Despite sighing, Shen the Butcher still looked at Shen Ningyuan and said respectfully, "Miss, if you have any questions, just ask me. I will tell you everything about what happened in the Marquis' Mansion today!"
Seeing this, Shen Ningyuan stopped being polite and asked directly: "When you came to collect the debt today, did Ji Zehai or Chen stop you from going to the backyard?"
Shen the butcher nodded and said, "Miss, you're right. When the people from the Ji family heard we were going to the backyard, they became extremely anxious, as if there was something hidden in the backyard, something shameful to be seen."
Shen Ningyuan frowned slightly, then asked, "Do the other people in the Marquis' Mansion react in the same way?"
Shen the butcher nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, not only was the cousin of the Marquis's mansion blocking the entrance to the backyard, but the Marquis's wife as well. When she heard we were going to the backyard, she reacted like a hen with her feathers blown off, rushing around blocking the door."
"Of course, the one who reacted the most was Lord Ji. He didn't even dare to report it to the authorities, for fear that they would go to the backyard to check." Shen the butcher added.
After hearing these words, Shen Ningyuan's face darkened.
I thought to myself: As expected, just as Ji Yunnuo said, there really is a secret hidden in the backyard of the Marquis' Mansion!
But what was strange was that one year after she married into the Ji family, she often went in and out of the backyard.
Why doesn’t the Ji family worry that their secret will be discovered by themselves?
For a moment, this question lingered in Shen Ningyuan's mind, leaving her puzzled.
At this moment, Lan Yin also frowned, turned to look at Shen Ningyuan, and asked: "Miss, from what Shen the butcher said, I'm afraid there really is something important hidden in the backyard of the Marquis's Mansion?"
Shen Ningyuan nodded slightly, “Judging from the current situation, it is indeed the case.”
Lan Yin frowned and said thoughtfully, "But the mansion is so small, what can they hide?"
"Moreover, judging by recent developments, the Marquis' Mansion is clearly wary of the young lady, afraid that she would find out about this. But why did they suddenly let down their guard in this matter and not be on guard against the young lady?"
The more Lan Yin thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, and her brows furrowed even more tightly than before.
He emphasized, "Miss, something is wrong. There is definitely something wrong with the Marquis' Mansion!"
Shen Ningyuan raised her eyebrows and looked at Lan Yin meaningfully: "Even you think this matter is weird, right?"
Lan Yin nodded quickly: "Yes, Miss, this is too abnormal. No matter what the Marquis' Mansion says, they shouldn't trust you so much. It's as if they are sure that you won't discover their secret!"
As she spoke, Lan Yin looked at Shen Ningyuan with a confused look, and asked tentatively: "Could it be that their secret is related to the young lady?"
"It has something to do with me..."
Shen Ningyuan was startled and repeated Lan Yin's words.
There are so many thoughts in my mind, as if there are countless threads entangled together, but I can't make sense of them.
She tried to grasp the most crucial thread, but she couldn't catch it.
For a moment, Shen Ningyuan's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
After listening to the conversation between the two, Shen the Butcher suddenly asked, "By the way, Miss, there is one more thing I want to ask you. I wonder if it can be of any help to you."
Shen Ningyuan paused, then turned sideways to look at Shen the Butcher: “You say.”
Butcher Shen cleared his throat and said, "After the Marquis's Mansion reported the matter to the authorities, Lord Song, the governor of Jingdu Prefecture, arrived. But strangely, Lord Song didn't take Marquis Ji seriously, but was very wary of the young lady from the Marquis' Mansion. And judging by his appearance, he seemed... very afraid of the young lady."
Shen Ningyuan was even more surprised and asked uncertainly, "Are you serious?"
Shen the butcher nodded, his tone firm: "It is absolutely true, I dare not lie in the slightest."
Shen Ningyuan frowned again and muttered softly: "Could it be that what Ji Yunnuo said is true, and the person behind Chen Moer is not as simple as I thought?"
"Yeah, I understand."
Shen Ningyuan said, looking at Lan Yin beside her and gave her a wink.
Lan Yin understood what he meant and took out a few taels of silver from her purse and handed it to Shen the butcher.
Shen the butcher's eyes lit up. He didn't expect there would be extra reward money. He hurriedly nodded and bowed to accept the money.
Lan Yin warned sternly, "Don't reveal a single word about what happened today to anyone else. Do you understand?"
Shen the butcher nodded repeatedly and assured her again and again: "Don't worry, young lady, I will never tell anyone a word about what happened today!"
Afterwards, Shen Ningyuan turned around and left with Lan Yin and Lu Ying.
As they walked away, a strange figure slowly walked out from the darkness.
The man glared coldly at Shen Ningyuan's back, then immediately turned and walked in another direction.
At this moment, Shen Ningyuan seemed to have noticed something.
He turned around suddenly and looked.
However, there was no one in the empty alley.
Seeing Shen Ningyuan suddenly turn around, Lan Yin asked nervously: "Miss, what are you looking at?"
Shen Ningyuan shook her head, "Nothing, let's go."
After saying that, he turned around and continued walking forward with Lan Yin and Lu Ying.
On the way back, Shen Ningyuan kept looking solemn.
The words Ji Yunnuo said kept coming back to my mind.
It seems that, just as Ji Yunnuo said, the trouble in the Marquis' Mansion is much deeper than she had imagined.
Even a cousin who has lived in the mansion for a long time is not a simple person!
"Miss, are we going back to the Marquis' Mansion now?" Lan Yin asked.
Shen Ningyuan nodded: "This place is not far from the Marquis' Mansion, let's walk back."
After saying that, the master and his two servants walked towards the marquis's mansion.
Unexpectedly, as I walked along, passers-by on the street were all talking about what happened in the Marquis' Mansion today.
"I never thought that the Marquis' Mansion, which usually looks so prosperous, is actually just an empty shell!"
"Yeah, they don't seem to need this little money. They usually eat lavishly, so why would they default on paying back this little money?"
"Who can tell? Maybe they are just pretending to be poor, deliberately trying to squeeze the hard-earned money of the people. I just didn't expect that the people in the shops would unite and come to the Marquis' Mansion to collect the debt!"
"Oh, you didn't see it. When I passed by the Marquis' Mansion, there was a huge commotion inside. I heard that a lot of things were smashed and even the government was alarmed!"
"Is it that serious? I thought the debt collectors left because the Marquis' Mansion paid back the money!"
"Hmph, the Marquis' Mansion has no money at all! They were only willing to leave after Lord Song, the prefect of Jingdu, repeatedly assured them that the Marquis' Mansion would definitely pay them back. Otherwise, the Marquis' Mansion would have been smashed to pieces today!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk! I never thought a marquisate would actually default on owing money to the people. Who knows how long this will last!"
"Speaking of the Marquis' Mansion," someone deliberately lowered his voice, quickly scanning the crowd with his gaze, and paused mysteriously, "There's something a little strange going on. Do you want to hear about it?"
Shen Ningyuan paused, stopped immediately, and listened attentively.
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