She was already angry, and immediately had the maid brought in.
From the mouths of several maids, she finally learned that the reason why Gu Ying refused to let go of Sun Mammy was actually...actually because Sun Mammy had told her a decade-old secret about the Duke's mansion.
Hearing this, Cheng's expression froze. She wanted to ask the maids a few more questions.
But the few maids only shook their heads in panic and fear, "Replying to Madam, Rouge won't say, she only said that Sun Mammy was starved by Madam Zhao for three or four days without eating, and was so hungry that she finally opened her mouth. We wanted to know too, but Rouge insisted on giving her benefits... We sisters don't have any benefits to give her... We gathered a bunch of jewelry to give to her, but she looked down on our stuff."
These were young maids who had just been purchased by Baomo Hall, and did not understand the intricacies of the Duke's mansion.
When Cheng heard that they had dared to openly inquire about the secrets of the Duke's mansion, her face collapsed in anger, "Come on! Find someone to sell off these maids!"
The few maids panicked into a group, but there was nothing they could do as they were dragged away crying and shouting.
Cheng was furious. The people around her were not considerate at all. She leaned her aching head on the chair, thinking about the things back then. Her mind was in a mess. She was about to send someone to the Huo family when Zhao Hui strolled into the inner courtyard.
Cheng's heart tightened. She hurriedly signaled the servant to leave and went up with a smile to greet Zhao Hui, "Husband... Why are you back so early today?"
Zhao Hui looked at her strangely, "Why do you look unwell?"
Cheng pulled her lips into a smile, pulling Zhao Hui inside, "Isn't it tiring to prepare for the Clear Festival? Although there's still more than half a month left, I wanted to make early preparations to worship our Zhao family's ancestors, and my poor dead sister Lin."
Zhao Hui sat down on the luohan bed and felt a slight pain in his heart when he heard Mrs. Lin's name. After a while, he picked up a cup of hot tea and took a sip as if nothing had happened, "What you said makes sense. But on that day, I and Adu will have to accompany His Majesty to the Imperial Ancestral Temple first. You can make arrangements for the family banquet at noon and in the afternoon."
It was almost the same every year. Civil and military officials of high rank and status would first accompany His Majesty to worship the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and after that, His Majesty would let his ministers return home. In the morning they would worship their ancestral halls, and in the afternoon, their family members would have a banquet together.
As there were not many people in the Zhao family, they did not make a big fuss about it every year.
Cheng was very flustered inwardly, but her expression did not change as she said, "Husband... I have been feeling unwell recently. Now that Ying has married into our family for some time, why don't you let her take charge of the Clear Festival family banquet this time."
Zhao Hui frowned, "She is pregnant. How can she handle these things?"
Cheng hurriedly coaxed Zhao Hui, "I’ve been uncomfortable for two or three days now. The doctor even told me to rest in bed more yesterday... Husband, please just do me a favor and explain it to Adu's side?"
Zhao Hui could not stand Cheng's coquetry the most. After so many years, she was still like an innocent young girl. He only paused for a moment before saying, "Alright, when he comes back from the palace, I will have someone tell him."
Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief after handing over the Clear Festival activities. She would be much more relaxed.
If Gu Ying was kept busy, it would also give her opportunities to probe Sun Mammy.
She didn’t know how much Sun Mammy had actually said... No wonder Gu Ying had been cozying up to her these days, she must have been deliberately trying to gauge her attitude.
Thinking of this, Cheng became more and more flustered. Even when Zhao Hui spoke to her, she was absent-minded.
After perfunctorily responding a few times, Zhao Hui grabbed her, displeased, "What are you thinking about? Let me ask you, do you know who that female doctor is?"
"Huh? What female doctor?" Cheng finally regained her senses.
Zhao Hui was in a bad mood. He said, "The one called Yu Gu in Changfeng Pavilion. "
Cheng pulled her lips and said, "I only heard that she had saved Adu on the border, and Adu brought her along with the army to repay her for saving his life. After returning to Bianjing, he also brought her back to Bianjing. Husband, why did you suddenly ask about her?"
Zhao Hui knitted his long eyebrows together. For some reason, he had run into that Yu Gu a few times in the mansion.
She was wrapped up tightly, with a black kerchief covering her face, leaving only a pair of calm and tranquil eyes. It was precisely that pair of cold yet extremely aloof beautiful eyes... that left him in a daze for a long time.
His past love had left over ten years ago... So why did that woman make him feel so familiar?
"Husband?" Cheng saw that he was silent and asked again, "Is there something inappropriate about Yu Gu, or did she offend you?"
