"Okay, I understand. Thank you both."
Mu Xinghe went inside and gently closed the door.
In the courtyard, the Qiao family members from the fiefdom all rushed over, each one filled with indignation. Although the woman had been sent to the Prefect of the Capital to suffer punishment for life, this did not lessen their hatred in the slightest.
Qiao Zhizhi's eyes were red and swollen as she hugged Madam Lü and cried.
"Sister Xi'er is so pitiful. She lost her nephew too. I want to tear that woman to pieces."
Madam Lü sighed as she patted her back.
In the back garden, Qiao Lian'er leaned against the waterside pavilion, throwing pebbles into the water and watching the ripples spread across the surface. Her eyes were cold and dark.
Someone stepped onto the waterside pavilion, their steps light and steady, as if afraid of disturbing her.
“The Ministry of Revenue was less vigilant last night, so I sneaked in and took a look at Pang Da’s file.”
Pei Shijiu sat down opposite her and realized that the stone table was empty, with no tea or snacks, which was completely out of character for her.
Upon hearing the news about Pang Da, Qiao Lian'er's eyelids twitched.
“I’ve memorized this, take a look.” Pei Shijiu pulled a roll of thin paper from his sleeve.
Qiao Lian'er opened the paper, and the information on it showed: Pang Da, forty years old this year, is from Yougu Riverside in Qiufeng Town, Liangzhou. He has a son, Pang You, who is fourteen years old. Pang Da used to make a living by hunting. A year ago, he came to the capital and first served as a junior staff member under Deputy General He. Later, because of his good performance, he became a lieutenant.
He was born by the river and never knew his parents. He was a registered vagrant, essentially an unregistered person. It took him a lot of trouble to finally register his household a year ago, which allowed him to enter the capital and display his talents.
Qiao Lian'er frowned: "People from the riverside, that means they don't even have a village."
“It was probably just a dilapidated house, and now there might not even be any trace of it left,” Pei Shijiu said. “There isn’t even a single villager we can ask.”
Qiao Lian'er paused for a moment: "The household registration files that dare to be registered with the Ministry of Revenue in the capital are naturally difficult to find flaws in."
This Ponta had been prepared for a long time.
There is also a son. The father and son are slightly different in age, but the difference is not significant. Who knows if they lied about their age to avoid being investigated?
This made Qiao Lian'er even more suspicious.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your sister," Pei Shijiu said. "I wasn't able to help you either."
Qiao Lian'er shook her head: "Sister Xi'er was hit hard from the beginning, and no amount of help from anyone could help her. Even after I cleared my brother-in-law's name, she still couldn't bear it."
It's not fair to blame Sister Xi for not being strong enough. Pregnant women are the least likely to experience emotional fluctuations, especially since Mu Xinghe almost had to bear an indelible stain on his reputation.
"You suspect who did this? Ponta?"
“Very likely, but I also know that people who bribe others to do this kind of thing won’t show up in person, and you can’t get information out of them through interrogation.” Qiao Lian’er closed her eyes and slowly uttered a sentence.
"It would be better to kill him."
“Regardless of Pang Da’s identity, he offended me long ago, so his death is not unjust.”
“Of course I’m willing to do this for you.” Pei Shijiu looked at her. “But that’s the Imperial Army. If you sneak in and kill someone, it’s a serious crime if you’re discovered. Besides, the security inside is tight. It’s not realistic.”
“I will keep an eye on him for you. If he gets out alone, I will be the first to take his life.”
"You should also be careful." Qiao Lian'er knew that what he had done was definitely not easy. If a prince infiltrated the Ministry of Revenue, how could the Pei family face the emperor and the nobles of the capital if he were discovered?
Pei Shijiu felt a warmth in his heart. Was the little girl concerned about him? This was the first time she had shown him such special concern.
Knowing that Qiao Xi'er had miscarried, Qiao Lian'er must have been resentful. Pang Da and General He dispatched twenty experts to protect him closely before he dared to go see Pang You.
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