News spread quickly in the capital. When Xie Zhanting and his son returned to the general's mansion, Mrs. Xie had already heard about the farce in Dingyuan Marquis's mansion. She calmly welcomed the father and son into the hall and asked them in detail about the cause of the incident.
Xie Zhanting told her not to worry: "It's not a big deal. That brainless guy was flirting with the girl during the banquet, which irritated Nanfeng, so she hit him a few times. He fainted because he couldn't stand the beating. When we came back, he was already awake."
"I see." Madam Xie said, "I thought he was really dead, but it turns out he just fainted. Such a fool whose head is full of cosmetics and women is just a waste of food. Feng'er should beat him to death."
Xie Nanfeng said: "I originally wanted to stab him to death, but a little girl stopped me."
"Oh?" Madam Xie couldn't help but smile. "You are so stubborn, yet someone can stop you. Is that little girl born with supernatural powers or stunning beauty?"
"Mother is making fun of me again." Xie Nanfeng's handsome face turned red. "That little girl is nothing special, but she secretly told me that she is from my sister's courtyard, and my sister asked her to bring a message to me before she left."
"Is this true?" Xie Zhanting and his wife both looked serious. "What did your sister ask her to say?"
Xie Nanfeng shook his head: "There were a lot of people there at the time, and she didn't have time to tell me to come back first and find her in a few days."
The couple looked at each other and both felt that something was fishy.
"What kind of girl is she and what's her name?" asked Mrs. Xie.
Xie Nanfeng looked up and recalled, "She looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, thin and energetic. She didn't tell me her name, but only told me to look for the painting building first when I got there, and I would be able to find her if I found the painting building."
The more Mrs. Xie listened, the less credible it seemed: "Is this just a trick to fool you?"
"Why does she want to coax me?" Xie Nanfeng asked.
"To make you go home obediently!" Madam Xie said, "You are just like your father. You always respond to soft words and not hard ones. When the guards caught you, you fought with them. When the little girl coaxed you, you threw away the knife. It's obvious that you have been tricked."
Xie Nanfeng's face turned red with embarrassment. He thought carefully about his mother's words and felt that they made sense. Maybe he really had been deceived by that girl.
What a mean slave! Isn’t she afraid that I will see through her lies and strangle her to death on the spot
Xie Nanfeng recalled the scene when he pinched the girl's neck, and suddenly realized that the girl was calm from beginning to end, and could even be said to be confident. She was not afraid at all because she was absolutely sure that she could convince him.
Damn it! Damn it!
Do you think I can't do anything to you if you don't tell me your name? There were so many eyes watching you at that time, and anyone could find out the name. You little girl, just wait for me!
The more Xie Nanfeng thought about it, the angrier he became. He made the excuse of being tired and got up to go back to his own yard.
After he left, Madam Xie shook her head and sighed, "This child, his sister's incident has dealt him a heavy blow. Look at how angry he is. We need to find a way to help him resolve it, otherwise he will get into more trouble in the future!"
Xie Zhanting comforted his wife: "Don't worry, I will be going to the military camp in a few days. I will take him there to relax and broaden his horizons. He will be fine."
Mrs. Xie nodded and caressed the wrinkles on her husband's forehead with heartache: "It's not just him, you have to be more open-minded too. You've been so depressed lately, Xiu'er would be worried if she saw you in heaven."
The word "Xiu'er" made the two people's eyes red instantly. The pain of losing a daughter is not something that can be easily overcome.
Aunt Yao beside Madam Xie hurried forward and changed the subject: "General, you must be tired from running back and forth. Why don't you go to the back and take a nap to recuperate?"
Xie Zhanting was indeed very tired, so he followed the servant to the back to take a nap.
Madam Xie ordered two maids to serve her carefully, and then turned to Madam Yao and said, "Feng'er mentioned Hualou, and I can't help but worry. That girl refused to go back to the general's mansion, and without Xiu'er to rely on, I don't know what her situation is like now."
Madam Yao said, "Although Hualou is honest, she has her own ideas. She must have her reasons for not wanting to come back. If Madam is worried, send someone to ask her one day."
"I want to ask." Madam Xie said, "Xiu'er's last words were for me to take good care of Lvliu, Hualou and the wet nurse. Now the wet nurse is dead, Lvliu has climbed into Zhao Jingping's bed, and Hualou doesn't want to come back. I feel very sorry for Xiu'er."
