The maid lowered her voice and reported truthfully: "Yes, the eldest grandson and his son said they would wait for her to find out the truth..."
There was a hint of restlessness and uneasiness between Chang's brows.
Today's trial was not going smoothly. No charges were brought against Chang Sui'an. Moreover, a witness, Prince Rong, suddenly appeared... although he was unable to testify due to illness.
She did not have the ability to see through the sky, so she could not predict everything in advance. She had to take things one step at a time. Because of this, whenever something unexpected happened that was beyond her control, she would feel extremely uneasy.
At this time, Chang Suining's words "I have found a clue" were like a long needle, piercing the critical point.
The maid thought for a moment and said, "It's possible that she is just bluffing and talking nonsense to confuse people..."
"No..." Chang shook her head. "Someone just came to tell me that someone went to Furong Garden to investigate the eunuch who fell into the water and died... Who do you think was responsible?"
"Is it Chang Suining?" The maid was slightly surprised. How could that little girl be so perceptive? Chang said, "She naturally doesn't have such means. It's obvious that the Palace Secretary is helping her."
The maid calmed down a little and said, "Don't worry, Madam. The eunuchs at the horse farm did a relatively clean job. They shouldn't be able to find anything..."
"But if they can find out about the eunuchs at the horse farm, they can definitely find out about other places." Chang frowned and said, "With so many people secretly helping her... maybe she has really found out something."
She was doing something without any prior preparation. This method of doing things, where she could only check for loopholes as she went along, made her extremely suspicious when faced with any disturbance.
Especially since she was the only one secretly planning this matter, neither the Yingguo Mansion nor the Saint could help her. Instead, they were the ones she needed to be wary of and conceal...
All these things exacerbated Chang's tension and anxiety.
"I've said it before, that little brat from the Chang family is not an easy person to deal with!" She suddenly brushed aside a jade bottle containing a fine-leaved orchid, and a murderous look flashed in her eyes.
…
"Ningning, is this too risky?"
Qiao Yubai sent Chang Suining back to the Chang Mansion. The two of them came to the outer study room where Chang Suining usually stayed recently. Since there was no one else around him, Qiao Yubai asked worriedly.
"What do you mean, Brother Yubai?" Chang Suining walked to the desk.
"You said you found a clue. Although it might lead to the other party's attack, what if..." Qiao Yubai lowered his voice and frowned in worry: "What if the other party kills you because of this?"
"That's perfect. I'd like to wait for him to come and kill me." Chang Suining had already sat down behind the desk. "If the other party is really such an impulsive person and loses his composure so easily, then this matter will be easy to resolve."
I’m afraid the other party is not such an impulsive and blind person.
…
The smooth white jade bottle shattered, and the sharp cracks seemed to flash with cold light.
The maid was too busy to call for help to clean up the mess: "Madam, are you going to..."
After a long while, Chang finally sneered through her teeth: "I would like to... but I can't do it now."
If she tried to kill Chang Suining at this moment, and accidentally failed, it would be tantamount to incriminating herself and handing the evidence to the other party.
Even if the plan is successful and Chang Suining is killed, the matter will not necessarily end there. Yu Zeng from the Palace Office, Qiao Yang from the Imperial College, and other people from the Chang family are unlikely to give up the idea of helping Chang Suining escape punishment.
Moreover, doing so is like telling everyone that there must be injustice in the case of Chang Sui'an, and it is bound to only lead to more trouble.
She would be stupid or crazy to do such a stupid thing that would not be worth the loss! Chang calmed herself down and tried to analyze the situation rationally.
There are only two "changes" that the eyes can see now, so she might as well keep a close eye on these two places first.
"Have someone keep a close eye on the movements in Prince Rong's mansion... If you hear that Prince Rong has recovered from his illness, tell me immediately."
"yes."
"Send someone to the Feng family and ask them to get ready. In three days, a wedding sedan will come to pick up the bride."
The maid hesitated for a moment, but she also understood the lady's thoughts. Such matters should be dealt with sooner rather than later. Every day of delay would lead to unexpected events. It would be safest to bring the person in as soon as possible.
"Yes, I will arrange it right away."
After the maid left, a female servant came in and quickly cleaned up the mess on the ground.
…
"But this will put you in real danger." Qiao Yubai said sternly, "Ningning, I will stay here with you. If you need anything, just let me know and I'll do it."
Now that Ningning is the only one left in the Chang family, he is really worried. Dad and Mom are also worried. Mother has already agreed with Dad that she will come over tonight, even if she is just to stay with Ningning and take care of her diet and daily life to the best of her ability.
