Chapter 265 He didn't want to answer that question.

Outside, the sound of snow falling softly could be heard; inside, candlelight flickered and the brazier burned brightly.

The two kissed, relieving their longing for each other, completely lost in each other's thoughts, until a knock came at the door.

Lou Yue prepared a late-night snack and brought it over.

Lou Yue glanced at the two people's rosy lips, then calmly put down her bowl and chopsticks and left without looking at them.

Yao Qingling and Lin Shiyuan looked at each other without saying a word, pretending to be calm as they sat on opposite sides of the table.

Yao Qingling pursed her lips, realizing that her lips and the base of her tongue were numb.

Lin Shiyuan coughed lightly, his voice slightly hoarse: "The food at the Marquis's residence is quite good."

Yao Qingling lifted her eyelids to look at him; it was just ordinary chicken noodle soup.

"Is the cook in the manor not to your liking?" she asked.

Lin Shiyuan shook his head and gave a wry smile: "Lin Qiao went to buy vegetables, but I heard the vegetable vendors wouldn't sell to her."

Yao Qingling: "..."

Being an official is really not easy. His enemies want to assassinate him, and the people misunderstand him. He has to please both sides.

The two chatted casually about business, and seeing that his bowl of noodles was quickly emptied, Qingling pushed her own bowl towards him: "I ate a lot tonight, you eat it."

Lin Shiyuan didn't stand on ceremony with her and started slurping his noodles.

Yao Qingling watched him eat and slowly drink water.

She said, "...I never ask about my uncle's affairs, and he doesn't allow me to either. They treat me like an outsider and are very wary of me."

It should be said that they were tightly guarding the piece of meat on their own plates, while at the same time trying to reach out and snatch it from her.

They live under the same roof, yet they are like oil and water.

“Previously, Yao Qingqi and the Lady of the Marquis dressed extravagantly, and even their carriages were grand, which was completely different from the Marquis’s family’s situation, so I found it strange. I thought that Yao Qingqi was about to get married and was putting on a show to make the Princess’s family respect her and send her a betrothal gift sooner.”

“But now we know that my uncle used his official position to set his sights on rare and exotic animals…” Qingling frowned slightly, “But he’s a coward, how could he dare to do that?”

If Yao Ying had the courage and the brains, the Marquis's mansion wouldn't be in this state now.

Yao Qingling remembered that in the years before she got married, Madam Ma had made a lot of arrangements for the Marquis of Zhongyong and Yao Qingxu's official positions, and the household's income and expenditure were simply stretched thin.

The gifts they sent out were so cheap they could make a splash even if thrown into a river, yet they received nothing in return.

The Yao family had no powerful backing, so the established families looked down on them.

Later, Madam Ma stopped sending money out. But then good fortune came her way: Yao Qingling caught the eye of the Grand Princess of Deyang and became the wife of the Duke's family.

After that, the Marquis's mansion received some benefits, but only a little.

If Yao Ying started using rare and exotic animals to make money back then, why didn't he send them to the Duke's mansion?

“…So, if the Marquis of Zhongyong is using rare and exotic animals to amass wealth, it must be a recent event.” Qingling pondered, tapping the table lightly with her fingers, saying a little as she tapped, “And it is…someone who instigated him to do so.”

"As the supervisor, he was a minor official whom the powerful families looked down upon. Even if he wanted to get involved in this business, no one would respect him. Think about it, those powerful families have connections everywhere. If they want rare treasures, they can use their own connections. Why would they choose his path?"

If a local official wanted to climb the ranks, all it took was a flick of the finger from a powerful family. Good things would be poured into their doorsteps, but they might not even glance at them.

Lin Shiyuan nodded. "That's what I think too."

Someone had orchestrated this scheme beforehand, causing the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor to lose his integrity for money.

What is the purpose of those who can orchestrate such events?

The Marquis of Loyalty and Valor is merely a figurehead; he cannot hinder anyone.