As she spoke, tears began to fall again and she quickly covered them with her sleeves.
Picking up my sleeves, I couldn't help but think of the origin of the name "Xiu'er", and I felt even more sad and couldn't control myself.
***
The farce at the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion spread widely, and the whole capital was talking about Qin being slapped.
When Qin was young, she was quite strong in the boudoir and offended many girls because of her outspokenness. Now these girls are married and have children. On the surface, they act like sisters with deep affection, but secretly they wish their sisters would not live as well as they do.
Now that they heard that Qin had lost face, everyone was delighted and told others about it, and they were almost setting off firecrackers to celebrate.
Qin was very angry about this and tried her best to endure the seven-day ceremony. But as soon as the monks left, she couldn't hold on any longer and fell on the bed.
It was originally planned that Qin Wanru would be sent back to her parents' home after the 47th day after her death, but this illness delayed the plan.
I was so busy before that I didn't have time to change the place for the young master, so he still lives with Qin Wanru temporarily.
In any case, after the 79th day of mourning, the white banners were removed from all over the mansion, and the funeral of the Crown Prince's wife finally came to an end.
The Marquis's Mansion had done everything it should have done, had suffered humiliation, and had lost face. The mistress of the house was bedridden, and the prince had been beaten by his brother-in-law so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for several days. The whole mansion was in a state of turmoil. In the end, the Emperor sympathized with Marquis Dingyuan's face and acted as a peacemaker between him and General Wuan in the court.
With the emperor's persuasion, the two families will no longer quarrel, but it is impossible for them to reconcile. They are disgusted with each other and are ready to never have any contact with each other until they die.
The Marquis's Mansion returned to its former tranquility. Apart from Qin's illness, there was nothing else to worry about.
Xie Nanjia also stayed at home for a few days, waiting for his younger brother Xie Nanfeng to come.
If Xie Nanfeng wanted to find her, she had to find the Hualou first. She really couldn't find the Hualou, so she came up with this idea out of desperation.
Her movements were restricted and she dared not show off, but her brother was not afraid. As long as he wanted, he could kill people in and out of the Marquis' Mansion and no one would dare to stop him.
Because of her selfless leap in the Food Garden, she is now even more famous in the mansion. The servants point fingers at her behind her back and say all kinds of things about her.
Even some familiar maids in the kitchen mocked her openly or secretly, saying that she was crazy about wanting to climb up the social ladder. She wanted to marry the prince and also wanted to hook up with Master Xie. Unfortunately, neither of them wanted her. She persuaded Master Xie to leave and protected the prince. In the end, her masters didn't reward her with a single cent or praise her. It was a waste of effort.
After hearing this, the Fourth Aunt felt more and more that it was right to send Xiu'er away. If she kept him around, he might be plotting against the Marquis.
Fortunately, despite being surrounded by enemies on all sides, there was still a person named Jiuer who did not despise her and still treated her sincerely as usual, without being affected by the rumors outside at all.
Aunt Cai did not express any opinion on the matter, nor did she make things difficult for Xie Nanjia. She just quietly observed her daily activities, wondering when to change her job.
Xie Nanjia was more patient than anyone else. No matter how badly people talked about her outside, she always looked as if she didn't care about anything. She just worked diligently to burn out her anger, never complained, never cried out for injustice, and never left even a step no matter how hot the weather was.
She now really likes the job of making fire. She likes to sit in front of the stove in silence and think about her things. The jumping flames always make her heart unusually quiet.
But when she is in the limelight, she is criticized, and when she is quiet, she seems weird.
Because she was too quiet, as quiet as a ghost, even the lady in charge of the kitchen often forgot her existence. Sometimes she would be so busy that she would catch a glimpse of her and get scared.
Mrs. Wu had a bad temper and couldn't help scolding her.
Xie Nanjia was not annoyed, and would often just ask calmly, "Is it because I didn't cook well?"
Madam Wu was speechless.
She was very good at making fire. She made it big when it should be big and small when it should be small. She never needed any special instructions. She only needed to take a look at the ingredients in the pot and she would know whether to add more firewood or take out a few sticks.
But, can't she be more lively? Even if she chats a little, it's okay. It's really scary when she's too quiet.
When the news reached Aunt Cai, she scolded everyone: "She is a little girl in her teens who left her hometown to come here. She hasn't even learned the ways of the world yet, but you call her a restless vixen. She has settled down, but you are still not happy. You also say that she is too dull and not lively. You have said everything you can. Do you still want me to live?"