Zhao Hui clenched his fist in irritation, "No... I just heard that she went out of the mansion recently, so I asked casually... Right, I'm going out tonight instead of having dinner. "
After Zhao Hui left, Cheng didn't take it to heart.
After all, after following Zhao Hui for decades, she knew his temperament best. The Zhao family men were romantic, and would not go to the entertainment quarters to find women like other prominent profligate sons. Otherwise, she would not have been so determined to grab onto Zhao Hui, and even desperately climbed up to the position of the Duke’s wife.
But when she thought about how she had undeservedly obtained this position, she became nervous again.
"Forget it, I won’t ask Zhao Rou anymore. I’ll just figure out a way to resolve this myself."
Zhao Rou had oppressed her for a lifetime. She could not always listen to Zhao Rou for every matter. For such a small matter like Sun Mammy, she could resolve it herself.
...
Zhao Hui had his carriage prepared before leaving the Duke's mansion.
The attendant drove him to the bookstore. After buying books, he asked if Zhao Hui wanted to return home.
Zhao Hui was lost in thought and came back to his senses after a long time, "What did you say?"
"This humble one asked if My Lord wants to return home now."
The sky was darkening, seemingly about to rain. He should have gone home, but Zhao Hui lifted the carriage curtain to look at the pedestrians hurrying along the street, and gave an address.
The attendant only paused for a moment before driving towards that location.
They arrived at the end of Ruoyi Lane where there were hardly any people. Deep inside the lane lived a family who had just moved in a few days ago, and shabby furniture was still being moved inside.
Someone came out to pay the workers.
Zhao Hui hid behind a big locust tree at the mouth of the lane, and took a look at the figure of that tall and slender woman.
Perhaps the woman sensed something. She raised her eyes towards this side. She was wrapped in a plain cloak, her face covered with thick black kerchief, only revealing an unusually bright and deep pair of eyes.
In a panic, Zhao Hui hid his body behind the tree again, his heart beating faster.
He didn’t know why, but Yu Gu's eyes were too similar to those of the deceased Mrs Lin...
Apart from the timid and ignorant look in Mrs Lin's eyes when she first married him, her eyes were almost identical to Mrs Lin's.
Zhao Hui did not dare to believe it and peeked out to take another look at Yu Gu, only to find no one in front of the shabby house door.
"My Lord, what are you looking at?"
She was already angry, and immediately had the maid brought in.
From the mouths of several maids, she finally learned that the reason why Gu Ying refused to let go of Sun Mammy was actually...actually because Sun Mammy had told her a decade-old secret about the Duke's mansion.
Hearing this, Cheng's expression froze. She wanted to ask the maids a few more questions.
But the few maids only shook their heads in panic and fear, "Replying to Madam, Rouge won't say, she only said that Sun Mammy was starved by Madam Zhao for three or four days without eating, and was so hungry that she finally opened her mouth. We wanted to know too, but Rouge insisted on giving her benefits... We sisters don't have any benefits to give her... We gathered a bunch of jewelry to give to her, but she looked down on our stuff."
These were young maids who had just been purchased by Baomo Hall, and did not understand the intricacies of the Duke's mansion.
When Cheng heard that they had dared to openly inquire about the secrets of the Duke's mansion, her face collapsed in anger, "Come on! Find someone to sell off these maids!"
The few maids panicked into a group, but there was nothing they could do as they were dragged away crying and shouting.
Cheng was furious. The people around her were not considerate at all. She leaned her aching head on the chair, thinking about the things back then. Her mind was in a mess. She was about to send someone to the Huo family when Zhao Hui strolled into the inner courtyard.
Cheng's heart tightened. She hurriedly signaled the servant to leave and went up with a smile to greet Zhao Hui, "Husband... Why are you back so early today?"
Zhao Hui looked at her strangely, "Why do you look unwell?"
Cheng pulled her lips into a smile, pulling Zhao Hui inside, "Isn't it tiring to prepare for the Clear Festival? Although there's still more than half a month left, I wanted to make early preparations to worship our Zhao family's ancestors, and my poor dead sister Lin."
Zhao Hui sat down on the luohan bed and felt a slight pain in his heart when he heard Mrs. Lin's name. After a while, he picked up a cup of hot tea and took a sip as if nothing had happened, "What you said makes sense. But on that day, I and Adu will have to accompany His Majesty to the Imperial Ancestral Temple first. You can make arrangements for the family banquet at noon and in the afternoon."
It was almost the same every year. Civil and military officials of high rank and status would first accompany His Majesty to worship the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and after that, His Majesty would let his ministers return home. In the morning they would worship their ancestral halls, and in the afternoon, their family members would have a banquet together.
