Chapter 091 Chapter 91
"Grandma, are you going to go on night patrol tonight?" Qingdai asked.
Yao Niang nodded as a matter of course: "That's natural. Since we separated, the servants in our house seem to listen to me. But I don't know if there is any sabotage from other families. Although the night patrols don't have to be done every day, they often go there every now and then, which has a frightening effect on them."
Mother Gu asked the little girl to take a plate of walnuts outside to crack, and then said to her: "I heard that the second wife Jiang from the third room is the first in everything now. In fact, I heard that her parents are just merchants, and it was her uncle who became rich and donated an official position to her father."
"It's nothing. A hero is not judged by his origin. The most important thing for a person is his character. The reason I drove her away last time was not because I had a personal grudge against her, but because I wanted to make peace with her. As for the future, we'll just have to do what we want." Yao Niang was not really that petty person.
In her opinion, everyone living in this world must find their own position.
When you are a child, besides playing, you have to learn various skills. After marriage, if your husband has a good career and you can manage the family well, this is better than anything else.
Shen Linfeng had a successful career, could make money, was handsome, and was devoted to her. Her life was more comfortable now than when she was in her parents' home. The Shaw family and their ilk were not only comparable in terms of husbands, but also in terms of abilities. She had already secured a future for her baby through painting, and if she had the opportunity in the future, she might be able to secure a better future for herself, which was something they could not compare with.
In this case, now that the family has separated, she has to focus on herself.
In addition to painting, she usually takes care of the housework, or reads books, which are so good that you can't help but linger. People in the mansion didn't expect that the grandmother's words of not leaving the front door and not going out the back door really meant that she didn't go out at all.
She was content, but it made others anxious.
Although Shen Bangyan made this decision in a hurry that day, he did not regret it after he sobered up. He saw that his cousin Shen Linfeng had gone further and further away, leaving him far behind, and he would never catch up. Mingming, when he was a child, he was a hundred times smarter than Shen Linfeng. Shen Linfeng was just a fat boy who loved to eat and was foolish when others cheated him of money and things.
After he grew up, he became tall and strong, and was even very good at riding and archery. That was not all, he passed the imperial examination with one stroke. He was cuckolded on the spot, but he endured the humiliation and passed the imperial examination.
Now he has many friends, and the elders are willing to help him, and even generously help him. Wherever he goes, he can't escape the three words "Shen Linfeng". He is even willing to help poor children like Chen Long and Qin Shubai, but not his own brother.
So, don't blame him for taking such a desperate measure. It's just that Yan's family is not an ordinary person. The door is locked and no one goes out except for those who buy vegetables every day.
It would be difficult to get her to go out, so You Da wouldn't be able to see her in person. Then his last deliberate boasting about Yan's beauty and charm wouldn't be convincing.
Grandma Qingda was also anxious. She had no way to provoke Yao Niang, and Shen Linjiang and his wife were also frightened. After listening to her, they not only did not get angry with Yao Niang, but also planned to wait for Shen Linfeng to come back and let Shen Linjiang prepare gifts to reconcile the two families.
This made Grandma Qingda feel that Shao was really a hopeless person, and Yan was not really a person with a bad temper, and would not be fooled no matter how she provoked him, so she could only come by herself.
That day, Shaw came to thank Qingda's grandmother because Qingda knew that she was pregnant and had swollen feet, so she made a pair of shoes for her personally. She also brought two packets of tea.
"Why do you have to come here in person? If you have anything, just ask the servants to bring it over." Grandma Qingda said with a smile.
"What are you talking about, sister-in-law? It is my duty. You made a pair of shoes for me specially. If I were that person, I would not know what is good for me. My parents are not around. Although my uncle's family is good, they can't control me. Last time, I didn't even know that I shouldn't eat too many crabs. It was you, sister-in-law, who told me that eating crabs and turtles can cause miscarriage." Since she became pregnant, Shao has become more emotionally sensitive, and she feels that her sister-in-law treats her much better.
Grandma Qing said, "We are all family, so we should not talk behind each other's backs. It's good that you and your wife said last time that you would wait for Linfeng to come back and ask for reconciliation. To be honest, your eldest brother is not very successful, and he will still have to rely on you in the future. But to be frank, we sisters-in-law have to say this from the bottom of our hearts. Even if my brother passes the imperial examination and becomes an official in the future, I'm afraid he won't be as good as Linfeng."
