Eleventh Lady thought for a long time before she understood the meaning of this.

The emperor started to spread rumors of his dissatisfaction with the Qu family from a cup of tea with the imperial concubine, and it reached its peak when Prince Xuan Jiubao came to Beijing. And Ouyang Ming, who had always stayed by the side of the eldest prince, was the minister left by the emperor to the eldest prince. It seems that the emperor had already started to lay out his plans since the death of the fifth prince.

I just don’t know what arrangements the emperor has for the Xu family?

Thinking in this way, it is not difficult to understand why Xu Lingyi always shows weakness.

She hoped that through this incident with the child, the emperor would re-evaluate the Xu family, find someone to restrain the Qu family, and let the Xu family step down from the center of the storm. She would no longer have to worry about these messy things and could spend a few days in peace.

Sighing in her heart, she asked about Wang Lang: "My Lord, who is the murderer?"

Eleventh Lady felt that there was something wrong.

Xu Lingyi had no need to avoid anything, but when he described Wang Lang's death, his language was very concise - only someone who wanted to cover up something would speak like this. Because only the simplest ones are the most flawless.

Xu Lingyi knew that his young wife was a very smart person. He had no intention of hiding anything, but there were some things he didn't want to say in front of the lady, so as not to embarrass Shiyi Niang.

"Wang Lang died in the prostitute's house." He stared at Shiyi Niang and said bluntly, "The murderer is probably Ren Kun."

Eleventh Lady jumped up.

She should have thought of it long ago. What is Shuntian Prefecture? It is in charge of the public security of Yanjing. No one knows better than them who can be scolded and who must be cautious. It must not be that simple to rush to Xu Lingyi to report the news.

No wonder Xu Lingyi's words were so vague at the time.

If the lady knew that Wang Lang died in the brothel and the murderer was Ren Kun, it would be embarrassing for him.

On one side is the only son of the emperor's most respected sister, and on the other side is the prince of the Duke of Mao, who has lost power but is the brother-in-law of the queen's family. The governor of Shuntian Prefecture must be unable to sleep at this moment, right?

"What do you mean the perpetrator is probably Ren Kun?"

Xu Lingyi looked at Shiyi Niang and smiled bitterly: "I heard from the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture that Wang Lang had a drink with a few friends in a young waiter's house the day before. He drank a little too much and stayed there. When Mochu was about to leave after lunch, Ren Kun came. He saw the waiter who served Wang Lang, smiled and nodded, and asked to talk to Wang Lang alone.

Wang Lang smiled disapprovingly and said, "Is there anything we can't talk about openly?"

As a result, Ren Kun's face turned pale. He kicked the waiter out first, then turned around and slammed the door.

At first, only low voices were heard in the room. After a while, Wang Lang began to shout and curse loudly.

Because Wang Lang and Ren Kun's servants were guarding outside the house, the old man didn't dare to get close.

At the beginning of the You period, Gui Gong saw that it was getting late, so he prepared some wine and food and went over.

Who knew that the servant who was standing in the middle of the courtyard had disappeared. The door was wide open, and Wang Lang was lying on the ground covered in blood. A servant of the Ren family was sitting on an embroidered cushion beside him, holding a bloodstained dagger in his hand.

When he saw the old man, he stood up slowly. He said, Wang Lang owed our young master money and refused to pay it back. When our young master came to collect the debt, he refused to pay it back and even insulted him. The young master left in anger, and he quarreled with Wang Lang out of indignation. Wang Lang was so angry that he beat and scolded him, and he accidentally killed someone in the confusion. This matter has nothing to do with our young master. I will go with you to the Shuntian prefectural governor to surrender.”

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

When Wang Lang insulted the son of the official, he said that the other person owed him money. Now he was killed, and the excuse of "not paying back the debt" was also used. Is there a god in the dark?

"The old man reported the case in a panic. The servant was waiting there for the Shuntian prefect's men to come." Xu Lingyi said helplessly, "He didn't even get beaten with a stick. He confessed everything. He even produced a promissory note that Wang Lang borrowed money from Ren Kun."

"What about the servants who went with Wang Lang?"

"It is said that Wang Lang and Ren Kun often played together. When they heard Wang Lang insulting Ren Kun, they felt uncomfortable. A servant of Ren Kun invited them to the courtyard next door to drink. They followed him. When they heard that there was a murder case and Shuntian Prefecture came to arrest people, they realized that it was Wang Lang who was in trouble.

He also asked the servants around Ren Kun. He said that Wang Lang's shouting and cursing were unbearable to hear, so for the sake of their young master's face, they sent Wang's servants to the yard nearby to drink.

Shuntian Prefecture also asked the people in the Xiaoguanlou. Someone saw Ren Kun leaving. The time was between the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the evening. He was wearing a light fur coat and a loose belt, and there was nothing unusual about him.

