Mr. Hou frowned slightly and nodded: "There is no one else here, so it's okay to talk. In fact, the governor has been married for many years, and his wife has never had children. This is also something that makes Mr. Hou extremely upset." He smiled bitterly: "This kind of thing, The old Marquis cannot often ask the Governor, so... he often writes to the old slave to inquire about the situation."
Qi Ning nodded slightly, stood up suddenly, went over and poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Mr. Hou. Mr. Hou was startled, flattered, and hurriedly took it with both hands and whispered: "Thank you, Mr. Hou."
Qi Ning asked: "We have been married for five years, but we have not given birth to a child. Not to mention a family like Jindao Tantai, even an ordinary family is worried. Boss, what is the reason for this?"
"This...!" Mr. Hou hesitated to speak.
Qi Ning solemnly said: "Old General Manager, I know the relationship between you and the Governor. The old Marquis has left you with the Governor, so naturally he has great trust in you. The Governor can completely hand over the Governor's Mansion to you. It doesn’t take a lot of trust. I naturally believe in people who can make the old Marquis and his son trust so much. You old man should understand why I want to find out about these things from you tonight. Although the death of Governor Tantai seems There is no big problem, but if you think about it carefully, there are too many strange things. I was entrusted by the emperor and the old marquis to come to the East China Sea to investigate the truth of the matter, so naturally I dare not slack off."
Mr. Hou picked up the teacup, took a sip, and nodded slightly: "I also know that Mr. Hou came here because of his instructions, so... I still informed Mr. Hou of these things I shouldn't have said just now."
Qining stretched out his hand and patted Mr. Hou's arm, and said warmly: "I know that the old manager also has doubts about the death of the Grand Governor, but the facts are all there and we can't find anything wrong, so we are now trying our best to find out if there are other possibilities. If the manager can help me, he will definitely make things easier."
Mr. Hou held the tea cup in both hands, thought for a while, and finally said: "Master Hou, in fact, in the past few years, Mr. Hou has been worrying about his wife's affairs. The old slave... I also put a lot of thought into this. In the first two years That's okay, three years after we got married, the old Marquis couldn't bear it any longer and sent someone... to deliver medicine!"
"Sending medicine?"
"It is said to be a miraculous medicine that can help you have children." Mr. Hou sighed softly: "The medicine looks no different. The old master asked the old slave... The old slave put it into the lady's meal. Before the lady ate, there were people Try it out, but that kind of medicine does not hurt people, it is only effective for the madam. The old slave could only obey the old master's instructions, but... But for some reason, the madam seemed to have discovered something fishy. One time, the old slave got angry. As soon as the slave put the food on the table, the lady... knocked it all over, and... she still let the old slave take care of himself...!"
"The lady didn't say anything else?"
"No." Mr. Hou shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Since then, I haven't mentioned that matter. Old slave... Old slave saw that Madam noticed it, so... So I never put medicine in the food again."
"Are you sure Madam found something wrong with the meal?"
"I still remember the situation at that time. Madam's eyes and expression clearly meant that there was something wrong with the food." Manager Hou frowned and said, "I am sure that Madam had noticed this at that time."
"Then... besides the old Marquis and the old manager, does anyone else know about this?"
Mr. Hou thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Old servant, be careful when doing things here. No one will notice. I just don't know if Mr. Hou has told others."
"Does the Grand Governor know?"
"After all, I put medicine in Madam's food. Although I never thought of telling the Governor at first, but... But I always felt that it was not good to hide it from the Governor, so... I mentioned it to the Governor once." Hou The steward sighed: "Looking back now, I shouldn't have said too much at that time. What the old slave wanted at that time was to let the governor know that my wife had taken medicine, so that she could... have sex together more often."
Qi Ning knew that Mr. Hou was being honest with him. After all, such matters could not be brought to the table. The old manager could tell such things just because he hoped that he could find clues to Tantai Zhilin's suicide.
"This is also what it should be." Qi Ning said: "The old manager is also doing it for their own good." Then he frowned and said: "There are only a few people who know about this matter. Why does Madam know about it? The old manager also said that the medicine is colorless and odorless. If she couldn't detect it, why could Madam notice it? Did... someone tell her secretly? "
"But except for the old slave and the Grand Governor, no one else knows about it." Mr. Hou said doubtfully: "The Grand Governor and his wife treat each other like guests, and they usually treat her with great respect. I know that my wife will be unhappy when she knows about such a thing. The Grand Governor I probably won’t tell her.”
Qining thought for a while and then said: "The old Marquis will definitely not let others know. The old manager did not reveal the news. The Governor... The Governor cannot tell outsiders. So... Then how did Madam know? , It’s really strange.” I really felt that this matter was a bit bizarre, and after thinking about it for a while, I said: “Old manager, Madam gave birth to the young master half a year ago, is that due to the effect of the medicine?”
"Absolutely impossible." Mr. Hou immediately shook his head and said, "Madam took the medicine for less than a month and hasn't taken it for more than two years since then. Even if the medicine had some effect at that time, it is impossible that it will not dissipate after two years."