Shao nodded: "I think so too. In fact, the relationship between me and Yan was not bad before. It's just that the separation of the family is not right. We can't keep the family in this stalemate forever."
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Do you like sour or spicy food now? Since ancient times, sour boys and spicy girls have always been the norm." Grandma Qingda joked.
Shao touched her belly and said, "My aunt said that such things are unpredictable. When she was pregnant with my cousin, she loved spicy food, and she ended up giving birth to a son."
Grandma Qing shook her head and said, "It's hard to say, but I can't completely disbelieve it. There have always been sour boys and spicy girls, you know? I'm trying to find a virtuous concubine for our eldest master, and I'm worried sick, just hoping that you give birth to a son. If it's a daughter, you and I have been married for almost three years, and you will have to follow my old path."
"What?" Shaw still didn't understand.
Grandma Qing said, "Last time I was at my aunt's place, I was thinking about making this girl beside me a concubine. She and I grew up together, and now she is just a girl. If she is made a concubine, I will stop her contraceptive medicine, and the children she birth to will also be of the same mind as me. But my aunt said that the Shen family has an ancestral precept that does not allow maids to give birth to children. Later I learned that the faces of the other three illegitimate children in our third room are not listed in the family tree. If they have a promising future, they will be listed in the family tree for the time being."
Shao had never thought that the truth would be like this. No wonder the masters of the first and second houses of the Shen family all had concubines, but these concubines were not proper concubines, they were only servants, and they had no children. Even before Master Shen returned home this time, almost all the servants of the first house were released.
So that's it, so that's it!
"Does not allow me to have children mean that you want me to pick a child from a decent family?" Shao asked again.
Grandma Qing nodded, "Of course it is so. Our Wuxing Shen family is not a small family where any woman can raise offspring. Otherwise, we would be secretly cheating and everything would be useless. Let's not talk about the distant past. Look, Dalang's wife Yan's mother was married by the old Minister Yan for Minister Yan. If it is better for a maid to give birth to a child, why doesn't the Yan family directly inherit from the eldest wife, but also have to make a joint heir. I, your sister-in-law, have been worn out by the temper, you are more fortunate than me."
Shaw was stunned for a moment.
How could she allow others to sleep soundly beside her bed? Even those second wives who came in with formal banquets, even though their status was far inferior to theirs, were still strong rivals. The Shen family could regard their sons as legitimate sons.
Other words seemed to have no impact on Shao. After saying this, Shao left in a state of dismay. Grandma Qingda breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I still have some grapefruits here, which were given to me by your eldest brother and his classmates. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming next month, so you can take a few back home."
Shao said "Oh" and asked the servant to take it away.
The two servants Wang Gu and Nan Gu beside Shao were both from the Shao family. They grew up in merchant families and although they were smart, they did not know the real rules of a wealthy family. When they saw Grandma Qing giving gifts here and there, they actually thought that Grandma Qing was a good person.
Especially Wang Gu, who was beaten by Yao Niang last time, and Shao's didn't want to use her anymore, thinking that she was causing trouble, and it was Grandma Qing who spoke for her. Therefore, in order to get promoted, she naturally helped to give advice: "Second Grandma, in fact, you really should have taken precautions against what Grandma said."
"Prevent? How to prevent? It's not up to me to decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl." Shao felt very uncomfortable.
Wanggu said, "I heard that the incense in the Dagu Temple is very effective. Isn't it because of the Dagu Temple that Second Madam is pregnant this time?"
Nan Gu frowned and said, "What are you talking about? Our grandmother is pregnant now, how can she go to the Dagu Temple? The mountain road there is very rugged."
"That's all I said. If you don't agree, forget it." Wang Gu said embarrassingly.
At dinner time, someone brought a plate of sour soup to Shao's place. She was not used to it and felt a toothache: "I don't want to drink this." When the servant was about to bring it, Shao thought of the sour son and spicy daughter, and said: "Put it here, I'd better drink more. By the way, if you have anything else sour, just send it to me."
It was just a bowl of sour soup. Because Shaw wanted it sour, the chef put a little more in it, and Shaw bled.
