Chapter Forty-two: A Secret Kept for Years

  Qin Congwen saw that she no longer mentioned this matter and felt a little more comfortable in her heart, asking: "What's the matter?"

  "The day after tomorrow is the seventh, every year my aunt goes to the Universal Dharma Temple. This year, my aunt's body is heavy and she may not be suitable to go, but she still remembers the matter of praying for blessings in her heart. My daughter thinks that in order to let my aunt feel at ease, I will replace my aunt to go to the temple to add incense oil and pray for the whole family's peace and health tomorrow. What do you think?" Qin Dai's words were very tactful, she went to the Universal Dharma Temple not only for Su Shi but also to pray for blessings for the entire Qin Mansion.

  She thought for a moment, and Qin Zongwen agreed. He took out a silver ticket from his side and handed it to her, saying: "I'll pay for this. Donating money is a good thing, but we can't be too stingy." He owed Su Yulan so much, and since it was her idea, what reason did he have to refuse? But how come he didn't know that every year on the seventh day of the first month she would go to Pu Fa Temple to burn incense?

  Qin Dai Xin took it and looked at it, it was actually a 1,000 tael note, she didn't hesitate, directly putting it away.

  "If Father is fine, I'll be going back now." She had a terrible impression of Qin Zongwen and didn't want to be alone with him for even a moment.

  "You'd better go back! On the seventh day, when you go out, bring a few more servants and family members. Don't cause any trouble for the family, and leave early to return early." Qin Zongwen's reminder was like a routine task, compared to Su Shi's, it was cold and almost without temperature.

  "Yes." Qin Dai cleverly replied, and after seeing her father wave his hand, she immediately turned around and left Qin Zongwen's study.

  Ai Lian saw that her master's face seemed unhappy when he came out, and she didn't dare to ask, so she quickly followed Qin Dai back and forth.

  The two masters and servants walked through the corridor, strolling along the path in the garden, and returned to Changxiao Garden. Just under the corridor, they saw Chunli talking to Ruyi about something. Seeing her arrival, the two hurried forward to greet her.

  "What's going on? It's so lively." She just casually asked, thinking that the two sisters were just talking about some private and quiet matters, but unexpectedly heard a piece of news that she didn't expect.

  "Miss, I heard that the snake has been caught and put in a net." Chun Li was someone who couldn't keep secrets hidden, and as soon as she heard the news, she immediately came to inform Qin Daihe.

  "Who caught it?"

  "Miss, you absolutely can't guess, it's Auntie Ji?" Chunli answered again before anyone else could.

  Qin Dai Xin suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around to ask: "Who?" Had she misheard?

  Chun Li said: "It's Auntie Ji, how is it? Didn't expect it, did you?" This little girl had a smug look on her face, as if she knew some earth-shattering secret.

  Ru Yi glared at her, "You're becoming more and more unscrupulous in front of Miss."

  Chun Li stuck out her tongue and she also felt that she was too presumptuous, but this couldn't be blamed on her, who let the young lady become more and more easy to talk to.

  "What's going on?" This is strange, could it be that I was wrong?

  "It's like this, we've been back for half a day, and Seasoned Mother hasn't left yet. Fang has received your orders and didn't let anyone approach, so the people in this courtyard are all busy with their own things and no one is paying attention to her." The four masters and servants walked and talked, and soon returned to the Warm Pavilion.

  "Auntie came out for a walk, but unexpectedly got scared by that thing and fainted on the spot. The wet nurse quickly supported Auntie back to the house, and everyone in the courtyard was afraid of that thing, no one dared to approach. This commotion disturbed Season's mother from her room in the Show Mei building. She heard the disturbance wasn't good, so she went to ask around and found out it was a snake, which surprised her too." Like Intent handed over a cup of hot tea and continued: "She had someone find a sack and a wooden stick with branches, and searched for a long time on that rock before finding the snake. It's said that at the time she used the stick to pin down the snake and then put it in the sack, which was finally safe. Afterward, Season's mother also had people search everywhere for holes, afraid another snake would come out and scare people, fortunately everyone didn't find any, so she went back."

  Qin Dai Xin leaned against the outer kang, narrowing her eyes as Ruyi told her about the ins and outs of things, and the more she listened, the more she felt that Season Mama was not a simple person.

  "Miss, you said that this season mom is either harming or helping Auntie. How come I don't understand?" Ruyi's thoughts were usually clear and concise, but at this moment she was also a bit confused.

  Qin Dai Xin knew that everyone had confirmed that the thing with Xiu Mei was done by Li Shi, and Ji Mama was her housekeeper. She came to see Xiu Mei three or five times, and everything about it seemed suspicious. Today's event, she could have just watched from the sidelines, but instead she caught a snake, resolving the worries in Lan Garden, making people think she was doing good for Su Shi. Comparing these two events, one after another, made people confused. Even Ruyi couldn't tell at this point whether Qin Dai Xin was a good person or a bad person.

