AWB Chapter 795 Meeting with Song Xichen
Chapter 795 Meeting with Song Xichen
The two left the fourth concubine's courtyard and returned to their own courtyard.
Seeing that no one else was around, Gui'er said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother, I think there's something fishy about the Eighth Concubine's pregnancy. Father's health is so bad he can barely walk. I wonder if this Eighth Concubine's pregnancy is fake, like what's described in the picture book."
Sha Yanxiao thought for a moment and said, "She wouldn't be that brave. If my father knew about this, he would probably kill her."
Gui'er was still hesitating whether to tell him about the Eighth Concubine and Zhao Yingwu. She originally thought that there would be plenty of time to consider countermeasures, but she didn't expect the Eighth Concubine to come up with a bomb so soon. If she said that the Eighth Concubine's child was Zhao Yingwu's, and she had no evidence, she might be bitten back by them.
"I'll have someone secretly investigate this matter, but my father has always been a playboy and stubborn. Even if the Eighth Concubine cheated on him, as long as he's convinced it's his, I'm afraid that what others say will only provoke his anger. Let's take a long-term view."
Gui'er was very surprised: "Brother, do you mean to ignore them?"
Sha Yanxiao shook his head. "It's worthless. The Eighth Concubine has given birth to a boy, so maybe my father will give her a little more money. But he's just been born, so what's the use of that?"
Gui'er knew that Sha Yanxiao felt that he had basically gained the support of the army and that he could decide basically all the big and small affairs in Jiangcheng and Fengcheng, so he didn't take the Eighth Concubine seriously.
However, Guier always felt that the Eighth Concubine was so bold as to borrow an embryo and claim that the baby was the Marshal's son. She might have a bigger conspiracy behind the scenes.
"My biggest worry right now is military spending. Father took back the operating rights to the mine and gave them to the Song family. Now, every month, I have to beg General Manager Zhao for money. It's really inconvenient. Moreover, with so much money, why not spend it on military spending and local governance? I really don't know what father is thinking. Where does he want to use such a large sum of money?"
Gui Er remembered Song Xichen's words and quickly said, "At the banquet earlier, I met Young Master Song. He also said that his family only had the right to operate the business. To be honest, they were just helping to manage the place. Most of the income still had to be handed over to the Marshal's Mansion."
Sha Yanxiao nodded thoughtfully and said, "Looks like I need to find someone to check it out."
The next day was the day she had agreed to meet Song Xichen. Gui'er told Sha Yanxiao that she was going to meet Manager Zhang.
Sha Yanxiao didn't stop him, and asked, "Manager Zhang, what do you do for a living now? Do you need to find her a job? She's so close to you, why not let her come to our mansion to keep you company? That way you won't be bored here."
Gui'er was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect Sha Yanxiao to make such a suggestion. However, the hierarchy of the servants in the Marshal's Mansion was very strict. Most of those who could get close to the master were servants raised in the Marshal's Mansion since childhood. The appearance of an outsider next to the young lady would attract a lot of attention and speculation.
So she smiled and said, "No need. After all, Shopkeeper Zhang was once a small boss. I'm afraid it would be embarrassing for her to come into the mansion and serve me as a maid. After all, she is my master's wife."
Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "Then is it acceptable for her to cook for other people in other people's homes? Well, it's up to you."
Gui'er smiled, went out without saying anything, and got on the rickshaw. She suddenly remembered that she didn't seem to have told Sha Yanxiao about the fact that Manager Zhang was doing odd jobs for others. Could it be that he had asked someone to investigate the whereabouts of Manager Zhang and Manager Liu? Thinking of this, she suddenly felt cold sweat on her forehead.
The house that Zhang and Liu rented was deep in the alley. The alley was so narrow that even a rickshaw couldn't fit in, so Gui'er had to get off the rickshaw and walk in. It hadn't rained that day, so the street was dry. But the alley was still wet, the mud and sand mixed with sewage, giving off a faint, fishy odor. The road was bumpy and uneven, with stagnant water everywhere. You couldn't see it, but if you stepped on it, the sewage would flood your shoes.
Guier frowned and continued walking forward.
When she first entered the alley, the surroundings were very quiet. The further she walked, the worse the environment became, and the more lively it became. The people living on the first floor moved the coal stove to the door to boil water and cook, children chased each other barefoot in the alley, and some people threw garbage down from the upstairs, which attracted verbal abuse from those downstairs.
Gui'er walked slowly, one step deep and one step shallow, and finally reached the building where Manager Zhang and his family lived. Just as she was about to enter the door, suddenly, a bamboo tube as thick as an arm came out. She was startled and quickly stepped back. It turned out that a porter came out of the house with his shoulder pole and rope.
The man looked her up and down before leaving silently.
Gui'er ran upstairs in three steps. As soon as she reached the third floor, she saw Zhang, the shopkeeper, coming out of the room. Seeing Gui'er, she smiled and said, "You're here so early. I was just about to pick you up. There are all kinds of people here, it's not peaceful."
As he spoke, he welcomed Gui'er into the house. Song Xichen had already been waiting inside. Seeing Gui'er come in, he stood up and said, "You're here. Was the journey easy?"
Gui'er smiled, sat down, and got straight to the point. "The situation at the Marshal's residence has been very complicated lately. The Eighth Concubine claims to be pregnant with the Marshal's child, and it's a boy. I previously discovered the Eighth Concubine having a secret meeting with Housekeeper Zhao's son, Zhao Yingwu, at a banquet. From their conversation, I discovered that Zhao Yingwu was actually the Marshal's illegitimate son, and that he and the Eighth Concubine had conspired to have this child. I wanted to tell you at the time, but time was too rushed, and I didn't have time."
Song Xichen thought for a moment and said, "You take this matter so seriously. Do you think Zhao Yingwu has some ambitions for the position of Young Marshal?"
Gui'er nodded and said, "Brother, you understand me. From what I heard about their conversation, I could tell he was very angry about not being able to reveal his identity. I also reported this to Sha Yanxiao, but he's now in charge of the military and political affairs of Jiangcheng and Fengcheng. He's very busy every day, and he's also worried about insufficient funds. I don't think he took it seriously. He thought it was just a romantic affair in the mansion and didn't want to get involved."
Song Xichen sighed and said, "That's understandable. The situation is becoming increasingly urgent. I know that the previous fight between the gangs and the spies was actually caused by him, right? This has reduced our risks to a certain extent. He has resolved some of our crises, so we should thank him, even though I know it wasn't for us."