My wife has a secret

Chapter 12 Is it the heart or the wind?
A breeze blew, and Lu Wanhe's waist-length hair was blown up and flew all over the sky.

"Cough cough..."

Because he was paying too much attention to the second half of the poem, Lu Wanhe didn't say hello to Ji Xia, and rushed over from the third courtyard wearing an outer coat.

But now is the time when the two seasons change, and she was suffering from cold and almost couldn't stand it.

Fortunately, Xu Qing opened the door...

"You...are taking a bath?"

Lu Wanhe had just taken half a step forward when she noticed the difference in the room, causing her to subconsciously retract her legs and want to keep a certain distance from Xu Qing.

"Yes, Madam, you came at a bad time. Why don't you go back to the courtyard first? We can discuss the second half of this song when we are free another day."

Xu Qing's words hit the nail on the head for Lu Wanhe.

She attached great importance to this poem, otherwise she would not have left Ji Xia and came to Xu Qing's yard alone.

You have to know that Xu Qing's previous notoriety was well known, and coupled with the fact that he scolded two maids and made them cry this morning, no one dared to approach here.

If Ji Xia knew what she was thinking, she would definitely stop her in the room.

"It doesn't matter……"

After taking a deep breath, Lu Wanhe walked into the house and sat on the stool in the outer room.

The inner room and the outer room were separated by a screen, so the best she could do was see the general shape of the bathtub through the screen.

In comparison, the picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water on the screen is clearer.

This was also the main reason why she dared to enter the room. First, she only wanted the second half of the poem to find out the reason for Xu Qing's sudden change. Second, because of the obstruction of the screen, she felt that she would not make any mistakes.

Without the invasion of cold wind from outside, Lu Wanhe's slightly pale face had a little more color.

Thinking of the poem that had just touched her heart, a gleam of light appeared in her beautiful eyes, and she asked in a weak and husky voice: "The second half is..."

"Ma'am, do you hate me?"

Lu Wanhe half tilted her head back and looked behind the screen in some surprise.

Only then did she realize that Xu Qing had changed into a set of tight-fitting clothes at some point and walked out from behind the screen.

Xu Qing stared at Lu Wanhe closely and asked very seriously, "I heard that there were a lot of mistakes on the day we got married. Is that true?"

Lu Wanhe was not good at speaking. She looked at Xu Qing weakly and helplessly, with a hint of confusion and helplessness in her eyes.

Seeing that Xu Qing didn't seem to have any intention of letting her go, Lu Wanhe turned her head away, trying her best to avoid making eye contact with Xu Qing.

"Yes……"

"We have been married for two years and we have never met. This is enough to prove that our relationship was not very good before I lost my memory. Normally, you should hate me very much."

Lu Wanhe clutched the corner of her clothes and her breathing became rapid.

"No, I have never hated you, my lord."

"Really? Then why don't you dare look at me?"

Xu Qing looked at her with a half-smile, just like a hunter looking at prey that was within reach.

"I heard Xiao Huan say in the car today that when she was a maid in the big courtyard, she saw you scolding the maids in the fourth courtyard with her own eyes. Is that true?"

Lu Wanhe was slightly stunned. She never expected Xu Qing to bring up this.

She had a vague impression of this incident, which should have happened not long after she married into the Xu family.

"About……"

……

In the carriage on the way back home.

Xiao Huan held her hands in silence for a long time, and suddenly said to Xu Qing: "Master, although I don't know what happened between you and the Third Young Madam, I think that the Third Young Madam is not the kind of person that the rumors say."

Xiaohuan's sudden question aroused Xu Qing's interest, and he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Why? Have you ever stayed in the Third Hospital?"

"No... Two years ago, when I was doing odd jobs in the compound, I often had to deliver charcoal to various courtyards in winter for heating."

Xiao Huan blushed and said seriously, "But once when I passed by the Third Courtyard, I heard the Third Young Madam scolding the Fourth Young Madam's personal maids, who seemed to be Cui Er and Yang Liu."

"Isn't this normal?"

"Of course it's not normal."

Xiaohuan told Xu Qing about the suspicious aspects of the matter.

"Everyone in the mansion knows that you, young master, neglect Third Young Madam Lu the most and dote on Fourth Young Madam Qin the most. You usually grant her requests, so... ordinary maids and servants don't dare to provoke the people in the Fourth Courtyard."

"And the personal maid is the confidant that the Fourth Young Madam brought from the capital. It is said that she has lived and eaten with her since she was a child, and their relationship is very good. With the Third Young Madam's pure and simple nature, how could she possibly conflict with them?"

