After the two finished washing up, they had breakfast in the room. Xiao Yu couldn't help but make unwanted advances, but Chen was too shy to admit it, so she sent the maid away and served him herself.
Xiao Yu said, "Calling someone 'husband' or 'wife' lacks the charm of a young lady. Does your wife have a nickname at home?"
Having grown up in the capital, Chen's accent had a soft, gentle quality reminiscent of girls from Jiangnan. She said in a warm voice, "At home, everyone calls me Lian'er."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she nearly dropped the ivory chopsticks carved with dragonflies and lotus flowers. After a long pause, she asked, "My lady's given name is Lan, so why is her nickname Lian'er? Is there a story behind it?"
Chen Lan smiled gently: "When I was little, I often picked lotus seeds in our family's lotus pond. That's what my family called it."
Xiao Yu had lost his appetite and could only manage to say, "My wife must have been very naughty when she was little." But he didn't change his way of addressing her as Lian'er.
After finishing his meal, Xiao Yu, still worried about the business, went back to the shop. Chen Lan didn't stop him, personally helped him change his clothes, and escorted him to the second gate.
When Xiao Yu returned home in the evening and saw that Chen Lan was still gentle and attentive, her expression softened as well. This was not her fault; it was just a coincidence.
"Young Master Xiao, Lian'er has personally prepared a dish. You must try it." Chen Lan said as she set out the dishes, instructing the maids to bring soup and water.
Xiao Yu liked her virtuousness. He suppressed the shock in his heart when he first heard the words "Xiao Lang" and took his seat. He saw that the table was full of dishes, which was a bit wasteful for just the two of them to eat. However, he thought that she was a new bride who had been pampered since childhood and was naturally particular about her. So he didn't mention it.
When he picked up the lotus leaf steamed pork with his chopsticks and ate it, he was so surprised that he stood up.
"If Xiao Lang doesn't like it, it's because Lian'er's skills are not good enough." Seeing his reaction, Chen Lan couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved, and her eyes reddened with anxiety.
Xiao Yu was utterly shocked. Steamed pork with lotus leaves was a famous Hangzhou dish, so it wasn't surprising that someone knew how to make it. But the taste was completely different from everyone else's. She glanced at Chen Lan and saw that her eyes were slightly red, so her heart softened. Perhaps it was just Liu's boasting, not her own creation, or perhaps the recipe had already been passed on. Thinking this, she felt a little more at ease, sat down again, and, feigning composure, picked up another piece of meat with her chopsticks.
Upon seeing this, Chen Lan immediately smiled and said, "This dish is nothing special, but the sweet sauce inside is made by Lian'er herself, and you can't buy it anywhere else."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Yuru was struck dumb. When she came to her senses, she grabbed Chen Lanhao's wrist, her face contorted into a ferocious grimace, and shouted, "Who sent you? Speak! Isn't the Liu family all dead? Who is it? Don't try to play tricks on me!"
Chen Lan was so frightened by his harsh words that she burst into tears. Her face was streaked with tears, and she choked up, looking utterly pitiful.
After a long while, she gradually fell silent and murmured, "What did you say, Master? How come Lian'er doesn't understand a single word?"
Hearing her refer to herself, Xiao Yu became even more irritated, and simply threw her aside and stormed off.
Chen Lan immediately wiped away her tears, smiled slightly, and sat down to eat.
Xiao Yu strode to the study, having calmed down. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that even Liu's closest maid was dead, so these private whispers couldn't possibly have leaked out. But to say it was just a coincidence seemed too much. Then a possibility occurred to him, and he froze, cold sweat pouring down his back.
With this in mind, Xiao Yu naturally found it impossible to lie down next to that woman. So he slept in the study for several nights in a row, and went to the shop during the day. When the servants saw that they were newly married and sleeping in separate rooms, they naturally kept quiet and dared not offend him.
After several days of this muddled existence, Xiao Yu finally couldn't hold back any longer and summoned Chen Lan's personal maid to ask her what was wrong.
The one who arrived was the very woman he had sized up the day after their wedding night.
The girl smiled broadly as her son-in-law inquired about Chen Lan's daily life, including her diet and habits, in great detail. She answered with increasing care and detail. Although her appearance was ordinary, her speech was remarkably eloquent, vivid and logical.
Steward Zhou was secretly pleased. Every couple has their quarrels; as the saying goes, "a fight at the head of the bed is reconciled at the foot of the bed." The old man was clearly thinking of his new wife. Afraid that Xiao Yu would be upset and take it out on him, he didn't dare listen any longer and quietly left. But he didn't see Xiao Yu's face grow increasingly gloomy, and the hand holding the blue-and-white porcelain cup trembled violently, spilling a few drops of tea onto his moon-white shirt.
Xiao Yu's worries grew heavier each day, and she woke up from nightmares several times, her inner clothes soaked with cold sweat. In just a few days, she lost weight, her face became haggard, and she was no longer as beautiful as before.
That evening, Xiao Yu went to Master Wan's house for a drink and got quite drunk. On her way back, she habitually walked towards the west courtyard.
Seeing Chen Lan in the room, he became somewhat more awake. Chen Lan, with her slender, jade-like fingers, held a lotus-shaped jade bowl, a slight smile on her face, and slowly said, "Does my beloved Xiao Lang know that Lian'er's favorite thing is lotus leaf and lotus seed soup? Would you like some?"
Xiao Yu's remaining drunkenness vanished in shock. He stared at her with wide eyes and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "For my wife's own use."
