Chapter 279: Chapter 280: Inquiry

Gu Yifeng returned to his room and called Zhang Wu and Li Si in to talk.

“Earlier, I instructed you to inquire about matters at the Dong Mansion. How did your investigation go?” Gu Yifeng formally asked Li Si.

Li Si wasn’t sure what exactly the Marquis had read in the letter. Now that he had asked about the Dong Mansion again, he stepped forward to report, “I went to inquire. Indeed, Imperial Tutor Dong has his own privately cherished wine collection, but he rarely brings it out. Hardly anyone in the mansion has tasted it. When Madam returned to the mansion, she did indeed request some of Imperial Tutor Dong’s treasured wine.”

Li Si paused here, unsure how to respond, as the Marquis had asked him to get some of that wine, but the Imperial Tutor Mansion never gave it away, and it couldn’t be obtained elsewhere. If one really wanted to acquire Imperial Tutor Dong’s wine, one would have to steal it.

Seeing that the Marquis did not pursue the matter further, Li Si did not mention it again. Now that the Marquis brought it up once more, he could only express his difficulties.

He was worried that the Marquis might blame him.

Gu Yifeng nodded, “Pass the word along to have someone get some wine from the East Dong Mansion.”

Li Si acknowledged; since the Marquis had already arranged for someone to steal it, he could let others handle it without worry.

Zhang Wu and Li Si stood respectfully with their heads down on the side, and Gu Yifeng said no more, lightly tapping the table.

“There’s news from the mansion that Madam is pregnant.”

“Congratulations, Marquis.” The two immediately congratulated upon hearing the news.

Gu Yifeng remained silent; upon hearing the news, he was genuinely happy. All these years, there had been no news from the mansion, but he couldn’t understand why, after receiving a letter from Mrs. Dong, he couldn’t feel the joy.

Especially since his intuition, honed over years in a high position, told him that this matter might not be so simple.

“Delay taking action for now. After half a month, when we reach the border city, Zhang Wu, take some things back to the Capital and have someone keep an eye on everything, especially any interactions between Madam and the East Mansion,” Gu Yifeng contemplated for a moment before speaking. “Now there’s an open and covert struggle between the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince, and the Marquis Mansion is caught in it. Madam and the Old Madam are in the Capital; they might be overwhelmed with certain matters. Once Zhang Wu returns to the Capital, just monitor the mansion’s affairs closely.”

Zhang Wu respectfully agreed, and both then withdrew.

Outside, away from others, Li Si pulled Zhang Wu aside to speak, “I find something strange about our lord; shouldn’t he be happy that Madam is pregnant? Why does he still appear so serious?”

Just like someone who feels cuckolded.

Yet, Li Si didn’t dare utter these words.

Zhang Wu jestingly glanced at him, “You don’t understand. Sometimes, something you’ve hoped for years suddenly happens, and instead of excitement, there’s fear and disbelief. If you want to understand sooner, you should seek favor and quickly marry Miss Shanmoi. Then you’ll understand.”

Li Si, knowing he was being teased, didn’t feel embarrassed but laughed, “Rest assured, I’ve already spoken to the Marquis, and he told me to work on it myself. I must get Shanmoi to agree on her own; you see, we’re considerate of the First Madam, and Shanmoi is close to her. Even if she’s a maid, we dare not displease the First Madam by directly granting me favor.”

“Kid, you still have a clear head, knowing your way around. But don’t worry, I think Shanmoi has some fondness for you, so you shouldn’t have a problem.”

Before Zhang Wu could finish, Li Si had already pulled him excitedly, “Really? You’ve seen it? Then that makes things easier; I thought I was the only one eager. Now it’s clear.”

“Alright, alright, knowing you can’t keep your cool, I should’ve kept it to myself. Now, because I’ve told you, you’ll run to Shanmoi and say these things. Watch it, or she’ll get embarrassed and angry and ignore you in the future.” Zhang Wu half-seriously warned him.

Li Si nodded repeatedly, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

Zhang Wu made no sound, but he knew Li Si understood what he should do.

The next morning, while having breakfast at the inn, Shanmoi took the opportunity to pull Li Si aside and quietly inquire, “What happened at the Marquis Mansion? The Marquis doesn’t seem too happy.”

Li Si smiled, thinking it rare for Shanmoi to initiate conversation with him, so he spoke, quietly mentioning the news of Mrs. Dong being pregnant.

Shanmoi, upon hearing it, was momentarily stunned. Li Si immediately realized he might have made a mistake. Shanmoi was the head maid beside Miss Lin, who had become the First Madam. Now that Mrs. Dong was pregnant, the First Madam would understandably feel uneasy, especially since Shanmoi was protective of her mistress.

Li Si started to regret it, thinking he was trying to ingratiate himself with Shanmoi, but he might have misjudged the situation.

“So that’s it. Alright, I have to serve our young lady with her meal now.” Shanmoi thanked him and turned away.

After receiving the news, Shanmoi didn’t dare report it directly to the young lady. Instead, she confided in Hailan to share the news discreetly.

Hailan, being someone with a mind of her own, suggested, “Rather than letting the young lady hear it from others, it’s better for us to tell her ourselves. Besides, with Mrs. Dong being pregnant, it’s only natural, and the young lady need not be upset. Trust me, she has a broader perspective than we do.”

Shanmoi nodded, yet couldn’t contain her worry, “Who would’ve thought? All these years, there was nothing, and the young lady had just gotten married shortly before something happened over there. It feels intentional.”

Hailan playfully hit her, “Nonsense. How could such a thing be intentional? Everyone wishes for an early child, and you know how many years those people in the mansion have been waiting.”

Shanmoi stuck out her tongue, and finally, the two went into the guest room together.

In the end, it was Hailan who relayed the matter. Lin Youning, while combing her hair, paused her hand with the wooden comb momentarily but then smiled, “This is good news. My big brother must have been startled yesterday. After all, with no indication all these years, suddenly receiving such news, how could one adapt?”

“Nanny Guo has many recipes for nourishing the body. When we reach the border city, we’ll have Nanny Guo prepare some for the young lady,” Hailan said while helping comb her hair, smiling as she spoke.

Lin Youning merely smiled faintly and said no more. The matters between her and big brother were only shared with her sister-in-law, and not known by the two maids.

Especially since, sometimes, the way she and big brother lay intimately next to each other, even if she told the two maids that they were pure, they would still feel suspicious. Why make such intimate arrangements if they had agreed otherwise?

And precisely because of this, Lin Youning felt that talking about it and then going through such incidents would be awkward in front of the two maids, so she hadn’t mentioned it to them.

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