Marquis Zhongyong jumped to his feet. "Stolen?"

In the heat of the moment, Xie Yunzhou didn't even have a grave mound or tombstone. How would outsiders know there was a grave there?

Even experienced tomb raiders who could detect signs of disturbance should know that a coffin buried so casually would not contain any valuable items and is not worth the effort of excavating.

Unless the tomb raiders' target was the corpse.

Who would want a rotting corpse?

The Marquis of Zhongyong thought of the old lady and Lady Liu.

Liu herself was in danger in the Buddhist temple.

If the old lady wanted to give Xie Yunzhou a reburial, she would have asked him first.

He then thought of Fu Jiang.

Fu Jiang and Liu Shi are acquainted, and he even visited Jin Yao yesterday. Could it be that he did it?

"Besides the body being missing, are there any other traces?"

Ye Zhen said, "I heard from the head of the village that there are incense sticks, candles, and ashes of paper money in front of the grave."

They even performed a ritual before taking action!

Marquis Zhongyong's eyes darkened, but something still didn't make sense: if the other party stole the corpse, why didn't they restore the tomb?

Was it a deliberate provocation? Or was there another reason, or was someone trying to frame them?

Just as I was thinking this, Ye Zhen's voice rang out again, "There is a saying among the people about ghost marriages. The head of the village said that there had been cases of stealing corpses for marriages in the vicinity before. They usually offer sacrifices to inform the deceased before taking action."

The early-rising shepherd boy heard the commotion, but was too scared to go forward. He only let the yellow dog following him bark a few times before running back to the village to inform the head of the village.

The cemetery is located within the estate of the Marquis's manor, and the head of the estate is unsure whether to report it to the authorities, hence this inquiry.

Was it the dog's barking that alerted the thief, causing him to neglect cleaning up the mess?

The Marquis of Zhongyong had also heard about the possibility of arranging ghost marriages, and he did not rule it out.

He realized that Xie Tingzhou was investigating Fu Jiang. If Xie Tingzhou knew that Fu Jiang had visited Xie Jinyao, he would also know that Fu Jiang had gone to the manor.

Perhaps we should ask Fu Jiang if it's him.

Just as he was thinking this, the person arrived, and Marquis Zhongyong told Ye Zhen to go back first.

Xie Tingzhou said to Ye Zhen, "Don't spread this around. Let the people in the manor go back first."

Ye Zhen looked at Marquis Zhongyong and saw him nod, so he agreed to Xie Tingzhou's request.

As soon as she stepped out, Marquis Zhongyong asked impatiently, "Did Fu Jiang go to the manor?"

Xie Tingzhou nodded. "I received the news last night that he went to pay his respects to Xie Yunzhou."

I wanted to tell you, but you weren't home.

Marquis Zhongyong felt a chill in his heart, because Fu Jiang had gone to the horse farm.

But Fu Jiang went to see his other child.

"Was Yunzhou's body stolen by Fu Jiang?"

When Xie Tingzhou looked at Zhongyong Hou, it was as if he saw a green halo surrounding Zhongyong Hou's head.

Without blinking, he said, "My men followed him back from the manor, and when they saw him resting at the inn, they withdrew."

He only ordered the retreat after receiving a message from Wanxing and guessing Ye Zhen's plan.

The people in the Wude Division are also human. Unless it's an extremely urgent case, they won't keep watching people day and night.

Tse Ting-chou was taught that a gentleman should not speak recklessly, but he has not acted like a gentleman for many years.

Therefore, lying is effortless.

Marquis Zhongyong himself worked for the imperial court and understood the feelings of those who worked for the court, so he didn't notice the flaws in these words.

Xie Tingzhou continued, "As for whether Fu Jiang went to the manor to steal the corpse again in the middle of the night, you can ask the old lady."

Fu Jiang, coming from Qingzhou, probably doesn't have the ability to divine the future and find Xie Yunzhou's grave on his own.

This statement almost certainly indicates that the old lady and Fu Jiang have an unusual relationship.

Marquis Zhongyong only learned of their close relationship from Xie Jinyao, and he hadn't told Xie Tingzhou anything yet. How did Xie Tingzhou know?

Why do you think it was the old lady who told Fu Jiang?

Xie Tingzhou glanced at him sideways.

"Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Fu Jiang and the old lady came from Qingzhou at the same time. This was not something that could be kept secret, but no one mentioned it."

Fu Jiang first went to see Xie Jinyao, and then paid respects to Xie Yunzhou.

As a local official, he had such a good relationship with Xie Jinyao and her siblings, so logically he should be familiar with the old lady of the Marquis's mansion who had returned to Qingzhou to retire.

Since we are so familiar, why have you not paid me a visit after being in Beijing for so long?

Shouldn't ordinary people take advantage of your presence in Beijing to establish a relationship with you?

But he didn't, wouldn't that seem like he was trying to cover something up?

I'm afraid they don't want you to know about their close relationship, and among those who know Fu Jiang, only the old lady and Madam Liu know where Xie Yunzhou is buried.

"If it wasn't the old lady who told me, could it have been Madam Liu?"

Marquis Zhongyong gritted his teeth. Lady Liu had been imprisoned all along. She only knew that Xie Yunzhou was buried in the manor, but she didn't know the exact location.

Xie Tingzhou's voice continued, "If Fu Jiang disdains associating with you, the Marquis of Zhongyong, then aren't all his actions even more suspicious?"

Marquis Zhongyong wasn't really stupid. No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, he had to admit that Xie Tingzhou's words were reasonable and well-founded.

"But I really am her biological son."

He murmured as he recounted the old Marquis's deeds to Xie Tingzhou.

“I was born with my father’s own eyes, and he would never mistake his own son.”

And my mother has always been very good to me all these years.

Otherwise, why would he have trusted his mother so much before?

Xie Tingzhou frowned.

Based on this, it seems that the Marquis of Zhongyong's background is indeed correct.

But something unusual must be amiss.

"Is it possible that the old Marquis lied to you?"

"Impossible. My father is an upright man, and he loves me dearly. Why would he find a fake mother to deceive me?"

His father's doting on him was well-known far and wide; although he was the son, he was raised and cherished by his father.

Whenever he had free time, his father would spend time with him. Except when he was practicing martial arts and when his father didn't let him get too involved in household affairs, his father would always smile with loving eyes and give him whatever he wanted. His father never broke his promise to him.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!