Chapter 166 The Dou Family
Chu Cong left a step too late, and the firewood room was empty.
When Chu Xing found out the maid's whereabouts the next day, the maid had already gone to the Yamen.
"After the maid escaped from the firewood room, she went to the Yamen early in the morning to retract her confession, testifying that Chu Jingxiu did not push her girl, saying that her girl accidentally fell into the water, and all this was because she was unhappy with Chu Jingxiu. , and framed her deliberately.”
When the maid went to retract her confession, Mr. Chu happened to go to the Yamen to visit Chu Jingxiu. Mr. Chu heard the maid's confession clearly on the spot and asked Mr. Shi to let him go on the spot.
Because the maid recanted her confession and proved that Chu Jingxiu was innocent, Lord Shi let him go.
"I know." Xia Zihan was a little disappointed.
Sure enough, just as she guessed.
She was thinking yesterday, what would she do if she were Mr. Chu and Mr. Yu? How can Chu Jingxiu be rescued?
Her first thought was to ask the maid to retract her confession.
It’s fast and hassle-free, and you don’t have to ask for help.
Mrs. Yu and Mr. Chu have always been ruthless in doing things, but now that Chu Jingxiu has been arrested, their methods will probably become even more ruthless.
And to deal with a little maid and make her retract her confession, for a fighting chicken like Yu Shi, it can be done in a matter of minutes.
However, no matter what, Chu Jingxiu could be considered a prison cell. Even if she didn't have a murder case on her, it would be difficult for her to marry a good family in her life.
This can be regarded as God helping Chu Jingqi.
"Later, the servant followed the maid and learned that the Chu family had arrested the maid's family and threatened her, so the maid had no choice but to recant her confession." Chu Cong said.
Xia Zihan guessed this matter even if Chu Cang didn't report it.
She said, "You haven't slept all night. It's a blessing. Go ask Master Qi and Master Lin for a day off and rest for a day."
"Thank you, Master." Chu Cong smiled and raised his eyebrows, "I yawned on the way here. I am really sleepy, so I will leave first."
After Chu Cong went out, Xia Zihan stopped thinking about Chu Jingxiu and read the book that Old Man Bai gave her seriously.
……
The next day, Xia Zihan got up early as usual, practiced martial arts for an hour, went back to his room, dressed up, and then went to have dinner with Mr. Zeng.
After eating, the grandfather and grandson put on the clothes they had prepared and took a carriage to the gate of the east courtyard of Duke Anguo's mansion early.
They were the first to come. There was no carriage in front of the east courtyard gate, but the Chu family's chief steward had already led a team of soldiers and horses to guard here. As soon as the carriage stopped and the female family members got off, there were Soldiers came to guide the carriage's retreat.
When Butler Chu heard that the visitor was Mrs. Chu, he hurriedly welcomed them to the second door with a smile on his face, and then was led to the flower hall by the steward who was waiting at the second door.
When the little maid came to report that Mrs. Zeng and Xia Zihan were here, Mrs. Zhuo, who was busy, put down her work and hurried out.
"Godmother, Ayu, you are here, please take a seat." Mrs. Zhuo excitedly stepped forward to help Mrs. Zeng, and sat down on the rosewood carved Taishi chair next to the master's seat at the front of the hall.
Mrs. Zhuo whispered to her, "Godmother, this is my first time hosting a banquet. If I do something wrong, please remind me later."
In the past, Mrs. Yu was responsible for organizing banquets in the house, and Mrs. Chu was in charge. She would be assigned to supervise the kitchen every time. There were so many famous people that she couldn't make mistakes when it came to food. She had to have a trustworthy person to supervise. Unfortunately, it’s the one person you can trust every time.
In fact, Mrs. Yu and Mrs. Chu don’t like her and don’t want her to socialize or interact with other ladies
The previous Chu Jingxiu had an accident. Although he finally came back from the Yamen, he still lost the face of Mr. Chu. Duke Anguo also looked bad. Mrs. Chu used this as an excuse to order her to cancel the banquet.
What a joke. The invitations have been sent out and everything has been arranged. But now she is asked to cancel the banquet for Chu Jingxiu. Why?
Mr. Chu and Chu Xuanyu have separated their families a long time ago. Why should Mrs. Chu involve them in what happened to Mr. Chu's family?
Wasn't it just that Mrs. Chu wanted to trouble her because she saw that the second child's family was unhappy about Chu Jingxiu's affairs?
Huh, she's not someone to be trifled with either.
Secretly, she asked Aunt Ren to give Mrs. Chu a drug so that she could sleep for two days. Firstly, she could be quiet and peaceful, and she didn't want Mrs. Chu to continue to cause trouble for her. Secondly, she was afraid that Mrs. Chu would do it deliberately. Make trouble at the party and embarrass her.
It's not like Mrs. Chu can't do this kind of thing.
This was the first time she held a banquet as the wife of Duke An Guo, and the first time she entertained the ladies who were close friends with Duke An Guo.
She didn't want to make a mistake.
Mrs. Zeng held her hand, as intimately as if she were mother and daughter, "You are my daughter, and it is my duty to accompany you to entertain guests."
As soon as today is over, everyone in the capital will know that Madam Chu accepted Mrs. Zhuo as her goddaughter. This is good, lest some people think that the Zhuo family has no relatives in the capital, no family to rely on, and can show off whatever they want.