Those people blushed, smiled awkwardly, and never gossiped about Xie Nanjia again.
Xie Nanjia had not paid attention to Aunt Cai before, but when she suddenly protected him, he realized belatedly that she treated him differently. He thought that this lady looked cold and heartless, but he didn't expect that she actually had a kind heart.
In the evening, she went to the manager's room on behalf of Suan'er to deliver food to Aunt Cai and thank her in person.
Aunt Cai was looking down at her account. She looked up at her without smiling and just said, "Come here and give me a shoulder massage."
Xie Nanjia agreed and gave her a massage attentively.
Aunt Cai was very pleased and thought that Xie Nanjia had already understood her tacitly, so she treated Xie Nanjia differently in the future.
Xie Nanjia actually didn't understand what she meant and still made her own plans every day.
On the sixth day after July 7, Xie Nanfeng finally showed up.
Just as Xie Nanjia expected, the guards at the door could not stop him, and he swaggered into the mansion through the main gate.
Marquis Dingyuan was not at home at the time, so the chief steward went to report to Zhao Jingping and asked him to make the decision.
When Zhao Jingping heard that Master Xie was coming, he was so frightened that he trembled. He didn't dare to make any decision about him. He told everyone not to stop him and let him do whatever he wanted.
"But..." the steward said with an embarrassed look, "Master Xie is an honored guest. The Marquis is not at home, and the lady is ill. It is only right that the prince entertains the guest."
Zhao Jingping waved his hands repeatedly: "I won't entertain him, I won't entertain him. If he asks, just say that I am seriously injured and have not recovered. If you really need someone to entertain you, go to the west wing and invite the second young master to accompany him."
"..." The steward thought to himself, this is your brother-in-law, not the second young master's brother-in-law, is it appropriate to ask the second young master to come
Besides, how can a servant invite the Second Young Master? I'd be lucky if he doesn't beat me out.
The chief steward was afraid of being beaten, so he asked a servant to invite the second young master.
The servant went trembling with fear, and soon returned to report: "Second Master said that it was too hot and he was too lazy to go out. If you must have him accompany you, let Master Xie go to his place."
“…” The steward didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In this case, are you the one who will accompany the guests or are the guests the ones who will pay their respects to you
Well, neither of the two brothers is reliable, so the steward has no choice but to bite the bullet and do it himself.
To show solemnity, he specially invited Xie Nanfeng to the hall where the Marquis usually received guests, served him fine tea and snacks, and asked maids to stand on both sides fanning him. He carefully asked what brought Mr. Xie a sudden visit.
Xie Nanfeng sat there with a majestic look on his face and said straight to the point, "I want to see Hualou."
"Hua Lou?" The steward pondered in his mind and then remembered that it was the personal maid of the prince's wife.
But he didn't know where the girl was now, so he asked Xie Nanfeng to wait for a moment while he went to ask someone.
Several servants were sent to the backyard to ask the ladies in charge of each place, and finally they found out that Hualou was now doing the job of washing toilets.
The chief steward was shocked. How could the maid of the prince's wife be assigned to clean the toilet? Who arranged this
Although it is said that when people leave, the tea gets cold and when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, but it is not necessary to add insult to injury to the point of this, right
Now, the old boss has come, and given the young master's bad temper, if he knew that his sister's beloved maid was washing the toilet, he would definitely take advantage of the situation and make a big fuss.
My wife has been bedridden ever since he started making trouble for her. If he continues to make trouble, it will probably make the situation worse.
Oh my God, the most important thing is, how come this hot potato fell on me
The chief steward was helpless and went to meet Hualou personally halfway, wanting to discuss with her not to tell Master Xie where she was working.
As Hualou approached, he gave up the idea. Even if Hualou didn't say anything, the smell on his body could not be concealed.
There was no other way. Whether he showed his head or hid his head, he would be in danger. He bravely brought the painting building into the reception room.
Xie Nanfeng watched a thin figure come in, but he couldn't see the face clearly in the light. Only when the figure walked into the hall, knelt down and kowtowed did he recognize it was Hua Lou.
Hualou was wearing a gray servant's uniform, with his hair casually tied up, and nothing else except a wooden hairpin. Because he was too thin, his eye sockets and cheeks were all sunken, making his eyes look unexpectedly large.
Xie Nanfeng was stunned for a long while, unable to believe that it was really Hualou. In his memory, Hualou was a cute and naive girl with rosy cheeks, a little silly, but with a very happy smile, making people feel that life was full of sunshine.
