Chapter 236 – Suspicious Death Of The Marquise
“Yes, then madam, do you want to write a letter first?” Nanny Dong nodded and asked in a low voice.
“I will immediately write a letter after I get back. You must personally deliver it to the Second Lady and reiterate my point to her. Besides, don’t forget, this is the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. You must call me concubine, not madam!” Concubine Dong nodded and coldly glanced at Nanny Dong as she warned her.
“Con… concubine, yes, I remembered. Just now, Nanny Hong sent a message saying that Lord Marquis is going to visit Marquise Hua Yang’s old courtyard and she asked us if there is anything unsightly in the courtyard?” Nanny Dong awkwardly responded and switched the topic to report on the messages she had just received from the maid.
“There’s nothing unsightly there. I sent people to clean it up several times back then.” Concubine Dong shook her head, but then she stopped and asked, “Why did Lord Marquis suddenly want to visit that courtyard?”
“I don’t know either. It should be proposed by the Sixth Young Lady. Nanny Hong said that the Sixth Young Lady had personally brought people to clean up the courtyard before as if she knew that Lord Marquis would go and visit the courtyard.” Nanny Dong said hesitantly. “Nanny Hong actually doesn’t know what’s going on. She just said that Lord Marquis would go over to take a look.”
“Let it be. After so many years, how can there be any clue left behind?” Concubine Dong sneered.
“Concubine, aren’t you going to take a look?” Nanny Dong reminded.
“Yes, I will, but not now!” Concubine Dong said meaningfully. That courtyard had always been the place she longed for the most. Of course she would go there, and she would enter the courtyard as its new owner.
As long as that little bitch was subdued by her, who else would remember that bitch Qin Xinrui in the future!
“Miss, shall we go to Madam’s courtyard now?” Wei Yuewu did not immediately return to her own Lotus Courtyard. Instead, she turned around and headed in the direction of the courtyard of Marquise Hua Yang.
“Jin Ling, you go to the backyard and watch. If Concubine Dong’s people leave through the back door, follow them.” Wei Yuewu glanced at Jin Ling who followed closely behind her and instructed.
Ever since Concubine Dong entered the mansion, she had suffered setbacks repeatedly, so she was definitely relunctant to eat humble pies.
“Yes, Miss. I have asked Yan Feng and Yan Yang to wait outside the mansion recently. When I see Concubine Dong’s people leave the mansion, I will ask them to follow.” Jin Ling received the order and retreated. Ever since the news came that Concubine Dong was returning to the mansion, Yan Feng and Yan Yang had become much busier than usual.
Wei Yuewu walked towards the back of the mansion followed by Shufei. They walked all the way to the courtyard whose door was closely shut. Only then did Wei Yuewu stand still. Her gaze fell on a large tree that emerged above the wall of the courtyard. The tree trunk in winter was bare, without a single green leaf. It looked like the entire courtyard, giving off a feeling of silence and lifelessness!
“Miss, it’s still early!” Shufei stood behind her and gently reminded her.
“I know!” Wei Yuewu nodded, the look in her eyes becoming sad.
“Miss, shall we go over there and take a seat? We can wait for Lord Marquis to come and enter the courtyard together.” Shufei turned around and pointed to a pavilion on the side.
The pavilion was by a small artificial hill and didn’t look conspicuous, and the courtyard could be seen from that position.
“Alright!” Wei Yuewu nodded. She picked up the corner of her skirt, turned around and walked to the inconspicuous pavilion.
The location of that pavilion was really quite obscure. Besides an artificial hill, there were also some flowers and trees. It could be imagined that in spring and autumn, flowers must be blooming here, and the slightly raised eaves would coincidentally be concealed by the flowers and trees.
It was now in winter and all the leaves had fallen down. Therefore, people could see the pavilion.
Not long after she sat down on the stone bench in the pavilion, she saw Wei Luowen walking along the way with only one lad servant with him. Wei Yuewu stood up and brought Shufei with her to welcome him.
Seeing Wei Yuewu appeared near the entrance of the courtyard, Wei Luowen was stunned. He felt quite surprised and then he asked in a gentle tone, “You are already here? You must have been waiting for a long time. I even sent someone to inform you!”
“Not quite long. I was eager to see my mother, so I walked over here a little early!” Wei Yuewu shook her head and said with a faint expression, but it was hard to conceal her sadness.
