After Marquis Dingyuan had finished his meal, Xie Nanjia packed up her lunch box and prepared to leave, but was stopped by Marquis Dingyuan, who gave her a wooden box and asked her to deliver the box to Zhao Jingyu on her way back.
"I originally planned to ask Jiu'an to deliver it, but he was sent out of the house for some urgent matters, so I'll trouble you to go there!" Marquis Dingyuan did not explain what was in the box, but just casually explained the reason why he asked Xie Nanjia to deliver it.
Xie Nanjia looked at the servant standing at the door, reached out to take the box and said, "My Lord, you are too polite. It is my duty to run errands for you."
Marquis Dingyuan left the servant alone and asked her to help deliver things, which was enough to prove his trust in her. Even if she was not very happy to see Zhao Jingyu, she had to happily accept this task.
After bidding farewell to Marquis Dingyuan, she walked towards the west wing, carrying the food box in one hand and the wooden box in the other.
It was late at night and the whole house was quiet. Only a dim moon in the sky illuminated her lonely figure.
Arriving at the west wing, she placed the lunch box on the floor beside the door and raised her hand to lightly knock on the door.
Someone inside immediately asked, "Who is it?"
Xie Nanjia didn't expect that there was someone guarding the door. She was startled, but calmed down and said, "I am the fourth young lady's maid Xiu'er. The marquis asked me to help deliver something to the second young master."
The person inside paused for a moment and said, "Wait a moment, I will report back to the Second Young Master."
Xie Nanjia responded and waited quietly outside the door.
After a while, someone came, opened the gate with a creak, and shone a lantern in Xie Nanjia's face.
Xie Nanjia stepped back subconsciously, and heard the man chuckle, "Why, are you afraid of the heat?"
Xie Nanjia was stunned, and only with the help of the light did he realize that the person coming was Zhao Jingyu.
He seemed to be ready to rest. He was wearing only a pure white cross-collared shirt, and his jet-black hair was loose and wet, as if he had just washed, which gave him a unique charm.
Xie Nanjia was stunned for a moment, then bowed and said, "This servant has met the Second Young Master. The Marquis asked this servant to give him something."
As she said this, she handed the box in her hand over and stood between the two of them, fearing that Zhao Jingyu would come over and tease her again the next moment.
Zhao Jingyu didn't rush to take the box, but asked her: "What's in it?"
Xie Nanjia said: "I don't know."
Zhao Jingyu said, "The box isn't locked either. Didn't you take a peek out of curiosity on your way here?"
"I don't have any." Xie Nanjia answered honestly.
She has no interest in things that have nothing to do with her, even if they contain state secrets.
When Zhao Jingyu saw that she looked serious and handled her business in a businesslike manner and kept calling herself a servant, he realized that she was guarding against him and deliberately ruining his interest so that she could get away quickly.
If it were any other time, he would never let her do what she wanted, but Mr. Hu was coming soon and he couldn't keep her for too long, so he took the box and let her go, saying "thank you" seriously.
Xie Nanjia didn't expect him to be so serious this time, and all the prepared countermeasures could not be used. After being slightly surprised, he bowed and left.
The door creaked shut behind her without a pause.
Xie Nanjia couldn't help but look back, feeling inexplicably lost.
You pervert, why aren't you talking nonsense tonight
Is it because she is too serious that he finds her boring
Or maybe there was a beautiful woman in his room and she came at an inopportune moment
Thinking of this, she felt a nameless anger rising in her heart and left angrily.
Halfway through the walk, I suddenly realized that something was missing in my hand. After thinking carefully, I realized that I had left the lunch box by the door and forgot to take it, so I had to go back again.
She walked very lightly, trying not to make any noise. Zhao Jingyu's guards were all experts, and she didn't want the guards to hear the noise and discover that she was back and misunderstand her.
When she was almost at the door, she suddenly saw a white shadow standing outside the door. She hurriedly stopped and hid behind a tree next to her, holding her breath.
At first, she thought Zhao Jingyu had not entered yet, but the door opened immediately and the person inside stuck his head out and called out "Mr. Hu".
"Yes!" White Shadow responded, "Is the Second Young Master here?"
"Yes, the second young master has been waiting for you for a long time. Please come in, sir." The person inside stepped aside and waited for the white shadow to go in, then quickly closed the door.
Only then did Xie Nanjia dare to breathe a sigh of relief and quietly left without even taking the lunch box.
She discovered Zhao Jingyu's secret. If she went to get the lunch box at this time, it would be equivalent to exposing herself. The best option was to escape quickly.
That Mr. Hu, if she guessed correctly, was Hu Qianshan, the number one genius in Beijing.
This man was full of learning and had extensive knowledge. He knew astronomy, geography, and the Art of War. He was also familiar with military tactics and state governance, and had unparalleled martial arts. Therefore, he was called a genius.
