The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

Seeing that Gou Dan looked unfamiliar, Luo Wulang asked curiously, "Brother Dong, who is this young man who came with you?"

Dong Yong introduced him formally, saying, "Oh, this is Brother Li, who, like me, is also from the Ministry of Justice."

Gou Dan stood up from his chair and introduced himself: "My name is Li Gou Dan. I am very happy to be a guest at the Luo residence with Lord Dong today."

The Luo family found it very strange. Gou Dan was dressed as an ordinary yamen runner, looked much younger than Lord Dong, and had a rustic accent from out of town, yet Lord Dong addressed him respectfully as Brother Li!

What are Li Gou Dan's strengths? What is his background? How could he be so highly regarded by Lord Dong?

"My hometown is Qinghe County. I only recently came to the Ministry of Justice in the capital to work." Gou Dan deliberately mentioned Qinghe County to see the Luo family's reaction.

Luo Minggeng was overjoyed and moved his stool next to Gou Dan, and they began to chat enthusiastically.

"So Brother Li is from Qinghe County. Have you ever heard of that genius painter from Qinghe County?"

Dong Yong said with a proud look, "Brother Li has not only heard of him, but has also met the genius painter in person."

When Madam Luo heard the words "Qinghe County," she realized that this Li Gou Dan must be the one who replaced Ming Geng in the Ministry of Justice.

The master said that the person who replaced his eldest grandson came from Qinghe County and didn't even have the title of a student in the imperial examinations.

It's infuriating! My grandson has the academic degree of a scholar, yet this piece of trash stole his job.

The key point is that the eldest grandson not only wasn't angry, but also looked like they were good buddies, which is quite disappointing.

Although Madam Luo was a Buddhist, she was not very kind in her words or deeds.

She was angry that Li Gou Dan had taken her grandson's job, so her words became rather unpleasant, "Li Gou Dan, I heard you weren't even a student of the Imperial Academy, yet you got a job in the Ministry of Justice. You must have some powerful connections, right?"

Madam Luo's words were meant to satirize Li Gou Dan for getting the job through connections.

Dong Yong was furious. This old lady Luo, as the wife of a vice minister, was so petty and spoke without any manners, showing no respect whatsoever for an official's wife.

Before Gou Dan could speak, Dong Yong interrupted him.

"Madam Luo, you are truly amazing. You even know that Brother Li has powerful backing. I heard that a certain Vice Minister also wanted to get a clerical position in the Ministry of Justice, but unfortunately he didn't succeed."

Madam Luo was almost furious. Wasn't the "Minister" that Lord Dong mentioned referring to her husband?

Just as Madam Luo was about to say a few more sarcastic remarks, before she could even utter a word, she heard Dong Yong rattle off a long list of impressive names.

"My brother Li has a very powerful backer, it's that Miss Su from Qinghe County. It's so powerful it's terrifying, which is why I didn't mention it before."

When Dong Yong mentioned Miss Su, his face was full of pride.

"That Miss Su is the legendary genius painter. You must have heard of the exquisite Crystal Orchid, right? That was also cultivated by Miss Su."

"Moreover, Miss Su also possessed a calligraphy copybook of the plum blossom style created by the great calligrapher Wang Yangzhi, a priceless treasure that money can't buy, which Miss Su casually gave to Gou Dan."

Li Gou Dan nodded, "Miss Su is indeed very capable. I'm just a country bumpkin, and I'm where I am today entirely because of Miss Su."

Madam Luo was very angry, but the rest of the Luo family looked delighted.

Luo Yin is a calligraphy enthusiast, particularly interested in Wang Yangzhi's plum blossom style. "When I was in school, my teacher always praised my calligraphy. I wonder where Wang Yangzhi's plum blossom style calligraphy copybooks are now?"

Dong Yong waved his hand, "Brother Luo, don't even think about it. That calligraphy copybook is with Vice Minister Ye in our Ministry of Justice, and he doesn't show it to anyone else."

Luo Minggeng was very surprised and regretful when Dong Yong rattled off so many titles in one breath.

If his grandmother hadn't stopped him from going to Qinghe County, he might have become a familiar face to that Miss Su by now.

After returning to the capital, I could boast to my classmates that I knew a genius painter and was even friends with him! It's such a pity; I should have secretly slipped out of the capital back then.

