhausted and shook her head: "I'm not sure about mother, but I asked someone to check in Dalang's yard. He was not at home. I wonder if he took Nian'an out of the house."

She laughed to herself: "They want to see the child on weekdays, and I have never stopped them. Tonight, they are going to such a big trouble. There must be no good intentions. Mother is probably waiting for me to make trouble in her yard so that she can take the opportunity to tell the matter to grandmother."

If the child was with Liu, it would be fine. At most, Liu would criticize her for not taking good care of the child and playing mahjong with a few girls in the middle of the night and completely forgetting about the child.

If the child was not with Liu, Liu would not only say that she was not taking good care of the child, but also that she might be accused of being unfilial.

Even if she said that Liu asked the kitchen to send the wet nurse the pig's foot soup with laxative, no one would believe it. After all, Liu was a grandmother, why would she deal with her grandson's wet nurse?

Jiang Yanyi thought about it carefully and felt that Liu's story was probably just a cover. She deliberately exposed her flaws to wait for Xue to make trouble. In fact, the child was secretly taken out of the house by Chu Chengbai.

If Liu and Chu Chengbai wanted to deal with Xue, it would be useless to just take the child away secretly, unless they made a big fuss about the child.

If Chu Nian'an was sick, Xue found that the child was missing but didn't make a fuss tonight. Tomorrow morning, Chu Chengbai brought the child back from outside and said that he took the child to the clinic overnight because he was sick. Old Madam Chu felt sorry for her great-grandson and might really doubt whether Xue took good care of her great-grandson.

Liu could take the opportunity to ask her to take care of her grandson, and then exaggerate that Xue was not good to the child, and take away Xue's right to be the boss.

On the contrary, even if Xue went to Liu's yard tonight and made trouble, and the whole Chu family was in chaos, and Chu Chengbai came back with the child from "medical treatment" tomorrow morning, Mrs. Chu would only be more disappointed with Xue.

Jiang Yanyi immediately said, "Sister-in-law, let's go out tonight to pick up Nian'an."

Xue was at a loss, "Where can we go? It's past curfew, and we can't leave the house!"

She blamed herself, "I shouldn't have gone to play mahjong tonight."

Jiang Yanyi comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't think so. How can you blame yourself for being robbed? Uncle San has a pass to the city after curfew. I'll go get it."

Xue wiped her tears and said, "I'll go with you."

The two went to Chu Changping's yard together. When they passed the waterside pavilion, they suddenly heard a clear voice, "Where are you going in the middle of the night?"

Jiang Yanyi raised the lantern and looked towards the waterside pavilion, only to find that there was a person sitting in the dark waterside pavilion.

"Second brother?" Jiang Yanyi walked a few steps closer and saw the person clearly before calling him.

Chu Chengmao stayed alone in the waterside pavilion, with a pile of burnt paper ashes under his feet, as if he was here to deal with some letters.

Xue bowed to Chu Chengmao and said with red eyes: "Uncle, Dalang took Nian'an out of the house at night."

Chu Chengmao was confused by Xue's nonsense: "Why did brother take Nian'an out of the house at night?"

Xue was not good at speaking, so Jiang Yanyi said for her: "Aunt asked the kitchen to send a bowl of pig soup to Nian'an's wet nurse, but laxatives were put in the soup. When the wet nurse was upset, Nian'an was secretly taken away by my brother. My sister-in-law and I found that the child was missing when we returned from playing mahjong."

Chu Chengmao and Xue were both captured together, and he had seen Chu Chengbai's attitude towards Xue and the concubine at that time. Liu doted on her son. On the one hand, she felt that Xue's appearance was not worthy of her son. On the other hand, she disliked Xue even more because Xue had no children for several years after marrying into the family.

They did this in the middle of the night, and the first thing Chu Chengmao thought of was that he might want to deal with Xue.

He looked at Jiang Yanyi and Xue and said, "You are going out to find Nian'an."

Jiang Yanyi and Xue both nodded.

Chu Chengmao crushed the burning paper into ashes with one foot and said, "I'll go with you."

He was worried about the two women going out in the middle of the night.

Jiang Yanyi couldn't ask for it. Chu Chengmao was good at fighting. With him around, it would be an extra guarantee in case of danger.

And if Chu Chengbai really wanted to use the child to deal with Xue, Chu Chengmao's presence would be a witness.

Chu Changping's study room Chu Chengmao could enter and exit at will, and he easily got the pass token.

Jiang Yanyi thought of what Feng Shuo said about sending someone to check Chu Chengbai's whereabouts, and went back to her room under the pretext of changing into a thicker awning. Sure enough, she saw a note left by Feng Shuo on the table in her room, with the words "Shunkangfang" written on it.

Shunkangfang is a famous red-light district. Chu Chengbai was unwilling to give Xue a good face, and he spent his days in debauchery, but he often went there to hang out.

Chu Chengmao drove the car himself, and before leaving, he asked, "Where are we going to find him?"

Jiang Yanyi said, "Let's go to the place where my eldest brother often goes."

Xue said, "He often goes to Shunkangfang."

She didn't look sad or miserable when she said this, and it was obvious that she didn't care about Chu Chengbai going in and out of these places at all. Chu Chengmao frowned hard.

Almost all men in the Chu family did not take concubines. Chu Chengbai was the only one. Liu Shi had helped to do so. She used Xue Shi's failure to give birth to a child as an excuse. Even if the old lady of Chu complained that she had ruined the family tradition, Liu Shi said that she wanted to add a child to the Chu family, and the old lady could not say anything to her.

The carriage arrived at Shunkangfang soon.

On New Year's Eve, there were still few people who did not return home at night. Shunkangfang's business was not very good tonight. There was only one lantern at the door.

Chu Chengmao jumped off the carriage and said, "I'll go in and ask. You wait in the carriage."

This was for their reputation.

Xue Shi was worried about the child but she didn't care so much. She said, "Thank you for your kindness, uncle. I still want to go and see it myself."

Chu Chengmao hesitated for a moment, but still did not stop him.

Jiang Yanyi and Xue both used handkerchiefs as face towels and followed Chu Chengmao out of the carriage.

Xue's maid went down first and then reached out to help Xue. Huo Jianjia saw this and followed suit to help Jiang Yanyi, making Jiang Yanyi laugh and cry.

After Huo Jianjia helped Jiang Yanyi out of the carriage, she took out her big knife tied with a cloth strip from under the carriage seat. Jiang Yanyi didn't even know when she put the knife in the carriage.

Xue saw this scene, was stunned for a moment, and asked Jiang Yanyi: "Ayi, what is..."

Jiang Yanyi hurriedly said to Huo Jianjia: "Jianjia, no killing tonight."

"Oh." Huo Jianjia then stuffed the big knife back into the carriage, but her expression looked quite disappointed.