Lu Shiyi's house is still the same, and every furnishing shows the traces of time. Although it is old, the windows are bright and clean, and it does not look slovenly at all.

"When you came down from the ferry today, someone came to deliver news to me." Lu Shiyi said and glanced at Luo Yan who was guarding the door, "Is this your new maid?"

"No, Luo Yan. My sister is the bodyguard of Danzhu County Lord. She came back to Yangzhou with me to check something."

Lu Shiyi said, "What are you looking for?"

After a pause, he said indifferently: "But you. Something happened to my mother?"

Rong Shu raised his eyes and glanced at him, hearing a hint of uneasiness in Lu Shiyi's voice.

When he was young, Uncle Shiyi often liked to talk about my grandma. He always said that although she didn't look like grandma, her temperament was very similar to hers, and she had a bad temper that made people itch.

She seems to know her very well.

At that time, Rong Shu missed her grandma so much, and her uncle was always too busy to stay home, so Rong Shu often came to Ciying Lane to find Shiyi, asking him to tell her about her grandma.

Uncle Shiyi knew everything about my mother-in-law's stay in Yangzhou when she was young.

When Rong Shu was young, he could not discern the affection hidden in Lu Shiyi's words.

But Rong Shu is different now. Looking back on the past years, when Uncle Shiyi mentioned her mother-in-law, she somewhat guessed how uncle Shiyi felt about her mother-in-law.

This is probably the reason why he has not married for so many years.

Rong Shu thought for a while and said, "Nothing has happened to my mother yet."

"Nothing has happened yet? What do you mean? Could it be that something will happen in the future?" Lu Shiyi's expression changed, "What happened?"

Rong Shu considered it. She said, "I can't tell you what happened right now, because I'm still in the dark about many things."

There was a hint of unconscious bitterness in her voice, "Uncle Shi Yi, I want to check on my uncle. "

Lu Shiyi stared at her for a moment and said, "Why do you want to check him?"

There are some things that Uncle Shiyi said, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince him.

Rong Shu thought carefully for a few breaths, filled Lu Shiyi with a bowl of autumn dew white wine, and said: "Zhaozhao heard someone say that the reason why the pirates along the coast of Dayin cannot be killed is because some Dayin people are out for profit. , I want to find out if my uncle has done something like this."

Lu Shiyi looked at Rong Shu for a long time, and then said with a smile on his lips: "You are at this point. She is more sober than Shen Yizhen."

He raised his hand and drank half a bowl of wine, and said calmly: "I have told her before, don't listen to your uncle and marry her to the Hou Mansion to be Mrs. Lao Shizihou. My mother never liked being confined in a house. If Shen Zhi was really good for her, he would not persuade her to marry Rong Xun—"

Lu Shiyi raised his eyes from the bowl with a slightly stern look: "Not Shen Zhi. Your uncle. "

Shen Zhi is not her uncle.

The tea cup in Rong Shu's hand almost left his hand, and he said in disbelief: "Who is that uncle? I have never heard anyone mention this matter in the Shen family, not even my mother-in-law."

"Shen Zhi shouldered the responsibility of the Shen family's direct descendant "Who would bring up these old things?" Lu Shiyi said lightly: "Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen were very loving, and they only had a daughter. After the old lady passed away, Mr. Shen didn't want to renew their relationship. When your mother was four years old. That year, you adopted a boy from your maternal grandmother's family. At that time, your uncle was still named Tan Zhi. Mr. Shen originally wanted to marry Tan Zhi as soon as your mother had hair. "

"But when your mother was fourteen, After Tan Zhi came back from Beijing, for some unknown reason, he was suddenly included in the Shen family's genealogy by Mr. Shen, and was renamed Shen Zhi. From then on, he became your mother's brother. Three years later, the present emperor ascended the throne. The Marquis of Cheng'an made a marriage contract. "

It turned out that the person who had the marriage contract with A Niang was my uncle.

When grandma was fourteen, my uncle was already eighteen. My grandfather was a man of great righteousness. If his uncle had never wanted to join the Shen family from the beginning, he told his grandfather that he would not force anyone to do anything.

