Cloud of the Qing Dynasty

"The owner of Qin is serious. Since the owner of Qin also said that he will seek cooperation in many aspects in the future, there should be no quarrel between us. You also know that Liu Yun and I are deeply involved in this case, I was unjustly hunted down and almost died, and Liu Yun was seriously injured and his martial arts was useless, so as long as there are any doubts behind this case, we must investigate to the end." Zhang Chi said, "We have no intention of inquiring into other people's family affairs, I can swear that As long as it is proved that the owner of Qin Zhuang has nothing to do with the murder case, I will treat everything I heard today as if I have never heard it, and I will not mention it to any third party until my death."

Mu Liuyun said, "Me too."

Qin Wuqi sighed, and finally opened his mouth: "As you guessed, I have absolutely no reason to kill Yongning Hou, because the relationship between me and him...is indeed a father-son relationship."

Both Zhang Chi and Mu Liuyun looked at him and waited for the next sentence, Qin Wuqi said slowly: "I didn't know about these past events until the day I was arrested and released from prison, my mother was pregnant back then, Unexpectedly, she suddenly encountered regretting her marriage, and all thoughts were lost for a moment. Situ's family style is very strict. Pregnancy out of wedlock is unforgivable. She even thought of committing suicide to save her name. , I am no longer what I am today. You must be aware of the relationship between my adoptive father and uncle. At that time, there were already some unpleasant rumors inside and outside Jinghong Villa. The adoptive father thought of marrying my mother as a wife as a cover. , the reputations of both parties can be preserved.”

Zhang Chi asked: "Then what happened when you were born? If I'm not mistaken, you should have been born eleven months after Lingtang married Senior Qin Wushang. Why?"

"Birth time can be forged. My mother lived in seclusion after marriage, and no one would notice if I put more pillows for two or three months. Moreover, the baby's appearance was basically the same. On the day of the full moon wine, my uncle found another baby who had just been full moon to pretend to be a baby." I, no one else has seen me since then, and there are only two most trustworthy old servants in my mother's courtyard, and when I show up in front of people again, I will already be three or four years old, even if it is a few months away, Who else can see it."

Zhang Chi nodded: "The method is not bad, but since this matter was done seamlessly back then, how did Qing Wan convince Marquis Yongning that you are his son?"

Qin Wuqi hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Because Qingwan...is actually my biological mother, Situ Yanran herself."

"What?!" Even the well-informed Zhang Chi was stunned by the news.

Mu Liuyun was also puzzled: "But I seem to have heard that your mother is a famous beauty?"

Qin Wuqi said: "It's not easy for a woman to become beautiful, or to maintain her original beauty, but isn't it easy to become ugly?"

"But why did she destroy her appearance and live as your wet nurse?"

"It's still because of the Marquis of Yongning." Qin Wuqi sighed, "After more than two years after I was born, the Marquis of Yongning's position has gradually stabilized, so he thought of my mother again. Even if he didn't know that I was his son, he would Unwilling to give up, she still came to the door several times, pestering a married woman endlessly. My mother was very grateful to my adoptive father and uncle, and she didn't want to cause trouble for them because of herself, so she proposed the strategy of feigning death. I hope that Yongning Hou can do this She gave up and stopped pestering me. But she couldn't let go of me when I was still young, so she applied the potion prepared by her adoptive father on my face, making my appearance much uglier, and then disguised it a little, and stayed by my side as a nurse Keep taking care of me."

Zhang Chi thought about Qingwan's appearance. In fact, the woman's eyebrows, eyes and facial features are considered correct. The reason why she is not beautiful is mainly because her skin is sallow and rough, her eyebrows are sparse, and she has a few moles on her face, and she is not young after all. She deliberately dressed plainly and did not make up any clothes. If she wasn't someone she knew very well, it would be really hard to think that this plain-looking middle-aged woman turned out to be the stunning beauty who was famous for a while.

Qin Wuqi said again: "When I heard that I was arrested by the Marquis of Yongning, my mother was so anxious that she rushed to the capital all night and was exhausted all the way. After coming back, she has been in poor health. I hope you two will not use these old things to stimulate her. If If you have any questions, just ask me."

"Villa Master Qin is full of filial piety, we should obey our orders." Zhang Chi said, "Then what happened after you father and son recognized each other?"

"After that, there is nothing worth mentioning. He hoped that I would stop confronting the court and him, and he also promised me that my concession would be rewarded. I agreed, and I have been appeasing him for the next few months. The subordinate, taking stock of the accounts, was going to hand over some properties under Jinghong Villa to the imperial court for handling, but what he did not expect was the sad news of his murder."

Zhang Chi said strangely: "I understand that we can't recognize each other publicly, but after all, they are blood relatives of father and son. Why did Lord Qin do nothing after Yongning Hou was killed?"

Qin Wuqi shook his head and said, "How do you know that I didn't do anything? How did that Yi Qiuhua who you thought was good-looking fell to his death? It's just that my relationship with him should not be made public, and I can't openly express my condolences for him. And To be honest, there is no father-son relationship between me and him. He has never raised me for a day, and he failed my mother first, and even used some shady means to arrest me and put me in prison. He always has an unspeakable emotion. But I really have no reason to harm him. I know that Yi Qiuhua is not his own, and I am his only heir. If he is still alive, how much benefit can he give me, I think you will Should be able to understand."

