The fire in the flower hall had been replenished again, its flames burning fiercely.
Even Su Xiaoqi, who was so afraid of the cold, felt warm.
But one sentence from Shen Yun drove away the warmth in her heart.
She suddenly felt a chill and shivered.
Shen Yun quickly hugged her, using his body heat to warm her.
Su Xiaoqi felt a little more comfortable and asked urgently, "What happened? Mei Xin made a move."
Shen Yun said, "She didn't make a move, but she stirred up trouble.
Taking advantage of today when Mother took her out to buy clothes, she brought a maid in from outside."
Su Xiaoqi listened quietly, knowing that if Shen Yun called it a matter, it must be more than just bringing someone in.
Shen Yun said, "That maid actually tried to sneak into the kitchen to administer poison."
Hearing this, Su Xiaoqi became less anxious.
"Zhang Feng is personally watching her; she definitely didn't succeed."
Shen Yun indeed confirmed that the maid did not succeed.
But she cried that her father's surname was Ruan, and her mother's was Zhao, named Zhao Xiao Ju.
"Zhao Xiao Ju, that name sounds so familiar. No, Mei Lan Zhu Ju.
Isn't this the cousin from my eldest uncle's family who ran off with a peddler surnamed Ruan years ago?"
Su Xiaoqi still remembered that she was only a year younger than Shen Yun, making her 24 years old this year.
As they spoke, they walked towards the backyard.
Zhao shi slumped on the soft couch, while Granny Zhao beside her was feeding her tea.
She was too shocked to react for a long time.
But the situation was urgent and did not allow her to digest it slowly.
As soon as Shen Yun arrived, he immediately brought the little maid over and asked her to explain her origins properly.
The little maid claimed her name was Ruan Xiao Rui. She appeared very stubborn, with her neck stiffly held high, saying:
"I, my mother told me to come and recognize my relatives."
Su Xiaoqi snorted and suddenly yelled angrily:
"You little girl, did your mother send you to recognize relatives or to poison us?"
"I, I, I didn't," Ruan Xiao Rui shook her head and denied.
Su Xiaoqi could see that although this girl looked delicate and harmless, she was actually thick-skinned.
She must be accustomed to going out and about.
She looked like the child of a peddler like Ruan Xiao Er.
Moreover, looking at her appearance, Su Xiaoqi felt she bore some resemblance to Zhao Xiao Mei and Zhao Xiao Zhu.
After all, Zhao Xiao Lan was their sister, and the genes were etched in their bones, which could not be deceived.
Su Xiaoqi smiled slightly and said, "Husband, I think this person is so dishonest. Why don't we arrest her and send her to the officials for punishment?"
After speaking, she winked at Shen Yun while the little maid dared not look up.
Shen Yun knew that Su Xiaoqi was deliberately trying to scare the little girl, so he joined in, calling Zhang Lei and telling him to use his calling card to summon the constables from Shuntian Prefecture.
The little girl panicked upon hearing this and quickly cried out, "Your Excellency, I am your niece. Have you forgotten? When you were young, you relied entirely on your maternal grandparents' family for a living.
You cannot repay kindness with enmity."
Shen Yun's eyes sharpened, and he looked at the little girl with some surprise.
She, at such a young age, could know these things.
It was obvious she had been coached.
He pulled Su Xiaoqi and whispered something to her, then got up and went out.
The little girl thought he had gone to call the constables and cried even louder.
Su Xiaoqi's head ached from her crying. Just as she was thinking about who to hand her over to, she saw Shen Mingzhu returning from outside.
Since coming to the capital, due to her status as an official's daughter, she could no longer personally manage shops and do business as she did in Mianzhou City.
Su Xiaoqi then told Xiao Xique to visit the Liuyuan Garden whenever she had nothing else to do.
At the same time, she was to check on the children living in the manor from time to time.
She couldn't integrate into the circle of official daughters in the capital for the time being, so she would occasionally drive out of the city.
She also checked on Su Xiaoqi's shops for her.
At this moment, she had just entered the door, and had not even taken off her blue cloak.
