CHAPTER 529: CHAPTER 529 PLAYING DUMB

Xingxing held tightly, using all her strength.

Su Jin struggled hard to release Xingxing’s grip on her arm.

"Alright, stop crying, I’m fine now, aren’t I?" Su Jin soothed.

"You’re blessed with great fortune, anything bad would surely happen to others," Xingxing said through tears.

Xie Jingchen looked at Su Jin and said, "The sun is strong outside, let’s go inside the mansion first."

Knowing that Su Jin and Xie Jingchen were safe and sound.

The Old Prince and the Prince went to the palace first to apologize to the Emperor.

By now, they were probably in the military camp.

After all, they had been missing for a few days, and now that they were back, they needed to report their safety to the elders.

So Xie Jingchen and Su Jin went to Qihao Hall.

In the main hall.

The Old Madam sat on the Arhat Couch, her hand tightly clutching the Buddha Beads as she fiddled with them.

Mrs. Wang served beside her.

The Young Master and the Heir’s wife had returned from great difficulty, yet the Old Madam did not stay in JingAn Temple for the full month, and the Old Prince did not make any fuss about it.

But Mrs. Wang felt that the Old Madam was not at all happy about the return of the Young Master and the Heir’s wife.

This feeling made Mrs. Wang feel cold all over.

She felt that there was a problem somewhere.

And it was a big problem.

But she couldn’t pinpoint it.

It was like a thorn stuck in her throat, unable to swallow or spit out.

The pain from swallowing was unbearable.

Besides the Old Madam, Princess Nanzhang, the Second Madam, and the Third Madam were also in the room.

After all, the Old Madam had been punished to go to the Great Buddha Temple and only returned today, so these daughters-in-law certainly had to show some filial piety.

A maid walked in and said, "Old Madam, the Young Master and the Heir’s wife have come to pay their respects."

A cold glint flashed across the Old Madam’s eyes.

Princess Nanzhang’s lips curled slightly.

Knowing that Su Jin and Xie Jingchen were alive and had made merits by saving the Eldest Prince, Princess Nanzhang was very angry.

But after the anger passed, she didn’t take it to heart.

She had known from the start that they had great fortunes.

This time, it was fortunate that she remained vigilant; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng who died, but the Heir of Duke Chong.

To show his gratitude, the Heir of Duke Chong even came specially to pay her respect.

Now, Elder Yong Cheng was furious, and with the Old Madam back, there would be no lack of drama in the Prince Mansion in the future.

The maid retreated.

Su Jin and Xie Jingchen walked in.

The two stepped forward side by side and paid respects to the Old Madam.

When Xie Jingchen returned earlier, the Old Madam was not back yet. She glanced at Xie Jingchen and then at Su Jin.

"It’s good that you returned safely," said the Old Madam.

Princess Nanzhang looked at the Old Madam and smiled, "Not only did they return safely, but they also saved the Eldest Prince, which is quite a big achievement."

"To achieve something while barely managing for oneself and making people worry, perhaps only our Heir’s wife from Prince Zhenbei Mansion can manage such a feat?"

Having finally returned, Su Jin found Princess Nanzhang’s sarcastic remarks incredibly grating.

It was as if they wished they would never return.

Feeling sour, Su Jin spoke sharply.

She looked at Princess Nanzhang and then at the Old Madam.

"I owe the rescue of the Eldest Prince to both Mother and the Old Madam," Su Jin said.

The Second Madam raised an eyebrow, "How so, owe it to the Commandery Princess and the Old Madam?"

"Of course, I owe it to Mother and the Old Madam," Su Jin said.

"If not for the Old Madam sending someone back with a message to copy the Buddhist Scriptures for rain, Second Miss and Third Miss wouldn’t have come looking for me."

"If I hadn’t gone to the Great Buddha Temple, how would I have been kidnapped, and how would I have met the similarly troubled Eldest Prince amidst my misfortune?"

Ironically, the one who kidnapped her was the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng.

Su Jin had great difficulty not suspecting that this was a setup by the Old Madam with Uncle Yongcheng Mansion.

This trap couldn’t harm her, but it did cost the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng his life.

That was Uncle Yongcheng’s only son.

For the sake of the eldest daughter of Uncle Yongcheng, the Old Madam was able to set aside her dignity to steal Lady Chi’s ointment. With the heir gone, she must be feeling bad.

She wanted to let her know that it was her fault the heir died.

Let’s see if she feels good deep down!

The Old Madam’s face changed, and she suddenly looked at Mrs. Wang, "When did I ever instruct the girls in the mansion to copy Buddhist Scriptures for rain?"

Mrs. Wang was terrified, "This servant never passed on such a message."

Didn’t say it?

Su Jin slightly furrowed her brows.

She didn’t trust the Old Madam, but she did trust Mrs. Wang.

She looked towards Xie Jinxiu and Xie Jinhuan, "Didn’t the Second Miss and the Third Miss tell me that?"

Xie Jinhuan glanced at Xie Jinxiu and said, "It was our aunt who asked us to copy the scriptures. We misunderstood it was the grandmother after Mrs. Wang just left when we went."

"Copying Buddhist Scriptures for rain is a good thing. If we had known we would almost implicate our sister-in-law, we certainly wouldn’t have asked her along."

Fortunately, they went first on that day and did not go with their sister-in-law.

Otherwise, they couldn’t shake off the blame if something happened to their older brother and sister-in-law.

They had been used by their aunt.

The Second Madam looked at Su Jin and said, "Luckily, you returned safely, but if anything had happened, Huanhuan and they would have felt guilty for life."

"You must have suffered a lot these past days outside. Go back and have a good rest," said the Second Madam.

The Third Madam then asked, "Do you know who had the audacity to kidnap you?"

A group pretending ignorance.

Would Su Jin believe they didn’t know it was the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng who kidnapped her?

However, Uncle Yongcheng Mansion declared publicly that the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng died from poisoning, and she wasn’t foolish enough to openly admit it.

After all, she and Xie Jingchen were unharmed and even saved the Eldest Prince, while others lost their lineage.

"The one who kidnapped us had their face covered, and we didn’t see their appearance clearly. Knowing my husband was chasing them, they realized they were no match and fled," Su Jin said.

"My husband was focused on saving me and didn’t catch them, and we don’t know if they can still be caught."

You pretend ignorance, and I’ll feign confusion.

Let’s divert from this unpleasant topic.

Su Jin bowed and withdrew with Xie Jingchen.

Leaving Qihao Hall, Su Jin and Xie Jingchen walked in front, while Xingxing trailed happily behind.

After days of gloominess, Xingxing came back to life.

Having not eaten well for days, she felt extremely hungry now.

Back at the Agarwood Pavilion, the maids and older servants were shedding tears.

Though the Heir’s wife appeared bossy, she never scolded or hit them.

If anything had happened to Su Jin and Xie Jingchen, they would most likely have been sent off to the countryside.

Now that the Young Master and the Heir’s wife had returned safe and sound.

Truly wonderful.

It was hot outside, so Su Jin went directly indoors.

As she opened the door, a piece of paper floated to her feet.

Su Jin glanced at it.

It was torn from an old calendar.

Xingxing quickly picked up the calendar fragments.

On the table over there, there was a pile, though half had already been glued back together.

"Why was it torn?" Su Jin asked.

"The old calendar said it was suitable to go out, but then you and brother-in-law almost didn’t return, so I tore it up in anger."

"I just didn’t expect the old calendar to be accurate; you and brother-in-law returned safely and even earned merits by saving the Eldest Prince, so I glued it back together."