After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 416 Guidance
Haitang had an innocent expression on her face: "I just suddenly thought that Zhou Shuyi is too obsessed with the title of Yingchuan Marquis Mansion."

When Zhou Shuyi came to Beijing, she originally wanted to marry the Marquis of Yingchuan, but before she arrived, he fell in love with another girl, so the marriage naturally had nothing to do with her. At that time, all the daughters of the Zhou family who were traveling with her were arranged by Empress Dowager Zhou to marry into respectable families, but she was the only one who was not convinced. Even if she actively sought to marry Yingchuan Hou's younger brother, she still had to marry into the Zeng family.

After becoming the second wife of the Zeng family, she had been dreaming of the title of Marquis of Yingchuan for nearly twenty years. Although she was taken advantage of by the Sun family, she had wanted to adopt her son to the Marquis of Yingchuan and his wife who had no heirs in the early years. Not long ago, she wanted to kill the Marquis of Yingchuan and put her son on the throne of the Marquis's heir. , these are all facts. Why is she so obsessed with the title of Marquis of Yingchuan? If what she wanted was a title, why would she have tried so hard to marry Lord Yingchuan, the younger brother of the Marquis of Yingchuan? With Empress Dowager Zhou making the decision, she could have married into another family with a title, instead of choosing Master Zeng who was destined not to have a title and then trying every possible means to plot his brother's title.

If Zhou Shuyi did this because she missed Yingchuan Hou's marriage and got into trouble, why did her mother, Mrs. Ma, continue to support her? As a mother who loves her daughter normally, shouldn't she be advised to be more open-minded, stop thinking about the missed marriage, and find a better match? Mrs. Ma not only supported Zhou Shuyi's marriage to the mediocre brother of Marquis Yingchuan, but also repeatedly gave her money to help her seek the throne for her son, and she did not hesitate to kill people, set fire to the dead, and bribe family political enemies...

If Zhou Shuyi is cheating, then what is Madam Ma up to?
Haitang spread these questions to Xie Wenzai, Lu Bainian and Hai Jiao, and then said: "Originally, I thought that Mrs. Ma only wanted to help her grandson get a title because Zhou Shuyi married into the Yingchuan Hou Mansion. But today Listening to Grandpa Lu talking about old things from fifty or sixty years ago, Mrs. Ma was probably a clan daughter who was engaged to the grandfather of Marquis Yingchuan, so it is probably not a coincidence that her mother and daughter are obsessed with the title of Marquis Yingchuan. Madam Ma has a long history with the Yingchuan Marquis. Could it be that she was trying to get into trouble with the divorce? "

Xie Wenzai, Lu Bainian and Hai Jiao all showed expressions of sudden realization. What Haitang said makes sense. They used to think that Zhou Shuyi's delusional desire for the title of Marquis of Yingchuan was her own fault, but they never thought that the root of this matter was Mrs. Ma.

Indeed, Mrs. Ma's support for her daughter to seek the title of her husband's family is so irrational and incomprehensible that it cannot be explained by simply doting on her daughter. If the whole thing was Mrs. Ma's idea, then everything makes sense.

But why does Mrs. Ma insist on the title of Marquis of Yingchuan? Back then, the title of Marquis of Yingchuan was still Marquis of Pingxi, which was as prestigious as it is now. She was originally engaged to the Prince of Marquis Pingxi, but she had an affair with someone else and broke off the engagement. Isn't this her own choice? Did she regret it? But if she regrets it, she can definitely turn back. It was she who chose to run away from Chang'an, recognized someone else as her adoptive mother, and then married into the third room of the Zhou family to fill a house. She had chosen her future husband, so she had no reason to cling to the fiancé she had abandoned before!

Elders Xie and Lu could not understand Mrs. Ma's thoughts. Haijiao was equally puzzled. He never knew that there was such a story among the ancestors of the Yingchuan Hou Mansion. Now it seems that no one knew this secret in the previous life, right?

He couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect this at all... My little sister is really as careful as her hair and has a quick mind!"

