With the help of Xu Pingyi and others, Lu Jiuniang avoided Wang Ba Niang's pursuit, but it did not prevent Wang Ba Niang from spreading some rumors.
Overnight, rumors spread throughout the capital that Jiuniang of the Lu family had been misbehaving. It was rumored that Lu Jiuniang's image of a good lady outside was all fake. The real Lu Jiuniang didn't know how to write the word etiquette at all, and was an uneducated person.
These words are passed from the mouth to the ears, and from the ears to the mouth, and so on. When they are spoken again, they have changed their taste.
It's getting harder and harder to hear. Lu Jiuniang's personality was originally cheerful, but recently she became acquainted with Xu Nuo and Hu Ling, and she became even thicker-skinned.
But as a young woman who has not yet left the court, she cannot withstand such slander.
The next day, Lu Jiuniang's face darkened suddenly after she heard some rumors from her trusted maid. She went out with a sullen face and stayed at home without saying a word when she came back.
For several days in a row, I only went to see Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu to say hello, and did not go to the sisters' room to chat. I also returned invitations from some of the women I was friends with on weekdays, and stopped communicating with the outside world.
The people of the Lu family naturally uphold the attitude of those who are pure, and they firmly believe that their wife has never done such a thing, so there is no need for these gossips. However, Lu Yijian, who has been involved in official circles for many years, saw some clues in Lu Jiuniang's reaction to this matter. Seeing that Lu Jiuniang was getting more and more silent, he went to Xu's house on Mu Xiu's day. When Lu Yijian arrived, Xu Gucheng had just told Xu Nuo about Lao Tzu. After hearing the boy's report, he asked Xu Nuo to go back first, and then went to welcome Lu Yijian in person.
Lu Yijian was wearing a moon-white robe, leaning against the door with her hands folded, her eyes closed in the cold wind, as if she was thinking about something and fell asleep.
The boy beside him saw Xu Gucheng striding towards him, and approached him to remind him. When he looked up, he saw Xu Gucheng shaking his head not far away. Thinking of the relationship between his family A Lang and Mr. Xu, he quietly retreated without saying a word.
Xu Gucheng, wearing a blue brocade robe, strode over with a smile on his handsome and elegant face. He walked to Lu Yijian and stopped him. He said with a smile: "Tanfu. Isn't it that the official office is too busy to move away after the new year?" Are you tired? Why do you still have so much time to spare? Come to me?"
Xu Gucheng said this because Lu Yijian was the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture. He had a lot of things piled up during the Chinese New Year and was busy dealing with them these days. It stands to reason that it will take a few days to complete.
Although it was Mu Xiu today, Lu Yijian was a responsible person. Normally, he wouldn't leave his official duties to come here, presumably because he had something to do.
Lu Yijian opened his eyes after hearing this. He shook his head to wake up and sighed slightly. Said: "Let's go into the house and talk."
He had been busy late every day in the past few days, and his mental strength was a little weak. He had fallen asleep in the carriage just now, so he stood here and took a break from his busy work.
The two of them talked about the events of the past few days on the way in. When they were talking about something interesting, they didn't say hello to Mr. Lu who came to the study room in the outer courtyard to greet him. Seeing that the two of them were not slowing down at all, Mrs. Lu laughed and said: "I don't know, I think you are brothers. I am the outsider, and having such a brother can't support me at all. He is not as useful as the twenty-one mother." ." After hearing this, Lu Yijian suddenly laughed, paused, pondered for two breaths, then turned around and said: "I always have something to discuss when I'm in Xunwen. When you see your sister-in-law in the future, you can treat me as a waiter for drinks. I won't be too much. Say a word."
He was originally in a dull mood, but he was relieved a lot by Lu's words. "Then it's settled. You can stay and have lunch before leaving. I'll send someone to talk to my sister-in-law." Ms. Lu deliberately left to give the two of them a chance to talk freely.
After leaving the door, Mrs. Lu gave Nanny Li a wink.