However, he was a bohemian by nature and did not like fame or fortune. Even when the emperor personally came to his house to ask him to be the prince's teacher, he dared to turn the door and ignore him. Therefore, he was called the number one madman in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The reason why Xie Nanjia knew him was because this madman once visited the general's mansion at night and met her father. Xie Nanjia went to deliver midnight snacks and got a glimpse of his true face.
Afterwards, her father said that Hu Qianshan praised her cooking skills and said that he would come back to taste her food if he had the chance. However, she never saw him again until she married into the marquis's mansion.
Although it was only a brief meeting, she was deeply impressed by Hu Qianshan's voice. Based on the sentence just now, she was 90% sure that the man was Hu Qianshan, not to mention that Zhao Jingyu's guard also called out his last name.
Such a noble and arrogant person who even looked down on the emperor actually came to meet a playboy in person, and chose to come in the dead of night. Xie Nanjia believed that there must be some unspeakable secret. The white shadow she saw on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival must be Hu Qianshan.
Previously on Zhuangzi, Xie Nanjia had suspected that Zhao Jingyu was not as simple as he appeared to be. However, at that time she felt that what happened to Zhao Jingyu had nothing to do with her, so she was too lazy to explore his secrets. Now it seems that it is necessary to explore it.
She guessed that Mr. Hu was most likely invited by Marquis Dingyuan to teach Zhao Jingyu, because Zhao Jingping was indeed a mediocre person and not capable of much use. Marquis Dingyuan could only pin the hopes of the Marquisate on Zhao Jingyu. On the one hand, he was afraid that the Emperor would be unhappy if he knew about it, and on the other hand, he was afraid that Qin would find out and make trouble with him, so he chose to teach late at night.
There is another possibility. Zhao Jingyu secretly made friends with Hu Qianshan and learned skills from Hu Qianshan, which even Marquis Dingyuan did not know. As for why he kept it secret from Marquis Dingyuan, perhaps he was hiding his strength and planning in secret, waiting for the right time to kill his father by surprise and force his father to pass the title to him.
This reminded her of her advice to Zhao Jingyu that night, telling him to stop playing around and work hard on his own career. Could it be that Zhao Jingyu really listened to her and decided to work hard
She felt that the possibility was very small, and Zhao Jingyu didn't seem like the kind of person who could be awakened by a few words.
Of course, the above are just her assumptions. Maybe the real reason is very simple. A weirdo like Hu Qianshan simply likes a weirdo like Zhao Jingyu. The two weirdos have similar interests and become friends regardless of age difference. Hu Qianshan came on the moon just to have a drink and chat with Zhao Jingyu at night.
If it were really that simple, then she could get along well with Zhao Jingyu, and coax him into convincing Hu Qianshan to be the young master's teacher.
But then again, if we follow the first two speculations, whether Marquis Dingyuan wants Zhao Jingyu to inherit the title, or Zhao Jingyu wants to compete with his brother for the throne, it will be extremely disadvantageous for the young master, because once Zhao Jingyu inherits the title, he will only pass the position to his own flesh and blood, and it is impossible to pass it to his nephew. What will the young master do then
After thinking it over, Xie Nanjia suddenly understood everything Qin had done to help Zhao Jingping keep his position as the crown prince. If it were her, she would do the same.
So, should she now stand on a united front with Qin to fight against Zhao Jingyu, or should she maintain a good relationship with Zhao Jingyu for the sake of her son's future studies
This is really a headache.
Xie Nanjia thought about it over and over for most of the night, and finally decided that no matter what, before finding out Zhao Jingyu's purpose, she had to coax him and build a good relationship with him to ensure that Zhao Jingyu would be under her control no matter whether he was an enemy or a friend in the future.
Anyway, Zhao Jingyu will never know that she is the young master's biological mother, nor will she be on guard against her because of this.
After she figured it out, she slowly relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.
Just as she closed her eyes, she was awakened by Zhen'er, who excitedly told her that the mansion was haunted. Aunt Xue encountered the ghost of the Crown Prince's wife at night, who was asking for her life. She was so scared that she knelt outside the door in her bellyband, shouting "I didn't kill him, I didn't kill him".
When Xie Nanjia heard this, she immediately lost all desire to sleep. She was so focused on thinking about Zhao Jingyu and Hu Qianshan last night that she had forgotten about her plan with Lvliu.
Originally, she was going to go there and implement the plan with Lvliu, but perhaps Lvliu couldn't wait for her, so she did it on her own.
Aunt Xue is so easily frightened that she was actually scared crazy. I don’t know whether she is really crazy or pretending to be crazy. If she is really crazy, I can still use her to put on another good show.
She couldn't wait to go over there and find out what was going on, but she was only a maid and had to help the Fourth Young Miss get up, wash, and eat. She had to endure it temporarily and wait until the Fourth Young Miss went to school.
