Looking at the second elder's appearance, Duanmufei's heart became more complicated, as if something was tugging at her heart.

She said to herself that being able to find her younger brother was also a comfort to her grandfather and grandmother, after all, she could no longer accept the second elder.

Duanmu lowered his eyes silently, covering his slightly reddened eyes, not wanting others to see the abnormality.

Mu Yan has been paying attention to Duanmufei's every move, so he naturally saw it and empathized with it.

Old Lady Chu took two deep breaths, barely calmed down, and asked, "Ah Yan, how is Brother Shu now?" His voice was harsh.

Mu Yan said: "Please wait a little longer, there are still people who have not arrived." ”

Although the second elder was puzzled, he didn't ask any more. I've been waiting for more than ten years, so how can I care about waiting for a while and a half.

In a short time, two sleek women in blue suits arrived with an old woman with gray hair.

The old woman had dark and rough skin, a thin body, and wrinkles carved on her forehead and the corners of her eyes, and her figure was cowering.

The old woman glanced at the old lady Chu and his wife who were sitting on the Luohan bed, and withdrew her gaze like a frightened rabbit, and then knelt directly on the ground with a plop, her face full of fear and panic.

"It's you, Mars." Mrs. Chu was the first to blurt out, and for a moment, she couldn't believe that this vulgar mother-in-law was the Ma family back then.

Ma was Chu Tingshu's nurse, and the last time they saw her, she was only in her early thirties, and she was a young woman with a delicate face and a plump body.

But now Ma Shi seems to have completely changed a person, the past ten years have left extremely cruel traces on her, she seems to be at least fifty years old, and can only vaguely find some traces of the past from that eyebrow.

If it weren't for Mu Yan directly sending Ma to them, the old lady Chu and his wife would definitely not recognize this old woman as the nurse Ma of the third grandson Chu Tingshu.

Duanmu Fei also remembered this Ma.

There were dozens of subordinates and guards who went to Longzhou with their mother and younger brother, but they all died in the war.

Duanmu Fei clenched the handkerchief in his hand tightly, staring at the other party without blinking, his dark pupils getting deeper and deeper.

"Exactly...... Slaves. Ma, who was kneeling on the ground, lay his head on the ground, trembling like chaff, and the tremor in his voice could not be concealed.

The past flashed before her eyes like a marquee.

At the beginning, the war in Longzhou was chaotic, the soldiers were in chaos, the wife of the prince was captured by the Pu people, and everyone else died, only she took the third young master to hide in a haystack and escaped by luck.

She is a woman who has no power to restrain her chickens, and she can't live with a child at all, so she really has no choice but to abandon Chu Tingshu.

Later, she soon found a widower in Longzhou to marry.

After so many years, even if she had felt guilty, panicked, and uneasy, afraid that she would be found by the Chu family, as the years passed, these former worries finally faded little by little.

In recent years, she has rarely thought about these old things.

For her, this past in the capital is like a matter of a previous life, it has been thirteen years, and she will be found!

Thinking about it, Ma's body on the ground trembled even more.

Sure enough, it was her! Old Lady Chu's hands on her knees were clenched into fists tightly, her body was tense, and there seemed to be a thousand words surging in her heart.

The scene was slightly condensed, and even the temperature seemed to drop a lot.

Mu Yan glanced at Ma Shi coldly, his eyes were cold.

Dongchang has always been effective, and with a little clue provided by Chu Qingyu, they quickly found someone in Nankang City, Longzhou.

Mu Yan had just returned to Beijing from Xishan Daying today, and he got the news that he had found the Ma family, so he asked people to bring the Ma family directly, and he himself went to Duanmu Mansion and brought Duanmu Fei as well.

"Old Lady Chu," Mu Yan turned his head to look at Old Lady Chu, "If you have anything you want to ask, just ask." ”

Old Lady Chu's fists clenched and loosened, loosened and clenched, but he still couldn't calm down, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Ma's, where is Brother Shu?" ”

"......" Ma Shi timidly glanced up at Old Lady Chu, and when his eyes met his eager eyes, his body trembled in fright, and he lowered his upper body again.

Ma's heart was like a drum, and his heart was almost beating out of his chest, and he was panicked.

On the way from Longzhou to the capital, Ma once thought that as long as she bit to death and said that she was accidentally separated from the third young master, she would not dare to return to Beijing for fear of being punished, so she could only stay in Longzhou incognito. Besides, she is a woman, and she can't return to the capital from Longzhou, which is also reasonable.