Xie and Lu also came to their senses, and smiled and praised: "Indeed, Tangtang is indeed smart. Just now I thought that Mrs. Ma's identity was probably the daughter of a prominent person in the capital who was expelled from the family, and now I discovered Mrs. Ma and her daughter are too obsessed with the title of the Marquis of Yingchuan. If Tangtang hadn’t reminded them, we might have ignored it.”

Haitang smiled shyly: "It's nothing to me, it just suddenly occurred to me..."

In her early years, Mrs. Ma always hinted that she was a lady from the capital, and was more qualified to be the wife of the Zhou family's general than the official daughters of the Chang'an city. In addition, she had an ebony comb with gold inlay produced by the imperial family in her hand. It can be completely inferred that she may really be the daughter of a prominent family in the capital. But why would such a rich man leave his family and go to Chang'an to fill a house? It must be because something happened at home, right? However, she was not very low-key in her behavior. She even married the old man of the third eldest brother of the Zhou family and had been the royal wife for many years. She didn't look like an escaped prisoner, and she was probably not the daughter of a criminal. In this case, she is most likely the "abandoned daughter expelled by the family" as Haitang calls her.

Haitang actually knew that this logic was not very strict, but she knew the answer herself, so she made up the reasons to guide others to think in that direction, and no one could find fault. However, considering that her cousin Xie Wenzai was a very smart person, she did not want to give him too much time, lest he discover the flaw in her words, and immediately brought everyone's attention back to the topic: "Now it seems that Ma The old lady is probably the missing clan girl. But to find out her identity, I'm afraid I have to find a way from the capital. The internal marks I saw on the two combs are not enough. Prove her identity."

Xie Wenzai nodded and said after a moment of silence: "This matter... we should report it to the Duke of Zhen first. Whether it is to inquire about the missing clan daughter in the capital, or to ask the Ma family about Mrs. Ma's origins, the town has It is always more convenient for the Duke to come forward."

Hai Jiao said hurriedly: "My great-uncle did not allow the family to tell the government about this matter. I haven't heard any rumors outside these days. If Tang Meng hadn't reminded me quietly, I wouldn't have known that something happened to the third room of the Zhou family. There has been no movement from the Zhenguo Palace these days, so I don’t know the real situation yet.”

Xie Wenzai smiled slightly: "What happened on the border of the Zhou family is related to the border army. The person involved is the newly appointed commander of the Shaanxi Dusi. How could it be hidden from the Duke of Zhen?"

Haitang and Haijiao looked at each other and said in surprise: "Dong Zhen Guo has known about it for a long time? Then why has there been no movement?!"

Why is there no movement from Lord Zhen Guo? Because he didn't know what the whole thing was about.

Tu Rong only spoke vaguely, but refused to speak clearly, as if he was just hinting at something. Zhou Shigong, the head of the third room of the Zhou family, was still unwilling to explain the whole story to Duke Zhen Guo, and even blocked his family members from asking Duke Zhen Guo for help. He looked like he was admitting his guilt and accepting his fate, which made the Duke of Zhen Guo not sure. He suspected that the evidence of Madam Ma's collaborating with the enemy was solid. Maybe even the old lady of the third room was an insider and acquiesced.

If this is really the case, then the Duke of Zhen will not be able to lend a helping hand to Sanfang. Because any act of collaborating with the enemy is taboo in the military. If the Duke of Zhen takes action to help a criminal who has committed a taboo, he will also be criticized, and he will no longer be convinced by his soldiers in the future. He knew the seriousness of the matter very clearly. He will help the innocent tribesmen who have been framed, but he will not save the traitors who collaborate with the enemy and betray the country!
In this way, everyone in the third house remained silent, and the Zhenguo government did not know the inside story and could not intervene, so the situation became deadlocked.

Fortunately, Tu Rong was busy investigating the clues in the pamphlet found in the West Courtyard, and did a good job of keeping it secret, so that the gossip did not spread around, and the reputation of the Zhou family was temporarily saved.

But if the truth about Sanfang is not revealed, the reputation of the Zhou family will always be at risk.

Duke Zhenguo has been waiting for Zhou Shigong to confess to him, but he has not been able to wait for him to come. As time passed by, Tu Rong's hints became more and more frequent, and the old man almost lost his temper.

(End of this chapter)