Someone immediately reported to Qin that Aunt Xue was being pursued by the ghost of the Crown Prince's wife. Qin was horrified upon hearing the news and drank two bowls of calming tea before she calmed down. She then ordered Madam Cao to pass on the order that Aunt Xue should be locked up until the truth was revealed, and that anyone who knew about the matter was not allowed to spread it, otherwise he would be tongue-tied.
While Zhao Lanzhi was still having her meal, a maid came over to convey the mistress' words. She not only warned the servants not to spread the news, but also warned the fourth young lady to be careful with her words and actions in the school, lest the young ladies from the east and west mansions hear the news and go back to their own mansions and spread rumors.
Qin didn't want those two noisy brothers and sisters to come and cause trouble and make fun of herself.
Zhao Lanzhi never liked gossiping. After sending the messenger away, she solemnly instructed several people in her courtyard to go out and not talk nonsense.
After dinner, Xie Nanjia still asked Suhe to accompany Zhao Lanzhi to the school. After they left, she told Zhener and Li Ma that she had delivered something to the second young master on behalf of the Marquis last night and forgot the food box outside the gate of the west wing, so she had to go and get it back quickly.
Zhen'er and Nanny Li had no doubts at all and told her to get it quickly.
Xie Nanjia changed her clothes and left in a hurry.
Aunt Xue had been locked up, and she couldn't see her, so she went straight to the lotus pond to find Lvliu. She expected that Lvliu would be waiting for her there.
When we arrived at the lotus pond, Green Willow was indeed there, holding a long bamboo pole and chasing the mandarin ducks in the pond, preventing them from swimming together. He was truly separating the mandarin ducks.
Xie Nanjia wanted to laugh when she saw this, so she went over to ask her, "Why are you doing this?"
Green Willow said: "In this world, all males are bad. I am helping the female mandarin duck so that she won't be cheated."
"..." Fortunately, Xie Nanjia knew that she had no lover, otherwise she would have thought that she was deceived by a man.
"Why didn't you come last night?" asked Lu Liu.
Xie Nanjia pondered whether she should tell her what she saw and thought last night. After thinking it over, she decided not to tell her yet. She lied that the fourth young lady was not feeling well last night and she had been staying with her and could not leave, so she asked Lvliu to understand.
Green Willow did not doubt it, threw the bamboo pole on the ground, wiped her hands with a towel, and sat down on the stone bench: "It's okay, this should have been my business, you have helped me a lot."
After breakfast, everyone came out to visit the garden. Xie Nanjia didn't dare to stay with her for too long, so she skipped the conversation and went straight to the point, asking Aunt Lu Liuxue if she was really crazy.
Lvliu said, "She looks really frightened right now, but she should be able to recover in a few days. Madam said the assistant minister's wife would come in the morning, and she was afraid that she would make trouble, so she had her locked up."
Xie Nanjia asked: "After the incident, did those concubines go to see Aunt Xue? Did you secretly observe their expressions, especially Aunt Hong, to see if she had any abnormal behavior?"
Lvliu shook her head: "Of course I want to watch, but they all have pale faces and talk at the same time, I can't tell who is afraid and who is guilty."
"It doesn't matter. If it was so easy for you to figure it out, she would have revealed her true colors long ago." Xie Nanjia said, "If you follow the plan tonight, the truth should be revealed. However, your most urgent task is to find a way to release Aunt Xue when Madam Wang comes and let her make a scene. The louder the better."
Lvliu felt embarrassed: "There are people guarding there, I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed."
Xie Nanjia said: "It's okay, I'll ask Feng Lun to help you, he knows what to do."
Lu Liu had long suspected the relationship between Feng Lun and Xie Nanjia, and couldn't help asking her, "Feng Lun listens to you so much, what is your relationship, why would he give up the opportunity to make a name for himself by the side of the Marquis for you?"
Xie Nanjia was stunned by the question. She had never thought about this question. She was nice to Feng Lun purely because she admired his abilities and character. So why did Feng Lun do that
When she thought of that possibility, she felt it necessary to talk to Feng Lun and dissuade him from doing that idea before it even started. She only wanted to take care of her son and live a good life in this life, and would not have any thoughts about men anymore.
Gradually, there were more voices in the garden. She did not answer Lvliu's question. She hurriedly said goodbye to Lvliu and went to the west wing to get her lunch box.
If she didn't bring the food box back, she wouldn't be able to explain to Zhen'er and Madam Li when she returned.
In order to avoid others, she took a long detour before arriving at the west wing, only to see a girl in purple sweeping the floor in front of the door, and the lunch box was gone.
"Little sister, have you seen a food box?" Xie Nanjia asked.
The girl stopped, looked up at her, pouted and said, "You are younger than me, so you should call me sister, right?"
Xie Nanjia always forgot that she was fifteen years old. When the girl interrupted her, she smiled embarrassedly and changed the topic: "Sister, have you seen a food box?"
The girl snorted, "I saw it, but the food box is now in the hands of the Second Young Master. He said that if you come, he will let you go in and ask him for it yourself."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
(End of this chapter)