Chapter 283: Red rain from the sky

The east broke dawn, and it finally became bright.

Li Xiao returned to the Commandery Prince's mansion with a restless heart, still walking through that back door, his mother, Nanny Shang, was dozing off by the door, and immediately opened her eyes when she heard the movement.

First, she aimed around, and after confirming no one was there, she pulled her son and asked in a low voice: "How is it, is it going smoothly?"

Li Xiao opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping.

Shang Chun's face changed. "Was seen by someone?"

Li Xiao didn't hide it either, and told the story of meeting a "ghost" in the White Birch Forest, and after finishing, he stomped his feet in regret. "Later, the more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt, there was no ghost at all, it was clearly pretending to be a ghost, so I immediately ran back to look, but the person was gone, and the corpse was gone..."

Needless to say, it must have been picked up by that brat.

"Mother, what should we do now?" Thinking of Su Jin Xiu's usual methods, Li Xiao was so nervous that his palms were sweating. "If the Princess Consort finds out that I messed up the matter, who knows how she will punish me!"

Shang Chun poked his forehead hard with two fingers, hating that iron couldn't become steel. "You coward, you were usually quite bold, why are you useless at the critical moment."

Li Xiao hung his head, not daring to make a sound.

It was mainly because that brat appeared in such an inappropriate place, near the mass grave, and looking like a ghost, who wouldn't be scared when encountering it?

Things have reached this point, there is no other way, can only think of a plan.

Shang Chun rolled her eyes, and had an idea. "This way, if the Princess Consort asks, you just say the corpse has already been thrown into the mass grave, you watched it being dragged away by wolves with your own eyes, don't say anything else."

Li Xiao was a bit guilty. "What if that brat sent the corpse to the prefectural Ya Men?"

By then, wouldn't the Princess Consort know he was lying?

"Wait until it's sent." Shang Chun waved her hand irritably. "At worst, I'll go to the Princess Consort and beg for mercy, and take a punishment, it won't cost your life, right?"

She was an old person who had been by the Princess Consort's side since she was young, and the Princess Consort had her status today, she could be considered to have contributed, so she thought the Princess Consort would give her this face.

With his own mother guaranteeing, Li Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Busy for half the night, and being frightened, he was also tired, and couldn't help but yawn.

Seeing her son so sleepy, Shang Chun felt heartache, but now was not the time for heartache. "You hurry back to the room and pack up, set off for Wutou Xian immediately, inquire clearly about the situation of the Jiang family, and come back to report to the Princess Consort."

Li Xiao said "oh," and ran away in a flash.

"Sigh, a life of worrying..." Looking at his departing back, Shang Chun sighed.

She looked up at the sky.

The weather today was not good, gray and gloomy, a few dark clouds were moving toward this side sneakily from afar, looking like they were ready to rain for you at any time.

Making people's mood even worse.

Shang Chun withdrew her gaze, lowered her head and checked her clothes, confirming that she hadn't been splashed with Lou Dong'er's blood, and then lifted her feet to walk toward the front courtyard.

The front courtyard was much livelier than the side courtyard behind.

The servants in the Commandery Prince's mansion started to get busy early in the morning, cleaning, watering flowers, and from time to time, someone would respectfully call "Nanny Shang."

If it were usual, Shang Chun would definitely hold her chin high, count on this one and that one, and put on the airs of being superior.

But at this moment, she had no such mood at all, always feeling that she had missed a very important thing.

What is it?

Shang Chun walked, while repeatedly recalling in her mind.

Finally, just before entering the main courtyard, she reacted, and slapped her thigh violently, "Bad, forgot this!"

Assuming that the corpse was really sent to the prefectural Ya Men, then with Su Qingyao's personality of doing things personally, it was very likely that he would see it.

Then things would be terrible!

Back then, Su Qingyao was devoted to his own sister Su Qing Ci, giving her whatever she wanted to eat or play with, and even if it rained red from the sky, he would set up a ladder to pick stars for her.

It could be said that she was pampered to the extreme.

For the people around Su Qing Ci, he remembered everyone clearly, one by one.

Therefore, he recognized Lou Dong'er.