  "Did Season's mom say why she dared to catch a snake?" Qin Dai Xin didn't answer Like, but asked another question instead.

  "I heard that when you grow up in the countryside, you've seen a lot of this stuff and aren't afraid of it." Kids who grew up in the countryside aren't even afraid of snakes, they actually go up into the mountains to catch them and sell them for money!

  "Mind your own business!"

  "Yes." Ruyi, although wanting to know the answer, didn't dare go against Qin Daihe's wishes. She waved her hand for Chunli and Ailian to also leave, and after each of them paid their respects, they retreated.

  Qin Dai's heart was originally still hesitant, and the matter of Xiu Mei had nothing to do with Li Shi. Now it seems that the mastermind behind the scenes, apart from Li Shi, cannot be anyone else.

  Today, her move is likely a temporary expedient. Because she didn't see Xiumei last time, Li worried about startling the snake, so this time she first sent Qimama and Xiumei to make contact, then secretly released the snake. No matter who was startled, as long as the snake was caught by Qimama in the end, it would be possible to dispel the other party's doubts and not suspect her again. However, these tricks seem a bit too obvious to Qindai.

  Perhaps she didn't think of using a snake to scare Su at first, but things just happened to be so coincidental that the snake scared Su into a faint.

  "Li, maybe I should take the opportunity to ask about you!" Qin Dai's eyes stared at the wax plum on the flower table, muttering to herself.

  The shocking news of Su's injury quickly spread throughout the Qin estate, despite Qin Zongwen and Fang Wanyu trying to downplay it. One didn't want to get involved in the struggle between women, as long as no one was seriously hurt, he would turn a blind eye. The other, naturally, wanted to watch from the sidelines, waiting for the dust to settle, she being the legitimate wife, the fight among the concubines as long as it didn't involve her, whoever won or lost, she would be the ultimate beneficiary.

  After a few warnings and handling, the people below finally stopped talking about it, no longer openly discussing this matter, but privately, who knows.

  Su leaned against the headboard, occasionally touching her belly with her hand. She just couldn't understand why it was so hard for her to have a child!

  The wet nurse looked at Su Shi sighing on the side, feeling somewhat uncomfortable in her heart.

  "Miss, don't be sad anymore. The doctor said you're overthinking and worrying too much. You shouldn't exhaust yourself over those things." Everything has piled up at once, it's no wonder if one doesn't get anxious!

  Su showed a smile and comforted the nanny: "I'm fine, isn't everything all right now?"

  "Alas!" Su's heartache was unknown to others, but how could the wet nurse not know? She knew that she was afraid of her own sorrow and hardship, so she turned around to comfort her, which made her even more distressed.

  "This is not anyone else's fault, if there's anyone to blame, it's my mother's family for having no one to rely on and being unable to stand up for themselves." Su felt a bit helpless, but this was her fate, who could she blame?

  In ancient times, relatives by marriage did not emphasize freedom and equality like modern times. In the past, people all emphasized matching doors with households. A family of scholars like the Sus should not have married their daughter to another family as a concubine. It's just that the Su family had declined, and adding to that, Mrs. Su had died early, the small concubines in the household were not mentioned, and even her own father was muddled. There was also an older brother who was extremely stingy, plus a petty and selfish sister-in-law...

  Such a maternal family is fundamentally impossible to become one's own support, Su Shi has bitterness that can only be swallowed by herself.

  "Her family? Even if the lady was still alive, the Su family's wealth and power couldn't compare to the Qin or Fang families. If I had to say, it's all because of Master's incompetence. As the head of the household, he can't take responsibility for anything, and now he probably doesn't even remember what he said to Miss back then. His lawfully wedded wife was replaced with a concubine brought in through the back door, and he didn't even dare make a peep." The wet nurse's voice rose several decibels as she spoke with increasing agitation.

  Talking about the past, Nai'niang was furious. The Qin family is a respectable family, but who knew they were hypocritical? When they came to the Su's house for the engagement ceremony, it was clear that they wanted to marry Su as their legitimate wife, but on the wedding day, someone played a trick and carried her in through the back door, while Fang entered the bridal chamber from the front.

  It's obvious that the Fang family must have bribed Su's brother and sister-in-law! Anyway, for them, money is more important than their own sister. As for Su's reputation and well-being, they are not within their consideration.

  Although it's been so many years, the nanny still gets angry whenever she thinks about this matter. Over the years, due to her status, Su had not suffered less humiliation.

  Su knew that the nanny was heartbroken for her, and it was all for her own good. To say she wasn't angry would be impossible, but after all these years had passed, she had long gotten used to her current life.

  "Wet nurse, let's not mention what happened in the past. There are many people in the mansion and they like to gossip, if someone were to hear about it, that would be very bad."

  "Miss, what you have suffered is not just this. You don't think about it, if they hadn't plotted against you back then, why would we have to send him away to save his life? The eldest son of the Qin family should be your son!"

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