Chapter 191 I'm waiting for your explanation

Ning Qi wanted to quickly quell the situation, at least to avoid making a fool of herself in public again, but Jiang Yu was clearly unwilling to do so.

He had no contact with Jiang Yu, but he had heard many rumors about her. He also knew that it was no simple feat for a woman like Jiang Yu to have reached her current position.

But after actually getting to know Jiang Yu, he realized that his understanding of her was still too one-sided. This woman in her early twenties, standing before him, possessed an aura that was by no means weak.

"What does the Duke of Chu want?" Ning Qi asked, looking at Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu smiled at him, "I didn't expect to run into something like this while celebrating the old lady's birthday. Let's get to the bottom of this and clear my name, as well as yours, the Grand Councilor."

The next sentence made Ning Qi narrow his eyes. He understood that someone was deliberately trying to embarrass Jiang Yu, or perhaps they had a bigger scheme.

So the question is, who caused this? And why did they do it?

He thought of how Jiang Yu had just performed a great service, yet the Emperor had neither rewarded her nor promoted her. But it was clear to everyone that the Emperor valued Jiang Yu highly, so why hadn't he promoted her?

There is only one possibility: Jiang Yu has something important to do, and the Emperor wants to reward her accordingly.

Jiang Yu was able to find clues of embezzlement of military supplies in the Ministry of Revenue's archives, thus solving the entire case. But did Jiang Yu discover any problems with other accounts?

It certainly exists.

Is the person who caused trouble today related to the case Jiang Yu is currently investigating? If so, the Ning family has been dragged into this for no reason. Clearly, the Ning family was involved in today's events.

Ning Qi's expression turned serious.

Jiang Yu carefully observed Ning Qi's expression. The reason she said that was to test whether Ning Qi was involved in the tax embezzlement case.

Today's plan was clumsy and unlike anything a high-ranking official like Ning Qi would do. But anything can happen; who knows if Ning Qi might have a moment of madness and do something like this?

"Someone come here!" Ning Qi shouted, and several guards immediately came over.

Ning Qi pointed at Zhi Shu, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Hit him."

Zhi Shu was surprised that Ning Qi attacked him without asking any questions. He looked flustered and tried to continue his attack on Jiang Yu, but Jiang Yu remained expressionless, her eyes revealing indifference and scheming.

No matter how much Jiang Yu tries to accuse him, he won't lose his composure. He can't keep courting death.

At this moment, he was held down firmly by two guards, and a thick stick landed on his back with a crack.

"Ah!" Zhi Shu cried out in pain, her gaze falling on Young Master Ning. Young Master Ning involuntarily shrank back, while Zhi Shu closed her eyes, enduring the blows of the cane.

"Bang bang bang..."

"Ahhh..."

After being struck more than twenty times, Zhishu was almost on the verge of death.

Ning Qi raised her hand to stop the guards from continuing the execution, then looked down at Zhi Shu and asked, "Speak, who ordered you to do this?"

Zhi Shu raised her eyelids with some difficulty, glanced at Jiang Yu, then looked at Ning Qi, and said, "Thank you... thank you, Second Madam."

His voice wasn't loud, but the entire banquet hall was so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop, so everyone present could hear him clearly, and then there was a flurry of discussion.

"I've never heard of any feud between the Xie family and the Duke of Chu's mansion."

Who knows the relationship between the two families in private?

"This Madam Xie is not very clever either."

"That's right."

......

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Ning Qi turned to Xie Zizhang and Xie Ning'an in the banquet hall and said, "Gentlemen, please give us an explanation."

"His mouth was bleeding..."

Before Xie Zizhang could finish speaking, Xie Ning'an gently tugged at him, then cupped her hands towards Ning Qi and said, "There might be a misunderstanding here. Duke of Chu, Lord Ning, could we find a place to discuss this in detail?"

This meant they wanted to talk privately. Ning Qi had the same idea; he didn't want to lose face in public, so he turned to look at Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu did not respond to his words, but looked at Zhishu and asked, "Have you seen me before?"

At this moment, Zhi Shu naturally dared not slander Jiang Yu any further. He endured the pain and shook his head, saying, "No, I have never seen you before, sir."

"Who taught you those things you said before?" Jiang Yu asked again.

Zhi Shu: "Yes... Madam Xie the Second."

Having gotten what she wanted, Jiang Yu turned to look at Xie Zizhang and Xie Ning'an, said nothing, and gave a faint smile. Only the Xie family could understand the meaning behind that smile.

"Duke of Chu, how about we find a quiet place to discuss this in detail?" Ning Qi asked Jiang Yu.

This time, Jiang Yu nodded, and Ning Qi apologized to everyone in the banquet hall, saying, "I have something to attend to at home, please make yourselves at home."

After speaking, he turned and walked out. Jiang Yu also stood up and invited Marquis Anyuan and Duke Wei to join him. Neither the Ning family nor the Xie family wanted more people involved. But now the initiative was in Jiang Yu's hands, and they couldn't say anything to object.

The group left the courtyard where the banquet hall was located, walked through a long corridor, and entered a quiet courtyard, which was Ning Qi's courtyard.

After sitting down in the study, Ning Qi asked the heavily injured Zhi Shu, "How did you manage to sneak into my residence?"

Zhi Shu would answer any question at this moment. He said, "It was Young Master Ning who brought me into the mansion, and it was his servant who led me into the banquet hall."

Upon hearing this, Ning Qi clenched his fist and shouted to the outside, "Bring Ning Jinpeng in."

When Ning Qi learned that the mastermind behind it was Madam Xie, she guessed it was Ning Jinpeng. This was because Ning Jinpeng's mother and Madam Xie were sisters.

A short while later, Ning Jinpeng was brought in, along with Third Master Ning and Third Madam Ning.

"Kneel down now!" Master Ning roared at Madam Ning and Ning Jinpeng, who immediately knelt down in front of Ning Qi.

"Father, these two were instructed by others to do such a harmful thing. Now they are at your disposal," said Master Ning through gritted teeth.

He was truly filled with hatred. At such a grand banquet, this mother and son had actually committed such a harmful act. If their methods had been more sophisticated, it might have been easier to conceal their involvement. But now, their scheme had been exposed in an instant; it was utterly shameful.

Ning Qi looked at Jiang Yu, "The Duke of Chu is the aggrieved party; you can decide what to do with the two of them."

“I am young, and this is the first time I’ve experienced something like this. I don’t know what to do. Let Lord Ning decide. As for Madam Xie…” Jiang Yu looked at Xie Ning’an and Xie Zizhang, “I hope your family can give me an explanation.”

Xie Zizhang remained silent with a gloomy face. Xie Ning'an stood up and cupped her hands to Jiang Yu, saying, "What happened today was indeed the fault of my Xie family. I will report to my grandfather when I return and will definitely give the Duke of Chu an explanation."

Jiang Yu looked at him and said, "Fine, I'll wait for your explanation."