He waited until he was eighteen years old before telling his grandfather that he had changed his mind after returning from Beijing.

When she told A Niang that she liked Gu Changjin, A Niang stroked her face and said to her: "A Niang will definitely let us Zhao Zhao marry someone you really like."

In the past, Rong Shu always felt that A Niang was She was even more persistent than she was in marrying Gu Changjin.

Is it because A Niang can't marry... the person she really likes?

Rong Shu clenched the shaky cup in his hand.

On the way back to Shenyuan, she thought a lot about her grandma and uncle, and her mind was in a mess. It wasn't until he entered the hanging flower door and heard that familiar voice that he finally came back to his senses.

"Zhaozhao." Shen Zhi stood by the screen wall with his hands behind his back, looking at her with a smile.

He is a very gentle and gentle man, and his voice is as gentle as water.

Rong Shu raised his eyes and looked at the man who had barely aged. He suppressed all the thoughts in his heart, pursed his lips and called with a smile: "Uncle."

He lifted up his skirt and walked towards Shen Zhi with a smile.

Shen Zhi lowered his eyes and looked at her for a moment, then said, "Mother Zhang said you ran to Ciying Lane as soon as you came back? Didn't you say that there are people from all walks of life living there, so don't go there anytime soon."

"Shiyi Uncle is Zhaozhao's savior. Now that I'm back, how can I not send him two jars of good wine?"

Shen Zhi shook his head, feeling helpless: "Let Butler Jiang send it to you next time, you are a big girl now? "She is not the child she used to be."

Shen Zhi took Rong Shu to Sanseigang Hall and asked people to serve her tea, as if he wanted to talk to her in detail.

He took a sip of tea and said, "Your mother said you came back to Yangzhou to relax. Let's talk to my uncle first, why do you want to reconcile?"

"I just don't like it anymore, and I don't want to be confined to the back house for the rest of my life." Shu looked at Shen Zhi and said with a smile: "I heard Uncle Shi said that before she got married, she often went out with her uncle and grandfather to negotiate business. She was very happy at that time, but now she is trapped. Life in the Hou Mansion was not pleasant at all. Grandma always treated her badly, and her father also separated from her. Zhaozhao really didn't want to follow in her footsteps again. "

When Rong Shu mentioned Shen Yizhen, Shen Zhi said. The hand holding the tea cup paused slightly, and the clear tea liquid reflected his eyes that were hard to distinguish.

"Your mother married into the Hou Mansion to protect the Shen family. She has always been someone who has the overall situation in mind." Shen Zhi raised his eyes slightly, looked at Rong Shu and said, "But you, how could you reconcile without saying a word? Did you know that back then? How much effort did your mother go through to get you to marry into the Gu family? Don't be willful again."

She rubbed her brows and said, "That's all, now that we're divorced, I can spend more time with your mother. How long have you been playing in Yangzhou?"

Rong Shu asked dissatisfied: "Why does uncle not like Zhao Zhao coming to Yangzhou? I thought he would be very happy to see Zhao Zhao, but who knew he would ask me when I would leave? If I had known that, I would have Not coming! I won’t come to Yangzhou after all. I have other places to relax.”

Hearing her childish words, Shen Zhi laughed and said, “You can stay here as long as you like, uncle.” I won't urge you to leave, okay? My uncle has important things to do these days. If you want to go out, remember to ask Butler Jiang to send someone to follow you, and don't wander around."

Rong Shu smiled brightly and said, "I am. With Sister Luoyan accompanying me, why does Uncle Jiang still need to send someone to follow me? Why did my uncle still think that I was a big girl just now?"

Shen Zhi did not deny that he had always regarded Rong Shu as a child in his heart. He also knew that this child was as stubborn as Zhen Niang. Hearing this, he sighed and said, "It's up to you. I can only play in the city. If you want You must be accompanied by someone from the mansion when you leave the city."

Rong Shu responded with a smile and returned to Yilanzhu, the smile on her face gradually faded.