As Grandma Li approached, she heard Madam Lu whisper: "Send everyone else away, stay here to serve me, and listen to what is said. I will go and see how the lunch is prepared." "
Grandma Li nodded when she heard this.
Lu rarely joked, but she just said it intentionally when she saw the worry on Lu Yijian's eyebrows.
He must have something important to look for Xu Gucheng today, but he might not tell her exactly what they talked about, so he kept the trustworthy Nanny Li.
Xu Gucheng usually told everything he knew about the Lu family, and he would only hide something when speaking to Lu Yijian.
Firstly, the things they usually talked about were too deep, and telling Mrs. Lu would be harmful to her. Secondly, Lu Yijian urged her, saying that she must protect her, otherwise her whole person would be seen through by Mrs. Lu, and she would lose the ability to be a brother. dignity.
Lu wouldn't normally do this, and there was no need.
But she knew that ordinary business matters would not cause such a tired look on her brother's face, it must be something related to Jiuniang.
Various reasons led her to make this choice.
Xu Gucheng's ears and eyes were sharp, and he naturally heard the boy retreating and a man who was heavy but could walk lightly approaching. After a little thought, he knew Lu's arrangement.
But he didn't react at all, just smiled knowingly. As soon as Mrs. Lu left, Lu Yijian looked at Xu Gucheng with a sad face: "Jiuniang's kid has heard the rumors outside and has been staying in the house for the past few days. What should I do?"
He felt that there was something behind the matter, but he couldn't find out anything from his daughter, so he came to the Xu family. Xu Gucheng also knew that Lu Jiuniang and Xu Nuo went out together that day, and he was quite familiar with what happened that day. He asked seriously: "What do you think happened?"
Lu Yijian drank the hot tea in the tea cup in one gulp and said thoughtfully: "I know quite well what kind of temper this child Jiuniang has. If what is said outside is false, she will not react like this, at least not in front of her. The government regulates its own behavior."
"Do you think she really went to Wanxiang Tower?" Xu Gucheng had some thoughts in his mind and wanted to see what Lu Yijian thought.
"Not necessarily, but she must have done something she shouldn't have done that day, otherwise she wouldn't be like this now, and she wouldn't have used this method to review and punish herself."
Lu Yijian had a look of helplessness on his face when he spoke.
He really raised Lu Jiuniang like a treasure.
He loves her like a daughter and gives her what a boy should learn. He dotes on his daughter so much that he cannot be overestimated. Now that he sees his daughter in this state, as a father, he wants to enlighten him but is afraid that his enlightenment will go astray, so he can only come to the Xu family to ask first. Know what happened that day.
Xu Gucheng was also a doting daughter, so he could naturally understand Lu Yijian's current mood, so he said: "Although the Lu family firmly believes that the Qing Dynasty will self-purify itself and disdains external rumors, this is after all about Jiuniang's reputation, so you and I should suppress the rumors first. Pressure.”
"Okay. This is what I think. The child Sanniang of the Hu family is active and wears men's clothes on weekdays. It is not impossible for Liu Niang and Jiuniang to wear men's clothes when they are with her. As for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, it is not possible to go to Wanxiang Tower to watch the fireworks. What’s wrong, but I usually have strict requirements on Jiuniang, and I’m afraid she won’t be able to get over this hurdle.”
Lu Yijian spoke for a while and then suddenly said: "The patrolman saw blood stains on the street on the morning of the 16th. He followed the blood stains to the roof and found signs of a fight. He is currently checking it and is very busy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have arrived. Just came today."
Xu Gucheng's expression tightened after hearing this, and he promised to come to Yingcheng Courtyard to say hello when he came back that night. He seemed to smell a faint smell of blood at that time.
"Did you find any blood anywhere on that day?"
"No, just that place." (To be continued)
ps: I climbed Mount Taishan two nights ago and it was pretty good, but my legs still hurt. In fact, the author wants to say that I am sorry for discontinuing the update. I haven’t been online for the past few days. Thank you all for sending red rice dumpling envelopes during the Dragon Boat Festival.
