On New Year's Eve, the news that Your Majesty urgently summoned the commander of the Royal Guards to enter the palace quickly spread among the nobles in the capital. Before everyone could react, it was reported one after another that the Queen took off her hairpin to plead guilty, and Xu Shoufu and Cheng'en Gong also
Let's go to the palace together to confess to His Majesty.
A series of news caught everyone off guard.
However, no matter how many people speculate, this year will still go on.
Ms. Chen started preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner in the morning.
After this period of time, Xie Wu gradually began to let go and let Chen handle some trivial matters by herself.
After all, Mrs. Chen is the future mistress of the Wu'an Hou Mansion. She cannot always stand behind her to help her clean up everything. Sooner or later, she will have to stand up on her own.
As for Ms. Yang, she showed up at the last dinner party, but she has not been seen again in the past few days.
Because of Gui'an's death, Grandma Li was devastated and had not eaten or drank for several days. Although Yang was cold to others, she still had some affection for Grandma Li, the wet nurse who single-handedly raised her, let alone
, she also needed Aunt Li to give her advice to take back the power of the middle branch of the Hou Mansion from the Chen family, so she had been going to Aunt Li a lot in the past few days to comfort and care for her.
Xie Yuan didn't know what she was doing in the house these days, and she never came out.
Xie Wu didn't bother to care about them.
As long as they do their job and don't hang around in front of her, she won't be able to let them go.
Unexpectedly, the Yang mother and daughter stopped talking, and Jiang Yingxue, who had always been careful and low-key, stood up again.
Xie Wu looked at Jiang Yingxue who appeared at the door of Xie Zheng's study, and a hint of sneer and sarcasm suddenly flashed in her eyes.
It seemed that she finally couldn't hold back and took the initiative to target his father.
Seeing that Xie Wu was also in the study, Jiang Yingxue was distracted for a moment, but the absence was quickly covered up by her smile.
"How are you, cousin?" Jiang Yingxue smiled and blessed Xie Zheng, then moved her eyes and looked at Xie Wu with a smile and said, "Wu, you are here too!"
Xie Wu's phoenix eyes glanced at Jiang Yingxue, and then a very faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
She did not answer Jiang Yingxue's words.
Didn't even get up.
Such an action instantly made Jiang Yingxue feel a little guilty.
After all, Xie Wu had always been very polite to her since she entered the house, but today she suddenly changed her attitude. She...could she know something?
Thinking of what Jade said to her, Jiang Yingxue felt more and more guilty.
"What's the matter with my cousin coming here?" Xie Zheng frowned.
With Xie Wu reminding him in front of him and the old lady hinting at him behind, Xie Zheng was still very avoidant of his cousin who was living in the Hou Mansion.
"Back to cousin, it's me, I, I see that everyone is busy and I am the only one who is free, so I asked my aunt to come over and invite you and Sister Wu over..." Seeing that Xie Zheng and Xie Wu both looked the same.
It was different in the past, Jiang Yingxue explained hurriedly.
"The clothes my cousin is wearing are quite nice." Xie Wu suddenly smiled and interrupted Jiang Yingxue's words.
"Really?" Jiang Yingxue turned to look at Xie Wu, smiled brightly, and then said to her very happily, "My cousin specially asked the shopkeeper of Jinxiu to make these clothes for me a few days ago."
Seeing the grateful and happy look on her face when she mentioned Mr. Chen, Xie Zheng's discomfort instantly subsided a lot.
After all, she was living in the Marquis Mansion, and she came here on her own initiative today. She probably came here to please her mother, and it was really inappropriate for her to shame her for such a trivial matter.
Xie Wu also smiled and said, "Mother, she has always been careful."
Seeing that their eyes had softened a lot, Jiang Yingxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Just when she was about to say something else, she suddenly heard Xie Wu's voice ringing again.
"Cousin, please don't waste my mother's carefulness!" "How, how could it be possible?" Jiang Yingxue said with a smile.
"I also believe that my aunt won't. After all, my aunt is a smart person." Xie Wu raised her slender eyebrows slightly, and then a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Jiang Yingxue also lowered her eyes and smiled, her long eyelashes hiding the shock and panic in her eyes.
