My wife has a secret

Chapter 161 It’s Time to Grow Up
Xu Qing knew very well that the key clues now focused on Princess Danyang.

He even had a premonition that if he could break the deadlock and find the key evidence of the princess' conspiracy with the White Lotus, he could wipe out the White Lotus in one fell swoop.

After thinking carefully for a moment, Xu Qing asked leisurely: "Princess Danyang has close relations with various dignitaries. If we rashly investigate her, it will definitely affect the interests of other ministers and nobles. So how should we start?"

“If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, you won’t catch the tiger’s cubs.”

Hearing Shen Shuangxu's concise and clear answer, Xu Qing's face became extremely wonderful, because he figured out the key to the matter.

Empress Gongsun once mentioned that she had been taken to the princess's mansion to be tortured and interrogated. The extremely famous and widely circulated Paradise Banquet in the capital was also held in the princess's mansion.

This indirectly shows that the Princess's Mansion has been transformed by Princess Danyang into her own lair, which contains many unknown secrets.

If you want to understand the purpose of the relationship between Princess Danyang and the White Lotus Sect, you must attend the Paradise Banquet and see how the banquet is held.

Shen Shuangxu said calmly, "This time, the Paradise Banquet will be held after the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony. As the newly-appointed Marquis of Guangping, and also the nephew of the Queen Mother, you are already the one that countless officials and ministers want to make friends with. Princess Danyang will definitely invite you to the Paradise Banquet."

Looking at the other party's meticulous and flawless speech, Xu Qing asked doubtfully: "Before I went down the mountain...you had thought of all this?"

"Earlier."

Shen Shuangxu's eyes were cold, as if he was talking about an insignificant matter.

"What happened on the mountain was a test. Since all suspicions are on Princess Danyang, we naturally have to finish dealing with the current matters and then free up our hands to deal with her."

Xu Qing suddenly felt the words choked in his throat, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out the word "okay".

All in all, he was glad that a woman like Shen Shuangxu was on his side.

……

When I came out of Shen's house, the sun was already shining on the poles and it was already the Si hour.

Xu Qing followed Shen Shuangxu's suggestion and took Shan Yongpei to the Chengxuanfang liaison office, and then rushed to the mansion in the capital that was rewarded to him by the Empress Dowager.

Although this mansion is nominally a marquis's residence, its predecessor was the palace of the Prince of Dongwan.

As the leader of the royalist party in the court and a descendant of the founding fathers, the Prince of Dongwan owns one of the most luxurious residences in the capital.

Ever since the princess fled with her servants and personal soldiers, the place has been blocked off by the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Five Cities Military Department. Therefore, the furnishings and furniture inside almost inherited the appearance when the Prince of Dongwan was in power, and were passed into Xu Qing's hands without any difference.

However, Xu Qing was not the first person to step into this new marquisate. On the day when the reward of being conferred the title of marquis was given, Qin Shuying moved here with Yang Liu and Cui'er from the imperial palace.

After receiving the news that Xu Qing had returned today, Qin Shuying waited in the yard wearing a colorful dress.

The skirt is embellished with delicate embroidery, which matches Qin Shuying's delicate facial features and moving charm, making her look particularly charming.

As soon as Xu Qing got out of the car and entered the house, Qin Shuying brought two beautiful girls to bow and salute.

"My husband is back."

As soon as she said this, Qin Shuying realized that something was wrong and quickly changed her words with a smile: "The Marquis is back."

According to the rules, dukes, marquises and kings are honorable statuses bestowed by the emperor and the court. Qin Shuying, who is a concubine, is not allowed to call Xu Qing "husband" and must greet him respectfully.

But Xu Qing is not a conservative person. Moreover, he had contacted the officials of the Ministry of Revenue yesterday. The fiefdom of Marquis Guangping is of no use at all and he can't be counted on to collect taxes and tributes.

Moreover, because the chieftains caused chaos every year, they had to pay money into the government every year.

Being conferred a title of nobility was originally a happy event, but I don’t know how long the hundred taels of gold that my aunt rewarded me can last under such circumstances.

"This is home, not outside."

Xu Qing sighed and put his previous thoughts behind him.

He asked Qin Shuying: "Have all the houses in the mansion been divided? Where should I live?"

"The place that the Prince of Dongwan left behind is too big, so Shuying divided the largest courtyard in the mansion into four parts for the first and second wives and my husband to stay overnight."

Qin Shuying has been busy with the affairs of this mansion for the past two days.

