"Your Majesty is so polite. How dare I be so arrogant? Your Majesty's visit is truly a blessing for me."
The Duke of England lowered his posture extremely low, bowed and clasped his hands, and was extremely humble.
It is said that the Duke of England is smarter than the Queen Mother. At least he does a very good job on the surface, so people can't see that he is very ambitious.
Ning Chen lowered his eyes, put away his thoughts, and personally helped the Duke of England.
It's also a show.
"Uncle, you are so polite. I remember that I often came to play in your mansion when I was young. The crispy meatballs made by my aunt were the most delicious. At that time, I ate half a plate and still felt it was not enough."
Hearing this, Lady Wang, the wife of the Duke, hurriedly bowed with a smile.
"Your Majesty likes this dish. I will cook it today. It won't take long."
The Duke of England also nodded, "Well, since the Emperor rarely comes, let's discuss having lunch before leaving. I will order someone to prepare the banquet right away."
Ning Chen naturally agreed.
After all, I just want to stay in the Duke's Mansion longer so that I can look for things.
Wang went to the kitchen, and someone had to entertain Ye Jun, the female relative, so the eldest daughter-in-law Mei accompanied her.
Although the eldest son Chen Xianwen was incompetent, his wife was still a very capable person.
Even though Chen Xianwen can no longer inherit the title, Mei still has prestige in the mansion and is still helping her mother-in-law, Wang, with the household management.
It is true that Mei’s family background is good, but if she herself is not capable, she will not be able to make it.
It is worth mentioning that the second girl Chen Suzhi, who happened to be getting married today, came back and was just in time to accompany the guests.
Chen Suzhi was the one who was arranged by the Duke of England to enter the palace and was intended to be given to Ning Chen.
Unfortunately, her wish was not fulfilled and she was finally betrothed to Liang Chengsi, the second son of Rong Qingbo.
But now she looks a little haggard, as if she is not living well.
"I don't know what kind of tea your majesty likes to drink. I'll have someone prepare it. These snacks are all good. Your majesty can try them."
In the flower hall in the backyard, Mrs. Mei entertained them with a smile.
Ye Jun sat down and waved his hand in a friendly manner, "Young Madam, you are really polite. I don't have anything I particularly like to drink. Junshan Yinhao or Longjing will do."
"That's a coincidence. I just got a box of Junshan silver coins from my mother's home some time ago. I'll ask someone to get it for me right away." Mei said.
She immediately became a personal maid.
Compared with Mei's generosity and ease, Chen Suzhi seemed much more awkward and didn't seem to want to talk.
Ye Jun lowered his eyes slightly and took the initiative to speak.
"I haven't seen you for many years. Miss, you are already married. This dress looks really nice on you. It's obvious that your husband loves you very much."
This was not a lie. The dress Chen Suzhi was wearing looked to be made of the finest silk, and the fur collar was also made of rabbit fur.
Although rabbit fur is not more expensive than fox fur, this fur collar is pure white without a trace of impurities.
Chen Suzhi, who was called, froze for a moment before looking up and smiling unnaturally.
"It's rare that the queen still remembers me. The emperor has granted us marriage, and my husband dare not treat me badly."
This is interesting.
Not daring to treat her badly means that you are not willing to treat her well
Mei's eyes darkened and she quickly spoke to smooth things over.
"Your Highness, please forgive me for making fun of you. My second sister has been quarreling with her brother-in-law these past two days. Young couples always say angry words to each other. If you say that her brother-in-law doesn't love her, I will be the first one to disbelieve it. Your Highness, look at her jewelry and clothes. Not only are they all good, but the uppers of her shoes are also made of excellent materials."
The emperor has granted the marriage, so even if the life is not going well, you cannot say it is not good, otherwise you would offend the emperor.
Ming Zhaoyuan is so favored by the emperor. If she says something unpleasant, it would be a big deal if it causes trouble for the Duke's Mansion.
After her sister-in-law reminded her, Chen Suzhi quickly adjusted her state.
She stood up and bowed slightly, "It's my fault. I've been in a bad mood these past two days and I didn't respond appropriately. Please don't blame me, Your Majesty."
Ye Jun smiled and waved her hand, "It's not a big deal, come and sit down. Husband and wife quarrel, there is no overnight hatred, it will always be fine soon."
"Yes, thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty." Chen Suzhi nodded.
At this moment, Ye Jun vaguely caught a glimpse of two strange red marks on the side of her neck, and some bruises.
It looks artificial, even... like it was pinched by hand.
But it was just a glimpse, so I couldn't make a complete judgment.
Ye Jun's eyes flashed. If Chen Suzhi was not living well in her husband's family, this might be a starting point.
I wanted to ask a few more questions indirectly, but I found that Mei was a very shrewd woman, so I didn't dare to continue asking.
So as not to alert the enemy.
So what follows is just gossip.
Wang had made some crispy meatballs and came over to chat with them for a few minutes.
Soon it was lunch time and everyone sat down in the front hall.
Ning Chen spent the entire morning in the Duke of England's study, chatting with the Duke of England and his sons.
Now that he came back, he met the commander of the imperial guards again, Lu Qingyun who came with him this time, and the two of them exchanged glances.
At once, Ning Chen had an idea in his mind.
It seems that we have made a discovery this time, but we cannot completely determine the location of the account book.
Although the progress is not great, it is good to have some progress.
During lunch, everyone at the table had different thoughts.
Ye Jun's eyes were always secretly observing Chen Suzhi's every move.
Sure enough, it was discovered that Chen Suzhi's shoulder seemed to be injured and was not very agile.
This made Ye Jun even more certain that she was not having a good time in her husband's family.
After coming out of the Duke's Mansion, Ye Jun told Ning Chen about this discovery in the carriage.
"You mean, the second daughter of the Chen family might have been abused by her husband's family?"
"It looks like he was beaten. Those injuries don't look like they were caused by a fall."
Ye Jun said this, weighing the heater in his hand.
It wasn’t very warm after being out for so long, so I just put it aside.
Ning Chen saw this little action and took the initiative to hold her hand and wrap it around her.
"But as far as I know, Liang Chengsi is a person of good character. When I granted her marriage, I chose a good family out of consideration for the Empress Dowager's reputation."
The second legitimate son of Marquis Rong Qing was outstanding in talent, character and appearance. He was definitely more than qualified to be a match for Chen Suzhi, the concubine's daughter of the Duke's Mansion.
"Who knows? I think we can ask someone to investigate this matter. After all, Chen Suzhi and Chen Xianyi are siblings. As His Majesty has seen, the legitimate son of the Chen family is not good enough. The Duke of England currently values Chen Xianyi, the illegitimate son, very much. Maybe we can get some information out of him."
Ye Jun said this and leaned on Ning Chen's shoulder.
While muttering quietly, "The eldest daughter-in-law of Duke Ying is such a shrew. I had to be careful with every word I said to her. But it was a waste for such a smart girl to marry such a fool."
"You're so mean. He's my biological cousin." Ning Chen pinched the face of the woman beside him speechlessly.
Even as he said this, he picked the person up, placed him on his lap, and held him in his arms.
Ye Jun hummed twice, rubbed Ning Chen's neck with his head, and then stopped moving.
On the way back, Ning Chen first sent Ye Jun to her residence, and then went back to send someone to investigate the matter about Liang Chengsi in the Rongqing Earl's Mansion.