Noble Lady

After sending Du Jingyuan home, Xue Chenyu returned home and was called over by Mrs. Xue.

"Mother, why did you call me here in such a hurry?" Xue Chenyu walked into the main hall of Qingyuan with a smile.

Although she asked this, she probably knew in her heart what her mother wanted to say to her.

After all, A'niang had already written about that incident in the letter, which meant that there were some things behind it that were quite tricky.

After she came back and washed up, she changed into an apricot-colored cross-collared dress with wide sleeves and a light green spiral skirt.

On the surface, they look no different from autumn clothes, but they are lined with a whole layer of gray squirrel fur, which is very warm.

Mrs. Xue waved at her, and when Xue Chenyu sat next to her, she gave a look to Mother He beside her.

Mother He then took people downstairs.

Yuzhu also followed her mother, Mother He, out.

With no outsiders around, Mrs. Xue felt relieved and said, "Just as I told you in the letter, He Minzhi has returned home safely. In fact, someone has protected He Minzhi, and he will be reinstated soon."

Xue Chenyu frowned slightly. "It's only been two months, and he's going to be reinstated? Has Mother found out who protected him?"

The letter she had received in Haicheng County before only said that He Minzhi had been released and returned home. She guessed that some things were not suitable to be said in the letter, so her mother did not mention it.

I didn't expect that to be the case.

"Ever since you left Beijing, I've followed your instructions and had people keep an eye on the He family and everyone related to them. At first, there was no change. I even thought He Minzhi was going to die in prison."

"But it wasn't until I received your letter that I sent someone to inquire about it. I discovered that the He family was doing better. Everything had been getting better without me noticing. Even the old woman in the He family was getting better. It was because my subordinates were too arrogant and didn't give back, which almost led to a big mistake."

Xue Chenyu nodded. That person probably thought that the He family was in trouble, but also thought that the job was easy and would be rewarding, so he wanted to delay for a while.

A'niang would definitely get rid of such a person immediately and would not use him again, so she didn't need to ask about it.

"What happened next? What's the He family's situation now?"

"I couldn't find out the identity of the person behind He Minzhi. I only know that it was Lord Mei of Jingzhao Prefecture who personally issued the order to release him."

The people who could make Jingzhao Yin release the person were either people from the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy, or a higher level who gave the order directly.

But no matter which one it is, it is not something ordinary officials can do.

"Mother, I'm thinking, if someone was able to secretly influence the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy to change the original verdict on He Minzhi, then Lord Mei of Jingzhao Prefecture should have directly announced the result."

But he didn't. ...

Mrs. Xue also realized that someone of extremely prominent status had directly given the order to release He Minzhi.

That person was able to directly skip the Cabinet and the Hanlin Academy. This result was even more terrible than secretly asking the Hanlin Academy and the Cabinet to change the verdict.

"It seems that there is indeed a remarkable person behind He Minzhi." Mrs. Xue said, pointing to the sky, referring to the people in the royal family.

"I understand what you mean, mother, but do you remember what I said to you before I left Beijing?"

Madam Xue straightened her seat slightly. "You told me at the time that there was an important figure in the court who had been coveting Datong Trading Company for a long time."

"Yes." Xue Chenyu nodded. "But in my humble opinion, there must be more than one force behind this, and they are not just after Datong Trading Company, but everything in the Xue family."

She paused, "This is evident from the fact that He Minzhi escaped unscathed this time."

The incident when she sued He Minzhi had caused such a big stir before. The He family had three generations of Hanlin scholars and their reputation was very famous, but the judgment of the Cabinet and the Hanlin Academy took two months.

Now He Minzhi is preparing to resume his post.

Mrs. Xue didn't answer. She tapped the table twice with her index finger. "Before this, there are some things I've been reluctant to share with you, as it would only cause you more trouble. Now it seems the time has come."

As she spoke, she called Mother He and said, "Go and get the box from my room."

Mother He stepped back and quickly brought out a sandalwood box that looked ordinary on the surface.

The box was rectangular and locked with an ordinary little lock, the kind you can find everywhere on the street.

After placing the sandalwood box on the table, Mother He left.

Mrs. Xue casually took out a bunch of keys from her bosom, and even more casually touched one of them and opened the small lock.

Xue Chenyu: ? ? With so many keys, how did A Niang find the key so accurately?

I always feel a kind of indescribable casualness.

Xue Chenyu complained silently in her heart.

Mrs. Xue opened the box and took out the only thing inside, a letter. She glanced at it and handed it to Xue Chenyu.

"This was delivered to Datong Trading Company at the beginning of last year."

"When we were arranging a marriage for you, didn't you ask why we were suddenly so eager to arrange your marriage when we hadn't mentioned it before? The answer is right here."

Xue Chenyu's heart skipped a beat, and he felt an inexplicable chill.

She took a deep breath and opened the opened letter.

The handwriting inside can be said to be very square, so square that you can't even tell the characteristics of the writer, as if it were engraved.

But this is not the point, the point is the content of the letter——

The Datong Commercial Bank is well-connected and wealthy, so why not bring it under the control of the imperial court?

There were no extra words, but it was a clear threat.

To take it back into the imperial court means to seize it by force.

By that time, my father had already returned from the border. The person who delivered the letter was certain that the Xue family had lost their military power and wanted to seize it by force.

And the solution that A'niang thought of was to marry her off to a well-educated student who had great potential to reach the top.

Firstly, it was to find a husband's family for her so that she could leave the Marquis' Mansion. In case of any accident, the married daughter would not be implicated.

Secondly, it also prevents the people behind the scenes from using any conspiracy or trickery to make trouble for her, a daughter of marriageable age.

The third reason is naturally to make the other party feel fearful. After all, the He family has two generations of Hanlin scholars, and they have a good reputation. Others have to think twice before making any moves.

"Mother chose He Minzhi based on this letter?" Xue Chenyu was in a heavy mood, but she still wanted to joke at this moment.

Mrs. Xue was influenced by her and smiled helplessly, "Yes, I thought I had been in business for many years and had seen countless people, but in the end, I was still pecked in the eye by a wild goose."

She was talking about the despicable behavior of Liu and He Minzhi, mother and son, who tried to take advantage of her and steal her dowry.

"How can I blame my mother for this? If I have to blame someone, I can only blame some people for being too good at acting." Xue Chenyu said helplessly.

In fact, what she was thinking was that maybe when Liu came to propose marriage again and again at the beginning and said that she would never let He Minzhi take a concubine, she was sincere.

It's just that money is attractive, and various things happened later, so she quickly forgot what she said - after all, for most people, promises are only valid at the moment they are spoken.

People's hearts are fickle, and Liu is the mistress of a Hanlin family. She only knows the surface of a person but not his heart. How can we blame A Niang for not being able to judge people?

And at that time, A Niang must have thought of many ways before finally choosing this plan to implement.

Some people may think that the Xue family is a marquisate after all, so why would they be so nervous just because of an unsigned letter?

But the Xue family had such a huge fortune, and my father had just retired from the front line at that time, so the Xue family undoubtedly lost its greatest support.

The enemy is huge and unknown, how can A Niang not be nervous and worried?

Of course, the tension and worry are not groundless. The demise of the Xue family in the previous life is the best proof.

Although my mother didn't know about her past life, she was in charge of the Datong Trading Company's business, so she would naturally use other channels to verify whether the company and the Xue family were being targeted by some force.

"Yu'er, when did you feel that someone was targeting the Xue family?" Mrs. Xue suddenly asked.