Ye Qingluan said that upon her return home this time, a banquet would be held in her honor.
Ye Qingluan also said that everyone in the mansion missed her dearly.
Moreover, Ye Qingluan mentioned that at that time, they would find a husband for her, someone with excellent character and looks.
Zhao Shuning could accept the first two statements in the past couple of days, but what was this last one?
"Mother, I'm still young, aren't I?"
"You're not. I was already engaged to your father at your age."
Zhao Shuning said, "I don't want to discuss this so soon."
Ye Qingluan let out a sigh.
"Mother, what's wrong?"
"You like that young prince in the carriage, don't you?"
"Ah, I don't."
Ye Qingluan stood up. The carriage was quite stable, and she could walk back and forth without stumbling.
"Yan'er, you've never brought anyone home before. He's the first."
"No, mother, it's because—"
"Yan'er, if you really want to marry into the Kingdom of Hailing, it's okay. After all, the men in the Kingdom of Hailing are very affectionate to their wives. It's just—"
"Just what?"
Zhao Shuning was about to refute, but her mouth moved faster than her mind, and she naturally asked this question.
"It's just that the Kingdom of Hailing is far away from Ruoqiang. You don't have spiritual power, and your mental strength is also very scarce. If you go to the Kingdom of Hailing, it will be really difficult for us to see each other again. Besides, you're inherently gentle and kind. If you can't get used to life there and someone bullies you, what should you do?"
Zhao Shuning nodded, thinking that Ye Qingluan was right.
"Yan'er, what do you think?"
"Mother is quite right."
"My good child, you must be suffering a lot in your heart. You're so kind. If you're not by mother's side in the future and someone bullies you, what should I do?"
"No, I'm not suffering. I'm not suffering at all."
Ye Qingluan hugged Zhao Shuning in her arms.
"Silly child, mother understands."
Understand what? I don't even understand yet, but you claim to understand me.
To prevent further discussions on this topic, Zhao Shuning quickly said, "Mother, will the banquet be grand?"
"No, it'll just be a simple gathering within our family. Your father also said that if we make a big deal out of it, more people will come. Once they know you don't have spiritual power, they'll surely ridicule the Marquis Mansion again."
"Father is the marquis of Ruoqiang. How dare anyone mock him?"
"Marquis? He is a marquis. But no matter how heroic a person is, he needs an heir. Otherwise, his skills will eventually be lost. Yan'er, your father will grow old. There will be more young people in Ruoqiang, and they will gradually rise. If your father doesn't have a child who can outshine those kids, it's only a matter of time before he loses respect."
Zhao Shuning finally understood why Luo Feiyan didn't want to go back. Presumably, over the years, apart from Luo Hao, the other young people in the family had also put a lot of pressure on her. Under such pressure, even the most lively and cheerful beauty would become depressed.
"Mother, I have something to ask you."
"What is it?"
Zhao Shuning took out a sachet from her bosom and held it in her hand. This sachet was given to her by Luo Feiyan before the temple fair. The stitching on the sachet was dense, probably made by a famous embroiderer.
"Besides me, who else knows this embroidery technique?"
"Let me take a look."
Ye Qingluan observed it carefully and then said, "The stitching is very similar to Aunt Liu's sewing habits, but I'm not sure. Why?"
Zhao Shuning shook her head.
"It's nothing. Just asking casually."
When she was rummaging through things, she once found a cloth bag embroidered with an orchid. The stitching was similar, and it was also something from the Marquis Mansion. Zhao Shuning took out the cloth bag again last night and found some white powder in it.
Previously, Zhao Shuning was busy rummaging through things and didn't study it carefully. Later, she found that all the clothes in Luo Feiyan's room had been soaked in Duanshun Powder to some extent.
"Mother, who assigned Yanzi as my maid? Was it you?"
Only then did Ye Qingluan react and ask, "By the way, where's Yanzi?"
"She's missing. Mother, was Yanzi assigned to me by you?"
"No. Yanzi was a maid selected by Yingniang from Aunt Liu's room. I saw that she had good skills and was willing to serve you, so I agreed."
Zhao Shuning lowered her eyes. She had always thought that Duanshun Powder was used to harm people, but she had overlooked its other effect—eliminating marks.
Yanzi was Aunt Liu's person. Since Luo Feiyan left the courtyard, she had been living in the Bamboo Grove. The clothes she wore there didn't have the smell of Duanshun Powder.
Moreover, not long after Yanzi disappeared, the mark of Loulan appeared on Luo Feiyan's body. At first, Zhao Shuning thought it was accidentally left when she bumped into a rock. But a few days ago, when Zhao Shuning went to take a look, the mark not only didn't disappear but became more and more obvious.
Perhaps this was a deception from the very beginning?
"Mother, who washes my clothes in the mansion?"
"The servants."
"Isn't there a fixed person?"
"No."
Was she just overthinking?
"However, Yingniang always delivers your washed clothes."
Yingniang? The maid in Liu Yuan's room?
Zhao Shuning had a bold assumption, but she wasn't sure. She thought that no matter how heartless a mother was, she shouldn't use her own child as a pawn and ignore the pawn's safety to such an extent.
If all this was true, then Luo Qiu's real self was really too miserable. When she was born, she was exchanged by her biological mother to the main wife. Later, to cover up the mark, her clothes were soaked in Duanshun Powder every day and then she was made to wear them. It was strange if the body of a baby in swaddling clothes could be healthy after wearing such clothes.
Luo Feiyan used to be very weak, but her health improved a lot after she moved to the Bamboo Grove.
Thinking about it this way, Yanzi was sent by Liu Yuan to be by Luo Feiyan's side. The reason she was placed there was probably to apply Duanshun Powder to her clothes every day.
When the time was checked, it seemed that the mark on Luo Feiyan's body appeared just after Yanzi disappeared.
To achieve her goal, Liu Yuan destroyed Ye Qingluan's biological child and didn't hesitate to poison her own child from a young age. No wonder everyone, including Ye Qingluan, thought that Luo Feiyan was in poor health.
"Yan'er, what are you thinking?"
"Ah, nothing."
This was just Zhao Shuning's current speculation. If it was true, then the place where Luo Feiyan used to live was really terrifying.