Yao Niang was drinking sweet soup. When she heard that Shao had seen blood, she hurriedly asked, "Why is she like this?"
Mother Gu said, "I heard that she wanted to drink the sour soup. It was already sour enough, but she wanted more. She even thought the soup was not sour enough. The chef had no choice but to add some hawthorn. Fortunately, it was just spotting. If it was a miscarriage, what would we do?"
However, Mother Gu said, "Speaking of which, the Third Madam is too young, and she is not a very competent mother-in-law."
"Mom, in that case, why don't I go over and take a look." Yao Niang knew that if she didn't go, she would be tough, but she would also be easy to be picked on.
She was originally in the right, but now she is no longer in the right.
Mother Gu also praised: "You are the wife of the clan after all. Although you don't have to be as considerate as the wife, it would be bad if you didn't go to see your sister-in-law when she has bleeding."
At that moment, Yao Niang asked someone to prepare some supplements and asked the driver to get the mule ready. Only when they arrived at the third room did Yao Niang help the people get off.
After getting off the carriage, Yao Niang said to Yan Dayan and Yan Er beside her: "Just wait in the carriage for a while."
After going to Kaifeng, Yao Niang was very cautious and brought guards with her wherever she went. Yan Da and Yan Er also followed her to the Shen family as a dowry. Yao Niang was also surrounded by people, and she would bring at least eight people with her when she went out. She looked even more intimidating under the crowd.
But Shen Bangyan pretended to advise You Da to look silly, "Cousin, I advise you not to have any ideas. My sister-in-law is not an ordinary person. Don't be obsessed with her."
You Da glanced at Shen Bangyan and said, "Cousin, you are still young. How can a woman be so rough? I have the patience."
"Don't do anything rash. If my brother finds out, do you know the consequences?" Shen Bangyan knew that his cousin was of low status but arrogant, and what he hated most was others looking down on him.
You Da thought, what's wrong with Shen Linfeng? Speaking of Shen Linfeng, he and Shen Bangyan had a feud. It would be fine if Shen Bangyan didn't mention it. But when Shen Linfeng was mentioned, You Da said, "He has never looked at me straight in the eye. After he won the prize, he invited everyone in Chunfeng Manyue Tower to have a drink. I thought we were all relatives and wanted to share in the good fortune, so I went up to talk to him. I didn't expect that he would not introduce me to the people around him at all. He just looked down on me."
So, You Da also has a trick. Isn't Yan's family not going to come out? But the Shen family is very big. If they can set a small fire, won't people sneak in? He often comes to the Shen family to play and is very familiar with the Shen family.
Little did they know that Yao Niang often patrolled the nights and talked to the gatekeepers about fire prevention and theft prevention: "If there is a fire, remember not to open the door to let the fire in. If it is far away, use the pump in this cylinder to shoot it out. This was specially made by the eldest son and Mr. Luo. I have seen that you have practiced very well in the past few days. You must be more vigilant at night."
So, You Da deliberately started a small fire and was about to take advantage of the chaos to get in, but he didn't expect that several extremely strong maids from the Shen family came with a tall thing that could spray water and sprayed it crazily, spraying even him. He hurriedly climbed over the wall and fled back home.
Even the servants of the first house immediately informed the second house that there was a fire nearby. You Da quickly jumped over the wall and ran away. He was good at kung fu since he was a child, and because of his high martial arts skills, he became a catcher in Daxing County. He had also taken the martial arts exam, but failed repeatedly, and had many crooked ideas.
Shen Bangyan pretended to put on his clothes and came out. The servant of the first house said, "Second Master, it seems that a tree is burning over there. It almost burned us. Fortunately, we have a pump. The eldest lady asked us to practice several times. This time, we put out the fire in one go. The servants over there should also be more alert."
"Okay, I got it. I hope I didn't alarm my sister-in-law. My brother is not at home, so you should take good care of the house." Shen Bangyan originally thought that a woman was no big deal, but he didn't expect that this woman was so difficult to deal with.
The servants hurriedly said yes.
Yao Niang only learned about the matter the next day. She rewarded the two servants with a few feet of cloth and snacks each. She also felt that doing everything in advance had its benefits.