As there were not many people in the Zhao family, they did not make a big fuss about it every year.
Cheng was very flustered inwardly, but her expression did not change as she said, "Husband... I have been feeling unwell recently. Now that Ying has married into our family for some time, why don't you let her take charge of the Clear Festival family banquet this time."
Zhao Hui frowned, "She is pregnant. How can she handle these things?"
Cheng hurriedly coaxed Zhao Hui, "I’ve been uncomfortable for two or three days now. The doctor even told me to rest in bed more yesterday... Husband, please just do me a favor and explain it to Adu's side?"
Zhao Hui could not stand Cheng's coquetry the most. After so many years, she was still like an innocent young girl. He only paused for a moment before saying, "Alright, when he comes back from the palace, I will have someone tell him."
Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief after handing over the Clear Festival activities. She would be much more relaxed.
If Gu Ying was kept busy, it would also give her opportunities to probe Sun Mammy.
She didn’t know how much Sun Mammy had actually said... No wonder Gu Ying had been cozying up to her these days, she must have been deliberately trying to gauge her attitude.
Thinking of this, Cheng became more and more flustered. Even when Zhao Hui spoke to her, she was absent-minded.
After perfunctorily responding a few times, Zhao Hui grabbed her, displeased, "What are you thinking about? Let me ask you, do you know who that female doctor is?"
"Huh? What female doctor?" Cheng finally regained her senses.
Zhao Hui was in a bad mood. He said, "The one called Yu Gu in Changfeng Pavilion. "
Cheng pulled her lips and said, "I only heard that she had saved Adu on the border, and Adu brought her along with the army to repay her for saving his life. After returning to Bianjing, he also brought her back to Bianjing. Husband, why did you suddenly ask about her?"
Zhao Hui knitted his long eyebrows together. For some reason, he had run into that Yu Gu a few times in the mansion.
She was wrapped up tightly, with a black kerchief covering her face, leaving only a pair of calm and tranquil eyes. It was precisely that pair of cold yet extremely aloof beautiful eyes... that left him in a daze for a long time.
His past love had left over ten years ago... So why did that woman make him feel so familiar?
"Husband?" Cheng saw that he was silent and asked again, "Is there something inappropriate about Yu Gu, or did she offend you?"
Zhao Hui clenched his fist in irritation, "No... I just heard that she went out of the mansion recently, so I asked casually... Right, I'm going out tonight instead of having dinner. "
After Zhao Hui left, Cheng didn't take it to heart.
After all, after following Zhao Hui for decades, she knew his temperament best. The Zhao family men were romantic, and would not go to the entertainment quarters to find women like other prominent profligate sons. Otherwise, she would not have been so determined to grab onto Zhao Hui, and even desperately climbed up to the position of the Duke’s wife.
But when she thought about how she had undeservedly obtained this position, she became nervous again.
"Forget it, I won’t ask Zhao Rou anymore. I’ll just figure out a way to resolve this myself."
Zhao Rou had oppressed her for a lifetime. She could not always listen to Zhao Rou for every matter. For such a small matter like Sun Mammy, she could resolve it herself.
...
Zhao Hui had his carriage prepared before leaving the Duke's mansion.
The attendant drove him to the bookstore. After buying books, he asked if Zhao Hui wanted to return home.
Zhao Hui was lost in thought and came back to his senses after a long time, "What did you say?"
"This humble one asked if My Lord wants to return home now."
The sky was darkening, seemingly about to rain. He should have gone home, but Zhao Hui lifted the carriage curtain to look at the pedestrians hurrying along the street, and gave an address.
The attendant only paused for a moment before driving towards that location.
They arrived at the end of Ruoyi Lane where there were hardly any people. Deep inside the lane lived a family who had just moved in a few days ago, and shabby furniture was still being moved inside.
Someone came out to pay the workers.
Zhao Hui hid behind a big locust tree at the mouth of the lane, and took a look at the figure of that tall and slender woman.
Perhaps the woman sensed something. She raised her eyes towards this side. She was wrapped in a plain cloak, her face covered with thick black kerchief, only revealing an unusually bright and deep pair of eyes.
In a panic, Zhao Hui hid his body behind the tree again, his heart beating faster.
He didn’t know why, but Yu Gu's eyes were too similar to those of the deceased Mrs Lin...
Apart from the timid and ignorant look in Mrs Lin's eyes when she first married him, her eyes were almost identical to Mrs Lin's.
Zhao Hui did not dare to believe it and peeked out to take another look at Yu Gu, only to find no one in front of the shabby house door.
"My Lord, what are you looking at?"
