Luliu learned early in the morning that Xie Nanjia had returned. Thinking that she must be very tired after the long journey, she planned to talk to her tomorrow. Unexpectedly, she took the initiative to come to her. She happily welcomed her into the inner room, and the two of them closed the door and talked in private.
"He's not darker, but he seems to have lost some weight." After sitting down, Lvliu looked at Xie Nanjia carefully and said.
"When you're out, you're naturally not as good as at home. You'll gain weight in a few days." Xie Nanjia didn't want to delay for too long. After a brief chat, she went straight to the point. "I heard some rumors about Hualou from Fourth Aunt. Do you know what's going on?"
Lvliu was slightly startled, then asked: "Is this why you came here?"
"I guess so!" Xie Nanjia said, "Don't keep me in suspense. Tell me whether those rumors are true or false."
Lvliu frowned, "These are all trivial matters. What's most important for you is to quickly think of a way to prevent Qin Wanru from marrying in. Hey, don't you know about this yet?"
"I know. I've heard about it." Xie Nanjia said, "There's no rush for that. Talk about the painting building first."
"How can I not be anxious?" Luliu couldn't help but stand up and said anxiously, "Xiu'er, you are not a person who can't tell the priorities. Qin Wanru is already pregnant and wants to marry in. If we don't stop her, it will be too late. You haven't forgotten why the general sent you to the Marquis' Mansion, are you going to watch the little boy become Qin Wanru's son? What if Qin Wanru takes him over to raise him in the name of a mother, even the old lady can't stop him. The child is still young now, and he will know what to teach him. In a few months, he will be able to speak, and he will call Qin Wanru "mother". He is the child that my young lady exchanged her life for, how can he call someone else "mother?"
Xie Nanjia understood what Luliu said, but in her opinion, ten Qin Wanru were no match for one Hualou. Qin Wanru's affairs were under control, but Hualou's affairs were unexpected and could get out of control at any time. No matter whether it was a rumor or a fact, she had to put out the fire as soon as it started.
But at the moment, it was obviously not a good idea for her and Lvliu to be in their own way. Lvliu didn't understand the situation, so she had to put the matter of the painting building aside for the time being and solve Lvliu's problem first.
"There is something I left in a hurry and didn't have time to discuss with you." She said to Luliu carefully, "I think the murderer who killed your young lady may not be just Aunt Hong."
Luliu was stunned, and her expression suddenly changed: "What do you mean, didn't Aunt Hong confess? Is there anyone else?"
"Don't be anxious. Sit down and listen to me slowly." Xie Nanjia pressed her hand and motioned her to sit down. "You still remember what Aunt Hong said before. She admitted that she poisoned the child, but the poison only targeted children and could not hurt adults. I have always been suspicious of this. The night I sent her away, I used various methods to test her, but she insisted on saying this until she died. So I think that someone else might have killed the Crown Prince's wife."
“…” Luliu took a deep breath and clenched her fingers together tightly.
With the death of Aunt Hong, she thought that everything was settled and the young lady's revenge was finally achieved. Now there was only one thing left, which was to find a way to marry Zhao Jingping and take care of the young master for the young lady for the rest of her life.
Therefore, when she heard that Qin Wanru was pregnant with Zhao Jingping's child, she became anxious and angry for days and had not slept well. Just when she was worrying about how to stop Qin Wanru, Xiu'er suddenly told her that there might be another murderer.
This sudden information caught her off guard and she couldn't even accept it. She stood up and sat down, sat down and stood up again, feeling at a loss for what to do.
"What if Aunt Hong lied?" she asked uncertainly, "If what she said was true, and the medicine was for the child, why did the child survive and my lady died?"
"I don't know why the child is fine. Either it's God's blessing, or the medicine is only effective for the fetus and not for the baby to be born at full term," said Xie Nanjia.
Although the child is safe now, she still felt a chill on her back and sweat on her palms when she said this. She couldn't imagine what would happen to her child if Aunt Hong's medicine really worked. If she lost the child, what would be the point of her being reborn ten thousand times
"Thank God for his protection!" She couldn't help but put her hands together and thank God.
Luliu obviously thought of this as well, and followed her in bowing, then asked, "Why do you believe Aunt Hong's words so much?"
"She was going to die anyway, there was nothing to hide, and I really tested her in various ways." Xie Nanjia said, "Since you trust me, you should trust my judgment. The murderer is really someone else."
She couldn't tell Lvliu that she made her judgment based on the words she heard before her death, because no one else was present and she was the only one who heard these words.
She couldn't possibly say that I am your daughter and that I have come back to life through another person's body. Who would believe such a ridiculous statement
Luliu pondered for a moment, and chose to believe her: "Then who do you think the murderer might be?"
"What do you think?" Xie Nanjia asked her back.
"Qin?" Luliu asked cautiously.
