Chapter 252 Rumors
Yu Liang returned to the governor's mansion with a heavy heart.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, the housekeeper came to meet him, "Sir, something bad has happened, the lady is missing."
He was exhausted and waved his hands impatiently, "If it's gone, it's gone. It's no big deal. Don't bother me."
"The lady's maid is missing too."
Yu Liang still didn't take it to heart, "Maybe she went back to her parents' home?"
"No," the housekeeper said, his face pale. "We searched everywhere in the house, but it's as if the lady had vanished into thin air. Nothing in the room was touched."
Yu Liang suddenly woke up, and a chill ran up from the soles of his feet.
Why is there no one here at this critical moment?
Li Niang knows a lot of things.
He suppressed his panic and said, "Send someone to look for it quietly, and don't make any noise."
He walked towards the main courtyard and pushed the door open. The room was exactly as usual, with a half-read storybook on the table.
Yu Liang's heart was pounding. Where had Li Niang gone? Did she run away on her own, or... was she taken away?
Qu Ling and Chi Yuan returned to Zhuoxi Courtyard, and Guan Qi came to greet them. "Princess, you are finally back. The prince has asked about you several times."
Qu Ling stopped and asked, "Prince Rui is back? When did he come back?"
"He returned less than an hour later, bringing three more people with him. When it was almost dawn, the prince's guards returned with a few more people."
"He's really doing well," Qu Ling said, his eyes red after spending the whole night in the government office. "He didn't even send anyone to tell me he's back."
Yu Liang had nothing to ask, he just wanted to buy time for Pei Jingming.
Unexpectedly, God favors Pei Jingming.
Su Shang said quickly, "I will go and invite the prince over right now."
"No need," Qu Ling waved his hand, his voice full of weariness, "You've also been with me all night, go down and rest first."
She turned to Guanqi and said, "Take the guards to the side courtyard and invite Prince Rui to live in the government office. From today on, let him stay in the government office."
After giving the instructions, he had some simple porridge and side dishes, washed up, and went to the inner room to rest.
When I woke up again, it was already noon.
Qu Ling stood up, tidied himself up a bit, and immediately got down to business.
"Where are the people the prince brought back?"
"I'll take you to see it." Pei Jingming suddenly jumped out from behind the pillar.
Qu Ling was startled by him. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the government office? Why are you still here?"
"You just want someone to keep an eye on Yu Liang and prevent him from secretly burning the files."
Pei Jingming spoke in a relaxed and energetic tone, "I can't do this kind of work alone. I sent four secret agents to keep an eye on him. Not to mention burning the files, even if they want to push him into the water and drown him, that's possible.
The corners of Qu Ling's mouth twitched. "Thank you very much for your concern, Your Highness."
The two men walked towards the side yard where the prisoners were imprisoned, and finally started talking about Yu Liang on the way.
"When did you start to doubt him?" Pei Jingming asked.
Qu Ling said calmly, "You should ask me when I started wanting him to die.
Pei Jingming was stunned. "Is there any difference?"
"Of course."
Qu Ling glanced sideways at him and said, "The day I first arrived in Yangzhou, he, the governor, didn't come to greet me. Yangzhou hadn't suffered any major disasters or crimes. His absence only showed one thing: he had no fear of the imperial power."
If such a person is an honest official, let him go home and live out his life in peace.
But if he is a corrupt official, then he will have no choice but to die.
With this idea in mind, Qu Ling began to have people secretly investigate Yu Liang.
"What I found out is that the death of former Governor Lu Yuan was closely related to Yu Liang."
"Yu Liang also had a mistress, who he kept extremely secret. She was even listed as someone else's wife on the household registration."
Pei Jingming was stunned. "You already know everything, why did you ask me to check?"
Qu Ling smiled at him and said, "There are so many things going on in Yangzhou, I can't take care of them all. Besides, didn't the prince bring back new clues?"
Pei Jingming asked the key question, "How did you first come to know that Lu Yuan's death was related to Yu Liang?"
"My newly crowned champion, Miss Mo Yu, participated in the selection of female officials. After moving into Zhuoxi Courtyard, she handed me a letter written in blood."
Qu Ling said slowly, "The stepmother who taught her to read and write is Lu Yuan's daughter."
The two men came to a remote courtyard where there were two side rooms side by side. The doors and windows had been reinforced, exuding a solemn and murderous atmosphere.
The room where the men were held was particularly gloomy.
The room was empty, without even a straw mat.
There were five or six people lying on the ground in different clothes. One of them was the man who had been drinking with Pei Jingming yesterday.
Only Fan Shu was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the innermost wall with his eyes closed.
The door was pushed open and everyone stood up in shock, but Fan Shu still didn't move.
Obviously, the drinking man already knew Pei Jingming's identity.
His eyes were filled with fear.
It's all his fault. He said things he shouldn't have said.
The guards quickly brought over tables and chairs.
Chi Yuan sat down in the main seat.
Qu Ling and Pei Jingming sat on chairs on both sides respectively.
The questioning started with the man who was drinking.
"How did you know about the Governor's Mansion?"
"Little one..."
The man glanced at Pei Jingming first and said, "I have already told the prince."
He pointed at the other five people around him and said, "They said that."
He added, "People in Huayu Alley more or less know something about it."
The five people who were called out immediately knelt down and said, "Your Excellency is innocent. I just heard it from others."
Chi Yuan was not surprised. Rumors spread very quickly in the streets and alleys, and it was difficult to find the source.
"How long ago did this rumor start?"
"It was around the time the princess arrived in Yangzhou... Yes, the Nian family's gate was smashed, and the governor also went there. Huayu Alley had been discussing this for days... It was also around that time that people said... that the governor wasn't a good person either..."
"Who did you hear that from?"
"The man claimed to be a clerk from the former governor's mansion. We all drank together and talked nonsense."
No one took it seriously.
And after I sobered up, I didn't dare mention it again.
After all, if it involves the governor, you will lose your head.
The man nodded repeatedly, "Sir, Huayuxiang is a place where all kinds of people come and go. When they get drunk, they lose their temper. This kind of thing can't be taken seriously."
He said to Pei Jingming cautiously, "Your Highness... I was just drunk and bragging... Please don't take it to heart."
Who would have thought that one day he would brag in front of the prince.
"What you said may not be false."
Chi Yuan took notes on paper.
After looking up, his eyes fell on Fan Shu, "Master Fan, what do you think?"
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