She really underestimated Xie Wu too much.
The annual New Year's Eve dinner in the Hou Mansion is held in the Ronghua Courtyard. However, it used to be hosted by the Yang family, but now it is hosted by the Chen family.
Seeing women and maids coming in to ask for advice from Mrs. Chen from time to time, Mrs. Yang felt jealous and angry, and her sharp nails almost poked holes in the palms of her hands...
Yang smiled hard, completely covering up the resentment in her eyes. She looked at Chen with a smile and said, "Sister-in-law has been working really hard this year. If I hadn't been unwell, I wouldn't have had to work so hard.
"
After hearing what Yang said, Mrs. Chen curved her lips and smiled, and said in a soft voice, "How could my younger siblings think so? This is what I should do as the eldest daughter-in-law!"
Yang's pretty face turned pale, and a trace of coldness quickly flashed across her eyes.
When did Mrs. Chen's mouth become so sharp? Could it be Xie Wu...
At this moment, the resentment in Yang's heart emerged like spring water, rolling and surging in her heart, corroding her chest and making her chest cramp again and again.
Xie Wu can’t stay any longer!
As long as she is in the Hou Mansion for one day, she will never be able to defeat the Chen family, let alone take back control of the back house of the Hou Mansion from the Chen family!
"Madam, please have a sip of tea." Seeing Yang's expression, Yulan hurriedly stepped forward, picked up the teacup and handed it to her.
Now is definitely not the time to be in trouble with the Crown Prince's wife.
Not to mention that there is a big girl watching behind her, let's just say that tonight is New Year's Eve, but if something goes wrong on Madam Fan Shizi's side, even if the big girl doesn't take action, the old lady and the prince will probably suspect Madam.
superior.
Therefore, Madam cannot move.
She even had to greet Mrs. Chen with a smile.
She must take this opportunity to tell the old lady and the master that she knows the general situation, knows how to advance and retreat, and can tolerate others!
Mrs. Yang picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea. The hot tea entered her stomach, and she suppressed the resentment boiling in her heart.
Seeing that Yang had stabilized her mood, Yulan breathed a sigh of relief. She bowed and retreated behind Yang again.
Now that Grandma Li is depressed because of Gui'an's death, and the master also has a grudge against his wife because of what happened last time, it is really inappropriate for her to confront the eldest daughter and the prince's wife at this time.
"By the way, sister-in-law, why hasn't Brother Xu come yet?" Yang calmed down and looked around. Seeing that Xie Xu was not there, she couldn't help but smile and said to Chen.
"Brother Xu said that there was a store selling fireworks in Nanmen Hutong that was very special, so he took people there to buy fireworks. I guess I should be home soon." Mrs. Chen replied with a smile.
"Nanmen Hutong is generally a place where ordinary people go to hang out. What kind of special fireworks can be seen there? I don't know if Brother Xu has never been in the capital. We, the children of noble families in the capital, have not gone there.
"Ms. Yang said with a curled up corner of her mouth.
Chen frowned and was about to retort when she heard Yang's mean voice come out again.
"Besides, there is some unrest in the capital these days. The seventh young master of the Shi family was beaten up while walking two days ago with his bag covered. So, I did it for Brother Xu's sake! Just in case he meets him.
What are these blind people going to do?"
"Second brother and sister, how could you say such a thing to someone who is celebrating the Chinese New Year!" This is about his own son. No matter how good-tempered Mr. Chen is, Mr. Yang will be so angry that his eyes will turn red.
Seeing Mrs. Chen's eyes red with anger at herself, the bad breath that Yang had been holding in her heart finally came out.
"Okay! New Year's Eve, keep your mouth shut!" Xie Feng had been married to Mr. Yang for so many years, and he could see through the little girl in her heart with just one glance, so he shouted with a cold face.
After being shouted at by Xie Feng, Yang immediately fell silent.
