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Chapter 140: Chapter 140: The Midwife Is Found
Mu Yan cast a fleeting glance at the several large chests nearby.
Definitely not sent by Zhan Lan, it must be father and son Zhan Xinzhang.
He took a brief look and said indifferently, "I know."
After speaking, he didn’t even take another look and went straight back to his room.
Vermilion Bird stood still, thinking about how to cheer up his master.
Suddenly, a clear voice came from behind, "Vermilion Bird, has Yan returned?"
Vermilion Bird turned around and saw Miss Qingcheng in a beige long dress.
"Miss, the master has returned, but he is not in a good mood," Vermilion Bird didn’t want Qingcheng to seek out Mu Yan.
Seeking Mu Yan at this time was simply asking for trouble.
"Okay, I understand." Qingcheng looked expectantly towards Mu Yan’s carriage, "It seems like the palace has sent something over today."
Vermilion Bird inwardly cursed, knowing it was bad. Miss Qingcheng had often enjoyed cherries granted by the Emperor in previous years.
But this year, the master had given a whole basket to Miss Zhan.
He feigned ignorance, "No, nothing was sent over from the palace." 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
"Oh!" Qingcheng glanced doubtfully at Mu Yan’s carriage and then walked towards her own courtyard.
As she turned, her eyes revealed a sense of loss.
Her maid Xiao Die clearly saw a eunuch from the palace deliver a basket of cherries this morning.
After Yan went out for a while, the cherries disappeared!
Could it be that Yan had given the cherries to that woman from last night?
Qingcheng felt uncomfortable; her Yan used to not treat her this way.
Now, just because he met another woman, he’s changed?
Feeling uneasy, Qingcheng’s maid Xiao Die suggested, "Miss, you’re not feeling well; shall I get you some watermelon to cool down?"
"I don’t feel like eating watermelon." Qingcheng’s eyes dimmed as she glanced at Mu Yan’s room and walked away with Xiao Die.
...
Mrs. Zhang, terrified by Mu Yan, scurried back to the Zhang Residence, which was no longer as glorious as before.
Supported by a servant woman, she was in tears from the aggrievement.
Before long, she entered the main house and saw a maid sitting on her son Zhang Cheng’s lap, his hand already sneaking inside Yin Chun’s clothes.
She exploded with rage, rebuking, "Cheng, what are you doing!"
The maid blushed with shame, immediately jumping off Zhang Cheng’s lap.
Mrs. Zhang landed a slap across Yin Chun’s face, causing the maid’s lip to bleed.
After being hit herself today, Mrs. Zhang was fuming and ordered the servant woman behind her, "This wench dares to seduce the young master; drag her out and beat her to death!"
Yin Chun trembled with fear, "No, no, my lady, I was wrong! I won’t dare again!"
Zhang Cheng, seeing his mother’s swollen cheek, curiously asked, "What’s wrong, mother? Why get so angry?"
Mrs. Zhang replied irritably, "It’s all because of you; what are you waiting for? Drag her out and beat her to death!"
Zhang Cheng pleaded, "Please, mother, I quite like this girl; let her be my concubine maid instead!"
Yin Chun immediately knelt begging for mercy, "My lady, please spare me!"
Upon seeing Yin Chun’s seductive fox-like eyes, Mrs. Zhang thought to herself that her son had become exceedingly fond of the girl who had only been in the Zhang family for a few days.
Perhaps it’s best not to kill her; after all, they were going to leave Ding’an City soon, and their days ahead required frugality.
They could no longer afford to be spendthrift.
If Yin Chun could keep his son satisfied and stop him from squandering money on other women, she could indeed save some silver for the Zhang family.
Mrs. Jiang suppressed her anger and said, "I’ll let you off today, you may leave now!"
Zhang Cheng’s eyes lingered on Yin Chun’s beautiful figure, seeing Mrs. Jiang’s swollen cheeks, he asked, "Mother, did the people from General Mansion lay their hands on you?"