My sister often said that when you look at Hualou’s smile, all your worries will disappear. If a girl like Hualou is not happy, then God is blind.
However, looking at this unrecognizable girl in front of me, and thinking about my sister’s death, doesn’t it seem like God is blind
"Hualou, how did you become like this? Did the people in the Marquis' Mansion mistreat you on purpose?" He stood up out of control and walked to Hualou.
"Young Master, don't come over here." Hualou quickly knelt down and backed away, fearing that the smell on her body would stifle him.
Xie Nanfeng bent down and pulled her up: "Stand up, you don't need to kneel in front of me, tell me if you have any grievances, I will take care of it for you."
Hualou lowered his head and kept backing away.
Xie Nanfeng smelled the scent on her body and couldn't help but frowned: "What's that smell on you? What job do you do now?"
Hualou pursed her lips and said nothing.
Xie Nanfeng had already guessed something, so he grabbed the golden nanmu armchair and threw it at the butler: "Old man, you tell me!"
The steward dodged and the chair hit the wall, leaving a big hole in it and the chair was scattered all over the floor.
The steward's legs went weak. He felt that he was able to escape only because Master Xie showed mercy, otherwise, with his skills, there was no way he could have avoided it.
My God, how could this young master explode in the middle of a conversation? He just picked up a chair and didn't even bother to use the teapot or teacup.
This is the Marquis’ favorite nanmu chair. How am I going to explain this to the Marquis later
They are both from a family of military generals, so why is the other boy so vigorous
The butler was full of grumblings, and he knelt on the ground and replied, "Thank you, Master, please calm down. Miss Hualou is in charge of washing the toilet now, but this job was not arranged by me, and I have no idea about it!"
Xie Nanfeng was furious and asked his sister's maid to wash the toilet. Wasn't this an obvious humiliation to his sister? It seemed that this scum in the mansion really had to be beaten!
He picked up a chair and threw it at the steward, but Hualou stepped forward in time to stop him.
"Master, please stop hitting me. I volunteered to clean the toilet. It has nothing to do with others."
"What did you say?" Xie Nanfeng couldn't believe it. "Why did you do such a dirty job?"
Hualou smiled slightly: "It's comfortable there, there's no mess, I think it's good."
“…” Xie Nanfeng was speechless.
This girl would rather stay in the Marquis's Mansion and wash the toilet than go back to the General's Mansion to be an adopted daughter. There must be other reasons, but she obviously does not intend to tell the truth.
He remembered the purpose of his visit today, so he temporarily put aside the matter of washing the toilet bucket and asked, "Has there ever been a pretty little girl of thirteen or fourteen in your courtyard?"
The question was so vague that Hualou had no idea what to say: "The girls in the yard are all pretty and young. I wonder who the young master is asking about?"
"Hmm..." Xie Nanfeng thought for a moment and said, "That girl has beautiful eyes, a pair of phoenix eyes."
Hualou shook his head: "In the courtyard, only the young lady has phoenix eyes, the maids don't have them."
Xie Nanfeng was shocked. No wonder that girl could convince him just by looking at him steadily. It turned out that it was because of her eyes.
Those eyes really look like my sister's.
But she still lied. Hualou said no, so it means no. So whose maid is she
"Then have you ever heard who was the girl who stopped Qiqi from killing Zhao Jingping that day?"
Hualou was horrified: "Master, you want to kill the prince, when did it happen?"
Her place was too remote and she had never heard of anything.
Xie Nanfeng had no choice but to ask the steward: "Old man, you should know who it is, right?"
The chief steward nodded his head quickly: "I know, I know. That girl's name is Xiu'er, and she's the fire-cooking girl in the kitchen."
"What's your name?" Hualou and Xie Nanfeng asked in unison.
The chief steward was startled: "Call me Xiu'er, is there anything wrong with that?"
Of course it's inappropriate, it's extremely inappropriate. How can a little girl be called by the same name as the Crown Prince's wife? If asking Hualou to wash the toilet is an humiliation to her sister, then asking the fire-making maid to be called Xiu'er is a blatant abuse of her.
It seems like someone must have done this on purpose and wants to prevent my sister's spirit from resting in peace. If that's the case, don't blame me for being rude!
***
Qin was taking medicine when a servant hurriedly reported through the screen: "Madam, it's bad, the young master of the Xie family is making trouble again!"
