Chapter 362: Chapter 290: Time Always Brings Change
"I suspect it’s the name of the deceased."
Mrs. Ning pondered, "Since it’s his belonging, it’s not impossible. But I don’t know the name of the deceased, so that cannot be determined. Haven’t you—narrowed down any scope? Prince Rong’s Mansion’s meticulous attention to this is quite unusual. Have you considered searching the capital city based on this character?"
"This character is not uncommon, searching based on a single character would be like finding a needle in a haystack. And the fan and the letter are so important, it’s obviously unsuitable to make them public rashly."
"Then what should be done?"
"The General has already gone to the Prince Manor; let’s see if he gets any results there first." Fu Zhen looked at the pitch-black night, then softened his voice, "The Emperor was a great help; just when we were worried about getting close, a decree came from the palace ordering him to lead troops into Prince Rong’s Mansion.
"I looked at the imperial decree, it didn’t say how long the stationing would last, so at least until after the funeral of Princess Rong, which is more than a month."
This was very advantageous for them.
It saved a lot of steps of inquiring around.
But when drowsy, the Emperor’s pillow was so timely given, it felt as if it wasn’t as accidental to interfere.
"...Why can’t I go in? You little girl are being unreasonable!"
"Sister instructed me to stay here and watch, saying no one could enter, so no one can enter!"
At this time, the sound of a conversation faintly came from downstairs.
Hearing this, Fu Zhen walked to the stairs and looked down at the two people below, "What are you arguing about?"
"...Fifth Sister-in-law!"
"Sister!"
Liang Zhi and Xie Yu hurried upstairs to her, pointing at each other. One said, "I wouldn’t let her come up, but she insisted on barging up!"
The other was not to be outdone, "We agreed long ago to meet here tonight, but he didn’t believe it and insisted I was being unruly!"
Xie Yu is quite a clever girl; being from a noble family, she has her ways of learning things. After following Mrs. Ning for a while to learn the art of managing a household, she gained quite an insight.
Mrs. Ning admired her talent, and since the girl was straightforward and honest, Mrs. Ning simply discussed with Xie Zhang to bring her along and teach her some things about the business.
Xie Zhang, afraid of causing her trouble, initially declined. Later, with Mrs. Ning’s sincere persuasion and Xie Yu’s insistence on wanting to go, Xie Zhang, having taken care of her alone until she was so grown, had never seen her rely on and trust any "female tutor" so much. So, in the end, he agreed.
As a return for the favor, Xie Zhang now often takes care of Ning Jia. Initially acquainted with Scholar Shen, their occasional tea gatherings have increased noticeably due to Ning Jia.
So, Xie Yu simply stayed at the Ning Family. Fu Zhen knew that after leaving the house, Mrs. Ning would actually be lonely, so she saw it as a good thing that Xie Yu could accompany her in her stead.
The Pei family and the Ning Family were at opposite ends of the same alley, so when Fu Zhen would invite the Ning Family over to the mansion, she would always invite Xie Yu along. When returning to the Ning Family, she wouldn’t forget to invite Xie Yu over too.
Earlier, after dinner, the mother and daughter wanted to talk, and Fu Zhen, fearing Xie Yu would be bored, asked her to keep watch downstairs.
Who knew she’d run into Liang Zhi again.
This pair of rivals hadn’t seen eye to eye since an incident at the practice grounds outside the palace gates.
Xie Yu was still three months away from her coming of age ceremony, essentially a young girl, but Liang Zhi was already twenty! Even older than Pei Zhan by a few months; how could he not relent even a bit?
Fu Zhen shot him a glance, "Childish."
After speaking, she patted Xie Yu on the shoulder, "Well done! Such diligence will earn you a reward from me later."
Xie Yu, pleased, mimicked the military generals and cupped her hands in salute, then grinned smugly at Liang Zhi, "Did you hear that? ’Childish’ General?"
Liang Zhi put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes, "It’s truly difficult to nurture mean people and young women!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth, Fu Zhen smacked the back of his head, "Everyone here except you is a woman, what are you saying?"
Liang Zhi sneaked a glance at the eldest, Mrs. Ning, and scratched his head...
Mrs. Ning pursed her lips and smiled, "Alright!—Miss Yu, could you help me check where Brother Xuan has gone? With people coming and going in the restaurant, let’s make sure he doesn’t get hurt."
Xie Yu was a clever girl, knowing they had things to talk about here, she immediately responded, "Okay," and like a little butterfly, she flitted downstairs lightly.
As Fu Zhen withdrew her gaze, she noticed Liang Zhi’s eyes fixedly looking downstairs, and she smacked him on the back of his head, "What are you looking at?"