Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Jing'an Hou carries...

Marquis Jing'an lifted the chain on He Wanrong's back and forced her to raise her head.

"This woman is the daughter of the traitor He Ping. For the past six months, she has been meticulously planning to attach herself to the wife of the Dunhuang County Magistrate, waiting for an opportunity to return to Lin'an. Her sole purpose is to fabricate evidence, attempt to defame me, and overturn the traitor's conviction."

"I returned home early tonight because I had detected this woman's plot. Unfortunately, I was a step too late. Not only was my study robbed, but she also broke into the ancestral hall of my mansion and wantonly vandalized it, desecrating my Zhou family's ancestors. Her crimes are unforgivable. Before tomorrow's morning court session, I will go to the palace and petition His Majesty to have this woman dragged out and beheaded."

Because most of the guards had gone to search the mansion, the lights in the front yard were sparse. The pale moonlight poured down on He Wanrong's face, making her skin appear pale and bloodless. She had become even thinner in the past half month, her cheeks sunken. She knelt there calmly with her eyes closed.

When Jing'an Hou said those words, her expression was calm, as if she hadn't heard anything. But Jiang Wan was terrified.

The Marquis of Jing'an was indeed a shrew. He couldn't kill He Wanrong directly, so he went to the palace to report to His Majesty, confusing right and wrong. As long as His Majesty allowed him to deal with He Wanrong, not only would his murder be justified, but the letters and bank rosters he found after the murder could also be attributed to the traitor's daughter.

The Great Zhou Dynasty held its morning court session at the hour of Mao. If the Marquis of Jing'an could arrive before His Majesty's court session, he could return at 2:15 AM to kill He Wanrong. To save her, Jiang Wan had only two options: either leave the Marquis's residence before 2:15 AM to meet the Jinyiwei, or risk being caught and send a letter by carrier pigeon.

But no matter which one it is, we have to wait for Marquis Jing'an to put people down and go back to rest.

Lanxiang's "bedroom" was in the eldest lady's courtyard, and she would be able to figure out why the eldest lady helped her to cover up her lie. If she was still willing to help, perhaps sending a pigeon to send a letter would work.

Just as she had come up with some ideas, she saw Jing'an Hou put down the chains that bound He Wanrong and turned to mention the fifty-year-old man:

"This man is ostensibly a cook delivering meals to the Marquis' residence, but he's actually a spy, secretly delivering messages for the rebel's daughter. Furthermore, there must have been a third person who infiltrated the Marquis' residence tonight, assisting the two men in stealing the letters and forging them. That's why I've gathered everyone to search for them, but we haven't found this third person yet."

Marquis Jing'an glanced at his servants meaningfully. "The rebels acted meticulously, forming a gang in just six months. They must have someone backing them. Tomorrow, I will enter the palace to report this matter to His Majesty. No servants are allowed to leave the mansion until I return. Anyone who contacts outsiders without permission will be executed."

Jiang Wan didn't hear these threatening words—she didn't even hear the whole sentence, because He Wanrong took advantage of the gap when everyone's attention was on Jing'an Marquis and suddenly opened her eyes and looked at her.

The previous dejection was gone, and He Wanrong's eyes were bright and stubborn. It reminded Jiang Wan of that rainy night in Dunhuang County, under the tent of the noodle stall, she said that no matter how difficult the road to overturning the verdict was, she would continue.

The look in her eyes at that time was exactly the same as it is now.

In a state of shock, Jiang Wan managed to keep her head down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw He Wanrong's lips move. No sound came out, but the sisters' years of tacit understanding allowed her to immediately recognize each other's lip movements.

saber.

He Wanrong saw a large number of sabers in the ancestral hall!

For the past two weeks, although she had been imprisoned in the dungeon of the Marquis's mansion, she had been receiving information about Jiang Wan and the others through the old man who delivered meals. She also knew that the Marquis of Jing'an would be staying at the palace tonight.

Jiang Wan suspected that He Wanrong had the same idea as her, wanting to explore while Marquis Jing'an was away to see if she could find any useful clues. Since she had the dungeon key, it would have been easy for her to figure it out. If Marquis Jing'an hadn't set a trap long ago, she wouldn't have been easily discovered at night.

Unfortunately, the other party was well prepared. Although they relaxed their supervision on the surface, they were probably monitoring him more closely in secret. He Wanrong did not have a Jinyiwei who was proficient in disguise to disguise her, so she could not escape the clutches of the devil.

It was unknown whether she had planned this or whether she had stumbled upon a large number of sabers in the Marquis's ancestral hall by accident. This completely confirmed Wen Shen's suspicion: the Marquis of Jing'an had been privately forging weapons for a long time, at least four or five years.

But if He Wanrong discovered these things, it would be even more impossible for Jing'an Hou to let her live.

Jiang Wan was terribly anxious, but could only kneel and remain motionless. If she was also caught, Jing'an Hou's trick of luring the enemy into a trap would be successful. Not only would it fail to save He Wanrong, but all the clues from tonight would be hidden.

Every minute of the night was unbearable. After the guards had searched several times without success, the servants were finally allowed to return to their rooms to rest.

As soon as Jiang Wan arrived at Qiushi Courtyard, he saw the eldest daughter of the Marquis' Mansion, Wu Qiushi, sitting in front of the window, surrounded by three maids, chattering about what happened that night.

She stopped four or five steps away, knelt down and saluted without saying a word.

Before arriving at the Marquis's residence, she had deliberately imitated Lanxiang's voice and language. However, time was of the essence, and her voice was ultimately different from Lanxiang's, so she could only achieve a 70% resemblance. The maids in the house all served under the same master as Lanxiang, and with their constant presence, they were bound to notice something.

