Chapter 200: The Water Is Too Deep, He Is Cowardly

The Second Mistress had fulfilled a wish, her spirit was much better, and she planned to go to pay respects to the Old Madam.

Halfway there, she heard the servants in the mansion discussing her niece entering the Jin Prince's Mansion. She erupted on the spot, scolding the servants sternly, shouting and killing.

The commotion was loud, alarming the Old Madam.

The Old Madam had been feeling stifled these days.

The Master had returned with victory, although he hadn't been promoted, at least he had received the imperial court's rewards, received the Emperor's praise, and brought back a large amount of wealth. The power of the First Branch had risen, which could be described as being in the middle of the sky, and the Second Branch could only retreat, having to ask for instructions from the First Branch in everything.

Having been the master of the Marquis Prefecture for ten or twenty years, suddenly becoming a worker working for the First Branch, everyone in the Second Branch couldn't swallow this breath.

The Old Madam was even more stifled and lay down for several days, using the excuse of the hot weather and suffering from the summer heat to muddle through, not letting anyone see the joke.

Learning that the Second Mistress was making trouble again, her anger burned up. "Invite the Second Mistress here. She has only been quiet for a few days, and she is making trouble again. Is she afraid that outsiders don't know the ugly things her niece did? The Marquis Prefecture followed her to lose face, and I didn't blame her, yet she still has the face to make trouble."

The Second Mistress was invited, originally very angry, wanting to take the opportunity to file a complaint—the servants in the mansion were becoming less and less disciplined and were in chaos. They must be seriously rectified!

But she didn't expect that as soon as the Old Madam opened her mouth, she was scolded from head to toe, and the Second Mistress was completely dumbfounded.

The Old Madam pointed at her face. "Look at you, are you still afraid that it's not embarrassing enough? Do you have to make it known to everyone on the street before you are satisfied? The face of the Marquis Prefecture has been implicated by your family, and I didn't want to say much. Right now, the days are difficult; can you show some consideration for me and not let me, at my age, still worry for you all."

The Second Mistress felt aggrieved. "Old Madam, daughter-in-law..."

"Shut up! I think you should go back and continue lying down; you don't need to worry about things outside."

The Second Mistress was scolded away in a gray manner, losing both face and lining.

The Old Madam didn't give the Second Mistress face in front of the servants, but after thinking about it, she still regretted it a little. That was her daughter-in-law after all; having lost face, how could she discipline the servants?

But she would never admit her regret in words, only scolding more severely.

The matter reached the Master's ears.

The Master was in the study, accompanied by a guest, appreciating the calligraphy and paintings he had just obtained, cultivating his character.

The butler bowed and served on the side.

"The Old Madam is anxious and angry, with too much heart fire. Go and invite a doctor for the Old Madam and prescribe two doses of medicine to lower the fire." The Master instructed.

The butler's face was hesitant. "Master, is it appropriate to do this?"

"What's inappropriate about it? I, as a son, respect the Old Madam—is there anything wrong with that? Even though she is not my biological mother, I have always respected her as a mother. Go!" The Master had an attitude of taking it for granted, and his words were high-sounding. Several guests also flattered him, praising the Master for his filial piety.

The butler's feet didn't move, and his heart was extremely conflicted. "Master, the weather is hot; if the Old Madam has any accident..." If the Old Madam was angered to death by the Master, what should be done?

Even if the Old Madam died, it could only be from illness or some other cause; in any case, it could not have the slightest connection with the Master. There were many people in the imperial court eyeing the Master, and if the Second Master was pushed to the limit, he could really pull together a team of people. Even if he couldn't kill someone, he could make them stink.

In officialdom, reputation is the most important thing. Especially for someone at the Master's level, there must be absolutely no unfilial behavior. The rumor of angering a stepmother to death is the bottom line. Once this line is touched, the imperial court and the palace have an excuse to clean up the Master.

The Master clearly understood the butler's implication and also understood what the butler was worried about.

He laughed. "What are you afraid of! The Old Madam's body is very good; she has at least ten or eight years left. Hurry up and do as I say. This Marquis is a very filial son."

The butler sighed secretly, very helpless, and could only obey orders, arranging for someone to invite a doctor to prescribe medicine for the Old Madam to lower the fire.

Old Madam:...

The stepson is filial to her; what can she do?

She could only smile and accept this filial piety, hiding the anger in her belly, and ordered people to send various tonics to the Master.

What a picture of motherly kindness and filial piety!

Outsiders who didn't know the truth were moved to tears!

Master Du brought a piece of news to Chen Guanlou.

"The Master learned that Liu Daowen is imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison and specified that he wants the famous painting 'Stepping on Snow' in Liu Daowen's hands! The Master wants you to find a way, and the price is negotiable."

"Why did the Master suddenly think of the painting in Liu Daowen's hands?"

Master Du looked around and whispered, "The Master seems to have received news that the imperial court's verdict on Liu Daowen seems to have had a result. The Master wants to take the famous painting before the imperial court takes action."

Liu Daowen relied on Jiang Tu and was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, but he hadn't been raided, and most of the wealth in his home had been preserved.

Listening to the Master's meaning, was it going to be a raid?

If the house was raided, the good things would all go into the old Emperor's small treasury, and it would be impossible to get involved again.

"I will do my best in this matter."

"It's not doing your best, but you must take 'Stepping on Snow'."

"Why?" Chen Guanlou asked.

Master Du analyzed for him, "You have already entered the Master's eyes. If you handle this matter well, the Master will certainly have use for you in the future. From now on, relying on the Master, you will be developed. If this matter is botched and the Master is disappointed in you, wanting to hug the Master's thigh in the future will be difficult!"

Chen Guanlou pretended not to understand and asked casually, "What can the Master have for me to handle? There are so many capable people in the Marquis Prefecture waiting to be dispatched, waiting to share the Master's worries. The Master is not lacking in talent."

"Talent is not lacking. But, surnamed Chen, talent of the same clan is lacking! The same surname, the same clan, has a natural sense of trust. Little Chen, don't miss the opportunity."

Chen Guanlou deliberated.

Finding Liu Daowen to buy the painting was simple. If Liu Daowen knew that there was a possibility of being raided, he would certainly find a way to sell a portion of his wealth first.

As for how to hug the Master's thigh, Chen Guanlou wasn't sure.

Hugging the Master's thigh was undoubtedly the plan set from the beginning. But his landing point was more about trading, not just hugging the thigh. To share the Master's worries and run errands for the Master—did he have to go to this extent?

"What are you hesitating about?" Master Du didn't understand Chen Guanlou's thoughts. Such a good opportunity was delivered to his door; why was his reaction always different from others?

"Forget it, it was passed down by an ancestor. The Marquis Prefecture can't really be exterminated to the third generation."

"Bah bah bah, talking nonsense all day long." Master Du felt it was unlucky. "Can you hope for something good? The Master just returned from winning a battle and is in the middle of the sky; why would you think about exterminating the third generation?"

Chen Guanlou laughed and pulled two sentences to muddle through. He couldn't say that the palace was not peaceful and the old Emperor was deeply suspicious of the Master.

According to the news he inquired about, the nobles basically stood with the Crown Prince.

However, the Crown Prince and the old Emperor were now like fire and water. If this pair of father and son broke out into a bloody conflict, it was hard to guarantee that the Marquis Prefecture wouldn't be implicated.

This water was too deep, and he was afraid just by looking at it from the shore.

He just wanted to watch the fire from the other side and be a simple prison guard. ===== CHAPTER 201 =====