Tianliangyuan

Chapter 177 Go check the authenticity

Zhu Zi blushed even more upon hearing this.

"Please don't tease me, my lord. I do have someone I like, but unfortunately, they don't think much of me. I was thinking of giving the things you bestowed upon me to my sister."

These words startled Xu Zhaozhao. The reason she asked this question was because she had heard that he had been going to Pingkangfang often recently, and she thought that he had found a lover there. She never expected that the answer would be like this.

"Your sister? Is she your biological sister?"

"Your Majesty, I came here today specifically to report this matter to you. I have found my long-lost sister, but she has already married and has a child."

Is your sister in the capital?

Zhu Zi nodded: "I guess so. But I heard that her parents-in-law are now in the countryside. She just came to the city to work with her brother-in-law, so she rented a small courtyard."

Zhu Zi was the first manager Xu Zhaozhao appointed, so naturally she had to know everything about him.

"If I remember correctly, your mother never said she had lost a daughter, did she?"

Zhu Zi smiled somewhat reluctantly: "Reporting to Master, I dare not deceive you. My father actually married two wives back then. My mother was the second wife. According to my mother, my father divorced his first wife because of her improper behavior. Only after that did he marry my mother. Because she only gave birth to one daughter, and there were constant arguments about the child, my father made her take the child away."

With this explanation, Xu Zhaozhao understood.

However, Zhu Zi's father was an interesting person. In those days, whether a family was rich or poor, no one would want their wife to take the child away.

Especially for women who have made mistakes and been divorced from their husbands' families, what right do they have to take their children with them?

unless……

Xu Zhaozhao thought of a possibility, but it was naturally inappropriate to mention it in front of Zhu Zi.

"I'm just curious, you shouldn't have met her before, so how could you recognize her?"

The smile on Zhu Zi's face was somewhat forced; he couldn't refuse to answer his master's question.

"My father's first wife took my sister away mainly because someone said she wasn't my father's child, and my father was in a bad mood at the time, so he naturally agreed. Not long after, she remarried."

Later, when I was two years old, my older sister was sent back home, covered in bruises, supposedly from my stepfather's family. My father had a huge fight with them about it, and eventually they brought my sister back. But when I was five, my sister went out to look for her mother, and then she encountered beggars and never came back.

Xu Zhaozhao felt a pang of pity; she was also a person with a tragic fate.

Zhu Zi's parents both worked in the Marquis's mansion. Zhu Zi's mother was a stewardess in the kitchen and was fairly honest. As for Zhu Zi's father, Xu Zhaozhao hadn't seen him much and had no impression of him.

"After all that, you want to send the things to your sister?"

"That's right. My sister is married now, and she's doing alright. She has enough to eat and wear. Life is a bit tight, but at least she can survive. And my little nephew is quite handsome."

As Zhu Zi spoke, he scratched his head sheepishly.

Xu Zhaozhao called Maidong over after Zhuzi left.

"Go check on the sister of this pillar, first confirm her authenticity, and then try to find out the truth about how she was abducted back then."

"Yes, master."

Xu Zhaozhao always felt somewhat uneasy.

It was no secret in the capital that Zhu Zi was his capable manager.

For so many years, this so-called older sister had been nowhere to be found, but suddenly she appeared, so Xu Zhaozhao had to be on guard.

There are some things Xu Zhaozhao can only think about herself, but cannot say aloud.

You have to be especially careful when you're in front of a pillar.

If this older sister is real, then so be it; but if she's fake...

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Xu Zhaozhao's eyes.

Is someone eyeing her wealth and trying to infiltrate her inner circle?

Things that happened many years ago are not so easy to investigate.

However, Mai Dong specifically arranged for someone to follow the pillar.

Mai Dong was a secret guard trained by the Xie family, so he was naturally highly skilled, and his only principle was: everything for his master!

Therefore, when Xu Zhaozhao assigned him the task, Mai Dong had already considered all the possibilities.

For example, if he needed to know whether Zhu Zi was still loyal, he would have to send someone to keep an eye on him secretly.

For example, even if that older sister is real, is there definitely no conspiracy involved?

Therefore, Mai Dong thought of almost everything she could think of, all in order to share her master's burdens.

Zhu Zi brought all the items to Pingkangfang without hesitation.

His sister and brother-in-law both work here. His sister, Xiu'er, works as a cook in a fairly well-off family business, while his brother-in-law works as a waiter in a tavern.

The couple worked hard every day just to earn more money so they could send their child to school in the future.

Zhu Zi deliberately chose this time to come.

Xiuer only cooks two meals a day, lunch and dinner, so she can go home in the morning. Moreover, she has a work contract, not a servant contract, so she is a free person with a good status.

"Sis, look what I brought you!"

Xiuer was washing clothes in the yard when she heard the knocking at the door. She was overjoyed, glanced back at her son, and then quickly went to open the door.

"Zhu Zi, what brings you here!"

"I came to see you. Is your brother-in-law not home?"

Zhu Zi deliberately shouted loudly at the door, wanting the neighbors to know that he had come to see his sister and nephew, so that others would stop gossiping.

"Your brother-in-law is probably coming back soon, but even if he does, he won't be able to rest for long."

"Yeah, it's okay. If he's here, I'll chat with him for a bit. If he's not, then it's fine."

Xiuer smiled and invited him into the house, then quickly poured hot water.

"Zhu Zi, my family is poor. We don't have any leaves, just plain water. Please don't mind."

"What are you saying, sister? How could I possibly complain about this?"

As Zhu Zi spoke, he picked up his little nephew.

When Xiuer saw that there was a pair of silver bracelets, she was so frightened that she immediately pulled her hand back.

“Zhu Zi, this thing is too valuable, you can’t accept it. Take it back quickly and give it to your mother, or you can keep it for yourself and give it to your wife later.”

Zhu Zi didn't even look up; he was still teasing his little nephew.

"Sis, why are you being so formal with me? I'm still young, there's no rush for me to find a wife."

Just then, there was another knock on the door; it must be the breadwinner of the family returning home.

Zhu Zi didn't get up. He was quite respectable these days. He was willing to show some respect to his sister because she had always taken care of him when he was a child. As for this damn brother-in-law, if he dared to treat his sister badly, it wasn't like she couldn't live without him!