After Song Yu returned to Xingzhi Courtyard, the candlelight in Jiang Wan's room stayed on all night.
The servants stood guard at the door, unaware of what the mother and son were saying.
The next day, when Biluo came to serve breakfast, Song Yu kept his head down and kept glancing at Jiang Wan's face, like a child who had done something wrong.
Biluo couldn't help but chuckle.
Song Yu is now the most renowned young general in the capital, and he only shows his childlike behavior in front of his wife.
"lady."
She placed a vegetarian bun in Jiang Wan's bowl and whispered.
"The lady from the clothing shop has arrived and is waiting outside."
Jiang Wan was overjoyed.
Zhuque always visits as the lady of a clothing shop. If Biluo says this, does that mean she and Shuangbai returned to the capital ahead of schedule?
Since the two left the capital, the frequency of their letters has decreased. The last letter Jiang Wan received was from Zhuque, who said he was going to investigate the relationship between the Yuan family and Grand Secretary Teng. She was looking forward to a reply, but unexpectedly, Zhuque had already returned.
Such speed must mean traveling day and night.
Jiang Wan was preoccupied with seeing Zhuque, and she ate breakfast absentmindedly.
Song Yu noticed her distraction, finished the clear soup in the bowl in a few gulps, stood up and said, "Mother wants to make new clothes, and I also have something to do, so I'll go back to the camp first."
Jiang Wan asked, "Why the rush? Has something serious happened?"
"There's been progress on the matter of the Illusion Moon Sect. To prevent the Kuai clan from escaping again, I need to return to the camp to plan a capture operation," Song Yu replied.
"Have you found that leader surnamed Kuai?" Jiang Wan frowned.
The Illusion Moon Sect was a major concern for Emperor Jingyuan. He sent no fewer than ten groups of troops to investigate the Kuai clan, but to no avail for more than a decade.
How long has Song Yu been in charge of this matter, yet he has already found the Kuai family?
That's truly surprising.
Song Yu nodded: "I'll discuss the specific details with my mother when I have time."
He got up to leave, but Jiang Wan was also eager to see Zhuque, so she didn't ask any further questions. She only told him to be careful and then let Song Yu go.
After Song Yu left, Zhu Que, disguised, entered the room.
Behind her followed a follower dressed in white, who was none other than Shuangbai.
"lady!"
After not seeing each other for many days, Zhuque could not hide his excitement and stepped forward to hold Jiang Wan's hand.
Seeing that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were gentle, Jiang Wan knew that she was happy. Her gaze towards Shuangbai softened, and she instructed Biluo to serve tea.
"You two have had a hard time traveling to Youzhou. Please have a seat."
"Doing things for you is no trouble at all!" Shuangbai still had that cheerful look on her face, scratching her head sheepishly. "If it weren't for Madam's help, how could Zhuque and I be where we are today? Our family members all like Zhuque very much and are urging us to get married! Don't worry, I will definitely treat her well..."
Zhuque slapped him, her face flushed.
"Having rushed back to the capital, why don't you speak with your wife about important matters?"
“Yes, yes.” Shuangbai smiled, and when she looked at Jiang Wan again, her eyes became more serious. “Zhuque and I have found some things that are of great importance, so we came back to the capital to tell you in person.”
Jiang Wan also said seriously, "Please speak."
Shuangbai recounted their experiences after arriving in Youzhou in a low voice, and then steered the conversation to Miao territory.
"When we were investigating the Yuan family's connections in Youzhou, we followed the clues to the former Youwang Mansion and found a wet nurse who had served the Yuan family since she was a child."
"Logically speaking, when Lady Yuan traveled a long way to marry into the capital, she would have brought her trusted servants with her. This old woman was also among those accompanying her. She should have married Lady Yuan with her, but coincidentally, half a month before Lady Yuan's wedding, she had an accident and broke her leg, so she had to stay in the Prince's mansion."
Jiang Wan frowned: "An accident?"
"What's even stranger is that this wasn't the only accident." Zhuque chuckled. "Shuangbai and I felt something was wrong, so we started our investigation from here. That's when we learned that before Yuanshi got married, her personal maids either made mistakes or got into trouble. Some were injured, some were sold off, and most of them died within half a month. Most of the remaining ones died mysteriously on their way to the capital."
"Now, Madam Yuan's trusted confidante, Granny Xia, was bought into the Prince's Mansion a month before Madam Yuan's marriage. No one knew her identity before, except Madam Yuan who trusted her completely."
Jiang Wan nodded and recalled.
“Yuan is a cautious person, and over the years, the only person she has trusted the most is Granny Xia.”
Even the matter of secretly raising Gu poison was known to Granny Xia.
"We tried to investigate Granny Xia's past, but to no avail."
Suzaku continued.
“The buying and selling of servants are all recorded and traceable, but Xia Mama’s traces have been deliberately erased. Even the matchmaker who handled her business back then, her entire family of six was killed.”
"What?"
Jiang Wan's expression darkened.
Such ruthless methods are reminiscent of the Yuan family's style of doing things.
However, the more the other party tries to hide it, the more it proves that something is amiss.
“That’s right, Granny Xia must have something going on, but unfortunately the trail went cold and we couldn’t find out anything more,” Zhuque said. “Just then, I received a letter from the madam saying that Teng Yan’s relationship with the Miao princess was unusual.”
"It's difficult to investigate an ordinary nanny, but many locals in Youzhou have an impression of the Miao princess's story."
"Although the words 'Miao Jiang' are taboo in the capital, they are not so serious in Youzhou. After many twists and turns, I found a portrait of the Miao Jiang princess when she was young."
As Zhuque spoke, he took out a scroll from his sleeve.
"It is said that this is the last portrait she left in the world before her death."
The scroll slowly unfurled. It was so old that the paper had yellowed and wrinkled, but the brushstrokes were soft, depicting a girl chasing butterflies in spring.
The girl was dressed in fine clothes and had a pretty face.
Jiang Wan stared at the girl's face, stunned for a moment.
"this…"
The girl's eyebrows and eyes bore a striking resemblance to those of the Yuan family, with about seven-tenths similarity.
Suppressing her surprise, she asked, "Could there be a mistake?"
Zhuque shook his head: "The Miao region has open customs. Before her death, this princess appeared in the streets many times. Many people have seen her. I went to confirm that the person in the painting is indeed the Miao princess."
“I met Lady Yuan in the capital and was quite surprised, but I thought that perhaps Lady Yuan just happened to look like the Miao princess, but that was not the case.”
"So I took the portrait and found the wet nurse from the Youzhou Prince's Mansion back then, and asked her to confirm it with her own eyes."
Zhuque paused.
Guess what?
She lowered her voice and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"That old woman said that the person in the portrait is not Yuan Shi at all!"
Jiang Wan's eyes widened slightly: "What?"
“That old woman raised Yuan Shi herself, she would never mistake her.”
Suzaku affirmed.
"She also told me a lot about Yuan's temperament and habits. In comparison, she was not at all like Yuan in the General's Mansion."
Jiang Wan took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"Unless... the young lady 'Yuan Shi' who grew up in the Youzhou Prince's Mansion and this 'Yuan Shi' who married into the General's Mansion are not the same person at all."
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