Chang Suining had heard Qiao Yubai talk about this on the way back, so she said, "It's enough to have Sanniang here. Brother Yubai skipped classes to come here today, so don't delay your studies any further."
He added: "Don't worry, brother. The Chang family has no shortage of available people. I won't put myself in danger."
"But……"
Qiao Yubai was about to say something else, but Chang Suining said to him, "In your opinion, Brother Yubai, who is the most suspicious?"
Since she sat down, she has been looking carefully at the list in front of her.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yubai walked over with a serious expression.
The list was spread out, occupying half of the desk. It was filled with densely packed names, but most of the names had been crossed out. I guess they were excluded by Ningning...
Among the remaining names, several were circled in red ink, and they must be the main suspects.
Qiao Yubai's gaze naturally fell on those eye-catching places.
When the young man saw the last name at the very beginning, his heart sank.
"Ningning, if it is true..." After a moment, he looked up at Chang Suining: "Then how should we deal with it?"
"No matter who it is, you can't let my brother take the blame for him." Chang Suining looked at the words "Ming Family" written on it and said, "Killing someone and paying with his life is a matter of course."
At this moment, Qiao Yubai suddenly thought of the Dragon Boat Festival polo match in the Imperial College.
At that time, he was injured by Chang Miao and suffered unfair treatment. It was Ningning who restored justice for him and all the students participating in the game in a way he could not imagine.
And now, Sui'an is facing even greater injustice.
The enemies they face may be even more difficult to defeat.
Although the two things are completely incomparable, he can foresee Ningning's determination from them - and what is more difficult to shake than the enemy standing in a high position may be Ningning's determination.
After a moment, Qiao Yubai nodded firmly: "Yes, it should be so."
Soon, Chang Suining asked someone to invite Manager Bai over.
"Send someone to the warehouse to get the best supplements and send them to Prince Rong's Mansion." Chang Suining instructed, "You'd better go there in person to show our Chang family's attention and concern."
Manager Bai agreed.
Qiao Yubai was a little worried. After thinking for a while, he reminded her, "Ningning, isn't it inappropriate to do this?"
Normally, one should avoid any suspicion with the witnesses at this time.
"Brother Yubai's thoughts are reasonable. In terms of whether it is appropriate or not, it is naturally inappropriate." Chang Suining said, "But now that my father is not in the capital, I am worried about my brother's safety and I am at a loss. It is reasonable for me to choose to show kindness to the witness, right?"
Qiao Yubai was not a stupid person. After hearing this, he understood Chang Suining's thoughts.
At this juncture, the closer she gets to Prince Rong, the more obvious her intentions become, and the more uneasy some people behind her become.
This move has the same intention as announcing in public to the people of Changsun's family that "the murderer is someone else and clues have been found."
As for whether someone would question whether Prince Rong had given false testimony "for her" in the future - Chang Suining no longer intended to consider this possibility.
She only said: "Not only must we send him off, but we must send him off every day until Prince Rong recovers and can go out."
She would first send the person away for two days, and then go to the person’s house in person to “visit” him after he “wakes up”.
But unlike giving gifts, if she wants to visit, she needs to avoid being seen by others.
Chang Suining looked at the list in front of him, quietly thinking about his next plan.
…
As it was getting dark, a guest came to the Feng family.
The person who came was Chang's trusted maid, and Xie came to see her in person.
"My wife has agreed to understand the proposal of the county lord and set the auspicious date for three days later. I wonder what the county lord thinks."
Although the maid asked, there was no hint of inquiry in her tone; she was just informing.
Xie didn't mind at the moment. Since it was a transaction, he had to have the awareness of doing business with others.
Although the idea of getting married for good fortune sounded unpleasant, she had no way of refutation. If she wanted Min'er to marry as soon as possible, she had to have a reason so as not to arouse suspicion from outsiders.
So, Xie nodded with a smile.
Soon, the Ming family's maid left.
Xie asked someone to call her son and daughter-in-law over and explained the matter in the same tone as if she was informing them.
"Three days later?"
"To get married... to be a concubine?!"
"How can this be possible?!"
Father Feng reacted strongly: "How can Min'er be a concubine to bring good luck to others... Why did mother agree to such a request from the Ming family!"
Ever since Xie's reputation was ruined and she was demoted to a princess, he became increasingly dissatisfied with his mother.
Feng's mother was also shocked, but she was different from her husband. Over the years, the fear and obedience of her mother-in-law had been ingrained in her bones, and she did not dare to express her dissatisfaction directly at this moment.
Facing her son's questioning, Xie simply said calmly, "What kind of family can Min'er marry into now? How can being the wife of an ordinary family compare to being the concubine of the Ming family? Besides, the Ming prince has no wife at the moment, so if Min'er marries him, she will be no different from being the wife."
