Chapter 687 The matter is escalating.
The culinary feast in Yangzhou continued until the moon climbed to the treetops.
The staff Cheng Wanwan hired were busy cleaning up the mess until dawn before they finally went back to sleep.
The following day, the trial for Wan Guangyuan's murder officially began.
This case caused quite a stir in Yangzhou, and naturally many ordinary people went to watch and listen in.
Wan Guangyuan was poisoned to death, and Huang San'er was assassinated at the crime scene. Two lives were lost, and many things were involved. The prime suspect, He Tongji, was summoned to court for questioning.
The case was investigated for an hour, but nothing was found. Finally, the prefect of Yangzhou announced in court that the case had nothing to do with He Tongji.
The people of the whole city couldn't help but gossip about it.
“The murder weapon that killed Huang San’er clearly had the character ‘He’ engraved on it. How could it be unrelated to He Tongji?”
“My aunt’s son’s friend works in the yamen. I heard that the character ‘He’ on the murder weapon was different from the mark that the He family usually used, so He Tongji was able to get away with it.”
"Even if the markings are different, it's still the character 'He,' so it must be He Tongji who did this."
"Who told He Tongji to be from the He family in the capital? That Lord He in the capital is a second-rank official with great power. Our prefect can't afford to offend him."
"Then Wan Guangyuan died for nothing, didn't he?"
“Madam Wan is not satisfied with the verdict and has been kneeling at the yamen. The prefect is in for a headache.”
"..."
When Cheng Wanwan woke up around noon, Zhao Ergou immediately reported all the various opinions in the city to her.
She smiled and said, "This time, the He family will be severely punished."
The murder weapon actually had no inscriptions on it. She found a weapon with the traditional Chinese character "贺" (He) engraved on it in the system store to use as a substitute. However, she had never seen the unique mark of the He family, so she couldn't find an identical murder weapon. Of course, even if she had seen it, she didn't have time to search for more under the circumstances.
However, all she wanted was public opinion, and it seems she has achieved her goal.
She stood up and said, "Let's pack up and go home."
The matter here is settled, but there's still a mess to clean up in Dahe Town. This time, she will show no mercy.
The hustle and bustle of Yangzhou City came to a temporary end, but the events that occurred in Yangzhou City seemed to have grown wings and spread to all parts of the Great Yu Kingdom. Many passing merchants also brought the events that happened here to the capital.
The name Sui Shuren is not unfamiliar to people in Beijing.
The He family is no stranger to the people of Beijing.
As a result, the streets and alleys of the capital, as well as all the teahouses and taverns, were abuzz with discussion about this matter.
"You've all heard about the crayfish poisoning incident in Yangzhou, right? The illness had been brought under control by Sui Shuren, but someone secretly caused trouble."
“I also heard about this from my cousin who came to the capital from Yangzhou. It is said that the prefect of Yangzhou is a member of a collateral branch of the He family. He probably wanted to avenge the eldest son of the He family, He Ling, so he used the crayfish poisoning incident to kill someone and frame Sui Shuren.”
"It is said that Lord He killed the only witness in front of the Yangzhou prefect in order to destroy evidence. Tsk tsk, that's too arrogant."
"With the He family as their backing, they are naturally more arrogant than ordinary people. Look at that young master He. He used to be so gentle and refined, but after his hypocritical mask was torn off, he simply stopped pretending and became extremely arrogant and domineering."
"Hey, stop talking about this. How did the Yangzhou prefect ultimately rule on the case?"
"What other verdict can there be? Acquit them, of course. Can a fourth-rank prefect afford to offend the He family?"
"..."
People on the street were talking about it, and the Cheng family was also discussing it.
The Cheng family still lived in De'an Lane outside the capital. Situ Man was sitting in the courtyard, holding her daughter and coaxing her, while Sister-in-law Cheng was sewing tiger-head shoes for her granddaughter.
She bit off the thread, tugged at the corner of her lips and said, "Zhao'er, your second aunt is really good at causing trouble. How did she suddenly run off to Yangzhou City? She's challenging that Lord He. Do you think the He family in the capital will let her get away with it? It's fine if she's far away, but you and Lord He are officials in the same court. If the He family targets you, when will you ever get promoted from a seventh-rank official?"
"Since his second aunt dares to cause trouble, she should have a backup plan to deal with the mess." Old Mrs. Cheng said coldly, "Two years ago, when the eldest young master of the He family returned to the capital in a sorry state from Dahe Village, I also thought Zhao'er would suffer, but nothing happened, right? Now his second aunt is a third-rank Sui Shuren. I was ignorant before and didn't know how high the third rank was, but after living in the capital for two years, do you think I don't know? Even if everything goes smoothly for Zhao'er, to be promoted to a third-rank official, he would have to be at least forty or fifty years old... His second aunt is a capable person, and we don't need to worry about her for no reason."
Since arriving in the capital and seeing the world, she has come to understand more and more how capable her second daughter is.
She always felt that before long, her second daughter would definitely become a second-rank or even first-rank noblewoman.
Once she becomes a first-rank official, there will truly be no one else in the entire country who can achieve that. Zhao'er will still need her second aunt's protection.
Situ Man held her sleeping daughter and said softly, "Now many people are talking about this matter. Someone in the court will definitely impeach the He family. The He family will definitely take the opportunity to defend themselves, and this matter may just be swept under the rug by the He family... Your husband is my second aunt's nephew and can represent her in making the petition. As long as you insist on a thorough investigation, the emperor will not let the He family off easily."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Sister-in-law Cheng frowned in displeasure. "Zhao'er, you'd better not get involved in such a big matter."
Cheng Zhao was deep in thought, his brows furrowed. He glanced at his wife and felt a surge of joy, for they were thinking the same thing.
He stood up: "I'm going to the study to write a memorial."
Sister-in-law Cheng was furious and glared at Situ Man: "If the He family lays a hand on Zhao'er, see how I deal with you."
The wet nurse behind Situ Man was so angry that she almost lost her composure, but Situ Man managed to control her with a single look.
"Mother, don't worry, your husband knows what he's doing." Situ Man said with a smile, "You'll handle matters in the court, I'll take care of the children, and you'll have to rely on me to manage the household. I wonder how your accounts are going?"
When this was mentioned, Sister-in-law Cheng felt a little guilty.
She has been studying accounting for over a year, but has made no progress whatsoever.
Later, when Situ Man became pregnant, she reluctantly took over the household management duties. However, things went wrong in the first month, and in the end, she had no choice but to ask the old woman next to Situ Man to help. Even with the old woman teaching her how to read and manage the accounts, Sister-in-law Cheng still couldn't do it.
She knew she didn't have the talent, but she was unwilling to relinquish control of the family, so she kept holding on.
"Mother, don't worry, take your time."
Situ Man smiled gently.
Although her mother-in-law is now in charge of the accounts, it is actually her trusted confidante who manages the household affairs. She has not completely relinquished the power of managing the household, and she can also keep her mother-in-law in check. There is nothing better than this.
Grandma Cheng glanced at her granddaughter-in-law and had to admit that the wife her second daughter had found for Zhao'er was quite good.
She appears well-behaved and sensible, with a generous and straightforward personality, and she also has some clever tricks up her sleeve. With such a wife managing the household, Zhao'er can rest assured and also make great strides in the court.
Cheng Zhao stayed in his study writing memorials, rewriting them until very late if he wasn't satisfied with his work.
The next morning, he got up early to wash and dress, then took a carriage to the city gate to queue for entry...
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