“I asked Nanny Hong to assign a few menial maids and old maidservants. You can come and see your mother whenever you want.” Wei Luowen comforted her softly.
This meant that there would be some old maidservants guarding the door in the future. As a daughter, Wei Yuewu could come to the courtyard at any time. There was no need to ask Nanny Hong for the key anymore. The servants would open the door for her.
Wei Yuewu nodded silently. The lad servant quickly ran out from behind Wei Luowen and unlocked the door.
The door opened. The weeds growing in the small paths were cleaned up last time. However, after just a few days, a few more leaves had fallen to the ground. Although there weren’t many, the leaves created an inexplicably lonely atmosphere for the courtyard, which was once the liveliest courtyard in the mansion.
Wei Luowen slowly raised his foot. He just felt that his foot was too heavy to lift. The gentle woman in his mind was always looking at him with her bright and beautiful eyes. Even when his face was disfigured, she didn’t have any bit of dislike for him at all.
But later on…
That pair of eyes slowly carried vigilance and distrust. This kind of gaze almost made him want to run away in confusion! Did she ever give him a chance? But he… how could he drag her into that pile of mud too, which finally ended up with her death?
Was he really wrong?
“Father, how did mother die?” Standing under the tree, Wei Yuewu raised her head and looked at Wei Luowen.
Seeing his daughter’s sad gaze, Wei Luowen couldn’t help but dodge for a moment. “Your mother had a difficult time giving birth to you. After a few years, her health deteriorated so seriously that she couldn’t hold on any longer…”
Wei Yuewu had anticipated this answer, and she stared fixedly at Wei Luowen as she asked, “After that, why did you send me to my maternal grandparents’ mansion?”
Everyone said that she was disliked by her father, and that was why she was sent away. However, after a short day of interaction with him, she discovered that there seemed to be something that he wished to hide. Now that there was no one else aside, she went straight to the point and asked the question.
This was Mother’s courtyard. It was the place where Mother used to live. If her father really loved Mother, he would definitely not deceive her at this time. She needed to know the truth.
Wei Luowen was unable to face his daughter’s sad and childish eyes. His gaze flashed slightly and he hesitated for a moment, but he still slowly replied, “I went to guard the border and I was worried about leaving you alone in the mansion. Therefore, I sent you to your maternal grandparents’ mansion. Yuewu, I have been waiting for you to come back.”
“Father has been waiting for me?” Wei Yuewu was stunned.
“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you!” Wei Luowen nodded. Although this daughter was still young, her beautiful eyes were exceptionally firm. He couldn’t help but tell her what had been hiding in the depth of his heart. He extended his hand to touch his daughter’s head with affection. He looked like an extremely doting father. “Don’t worry about what others say, you will always be my beloved daughter!”
That kind of expression and that kind of cautious gaze were really not something a great general like him should show. However, at this moment, he was clearly looking at Wei Yuewu. The eyes of this general and marquis who had killed countless people were even slightly red, and he couldn’t help but feel excited in his heart.
How could he not cherish the daughter born by the woman whom he loved the most? If he had any other better option, how would he allow her to be ignored like this!
“Father, did my mother really die of illness?” Wei Yuewu’s eyes couldn’t help but contain two sparkling tears. It wasn’t that she didn’t long for this fatherly love. Having been told the same story by everyone for so many years, she already ruthlessly abandoned her last bit of hope for the love from this father.
“Yes, your mother’s health had been poor ever since she gave birth to you!” Wei Luowen nodded, a trace of pain flashing through his eyes. Of course, there was also another cause that had taken root in her heart long before, which she couldn’t get over even on her deathbed!
However, he didn’t want her to know about these things back then, so how could he let their childish daughter know about them now?
Seeing that she couldn’t obtain anything useful, Wei Yuewu changed the topic and asked, “Father, when I was a kid, did I have an elder sister who was very close to me?”
“Elder sister?” Wei Luowen was surprised.
“When I was young, I played with a girl who was a little older than me. She was not in good health and sometimes even spat blood!” Wei Yuewu asked cautiously as she observed Wei Luowen’s expression.
Sure enough, Wei Luowen’s expression instantly changed. He waved his sleeve and his face darkened. “Yuewu, something is wrong with your memory. Father doesn’t remember there was such an elder sister.”
“But I… sometimes I felt that there was a scene in the Imperial Palace… there seemed to be such an elder…” Wei Yuewu said uneasily.
