The Virtuous Wife

Chapter 28: First clues

After Bai was expelled from the mansion, the mansion became much calmer. But the old lady was seriously ill.

In addition to taking care of some affairs in the mansion every day, Gu had to go to the old lady to take care of her.

That day, Gu had just distributed the cards from the kitchen and hurried to the old lady's yard, so as not to be scolded if she was late.

As soon as Gu left the yard, she heard a noise. Gu stopped where she was and listened carefully. It turned out that Su Cheng's concubines were quarreling. It seemed that they were fighting for something.

Gu frowned, ignored it, and went around the path.

When Gu arrived at the old lady's place, he found that Su Cheng's wife Liu was sitting on the edge of the kang and sobbing softly, as if she had suffered some grievances.

The windows in the room were all opened, and a wisp of sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance floated in from the window, making the smell of medicine in the room much lighter. On the window frame, there were still a few sparrows jumping there, very happy. It added a lot of joy to the room, forming a strong contrast with the crying Liu.

Gu bowed to the old lady, asked some questions about diet and medicine, and then turned to look at Liu: "What's wrong with my sister-in-law? But what grievances did my third brother suffer for you?"

The old lady sighed and said: "Alas! It's all caused by those bitches! It's really worrying!"

Gu raised her eyebrows and didn't say anything. Instead, she took the tea handed over by a maid, sipped it lightly, put it down steadily, wiped the corners of her mouth slowly with a handkerchief, and then folded her hands on her knees.

This whole set of actions was both elegant and beautiful. Liu was stunned and forgot to cry! Liu secretly said: She is worthy of being a lady from a noble family! This action, this demeanor, this temperament, wow, not everyone can compare. Think about Bai again, hum! With her character, she still dreams of sitting in the position of the Marquis's wife, which is simply foolish!

The old lady was waiting for Gu to follow her words and ask questions, so that their play could be performed well, but Gu ignored her suggestion! The old lady looked at Liu with dissatisfaction. Liu noticed the old lady's eyes, was slightly stunned, and burst into tears!

Gu frowned slightly and said unhappily: "What's wrong with you, sister-in-law? You know that the old lady is sick, but you still come here to disturb her peace. In the past few days, there have been people coming to visit the old lady. Do you want to let outsiders see the joke of my Pingnan Marquis Mansion?"

The old lady heard it and scolded lightly: "Okay! Don't cry anymore. With your sister-in-law here, what are you afraid of? She will make the decision for you in everything!"

Liu stopped crying after hearing this and said loudly: "Sister-in-law, you have to make the decision for me! Don't you just want to buy a few more clothes and jewelry? Those bitches actually reported to my master, saying that I am unfair in managing the family and deliberately abusing concubines! Sister-in-law, I am wronged! There is only so much wealth in the family, what can I give?"

As she said this, she felt very aggrieved and started crying again.

Gu sneered in her heart, let her make the decision? I'm afraid she can't make this decision. Gu smiled indifferently and said lightly: "Sister-in-law, what you said is wrong! There are elders above, how can it be my turn to make decisions for you? Don't make such a fuss anymore, go back and have a rest. I'll be here to serve the old lady with lunch."

Liu is not a good person. All of Su Cheng's concubines are obedient to her. Except for a concubine named Liu who gave birth to a daughter for Su Cheng, the other concubines are childless. From this, we can see Liu's means and cruelty.

Gu heard what Liu said just now, and knew that they must have made some calculations again, so she didn't respond to the old lady's words. Who doesn't know Liu's fierceness! Now she actually said that she was bullied by several concubines, who would believe it!

Gu's eyes were gloomy, thinking that the things outside her yard were also deliberately arranged by them. What clothes and jewelry, just want to get money from the public to supplement themselves. Humph! As soon as he entered the mansion, he was so restless. Obviously, the Su Cheng couple forgot that this was the Pingnan Marquis Mansion, not the Su Mansion!

This old man Su was also a military general, but his official position was not high. He only became the deputy lieutenant of the fifth rank of the infantry. Therefore, he attached great importance to Su Wei's title of marquis. This old man Su originally lived in a three-story house in the west of the city. It was not until Su Wei was later awarded the title of marquis and was granted this mansion that he moved in. Ten years have passed. I think the old lady has long forgotten that this is not the territory of the Su Mansion, but the Pingnan Marquis Mansion personally conferred by the emperor. And Gu has an imperial decree and is the wife of the Pingnan Marquis personally conferred by the emperor. Therefore, over the years, the household in the mansion has always been managed by Gu, not the old lady.

Liu heard that this was Gu's refusal to fall into the trap, and looked at the old lady in embarrassment.

The old lady understood and said softly: "Old eldest daughter-in-law, your sister-in-law is ignorant, don't bother with her. Let's do this, I know you are busy, you go first, let the third daughter-in-law serve me here, by the way, I will talk to her. Knowing that you have this filial piety, you don't have to take time to come here every day."

Gu heard it, bowed and apologized, and reminded the old lady to take medicine on time, and then turned and left.

On this side, the old lady changed her sickly state just now, and although her voice was low, it was extremely powerful to scold: "Why are you also learning from Bai? I thought you would be different, but it turns out that you are just like Bai, a shallow eyelid!"

Liu smiled and said with a drooling face: "Mother, calm down! Isn't your daughter-in-law upset? A good fourth-rank official, just gone! Humph, it's thanks to the eldest brother who keeps talking about brotherhood all day long. Why doesn't he bother about this matter?"

At the end, she had a hateful expression.

The old lady sighed, "This matter cannot be blamed entirely on him. After all, Cheng'er offended the Xiangfu! No one else can be blamed! Forget it, don't mention this matter anymore. Now you just need to think about how to get into her room."

"Mother, she is the wife of the Marquis! The courtyard is so tightly guarded, how can I get in?"

The old lady glared at her and said, "Humph! Saying that you are brainless is not belittling you at all! Who asked you to go in by yourself? No matter how tightly guarded her courtyard is, what if someone inside wants to do something?"

Liu's eyes lit up, "Mother, what do you mean?"

The old lady continued, "Most of the people around her are old people. Last time, she gave Bai a chance. Who would have thought that such a useless person would be greedy for her dowry, so she was driven out of the house. Third daughter-in-law, I advise you not to covet her property. If you find that kind of thing. I'm afraid you won't care about her property."

After hearing this, Liu was very excited and said: "Don't worry, mother. Although Bai is your niece, she is not on the same page with you. In this Hou Mansion, my daughter-in-law relies on you. Naturally, I will listen to you and have no complaints!" The old lady nodded with satisfaction. Liu asked again with a worried look on her face: "Mother, do you think that Gu has already taken out the treasure with that thing and hidden it somewhere else?" The old lady sneered, "Just her? Humph, even if she is allowed to eat and sleep with that thing every day, I'm afraid she can't find the secret inside! Cheng'er's daughter-in-law, the person who knows this secret, now I think, I'm afraid that only this old woman like me." Liu was startled, nodded with a smile, and stepped forward to gently rub the old lady's shoulders, but her eyes were full of disdain and viciousness. It was almost noon, Jingyi was still practicing calligraphy in the room, and saw the little sparrow fly over and peck a few snacks on the small table. Jingyi put down her pen, held a glass of water, and waved to the little sparrow. The little sparrow flew over, drank its fill, and then landed on Jingyi's shoulder, chirping non-stop.

Jingyi was stunned for a moment, but soon recovered. She put the little sparrow on the table, her eyes narrowed into a slit, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. It was not until Haitang called her for lunch that she came back to her senses, and at this time, she was already smiling.