It took her a lot of time and effort just to clean the entire mansion.

"My husband and Sister Shen live in the most spacious and best house... The Prince of Dongwan left behind a lot of good things when he left. If my husband doesn't mind these furniture, Shuying will send someone to replace them."

Xu Qing casually touched the pearwood chair beneath him and realized how extravagant the former Prince of Dongwan was.

As a person who traveled through time, he naturally would not care about the precious furniture left behind by the Prince of Dongwan. On the contrary, it saved him from worrying about these trivial matters.

As long as the Prince of Dongwan didn't leave a yellow jacket for himself in the house, it would be fine.

"No, this is fine."

After several days of hard work, Xu Qing felt exhausted. After asking for the direction of his house, he followed the long corridor through the rockery, strange rocks, winding streams and springs, and arrived at his residence.

Before he got close, he saw a petite girl standing by the door, muttering something with her back to him.

"My Lord, your servant..."

The girl had her back to him and kept mumbling to herself for a long time, as if she was practicing addressing and honorifics.

She also imitated Qin Shuying and others, lifting the hem of her skirt and making the gesture of bowing.

It's a pity that although the movements were well-produced, they lacked the naturalness of Qin Shuying and her maids, and seemed very clumsy and deliberate.

"Xiao Huan, it really is you."

Xu Qing walked behind the girl and confirmed his previous guess.

He originally felt that this clumsy little girl looked somewhat similar to Xiaohuan, but he didn't expect that the other person was Xiaohuan.

"Ah! Young...Master."

When Xiaohuan saw that the person coming was the young master she had been thinking about day and night, she immediately turned around, lowered her head, bit her red lips lightly, and dared not speak.

When Xu Qing left Suzhou, the maids and servants in the mansion were all saying that the young master had offended a big shot in the capital and was going to be punished, and it was unknown when he would be released.

But later, the news that the young master was safe and the empress dowager was in power reached the Xu Mansion in Suzhou. Almost all the servants vied to have a good relationship with him, hoping that they could rely on their status as personal servants to bring them to the prosperous capital.

But Xiaohuan knew clearly that Suzhou was not as big as the capital, and she was not sure whether she had a position by the young master's side. How could she have the right to make decisions for the young master?
So when the Fourth Madam Qin wrote to the Xu family and asked her to drive to the capital immediately to serve the young master, she was filled with joy and anticipation.

But when she saw the gate of Guangping Marquis Mansion, which was twice as big as Xu's, her happiness and expectations were extinguished by the cruel reality, and she inevitably felt inferior.

The young master will be a marquis in the future, and his status will be completely different from mine.

"Xiao Huan, when did you return to the capital? You didn't even tell me first. Do you still have the young master in your eyes?"

Facing Xiaohuan, Xu Qing put aside his experiences and other things in recent days and reached out to touch her head.

Feeling that the young master's hand was as warm as in her memory, Xiaohuan's jade-like face flushed slightly, with a hint of shyness.

At the same time, there was a faint light in her lowered eyes, and she didn't know how to answer.

I didn't expect that the young master became a noble marquis, but he didn't forget me.

"Were you practicing etiquette just now?" "Yes... yes."

Xiaohuan hesitated for a moment and nodded.

She was afraid that if she did something wrong, she would be sent back to her hometown in Suzhou by the young master, so she asked Yang Liu, who was by the side of the fourth young lady, for advice on the rules and etiquette of the capital.

After all, Yang Liu and Cui'er had both received professional guidance, and their saluting movements were very graceful and beautiful.

Xiaohuan knew that as the young master's maid, she must learn all these things so as not to embarrass her master.

"You don't need to learn anymore. Xiaohuan is Xiaohuan. Just be like usual."

Xu Qing smiled, pushed open the door and walked into the room.

The room had been cleaned tidy by Xiaohuan, without a speck of dust, so he naturally sat there and looked through the information Qin Shuying handed to him.

After a while, Xiaohuan pushed open the door, brought over the pastries prepared in the kitchen, and brought over a basin of boiled hot water. She took the initiative to wipe off the dust on Xu Qing's face.

"Xiao Huan, I feel like you've become more beautiful since I last saw you for a few days."

Xu Qing couldn't concentrate on the book in his hand, so he teased Xiaohuan.

I didn't expect that this girl couldn't stand being praised at all. Just after hearing a few words from me, her pretty and delicate face turned red with embarrassment and she couldn't even speak clearly.

