"It's a letter for my father." Seeing that things were going well, Xu Hui said sweetly, "Brother Zheng has been trained in the Northwest before, so he's more familiar with the area. In the past, I always asked Brother Zheng to mail my letters."
Brother Zheng?
Chen Qian thought for a moment and finally remembered that the "Brother Zheng" Xu Hui mentioned was the tall young man he had seen at Xu Hui's house that day. He had deliberately gone to cause trouble that day, and sure enough, he saw the man leave looking dejected. Perhaps he really liked Xu Hui.
"Hui Niang, is it because I haven't treated you well enough that you're still thinking about your lover?" Chen Qian said somewhat displeasedly, pressing Xu Hui down on his body again and playing with her soft, high breasts. "You know, I'm the kind of person who gets jealous easily."
Seeing his displeasure, Xu Hui quickly explained, "Sir, it's not what you think! I only have you in my heart, and I only regard Zheng Xing as my older brother!"
"Really?" Chen Qian suddenly increased the pressure on his hand.
Seeing that he seemed genuinely unhappy, Xu Hui, ignoring her pain, quickly assured him, "Sir, if I were truly thinking of someone else, would I dare to say it so openly in front of you? I really do want to get the letter to my father as soon as possible—"
Chen Qian then released his grip and stared thoughtfully at Xu Hui.
“Sir, Zheng Xing is a personal guard under the Marquis of Pingyuan, and he is also a distant relative of Zheng Peng, a confidant of the Marquis of Pingyuan.” Xu Hui pretended not to know that Chen Qian liked An Ran, and deliberately said, “Perhaps we will need their help one day. It’s not entirely without benefit for you to befriend him.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Qian's expression shifted several times before he gave a soft, noncommittal response.
Having spent two lifetimes with Chen Qian, Xu Hui had a good understanding of his temperament. Seeing his reaction, she figured he had probably agreed.
"I have absolutely no ulterior motives. You can check the letter yourself to see if I wrote anything wrong." Xu Hui solemnly assured him, "I just want to get the letter to my father as soon as possible. It's getting colder every day. I also want to get the medicine and silver notes that you helped me prepare to my father as soon as possible."
Xu Hui pleaded desperately, and if it were for her parents' sake, there wouldn't be any problem.
Chen Qian was used to being suspicious, so he didn't agree immediately, only telling her that he would think about it.
"I'll wait for your message, sir." Xu Hui wisely refrained from pressuring Chen Qian further, fearing it might backfire. She nudged Chen Qian and said sweetly, "You'd better hurry back, lest the eldest mistress finds out."
"It's rare to see someone so magnanimous." Chen Qian chuckled, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Doesn't Hui Niang feel even a little bit jealous?"
Xu Hui simply turned away and continued dressing, ignoring Chen Qian. When pressed, she finally retorted resentfully, "What good would it do for me to be jealous? Would you dare mention me in front of Madam? Would you stay here instead of going back to Madam today?"
Seeing her full of resentment, Chen Qian smiled and comforted Xu Hui for a while.
Xu Hui finally went from anger to laughter, helping Chen Qian change his clothes. Then, biting her handkerchief, she chuckled, "What excuse did you give Madam today, sir, for saying your clothes were dirty again?"
Last time he said he was splashed with tea, this time Chen Qian plans to use ink to fool Liu Niang.
He was certain that even if Sixth Sister sensed something was wrong, she wouldn't dare to do anything. Besides, she had no evidence, and making a fuss would only make her seem unreasonable.
Moreover, he could sense that Sixth Sister's feelings for him were limited. After all, Sixth Sister knew best in the mansion that the person he loved was An Jiu, and that he had once gone to great lengths for An Jiu.
Therefore, Chen Qian changed into a dark blue brocade robe and went to his study, looking refreshed.
After all, coming out of the study would make him seem more credible.
Little did she know, Sixth Sister already knew all this. She had kept quiet for several days, waiting for the right opportunity.
