Chapter 271: Chapter 249 Uncle Wu, you are having such a tough time!
Xu Yin finished speaking and entered the room. As he was about to sit down, he noticed the headgear hanging on the wall, and he went over to take it down.
Lian Rong, who came in afterward, saw this and said, "Master has been taking this down quite often lately to admire it."
Xu Yin said, "Do you know who I went to meet this afternoon?"
Lian Rong paused, "I beg Master to enlighten me."
Xu Yin smiled slightly, "Liang Chen."
Lian Rong frowned, "Since Madam made that grave mistake, the Liang Family hasn’t visited anymore, and no matter if Master personally went to request a meeting or sent someone to apologize afterward, the Liang Family has never shown themselves. Coupled with the rumors on the streets these days, it’s safe to say Master is currently in the eye of the storm. Why is General Liang seeking Master at this time?"
"He asked me for this."
Lian Rong was stunned, "After all these years, why does he suddenly want this? Moreover, how did he suddenly think of this?"
"You find it strange too, don’t you?" Xu Yin looked at the headgear in his hand, "He said that Taiping has been gone for years, and I’ve long been unconnected with the Liang Family. Taiping’s things shouldn’t remain here with me, as it would harm Taiping’s reputation if word got out. He wants me to pack up all her things, and someone will come to fetch them tomorrow."
Lian Rong was silent for a moment and then said, "It seems the Liang Family has been influenced by the rumors outside. Madam’s transgression really caused significant trouble, not only impeding Master’s chance for promotion but also affecting the relationship with the Liang Family."
Xu Yin walked out of the curtain, "The Liang Family aside, the commotion Yongping and Fu Zhen caused has made it impossible to mend relations with the Pei family. With the Pei family like this, how far is the Liang Family from severing ties with me? I just don’t understand why the Liang Family suddenly remembered there are still these things with me and why they insist on taking them back."
"If it was merely to sever ties, Liang Chen could have acted decisively; there was no need to care about such trivial matters."
Lian Rong furrowed his brow, "Very few people know about these things, and I would never divulge anything. As for Madam—it’s possible, but if she had leaked it, the Liang Family should have come knocking earlier."
"That’s why I find it strange," Xu Yin turned around under the curtain, "and it seems like strange things are happening more and more."
The atmosphere in the room became heavy.
"Currently, my reputation outside is rapidly declining, and there are discussions in the streets and alleys about how I’m pretentious and insincere. Even the minor issue from back then between me and Yongping is being dredged up. Is all this really just a coincidence?"
Lian Rong took a breath, "I’ll immediately have someone investigate who’s stirring up trouble behind the scenes!"
Xu Yin’s gaze darkened, "Once you find them, leave it to me to handle personally."
Lian Rong nodded deeply and exited the room.
In the courtyard, a group of guards was still waiting.
Lian Rong asked them, "What’s exactly the situation with the Zhe Family?"
The guards explained everything in detail. Lian Rong listened with a furrowed brow, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Immediately inquire around the various families to see if there are any clues? We must do our utmost to find our lost person right now!"
Regardless of whether the Zhe Family’s claim that their guard had fled was true, they must prepare for the worst.
And now, with the guard missing, the most direct consequence of this matter being exposed is that Princess Rong will surely see Xu Yin as an enemy.
A breakup between Xu Yin and Prince Rong’s Mansion is inevitable, but not just yet. Xu Yin still made a move through Yongping at Prince Rong’s Mansion.
Because of Yongping’s foolish act, many of Xu Yin’s plans were thwarted, which naturally angered him.
...
After Fu Zhen recounted everything related to the Xu family to Zhe Yu from the day he got injured, Zhe Yu’s throat tightened as he spent half a day suppressing his emotions before finally speaking hoarsely, "You just mentioned that Yongping also once thought about withdrawing the Imperial Physician treating me?"
"To my knowledge, the Imperial Physician still comes to treat you every three days. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him when he comes."
Zhe Yu clutched the bedding with one hand, "Why does Xu Yin want to incite discord between the Princess and the Princely Heir’s wife? Why does he want to divide Prince Rong’s Mansion? Without the Prince’s Mansion, can he find greater support?"
"Perhaps he doesn’t want any support at all, especially from a family like the Prince’s Mansion that clearly wants to manipulate him," Fu Zhen said, "He wants to hold power independently and can’t tolerate being a puppet of Prince Rong’s Mansion."
Zhe Yu furrowed his brow tightly, "Then how did he become your enemy? What did he do to you?"
Fu Zhen squinted at the window, "I’m not so different from you. It’s just that what he did to me was ten times more vicious than what he did to you."