65 Surprise or bargaining chips (1/2)

Saving Shangguan Yong and An Jin's son was an accident for Bai Chengze. The superfluous actions of his hands gave him a surprise for Shangguan Yong, and also gave him a bargaining chip to deal with the couple. As for whether this was a surprise or a bargaining chip, it all depended on the relationship between him and Shangguan Yong in the future.

”I don't know where Madame Shangguan is,” Bai Chengze said to the wet nurse. ”I only know that the people outside are here to kill you, and that after you leave my residence, you will definitely die.”

The wet nurse was just an ordinary peasant woman. After being frightened by Bai Chengze's words, she tremblingly asked Bai Chengze, ”I wonder what your name is, is the master a friend of my master?” After receiving such a great favor from this benefactor, the wet nurse would always ask about the name of this benefactor.

”The reason why I saved Ping An is because I have a friendship with Shangguan Yong,” Bai Chengze said. ”This time, Shangguan Family's troubles are not small, so you don't have to ask for my name to protect yourself. Just stay in this courtyard and take care of my good friends' son. Once the matters outside are settled, I will send all of you out of the manor. ”

After saying this, Bai Chengze left.

Bai Chengze didn't even ask about her pregnancy during this trip, which made Mistress Yang a little disappointed. However, she quickly calmed down and got someone to help the wet nurse who was still kneeling on the ground.

Bai Chengze told her to take charge of the backyard, whatever it was, it was up to her to do, what was there to be unhappy about? Even if the main wife were to enter the mansion in the future, she would be the most intimate person to Bai Chengze, so having this rule was enough.

”Husband, madam.” The wet nurse looked pitifully at Mistress Yang. She didn't understand that telling her a name had anything to do with this mistress wanting to protect herself.

”You ah,” Mistress Yang looked at the wet nurse and sighed, ”Even my master may not be able to protect your lives. If one day, you still fall into the hands of those killers, if you can't survive the torture and reveal our master's name, won't our family end up the same?”

The wet nurse looked at the little Ping An who was sleeping soundly in the arms of the unfamiliar woman and cried. It had only been a single night, yet she saw someone killed and set fire to the house. The wet nurse felt as if the sky above her had changed.

Her husband had died in an accident when she was pregnant, and the baby had born prematurely and also died, so she had become the famous unlucky widower in their village. If it weren't for An Jinxiu inviting her to be a wet nurse at home, the wet nurse might have been driven out of the village by the Wang family's farmers. Now that such a thing had happened to the Shangguan family, the wet nurse was thinking in her heart. Was it her, this ominous person, that had taken over the Shangguan family after dealing with her husband?

Mistress Yang saw her wet nurse tears, and wasn't in the mood to advise this woman not to be sad. She really liked Ping An. A person who was about to become a mother wouldn't even have the ability to resist children, let alone a cute and fat little kid. He would smile whenever he saw anyone, making the Yang family extremely happy. Mistress Yang, who was hugging Ping An in her arms, didn't wake up from sleeping. She just watched on, thinking about her baby, her heart felt like it was melting, it was so sweet that she felt sick, and she just wanted her son to be as cute as this.

Just as Bai Chengze returned to his study and sat down, he heard a report that the Ah Jin's mother from the Residence of An had also died last night.

Bai Chengze waved his hand and dismissed the people who came to report. Last night, quite a few people had died in the capital. Lady Xiu was An Jin's mother. She was sent back to the Residence of An by the palace eunuchs last night. How could this woman also die? Had she seen something in the hall that forced her to die, or did Grand Preceptor An no longer want to keep her? Bai Chengze was thinking, should he go to the Residence of An to join in the fun?

Bai Deng hurried in again and reported to Bai Chengze, ”Master, the Imperial Concubine sent a message from the palace. His Majesty didn't return to the palace last night.

Was it the Emperor Shizong's body that had summoned the imperial physician to the monastery hall, or was it the body of An Jin that had been unwell? A few guesses flashed across Bai Chengze's mind.

After asking Bai Deng to leave, the Fifth Prince took out his brush and wrote a note. On a rainy day like yesterday, the Crown Prince had invited their royal father to hunt in the palace. Bai Chengze waved this paper away. He would not say that the Crown Prince was in the wrong. He only tactfully suggested that when the Emperor leaves the palace in the future, it would be better to choose a sunny day.

Up until now, it was impossible for their royal father to not realize that the crown prince had intentionally arranged for him to leave the palace yesterday. Firstly, Bai Chengze's words were to show his filial piety, and secondly, to agitate the anger of his royal father, reminding the Emperor not to forget about the scheme the crown prince had set up against him in front of all the other princes.

While Bai Chengze was writing his reports, the crown prince and his wife were in the Grand Preceptor's estate, talking to Grand Preceptor An.

When the crown prince saw Grand Preceptor An, he immediately felt embarrassed. On the other hand, when An Jinyan faced him, she had a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.

Grand Preceptor An's heart sank when he saw this eldest daughter. Her manners weren't bad at all, but her tone of voice was cold.

An Jinyan looked at the crown prince and smiled, ”Your highness, you were anxious the whole night, you must be tired now, right? ”Let's take a rest in the Residence of An.

The crown prince knew that An Jinyan and Grand Preceptor An had something to say, so he nodded to say he wanted to take a rest.

Grand Preceptor An couldn't chase the crown prince out, so he could only arrange for him to temporarily rest inside the estate.

When the father and daughter faced each other alone, An Jinyan spoke to Grand Preceptor An, ”I didn't order my men to set the Shangguan family's fire.”

Grand Preceptor An asked, ”What did Crown Princess want to say?” ”Why would you commit murder and arson?”

”Father!” An Jinyan called out to Grand Preceptor An. ”Even if I wanted her life, I wouldn't want to take the lives of her entire family. Your daughter isn't that ruthless.”

Grand Preceptor An didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he said, ”You wanted the life of Ah Jin? She's your sister! ”

”Father still doesn't understand what I'm saying?” Seeing that Grand Preceptor An still wanted to talk about her second sister even at a time like this, An Jinyan grew a little anxious. ”I didn't want the lives of her entire family!”

Grand Preceptor An said, ”Do you want to or not? The Shangguan family is gone too.”

”If I didn't kill them, then who killed the Shangguan Family?” An Jinyan said, ”When the Shangguan family dies, His Majesty will think the same way as when you think I did it.”