Qin's hands trembled, and most of the medicine in the bowl spilled on her body: "Why is he making trouble again? Who provoked him this time?"
"I don't know. The chief steward asked me to invite you."
Qin's headache felt like it was bitten by bugs. She had to get out of bed, change clothes, and go to the front yard with a group of people.
Xie Nanfeng smashed up the front yard. If outsiders were not allowed to enter the backyard at will, he would have broken in long ago.
When Qin came and saw the mess in the yard, she not only had a headache, but also her eyes, heart, liver, spleen and lungs hurt.
"Master Xie, how can you be so rude? What do you think Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion is? We feel guilty about your sister's death and have tolerated you over and over again, but you are going too far!"
"I'm going too far. You asked my sister's most valued maid to wash the toilet. Isn't that bullying?" Xie Nanfeng asked with red eyes.
Qin Shi then discovered Hualou kneeling beside her. Seeing Hualou's horrible appearance, her momentum weakened by half. "If it's for this, then we are not wrong. Hualou asked the housekeeper for the job of washing the toilet tub. Hualou, tell me yourself, is that right?"
"Yes!" Hualou lowered her head and replied, "Master, please stop making trouble. I am really willing to do this job."
"..." Xie Nanfeng was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "Okay, I won't investigate whether you used the handle of Hualou to force her to say so. Let's talk about the fire-making maid Xiu'er. Which mansion would not avoid the master's name when naming the maid? You actually gave a fire-making maid the same name as my sister. Isn't it clearly insulting her?"
Qin's heart skipped a beat, and the remaining half of her momentum was gone.
The first time Zhao Jingping asked about Xiu'er's name, Nanny Cao said it was the same nickname as the Crown Prince's wife. Her mind was on the Fourth Aunt at the time, and she was worried that her son was bewitched by the little girl, so she slapped her son and put the matter aside.
Later, he was angry because the Marquis went to see the Fourth Aunt in person, and was punished by the old lady. He also had to take care of the seventh day memorial service. How could he have the time to care about the name of a maid
No one else knew the Crown Prince's wife's nickname, so naturally they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
But this matter could be a big deal or a small one. Xie Nanfeng actually smashed things for this. It was obvious that he was just looking for an excuse to cause trouble.
But how did he know that the girl who made the fire was called Xiu'er
Yes, yes, yes, that day he wanted to kill Ping'er, but Xiu'er rushed forward to stop him.
This Xiu'er! Qin gritted her teeth and said, "I said she was restless. It turns out that the root of trouble was buried from that day!"
Oh my God, is this girl a demon from somewhere who came here specifically to harm us
"Master Xie, listen to me. That girl originally lived in the manor. Some time ago, Fourth Aunt went to the manor to recuperate. Seeing that she was smart, she brought her back. The manor has been busy recently, and I have no time to take care of her. I thought it was still unclear whether to use her or not, so I didn't change her name for the time being. But this matter was ultimately my negligence. I apologize to you here. Calm down, I will have someone kick her out right now."
"Haha!" Xie Nanfeng felt happy watching Qin Shi humble herself in front of him, but sneered, "Is this how you guys in the Marquisate behave? You just chase people away for your own mistakes, without even thinking about whether a little girl like her can survive in this city where she has no relatives?"
"..." Qin was interrupted by him, her face was extremely ugly, "Mr. Xie, although I have made mistakes, I am still your elder after all. Even if your mother comes, she has to call me sister. You said that my Marquis's manners are not good, is this the family education of the General's Mansion?"
Xie Nanfeng sneered, "Don't even think about my upbringing. My mother would never visit your mansion in her lifetime. I don't want to waste time talking to you now. Bring that girl named Xiu'er to see me. I have a few questions for her and I'll leave after that."
"..." Qin finally understood the purpose of his coming today. He must have been bewitched by the girl Xiu'er and wanted to bring her back to the general's mansion. The beating and smashing before was just a way to piss them off.
This is a good idea. Let him take that troublemaker away quickly so that he won’t stay in the house and cause trouble.
Qin had never been treated so rudely by a junior in her entire life. She was so angry that she had no place to vent it. She could only repeatedly order the steward to quickly call Xiu'er.
After getting rid of this living ancestor, she should go back and take the medicine quickly. If she doesn't take the medicine, she is afraid that she will not live to see the sunrise tomorrow.
What the Marquis's wife did was really frustrating!
(End of this chapter)