"That painting was originally painted by the girl for Granny Zhong." Xi'er said.
Chang Sui'an was stunned: "According to this, that painting was really painted by Ning Ning?"
Xi'er nodded.
Although Chang Kuo had thought about this possibility, he looked at his daughter in surprise at this time: "If that's the case... why couldn't anyone see that she was in the Dengtai Tower just now?"
"Because I am indeed good at two kinds of handwriting, but I have never told anyone about it before." Chang Sui Ning could only say: "The handwriting I copied from the eldest princess Chongyue is true. The painting in the building is an imitation of the eldest princess. The wind——"
He added: "In addition, the painting they found was an old work from last year. Although it was only half a year ago, I have experienced a lot in the past six months, and I have forgotten many things in the past. My temperament has changed, and the works I wrote are naturally different." In other words, because when I was painting, I deliberately got closer to the style of Her Royal Highness, the eldest princess, so I was able to hide it from the sky."
In this regard, Chang Kuo is relatively easy to fool. He knows nothing about calligraphy and painting. At this time, hearing Chang Suining's explanation, he nodded suddenly.
He breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, Ning Ning has this previously unknown ability, otherwise it would be really hard to explain today."
After a pause, he looked at his daughter and said, "Her Royal Highness the Princess is blessed by the spirit of heaven."
Chang Suining: "...I thought it was just right."
She did not dwell on the topic of her own protection, but asked: "But... who is Granny Zhong?"
It was obvious that her brain was broken, and she never felt burdened to take advantage of it.
Xi'er replied: "Mr. Zhong was the housekeeper of the girl's courtyard before. She watched the girl grow up. She used to take care of the girl's daily life. She has been very close to the girl since she was a child."
Chang Sui Ning is clear.
There was no mistress in the Chang family, so it was reasonable to think that there should be an older maid taking care of Ah Li.
She then asked, "Where is Granny Zhong now?"
"Grandma Zhong passed away last winter."
Xi'er's tone was a little sad, and she carefully paid attention to her girl's reaction, for fear that the sad incident would be brought up, but she had to continue talking at this time——
"Granny Zhong has been ill for a long time. Last year she took the initiative to go to Zhuangzi outside the city to recuperate, just because she didn't want the girl to look sad... The girl later followed her to Zhuangzi, and Bai Guanshi and Lang Jun invited the best in the city. The doctor stayed by Granny Zhong’s side, but still..."
"Before Granny Zhong died, she said she wanted to be buried back in her hometown in Bingzhou, so after Granny Zhong left, her son carried the coffin back to her hometown -"
"Before sealing the coffin, the girl personally put some things that Granny Zhong used to use during her lifetime into the coffin. The painting was painted by the girl for Granny Zhong to be buried with."
Chang Kuo frowned: "Then it should be in Zhong's tomb... Why did he appear in the capital?"
"I know!" Chang Sui'an said firmly: "It must be Wu Lin's good deed!"
"Wu Lin?" Chang Sui Ning thought for a moment: "Grandma Zhong's son?"
Chang Sui'an nodded: "Yes, it turns out that Ningning still remembers him!"
Chang Suining: "..."
It's impossible to remember. It's just a casual guess based on what Xi'er just said.
Xi'er took over and said: "This Wu Lin used to like to cheat and cheat when he was working in the house. He relied on Granny Zhong to win the favor of girls, and often acted arrogantly in the world... If Granny Zhong hadn't been there to control him, he would still have done it. I don’t know what it looks like.”
"Before she died, Granny Zhong proposed to redeem Wu Lin's life and let him return to his hometown. She was probably afraid that he would cause some trouble again after she died."
Chang Kuo also said "hmm" and said, "Ms. Zhong is a smart person, but her son really can't hold up a wall."
Seeing that his daughter valued Zhong, he also thought about letting Bai Guanshi cultivate Wu Lin, but that kid was not a piece of cake.
"I asked Guanshi Bai to return Wu Lin's body deed. I didn't receive any ransom money, and I gave him another sum of money according to my sister's wishes. Adding in Granny Zhong's previous savings, he even returned it. The people in the countryside of Bingzhou should be able to live without worries about food and clothing!" Chang Sui An said disdainfully: "Why did he even open his own mother's coffin!"
Opening the coffin to take out the burial objects could not have been done by an outsider!
"Besides cheating and cheating, does he have any bad habits?" Chang Suining asked, "For example, gambling?"
"He doesn't gamble, but he..." Chang Sui'an paused mid-sentence, and his face suddenly turned red.
Chang Sui Ning said "Oh" clearly: "That is indeed a money-consuming hobby. I'm afraid he has taken away everything in the coffin."
Chang Sui'an looked inexplicably panicked...does my sister understand now? !
