Chapter 185: Malice - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

Chapter 185: Malice

“You little girl, being so biased towards Ah Yao, why don’t you just go serve her at the Feng family?” Bai Siruo, annoyed and frustrated after Haitang revealed a little secret, said.

Haitang, grinning, leaned closer and said, “Miss, don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere. I’ll serve you for a lifetime!”

Watching the playful banter between the two, Feng Jinyao felt genuinely happy. No matter what had happened in their past lives, it was enough that they cared for each other in this life. This way, their engagement would not turn into a bitter relationship.

Bai Siruo dropped Feng Jinyao off at the Feng family’s residence before heading back to the Bai family.

Once they left, Feng Jinyao’s smiling face turned serious. She told Yunxu, “Go fetch Huanhuan.”

“What’s wrong, Miss?”

“Lu Yuanfeng doesn’t seem like a good person. I can’t pinpoint exactly what’s off, but my instincts tell me that my cousin might have been deceived by him.”

After two lifetimes, if she wasn’t more vigilant about people, it would have been a waste.

Soon, Huanhuan arrived. “Miss, what are your instructions?”

“Have you heard of the Lu family in the capital? This person is fair-skinned and looks like a gentleman.”

“Lu?” Huanhuan furrowed her brows, trying to recall.

Before entering the manor, she had often roamed the capital, so she was familiar with where to find good food and entertainment. However, locating people directly was more challenging. She shook her head, “I’m not sure. There are many Lu families in the capital. I know of three or four, but none fit the description you gave.”

Feng Jinyao wasn’t surprised. “In that case, never mind. Yunxu, go deliver a letter to the Su family for me.”

“Miss wants Young Master Su to help investigate which Lu family this person belongs to?”

“Yes. With my brother away and no other connections, Brother Su has extensive networks and experience. I hope he can assist.”

Yunxu nodded and quickly prepared the writing materials. Huanhuan didn’t know why her mistress wanted to investigate a person with the surname Lu but didn’t question it and assisted with the writing.

The letter was soon completed and sent out after drying.

The Su family’s servant, recognizing Yunxu as someone from the Feng family, didn’t delay but showed a troubled expression.

“Miss, it’s not that I want to trouble you, but our young master hasn’t been home for several days. Is this letter urgent? If it’s not, I can deliver it when he returns. But if it’s urgent, I’m afraid I can’t help.”

Yunxu felt a chill, realizing that while the matter wasn’t life-threatening, it was important for her mistress. Just as she was worried, Su Cheng rode up to the gate.

Seeing Yunxu, he looked surprised. “Yunxu? What are you doing here?”

“Greetings, Young Master Su. It’s good you’ve returned. This letter is from my mistress. I hope you can help, given the favor you owe my second master.”

“Of course, Ah Yao is like a sister to me. Her matters are my own! Let me have a look.”

Su Cheng, known as a notorious playboy in the capital, was away from home for days at a time, which wasn’t unusual. Encountering him at the gate was a stroke of luck for Yunxu.

“I thought it was something significant. It’s just an inquiry. Don’t worry, I’ll get the news to Ah Yao by today.”

Yunxu was delighted by his assurance and thanked him repeatedly. “Young Master Su is truly well-connected! Thank you on behalf of my mistress.”

“Don’t mention it. Just wait for the news.”

As the deputy leader of the Secret Guard Camp of the Ding Wang Mansion, Su Cheng could investigate anyone in the capital, from the royal family to commoners. No one was beyond his reach.

Within an hour, Su Cheng received all the relevant information about Lu Yuanfeng.

Lu Yuanfeng, a merchant by background, was known for frequenting brothels and had a few regular mistresses, but was generally a libertine.

Seeing his unsavory history, Su Cheng was curious why Ah Yao would investigate such a person.

Before he could ponder further, a report from the Secret Guards came in. “Recently, the chief steward of the Wei family had dealings with this person, having had a secret meeting for half a day. The details are still being investigated.”

The Wei family?

How was this person connected to the Wei family?

And how did Ah Yao come to know him and wish to investigate?

“Continue the investigation. Identify all people, events, and matters related to him in the past two years. Leave no stone unturned!”

“Understood!”

Su Cheng frowned deeply, his mind racing.

With the army preparing to march, discovering an unknown minor player with ties to the Wei family was troubling. The Wei family was focused on supporting the Ninth Prince’s achievements and had a wary eye on General Su and Xiao Mu Qian. If this person was targeting them, it could be problematic.

While he was still in the dark, the enemy might have already set a trap waiting for them.

Feng Jinyao waited for a long time and finally received all relevant information about Lu Yuanfeng in the evening.

As suspected, Lu Yuanfeng had been miles away in Mingzhou the year her cousin fell into the water. There was no way he could have been her savior!

What could be his ulterior motive for approaching her cousin so schemingly?

Thinking of his pretense of not knowing her cousin’s identity made her sick to her stomach.

This person harbored malicious intentions. She wasn’t sure what exactly he was planning, but it couldn’t be good.

“Let’s go! We need to go to the Bai family and warn my cousin that Lu Yuanfeng is not her savior but a rogue!”

Not even stopping for dinner, she rushed toward the Bai family.

The gatekeeper, seeing the Feng family carriage approach, wasn’t surprised and wondered if Madam Feng and Third Miss were there to visit the elderly lady and other ladies of the family.

With a smile, he greeted them. Yunxu, anxious, asked, “Is the eldest daughter at home?”

The gatekeeper hesitated but then said, “The eldest daughter left about half a stick of incense ago. I saw someone come to pick her up and she looked quite anxious.”

“Who was it? Where did they go? Did the eldest daughter have anyone with her?”

Feng Jinyao, ignoring etiquette, asked directly.

The gatekeeper, intimidated by her serious demeanor, stammered, “It looked like a young master I didn’t recognize. Miss Bai seemed quite familiar with him, and he was accompanied by Miss Haitang. They went west.”

This was bad. It must be Lu Yuanfeng. He probably used the pretext of his mother’s illness to deceive her cousin and lure her away. But what was he planning?

Her eyes narrowed, and her mind raced.

In her previous life, she had little knowledge of her cousin, so she couldn’t warn her in advance. But now that her cousin had been deceived, combined with recent events, she suddenly realized—could it be an attempt against the Prince Kang’s mansion? Or Xiao Mu Qian?