"In fact, Mr. Yang didn't lie. Two days ago, the seventh son of the Shi family was indeed beaten with a bag. I heard that the injury was not serious. Mr. Shi is forcing the Wucheng Army and Horses Division to arrest him." Since
Yang made this suggestion, and Xie Feng followed her words and told the matter again.
After hearing this, Xie Zheng didn't express anything except frowning.
He had not forgotten that the reason why the Yang family and Gui'an went to slander Ah Wu last time was because Shi Qi had extorted five thousand taels of silver from Xie Shi.
"Why haven't they been caught yet?" A clear voice suddenly rang.
Xie Feng looked at Xie Wu in surprise.
He didn't expect that his words did not arouse Xie Zheng's interest, but instead aroused Xie Wu's curiosity. Looking at Xie Wu's sparkling eyes full of expectation and curiosity, his mood followed unconsciously.
Feeling a little more comfortable.
Perhaps he knew that Xie Wu would be useful to him in the future, so he was always more tolerant of Xie Wu than Xie Yuan, and he also enjoyed the way Xie Wu trusted and relied on him.
Even though Yang swore that Xie Wu's obedient and obedient behavior in the past was all fake, in his opinion, no matter how smart Xie Wu was, she couldn't have pretended to be under their noses for more than ten years. It was clear that Yang's methods were too dirty.
The inferiority chilled Xie Wu's heart and made Xie Wu break off their relationship with her. However, Xie Wu still treated him the same as before, and not much changed.
Therefore, Xie Feng is still happy to give this face to his niece.
"It's not that easy. It's the end of the year, and the capital is crowded with people. The man chose to do it in the evening. Not to mention Shi Qi didn't see clearly, even the two boys beside him didn't see clearly what the man looked like.
"Xie Feng said to Xie Wu with a faint smile.
"With such a thorough plan, it seems that that person must have been keeping an eye on Mr. Shi Qi for a long time." Xie Wu raised her eyebrows.
"That's what I thought too. Shi Qi must have offended someone. Otherwise, who would bother so much to make him unhappy for no reason." Xie Zheng said to Xie Wu in agreement.
Moreover, Shi Qi must have offended that man severely, otherwise, for the sake of his father, he would not have killed him like this.
Xie Wu looked at Xie Feng and curled her lips into a smile, and said in a clear voice, "Second uncle is absolutely right. Shi Qi idles around in the capital all day long, shows off his strength and fights ruthlessly. He offends countless people, including the Wucheng Army and Horses Division.
I want to investigate it here, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to find out clearly at this moment.”
After hearing what Xie Wu said, Xie Feng nodded repeatedly. Unexpectedly, when Xie Wu said this, the topic suddenly changed again.
She said, "However, nothing happened to Shi Qi before. Thinking about it, the person who sent people to beat him must be someone he has offended in recent days. After such an investigation, I believe that it won't take much effort for the Five City Soldiers and Horses Division to catch him."
I'm here." At this point, Xie Wu paused for a moment, and turned her gaze to Xie Shi, who was listening very seriously, "Brother Shi, does this matter have nothing to do with you?"
Xie Shi was caught off guard when his name was called by Xie Wu. Xie Shi was startled. He saw his father looking at him with a suspicious look on his face. He felt aggrieved and angry at the same time. He gritted his teeth and said angrily for himself, "It's not me.
!How can I do that!"
Xie Feng thought about it and felt relieved immediately.
My son really doesn't have the guts to do this.
Xie Shi was aggrieved, but Xie Wu just smiled lightly and said, "I just said it casually. I also want to remind you by the way, because maybe people from the Wucheng Army and Horses Division will come to question you. You have something in your heart."
At the end of the day, you won’t be lured in by those people’s casual words. Who knows if the people from the Five Cities Army and Horses Division can’t catch the murderer and will use you to make up for it!”
"I told you it wasn't me!" Xie Shi's eyes turned red with anger.
Seeing Xie Shi being so angry at Xie Wu, Yang felt very distressed. She hurriedly said, "Xie Wu, you are Ah Shi's eldest sister after all. Why are you so reluctant to see Brother Shi when you are celebrating the Chinese New Year?"