Mrs. Zhuo also told Xia Zihan, "Ayu, the most regretful thing in my life is that I didn't have another daughter. From now on, my aunt will treat you as her own daughter and love you. For the girls who come today, you should receive them well on my aunt's behalf." They leave this matter to you.”
Without giving Xia Zihan a chance to think, he threw it directly to her.
It stands to reason that when Anguo Duke's mansion held a banquet, and the Zhuo family had no daughter, the girls from the Chu family branch should come to receive the visiting girls, but the Zhuo family left them alone and handed the matter over to Xia Zihan. It is his immense trust and love for Xia Zihan.
She was very happy, but this also offended other people in the Chu family, such as Chu Jingxiu.
In this matter, it should be most reasonable for Chu Jingxiu to come forward.
But because of what happened to Chu Jingxiu, I'm afraid she won't come today, otherwise, even these people's saliva, concern and sympathy can drown her to death.
Soon, the little maid came to report that a guest had arrived.
It was Chu Xuanyu's maternal family, Mrs. Dou from the Dou family of the Marquis of Guangji Mansion, as well as Mrs. Dou 2, Mrs. Dou 3, and several girls from the Dou family.
Mrs. Zhuo smiled broadly and stood up to greet him.
Xia Zihan followed her with a smile on her face. Zeng had a high status and was an elder, so she just sat still.
After they were welcomed in and everyone got to know each other, Mrs. Dai was surprised that Mrs. Zhuo actually recognized Mrs. Chu as her godmother.
Mrs. Dai was also a smart person and quickly gave Mrs. Chu the elder gift, and the rest of the Dou family followed suit.
"In the future, Mrs. Chu will take care of our cousins, so we can rest assured." Mrs. Dai's eyes turned red, and she said sincerely, "What my parents-in-law and mother-in-law miss most at home is my cousin's family. This time we heard about the assassination. Afterwards, I was anxious to see them, but their health has become worse and worse in the past two years. The doctor repeatedly told them not to go out. It was difficult for us to persuade them. "
"I should have come to see it in person a long time ago, but unfortunately there are many things at home, so I didn't come until today." Mrs. Dou apologized.
In fact, Lord Dou had sent a steward to ask about the assassination before, and Chu Xuanyu also told him one by one, and sent a confidant to Dou's house to tell him. Knowing that he was fine, Lord Dou forbeared and did not come to the door.
Mrs. Zhuo was polite to Mrs. Dou, and then asked about the bodies and bones of the Dou family's uncle and aunt. When she learned that they were just too old to go out and had no serious illnesses, Mrs. Zhuo changed the subject.
A group of people chatted about the recent major events in the capital.
The recent major events in the capital were all in Duke An's mansion. First, three members of Chu Xuanyu's family were assassinated and narrowly escaped. Then, Duke An Guo asked his son to divorce his wife, and finally the two brothers separated. Then It was Chu Xuanyu who inherited the title and military power. In the end, it was even more shocking and a feast for the eyes. The eldest girl of the Chu family, who had always been proud and ignored the girls of the Guangji Marquis Mansion, was actually accused of murder.
Mrs. Dou's sisters-in-law were not outsiders. Their husband and Chu Xuanyu were both cousins and very close to Chu Xuanyu. They didn't mention the previous things, so they asked about Chu Jingxiu's affairs thoughtfully.
The four girls of the Dou family all pricked up their ears to listen, and Mrs. Zhuo smiled and said, "You little girls don't like to listen to what we elders say. Ayu, please take them to play in the garden." , I happened to hear that some hibiscus trees were blooming in Yuxuan.”
With one sentence, he drove out several girls who were scratching their heads and wanting to hear gossip.
Xia Zihan was given the task and had to act as a minor host and invite a few people to enjoy the hibiscus.
The girls in the Dou family are all older than Xia Zihan. The eldest girl Dou will be a hairpin in November this year. The second girl Dou and the third girl Dou are the same age and are both fourteen years old this year. The fourth girl Dou is younger, only twelve years old.
Miss Dou Si is the youngest, most curious and gossipy among the girls.
She smiled brightly, holding the hand of Xia Zihan, who was as tall as her, and said with a wink, "County Master Chuyu, I heard that the emperor gave you a hot spring village on the outskirts of the city. Is that true?" Or fake? ”
The first time they met, he grabbed her hand. Xia Zihan wanted to take it back, but seeing the cute baby look on her face, Xia Zihan gritted his teeth and held back.
She smiled and said, "I have never been to Zhuangzi as a gift from the emperor. I heard from my servants that it is on the outskirts of the city, but there doesn't seem to be any hot springs."
What she said was not a lie. She had never seen the Zhuangzi or the house given by the emperor.
Zhuangzi was entrusted to Mother Cui's younger brother to take care of. The annual profits were also sent by Manager Cui himself. Mother Cui registered them in a book and kept them in the warehouse. It was not until she came back that Mother Cui handed over the thick stack of banknotes. Gave it to her.
Among them is the money from renting the house in the past three years.
The house in Sijin was too big, so Cui’s mother sent someone to widen the back door of the house and turned it into a front door, and then rented it to two families.
Cui's mother said with drool that it was more suitable than renting it to a family, and the annual rent was two hundred taels higher.
(End of chapter)