Chapter 411 This Is Her Kin

Chapter 411 This Is Her Kin

Cui Yongnian was helped up by her, limping slightly. "What did I trip over?"

Cough, cough.

Zheng Jinyu said calmly, "You tripped over your lower robe."

"Huh?"

"I've been telling you for ages that your lower robe is too long and needs to be shortened, but you wouldn't listen. You were lucky this time; next time, if you knock out a tooth, what will you do then?"

Cui Yongnian, still shaken, replied, "It seems the robe really is too long; it should be shortened."

Zheng Jinyu watched him leave, letting out a long sigh.

Then she took the jade pendant to the residence of the Princess Chang, informing her that the pendant had been found.

The princess looked surprised. "You found it so quickly?"

"Yes, my cousin brought it back."

She held the jade pendant, examined it, and then returned it to Zheng Jinyu. "Keep it well, don’t lose it again."

Zheng Jinyu nodded in agreement.

She no longer dared to wear it around her neck and carefully placed it in a drawer of her dressing table.

The princess's residence was as safe as the imperial palace.

Since the jade pendant had been found, there was no need to send people out to search anymore.

The princess immediately sent someone swift-footed to catch up with Xie Jingrou and call her back.

Everything seemed to return to normal, as if being abducted was just bad luck.

Even on the streets, no one dared to talk about her overnight absence. If they mentioned it, they would say that the Princess Chen was unlucky, having her carriage stolen by a beggar who later fell off the carriage and died.

Oh, it seemed they didn’t even know she had been gone all night.

In the end, the beggar died, and she, along with her maid and her cousin Cui Yongnian, returned safely, having had a false alarm.

Zheng Jinyu sat in her room, lost in thought, when Chunmei entered with a tray.

"Princess, I’ve brought you some fruit."

It was a plate of loquats, which were quite sour without improvement.

Indeed, fruits in this era generally tasted quite sour.

"Weren’t you supposed to rest? Why are you up and about again?"

Chunmei touched her forehead and smiled. "I’m feeling better now."

"Then why are you still bandaged up?"

Uh...

"There’s ointment inside; the doctor said to keep it on for a few more days."

"Well, you can start working again only when the doctor says you can remove the bandage."

Chunmei was deeply moved. "Thank you, Princess."

These maids usually had lowly lives, and when they fell ill, they often endured it themselves. How many maids received such kindness from their masters, getting doctors to treat them? She, Chunmei, was one of the lucky ones.

She had truly chosen the right person to serve.

This made her think of Qiujv again. If she had persuaded her to join Miss Jinyu wholeheartedly back then, would Qiujv’s fate have been different?

Unfortunately, there are no ifs in life.

Fortunately, the person who harmed her was already in prison, facing execution, and Zhou Shi was also nearing death.

...

Fang Jinxiu slipped some silver to the jailer and went to see Zhou Shi and her son.

Zhou Bo was sentenced to three years, while his adoptive mother, Zhou Shi, was scheduled for execution after autumn.

The sentence was handed down last year, so why wasn’t she executed immediately?

Generally, to prevent wrongful convictions, those sentenced to death are not executed immediately but kept in custody for some time before being sent to the gallows on an auspicious day.

If there were any injustices, the family and friends of the accused would have enough time to appeal.

Of course, for extremely heinous criminals, to appease public sentiment, immediate execution might still be ordered. This practice is more common in cases personally handled by the emperor.

Fang Jinxiu first visited Zhou Bo. Upon seeing her, Zhou Bo’s eyes lit up. "Young Miss, Young Miss, you finally came to see me. When will you save me from this hellish place?"

Fang Jinxiu looked at him coldly and directly brought up his collaboration with Lu Shen.

"Lu Shen said that it was you who told him about my visit to the temple and that you drugged me yourself and informed him about my lodging. Is that true?"

Zhou Bo was stunned.

Seeing his expression, Fang Jinxiu knew that was indeed the case.

She was heartbroken, "Why did you treat me like that? Haven't I been good to you and Nurse?"

Zhou Bo hastily said, "Miss Ning'er, you've been very kind to me, but I didn't do it to harm you. At the time, Lu Shen's conditions were much better than those of the widowed Master Xie.

If you married him, you would be his principal wife. If you had married Master Xie, you would have been a replacement wife. How could a replacement wife compare to a principal wife? Moreover, at that time, Lu Shen truly admired you. I thought he would treat you very well, but I never expected him to become like this."

"You're talking nonsense," Fang Jinxiu rebuked sternly. "Clearly, you were just too greedy. Lu Shen promised to make you the steward of the Lu family, so you colluded with him."

"No, no, Miss Ning'er, how can you think of me like that? I wanted to be the steward of the Lu family, but it was for your sake. Think about it, the steward is such an important position. If someone else got it, would they wholeheartedly serve Miss Ning'er? Could they be as loyal to Miss Ning'er as my mother and I? No, that's impossible. No one could be more loyal to Miss Ning'er than us."

Fang Jinxiu sneered, "So, you mean to say that by betraying me, you were actually doing me a favor?"

"I didn't betray you, Miss Ning'er. We grew up together, like siblings. My care for you is no less than that of any brother. I've always considered your future. The problem lies with Lu Shen. That damned beast deceived all of us. He promised he would love and respect you forever, but once he married you, he abandoned you. If it weren't for the fact that he's Ning'er's father, I would have killed him to avenge you."

Hearing these words, Fang Jinxiu was somewhat moved.

Yes, why would he betray her?

They grew up together, and his and Nurse's fortunes were tied to her. They even went so far as to kill for her.

What he did was for her own good. The problem wasn't with Zhou Bo, but with that beast Lu Shen.

Damn Lu Shen.

Fang Jinxiu took a deep breath and asked, "Does Nurse know?"

Zhou Bo hurriedly shook his head, "She doesn't know. She loves you dearly, treating you better than me. She always made sure you had enough milk before giving me any. If she knew about this, she would break my legs."

Not knowing whether Fang Jinxiu believed him, he simply left after placing a food box in front of her.

The food box contained long-missed delicacies, which Zhou Bo devoured greedily.

Later, Fang Jinxiu went to see Zhou Shi next door.

After months apart, she looked ten years older.

Fang Jinxiu felt quite sorry for her, as there weren't many people who genuinely cared for her in this world.

"Nurse, I've come to see you."

Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Shi slowly lifted her head, her eyes dull.

"Miss Ning'er?" It took her a moment for her eyes to refocus.

Seeing her, Zhou Shi's eyes welled up with tears. She struggled to get up, using both hands and feet, and stumbled towards her.

"Miss Ning'er, you finally came to see me."