Anning asked Constable Geng about Mr. Ou before leaving.
After she left, Mrs. Luo began to discuss serious matters with Constable Geng.
"Does Zhang Ming have any trustworthy people who can handle things discreetly?"
Hearing Mrs. Luo’s inquiry, Constable Geng quickly stood up: "I do have a few reliable n under , Madam. Is there sothing you need done?"
Mrs. Luo nodded: "I’ve been worrying about Qingqing. Yesterday, Ning’er had an ominous dream. I want you to send soone to thoroughly check how Qingqing is living. Are she and her husband affectionate? Has she suffered any grievances? It’s best to investigate quietly without contacting the Li Family or Qingqing. Once it’s clarified, I’ll be at ease."
Mrs. Luo’s maternal affection was clear to Constable Geng.
"Then I’ll arrange for soone to investigate. Coincidentally, a junior martial brother of mine ca to visit recently. His skills are better than mine and he’s very ticulous. I’ll ask him to look into it."
Mrs. Luo was pleased to hear this: "I’m truly grateful."
She turned and handed a few silver ingots to Constable Geng: "Take these to cover your junior brother’s expenses on his journey."
Constable Geng knew that Mrs. Luo was well-off and wouldn’t spare a thought for a few ingots of silver, so he accepted them with a smile: "With this silver, I’ll treat my junior brother to a good al."
Mrs. Luo smiled: "If you’re ever in trouble, co to the house and let us know. Don’t hold back and make your mother suffer with you."
"Madam, even if I put myself at a disadvantage, I wouldn’t let my mother suffer with ."
Constable Geng put away the silver: "Is there anything else you need, Madam?"
Mrs. Luo shook her head: "Just this matter. It must be handled with utmost caution, so no one notices."
She called out to the outside: "Sixi, bring so food for Zhang Ming to take ho."
Sixi quickly ca in with a large food box.
"It just so happens that dinner is ready, Constable Geng, please take it ho for your Old Madam to try."
Constable Geng took the food box and bid farewell to Mrs. Luo.
After Constable Geng left, Anning peeked in from outside the door.
Mrs. Luo smiled and beckoned Anning inside: "Co in, don’t sneak around like a thief."
"Mother."
Anning entered without hesitation: "Mother is worried about Sister too, right? I think it was high ti for Mother to find soone trustworthy to check on how Sister is really doing."
"You don’t need to worry. Geng Zhangming is always reliable. He says his junior brother is highly skilled and ticulous, so we should know for sure how your Sister is living this ti."
Anning nodded.
She sat across from Mrs. Luo, twisting the hem of her clothes, looking as if she had more to say.
"Do you have sothing else to say?"
Mrs. Luo noticed Anning had sothing on her mind and asked with a smile.
Anning hesitantly replied: "Mother knows I like to listen to stories, often sneaking to the tea house to hear Wang Tiezui’s tales, and I’ve bought many strange storybooks to read. Recently, I’ve been reading all sorts of bizarre tales, and after reading one of them, I felt there’s sothing peculiar about Sister’s situation."
Mrs. Luo furrowed her brows: "How so?"
Anning spoke softly: "Let first tell Mother about that storybook. It talks about a tribe in the Miao Region skilled in raising poisonous insects, particularly ’love poisons’. There are many types of ’love poison’, and one can cause the victim to fall hopelessly in love at first sight with a specific man or woman. Once poisoned, it doesn’t matter if you’re a boudoir lady or a chaste and heroic woman; you’ll be infatuated with one person to the point of madness, wanting no one else. Mother, you don’t know how that story scared so much that I couldn’t sleep for days."
Mrs. Luo listened intently: "You an your Sister might have been affected by a love poison?"
Anning nodded: "I never thought much about it, only that Sister was smitten by Brother-in-law’s talent and looks. But now I fear it’s not that simple. Think about our family, what kind of household we are? Father was the top scorer in the imperial examination in his day, and Sister was taught by him personally. She’s no less talented than today’s scholars. As for looks, Brother-in-law may be handso, but back then in the Capital, Sister wasn’t short of handso n to see. Not to ntion, our cousins at ho were no less handso, yet Sister always upheld propriety, never easily moved by any man. Why did it happen that, just sheltering from the rain for a few days, Sister beca willing to sacrifice everything for an unfamiliar man?"
At this point, Anning paused.
She carefully observed Mrs. Luo’s expression.
She noticed Mrs. Luo’s face was somber and thoughtful.
Anning continued: "Would anyone really abandon years of upbringing and not care about family reputation or her mother’s sadness, just for a man she barely t? I don’t think Sister would do sothing like that. Even I wouldn’t, and Sister and I shared the sa mother and education. How could this be?"
Mrs. Luo placed a hand on the table, her fingers gripping the edge, veins bulging on the back of her hand, showing her turmoil.
Anning took a sip of water and waited for a while before continuing: "And then there’s Chunniang, who is quite odd. She wasn’t one of our family’s servants, yet of all the first and second-tier maids around Sister back then, many were born into our service. Their parents worked for our Luo Family. Despite this, Chunniang managed to squeeze everyone out. She must have used so ans, not to ntion how our family, with its strict rules and tight control over servants, had Chunniang acting cautiously in the Capital, never stepping out of line. How co she was suddenly so willing to help Brother-in-law during their days of seeking shelter from the rain? Not only helping them pass ssages but also arranging etings. Mother, without substantial benefits, would Chunniang do sothing so risky with her life?"
Mrs. Luo pondered for a mont: "What do you think?"
She was increasingly alard.
She realized that she had been too furious back then to think things through and hadn’t considered them over the years, possibly endangering her eldest daughter.
Additionally, she only now realized that her younger daughter, seemingly naive, sees things incredibly clearly, able to analyze what others might not even think of.
Mrs. Luo thought her younger daughter’s cunning surpassed her elder’s.
She considered this a good thing. With awareness, her daughter wouldn’t be easily deceived, unlike her elder daughter, who was raised a bit too innocent, easily manipulated.
"Mother, I think Chunniang might have known Brother-in-law long before, or even had an illicit affair. Perhaps they had planned it all, thinking marrying Sister would an taking Chunniang as a concubine or sothing else."
Anning didn’t dare suggest that Chunniang would replace Anqing.
Such a notion was too shocking. She feared Mrs. Luo wouldn’t accept it, so she only ntioned a plausible reason.
Mrs. Luo nodded: "That little minx, Chunniang, must have lured your sister to secretly et Li Pengcheng due to her own affair with him. Damn that little slut, I should’ve killed her back then."
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