Destroyed outside, gold and jade inside

Chapter 124
"Understood." Qin Ran nodded and waved his followers back.

Shen Xinniang and her party walked slowly along the corridor, looking at the surrounding scenery.In winter, although it is not as beautiful as a hundred flowers blooming, there are one or two red plums standing against the wall from time to time, full of dark fragrance.

"Does the Qin family have a tea room for maids?" Shen Xiniang asked as she sat down to rest in the corridor, looking at the maid who was leading the way.

The servant girl was slightly taken aback, then shook her head and said, "Even the big servant girls next to the master don't get such treatment, but they have their own room, and the little servant girls help fetch water and make tea, so there is no need for a special tea room. "

Shen Xinniang nodded slowly.

The maid was thinking that this lady's question was very strange, but she heard an even stranger question.

"How to deal with the leftover food in the Qin family?" Shen Xiniang asked.

The servant girl opened her mouth slightly. Can a concubine's sister be involved in this kind of matter?

Jin Xiang and Dan Xin glanced sideways at Shen Xinniang, both a little confused.

Shen Xinniang looked at the maid leading the way, as if waiting for her answer.

"I didn't do anything about it. There are many Qin families, and there are many masters. If the master can't use up, he will reward the servants. If the servants can't use up, there are peasants living nearby, and there will be people who often come to the Qin family to help. Bring the leftovers back home." The little maid said, "If it's good, it might be used by others; if it's bad, it can be fed to livestock."

Shen Xinniang nodded.The servant girl thought she would ask more questions, but saw that she had already got up and walked back.

"Is the lady not going around anymore?" The maid hurriedly caught up.

Shen Xinniang shook her head, "There is still a chance."

The servant girl frowned slightly when she heard the words, why is she as happy as the master when she comes to be a guest?If it wasn't for the young master's explanation, she wouldn't be bothered to serve her!
Shen Xiniang returned to the courtyard of the guest room, but the door of Shen Siniang's room was still closed.She cried all night, and she may have fallen asleep at this moment, Shen Xinniang didn't bother her.He only ordered Jin Xiang to say: "Go around and ask around to see if there is anyone whose house suddenly died of a person or livestock. If there is, come and have a look."

Jin Xiang heard the words and said, "Lady thinks that Fourth Lady's maid was poisoned in the food?"

Shen Xinniang didn't speak, in such a short period of time, poisoning food and drink is the most convenient way to kill someone.It's just to deal with a maid, there's no need to go through too much trouble, just put the poison in the food, which is convenient and labor-saving.

Jin Xiang didn't ask any more questions, and took orders to leave.

In the evening, Jin Xiang came back from outside.

With a solemn face, she cupped her hands and said to Shen Xinniang: "Young lady, you expected it to be true, and there really is! The servant girl went to inquire, and heard that the sow pig (pig) in the home of a woman who often worked in the Qin's house was not bright this morning. He died. The family originally wanted to slaughter the mother pig, but the barefoot doctor in the town advised them not to eat it. The family threw the mother pig on the back mountain. The maidservant went to look for it, but the mother pig had black nose and hair. There is black blood at the corner of the mouth, it seems to be poisoned."

"So, the maid of the fourth lady was really killed by poison in the food?" Dan Xin leaned over and asked with staring eyes.

Shen Xinniang lowered her eyes and did not speak.

"Who is it? Who wants to make trouble with her?" Jin Xiang asked angrily.

"They just came yesterday, even if that servant girl had a bad word with people and offended people, she wouldn't be killed." Shen Xinniang said slowly, "Whoever has no grievances or enmity wants to plot people's lives... "

"Sister, let's go." Shen Siniang's voice suddenly came from the door.

The three masters and servants in the house raised their heads.

Shen Siniang walked in with red eyes.

Her hair was simply pulled back, her face was plain white, her eyes were swollen, and she was haggard and pale.

"Sister, she just died for me. Mrs. Qin doesn't like me. She could tell when she came back yesterday. She poisoned and killed my maid, but it was just to tell me to retreat... I am also ignorant, why am I delusional?" Be his woman... Sister, let's go together and leave the Qin family!" Shen Siniang said with a choked voice.

"I also think that Mrs. Qin did this matter. The purpose of poisoning your maid is to force you to leave." Shen Xinniang said slowly.

Shen Siniang nodded again and again, "I know, I know, I didn't listen to my sister's persuasion at the beginning... I really regret it now, if I didn't have such delusional thoughts in my heart, now... how can I get to this point now? Sister, let's go!"

"But, don't you find it strange?" Shen Xinniang looked at her and asked.

Shen Siniang sniffed, "What's so strange?"

"You are only here for the first day, and Mrs. Qin hasn't had contact with you yet, and she doesn't even know you at all. Why do she hate you so much, and even risk her life to force you away?" Shen Xinniang asked slowly.

There was a sudden silence in the room.

Shen Siniang was stunned for a moment, "She doesn't look down on my identity. Didn't the Qin family always disdain dealing with the court, let alone marrying officials in the court? Not surprisingly."