Dog Egg hadn't forgotten the important matter Miss Su had entrusted to him, so he deliberately asked Madam Luo, "I wonder if Madam Luo has ever been to Lotus Village in Qinghe County?"

Just as Madam Luo received a cup of hot tea from Mama Fan, before she could even take a sip, she heard the name Lotus Village and her hand trembled so much that the teacup fell to the ground.

"No, I've never been there. I've never even heard of Lotus Village."

Dog Egg thought to himself: If you haven't been there, you haven't been there. Why are you reacting so strongly? You're obviously feeling guilty!

Luo Wulang reminded her, "Mother, your memory isn't very good. I heard Father mention before that not long after my eldest brother was born, the old house in Jiangnan caught fire. On your way back to the capital, your carriage broke down in Lotus Village, and you even spent the night there."

Madam Luo's face turned pale. She hadn't expected her youngest son to expose her lie. "I... I'm getting old, and my memory has indeed deteriorated a lot."

Seeing that the old lady was unsteady on her feet, Madam Fan quickly stepped forward to support her.

The old lady has been having trouble sleeping lately, and her eyes are covered in dark circles.

Mrs. Fan was very worried that the old lady wouldn't make it through the winter.

Luo Wulang felt that his mother must be sick. Her complexion was very bad, and she had been dropping things frequently lately. Her memory had also deteriorated, and she didn't even remember visiting Lotus Village before.

He said worriedly, "Mother, have you been feeling unwell lately? Perhaps we should call a doctor to take a look at your health."

"No need, no need to call the doctor. I'll just go back to my room and rest."

Madam Luo was helped back home by Mama Fan and two maids.

Gou Dan watched Old Madam Luo's trembling back, lost in thought.

He felt that there must be something fishy about why Madam Luo was so excited about Lotus Village.

Moreover, Master Luo said that Old Madam Luo had been to Lotus Village, but Old Madam Luo vehemently denied it, which is very strange.

It seems like Madam Luo is feeling quite guilty!

Could it be that Old Madam Luo herself switched the children? What was the purpose of switching the children?

Gou Dan planned to write a letter to Miss Su after he got back, telling her everything that had happened at the Luo family that day.

Inside Madam Luo's room, Mama Fan, still worried, invited a doctor over.

After taking her pulse, the doctor advised, "Madam, you must avoid getting emotional and try to maintain a calm state of mind. Otherwise, if you damage your heart meridian, it may be difficult to cure with medicine."

After the doctor left, Madam Fan advised Madam Luo, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Madam, you must relax and you will enjoy good health and longevity."

Madam Luo waved her hand and chased all the maids out of the room.

She was on the verge of a breakdown, and now that there were no outsiders in the house, she could finally release the emotions that had been suppressed for so long.

Old Mrs. Luo was in tears, sometimes pulling her hair hard, sometimes pounding the bed board. Her gray hair was disheveled, and she was crying and laughing like a madwoman.

"Aunt Fan, you understand my pain best. As long as my son in Qinghe County is still alive, I will never be able to put my mind at ease."

After much fuss, Madam Luo finally made up her mind.

She opened the money box by the bedside, took out a five-thousand-tael silver note, and stuffed it into Mama Fan's hand.

"Mother Fan, go outside the manor and hire an assassin to eliminate that man from Qinghe County. Only in this way can there be no evidence against him, and only in this way can I sleep peacefully tonight. Remember, whatever you do, don't let anyone else in the manor find out about this."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Fan was completely stunned.

She couldn't believe the old lady could be so cruel.

The old lady always had Buddhist prayer beads in her hand and frequently burned incense and prayed to Buddha, but she uttered the cruelest words, even threatening to send someone to kill her own son.

No, there couldn't be such a cruel mother in the world. Madam Fan thought that the old lady must have made a mistake in a moment of excitement.

"Madam, why don't you reconsider? What if you regret it later?"

"No, I won't regret it. I didn't want to kill him. He forced me to. If the master and the clan find out that the child was switched, they will definitely blame me for being stupid."

Madam Luo's eyes were vacant and unfocused as she recalled events from decades ago.

"When I first married into the Luo family, the Luo family members said more than once that I was not worthy of marrying into the Luo family, and everyone looked down on me."