When Xu Qing heard this, he understood what Xiaohuan meant.

Hai Dafu also said that the third wife, Mrs. Lu, was a non-competitive person. In the two years since she came to the mansion, she had never asked for anything.

Why would a person with this kind of temperament get angry?

"This incident made the Third and Fourth Courtyards unhappy, and the maids of the two courtyards became strangers when they met. But I later found out after asking around... the reason why the Third Young Madam was angry was because of you, Young Master."

"I?"

Xu Qingzhen never expected that this matter would involve him.

"Yes, it was Cui'er and Yang Liu who said that you stole things from home and sold them. Sooner or later, you would lose all your family fortune and you should consider a way out earlier... When the Third Young Lady heard this, she punished them by having them each lashed with five willow whips."

Seeing Xu Qing lost in thought, Xiao Huan mustered up the courage to continue, "Master, I think that since the Third Young Madam punished the maids in the Fourth Courtyard on your side, she would definitely not treat you badly, so..."

"Xiao Huan, is there any other witness to this matter besides you?"

"Yes, several maids in the compound know about this matter, and Chief Steward Hai has also heard some news, but because you dote on the Fourth Household too much and stay there almost every night, they dare not tell you."

Xu Qing was slightly stunned, and suddenly a new idea came to his mind.

……

After his thoughts faded, Xu Qing looked at Lu Wanhe, whose frail figure was like a delicate flower, with some pity in his eyes.

I really don't know what my previous life was thinking, letting such a delicate beauty be covered in dust in the side courtyard of the Xu Mansion.

"My husband, are you going to stand up for the maids in the fourth courtyard?"

Lu Wanhe thought that Xu Qing brought up the matter again in order to settle old scores.

After all, Xu Qing doted on Qin from the Fourth Hospital the most, so it was not surprising that he did something extraordinary for her.

Xu Qing shook his head and asked, "What I want to know is, everyone in the mansion knew that I was not good to you, so why did you side with me at that time?"

"what……"

Lu Wanhe didn't expect Xu Qing to know what happened that day so clearly. She didn't know how to answer his questions, so she had to lower her head and remain silent.

"Of course, if you don't want to say it, I won't force you. By the way, I'll give you what you want now."

After Xu finished speaking in a calm voice, he walked to the desk, ground the somewhat dried ink again, and wrote the second half of the poem on it.

"The chrysanthemums bloom and wither. The wild geese fly high in the distance and the people have not returned. The moon and the wind are leisurely behind the curtain." When Lu Wanhe stood up to take the paper, her eyes glanced at the last sentence of the lyrics.

In a trance, she suddenly felt as if her throat was burned by fire, and her vision became blurry.

"A curtain of wind and moon is leisurely."

Xu Qing said without even looking up: "There is a fox fur coat sent by Chief Steward Hai at the door to keep you warm. Put it on when you go back. Let Xiaohuan walk you a few more steps... I won't go out."

……

"Miss, how could you go to Young Master Xu's yard alone without saying hello?"

Ji Xia looked at the dusty young lady wrapped in a snow-white fox fur appearing in front of the door, and his heart finally settled down.

When she couldn't find the young lady in the yard, she almost wanted to search the entire Xu Mansion, but unexpectedly the young lady came back by herself.

But when she heard that the young lady left because of the second half of the song, she became so angry that she couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"Miss, you should change your temper. Who would consider poetry more important than their own life... No matter how beautiful it is, it is just an illusion. We are not immortals in the sky. We have to rely on mundane things to survive."

Lu Wanhe walked into the house and couldn't help coughing twice.

Ji Xia hurriedly closed the door and found some paper to cover it.

After making sure that no cold wind was coming into the room, Ji Xia returned to the young lady with peace of mind.

As soon as it came in front of her, she saw the soft and warm lambskin sleeves. The fur on it was neatly arranged and the workmanship was fine. It was obviously a high-end item.

"Miss, where did this fox fur come from?"

Lu Wanhe was about to say something but stopped herself, a slight blush appearing on her face.

Ji Xia pouted and thought as she spoke.

"Fox fur is a rare commodity in our Suzhou. In previous years, only the young master and the eldest young mistress could get two extra pairs... You just went to the young master's yard. Could it be that Young Master Xu gave it to you?"

"Ah."

Lu Wanhe responded softly, seeming a little embarrassed.

Ji Xia Teng came closer and waved his hand in front of his young lady's beautiful face.