After all, at that time, Longzhou was in chaos, and it was not entirely her responsibility to be separated from the third young master, at most, she was not good to be beaten as a protector.

She can still save this life, and she can still go back to Longzhou......

However, after she was taken to the capital, she was directly escorted to Dongchang.

The name of Dongchang and Jinyiwei, no one knows in Dasheng, once you enter the edict of Dongchang and Jinyiwei, it is to go in vertically and come out horizontally, and if you don't die, you will be worse off than dead!

Ma was afraid, she was not only afraid that she would lose her life, but also that it would affect her current husband and a pair of children born later.

If she doesn't tell the truth, if Dongchang finds out that she lied, I'm afraid not only will she be dead, but even her family will be unable to escape.

She has no choice but to tell the truth, it is better for her to die alone than for the whole family to die!

Ma swallowed hard and kowtowed three times.

"Knock knock!"

Her forehead slammed into the ground, one hit louder than the other.

After only three knocks, her forehead was already swollen and bruised.

"Old lady, lady." Ma's voice squeezed out between her teeth with difficulty, "The slave and maid confessed their guilt, and it was all the slave's fault. ”

When Old Lady Chu and Mrs. Chu heard this, they chuckled in their hearts.

Even if he knew that what he heard from Ma's mouth would definitely not be pleasant news, the second elder's heart still sank.

Duanmufei's nails sank deep into her tender palm, but the pain in her hand couldn't catch up with the pain in her heart.

It seemed to be colder in the house.

The sky outside had become cloudy at some point, and even the autumn wind blowing into the house carried a terrible chill.

"Don't hurry up yet!" Mrs. Chu slapped her palm heavily on the square table in her hand.

"Smack!"

The two teacups on the square table shook with it, so frightened that Ma almost didn't jump.

"The slave said, the slave said." Ma raised his head tremblingly, and said intermittently about the events of the year, "Thirteen years ago, the slave maid went to Longzhou with Mrs. Shizi. It wasn't until we entered Longzhou that we learned that the Pu army was attacking and had reached the western border of Longzhou. ”

"Mrs. Shizi took us to stay at the post station in Sudong City temporarily, and I planned to stay in Longzhou for the next day, and then settle the third young master first."

"Who would have thought, something happened that night......"

Thinking of the scene at that time, Ma's pupils shrank, his face showed panic, and he shivered a few times.

Even the hearts of Mrs. Chu and Mrs. Chu were also caught.

Ma Shi took a deep breath and continued: "That night, a Pu army infiltrated Sudong City and surrounded the post station. ”

"These Pu people also somehow learned that the Lady of the Prince was here, and sent a large army to arrest people. The Pu army was outnumbered, and the guards were invincible, and they died for the sake of protecting the lord. There was a river of blood in the inn. ”

At that time, Ma also thought that he was dead, who would have thought that Ye had called her over.

"Mrs. Shizi entrusted the third young master to the slave maid, and let us hide quietly in a haystack in the firewood room of the post station, and Mrs. Shizi ...... Mrs. Shizi herself did not hesitate to use her example as bait to attract Pu people's attention. ”

"Later, Mrs. Shizi was captured by Puren, and the slave maid and the third young master escaped by luck."

"There was chaos outside, and the slave and maid took the third young master to hide in the backyard of the post station and didn't dare to go out. It wasn't until later that our dry food ran out, and the slave and maid detectives heard the news that the Pu people escorted Mrs. Shizi to the front of the battle and forced Shizi to open the city gate, and Mrs. Shizi committed suicide in front of Linze City for righteousness. ”

These things are the pain in the hearts of the Chu family, even after so many years, that scar has not healed so far.

Now listening to Ma's eloquent words, the wound that had been scarred for many years seemed to be torn open again, revealing the blurred flesh and blood underneath.

Mrs. Chu's eyes turned even redder, and her heart ached.

Ma's head fell again, his lips trembled twice, and he continued tremblingly: "Originally, the slave maid wanted to escape back to the capital with the third young master, but the silver on the slave maid was snatched away by those homeless people. Along the way, the slave maid could only take the third young master to follow a group of homeless people around begging. ”

"At that time, Longzhou was too chaotic, there were Pu troops passing by from time to time on the road, those Pu people were ferocious, they didn't blink an eye when they killed, they killed people when they saw them, and the slave maid took a child, they really couldn't escape, they couldn't avoid ......"