Wu Qiushi turned around, looked at Jiang Wan, and said, "You all go back and rest. Lanxiang stay."

Jiang Wan remained bent-kneed until the last maid left and closed the door. She hesitated for a moment, then said respectfully in a "Lan Xiang" voice, "Miss."

Without turning around, Wu Qiushi looked out the window and whispered, "Four years ago, on a quiet night like this, I was enjoying a spring outing outside Beijing when a sudden downpour hit. Our carriage got stuck in the mud, and the servants went back to the city to find one. Zhuyun and I could only stand by the Yuedu River with umbrellas."

Jiang Wan followed her description and searched the original owner's memory, and soon understood why the other party helped her tonight.

"The grass was slippery and visibility was poor, so I accidentally fell into the river. Luckily, Miss He passed by and saved me. Miss Wanwan, you were there at the time, I wonder if you still remember." Wu Qiushi closed the window. "Miss He was originally going to climb over the wall of the ancestral hall tonight, but she discovered many secret guards outside the mansion. Knowing she couldn't escape, she came to me and asked me to help you because I saved you in the past."

"Thank you very much, Miss. I will never forget your kindness in saving me today." Jiang Wan returned to his original voice, "But I still have one favor to ask..."

"Let's make this clear," Wu Qiushi interrupted her. "You heard what Father said just now. Miss He wants to harm my father. I can't let her go, and Father won't agree. As for you, since Father has already verified that you're not the spy, I won't expose you. As for other matters, as long as you ask, I will do my best to help you."

Jiang Wan paused and asked tentatively, "Excuse me, Miss, when can I leave your house?"

"Tomorrow at 2:15 AM, after the secret guards in the mansion withdraw, I will let you go." Wu Qiushi replied.

"Can I write a letter to my mother? If I don't come home all night, my mother and brother will be worried."

Wu Qiushi thought for a moment and said, "Okay, you've always been timid and naive. You wouldn't do anything bad if I left you alone. Write it and I'll send it to Fulai Inn for you."

Jiang Wan thanked Wu Qiushi profusely and borrowed paper and pen to write a letter. Because of the unusual circumstances tonight, Wu Qiushi was cautious and wanted to check the contents of the letter. So, she wrote a simple family letter—she had redeemed invisible ink from the system store, which lasted half an hour. Words written in invisible ink are initially invisible, but after the expiration date, they transform into ordinary ink.

If I had known it would be so troublesome, I shouldn't have hinted to Wen Shen to leave. I should have just rushed in to save them. Although it would be hard to explain later, at least I could have saved He Wanrong's life.

Tomorrow, when Jing'an Hou returns, he will chop He Wanrong into pieces. It's still two and a half hours until 2:15 AM. I hope my brother can find a way to save her after receiving this letter.

After finishing everything she could, Jiang Wan wanted to rest for a while, but she was worried about He Wanrong and couldn't sleep, so she had to go to the system to calculate her points.

After the name-changing ceremony, her points totaled 1,300. Opening her portable space for one day cost five points; exchanging for a □□ cost fifty-five points; exchanging for ten grams of invisible ink cost ten points; and exchanging for a dagger cost seventy points.

This trip cost a total of 140 points, leaving 1160 points.

If it were in the past, she would have felt very painful, but now she felt that as long as she could help He Wanrong, it would be worth spending any points.

After waiting for almost two hours, it was already dawn.

The palace guards were still trying to find the lost letter. He Wanrong and the old man who delivered the meal were still tied with chains, kneeling in the middle of the front yard, guarded by five or six strong servants.

Marquis Jing'an was already inside, changing his clothes and preparing to enter the palace. Jiang Wan glanced through the window paper at the gnomon in the courtyard, then looked at He Wanrong, whose lips had turned blue from the cold after kneeling for two hours, and felt extremely anxious.

What broke the tension was the sound of the butler running.

"Master, Master, something's wrong!"

"What's the rush?" Marquis Jing'an asked after tying the belt of his crown.

The butler rushed to him and knelt perfectly fifty centimeters away: "The Empress's decree has arrived! The female official who delivered it is at the door!"

"What!" Jing'an Hou was shocked and asked as he walked towards the door, "Do you know what's going on?"

The housekeeper was about to cry, "I don't know! That lady-in-waiting is a first-class lady-in-waiting from the Empress's side. But she also came with two third-class ladies-in-waiting from the Yangxin Palace."

The Hall of Mental Cultivation is where His Majesty works. The female officials of the Hall of Mental Cultivation followed and said that the Queen's edict had been approved by His Majesty and should be regarded as an imperial edict.

Marquis Jing'an's expression was a little subtle, but he quickly forced a sleepy smile and knelt down in front of the female official.

The leading female official read out expressionlessly, "The Empress has issued an order. We have heard that a rebellious daughter broke into the Marquis's residence tonight, attempting to steal letters and other belongings. Your Majesty and I are deeply concerned. We have specially ordered the rebellious daughter and her accomplices to be brought to the palace for personal questioning by Your Majesty."

According to the rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty, rewards and punishments for women must be issued by the Empress. Judging from the decree, the interrogation of He Wanrong was actually the will of His Majesty. The reason why He Wanrong was interrogated instead of the Imperial decree was simply because she was a woman.

This decree, ostensibly for detention and interrogation, actually saved He Wanrong's life. It was unknown how Wen Shen and Shen Jianqing had managed to convince His Majesty in just two hours.

Marquis Jing'an was clearly aware of the leak, and his expression was almost uncontrollably grim. However, the Empress's decree was in place, and he could only watch helplessly as He Wanrong was taken away.