"Indeed." Zhang Chi took it for granted. With such a powerful father, even if he couldn't publicly recognize him, the benefits he would get behind him would be immeasurable. A fool with such a big backer would not want it. Now he has basically believed in Qin Wuqi It's not the murderer who killed Yongning Hou.

Qin Wuqi asked: "I've said everything I need to say, is there anything else you don't understand?"

Zhang Chi shook his head: "No, I'm sorry for doubting Mr. Qin before. Thank you Mr. Qin for answering my doubts."

"It's okay, as long as the misunderstanding can be explained clearly." Regardless of Qin Wuqi's mood, at least on the surface he still maintains due courtesy.

After the two left, Mu Liuyun asked Zhang Chi, "Now you should trust Qin Wuqi, right?"

Zhang Chi nodded: "When I return to Beijing, I will verify whether what he said is true or not. As long as Qin Wuqi didn't lie, it can be concluded that he really had no reason to kill Yongninghou. But don't think too much about it for now. , let's attend the wedding with peace of mind."

***

In the next two or three days, guests from far and near had arrived, and it was finally time for Qin Wuqi's wedding day.

According to the normal wedding process, the groom should go out to the bride's natal home in the middle of the night to pick up the bride, but Cheng Xiayue's natal home is empty, and it is indeed too troublesome to travel thousands of miles from the capital to pick up the bride, so Cheng Xiayue came to Jinghong Villa ahead of time, just a few days According to the etiquette, I didn't come out to meet people within a few days.

On the day of the wedding, Qin Wuqi, who was dressed in a bright red groom's official attire, looked extraordinarily high-spirited. He rode a snow-white horse, led a sedan chair carried by eight people, and left the village through the back door, crossed the pontoon bridge, and walked around the main street of Wuling City. , and entered the Jinghong Villa through the main entrance, even if the process of picking up the bride was completed.

All the shops on the street were dressed in red and colorful. Wherever the sedan chair went, gongs, drums, and firecrackers were fired to celebrate the owner of Qin Zhuang, which was even more lively than New Year's Eve.

But Zhang Chi didn't follow to the street to watch the excitement. Since Mu Liuyun didn't want to go out, he suppressed his urge to join in the fun and stayed with Mu Liuyun, only meeting with Mu Liuyun when the welcoming team returned to Jinghong Villa. Liu Yun went over to watch.

It is said that many etiquettes for second-married women should be simple, but Qin Wuqi did everything according to the first marriage, and no matter how grand it was, he got off the horse and waited for the matchmaker to remove Cheng Xiayue, who was wearing a red hijab, from the sedan chair He helped her down, and led her across the brazier with a piece of red silk, past the crowd of onlookers on both sides, and came to the main hall to worship heaven and earth.

When the newcomer paid their respects to the high hall for the second time, they only paid respects to the ancestral tablets enshrined on the table, including the deceased owners of Jinghong Villa, and also the spiritual tablets of Cheng Xiayue's parents.As for the former owner Ye Qinghong and Qin Wushang, if they said that they retired, they would retire completely. Even Qin Wuqi's big wedding did not appear, and Qing Wan, who was actually Qin Wuqi's biological mother, had no intention of making those unbearable past events public. , just standing in the crowd as a wet nurse.

Zhang Chi didn't step forward to disturb her, but just watched her secretly for a while in the crowd. Qingwan's expression was obviously a little sick and haggard, but when she looked at the couple, her expression was gratified and loving, and she looked closely at the couple. Underneath, her facial features really resemble Qin Wuqi.

As the master of ceremonies yelled: "Courtesy-sent to the bridal chamber--" the crowd roared, but they only dared to shout, unless they were tired of work, they would want to go to the bridal chamber of the owner of Jinghong Villa.

Song Ci and the others smiled and led everyone to the banquet. Due to too many people, the wedding banquet had to be divided into two venues. Dozens of tables were set up in the hall of Jinghong Villa, reserved for the distinguished guests who came with invitations. More than a hundred tables of flowing water seats on the square entertained other people who came to congratulate.

Everyone in the Shangqing Palace, including Mu Liuyun and the "family" Zhang Chi, are naturally among the VIPs. Others who are eligible to sit in the hall are also prominent figures from various sects. There is no such thing as Qi Laosan's bachelor world. He was a gangster, so Zhang Chi never expected that someone would suddenly attack him on such an occasion.

He was talking about some funny things, trying to make Mu Liuyun smile, when suddenly a wine jug flew over obliquely, Qingliu next to him reacted quickly, and subconsciously stretched out his hand to open the wine jug, but some wine still spilled out. It splashed on Mu Liuyun's hair and clothes.

Mu Liuyun, who always loves to be clean, frowned, while Zhang Chi, who was frightened, hurriedly stood up to protect him: "Who did it! Come out!"

A middle-aged woman pushed away several people who tried to stop her, and came out with red eyes. Under the surprised eyes of everyone, she pulled her belt, took off her outer robe and threw it on the ground, revealing the snow-white mourning dress inside. .