Seeing that her son wanted to say more, she said in front: "Don't hold on to the idea of bringing good luck. You must know that if there is no expert to calculate the horoscope, such a good thing will not easily happen to Min'er."
Father Feng's expression kept changing.
"Becoming a relative of the Ming family is equivalent to marrying a saint. You don't even understand this, do you?" Xie sneered, "Put away your useless self-esteem and focus on practical and long-term things."
Seeing that her husband seemed to be persuaded, Feng's mother cursed him in her heart as a "bastard" and finally couldn't help but said, "But Min'er..."
Xie glanced at her daughter-in-law and interrupted her with a cold face: "Min'er is willing."
What? Mother Feng couldn't believe it.
She knew her daughter's character very well. There was nothing particularly outstanding about her, but she could not help wanting to marry into a wealthy family - this was all thanks to the teachings of her mother-in-law.
How could a daughter with such a high-minded personality be willing to be a concubine to bring good luck to others?
Feng's mother quickly found her daughter and wanted to get to the bottom of the matter.
When she arrived, Feng Min was happily having her body measured for her wedding dress.
Mother Feng: “…”
It seems there is nothing more to ask.
After waiting for everyone to leave, Feng's mother thought about it and asked only one question: "...Min'er, do you know that the Ming prince is a playboy?"
"Of course my daughter knows." Feng Min asked back: "But do you think that I married him?"
She only wanted to marry the eldest son of the Ming family.
Seeing that her mother wanted to say more, Feng Min said impatiently, "Besides, the marriage has been decided, there is no possibility of regret. Mother, instead of saying these useless things, you should make more plans for your daughter so that she can go out with glory."
She didn't want to listen anymore. Her mother had no idea how much pain she was going through, and she didn't know that she had no other choice.
Now she only hoped that what her grandmother said was true, and that she would be treated well after marrying into the Ming family and could live the life she wished for.
An incident that happened two days later made Feng Min feel more at ease.
That night, when her father came back from the Ministry of Works, his face was full of joy.
His superior revealed to him the news that he would be promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works and also told him that it was the Ming family who arranged it for him. He patted him on the shoulder and said that he had a good daughter, and that such a blessing was really enviable, and asked him to take good care of her in the future.
After such a round of flattery, Feng's father felt quite elated and completely forgot about his dissatisfaction with Chong Xizhi's words.
Feng Min was also very happy to hear this and subconsciously looked at her grandmother.
Xie smiled and nodded to her.
Feng Min was even more grateful to her grandmother. It must be because her grandmother had a smooth conversation with the wife of Duke Ying that day. Duke Ying's mansion really didn't look down on her! Although she was a concubine, she was married more gloriously than 99% of the women in the capital. No one dared to look down on her! With this in mind, Feng Min didn't intend to hide the matter. She even invited many ladies in the capital to come and add boxes for her the day before she left. The box-adding banquet was quite lively.
There is only one chance to marry, so even if she becomes a concubine, she wants to do it gloriously!
…
Early in the morning of that day, Yao Xia, Wei Miaoqing and a group of other girls made an appointment to come and see Chang Suining together.
"You didn't have to come." Chang Suining said bluntly, "At this juncture, it's not a good idea to get too close to me."
She would not question their friendship because of this brief "estrangement".
These girls are all daughters of officials in the capital. Their fathers and grandfathers are mostly officials in the court. With this restriction, they are destined not to act as they please.
The world is difficult for them, and she can no longer embarrass them in the name of friendship.
"What am I afraid of? Can the Changsun family eat me up?" The one with the arrogant attitude came from the Wei family, who had a wealthy family, a large garden, and an especially successful brother.
"With my uncle here, why should I avoid suspicion?" The girl from the Yao family is the one who 'has my uncle to hold up the sky if it falls' and 'let my uncle be the one to fear what people say'.
There are also many who are optimistic, have a long-term vision, and have a bit of chivalry in them——
"The man from the Anti-Normal Family has been wrongly accused. Sooner or later, the truth will come out!"
“That’s right…”
"Don't be afraid, Sister Chang."
A group of girls surrounded Chang Suining and tried to comfort her.
Chang Suining looked at those cute young faces.
Even though they might be separated soon, she would remember them well.
The young girls gathered together and tried to comfort Chang Suining seriously at first, but later on, the conversation took a turn.
But this turn just happened to catch Chang Suining's attention and gave her a new clue.
Please vote for me, please vote for me. The plot needs to be coherent. I will try to write more in the next two days (or you can save some). Good night!
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