Ma said, his voice getting softer and softer, softer and lighter, and his body began to tremble again.

She is a woman's family, lonely, and unprotected, and if she continues to take Chu Tingshu with her, she will only die together. She is also desperate, and she really has no other choice.

"......" Mrs. Chu and Mrs. Chu glanced at each other, and both of them vaguely guessed what Ma did behind.

A layer of water appeared in Mrs. Chu's eyes, she closed her eyes, and was forcibly endured by her.

"And then?" Old Lady Chu asked sharply, her sharp eyes shot at Ma Shi like sharp arrows, "Where did you throw Brother Shu'er?" ”

Old Lady Chu's chest rose and fell slightly, and this simple sentence seemed to exhaust the strength of his whole body.

Although Ma didn't say that she threw Chu Tingshu, from her weak look and from her words to emphasize that she was cornered, her choice at that time was obvious.

Chu Tingshu was only three years old at that time!

A three-year-old child was abandoned in the chaotic Longzhou, and Mrs. Chu couldn't imagine how much her grandson had suffered for so many years.

"The slave didn't throw it!" As if grasping a life-saving straw, Ma raised his head again, his cloudy eyes were almost stunned, "Old lady, the slave will not throw the third young master away." ”

"The slave handed over the third young master to a woman who had just lost her son, and that woman would definitely treat the third young master as her own son." Ma's eyes shone unusually brightly, and she didn't know if she was convincing the second elder of the Chu family, or if she was convincing herself.

Old Lady Chu's expression became even more grim.

Without waiting for the second elder to respond, Ma Shi couldn't wait to defend himself: "Old lady, Mrs. Tai, it was a last resort for slaves and maids to do this. ”

At that time, Pu Ren was still searching everywhere for the whereabouts of the third young master, and the slave maid, a foreign woman with a capital accent, with a three-year-old child, was too eye-catching, and she couldn't avoid the eyes and ears of others wherever she went. Slaves and maids have nowhere to run. ”

"The slave and maid entrusted him to that woman for the good of the third young master, otherwise, the third young master will definitely not be able to escape the eyes and ears of the Pu people, and will only end up with the same fate as Mrs. Shizi......"

Ma said excitedly, his dark cheeks flushed slightly, and his facial features looked a little distorted.

Old lady Chu has read countless people, looking at Ma's anxious eyes, how can she not know that she is just quibbling with excuses.

Old lady Chu didn't bother to argue with her, and interrupted the chattering Ma Shi sharply: "Who is that woman?" Who did you hand over Brother Shu to? ”

Ma didn't dare to look directly at Old Lady Chu and Mrs. Chu, so he shrank back again, licked his dry lips, and replied, "That woman's name is Zhu Xiaolian." ”

The name Zhu Xiaolian has been engraved in Ma's heart for more than ten years, and even if she tries to forget it, she can't forget it.

To put it bluntly, Ma is sympathetic to Zhu Xiaolian, Zhu Xiaolian is a hard-working person.

Thirteen years ago, the Pu people burned, killed, and plundered in Longzhou, doing everything, Zhu Xiaolian's husband and children were killed by the Pu people, and Zhu Xiaolian herself was also ruined by the Pu people.

At that time, Ma Shi was hiding in a corner not far away and saw this scene with his own eyes, but she was a weak woman, and she couldn't help Zhu Xiaolian, even if she went out, it was just one more person who was ruined.

The only thing she could do was to wait for Pu Ren to leave, put on the clothes for the messy Zhu Xiaolian, and take her back to her temporary residence.

After Zhu Xiaolian woke up again, she forgot all about the previous incident, and the whole person was crazy, she thought that her husband and children were still alive, and at first she had to find their whereabouts, but it was Chu Tingshu's existence that diverted her attention.

Zhu Xiaolian mistook Chu Tingshu for her child and was considerate of him.

Ma's heart moved at the moment, she was afraid that she would not be able to avoid Pu Ren's eyes and ears with a child, rather than everyone dying together, it was better to have their own place, she simply "sent" Chu Tingshu to Zhu Xiaolian, and ran away quietly at night.

Since then, Ma has never seen Zhu Xiaolian and Chu Tingshu again, and in the blink of an eye, it has been thirteen years.