It was also said that Mrs. Shen II came to thank them in person, but Yao Niang waved her hand and said, "It's just a small matter."
"I've always worried that it would be difficult for you to manage the household after my eldest sister-in-law passed away. I didn't expect that you would be much more thoughtful and cautious than I thought." Madam Shen Er was the mistress of the household herself, so of course she knew the pros and cons of being a housekeeper. A fire could destroy a wealthy family in an instant, and her family had experienced that before.
Yao Niang said, "No, no, I still need to ask you more, but he is away now, and I am a young woman, so it is only right to stay at home."
Mrs. Shen also nodded in agreement.
But there was one thing Yao Niang had to get over, and that was Li's childbirth. Li returned to the Yan family a few days before giving birth. She felt that she could not stay in her husband's house for the confinement period. Yao Niang happened to hear that she had given birth, so of course she had to go home to visit her.
When You Da's plan failed, he came up with another one. He originally arranged for two scoundrels to deliberately fight and make trouble to stimulate Yao Niang's carriage, and then take the opportunity to rescue her. However, he did not expect that Yan Dayi and Yan Er would act faster. The two of them were riding in front, and when they saw the scoundrels approaching, they immediately whipped the people and threw them aside.
In this way, Youda suffered another setback.
Yao Niang sat in the carriage and read a book. When they arrived at Yan's house, they went straight to the east courtyard. Madam Li was already here, and her face was not looking good. Minister Li had been reported recently, and he might not be able to sit in a stable position. Of course, these were expected with the fall of the Gong family. The Li family wanted Minister Yan to take action. Minister Yan was old and shrewd, and he had seen through the officialdom and was less likely to take action. He did not try to keep his grandson when he was demoted.
Because Yan Mai was not saved, the relationship between the Li and Yan families became strained, and Mrs. Li was in a dilemma.
"Madam Li, has my sister-in-law started? How is it?" Yao Niang asked.
Madam Li said, "It takes time to give birth to a child. I think you should just leave someone here."
"It's okay, I'll wait here for a while. At worst I can just sleep at home." Yao Niang's husband is not at home now, so she can make all the decisions.
But she hadn't been standing there for a while when she was sent by Minister Yan to the Ministry of Works. Yao Niang was confused: "Why would my grandfather ask me to work in a place like the Ministry of Works?"
"Auntie, Xu Han, the deputy director of the Ministry of Water Resources and Civil Affairs, died in the government office accidentally. A sharp knife was stuck in the middle of his chest. The old man wants you to listen to the confessions of the petty officials and describe the scene at that time."
Yao Niang nodded. Fortunately, she always brought her paintbrushes with her when she went out, so she asked someone to send her to the Ministry of Works.
It was rare for women to come to the government office, especially to the confidential places in the court. But now that they were invited by the old minister Yan, they did not dare to say anything. After seeing Yan Mai, Yao Niang did not call him grandfather, but immediately saluted and said, "Greetings to Grand Minister Yan."
Yan Mai introduced, "This is the wife of Shen Bianxiu of the Hanlin Academy. She is very good at painting, especially for people she has met once, or scenes described by others. She can accurately paint. Xu Yuanwailang was born in a county in Shandong. Because of his talent in flood control, I promoted him to Yuanwailang. Now he has died in the government office for unknown reasons. I must find the real culprit for him."
Dushuisi? They were the officials who patrolled the river. Why were they faced with such a horrifying scene? Yao Niang thought there must be something fishy going on.
At that time, the Ministry of Works had a clerk serving beside it. After Xu Han arrived at the Ministry of Works, he also arranged a clerk. Before Yao Niang could catch her breath, she said, "Then please describe the scene of that night first, and I want to draw it."
A young lady of good age, with noble bearing and elegant clothes, appeared among the crowd. Without any hesitation, she handed several paintings to Yan Mai and the Shaoqing of Dali Temple an hour later.
"I drew this based on the description of this clerk. Last night, three people entered Xu Yuanwai's office. One of them was Huang Minzhong, the accountant. He went in with the account book. The sun had not yet set, so it should have been before the hour of You. At the hour of Hai, Xu Yuanwai went to this place in the Ministry of Works alone and walked around for a while. At this time, someone came to look for him, but I, the clerk, did not know this person. Because it was too dark, I could not see clearly. I could only hastily draw this picture based on the description of the clerk. Finally, at the third quarter of the hour of Hai, the people from the River Defense Department came, but they left before they had even had a cup of tea."