“No! Yuewu, your memory did go wrong! You were just a little kid at that time and your memory about the past was very blurry. That’s why there was something wrong with your memory. Let’s go in and take a look at your mother’s house.” Wei Luowen decisively shook his head and strode towards main apartment.
“Yes!” A trace of deep meaning flashed through Wei Yuewu’s eyes. It seemed that this father was really close-mouthed. This meant that there was really a problem. However, since he didn’t say anything, it was not appropriate for her to ask further. Thus, she nodded and followed Wei Luowen’s footsteps into the room.
After pushing open the main apartment’s door, he saw a vase of plum blossoms on the table. The red plum blossoms were like a set of fire, and the twigs pointed towards the sky, creating a mixed sense of beauty and sharpness. For a moment, Wei Luowen felt as if he saw that gentle woman sitting by the flower table and smiling at him.
“Rui’er!” Wei Luowen subconsciously whispered.
Wei Yuewu also walked in. She looked at the vase of plum blossoms and said with a smile, “Father, I picked the plum blossoms and placed them here the last time I came in. I didn’t expect that they still look so nice!”
“You picked them the last time you came here?” Wei Luowen muttered to himself as he stared at the vase of plum blossoms.
“Yes, Father. How do you like them?” Wei Yuewu said smilingly.
“They look pretty!” Seeing his younger daughter’s expectant gaze, Wei Luowen forced a smile. After a brief pause, he slowly walked into the room.
The room was quite clean, and there was not even a trace of dust on the feet of the table. It could be seen that the person who wiped the dust off the table was very attentive.
“Father, would you like to sit down?” Wei Yuewu asked softly as she looked at Wei Luowen, who could not hide the sadness on his face.
Wei Luowen shook his head and walked into the inner room. Shufei hurriedly stepped forward and lifted the curtain for him.
The curtain moved and immediately attracted Wei Luowen’s gaze. The curtain was already very old. Although there was no dust on it now, one could still see that the curtain had not been changed for many years, and its color had already faded.
Wei Luowen did not enter the inner room. Instead, he stood in front of the curtain and reached out to hold the once beautiful curtain. All of a sudden, his expression turned ashen.
“Yes, then madam, do you want to write a letter first?” Nanny Dong nodded and asked in a low voice.
“I will immediately write a letter after I get back. You must personally deliver it to the Second Lady and reiterate my point to her. Besides, don’t forget, this is the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. You must call me concubine, not madam!” Concubine Dong nodded and coldly glanced at Nanny Dong as she warned her.
“Con… concubine, yes, I remembered. Just now, Nanny Hong sent a message saying that Lord Marquis is going to visit Marquise Hua Yang’s old courtyard and she asked us if there is anything unsightly in the courtyard?” Nanny Dong awkwardly responded and switched the topic to report on the messages she had just received from the maid.
“There’s nothing unsightly there. I sent people to clean it up several times back then.” Concubine Dong shook her head, but then she stopped and asked, “Why did Lord Marquis suddenly want to visit that courtyard?”
“I don’t know either. It should be proposed by the Sixth Young Lady. Nanny Hong said that the Sixth Young Lady had personally brought people to clean up the courtyard before as if she knew that Lord Marquis would go and visit the courtyard.” Nanny Dong said hesitantly. “Nanny Hong actually doesn’t know what’s going on. She just said that Lord Marquis would go over to take a look.”
“Let it be. After so many years, how can there be any clue left behind?” Concubine Dong sneered.
“Concubine, aren’t you going to take a look?” Nanny Dong reminded.
“Yes, I will, but not now!” Concubine Dong said meaningfully. That courtyard had always been the place she longed for the most. Of course she would go there, and she would enter the courtyard as its new owner.
As long as that little bitch was subdued by her, who else would remember that bitch Qin Xinrui in the future!
“Miss, shall we go to Madam’s courtyard now?” Wei Yuewu did not immediately return to her own Lotus Courtyard. Instead, she turned around and headed in the direction of the courtyard of Marquise Hua Yang.
“Jin Ling, you go to the backyard and watch. If Concubine Dong’s people leave through the back door, follow them.” Wei Yuewu glanced at Jin Ling who followed closely behind her and instructed.
Ever since Concubine Dong entered the mansion, she had suffered setbacks repeatedly, so she was definitely relunctant to eat humble pies.