"Miss! You can't be fooled by that guy! He definitely has bad intentions... Think about it, we have been in Xu's house for two years, when has he ever shown concern for us? Now that he is so nice to us, he must have some ulterior motives!"

Lu Wanhe pursed her lips and whispered, "Ji Xia, you think too much... He fell into the water and lost his memory. He is different from before. Besides, the ancients said that people are inherently good at the beginning. He..."

Ji Xia raised her eyebrows and scolded in a delicate voice: "Miss, why are you still speaking for him? If you ask me, he just wants your body and wants to... do those shameful things."

Ji Xia originally wanted to be more blunt, but considering that her young lady specialized in poetry and had little experience in the world, she didn't want to be too straightforward.

"Miss, what are you thinking about?"

Lu Wanhe didn't have any special ideas.

If Young Master Xu could maintain the same appearance he had over the past two days, she would really think there was nothing wrong with this marriage.

Those lyrics and music could not be created by someone who was not well versed in poetry. Perhaps I had wronged him before. Xu Qing was a good person who liked poetry and lyrics.

What's more, they are husband and wife.

……

The temple is majestic and towering.

The light in the spacious and quiet meditation hall is dim.

The candles placed everywhere swayed slightly, like stars twinkling in the dark night.

There is a seven-foot-tall Buddha statue standing in the center of the hall, looking around every corner of the hall with a solemn expression.

"Announcement, the daughter of Prime Minister Shen Nianyan, the wife of Xu from Suzhou, Shen Shuangxu, enter the palace to see the emperor."

In the quiet environment, there was suddenly a clinking sound of jewelry colliding with each other.

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman in gorgeous dress appear at the door and walk gracefully into the hall.

Her face was cold, but it could not hide her graceful figure and stunning beauty.

With just the candlelight illuminating her profile, she looked like Xi Shi reborn, a goddess reborn.

"I, a commoner named Shen, pay my respects to the Queen of Heaven."

The area directly in front of the Buddha statue was tightly surrounded by many jade bead curtains.

But through its appearance, one can vaguely see a long-haired woman sitting quietly on a cushion, seemingly reading a scripture in front of her in the dim light of a candle.

Shen Shuangxu didn't dare to look up, because looking directly at the Queen of Heaven was a serious crime.

A moment later, a pretty lady-in-waiting in palace dress emerged from the darkness. She was the messenger of the Queen of Heaven.

"Shen, do you know about the incident in Suzhou?"

"I know."

"The queen has not returned for ten years, and has already handed over many matters of Suzhou to you, but why was the young master of the Xu family poisoned?"

The female official's voice was cold, and in contrast to the atmosphere in the Jingxin Hall, it was almost suffocating.

But Shen Shuangxu's answer was still neither humble nor arrogant, with a lotus-like clearness in her eyes, "It is my fault. I beg the Queen of Heaven to punish me."

The female official looked at Shen Shuangxu who was kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, sneered and said, "Shen Shuangxu, you are so bold... Are you relying on the Queen Mother's love and thinking that the Xu family's affairs will not be blamed on you?"

"Folk girls don't dare."

"That's all."

The voice behind the curtain is like silk, smooth and rich in texture, lingering softly in the air, making people irresistible.

Shen Shuangxu was not surprised by this voice, because although the Queen Mother was the wife of the former emperor, she was only 28 years old when she entered the palace, and she is only 35 years old now.

When the female official heard this, she immediately bowed and stepped aside respectfully.

"Some things are done, and I don't really want to pursue who is right or wrong. But I have watched Qing'er grow up since he was a child. Although he has a naughty temper, he is still a good child."

The Queen Mother spoke word by word, and each word was uttered clearly, echoing in the hall like morning bells and evening drums.

"Put aside everything else you are doing and go back to investigate this matter."

For the first time, a change of expression appeared on Shen Shuangxu's beautiful face.

"Queen, the Jialan Lanhuo case is still under investigation. We have already found some clues and have caught many accomplices. If we return to Jiangnan now, I am afraid that we will miss the best opportunity and give those princes and nobles time and excuses to escape punishment."

The woman behind the curtain didn't say anything else. The female official understood her meaning and raised her head and said, "The emperor has made his decision."

Shen Shuangxu frowned slightly, but still bowed three times to the empress dowager behind the curtain.

"The daughter of the people resigns."

The moment Shen Shuangxu stood up and walked out of the Jingxin Hall, the female official followed her out.

"Ms. Shen, please stay."

Shen Shuangxu turned around and asked, "Mr. Lianhua, do you have anything else to say?"

(End of this chapter)