"If the master returns, let me know." Sixth Sister sat down at the desk, asked Bizhu to keep watch, and left Biyun to grind ink for her.
She had already figured out how to expose this adulterous couple, but she needed to make some preparations.
The maids and nannies serving in the room had long been dismissed by Sixth Sister, leaving only Biyun alone. She took out the crumpled paper she had picked up from the path, calmly unfolded it, and carefully examined the woman's image on it.
She was slender and beautiful, so she was probably not an ordinary maid. Although her handwriting lacked strength and elegance, it was still quite good for a woman, and she had obviously practiced.
Sixth Sister stared intently for a while, then took down the pens from the pen holder one by one and copied the slip of paper onto the paper. Sixth Sister had put in a lot of hard work in reading and writing. Although she was not raised in the Marquis's mansion, she still wrote very well and had quite a bit of experience in copying other people's writing.
Although it doesn't look quite right now, the main thing is to test the thickness of the brush and choose the most suitable one.
After losing five or six strokes in succession, Liu Niang compared them for a while and finally chose the one that looked the most similar. Next came the task of imitating the handwriting.
This wasn't difficult for Liu Niang, and she quickly learned it to be about 80-90% similar. Just as she was about to practice again, Bi Zhu suddenly called out, "Master, you're back!"
Liu Niang hurriedly threw the scraps of paper she had written on into the charcoal brazier. Seeing them gradually turn to ashes, she ordered Biyun to collect the crumpled paper and tidy up the writing brushes and ink on the desk. She herself straightened her clothes and went out to greet Chen Qian.
Upon seeing Chen Qian, a dark glint flashed quickly in Liu Niang's eyes.
He went out early this morning wearing an indigo brocade robe.
Chapter 164
164:
Liu Niang quickly concealed the strange look in her eyes, put on a faint smile, and came out to greet Chen Qian.
"Grandpa, you're back." Sixth Sister greeted him with a smile and curtsied.
Although the two disliked each other, they maintained a facade of mutual respect and affection. Chen Qian did this to deceive his parents and gain the support of the Marquis of Nan'an, while Liu Niang didn't want to be ridiculed and had no other way out but to live a good life in the Chen family.
Of course, that was the original way, but this time, Sixth Sister was unwilling to live out her life like that.
Originally, Chen Qian wouldn't have given her this chance. Even in the capital, he dared to be so audacious as to have an affair behind her back, and even tried to have his illegitimate child first. Once Chen Qian took her back to Yangzhou… just thinking about it sent a chill down Liu Niang's spine.
At that time, she'll be left helpless, crying out to heaven and earth, not even knowing how she died.
"Sixth Sister." Chen Qian looked at the gentle and graceful Sixth Sister, feeling a pang of regret. Sixth Sister and Ninth Sister were sisters born of the same father, both extremely beautiful, but Sixth Sister didn't resemble Ninth Sister at all… If she had even half of Ninth Sister's features, perhaps he could have felt more pity for her. "Changqing has already prepared the leather materials; do you see if there's anything else we need?"
Sixth Sister was quite at ease with Chen Qian handling such important matters. After all, these were gifts to be presented to the Marquis of Nan'an, the Marquis of Pingyuan, and the Prince of Yi, so he naturally had to be extra careful. Therefore, Sixth Sister smiled and said, "Master's men are always very reliable, I have no worries about them."
Could it be that Chen Qian has the audacity to secretly slip a note expressing his feelings for An Jiu into the leather sent to the Pingyuan Marquis's residence?
If he really dares to do that, the first person to not let him off the hook will be Marquis Pingyuan.
"I plan to visit my sisters personally, just to keep in touch," Sixth Sister said, revealing her plan. She looked at Chen Qian with a calm expression and said, "A trip back to the Marquis of Nan'an's residence will suffice. I'll deliver the fabrics for Grandmother, Mother, Seventh Sister, and Tenth Sister, and then I'll go to the Marquis of Pingyuan's residence to deliver them to Ninth Sister..."
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Qian's eyes flickered slightly.