Aunt Ru followed them into the courtyard.
She had visited Luhe Hall several times before, but it was never as quiet as it was today. There were far fewer servants, and the gates were heavily guarded.
Granny Wu even approached her, checked her clothes, and explained, "There was a thief in the courtyard a couple of days ago, please forgive me, Auntie."
Aunt Ru nodded, quite obediently.
The burglary was clearly an excuse; the current tense atmosphere at Luhetang must have another reason.
But she came today with a purpose and didn't ask any further questions.
Upon entering the courtyard, she discovered that the few servants present were not in the main hall, but instead guarding the entrance to the Buddhist hall.
Aunt Ru glanced at the tightly closed doors of the Buddhist hall, then, remembering Jiang Wan's instructions, she quietly withdrew her gaze.
Upon arriving at the main hall, Madam Yuan, as usual, inquired about Song Zhao's recent situation. Seeing her concern, Aunt Ru placed Song Zhao in Madam Yuan's arms.
Little Song Zhao was born fair and chubby, with a pair of round and bright eyes like black grapes. He didn't cry or fuss and obediently let the old lady hold him.
A smile appeared on the elder's face.
"When Ayu returns home and sees this child, he will be very happy."
Aunt Ru was surprised and blurted out, "The general can come back?"
Seeing the old lady looking at her with displeasure, she realized what she meant and showed a concerned expression: "What I mean is... I heard that the Ministry of Justice will be trying the general's case tomorrow. Old lady, now only you can make decisions in the family. You must save him."
"As a fellow woman confined to the inner quarters, how could I not know what you're thinking?"
The matriarch patted Song Zhao, looking relaxed.
"Don't worry, Ayu is my own grandson, how could I not care about him?"
Aunt Ru smiled, but inwardly she felt a slight sense of mockery.
The matriarch of the elders really did not know how to judge people.
She wasn't worried about Song Ziyu at all; in fact, she hoped he would never come back.
She was staying home to prepare for childbirth a while ago and didn't pay much attention to news outside.
All we know is that Song Ziyu committed a serious crime, which enraged His Majesty. Even Song Tingyue has been implicated, and it seems unlikely that things will end well for him.
The imperial court had no intention of punishing anyone implicated, and Song Yu would most likely inherit the general's family business.
In the inner quarters, she has the protection of her kind and intelligent mistress, Jiang Wan. By the time Zhao'er grows up, with Song Yu's abilities, he will have already become a prominent figure in the court, and his achievements will be no less than those of Song Ziyu. With such a brother to look after her, Zhao'er's future is limitless.
What's wrong with this kind of life?
It's better than Song Ziyu returning, taking several more concubines, and constantly scheming and plotting against each other.
Aunt Ru glanced at Madam Yuan and tentatively asked, "So, you already have a way to save the General?"
"You don't need to worry about things outside. Just take good care of Zhao'er."
The matriarch said in a deep voice.
"It's almost time, I should go and pay my respects to Buddha, you should go back now."
As she reached the door, she handed Song Zhao over to Aunt Ru. But as soon as Aunt Ru stepped out the door, the usually well-behaved Song Zhao suddenly burst into tears.
Aunt Ru could only stand at the door and coax her softly a few times.
No matter how they held her, Song Zhao would burst into tears as soon as she stepped out of the main room. This happened several times, and no one could soothe her.
"That's strange. I don't know what's wrong with the child today. Maybe he's hungry."
Aunt Ru frowned.
"I cannot delay your chanting of Buddhist scriptures, so I will take my leave now."
The matriarch scolded, "You're a mother, yet you walked home crying when it was windy outside. Be careful he catches a cold."
As she spoke, she hugged the tearful Song Zhao.
Strangely enough, little Song Zhao immediately stopped crying and stared at her with wet eyes.
Granny Wu smiled and said, "It seems that the young master likes you very much, Madam, and is reluctant to leave you."
The matriarch was pleased and instructed, "Then let the wet nurse come over, feed the baby, and then go back."
After saying that, she turned and went to the Buddhist hall, leaving Granny Wu to accompany Aunt Ru in the main room.
The wet nurse arrived quickly, and surprisingly, she was followed by a maid dressed in a green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
Granny Wu immediately recognized her; she was Biluo, Jiang Wan's personal maid.
She asked warily, "Biluo, what brings you here?"
"This servant was ordered by Madam to bring some bird's nest to Auntie. It was just made in the kitchen this morning, and it won't taste good if it gets cold." Biluo opened the food box, inside which was a bowl of steaming bird's nest. "It was originally meant to be delivered to Auntie's courtyard, but when I heard you were here, I came with the wet nurse."
Granny Wu scooped some out with a spoon; it was indeed ordinary bird's nest.
Before she could speak, Biluo said, "The things have been delivered. This servant will take her leave now."
After saying that, he left without lingering for a moment, put down the food box, and went out.
Granny Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The wet nurse took Song Zhao to a side room to breastfeed.
Aunt Ru sat down next to the food box, glancing at Granny Wu from time to time.
She knew that the matriarch had left someone there to keep an eye on her.
She didn't say much, just quietly drank her bird's nest soup.
Before long, the wet nurse rushed out: "Something terrible has happened! The young master's jade ruyi is missing!"
"What?" Aunt Ru stood up and said anxiously, "That was a gift from Her Majesty the Empress. I'm going to take Zhao'er to the palace to express my gratitude in a few days. How could you be so careless?"
Granny Wu came over and sent two maids away.
"Don't worry, Auntie. As long as the things are in Luhe Hall, they won't be lost. I'll send someone to look for them right away."
"How can we not be anxious?" Aunt Ru frowned. "Leaving aside other things, our General's Mansion lost the Empress's reward last time, and Madam Gu was punished by being sent to the Censorate for a month! If it happens again, it won't be so easy to explain..."
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