A-niang has always been a person who reports good things but not bad things. It is impossible for her to take the initiative to mention her situation in the Marquis Mansion to her uncle. But just listening to what my uncle said, he seemed to have always known what kind of life my mother-in-law lived.

Knowing but letting it go, did you not care about grandma's life or death in the previous life?

Zhang's mother came over from the verandah and said with a smile: "Did the uncle say something to you again?"

Rong Shu subconsciously looked at Zhang's mother.

Mother Zhang... was also from the Shen family. She had a difficult delivery and was in a coma for more than half a month after giving birth to her.

That's when Zhang's mother came to her to be her wet nurse.

As soon as this thought came out, Rong Shu was startled.

She doesn't trust her uncle or the Shen family, but how can she not trust Zhang's mother?

Not to mention that Mother Zhang’s identity is in A Niang’s hands, but Mother Zhang’s love for her, doesn’t she know?

In her previous life, when Chang Ji wanted to send her to Four Seasons Garden, she didn't want others to follow her. So Zhang's mother knocked her head until her flesh was bloody, just to beg Chang Ji to let her go with her. Until her death, Zhang's mother never left her.

Seeing Rong Shu staring at her blankly, Zhang's mother slowly blinked her eyes and said softly: "Is this girl in a daze?"

Rong Shu's eyes softened, he smiled, and then he hugged Zhang's mother's arm and acted coquettishly. He said: "My uncle lectured me a few words, but I didn't care. I finally came back to Yangzhou. How could I be detained in Shen Yuan? My mother-in-law told me to go to the ancestral house of the Shen family to visit some of my ancestors when I came back to Yangzhou." Not only the ancestors, but also Aunt Guo and Uncle Shiyi, Mom, you have to protect Zhao Zhao!"

Seeing that there was nothing unusual about Rong Shu, Mother Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs. Shen confessed

that she also knew about Rong Shu returning to her ancestral home, so she reluctantly agreed: "I can protect the girl, but the girl must agree to the old slave and don't play too hard and hurt herself."

Someone was sent to prepare water for Rong Shu to bathe. After Rong Shu had washed himself, he carefully lit incense and waited until the sound of long and steady breathing could be heard from the couch, then he lifted his feet and left the bedroom.

She arranged for Luo Yan to rest in the room next door, lit incense, and probably fell asleep.

Mother Zhang still had a gentle and kind expression on her face. She walked slowly to Sanshengtang after leaving Yilanzhu.

At this time, there was no one else in Sanshengtang except Shen Zhi, and even the most important senior attendant around him was dismissed by him.

As soon as Mother Zhang came in, he stood up and said: "Princess Princess, what are your orders?"

Mother Zhang took out a letter from her arms and said, "Everything the Princess has explained is here. The Young Master is on a mission in Yangzhou this time. Secondly, these tasks are all tests for him. Unless the young master's life is in danger, you should not act rashly."

Shen Zhi nodded solemnly, took the letter, but was not in a hurry to open it. He just looked at Zhang's mother and said. "How is the princess's health? Wenxi went to Suzhou, how is everything?"

Zhang's mother smiled and said: "The uncle is thoughtful. Whether it is the princess or Miss Wenxi, both mother and daughter are very good. Okay. I can't stay here for long. It's time to go back to Yilanzhu."

As soon as she left, Shen Zhi opened the letter and read it. He read it back and forth several times before opening the door on one side. Go into the study.

There are several rows of huanghuali wood bookshelves in the study. Shen Zhi walked through the bookshelves and came to the wall, quietly looking at a volume of Mr. Chunshan's paintings on the wall.

After looking at it like this for a long time, Fang carefully opened the painting, pressed it lightly on the wall, and a hidden grid slowly pushed out with a "clang" sound.

Shen Zhi put the letter into the secret compartment, carefully arranged the scroll, and then left the study.

Rong Shu didn't know that Zhang's mother had been to Sanshengtang at night. She almost fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow last night.

When I woke up this morning, my head was still groggy.

