This is where they want to have a secret meeting.
Hong Mian and the others retreated, closing the doors from outside. The steward and housekeepers standing on the steps also wisely withdrew from the stoop.
Gu Shiliu followed Qin Yuan into the side room, with Hong Ye standing by.
Qin Yuan first sat in the Taishi Chair and instructed, "There are no outsiders here, sit down and speak slowly."
Gu Shiliu sat down slightly below and whispered, "Madam, that Fake Yang was secretly sending messages outside before, acting covertly. After going to Mr. Cheng’s house, perhaps she thought the guards were more relaxed than in the mansion and that no one recognized her, so she made more moves."
Since discovering Fake Yang passing on messages, they had been watching her.
Unfortunately, she acted cautiously, and since that incident, there hadn’t been any movements. She focused on coaxing the Pang siblings into hiding in the courtyard, biding her time.
They thought they would have to wait a while longer, but unexpectedly, she couldn’t hold back the first night she moved to Mr. Cheng’s house.
Hong Ye laughed, "It shows she’s been suffocating these past few months."
Gu Shiliu laughed, "Indeed, recently Young Master Cheng injured Brother Qi, and because of this, the Marquis has distanced himself from them. He even sent people to inquire about Mrs. Zhao’s family, saying he wanted to foster them outside, so these people naturally dare not act rashly."
Qin Yuan twirled the handkerchief in her hand, contemplating for a moment, and said, "Let’s think, if Mrs. Zhao is really connected to the Yelv Family and wants to keep Brother Cheng and Sister Yu in the Marquis Mansion, now that they’ve openly been fostered at Mr. Cheng’s house, what will Mrs. Zhao do next?"
Hong Ye frowned, "Mrs. Zhao might choose to bide her time, waiting for the storm to pass, and then find a way to have the Marquis take them back. Or she might take them away?"
Gu Shiliu nodded in agreement as he glanced at Hong Ye.
Qin Yuan said, "It’s possible; it all depends on Mrs. Zhao’s plans. If she wants Brother Cheng to stay close to the Marquis and secure a good future in the army, she will bide her time. After all, there’s the life-saving grace of Pang Hai, and years of built-up relationships, the Marquis is sentimentally bound. Over time, he naturally won’t blame them anymore, and they could make a comeback then."
Before she could finish, Hong Ye said indignantly, "That can’t happen, who knows what plans that mysterious venomous woman has?"
Gu Shiliu added, "The Marquis shouldn’t be so foolish. If she really has dealings with the Yelv Family, in the eyes of the Marquis, she has betrayed our Daxing and Pang Hai. The gratitude the Marquis owes is to Pang Hai, not to her, Mrs. Zhao."
Qin Yuan nodded, "Exactly, Mrs. Zhao knows nothing of our side’s information, otherwise, her earlier schemes would have succeeded?"
Hong Ye nodded, "Miss is right, without Miss’s support and Doctor Li’s rescue, Mrs. Zhao might have already gained a foothold in the Marquis Mansion."
Gu Shiliu let out a long breath of relief.
Qin Yuan, lost in thought, said, "With Fake Yang passing on messages, Mrs. Zhao should know she can never bring the children back to the Marquis Mansion. Even if the children could return, she absolutely cannot."
Gu Shiliu nodded, "That’s for sure. The Marquis now knows what she’s like, and by placing Young Master Cheng in Sister-in-law Cheng’s care, he has crushed her hopes."
Qin Yuan said, "You’re right. If she only wanted the Marquis to treat the two children well, he has already done so. There’s no need for her to go through all this. If she wanted the Marquis’s favor, to be taken as a concubine, that’s no longer possible. No matter how she plots, she cannot enter the mansion with the children; is there a chance she’ll consider taking the children away if she fails to hit her target?"
Gu Shiliu said, "How would a woman like her settle with two children?"
Qin Yuan said, "Don’t underestimate a woman’s capabilities; many have destroyed houses and countries. Mrs. Zhao nearly destroyed the Dingbei Marquis Mansion on her own, appearing weak and helpless outside but acting sinister and spiteful, and she’s not like ordinary women. You cannot use conventional logic on her."
Having a connection with the Yelv Family, doesn’t she have a way to arrange for the two children?
Evidently, though the Marquis and Gu Shiliu understood Mrs. Zhao’s ruthlessness and actions, they were still deceived by her apparent frailty and subconsciously underestimated her abilities.
Underestimating the enemy would lead to mistakes, and Qin Yuan had to point it out.
Gu Shiliu fell silent.
It’s not only Mrs. Zhao’s background that’s unclear; Pang Hai’s origins are also highly suspicious.
This couple is indeed mysterious.
If Mrs. Zhao were really connected to the Yelv Family, then the previous assumptions...
The room fell silent for a while.
Qin Yuan asked, "Shiliu, what was the Marquis’s original plan?"
"Initially, he instructed us to monitor Mr. Cheng’s house, waiting for Mrs. Zhao to walk into the trap. Later... the Marquis talked about finding a way to lure Mrs. Zhao out to eliminate future troubles."
Gu Shiliu felt a bit embarrassed, his voice weak, bowing his head for Qin Yuan’s instructions.