In the Qing'an Hall of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, when the lady learned that Zhu Ying had returned with a little girl of seven or eight years old, and Zhang Shou followed behind with Ah Liu, even though she was always wise, she couldn't help but feel puzzled. If it was ten or eight years later, after the two got married, Zhu Ying's situation could still be said to be returning to her parents' home with her daughter, but now...
There is no way Zhang Shou, who is so young, could have a daughter this old! Even with someone else, it's impossible!
The lady then instructed Yutang who was standing beside her, "Go to Yuqing Hall and ask Madam to come over."
If the couple is having a rare quarrel, then Jiu Niang might be able to come and persuade them...
Although this was just a precautionary measure, when Zhu Ying rushed into Qing'an Hall like a gust of wind, holding the hand of a confused little girl who obviously didn't understand the situation, the old lady saw her fierce face and couldn't help but think that Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou might really be having a quarrel.
Sure enough, the next moment, Zhu Ying let go of her hand, rushed over, and shouted aggrievedly: "Grandma!"
The old lady's heart trembled when she heard the word "Grandma" being called, and she felt that the situation was more serious. She quickly embraced her most beloved granddaughter and asked in a low voice: "What's the matter? Don't be anxious, talk slowly, I have asked someone to call your mother..." As she spoke, she observed the little girl in the emerald green dress with dust on her face out of the corner of her eye.
With her sharp eyes, she could tell that the little girl's dress looked good, but it was not made of good material. Moreover, she was quite thin, and from her complexion, she was obviously malnourished. She stood there looking around uneasily, with a vigilant look in her eyes, like a young animal that had entered an unfamiliar environment.
When she saw the door curtain move, it was Zhang Shou who entered the room, followed by Ah Liu. The lady saw Zhu Ying's eyes were red. She thought for a moment and decided not to question her since she knew nothing about it. Instead, she nodded amiably to Zhang Shou who was bowing. Then she asked gently, "Ah Shou, what happened? Why is Yingying like this?"
Zhang Shou took the box from Ah Liu, walked slowly forward, opened the lid with both hands and handed it to the Madam. "After Yingying read the articles and handwriting in this box, she said they belonged to her eldest brother. Madam, please take a look and see if it is true."
Yingying's elder brother? Zhu Tingfang
The lady took a deep breath and reached out to take out all the papers in the box. After flipping through a few sheets, she found that each sheet had traces of being smoothed and compacted, as if they were picked out from the wastebasket and kept. However, she clearly remembered that the Duke of Zhao's mansion always had the strictest rules, and all discarded papers were to be burned.
After all, many officials and their families were involved in major crimes because they were not cautious enough in this regard and were betrayed by their servants.
After confirming that the handwriting was indeed written by her most respected grandson Zhu Tingfang, she immediately looked up and asked, "It is indeed the writing style and handwriting of Brother Yingying. Ah Shou, where did this come from?"
Zhang Shou passed the box to the side, and when he saw Ah Liu quickly take it, he pulled Xiao Cheng over and told him everything. He did not hide the fact that Ah Liu had investigated the area around the Imperial College and had discovered that there were two suspicious families, and that he had asked Lu Sanlang to buy the blacksmith shop in order to study the mystery of the gift from the emperor.