Chang Kuo coughed lightly and said seriously: "Someone must have gone to Bingzhou to find him, specifically to inquire about Ning Ning's private affairs——"
Chang Suining asked Xi'er, "Does he know about my dealings with Zhou Ding?"
Xi'er nodded, her expression not very good: "Granny Zhong once told the maid to be more careful and not to let the girl be deceived by Zhou Ding... When the maid left, she saw him sneaking and hiding in the wall. Finally, it was like eavesdropping.”
"That's him!" Chang Kuo slapped the coffee table: "This guy is greedy for money!"
With that said, he called Manager Bai to come forward: "...let someone secretly go to Bingzhou to get the person. Even if Wu Lin got into a mouse hole and dug three feet into the ground, he would still get the person back!"
Bai Guanshi should go down.
"It doesn't sound like he is a smart man. I don't think I can get any useful clues from him." Chang Sui Ning said: "But these people who have no idea whether to live or die and betray their master should be found as soon as possible—— "
Otherwise, I don’t know how much of the master’s family affairs will be leaked.
Chang Sui'an couldn't help but say: "This kind of people are a disaster wherever they go. They should not have been allowed to return to their hometown in the first place!"
Chang Suining also agreed with this sentence, but it was meaningless to say it at this time: "Just make it a long memory."
Chang Kuo asked: "Tonight's matter regarding Jie's family...is Ning Ning someone suspicious?"
Chang Suining nodded and said bluntly: "Mrs. Ying Guogong's wife Chang."
Chang Kuo didn't show any surprise when he heard this. He had obviously already made some guesses and said solemnly: "This is her son's revenge."
Although he was angry, his mind was still clear: "It's just that if she didn't do this herself, it would be impossible for Xie to confess her. If she can't get direct evidence from Wu Lin... I'm afraid she won't be able to do anything for the time being. Got her."
Chang Suining took the warm tea from Xi'er and said casually: "Just sort out this matter first, don't worry about the rest."
Seeing the girl going to drink tea calmly, Chang Kuo was silent for a while, but then asked: "Would Ning Ning think that my father is useless?"
Chang Suining raised his eyes and looked at him: "Why did Dad say this?"
Chang Kuo's tone was a little dull: "My daughter has been bullied, and she knows who did it, but the father can't come and vent her anger on her..."
"If this is useless, then isn't it even more useless for the Ming family of Yingguo Gongfu?" Chang Suining said with some humor: "I beat Ming Jin, but they also didn't dare to knock on the door to vent their anger, so they could only do it secretly Do you want to do some tricks? And the tricks are bad. According to this, they should be holding their breath even more."
Chang Suining put down the tea cup and said with a smile: "As a saint, my mother's clan is so constrained. Dad has no evidence and can't just knock on the door. It's not shabby."
"On the contrary, isn't it because of my father's status and reputation that they are so constrained and dare not touch me openly? If it weren't for my father's presence, how could I have beaten Ming Jin when I was there? So easy?"
After hearing what she said, Chang Kuo couldn't help but shake his head and smile, feeling a little relieved.
He is not that kind of brainless person, nor did he fall into the whirlpool of the capital's powerful people for the first time. He naturally understands that not everything can be done as he pleases - but on weekdays, no matter how capable the parents are, if they see their children being wronged, if If you cannot get justice right away, you will always feel frustrated.
Parents always think that they should be omnipotent in front of their children.
Chang Sui Ning can relate to this feeling.
Although she has never been a parent, she does not want to see people around her being bullied - this may have been her original intention when she first put on Axiao's robe as a child.
"But Ning Ning, don't worry. Sooner or later, my father will find an opportunity to get this debt back to you!" Chang Kuo promised.
Chang Suining felt that he had not suffered a loss tonight, and although the Chang family did not show up and could not catch him, the Jie family who was jumping in front could not escape.
The weight of this matter is nothing more than a trivial matter to her, but she is a person who likes to settle things clearly, no matter how big or small the feud is. If the grudge is not avenged, the food will not taste good, and the dream will have to grind one's teeth to think about it.
And what she is most worried about now is who was the one who bought the jade chips to poison her in her previous life——
Thinking of this, Chang Sui Ning said: "Besides this matter, I have another matter that I want to discuss with my father."
This sounded unpleasant to Chang Kuo's ears: "What are you talking about?"
The feeling of not being able to vent his anger on his child right away was really painful. He now wished that his daughter would immediately make a hundred requests to him!
Therefore, this is not called making demands, this is called showing filial piety!
"I want to borrow a few people with my father. They need to be good at skills and not often seen in front of others." Chang Suining made up a reason nearby: "Having them follow me secretly can also be wary of the Ming family."
After Chang Kuo was startled, he smiled happily: "This is a good suggestion! Dad agrees!"
With that said, he called Manager Bai: "Old Bai, bring everyone here!"