Shen Xinniang shook her head, "If Qin Ran wants to marry you as his wife, it's reasonable for her to object so much. Taking a concubine, high or low status, is it that important? Qin Langjun is already in his twenties. His family background, at his age, it is not surprising even if he has a group of wives and concubines and a bunch of children. But he, not to mention his first wife, does not even have a serious concubine. generally opposed."

Both Jin Xiang and Dan Xin's eyes widened, waiting to hear the next sentence.

Shen Siniang also forgot to cry, thinking about what her sister said, it sounds really extraordinary.

But Shen Xinniang stopped talking and did not continue to analyze.

"What does this mean?" Jin Xiang couldn't help asking.

"Qin Langjun can't do it?" Dan Xin suddenly said something.

All the people present were women, and they were embarrassed when they heard this.Only Shen Xinniang shook her head as usual, "If it's Qin Langjun's problem, Mrs. Qin should welcome him to bring his concubine back. Even if I don't like it, I should consider it for the successor of the Qin family. Qin Langjun is Even if her only direct son doesn't like Si Niang, he should urge Si Niang to spread the branches and leaves for the Qin family, instead of forcing people to leave with poisonous hands."

"This Mrs. Qin, is it really strange?" Dan Xin shook her head, unable to understand.

"It sounds really weird. Although Lord Qin accepted me, but...he never touched me..." Shen Siniang said in embarrassment.

Dan Xin and Jin Xiang looked at her with such expressions.

Shen Xinniang lowered her eyes, her dark eyes were full of doubts.

"Why do you feel that the Qin family is full of weirdness? Big sister, let's go?" Shen Siniang said again, thinking of the purpose of this trip, she added, "When sister finds what she is looking for, let's go. Go with my sister."

"Behind the abnormal things, there must be unknown reasons." Shen Xinniang said slowly.

Shen Siniang shook her head again and again, "What does that have to do with us? The Qin family has a big business, and there are always secret affairs in the big family. I don't want to know the reason, I just want to... just leave..."

Shen Xinniang looked up at her.

Shen Siniang was very embarrassed, she was the one who couldn't wait to get close to Qin Ran, no matter how her sister tried to persuade her, she would not listen.She is the one who can't wait to leave now!Previously, he tried his best to attract Qin Ran's attention, but now he just wants to escape in embarrassment.

"Don't think about it, go to rest, have a good sleep, wake up from the dream, and you'll be fine." Shen Xinniang probably seldom comforted others, her tone of voice was as flat as ever.

Shen Siniang nodded and went back to her room.

Shen Xinniang got up and walked around the courtyard, picking up a long branch.Standing in a very clean space under the tree, holding a branch, painting something.

Dan Xin used the small kitchen in the courtyard of the guest room to make some snacks for Shen Xiniang, and sent some to Shen Siniang.Jin Xiang made tea, laid out mats, and set up a tea table beside Shen Xinniang.

After the two of them finished their work, they saw Shen Xinniang still scribbling and drawing on the ground.

"What did the lady paint?" Jin Xiang couldn't help asking.

Shen Xinniang reached out and drew a circle on the ground with a branch.Some seemingly messy things are enclosed in the circle, and some are left outside.

"Did you see it?" Shen Xinniang asked in a low voice.

Jin Xiang widened her eyes and looked carefully, then shook her head after a long while, "My lady... the maidservant may be really stupid..."

Shen Xinniang lowered her eyes and said: "This is the Qin family's feng shui array, here is the eye of the array." The branch pointed to a point east by south in the circle.

"Here is the guest room we live in." The branches fell on the outer edge of the circle again.

Jin Xiang frowned, as if trying to remember the dotted things drawn by the lady.

But Shen Xinniang said, "You don't have to remember, go and take a look at the structure of the Qin family. Where is the Qin family at this moment? If I guessed correctly, it should be the main courtyard of the Qin family, the head of the family and the head of the family. where you live."

"Shouldn't the main courtyard be on the central axis? The location pointed by the lady is not on the central axis of the Qin family?" Jin Xiang asked with a frown as he looked at the sketch of the formation on the ground.

"Go and have a look, and you'll know." Shen Xinniang raised her hand and used a branch to mess up the sketches she had drawn for a long time on the ground, and she threw the branch aside casually.

Jin Xiang took the order and left. She knelt down on the mat and cooked tea gracefully.The fragrance of tea curls up, and the courtyard is quiet.

Jin Xiang tried many times, but failed.

"Miss, the Qin family looks quiet and quiet, as if there are no guards, but the secret is heavily guarded. Especially in the main courtyard. The servant girl can't get close at all. As soon as he approached the main courtyard and wanted to take a peek, someone came out , to drive the servant girl away. The Qin family's main courtyard is really not on the central axis, this layout is really strange."

Shen Xinniang nodded.

"Then what are you going to do, lady? Now we seem to be unable to do anything? The fourth lady's maid, the Qin family just paid for the money and settled down, and didn't mention it..." Dan Xin asked with a frown on the side.

"Wait." Shen Xinniang said.

"What are you waiting for?" Jin Xiang and Dan Xin said in unison.

"Wait for Qin Ran to speak." Shen Xiniang said slowly.

(End of this chapter)