Zhu Yu frowned upon hearing this.
Zhu Dan pretended not to see it: "The yamen runners of the Jingzhao Prefecture found this matter strange, so they interrogated the man. Who knew that he was so easily frightened that before they even used torture, he told them the whole story of where the money came from."
Zhu Yu sneered: "What exactly does Your Highness want to say?"
Zhu Dan chuckled lightly: "Why is Miss Lu in such a hurry? Aren't you curious where this thief got his money? Five hundred taels is no small sum."
Zhu Yu rolled his eyes at him and gave him a dismissive look.
Zhu Dan scoffed. His fourth brother was getting better and better at pretending to be a woman.
"The person who gave him the money was from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, his stepmother, Madam Fang! And this person is Wei Mama's son!"
Upon careful consideration, the Duke of Zhenguo realized that three months ago was precisely the time when he had ordered Wei Mama to be beaten to death. Why would Fang Shi give Wei Mama's son so much money?
Are you suggesting we pay five hundred taels of silver to save Wei Mama's life? But she has committed a grave mistake. No matter how much Madam Fang likes her, she shouldn't do this.
Zhu Dan's gaze swept over everyone's faces: "Since the Duke's wife is involved, Magistrate Jia of the Capital Prefecture dared not act rashly and reported the matter to me. As a result, within two days, it was discovered that his entire family had been wiped out overnight."
"So during this time, I ordered the guards in the mansion to secretly investigate the matter behind the scenes. This investigation led to the discovery of Madam Lu's death nineteen years ago and the incident fifteen years ago when her two maids who accompanied her to the mansion threw themselves into a well."
He looked at the Duke of Zhenguo and said, "All the evidence points to the stepmother, Madam Fang."
Lu Yucheng's face turned pale: "But how is that possible? Those two maids really did jump into the well and die. Uncle Qing said that several people in the manor saw it with their own eyes. It can't be fake."
Lu Xiaoyun said, "But what if they've been drugged and have no idea what they're doing?"
"What did you say?" Lu Yucheng almost lost his balance.
Lu Xiaoyun scoffed: "You'll have to ask Madam Fang about that."
Lu Xiaoyun clapped her hands, and the secret guard she had sent to investigate entered.
Zhu Dan waved his hand, and the people he had sent to investigate entered.
Just as the two were about to say something, Zhu Yu stood up and gave Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Dan a slight bow.
"Since both Your Highnesses have sent people to investigate this matter, I have a suggestion."
Lu Xiaoyun raised her eyebrows and looked at him: "Tell me about it."
"Both Your Highnesses are outstanding individuals, and I am naturally a first-rate subordinate as well. Why don't we let the two of them compete and see who finds the most effective clues?"
After saying that, he even raised his chin provocatively at Zhu Dan.
Zhu Dan's smile remained unchanged as he nodded and said, "Miss Lu's suggestion is quite good. What do you think, Fourth Brother?"
Lu Xiaoyun glared at Zhu Yu, annoyed. This arrogant little man was determined to outdo Zhu Dan: "I have no objection."
Before the guard could speak again, Zhu Yu raised his hand to stop him: "Father, this matter is too big. If Mother and those two maids were really killed by Fang, Fang should at least pay with her life."
The Duke of Zhenguo nodded with a somber expression.
Lu Yucheng's eyes were red, and his hands were clenched into fists. He knew how much his grandmother favored Fang Shi. If it weren't for his grandmother, Fang Shi would never have become his father's second wife.
Therefore, if her grandmother didn't see it with her own eyes, she would never believe that a seemingly harmless and unassuming woman could commit such evil deeds.
He said, "Father, Grandmother should also be informed of this matter."
The Duke of Zhenguo looked at his two children. He had spoiled Fang and her daughter too much in recent years, to the point that they didn't respect Xiaoyun, the real legitimate daughter, and gradually eroded Lin's dowry, and also gradually ruined Xiaoyun.
Fortunately, Xiaoyun has her mother's spirit protecting her, so he still has a chance to make amends.
"Alright, go and invite them yourself."
Lu Yucheng went to the Longevity Courtyard where Old Madam Lu lived to invite her over.
Since the incident involving the Lin family, the Lin family of Jiangnan has severed ties with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The Lin family of Jiangnan was a powerful and influential family. Back then, the old master Lin strongly opposed his daughter marrying Lu Zhongyi, who was then the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Although he greatly admired the Zhenguo Duke's family, who had helped the late emperor establish the Great Zhou Dynasty, Old Master Lin did not like Lu Zhongyi.
She thought he was too fussy and too blindly filial to his elderly mother, and therefore not a good match for his daughter.
Madam Lu is a mean-spirited person, and the Duke of Zhenguo's family has made too many contributions. In any dynasty, their achievements would be seen as overshadowing the emperor's, and the royal family would be wary of them.
But in the end, he couldn't resist his daughter's affection, and even went on a hunger strike in protest.
With no other option, Old Master Lin could only tearfully marry his daughter to Lu Zhongyi, and prepared a generous dowry for her.
But little did anyone know that she would die tragically just six years after marrying into the family.
A year later, upon hearing that Lu Zhongyi had married a new wife and had given birth to twin sisters, she felt even more sorry for her daughter and thus severed all ties with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Dan sat facing each other, while Zhu Yu sat to Lu Xiaoyun's left.
Zhu Dan's peach blossom eyes were naturally full of affection. In the quiet of the front hall, when he silently looked at Lu Xiaoyun, it took on an even deeper meaning.
Zhu Yu glared at Zhu Dan, and said in a low voice, "Fifth Prince, why are you looking at the Prince like that? Could it be that the rumors outside are true, that you have homosexual tendencies?"
Zhu Dan had just picked up his teacup and taken a sip when he heard this, and he immediately spat out the tea.
Thinking he was done, Zhu Dan underestimated his sharp-tongued fourth brother: "Even if you have homosexual tendencies, you can keep male lovers in your own Fifth Prince's residence. No one will care if you have ten or eight. Why bother keeping an eye on your own fourth brother?"
Zhu Dan had only coughed up most of the tea, with a small amount entering his trachea. Hearing these increasingly astonishing words, he coughed until his face turned bright red, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
The Duke of Zhenguo was still lost in his own thoughts when he heard his daughter's shocking words and saw how frightened the Fifth Prince looked. He immediately slammed his hand on the small table and said, "Xiao Yun, you are too rude today!"
Lu Xiaoyun sighed softly. Whenever the three of them were together, it was always a bloody battle, without exception.
"Miss Lu, please don't joke around."
When Zhu Yu heard that Lu Xiaoyun was actually speaking up for Lao Wu and even criticizing him, he was so angry that his eyes turned red.
Hmph, she gave you her body for nothing!
Tonight, I'm not going to serve you anymore!
Lu Xiaoyun realized she had said the wrong thing and quickly tried to make amends: "It doesn't matter if the Fifth Prince's reputation is ruined, but I still care about my reputation."
Zhu Dan, coughing so hard he could barely breathe: "..."
Zhu Yu immediately smiled.
The Duke of Zhenguo forgot to scold his daughter and hurriedly poured another cup of water for Zhu Dan, saying worriedly, "Fifth Prince, are you alright? Quickly, go and invite Elder Hong here."
Zhu Dan waved his hand, and after a long while said, "No, it's nothing." His voice was almost hoarse from coughing.
Zhu Yu frowned in disgust. This awful voice was terrible; it was nowhere near as pleasant as his own.
First game, a complete victory!
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