Zhou looked at her abruptly, her disheveled face full of astonishment: "You, what do you know?"
Jiang Wan didn't answer, but just stared at her quietly, her phoenix eyes filled with a hint of coldness.
"If I tell you this, will you help me save people?" Zhou asked.
"I can arrange for you to meet first, and as for the rest, it will depend on your performance."
Zhou stared at her for a long time before saying, "The Song family lived in Yuzhou for a while. What exactly do you want to ask?"
Jiang Wan went straight to the point: "About my engagement."
Zhou was taken aback, not expecting her to ask this question.
“Everyone knows that your mother herself asked the late emperor for this marriage. What does this have to do with Yuzhou?” Zhou looked at her with a complicated expression. “Although you are the daughter of the prime minister, when this marriage was mentioned back then, everyone said that the Song family was marrying above their station. But Ziyu was very unwilling, and I did not want him to take you into the family either.”
Jiang Wan knew that she was telling the truth.
At that time, Gu Yurong had already become close friends with Song Ziyu and was also pregnant.
For the Zhou family, a daughter from a merchant family was naturally easier to control than a noblewoman from the Prime Minister's mansion.
It's only natural that she prefers the Gu family.
"If you were unwilling, why did you agree?" Jiang Wan asked.
"Ziyu made a fuss about this for a while. Later, his grandmother came from another house to persuade him personally, and he finally nodded. Otherwise, he might have made a scene of disobeying the imperial decree."
Jiang Wan pressed further: "So, back in Yuzhou, my mother never went to the Song family, nor did she ever meet Song Ziyu?"
“She has never visited our home.” Madam Zhou frowned. “Back then, when she suddenly proposed to the Emperor, the Song family was quite surprised.”
"Later I was busy with other things and couldn't get away, so my mother-in-law took care of Ziyu's marriage. I didn't even meet your mother more than a few times."
Seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, Jiang Wan's heart sank.
It seems that Zhou only had a superficial understanding of the situation back then.
The one who knew the inside story was the elder's wife.
Jiang Wan asked cautiously, "Are you avoiding Grandmother because you accidentally saw something?"
Zhou's lips trembled, her expression somewhat complicated.
"That day, the palace carriage was urging me at the gate. After I finished tidying up the things in the study, I saw that my mother-in-law had not yet arrived, so I went to the Deer and Crane Hall to meet her. When I passed by the Buddhist hall, I saw my mother-in-law carrying something from behind the Buddha statue."
"I assumed it was just some personal savings and didn't pay much attention. I happened to twist my ankle at the courtyard gate, so I sent my personal maid ahead to the Buddhist hall to urge them on, while I stayed outside the moon gate to rest and observe the situation. Who knew..."
Her voice trembled.
"My maidservant went along the wall, and Granny Wu, who was guarding the entrance to the Buddhist hall, didn't notice her for a moment. When she suddenly saw someone approaching, she seemed to be startled and actually... snapped her neck!"
Jiang Wan frowned.
Granny Wu of Luhetang was a confidante of the old lady. She was responsible for managing the Buddhist hall year-round, never leaving her side. She was kind-hearted and gentle, and had the kindest nature.
I never imagined they would be so ruthless.
"Later, Granny Wu ordered someone to hastily dispose of the maid's body. She looked very nervous. Her mother-in-law also packed up some things and came out, heading towards the moon gate. She moved furtively, as if she was afraid that someone would discover something."
As Zhou recalled the events, her face gradually paled.
"I was about to leave, but I was so nervous that I missed a step and they heard me. I heard Granny Wu call out 'Madam Zhou' behind me. I was so scared that I ran out the side door and didn't even catch up with the palace carriage."
Jiang Wan asked, "What exactly is in the Deer and Crane Hall?"
Zhou shook her head: "It was so bright white, I couldn't see clearly." She shivered, "But I saw... something seemed to jump out of the box, and it was moving!"
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