What he was truly concerned about wasn’t his mother’s wellbeing, but rather, it seemed like the last thread to his engagement with Chu Yin was still intact.
If members of the Zhan Family dared to make a move, he would dare to spread rumors that the General Mansion was bullying others and stealing someone’s wife.
But he didn’t hear the answer he wanted. Mrs. Jiang said fearfully, "No, it wasn’t them."
Zhang Cheng was shocked, "Then who was it? I’ll go teach him a lesson right now!"
Mrs. Jiang wiped her tears and held Zhang Cheng’s hand, "It was Seal Keeper Mu Yan from the Xingtian Department."
Zhang Cheng stood rooted to the spot, fearfully saying, "Mother, how did you offend that god of death!"
Mrs. Jiang said aggrievedly, "I don’t know either, he was in the General Mansion today, and he even spoke on behalf of the Zhan Family."
Mrs. Jiang recounted exactly what Mu Yan said today to her son.
After hearing his mother’s words, Zhang Cheng felt his scalp tingle and slumped into a chair, his face deathly pale.
Offending a loyal subject like General Zhan wasn’t scary, but antagonizing a powerful and villainous official was a matter of life and death.
"Mother, hurry and dissolve the marriage arrangement with the Chu Family, we must leave Ding’an City immediately. Have the steward sell the house as quickly as possible."
Seeing her son’s panic, Mrs. Jiang nodded heavily, "Alright, I’ll go arrange that."
Zhang Cheng’s eyebrows knitted tightly as he suddenly had a thought, "Wait, I think Lord Mu’s targeting me has something to do with Zhan Lan!"
"Why do you say that?" she asked.
Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes, "I heard some news from Young Master Si Jun; it seems that Lord Mu holds Zhan Lan in special regard. For a cold and ruthless person like Mu Yan, why would he help the General Mansion? From everything before, it’s evident that Zhan Lan is no ordinary character; perhaps her involvement in Young Master Si Jun’s exile to Lingnan cannot be dismissed!"
Zhang Cheng was someone who could see the essence of a matter through outward appearances.
The reason why Si Jun liked to use him was that his perspective on issues was unusual, and his guesses often turned out to be correct.
"What should we do now?" Mrs. Jiang asked in panic.
Zhang Cheng’s eyes shone with brilliance, "Don’t worry, let’s go to Lingnan and seek refuge with Young Master Si Jun!"
Mrs. Jiang disagreed, saying, "Have you gone mad? Young Master Si Jun is now a condemned man; seeking him out now would only bring trouble upon yourself!"
Zhang Cheng sneered, "Mother, you don’t understand. Even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. Young Master Si Jun will have his day to rise again. Seeking his aid amidst danger is the best opportunity for us."
Unable to persuade her son, Mrs. Jiang had no choice but to let him have his way.
"Mother, we must act fast to avoid further complications. Sell the residence at the lowest price today. I will employ a few experts just in case, and we shall leave tonight!"
Mrs. Jiang touched the mahogany chair sorrowfully, looking at the vast courtyard, and reluctantly nodded in agreement, "Okay!"
...
Into the night, Zhan Lan changed into her night clothes in the General Mansion, while Xiao Chen stood beside her, reporting, "Master, everything has been arranged."
Zhan Lan nodded, "Let’s go, we’re leaving!"
Suddenly, two whistle sounds came from outside Zhan Lan’s room.
After hearing the whistle sounds again, Zhan Lan looked towards Xiao Chen, "We’ll act separately. You take care of that matter; I need to go out."
Xiao Chen asked curiously, "Is it something important?"
Zhan Lan’s eyes brightened, "It’s about my identity!"
Xiao Chen nodded, "Alright, I’ll handle the other issue, you go and take care of it without worry."
"Good!" Zhan Lan pushed open the door of the main house, put on a veil hood, and left for the Qilin Underground Palace.
She had an agreement with Granny Qi that if they found the other midwife who assisted with the births of the Li family and Qin Shuang, they would inform her immediately.
The four whistle sounds were their secret signal.
It must mean the midwife has been found!