“Yes, Miss. I have asked Yan Feng and Yan Yang to wait outside the mansion recently. When I see Concubine Dong’s people leave the mansion, I will ask them to follow.” Jin Ling received the order and retreated. Ever since the news came that Concubine Dong was returning to the mansion, Yan Feng and Yan Yang had become much busier than usual.
Wei Yuewu walked towards the back of the mansion followed by Shufei. They walked all the way to the courtyard whose door was closely shut. Only then did Wei Yuewu stand still. Her gaze fell on a large tree that emerged above the wall of the courtyard. The tree trunk in winter was bare, without a single green leaf. It looked like the entire courtyard, giving off a feeling of silence and lifelessness!
“Miss, it’s still early!” Shufei stood behind her and gently reminded her.
“I know!” Wei Yuewu nodded, the look in her eyes becoming sad.
“Miss, shall we go over there and take a seat? We can wait for Lord Marquis to come and enter the courtyard together.” Shufei turned around and pointed to a pavilion on the side.
The pavilion was by a small artificial hill and didn’t look conspicuous, and the courtyard could be seen from that position.
“Alright!” Wei Yuewu nodded. She picked up the corner of her skirt, turned around and walked to the inconspicuous pavilion.
The location of that pavilion was really quite obscure. Besides an artificial hill, there were also some flowers and trees. It could be imagined that in spring and autumn, flowers must be blooming here, and the slightly raised eaves would coincidentally be concealed by the flowers and trees.
It was now in winter and all the leaves had fallen down. Therefore, people could see the pavilion.
Not long after she sat down on the stone bench in the pavilion, she saw Wei Luowen walking along the way with only one lad servant with him. Wei Yuewu stood up and brought Shufei with her to welcome him.
Seeing Wei Yuewu appeared near the entrance of the courtyard, Wei Luowen was stunned. He felt quite surprised and then he asked in a gentle tone, “You are already here? You must have been waiting for a long time. I even sent someone to inform you!”
“Not quite long. I was eager to see my mother, so I walked over here a little early!” Wei Yuewu shook her head and said with a faint expression, but it was hard to conceal her sadness.
“I asked Nanny Hong to assign a few menial maids and old maidservants. You can come and see your mother whenever you want.” Wei Luowen comforted her softly.
This meant that there would be some old maidservants guarding the door in the future. As a daughter, Wei Yuewu could come to the courtyard at any time. There was no need to ask Nanny Hong for the key anymore. The servants would open the door for her.
Wei Yuewu nodded silently. The lad servant quickly ran out from behind Wei Luowen and unlocked the door.
The door opened. The weeds growing in the small paths were cleaned up last time. However, after just a few days, a few more leaves had fallen to the ground. Although there weren’t many, the leaves created an inexplicably lonely atmosphere for the courtyard, which was once the liveliest courtyard in the mansion.
Wei Luowen slowly raised his foot. He just felt that his foot was too heavy to lift. The gentle woman in his mind was always looking at him with her bright and beautiful eyes. Even when his face was disfigured, she didn’t have any bit of dislike for him at all.
But later on…
That pair of eyes slowly carried vigilance and distrust. This kind of gaze almost made him want to run away in confusion! Did she ever give him a chance? But he… how could he drag her into that pile of mud too, which finally ended up with her death?
Was he really wrong?
“Father, how did mother die?” Standing under the tree, Wei Yuewu raised her head and looked at Wei Luowen.
Seeing his daughter’s sad gaze, Wei Luowen couldn’t help but dodge for a moment. “Your mother had a difficult time giving birth to you. After a few years, her health deteriorated so seriously that she couldn’t hold on any longer…”
Wei Yuewu had anticipated this answer, and she stared fixedly at Wei Luowen as she asked, “After that, why did you send me to my maternal grandparents’ mansion?”
Everyone said that she was disliked by her father, and that was why she was sent away. However, after a short day of interaction with him, she discovered that there seemed to be something that he wished to hide. Now that there was no one else aside, she went straight to the point and asked the question.
This was Mother’s courtyard. It was the place where Mother used to live. If her father really loved Mother, he would definitely not deceive her at this time. She needed to know the truth.
Wei Luowen was unable to face his daughter’s sad and childish eyes. His gaze flashed slightly and he hesitated for a moment, but he still slowly replied, “I went to guard the border and I was worried about leaving you alone in the mansion. Therefore, I sent you to your maternal grandparents’ mansion. Yuewu, I have been waiting for you to come back.”