She just had something on her mind, endured the discomfort, had breakfast, called up Luoyan, took the gifts prepared by her mother, and left Shen Garden in a hurry.

The Shen family is a family that has accumulated a lot of kindness. The family members, regardless of their direct or indirect branches, basically live in Yangzhou. The place Rong Shu went to today is the ancestral home of the Shen family.

The ancestral house is located on the outskirts of the city in a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters and excellent Feng Shui.

Rong Shu often came to this place when she was young, and several elders in the clan did not think her birth time was unlucky. Every time she came, they happily told her how the Shen family got rich and how it was passed down from generation to generation. Among them were: Her uncle and mother-in-law treated her the best.

My great-uncle is my grandfather's cousin, and she is also the oldest old man in the clan.

As people get older, they love to talk about the past. When they talk about the past, they can't stop talking. The words that were hidden in the past are poured out like beans by Rong Shu.

"Actually, it would be nice for your uncle to be your mother's brother. Your grandfather originally wanted your uncle to be your mother's right-hand man after getting married and take over the Shen family's business. But the girl's family goes out all day long to drink and discuss business with others. , and often travel with a group of servants to discuss business, which is too tiring. The daughter's family can just stay at home and leave all the outside work to the men. You see, your uncle has taken care of the Shen family's business a lot in these years. Okay."

Rong Shu never interrupted when her uncle-in-law was talking, but when it came to this, she stopped listening.

"No, if grandma were in charge of the Shen family, she would definitely not do any worse than uncle."

Mr. Lao Shou was not annoyed either. He knew that this little girl protected Zhen Niang the most, and he felt quite happy in his heart. He kept saying "Okay", "Your mother is the most powerful."

Rong Shu smiled. She lived in her ancestral home for seven or eight days and finally pieced together what happened back then.

The uncle is indeed a child from my grandmother's side of the family. To be honest, he is my mother's cousin.

My grandfather adopted my uncle when he was a child, and taught him all about business, so that his uncle could keep the Shen family's business together with his mother-in-law after he got married.

After my uncle came back from Shangjing, everything changed.

The incident happened in the thirty-sixth year of Jiande.

Not long after my uncle came back, my mother-in-law went to her grandfather in person and told her that she no longer wanted to marry her uncle, but only wanted to be his sister.

Rong Shu knew his mother-in-law's temperament. If she really didn't like her uncle, she wouldn't wait until she was about to have haircuts before saying such things. It was only possible that my uncle had spoken to my mother-in-law, and my mother-in-law went to ask her grandfather.

Later, my grandfather defied all opinions and included his uncle in the family tree. He must have trusted his uncle.

But later when my mother-in-law got married, my grandfather secretly hid 30% of the family property in her dowry, and he did not allow her to talk to her uncle. No matter how she looked at it, she seemed to be wary of her uncle.

What happened in those three years?

I have to say that when one person becomes suspicious of another person, looking at what that person does, everything seems to be wrong.

In his previous life, had Shen Zhi really collaborated with the enemy and treason?

And did my grandfather really die of illness?

As soon as this thought came out, Rong Shu's eyebrows jumped in shock.

After coming out of the ancestral house, Luo Yan walked over quickly and whispered to Rong Shu: "Miss Rong, Mr. Gu from the Metropolitan Procuratorate wants to see you. He is waiting at the other side of the pool."

Gu Changjin?

Rong Shu looked towards the pool in surprise and saw a very inconspicuous carriage parked there.

The car curtain was slightly opened, and a section of the man's jade-white jaw and thin lips could be seen.

It was indeed Gu Changjin.

Rong Shu had never seen him since they said goodbye at the ferry last time.

On the passenger ship, he once asked her if she knew a person named "Feng Niangzi".

Could it be that he came here for this?

She asked Uncle Shiyi to help inquire about this matter, but these days she was too busy checking up on old affairs of the Shen family and had no time to go to Ciying Lane.

Thinking of this, she said to Luo Yan, "Sister, just wait for me here. I'll be back soon."