The Shaoqing of the Dali Temple originally thought that Qi Yanmai was meddling in other people's business, but he saw that although Yao Niang was a woman, she was extremely efficient in her work, and everything she said was related to the case, without any nonsense.
And these pictures, especially the second one, are extremely important. He couldn't help but say, "Mr. Xu died between 11:30 and 15:30."
Cheng Shaoqing is thirty-six years old this year. At such a young age, he is already the Shaoqing of Dali Temple. Naturally, he is not an ordinary person. Yao Niang understands what he means, which is that the second person who met Xu Han is very problematic.
Of course, this case is definitely not that simple, but this is not something Yao Niang can control. She is only responsible for drawing some scenes and character descriptions. The specific verdict of the case depends on how the Dali Temple decides.
"Mrs. Shen is really an expert in painting. If you could draw the second person, it would be much easier for us to find him." Cheng Shaoqing's eyes lit up.
Yao Niang said, "Originally, you were investigating the case, and we were not supposed to be here. But I have to do my duty as ordered by my grandfather. Now that the matter is over, I will take my leave now."
Yan Mai looked at Yao Niang and said, "You should go back first. Grandfather will come to see you tomorrow."
"Yeah." Yao Niang nodded and left immediately.
Everyone present only then realized that the wife of Mr. Shen Bianxiu was the granddaughter of Minister Yan, and the two were also in a grandmother-granddaughter relationship, but when she first came in, she directly addressed him by his official title.
After coming out of the Ministry of Works, Yao Niang saw that it was getting late, so she prepared to go home directly, thinking that if her sister-in-law gave birth tomorrow, someone would probably announce the good news.
You Da was defeated again today and was a little scared. After all, the Shen family was not an ordinary family. If he was caught, his career would be over.
But the opportunity came again. After Yan went out, You Da went to the second room of Shen's family. He took advantage of no one's attention to sneak into the river and climbed to the main room through the river. He was familiar with the terrain of Shen's family and found his way into the yard in no time. He was also very patient. Yan went out today and took many servants with her. The gate of the yard was usually closed, which was convenient for him. He jumped over the wall and saw that there were only two maids guarding the main room. He waited on the tree and saw that the two of them were dozing off and went in for a nap before he found his way in.
You Dazhong was just an ordinary country gentleman. He worked as a catcher in the capital. Although he made a lot of money by collecting bribes from everywhere, he did not expect the Shen family to be so wealthy. The house was even more luxurious than the one he had visited with his aunt. He was afraid of rummaging through the drawers and waking up the maids, so he planned to lie on the beam or hide under the bed, and wait until Yan fell asleep late at night before he sneaked into bed.
He even put some knockout drugs in Yao Niang's teapot.
Just after administering the knockout drug, You Da saw a portrait of Shen Linfeng hanging here. The image of Shen Linfeng was even more glaring to You Da. He couldn't help but step forward and touch it, but suddenly several arrows and needles shot at him. You Da fell to the ground with a painful howl.
When Yao Niang entered the room, she heard that a thief had broken into their room. The man had been tied up tightly, with bloody holes all over his body. Yao Niang was shocked: "How scary! Who is this person? I'm going to report this to Shuntianfu and Dali Temple."
You Da said with a sullen look, "You are so cruel."
Yao Niang was puzzled. She thought that this thief had actually managed to sneak into the main room. If she didn't get rid of him, there would be endless trouble. He even dared to scold her for being cruel. She was afraid that he would take revenge in the future, so she had to be ruthless.
"This person has evil intentions. Go and call my grandfather over and tell him that I painted for Mr. Xu who died in the Ministry of Works today and was retaliated against by someone who wants to kill me."
You Da fainted after hearing this. When he came here in the morning, he heard that there was a big case in the Ministry of Works. He was afraid that the Dali Temple, the river channel and the Ministry of Works were all trying to catch the murderer. He was involved in such a murder case and was afraid that he would have no chance of survival. This woman was simply the reincarnation of King Yanluo. He really regretted his decision.
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