strictlysupreme Chapter 205 Recognizing the Mother
Chapter 205 Recognizing the Mother
As Nianyao watched Xue Yunting and Duan Mingzhu walk away, she couldn't help but sigh, "Xue Yunting is really nice."
It sounded a little sour. Su Wuming couldn't help but smile: "Brother-in-law is pretty good too."
Nianyao spat and said, "They've been gone for so long, and there hasn't even been a message."
Su Wuming said, "Didn't you also not write to him?"
Nianyao said, "I don't even know where he is?"
Su Wuming said, "If you send the letter to the Dongyang Imperial Palace, it will naturally reach him."
Nianyao glared at Su Wuming: "You're really meddling."
She was about to get angry and embarrassed. Qin Jiu quickly changed the subject: "Wuming, what are you planning to do next?"
Su Wuming blinked: "Ninth Brother, you are the master of the manor, and we are guests. Guests should follow the host's lead!"
Qin Jiu rubbed his forehead: "How much money do you want?"
Su Wuming asked, "How much can Ninth Brother give?"
Qin Jiu said, "What if I say no!"
Su Wuming laughed heartily: "Of course, Ninth Brother has the final say."
Nianyao said impatiently, "Can't you guys talk properly?"
Qin Jiu sighed: "Jing Xing is not here. It must be a way out left by the First Madam."
I almost lost my life here, and you're still hoping for money? Is money that easy to take?
After finishing his meal, Su Wuming served Xue Yunting a bowl of rice and brought it over. He knocked gently on the door but no one answered. He pushed the door open and peeked inside, seeing Xue Yunting sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at Duan Mingzhu.
Su Wuming coughed lightly. Xue Yunting turned around, saw him, rubbed his temples, walked over, and took the food from his hands: "Thanks."
Su Wuming was quite dissatisfied: "If I had been a bad guy, you would be dead by now."
Xue Yunting's response was brief and to the point: "No."
The door opened slightly, and one person stood outside the door while the other stood inside. Su Wuming asked again, "Is it okay to stand like this?"
Xue Yunting said, "It will disturb her."
Su Yiwen sneered, "A henpecked husband!"
“She needs to rest.” Xue Yunting thought for a moment and added, “She saved us.”
Su Wuming disagreed: "It's not a given that a wife should save her husband."
Xue Yunting glanced at Su Wuming: "You're not married, you don't understand."
Su Wuming turned to leave, but after a while he turned back: "Qin Jiu said there's no money in the manor, what are you planning to do?"
Xue Yunting asked, "Are our lives more important, or the money from Jingzhao Manor?"
Su Wuming said, "When you're dead, life is more important; now that you're alive, money is more important."
Xue Yunting placed the empty bowl in his hand: "In recent years, the Jing family has had a bad reputation. His Majesty wanted to take over the Jing family, so Prince Rui found an excuse to kill two birds with one stone."
After Xue Yunting closed the door, Su Wuming stared at the door, raised his foot as if to kick it, but then slowly lowered it.
Su Wuming carried the empty bowl and slowly walked towards the main kitchen. Since money wasn't important, what was the point of Xu Sheng making Qin Jiu the head of the manor? It was to dismantle the Chamber of Commerce. With the Jing family gone, the merchants would naturally lose their backbone and become insignificant and therefore not a threat.
The changes at Jingzhao Manor were too sudden. Was the fire at Xuanyuan Palace started by Jingzhao or by the First Madam? Where will Jingxing go? Where could he go? If Jingxing absconded with all the money in the manor, does that mean the First Madam intended to fight them to the death from the very beginning?
As Su Wuming walked and pondered, he heard Qin Jiu's voice: "Second Aunt, you are usually trusted by the First Madam and help her manage the accounts, but you don't know where the account books are?"
Su Wuming slipped behind the large camphor tree and listened intently.
The second wife's voice was calm: "The first wife only calls me over to help when she needs it. There was news that the Ninth Young Master departed from Chongming Island, and the first wife started burning account books..."
"Burning the account books?" Qin Jiuqi asked. "Is she so sure I can become the manor lord?"
The second wife shook her head: "I don't know. But as far as I know, the Jing family has been unable to make ends meet for the past few years and has been living off their savings. Moreover, the first wife has converted all the silver into banknotes."
Qin Jiu said, "Then have Jingxing take all the land deeds and silver notes from the manor and come back after things have calmed down?"
The second wife was silent for a while: "The first wife also paid a heavy price; both of her sons died."
Qin Jiu said, "Man proposes, God disposes. If Duan Mingzhu hadn't been so capable, we would be the ones who died. Second Mother, did my father commit suicide or was he killed by the First Madam?"
The second wife said, "Master is in poor health, and the affairs of the manor are basically handled by the first wife and the three young masters. Now that the emperor is pressing on the manor, I guess Master knows that he is doomed. As for the first wife, she probably wants to risk her life to protect the eldest and second young masters."
Using the pretext of a fire at Xuanyuan Palace, Xue Yunting and his party perished in the flames. If Your Majesty truly intends to investigate, since the Manor Lord and his wife, the parents of the two young masters, are all dead, no one can be held responsible; after all, respect for the dead is paramount.
Qin Jiu said, "Second Madam is truly clever; no wonder she has earned the First Madam's trust all these years."
The second wife smiled bitterly: "I'm smart? No, your mother was the truly smart one. At least she managed to save you. Now you're married and have children, and your wife is a princess. Your son is also well-behaved, which is enough to comfort your mother's spirit in heaven. But I have nothing... Ninth Young Master, my hair has never turned white again."
The second wife also gave birth to a son. On his first birthday, the child drank wine instead of water. The adults thought he was asleep, but the child never woke up. The second wife cried herself hoarse, and her hair turned white overnight.
Later, the second wife stayed in her courtyard for several years, spending her days reading, writing, and copying Buddhist scriptures. The first wife, probably seeing her honest nature, asked her to help with chores. Having experienced many changes, the second wife was steady and reliable, cautious and meticulous. After finishing her work, she would return to her courtyard and never interact with others, which led the first wife to trust her more and more.
Qin Jiu asked, "How did Second Sister know about the secret passage in Xuanyuan Palace?"
The second wife said, "The main gate of Xuanyuan Palace is not open, but there is a side gate at the back. I once saw the first wife go in, and I secretly followed her for a few peeks."
Qin Jiu asked, "What is the First Madam doing going in?"
The second wife spoke frankly: "I had never been to Xuanyuan Palace before, so I didn't know anything about it. I only overheard the servants whispering that the master had hidden gold and silver treasures in a secret room in Xuanyuan Palace."
Qin Jiu did not find the jewels in the secret room. If what the Second Madam said was true, then the First Madam would have stolen the jewels long ago.
Qin Jiu suddenly knelt on one knee in front of the Second Madam: "Thank you for saving my life, Second Madam. From now on, I will call you Mother, and I will acknowledge you as Grandma. From now on, you will be the great-grandmother of the manor."
The second wife supported Qin Jiu with both hands, choking back tears, and said, "Young Master Jiu, please get up. Young Master Jiu is a promising man, and your mother is very brave. I am weak and incompetent, and have lived a life of ignominy all these years. How can I bear such a responsibility?"
With the help of the second madam, Qin Jiu stood up and said, "Mother, I've met a miracle doctor over the years. I'll have him prescribe some medicine for you, and I guarantee your hair will turn black soon."
The second wife smiled through her tears: "Ninth Young Master, I'm so old, how could I care about such things?"
Qin Jiu said, "Mother, you can just call me Xiao Chuan. But you'll have to work hard from now on, since the concubines and servants haven't been paid their monthly wages this month."