At this time, Mrs. Chu, who had been silent for a long time, asked, "Do you know where that Zhu Xiaolian lives?" Her voice was a little hoarse, and her upper body was straight.

"Her husband's surname is Xiao, and back then, he lived in Xiao's village near Nankang City." Ma replied immediately.

Resemble?! Duanmufei, who had been lowering his eyes, raised his head suddenly, his eyes widening slightly.

What Ma said matched Ren Yazi's confession, and all the clues were connected.

Xiao Tian is really Chu Tingshu! Mu Yan thoughtfully rubbed the folding fan in his hand.

There was silence in the room.

Old lady Chu glared at Ma, her fists clenched even tighter, and green tendons appeared on the back of her hand, surging with anger.

Another gust of autumn wind blew from the window, and the breeze with a bit of chill stroked his forehead and sideburns, which calmed down the old lady Chu's excitement a little.

Old lady Chu said lightly: "Ma, if what you said is true, then why don't you go back to Beijing afterwards?" ”

If it is really as Ma said, then after the destruction of Linze City, Pu Ren will definitely give up Chu Tingshu, and Ma can go back and find Chu Tingshu back. Even if she can't find the Zhu Xiaolian she said, she can come to the capital and tell the Chu family what she knows, so with the ability of the Chu family, why let Chu Tingshu be exiled for more than ten years......

Ma Shi hurriedly defended himself: "Old lady, the slave and maid have no way to guide, and they are a woman's family, the capital is thousands of miles away, and the slave and maid are really powerless." ”

"A fugitive slave who abandoned his little master, how dare he come back!" Mu Yan suddenly spoke, his tone as cold as frost.

But anyone who has a little conscience, if he was really forced to do so back then, he should go back to Beijing and inform the Chu family afterwards, at that time, as long as the Chu family tries their best to find it, they will definitely be able to find Chu Tingshu, and it will not drag on for so many years, and all the clues will be broken.

Mu Yan's tone and eyes were like a cold pool, exuding a faint cold air, which made Ma Shi tremble, and her body trembled even more.

Old lady Chu stared at Ma's and asked again, "Ma's, what else did you not say?" ”

"The slaves and maids have said it!" Ma Shi kowtowed heavily to the ground again, and there was a bang, "Old lady, the slave has already said everything she knows. The slave really doesn't know what happened next. ”

Old Lady Chu and Mrs. Chu exchanged glances with each other, and a flame of hope flashed in their eyes, just like a traveler lost in the dark seeing a warm light when he was exhausted.

For the second elder, it was already an unexpected joy to get this clue from Ma's mouth today.

For so many years, although they have not given up looking for their grandson Chu Tingshu, reason told them that with the situation at that time, the army was in chaos, and there were countless people in Dasheng who died under the hands of Pu Ren, and it was impossible for Chu Tingshu, who was only three years old, to survive, but now, they could at least be sure that their grandson did not die in the hands of Pu Jun.

Moreover, they have clues about the whereabouts of their grandchildren.

Old lady Chu settled down, thinking in his heart, today he will send some people to rush to Nankang City, Longzhou.

This time it's really thanks to Mu Yan!

Old Lady Chu looked at Mu Yan again, and was about to say something, but found that Mu Yan was staring at Ma Shi without blinking.

What's wrong with Mars?

Only then did this thought come to the mind of Old Lady Chu, and Mu Yan asked lightly: "Ma Clan, what recognizable tokens did you have left on the third young master of your family back then?" ”

Ma raised her head, bleeding from her red and swollen forehead, and blood flowed down from her eyebrows, making her face extremely embarrassed, but Ma didn't care about wiping it.

She frowned and thought for a long time, then her eyes suddenly lit up, and she blurted out: "Yes!" ”

Everyone was in high spirits, especially Old Lady Chu and Mrs. Chu.

Ma Shi said eagerly: "There is one thing, it is a piece of Guanyin jade lock of mutton fat and white jade, which was quietly given to the third young master by the eldest girl before leaving. ”

Chu Tingshu has an extra Guanyin jade lock on his body, and he can't hide the nurse who takes care of him closely.

Ma also knew from Chu Tingshu that it was Chu Qing who gave him the jade lock.

Back then, when Ma left Chu Tingshu and fled, he also thought about taking the jade lock away, but the jade lock was accidentally broken by Chu Tingshu, leaving a big flaw, even if he sold it, it was estimated that it would not sell much silver. At that time, she was also worried that she would be late, and she woke up Zhu Xiaolian and Chu Tingshu and couldn't leave, so she fled in a hurry.