Xie Nanjia nodded and smiled, "So, now you still think it's not a good thing for her to marry in?"
"What do you mean?" Lvliu didn't understand for a moment.
"If she has been living in the Prime Minister's Mansion, how can you confirm it and how can you take revenge?" Xie Nanjia said.
"That's right!" Lvliu's eyes lit up: "Since we can't get out, we can only let her in. When she comes, it will be more convenient for us to act."
Xie Nanjia laughed: "You finally figured it out."
"You are right. God is really blessing us and personally sending Qin Wanru to our door." Lvliu looked at her with admiration and praised her from the bottom of her heart: "Xiu'er, you are really amazing. The person my general chose was indeed right."
Xie Nanjia secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she chose a roundabout way to persuade Lvliu. If she directly told Lvliu that it was she who brought Qin Wanru back, Lvliu would probably not respect her but resent her.
"So, now can you tell me about the painting building?" she asked with a smile.
"Okay, I'll tell you." Lvliu's worries were relieved, and she was finally in the mood to talk about other things. She poured tea for Xie Nanjia herself, sat opposite her, and said in a low voice, "Hua Lou didn't let me tell anyone else. You just have to listen to it, but you are not allowed to ask her. If you ask her, it's like selling me out."
"I know, tell me quickly." Xie Nanjia agreed and took a sip of tea.
"It's the Marquis who has taken a fancy to the painted building." said Lu Liu.
Xie Nanjia spat out a mouthful of tea, choking and coughing, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief and shouting, "How is this possible?"
"How is it impossible?" Lvliu said, "The emperor went hunting and left a lot of things to the Marquis. The Marquis was busy all day and was caught between the wife and the old lady. At night, he had to work late. Hualou went to bring supper to the Marquis. Seeing that he was tired, she couldn't bear it, so she took the initiative to massage his shoulders. Hualou is very good at massage. In the past, my young lady couldn't sleep, so she asked Hualou to massage her, and she fell asleep while being massaged."
Xie Nanjia certainly knew this, and she later learned it from Hualou. She often gave her father massage to loosen his bones, and she also won the trust of Fourth Aunt and Zhao Jingyu at the farm with this skill.
"And then?" she asked.
"Then, she massaged the Marquis until he fell asleep." Lu Liu said, "The Marquis thought her technique was very good, so he asked her to massage him again the next day. She was gentle, quiet, and simple-minded. The Marquis was probably annoyed by the mistress and the concubines, and felt that being with her was quite relaxing, so he didn't want to come to the backyard anymore."
"What do you mean by being together? It can't be..." Xie Nanjia's heart was in a knot. No matter how good the Marquis was, he was already forty years old, and her painting studio was in its prime...
"What do you think of the Marquis?" Lvliu laughed. "He didn't do anything, but he was willing to talk to Hualou. He was very happy to see Hualou and often gave her some small things. When he was free, he would go to Sijin Courtyard to see the young master and talk to Hualou. That's all."
"Oh." Xie Nanjia was relieved and asked, "What about Hualou? What does she mean?"
"Her!" Lvliu hesitated for a moment, "I told you not to rush."
The worry that Xie Nanjia had just put to rest was lifted up again. Hearing these words, she knew that things would not go the way she expected.
Sure enough, Lvliu continued, "Hualou said that she wanted to follow the Marquis."
"No, absolutely not!" Xie Nanjia slammed the table and stood up. "If she's stupid, are you stupid too? How old is the Marquis?"
"He's not that old. He'll be turning 40 next month." Lu Liu said, "Besides, he's a marquis. What's wrong with being a little older? It's really because I followed Zhao Jingping. Otherwise, I would have been willing to follow him."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xie Nanjia was immediately annoyed, her face flushed with anger, "Why do you want to ruin yourselves like this, just to protect the young master for your young lady? You think it's worth it, right? I tell you, you are really foolish to do this. If your young lady knew about this in her afterlife, she would not accept such a sacrifice for you, and she would never rest in peace!"
Luliu was shocked by her sudden anger. She stared at her blankly and didn't say anything for a long time.
Xie Nanjia knew that she had lost her composure again. She covered her chest and sighed, trying to calm herself down. She said slowly, "Lvliu, listen to me. This is really not worth it. With me here, you don't have to sacrifice yourselves like this. I will find the murderer and avenge the wife of the prince. I will also protect the young master and let him grow up safely. I will also find the most suitable husband for you and Hualou. I will never let your youth be wasted in this house. Listen to me, okay?"
Green Willow remained silent, just staring at her quietly and infatuatedly.
"Did I scare you?" Xie Nanjia asked.
Lvliu shook her head, tears suddenly falling: "Xiu'er, who are you? Who are you? Why do you look exactly like my young lady when you lose your temper?"
(End of this chapter)