“Father has been waiting for me?” Wei Yuewu was stunned.
“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you!” Wei Luowen nodded. Although this daughter was still young, her beautiful eyes were exceptionally firm. He couldn’t help but tell her what had been hiding in the depth of his heart. He extended his hand to touch his daughter’s head with affection. He looked like an extremely doting father. “Don’t worry about what others say, you will always be my beloved daughter!”
That kind of expression and that kind of cautious gaze were really not something a great general like him should show. However, at this moment, he was clearly looking at Wei Yuewu. The eyes of this general and marquis who had killed countless people were even slightly red, and he couldn’t help but feel excited in his heart.
How could he not cherish the daughter born by the woman whom he loved the most? If he had any other better option, how would he allow her to be ignored like this!
“Father, did my mother really die of illness?” Wei Yuewu’s eyes couldn’t help but contain two sparkling tears. It wasn’t that she didn’t long for this fatherly love. Having been told the same story by everyone for so many years, she already ruthlessly abandoned her last bit of hope for the love from this father.
“Yes, your mother’s health had been poor ever since she gave birth to you!” Wei Luowen nodded, a trace of pain flashing through his eyes. Of course, there was also another cause that had taken root in her heart long before, which she couldn’t get over even on her deathbed!
However, he didn’t want her to know about these things back then, so how could he let their childish daughter know about them now?
Seeing that she couldn’t obtain anything useful, Wei Yuewu changed the topic and asked, “Father, when I was a kid, did I have an elder sister who was very close to me?”
“Elder sister?” Wei Luowen was surprised.
“When I was young, I played with a girl who was a little older than me. She was not in good health and sometimes even spat blood!” Wei Yuewu asked cautiously as she observed Wei Luowen’s expression.
Sure enough, Wei Luowen’s expression instantly changed. He waved his sleeve and his face darkened. “Yuewu, something is wrong with your memory. Father doesn’t remember there was such an elder sister.”
“But I… sometimes I felt that there was a scene in the Imperial Palace… there seemed to be such an elder…” Wei Yuewu said uneasily.
“No! Yuewu, your memory did go wrong! You were just a little kid at that time and your memory about the past was very blurry. That’s why there was something wrong with your memory. Let’s go in and take a look at your mother’s house.” Wei Luowen decisively shook his head and strode towards main apartment.
“Yes!” A trace of deep meaning flashed through Wei Yuewu’s eyes. It seemed that this father was really close-mouthed. This meant that there was really a problem. However, since he didn’t say anything, it was not appropriate for her to ask further. Thus, she nodded and followed Wei Luowen’s footsteps into the room.
After pushing open the main apartment’s door, he saw a vase of plum blossoms on the table. The red plum blossoms were like a set of fire, and the twigs pointed towards the sky, creating a mixed sense of beauty and sharpness. For a moment, Wei Luowen felt as if he saw that gentle woman sitting by the flower table and smiling at him.
“Rui’er!” Wei Luowen subconsciously whispered.
Wei Yuewu also walked in. She looked at the vase of plum blossoms and said with a smile, “Father, I picked the plum blossoms and placed them here the last time I came in. I didn’t expect that they still look so nice!”
“You picked them the last time you came here?” Wei Luowen muttered to himself as he stared at the vase of plum blossoms.
“Yes, Father. How do you like them?” Wei Yuewu said smilingly.
“They look pretty!” Seeing his younger daughter’s expectant gaze, Wei Luowen forced a smile. After a brief pause, he slowly walked into the room.
The room was quite clean, and there was not even a trace of dust on the feet of the table. It could be seen that the person who wiped the dust off the table was very attentive.
“Father, would you like to sit down?” Wei Yuewu asked softly as she looked at Wei Luowen, who could not hide the sadness on his face.
Wei Luowen shook his head and walked into the inner room. Shufei hurriedly stepped forward and lifted the curtain for him.
The curtain moved and immediately attracted Wei Luowen’s gaze. The curtain was already very old. Although there was no dust on it now, one could still see that the curtain had not been changed for many years, and its color had already faded.
Wei Luowen did not enter the inner room. Instead, he stood in front of the curtain and reached out to hold the once beautiful curtain. All of a sudden, his expression turned ashen.
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