"Hey, Mingzhu, you've come at the right time. Please help me talk to her properly."
Su Xiaoqi really disliked people like the little girl who cried "ao ao" with their voices raised for no reason.
She preferred cute children like Shen Er Dan and Bao Ge'er.
Shen Mingzhu took off her cloak, washed her hands, and approached the little girl, looking puzzled, "Eh, who is this?"
She looked a bit familiar, but she didn't recognize her.
Su Xiaoqi pulled her over and whispered to her ear.
Shen Mingzhu then looked at the little girl, smiled gently, and personally took a plate of chestnut cakes over.
"What's your name?"
Seeing that this person was gentler than the previous one, the little girl was no longer afraid, and answered with a trembling voice, shrinking back: "Ruan, Ruan Xiao Rui."
Shen Mingzhu continued to ask, "How did you find our house?"
"I, my mother brought me."
Su Xiaoqi cut in: "Who is your mother, and where is she now?"
Ruan Xiao Rui was still worried about Su Xiaoqi mentioning reporting her to the officials, and upon seeing her, became frightened, shaking her head and remaining silent.
The gentle Shen Mingzhu stepped forward to inquire again.
After much effort, they finally clarified Ruan Xiao Rui's background.
According to her, she was the daughter of the peddler Ruan Xiao Er and Zhao Xiao Lan.
The couple had a total of three children.
The first pair were twin daughters, now eleven years old, and the second was a son, now ten years old.
Their family currently lived in Lotus Alley, the closest to the West City Gate in the outer city.
They were not living well, relying entirely on their father to sell goods on the streets for a living.
Su Xiaoqi said, "Since you are relatives, why did you try to poison us as soon as you came in?"
Ruan Xiao Rui whimpered with a frightened expression, pouting and refusing to speak.
Su Xiaoqi glared at her coldly and said:
"Stop pretending, Ruan Xiao Rui, I know you're not afraid of me."
Don't think she couldn't see it.
Although this little girl looked young and immature, she was actually not to be trifled with.
"I, I didn't do it on purpose. Yun Jiumu, you, you let me go, I, I won't dare again, woo woo..."
As Ruan Xiao Rui spoke, she knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
Those who knew would think she was trying to poison the Shen family's kitchen and doing bad things.
Those who didn't know would think Su Xiaoqi was bullying her, making her cry so sadly.
Su Xiaoqi gradually realized that she was acting.
Ruan Xiao Rui's acting skills were undeniable, but she was too young to completely conceal her true intentions, hence she couldn't deceive Su Xiaoqi.
"Tell me honestly, or you know the consequences," Su Xiaoqi gradually lost her patience.
She felt that Ruan Xiao Rui's appearance was a deliberate delay tactic or a complete charade to mock them.
Perhaps she hadn't told a single truthful word.
Ruan Xiao Rui saw that this beautiful young aunt was not easy to deal with and muttered, "I, I didn't poison anyone.
I only administered ordinary powder.
I asked a doctor, and it will be fine."
Su Xiaoqi had already had the poison tested.
She knew that Ruan Xiao Rui's words were true.
But this made her even more suspicious of her presence.
Someone who had disappeared for so many years had inexplicably reappeared.
Su Xiaoqi absolutely did not believe she had come with the intention of recognizing relatives.
She could see that Zhao Xiao Lan had known their whereabouts long ago but had never thought of coming to recognize relatives.
Therefore, she definitely did not care about them in her heart.
Hence, she did not believe a single word Ruan Xiao Rui said.
The sisters-in-law chatted with Ruan Xiao Rui for a long time.
But she mostly spoke of how miserable their family had been in recent years.
They often went hungry, and their father had to sell their twin daughters.
He said he wanted to sell them for a good price to support their younger brother's studies.
Just as they were talking animatedly, Zhang Dian from the backyard suddenly reported.
"Madam, someone has broken into the backyard."
Su Xiaoqi looked at Ruan Xiao Rui calmly.
Indeed, she saw her eyes flicker.
She instantly understood and sneered, "So that's how it is."