Qin Ning knew that what Mr. Hou said was reasonable, and he thought thoughtfully, and finally said: "Since Madam did not give birth to the young master because of the effect of the medicine, it proves that neither the Governor nor the Madam have any physical problems. , If that’s the case, why did you give birth to a child only five years after getting married?” Staring at Mr. Hou, he whispered: “Mr. Hou, outsiders will not know the reason for this, but Mr. Hou should know something.”
"This...!" Mr. Hou frowned, his eyes flashed, he lowered his head and said nothing for a while.
Qi Ning sighed: "I know there are some things that are difficult for the boss to say. I don't mean to force myself. In the final analysis, I came to the East China Sea just to find out the truth so that I can have an explanation to the old Marquis after I return to Beijing. Boss Guan knows better than I do that the old Marquis had high hopes for the Governor, and even placed the future of the Tantai family on the Governor, but the Governor passed away like this, to put it harshly, in an unclear manner. If How can the old Marquis accept it if we don't know the truth?"
After hearing this, Mr. Hou suddenly raised his head, grabbed Qining's hand, and said excitedly: "Master Hou, I tell you, but... But you have to promise me that you will never reveal a word to the outside world."
"Don't worry, boss. I'm just trying to find out the truth. Once the name of the Tantai family is involved, I will keep it secret and never reveal a word." Qi Ning said solemnly.
After hearing this, Mr. Hou let go slightly and said with a wry smile: "Master Hou, my wife committed suicide, which I never expected. Last time, I said that my wife took out her jewelry collection and asked me to share it with others. Everyone, although your behavior is strange, but... at that time, the old slave never thought that the wife would follow the governor. Even today, the lady committed suicide for the governor, and the old slave... the old slave is also surprised. "
Qi Ning asked: "The Governor and his wife have a deep love for each other. When the Governor passed away, his wife followed him and lived and died together. This is not incomprehensible. It can only be said that the wife cares about the relationship between husband and wife. Why, sir?" Do you think this matter...is unreasonable?"
"Because the relationship between the Governor and his wife is not good." Manager Hou sighed softly and said with a wry smile: "The two of them respected each other as if they were guests, and they treated each other as guests when they got along. Over the years, the old slave has never felt that they I really cared about each other.”
Qi Ning's body trembled and his brows furrowed slightly.
"After the Commander-in-Chief took over as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, he focused exclusively on the Navy. Before getting married, the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion was just a decoration. The Commander-in-Chief sometimes didn't come back for more than half a year." Manager Hou said in a low voice: "Old Master Hou After the marriage was agreed, the Governor could not disobey. Five years ago, he followed the old Marquis's instructions and returned to Beijing to get married. Less than three days after the wedding, he took his wife back to the East China Sea. Since then, the wife has been settled in the Governor's Mansion. And the Grand Governor still lives over there in the military camp...!"
"You mean... the two of them just got married and are now separated?" Qining said in surprise.
Mr. Hou said: "Madam has a low-key temperament and doesn't talk much on weekdays. She is the governor's wife, so naturally it's not easy for her to be public. She stays in the governor's house all day. If the governor doesn't come back, she won't send anyone to invite him back. , Lord Marquis, I want to speak honestly. At that time, when I saw the Governor neglecting his wife, I felt that what the Governor did was wrong. However, as a slave, I am not that good at dealing with this kind of thing between husband and wife. say what."
"So, the fact that Madam has never been pregnant has something to do with the Governor's neglect?" Qining asked in a low voice.
Mr. Hou said: "It was true in the first half year. After getting married and returning to Donghai, the Governor only came back three times in half a year, and each time he came in a hurry. He and his wife didn't say a few words before leaving in a hurry... like this It’s natural that my wife couldn’t conceive a child.” After a pause, he said: “Old slave was kept by the old marquis, so naturally he can’t just ignore it. The old marquis has been waiting to have a grandson, so... so the old slave I sent a secret letter to Mr. Marquis and told him about this matter."
"How will the old Marquis deal with it?"
"I think the old Lord Hou sent a letter to the Grand Governor." Mr. Hou said: "In the next six months, the Grand Governor will come back twice a month, but... he only stays for one night and then leaves. Every time he comes back, he I stayed in the study until midnight before going back to my wife's room, and then left before dawn...!"
Qining didn't expect that the relationship between Tantai Zhilin and his wife was so bad. He didn't know what Tantai Zhilin's psychology was like, but judging from the facts described by Mr. Hou, this couple was not a couple at all. deep.
If a man really likes a woman, he can't wait to stay with her every day. Even if he is busy with military affairs, he will try his best to spend time with the woman he loves. However, Tantai Zhilin clearly has this condition, but he still ignores Mrs. Tantai. , under the intervention of the old Marquis, they could still only see her twice a month. She was so cold, even if Mrs. Tantai was docile, she would still be dissatisfied.
Although Tantai Zhilin is the commander-in-chief of tens of thousands of naval troops, the Donghai Navy has not experienced any wars in recent years except to guard against pirates. The money, food and equipment from the imperial court have never been cut off. In addition, there is Shen Liang in the navy. General Qiu Yiqian could not possibly keep Tantai Zhilin so busy that he would not even have time to spend time with his wife. All this can only show that Tantai Zhilin did not take Mrs. Tantai to heart, or in other words, Mrs. Tantai She is not the woman Tantai Zhilin loves.