"Jade Lock." Mrs. Chu muttered to herself, her eyes widened excitedly, of course she knew that this jade lock was the jade lock she gave to her eldest granddaughter Chu Qingci.

"Xiao Tian."

A crisp female voice followed in the air.

There was silence in the room, and Old Lady Chu, Mrs. Chu, and Mu Yan all looked at Duanmu Fei in surprise.

Old Lady Chu and Mrs. Chu didn't know Xiao Tian, and they were confused.

Mu Yan blinked, his eyes flashed, and the corners of his lips curled as if they were nothing.

"Xiao Tian has a jade lock." Duanmu Fei continued, looking at the second elder in front of him brightly, and squeezing the handkerchief tightly with both hands.

She didn't pay attention to Mu Yan's eyes, her mind was on Xiao Tian and the piece of jade, desperately suppressing her agitated emotions.

She knew that she had lost her temper and her words, and it stands to reason that Duanmu Fei should not know about the jade lock that only Chu Qingci knew, so at this moment she could only work hard to make up for it.

"A few days ago, I happened to see a Guanyin jade lock falling out of Xiao Gongzi's neck, which was engraved with a Guanyin sitting cross-legged on a lotus seat, and there was a willow leaf pattern next to it. The jade lock is about this size......" Duanmu Fei said as he compared the size with his fingers, "It's a pity that his jade lock is broken a bit." ”

Listening to Duanmu Fei's words, Mrs. Chu's eyes widened, and she muttered, "Sister Ci'er's jade lock is like this." ”

Five years ago, Sister Ci fell into the water and died, and no jade lock was found in her relics, at that time, Mrs. Chu was over-grieved, and she didn't think much about it, just thinking that she fell into the lake when she fell into the water, but she didn't expect Sister Ci to give the jade lock to Brother Shu thirteen years ago.

"Who is Xiao Tian?" Mrs. Chu asked eagerly. Xiao Tian's surname is "Xiao", and the Ma family just said that Zhu Xiaolian's husband's surname is Xiao, can it be ......

Mu Yan stretched out his hand and grabbed Duanmufei, grabbed her before she and said: "Zhu Xiaolian brought the child back to Xiaojia Village, she was unusually conscious, and regarded the child as her biological son, and raised it until she was five years old. Everyone else in Xiaojia Village thought it was Zhu Xiaolian's child. ”

Mu Yan could clearly feel a thin layer of sweat in Duanmufei's palm, her hand was trembling slightly, and Mu Yan held her hand harder, trying to calm her emotions.

Ma's eyes widened in disbelief, he didn't expect Mu Yan to find out about Zhu Xiaolian a long time ago, and he was afraid for a while: fortunately, she didn't lie, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable......

At the same time, Mu Yan continued: "When the child was five years old, Zhu Xiaolian was seriously ill and could no longer raise this child, and before she died, her consciousness seemed to be a little clearer. In order to find a way for the child to live, she found a reliable person Yazi and entrusted the child to the person Yazi, and later Renyazi took the child from Longzhou to Huawen Town, Jinzhou, and sold it to a local dart board. ”

Mrs. Chu's eyes were already wet again, with tears in her eyes, and her throat choked.

The second elder and Duanmu Fei both looked at Mu Yan without blinking, Mu Yan raised his hand and made a gesture, and the two women in strong suits restrained Ma's arms.

Ma Shi looked at Old Lady Chu and Mrs. Chu in panic, and shouted in a dying struggle: "Old lady, Mrs. Tai, the slave maid didn't leave the little young master, spare the slave maid!" ”

The two women didn't pay attention to Ma's shouts at all, and dragged the person down directly.

Ma didn't dare to struggle, but he still turned around and shouted: "The slave knows that she is wrong!" Go around the slaves! ”

The curtain leading to the hall was raised and lowered, and Ma's voice faded away......

There were only four people left in the house: Old Lady Chu and his wife, Mu Yan and Duanmufei.

Mu Yan said unhurriedly: "That child grew up with the other adopted children in the dart game, and followed the dart head around to protect the dart...... Until March of the sixteenth year of Longzhi, the dart bureau was copied by the local county order, and the dart head and many dart masters were killed, and almost all the doors were wiped out. ”

The door curtain shook slightly, and it rattled, and Mu Yan's voice became clearer and clearer.