Unexpectedly, Chen Lan slammed the bowl to the ground with a sharp crack, shattering it into pieces. "Of course, Xiao Lang wouldn't dare drink it." The voice was shrill and elusive. Xiao Yu, still shaken, looked at Chen Lan again and suddenly saw her rushing towards him, blood streaming from her seven orifices. She said, "Xiao Lang, don't be afraid. We can be a pair of lovers in the underworld. All the troubles of our past lives can be forgotten." With each slowly uttered word, she took a step closer to him.
Xiao Yu screamed and ran outside. Immediately afterward, Chen Lan heard a splash from inside the house. A moment later, Steward Zhou shouted for help, "Oh no! The master has drowned!" Chen Lan ignored him and, under the cover of night, went to the study.
The oriole is behind
The next day, the entire Qiantang region was abuzz with talk of the tragedy that had befallen the Xiao family the previous night. Everyone said that the young master of the Xiao family had been possessed by an evil spirit; he had only been married to his beautiful bride for less than a month when he inexplicably drowned in his own lotus pond. The water wasn't deep, only about waist-high, yet someone had drowned. Two lives lost in half a year—the Xiao family mansion had instantly become a haunted house.
With the Xiao family without their mistress, the servants were momentarily at a loss. Madam Chen, however, rallied her spirits, adopting the demeanor of a matriarch, and ordered the return of the servant contracts, giving double the severance pay. The dozens of servants scattered like birds. A few days later, the Xiao residence was sold at a low price to a family that dealt in tea bricks, but the steward made arrangements beforehand, as the new owners were still on their way. Soon after, the Chen family arrived, took their unfortunate daughter back, and the entire family moved away, their whereabouts unknown. The neighbors weren't surprised, saying that Madam Chen had remarried elsewhere to avoid being tainted by the reputation of Qiantang.
The night was cool and still.
The Xiao residence.
A petite figure arrived under the moonlight, nimbly traversing the pavilions and galleries of the garden, hurrying towards the main courtyard. This person was remarkably agile, bending at the waist and vaulting through an open window.
Upon entering the room, she went straight to the intricately carved canopy bed, and with a light leap, skillfully opened one of the hidden compartments. She took out a crystal-encrusted box containing snacks, tapped it lightly twice on the wooden panel, and then tapped each of the other compartments one to three times in a seemingly random order. This series of movements was swift and precise, without the slightest hesitation. Suddenly, with a click, the wooden panel of the hidden compartment that had held the snacks automatically slid open, revealing a hidden compartment containing a flat, square cloth bag. She quickly took it out, about to tuck it into her bosom, when a hand gently rested on her shoulder.
The woman's supple body stiffened instantly.
The lights in the room had already come on. At this point, she calmed down and decisively turned around to look at the person who had entered.
It was an extremely ordinary face, but the usually cheerful and slightly obsequious expression now carried a hint of coldness; it was Steward Zhou.
Manager Zhou was brought in by Xiao Yu when the Liu family was laying off elderly employees. The woman clearly recognized him. Her expression stiffened slightly before she sneered, "Whose side are you on?"
Steward Zhou chuckled and said, "You think you can bargain with His Highness? It would have been fine a couple of years ago, but now you have no choice."
“My father committed suicide to put the Seventh Prince’s mind at ease, so you cannot let the Liu family go.”
"Back then, the Liu family dared to accept the seven million dan of military rations allocated by the imperial court to the Northwest Army and sell them as stolen goods. Did they really think they could enjoy lasting wealth and power?" Steward Zhou said coldly.
"The Liu family has done a lot for the Seventh Prince, and they've kept a backup plan. I'm sure the Fifth Prince will be interested."
Steward Zhou couldn't help but admire Liu Yanhe. Three years ago, she had subtly lured the lonely scholar Xiao, handing over the Liu family's public businesses to him, hoping the Fifth Prince would find out and find a scapegoat. However, the Seventh Prince preemptively turned his back, wanting to sacrifice the Liu family to save the king. To protect his daughter, Old Man Liu was forced to commit suicide. Even in this critical situation, Liu Yanhe remained calm, first using a self-inflicted injury to dismiss the Liu family's old servants, then secretly overseeing the family's clandestine business. Coincidentally, Scholar Xiao, angered by Old Man Liu's death, harbored malicious intentions. She used this opportunity to feign death and escape. Xiao Yu, with a guilty conscience, wouldn't notice any flaws in her feigned death. However, while faking death was easy, smuggling the account books out of the mansion was difficult. Therefore, she simply remained inactive. She waited a full year, estimating that the storm had died down, before seeking help from the "inn." Her aim wasn't revenge against Xiao Yu, but rather to muddy the waters so she could retrieve the account books as a lifeline. Now, seeing the situation reverse, she decisively prepared to surrender to the Fifth Prince. She possessed cunning, shrewdness, ruthlessness, and decisiveness all in one.
Manager Zhou hesitated without answering, then suddenly twisted his neck, breaking it. He grabbed the silk bundle and disappeared into the night.
This move caught Liu Yanhe off guard, and Mo Xi, who had been watching the show from the shadows, was also quite surprised.
She listened intently, and sure enough, a group of six people approached from the west, all masters of internal martial arts. She smiled slightly and disappeared into the night. Mo Xi had always prided herself on her lightness skill; her movements were as swift as mist and lightning. In the blink of an eye, she arrived at the bustling city center. She chose a rather luxurious restaurant and ordered steamed pork with lotus leaves. Sure enough, the taste was quite different from the recipe she had made according to Liu Yanhe's notes.
The next day, the sun shone brightly.