Marquis Zhongyong is a filial son. Since his mother is in Qingzhou, he would naturally know about the local officials.

Local officials would also try to curry favor with him because of his status. He did know something about Fu Jiang, but he had never met him.

He asked, "Why are you suddenly asking about Fu Jiang?"

Xie Tingzhou said, "There's a case involving him."

Even without a case, he can fabricate one.

Moreover, someone who is involved with the Liu family and has not been transferred for many years must have some problems.

The Wude Division had the responsibility of supervising officials in various regions, and the Marquis of Zhongyong had no doubts about this.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "He is a local from Qingzhou. He has no great achievements, but he is willing to be close to the people and is well loved by the local people."

The county town performed neither well nor poorly under his governance. He wrote to the imperial court that he had no great ambitions and only wanted to stay in his hometown.

In addition, his family had declined, he had no complicated connections, and he was not close to the local officials. Moreover, Qingzhou was not a wealthy place, so the court granted his request.

Your grandmother once praised him to me, saying that she had received considerable favor from him during her years in Qingzhou. What did he do wrong?

"The case is being handled by the Military Affairs Division and will remain confidential for now."

Xie Tingzhou asked, "Did you make things convenient for him?"

Thinking of the county magistrate who was murdered in the village, Marquis Zhongyong said with little confidence, "How could I be that kind of person?"

Fu Jiang has taken good care of his mother, and he expresses his gratitude within reasonable limits, but he has never abused his power.

That time at Zhuangzi's place was the first time he had ever broken an exception, all to hand the emperor a handle against him.

Xie Tingzhou's eyes narrowed slightly.

The fact that the Marquis of Zhongyong did not grant him special favors does not mean that the old lady and Lady Liu would not take advantage of his influence.

Fu Jiang has no ambition? He didn't believe such nonsense. How could someone without ambition dare to entangle himself with the mistress of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion for so many years and even fool the old lady into covering for him?

Now that Xie Tingzhou knows Fu Jiang and that he arrived in the capital around the same time as the old lady, he suspects that the old lady was behind the incident when Ye Zhen led the Marquis of Zhongyong to the manor to catch the adulterer in the act.

The person who appeared in Liu's room that night was not a barbarian slave, but Fu Jiang.

Xie Tingzhou believed in love, but he didn't believe that Fu Jiang only had love for Liu Shi. Otherwise, why would he risk letting Liu Shi give birth to his child and raise it in the Marquis's mansion?

It's just ambition.

This mansion should have belonged to my friend, but now that my friend can't have it, those rats in the shadows won't get it either.

Tse Ting-chou decided to reveal more.

He looked puzzled. "So, you can't say you're close to him, but when we were investigating Fu Jiang's whereabouts, we found that he went to the horse farm to see Xie Jinyao."

Marquis Zhongyong's face darkened. "Fu Jiang went to see Jin Yao?"

What was he, a man from out of town, doing visiting Jin Yao?

Xie Tingzhou nodded, "He also brought quite a few things. It seems that Jin Yao also knows him."

Marquis Zhongyong then thought of the person who had sent the gifts to Xie Jinyao.

He asked, "Do you know when Fu Jiang arrived in the capital?"

Xie Tingzhou replied, "It's quite a coincidence that it's the same time as the old lady's."

Marquis Zhongyong's expression grew increasingly grim. He instructed Chen Qing, "Prepare the horses and head to the horse farm."

You can't get the truth out of Liu Shi, and she's protected by the old lady, but Jin Yao is young and not as shrewd as Liu Shi.

Horse farm.

Under the torchlight, Xie Jinyao was brushing her horse with a resentful expression, while He Ming watched from a distance. Behind him were two more horses waiting to be brushed.

This was Xie Jinyao's task for the day. She was slow and lazy, and Luo Lanqiao had already finished her work and gone to bed, while she had only completed half of it.

“I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s family, and you are my father’s subordinate. Aren’t you afraid that my father will hold a grudge against you and affect your future by being so harsh on me?”

He Ming wouldn't let her rest until she finished her work for the day.

But she was too tired to move, so she humbled herself and spoke kindly to He Ming.

“I did not mean anything by what happened to your fiancée, and I have been punished. Why don’t you be magnanimous and forgive me? I will make it up to you when I return, and my father will surely remember this favor.”

"The dead cannot be brought back to life, so why insist on dwelling on the past? There are plenty of women in the capital. If you let me go back, I'll find you a noblewoman from a prestigious family so you can change your social standing, wouldn't that be better..."

"puff!"

Before she could finish speaking, He Ming threw a pebble into the bucket, splashing Xie Jinyao with water.

"You're crazy."

She was still a spoiled young lady; the splash of water ignited her anger. "Go ahead and lock me up here for life if you dare, or I'll make you pay when I get back."

As you saw, Father didn't stop people from coming to see me, which shows he cares about me.

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the sound of horses' hooves and turned around to see that it was the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

Xie Jinyao was overjoyed and said smugly to He Ming, "Look, my father is here. You'd better wait and see what happens to you."

She felt that her father must have come to see her in the middle of the night.

"Father!"

She dropped the horse brush and rushed forward, "Father, you've finally come! If you hadn't come, your daughter would have been killed."

She stretched out her hands for the Marquis Zhongyong to see, "Look at my hands, they're calloused. Everyone else has rested, but he still makes me do things on purpose. Father, please take me back."

He Ming also stepped forward and bowed, without offering any explanation.

Marquis Zhongyong patted him on the shoulder, "Go and rest first."

He Ming bowed and left.

Xie Jinyao protested, "Father, why don't you punish him..."

Marquis Zhongyong admonished her, "His fiancée lost her life, while you have only grown a few calluses. If he really wanted to torment you, you would have been dead long ago."

Marquis Zhongyong knew perfectly well what was going on with Xie Jinyao at the horse farm, so why would he need her to come and complain?

Hearing this, He Ming breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He wasn't afraid of the Marquis's resentment, but if he easily forgave Xie Jinyao, how could he face his fiancée?

The Marquis of Zhongyong did not come here to seek justice for Xie Jinyao.

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