The rest of the day passed quickly. After Xu Qing took a look at the study room filled with incense and equipped with a tea table and chess desk, he had his meal, washed himself, and went to bed after nightfall.

After staying there for a while, Xu Qing realized that the empty mansion was a bit deserted, so he called Xiaohuan, who was lighting the night candles in the room.

"Xiao Huan, from tonight on...you will sleep here."

"Yes, Master."

Xiaohuan didn't feel anything was wrong just after she finished answering, but when she lit the candle, she realized that her young master asked her to go to bed with him. Her face suddenly became dull and her face and originally fair neck turned red.

I thought we would never have the chance to have close contact again, Master, this...

"Then... Master, let this servant take a shower."

"Didn't you just take a shower this afternoon?"

"Ah."

Seeing that the young master didn't mind her sweating, Xiaohuan walked to the bed somewhat awkwardly, took off her coat and skirt, and tentatively lay down on the bed.

Seeing that the girl was so dull and honest, Xu Qing didn't dare to move, and the evil idea of ​​playing a prank arose.

He turned sideways and hugged Xiaohuan from behind.

Xiaohuan was caught off guard and daring not to look back at the young master, she uttered a moan.

Just when Xiaohuan was comforting herself and thought that the young master just wanted someone to hug, Xu Qing put his hand through her thin clothes and started tickling her.

Xiaohuan's eyes flashed with restraint, her lips slightly parted, but she could hardly speak.

This unspeakable feeling of shyness is like the morning mist, hazy and beautiful.

Xu Qing scratched for a while and felt curious. How could this girl hold back without making any noise? If he were the one being tickled, he would definitely scream out.

Out of curiosity, Xu Qing's right hand moved down along her delicate and soft waist and separated her panties.

It's icy cool and slippery when you touch it.

"Young Master!"

Sure enough, Xiaohuan finally couldn't hold back anymore and called Xu Qing begging for mercy, hoping that he would let her go.

However, her soft Wu accent coupled with her body and heart already flooded with passion made the name have no deterrent effect at all, and instead was filled with a coy shyness of wanting to refuse but also to welcome.

"Master, I..."

Xiaohuan opened her mouth twice, not knowing what to say, but she suddenly felt tingling and numb, which seemed to be a good feeling.

Unconsciously, Xiaohuan's consciousness became a little dazed, and her longing for the young master became deeper and deeper.

"Xiao Huan, do you know that you haven't grown up yet?"

Hearing Xu Qing's sudden words, Xiaohuan woke up from her depressed state and responded hurriedly.

After she agreed, she felt a little regretful. Most girls get engaged at the age of twelve and get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen. She was not considered a little girl anymore, but in the eyes of the young master... she would always be a child who would never grow up.

So she shouldn't have had any delusions in the beginning, imagining that something could happen between her and the young master.

Its function is roughly equivalent to a stove or hand warmer in a house, and it is a tool used by the young master to keep warm.

"So you need to develop well and try to get your body in good shape."

After Xu Qing pretended to be innocent and concerned for a few words, he revealed his true colors and coughed lightly and asked, "But the young master knows a secret method that can make you develop quickly and grow strong."

The innocent and kind-hearted Xiao Huan didn't understand what was going on. She frowned and asked softly, "Well... what does the young master mean?"

"It's okay. Master will show you once and you will understand."

Xu Qing shamelessly put his hand on Xiaohuan's lapel and started massaging her.

I have been laying the groundwork for so long just to alleviate the guilt in my heart.

When Xiaohuan discovered what the young master had done, she secretly spat in her heart and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

When she was at Xu's house, Wang Po had talked to her about these things and read those comic strips.

The young master is clearly doing something bad!

"How about it, Xiaohuan, is the young master awesome?"

After a while, Xu Qing took credit and coaxed: "Let the young master help you grow up every day in the future. I believe that in the near future, you will be able to be like Shuying."

"Uh-huh."

Xiaohuan bit her lip and didn't dare to look back at the young master's expression and posture, but her shy look was like a lotus bud in early summer, about to bloom.

……

The next day, Xu Qing got out of bed with Xiaohuan's help.

As soon as I finished breakfast and came to the living room, I saw Qin Shuying from the fourth room sitting on a chair in the main hall, entertaining a housekeeper.

Seeing Xu Qing appear, the butler, who had a familiar figure and appearance, hurriedly stood up and bowed to him.

"Hello, Lord. I am Yao Cheng, the butler of the Nie Mansion."

Hearing the name of the Nie Mansion, Xu Qing nodded and remembered who this person was.

(End of this chapter)