Even if twenty years had passed, Lou Dong'er was old and thin, but the outline was still there, she could recognize it at a glance, how could Su Qingyao not recognize it? 【283-

Thinking of this, Shang Chun's legs went weak, and she nearly slipped to the ground.

It's over; having finally found a lead, Su Qingyao will definitely follow the vine to find the melon and investigate further.

Once the truth of that year is exposed, the consequences...

Shang Chun simply dared not think any further!

She clutched her pounding old heart, plopped down onto the edge of the flower bed, closed her eyes, and forced herself to calm down.

No, no, no, don't scare yourself first; things might not necessarily reach that point.

Ordinary people who see a corpse, to avoid being mistaken for the murderer, would mostly ignore it; those with a kind heart would at most dig a hole and bury it, it is impossible they would send it to the government office.

That is purely asking for trouble.

Even if there really were such a stubborn fool who sent the corpse over, so what?

Lou Dong'er is already dead; dead people cannot speak, let alone testify.

And previously, Lou Dong'er had also revealed in the interrogation room that she had not disclosed the events of that year to anyone, including her stepson, Yang Dian Feng.

So, what is there to be afraid of?

Everything is under control!

Phew.

The three souls and seven spirits that had been scared out of Shang Chun finally returned to their place.

"Calling Xiao'er timid, you old thing, you aren't much better yourself..." She laughed at herself, stood up, patted the dust off her backside, and walked spiritedly into Tianxiang Garden, where Su Jin Xiu and her husband lived.

The name Tianxiang Garden was chosen personally by the Commandery Prince.

It implies "red sleeves adding fragrance," wishing for a harmonious marriage.

However, Su Jin Xiu did not like it, finding it tacky and saying the layout was too small; it didn't sound like the courtyard of a mistress of a wealthy household, but rather like a place where a concubine would live.

Because of this, the couple even bickered a few times, but in the end, it was left unsettled.

When Shang Chun entered, Su Jin Xiu was already up and having breakfast in the small parlor.

On the table were two bowls of steaming almond porridge, a plate of savory steamed meat patties, and several dishes of fresh, gut-cleansing side dishes.

"Princess Consort." Shang Chun performed a bow as usual.

Su Jin Xiu put down her chopsticks and turned to signal the maid serving nearby, "Nanzhi, the hour is getting late; go call the Heir Apparent over, lest the food gets cold."

The maid replied "Yes" and lifted the curtain to walk out.

Once the pearl curtain stopped swaying, Su Jin Xiu looked at Shang Chun and asked, "Has the matter been handled properly?"

"Yes, everything is settled," Shang Chun said with a smile. "Princess Consort, rest assured, there is no longer a person named Lou Dong'er in this world."

Su Jin Xiu nodded with satisfaction, "Very good."

After thinking for a moment, she pulled a gold hairpin with fruit and longevity patterns from her hair and placed it on the table, "I have agreed to Li Xiao's request to marry Nanzhi; you take this hairpin, consider it the betrothal gift for taking in a daughter-in-law."

Shang Chun was overjoyed and hurriedly knelt to kowtow.

"Many thanks, Princess Consort!" She raised her hand to pledge her loyalty, "From now on, our family of four is yours in life and yours in death; if we have any disloyalty, may heaven strike us!"

Su Jin Xiu smiled and gave a slight gesture to help her up, "Get up. You are the most capable person by my side, and the one I trust most. Help me do things well, and I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Shang Chun scrambled up excitedly, carefully holding the gold hairpin in her palm.

This hairpin was part of the Princess Consort's dowry from back then, personally chosen by the Old Madam; it is worth a fortune, at least a hundred taels!

And it even comes with a daughter-in-law for free.

That girl Nanzhi is pretty and diligent; Xiao'er had long taken a fancy to her and had asked her to mention it to the Princess Consort several times, but unfortunately, the Princess Consort was always noncommittal and wouldn't give an answer.

Who would have thought she would loosen up today; this is truly... too wonderful!

Just as she was feeling smug, *clatter*, the pearl curtain rang, and Nanzhi walked in, followed by a young man who was yawning repeatedly.

He was about twenty years old, with a long, thin face and fair skin; he wasn't ugly.

It's just that he looked a bit greasy.

Could it be none other than Su Jin Xiu's precious son, the Heir Apparent of the Commandery Prince's Mansion—Shen Jing Bin?