Chang Suining: "?"
Do you have all the candidates?
Chang Kuo smiled and said nothing.
He admitted that he was prepared.
Apart from anything else, just because he has a daughter who likes to do things with others, as a father, can he think of adding a few more people?
Manager Bai quickly brought over a group of people in smart attire. There were ten people in the group, and it was clear from a glance that they were well-trained.
Chang Kuo looked at them: "From today on, you will be responsible for the safety of the girl. Whenever the girl gives instructions, you no longer need to ask others for instructions, you only need to obey them wholeheartedly."
All ten people responded in unison and saluted Chang Suining.
The leader said: "My name is Chang Ren, but if you have any instructions, please just send me."
Chang Suining: ...What a sharp name.
She nodded: "I will help you all in the future."
After asking Chang Ren and others to retreat, Chang Kuo talked to his daughter for a while before leaving the study with his children.
"How do Ningning plan to deal with the two little beggars brought back today?" Chang Kuo asked casually.
"I would like to keep them in the house for a while to see their qualifications and character before making arrangements. What do you think, Dad?"
Chang Kuo nodded: "Okay, then I'll leave it to Chu Xing, practice it first and then talk about it."
Regardless of whether it is a black or white cat, a mule or a horse, once you enter the house, you need to practice it first.
Chang Suining nodded in agreement.
Strengthening your body is the first priority.
"Dad." She suddenly called.
Chang Kuo turned to look at his daughter walking beside him, smiling kindly: "What's wrong?"
Chang Sui Ning also turned to look at him, with a serious smile in his eyes: "Thank you, Dad."
No matter what happened today, or what happened in the past, whether it was Li Shang, A Li, or Chang Sui Ning at this time - she should say thank you to Lao Chang.
Lao Chang seems rough and reckless, but in fact he has a soft and delicate heart.
He is a very good subordinate and a very good father.
Chang Kuo smiled and tapped her head: "How can I say thank you to my father? What a stupid thing to say!"
Chang Sui Ning looked up and smiled at him: "I will honor my father well in the future."
She had been prepared to provide for Lao Chang in his old age. After all, Lao Chang had threatened that he did not plan to marry a wife, and marrying a wife would be very troublesome.
But who would have expected that in the blink of an eye, he would come back with a calf in his arms...
Chang Kuo laughed loudly when he heard this, and said cheerfully: "Okay! If nothing else, we can support my father by selling paintings alone!"
"My sister can sell a painting for four thousand taels!" Chang Sui'an made a rough calculation and was shocked: "It's no wonder how many dads I can support!"
Chang Sui Ning nodded humbly.
Although four thousand taels is considered a robbery, it is still feasible to use it to support a family.
If you are really unlucky and down one day, then you can sell calligraphy and painting to support your father. That kind of life should be good.
She looked at the horizon ahead with a smile. Summer nights were short, and it would be light soon.
A lot of things happened this night. This night seemed to be extremely short, and many people never closed their eyes.
In Duke Ying's mansion, Ming Jin woke up from his sleep and dreamed of Chang Sui Ning being severely punished. He asked about climbing Tailou and heard that Chang Sui Ning was not only unscathed but also returned. He was so in the limelight that he cursed again and again in anger, and smashed things in the room with a dark face.
Duke Ying's wife, Mrs. Chang, was sitting in a chair at this time, with a man and a woman kneeling in front of her, both dressed as servants.
The man kowtowed his head and said in a trembling voice: "...That man claimed to have seen the painting painted by the Chang family's wife with his own eyes. The cause and effect could not be more clear, but who would have thought that he actually coaxed the villain!"
The man's expression repeated: "This man's lies are really hateful. Madam, please allow me to go to Bingzhou..."
Before he finished speaking, Mr. Chang sneered: "That's ridiculous. Do you want to leave you to go to Bingzhou and fall into a trap?"
The man's expression changed: "Madam..."
Chang's expression was extremely cold: "Take them all down."
"lady!"
"Madam, spare your life!"
As the person was dragged down, the cry for mercy quickly disappeared.
After a moment of silence in the room, the mother-in-law beside Chang asked in a low voice: "Madam, where is Madam Jie... do you want your maid to send someone over?"
"What are you going to do?" Mrs. Chang closed her eyes and pressed her tired eyebrows: "Do you still need me to remind her about what she should and shouldn't say?"
"Yes." The mother-in-law thought thoughtfully: "From this, it seems that this Chang family lady is not a reckless person who only knows how to take action..."
Mr. Chang sneered: "Yes, I underestimated her."
She had listened to the details of what happened in the Dengtai Tower. If she thought about it carefully, she could see that the reason for the failure was not only in the painting, but also in Lady Chang.
"It's not a fuel-efficient lamp." Her voice was slow and cold: "It seems that I need to think more carefully next time."
…
