Chapter 196 Tang Yunxiu's Crime
That night, Earl of Annan, Feng Wenquan, quietly arrived at a small house at the border of the east and south of the city.
This small house is none other than the residence of Lu Ming, the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination, now a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and the future seventh son-in-law.
When the Earl of Annam arrived, Lu Ming was already waiting.
Also waiting here was Sun Shiming, the former Minister of Works.
As soon as Feng Wenquan entered, Sun Shiming asked first, "How is it? What did the Marquis of Xuanping's residence say?"
Feng Wenquan didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "Ten thousand taels of silver, plus a formal marriage for Min Yuerui to the Sun family."
"What did you say?" Sun Shiming's eyes widened, clearly furious.
Feng Wenquan was also helpless, "These are the conditions offered by the Marquis of Xuanping's residence."
"He's dreaming!" Sun Shiming's anger surged. "One hundred thousand taels? Why doesn't he just rob someone? I think the Xuanping Marquis's mansion has gone mad with poverty!"
"And that wretched maid, how dare she collude with the Min family to scheme against Yun Xiu! Now she wants to marry into my Sun family? What a fool's dream!"
Feng Wenquan frowned as well. "Alright, don't be angry anymore. Let's hear what Lu Ming has to say."
"Lu Ming, what do you think of this matter concerning the Marquis of Xuanping's residence?" Feng Wenquan asked Lu Ming.
Lu Ming maintained a cold and stern expression throughout, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.
At this moment, when Feng Wenquan asked him, he only frowned slightly and said coldly, "It seems that the Marquis of Xuanping's manor has not taken the matter of Min Qiao's estate to heart."
Feng Wenquan and Sun Shiming were both taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"
“I had someone cause some trouble for the old lady of the Min family.” Lu Ming didn’t hide anything from the two of them. “I thought they were smart enough to understand that a lose-lose situation would not benefit anyone.”
"However, the fact that they dared to make such a demand clearly shows that they don't take the affairs of the estate seriously."
"What should we do then? We can't really make my grandson marry that lowly maid, can we?" Sun Shiming was somewhat annoyed.
Feng Wenquan cautiously reminded him, "We can't really send Yun Xiu to jail, can we?"
Sun Shiming: "You should have stuck to the original agreement and let Tang Yunxiu marry your daughter! You let your daughter marry Min Hui, and then arranged for Tang Yunxiu to be engaged to the Min family. It's utterly absurd!"
Feng Wenquan quickly whispered a warning: "Brother, please stop talking. You know perfectly well that this is the Empress Dowager's will. What's the use of complaining now?"
"Am I wrong? They are clearly mortal enemies, yet they insist on using marriage to entangle them. Who benefits from this messy situation?" Sun Shiming was still indignant.
Now things are better; the Marquis of Annan's family has sent a daughter to the Min family, and girls are naturally inclined to go out.
Tang Yunxiu has once again fallen into the hands of the Min family's daughter.
In the end, they didn't get any benefits, but his grandson had to become a cuckold and marry a lowly maid who had slept with Tang Yunxiu!
Why should I?
"Just say less," Feng Wenquan continued to advise.
Lu Ming had already stood up and bowed deeply to Sun Shiming, saying, "What you say makes sense, Master Shi. My aunt was indeed overthinking this matter. I apologize to you, Master Shi."
Sun Shiming waved his hand, his tone softening, "I was just venting. The Sun family has been having a lot of bad luck lately. My mother passed away, and we still haven't found the murderer. Now the whole family is observing mourning, and the future is uncertain. I'm really very uneasy about this."
Feng Wenquan stepped in to smooth things over and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, let's talk about what to do now. Should we agree to the demands of the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion or not?"
Sun Shiming seemed resigned to his fate, saying dejectedly, "Fine, I'll leave everything to you. If you say you'll marry her, I'll have my grandson bring her in. At worst, I'll just let that wretched maid die of illness in a while."
Sun Shiming relented, and Feng Wenquan immediately chimed in, "Since Brother Sun has put in the effort, then I'll contribute the money. One hundred thousand taels is a bit much, but I can manage it if I grit my teeth."
Then, she looked at Lu Ming and said, "Look, is this the plan?"
Lu Ming bowed deeply to the two of them.
Just when the two thought the matter was about to be settled, Lu Ming said, "No rush. Let's wait a couple more days, maybe things will take a turn for the better."
Both of them looked puzzled.
But Lu Ming didn't say anything more.
However, before Lu Ming could even wait two days, the very next day, Min Yuexi had the steward of the Marquis's residence take Min Yuerui to the yamen, where they directly confirmed Tang Yunxiu's crime.
Min Yuerui was really going all out to take the blame for Tang Yunxiu.
She took out the clothes she had worn that day and the blood-stained skirt, and tearfully recounted the humiliation she had suffered. She then had the female doctor examine her body, and finally rammed her head against a pillar in the main hall to prove her innocence with her death.
With witnesses and physical evidence readily available, Tang Yunxiu was unable to defend himself and was immediately taken into custody.
Seeing Min Yuerui, her head bleeding, being carried back to the manor, Min Yuexi kept her word and had a separate courtyard prepared for the mother and daughter. Their food, clothing, and daily necessities were reduced by half, and only two servants were assigned to take care of them.
However, the He mother and daughter had no complaints about any of this. On the contrary, they finally felt truly at ease.
Tang Yunxiu's conviction is now a fact.
When the news reached the Sun family, Sun Shiming breathed a huge sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to endure the disgust of his grandson marrying Min Yuerui.
As for Tang Yunxiu's conviction, the blame can only be placed on Consort Zhao's short-sightedness and her acting on her own initiative!
When the news reached the Annam Earl's residence, Feng Wenquan and his wife let out a long sigh.
Tang Yunxiu was originally supposed to be their son-in-law. This was arranged a long time ago.
In order to make their daughter's marriage to someone of lower social standing legitimate, they turned a blind eye to her ruining her own reputation, pretending not to know.
Otherwise, who would dare to leak those words about Feng Yuerou?
Unfortunately, at the last minute, Consort Zhao changed her mind.
When Lu Ming heard the news of Tang Yunxiu's conviction, his usually stern face cracked for a moment.
It was supposed to be three days!
The Marquis of Xuanping's mansion is blatantly playing him for a fool!
Since that's the case, don't blame him for being impolite.
Just as the Lu family's faction was divided with different thoughts, Madam Min Qiao received two unexpected guests.
After being detoxified, Chen San and Zhang Wang were brought before Min Qiaoshi by Ajiu.
Min Qiao looked at Ajiu with confusion, then at Chen San and Zhang Wang kneeling on the ground. "Ajiu said you want to see me?"
Chen San and Zhang Wang kowtowed to Madam Min Qiao. Raising their heads, their small faces were filled with determination.
Chen San said, "Madam, thank you for saving our lives."
Min Qiao was taken aback. A life-saving grace? Did he mean bringing them back from Jiangnan? Or did he mean the antidote Doctor Mu had given them these past few days?
Chen San spoke again: "I used to think that the Grand Madam had other plans when she brought us back. But after I saw so many brothers die before my eyes, and after I saw the kind of life my friends who stayed on the estate were living, I realized that I was blind and had wronged the Grand Madam."
Madam Min waved her hand, "I am not a great philanthropist, and I will not forgive your mistakes just because you said these words. I will not let you go back to live on the estate."
"Whether you did it intentionally or unintentionally, it is a fact that you caused the children in the village to be poisoned, and it is also a fact that two of them lost their lives."
"So no matter what you say, I will no longer take you in."
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