So, the goal is—

Lin Shiyuan looked at Yao Qingling.

The two understood each other with just a glance.

Yao Qingling cracked her knuckles: "You suspect it's the Grand Princess of Deyang?"

If the Marquis of Zhongyong commits a crime, the entire Yao family will be implicated.

Princess Deyang no longer had any feelings for Yao Qingling, but she would not give up on Zhao'er.

If Yao Qingling is ultimately imprisoned, then Zhao'er will be left without anyone to care for her. At that point, the Grand Princess of Deyang can take the child away.

Thinking about it more carefully, the Grand Princess Deyang has been silent for a long time. Is she secretly plotting something big?

Yao Qingling turned pale at the thought.

Lin Shiyuan thought for a moment and said, "It may not be the Grand Princess."

"You were the one who exposed this matter first. If Grand Princess Deyang orchestrated this scheme, why didn't she act sooner?"

“Furthermore…” he paused, “Xia Chan mentioned the Mother-Child Gu poison. The Grand Princess didn’t forcibly take the child away for the sake of the child’s life. It doesn’t make sense to say that she orchestrated this to snatch the child.”

Yao Qingling scratched her head, unable to figure out who wanted to get back at her.

"All I know is that the Golden Feather Silk incident is related to Zhou Zhining. When Xia Chan went to the clothing store to pick up the clothes, she had a conflict with her. She confused Xia Chan, making her think that she had changed the clothes in the chaos, but it is very likely that she did something in the Yao family's embroidery room."

"I previously suspected that Zhou Zhining bribed Madam Hou to send the gold feather silk into the Hou residence."

Zhao'er's baby clothes were prepared long ago, before the Lady Hou's accident.

Since Madam Hou wanted Yao Qingling dead so badly, she could kill her with just a few children's clothes and still get paid for it, so of course she was willing to do it.

"However, both Lady Hou and Yao Qingqi are dead. They seem to know nothing about the children's clothes before they went to the estate."

"I've been wondering what leverage Lady Hou had over Marquis Zhongyong that made him protect their lives. Now that I think about it, Madam Ma knew about Marquis Zhongyong's sale of rare and exotic animals, and she was even involved in it."

When discussing business, women are indispensable.

Concubine Zhao was not a respectable woman, while Lady Hou was the principal wife, and they were a perfect match.

"However, I thought about it later. If the Lady Hou sent the gold-feathered silk to the embroidery room, and it was exposed in the future, she was afraid that this small matter would lead to a bigger problem."

"Therefore, I rejected the Marquis's proposal and instead suspected Aunt Zhao. She is subordinate to the Marquis and has been oppressed by the Marquis for many years, with a limited monthly allowance. So, she will definitely be tempted by the silver notes that Zhou Zhining sent."

"However, she did not expect that a major case would break out in the palace and be thoroughly investigated."

Yao Qingling suddenly understood why Madam Ma and Yao Qingqi had died so suddenly.

It wasn't that Aunt Zhao was afraid Madam Ma would come back to kill her; rather, she wanted to pin all the blame on the two dead people.

"...Even if I guessed all this, it's useless. The Lady Hou is dead; she can simply claim it was the Lady Hou who did it..." Yao Qingling shook her head again, "Now anything we say will be a mess..."

Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she looked at the man before her with dejected eyes. "The guards have already surrounded the Marquis's residence. Tomorrow, they will come in and ransack the place, is that right?"

Lin Shiyuan's throat bobbed, his face turned ugly, his eyes grew darker and darker, and his eyebrows furrowed more and more tightly, as if he had put shackles on himself.

He didn't want to answer that question.

Yao Qingling knew he was in a dilemma, so she squeezed his large hand: "Whether it's recently or in the past, as long as the Marquis of Zhongyong has done it, he's caught in the crossfire. The entire Marquis's mansion will face a calamity because of him."