"The only person worthy of suspicion is the murderer - he is Ren Kun's servant. Even so, we can only suspect him!"

Xu Lingyi hesitated for a moment, "Not entirely. Shuntian Prefecture Governor, check the dagger. Since he was impulsive and accidentally killed someone, it is normal to use a stool or a vase to hit him. Using a dagger is a bit unusual. Moreover, Wang Lang was stabbed 37 times. 21 of them were in vital areas. It is a bit puzzling to say that he accidentally killed someone."

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but touch her forehead.

"If it weren't for these knife wounds, there would be no flaws in the servant's words." Xu Lingyi pondered, "When Shuntian Prefecture informed me of the news, they also sent people to the Duke of Mao's Mansion to report the news. After all, we are not the victims, so it is not easy for us to take the lead in some matters. We can only see what the Wang family means!"

Xu Lingyi had always disliked Wang Lang, but now from his tone, he seemed to want to stand up for Wang Lang. Although he didn't know why he changed his mind, in Shiyi Niang's opinion, Wang Lang's death was not worth it. It was not worth it for anyone to speak up for him. If Shuntian Prefecture could find the murderer, it would be Wang Lang's good luck. If he couldn't find the murderer, it would be his retribution.

"My Lord, I am only worried about my tenth sister." She hinted to Xu Lingyi, "My tenth sister married for a short time and did not leave any children for her tenth brother-in-law. Now her tenth brother-in-law has died a violent death. I wonder what plans and arrangements the Wang family has for my tenth sister?"

Xu Lingyi was willing to step forward because of Eleventh Lady.

Since she was his wife, he would definitely try his best to help her if he could. But this was no different from other matters. It involved the family ancestral hall, so how could he, an outsider, interfere?

Xu Lingyi's face flashed with embarrassment: "We are brothers-in-law after all... I'm afraid I'll have to entrust the specific matters to Zhenxing. If there's anything you need, I can help you out."

Eleventh Lady knew it. Besides, she had no such intention at all. After hearing what Xu Lingyi said, she immediately said, "I want to go back to my mother's house. Tell my eldest brother and discuss what to do!"

Shi Niang married into the Wang family out of her status, and it was hard to say what the Wang family thought. Someone from the Luo family went to see Shi Niang, and even if the Wang family didn't like her, they would still think twice.

"You don't have to worry about that." Xu Lingyi said, "I sent someone to report to Zhenxing as soon as I left Shuntian Prefecture. He should have known about it by now."

Eleventh Lady felt relieved. Seeing that she was so busy talking to Xu Lingyi that she forgot to add hot water for him, she got up and added hot water to the foot basin.

Xu Lingyi told her: "There is no answer to Wang Lang's case yet. I'm afraid there will be some brain damage. Don't say anything for now. Otherwise, people will think that our Xu family is making trouble."

Eleventh Lady nodded: "Don't worry, Lord. I won't say a word more."

The two discussed visiting the Wang family to express their condolences before they rested.

The next morning, everyone expressed their feelings about Wang Lang's incident and the situation was relatively calm.

At noon, Luo Zhenxing arrived.

He looked a little tired as he talked with Xu Lingyi in the inner study.

"I heard that the emperor summoned Wang Jiubao to the capital to discuss lifting the maritime ban. It might be a good thing for the Marquis to leave at this time."

Xu Lingyi nodded secretly.

Luo Zhenxing is a wise man.

"I'm glad you think so." He smiled, "I was afraid you would get involved." Having said this, he thought for a moment and said, "This matter involves a lot of people in Fujian. You should pay more attention to your father-in-law. In case someone with ulterior motives instigates you."

Luo Zhenxing was stunned.

He hasn't thought of this yet.

After all, this was a matter for the elders, so Xu Lingyi could not say much. He stopped there. He immediately changed the subject: "I see that you look tired, but is there any difficulty in the Wang family?"

"I went to see my tenth sister early this morning." Luo Zhenxing came here for the Wang family's affairs. Now that Xu Lingyi has been dismissed, he doesn't want to talk too much about the affairs of the court. Naturally, he would not discuss these things with Xu Lingyi. He just followed Xu Lingyi's words and answered, "I met Madam Jiang. A steward beside Madam Jiang just came back from Shuntian Prefecture. From the tone, it seems that the death of my tenth sister-in-law is quite strange. Madam Jiang has sent someone to Taiyuan to ask Lord Jiang to send a lawyer who is familiar with criminal law. She also asked me to bring a message to the Marquis. Can you arrange a meeting with the eleventh sister?" As he said this, he looked at Xu Lingyi with hesitation.

You know, this involves Princess Changning.

Shi Niang is a younger sister, and Shiyi Niang is not a younger sister. He couldn't bear to make Shiyi Niang embarrassed for Shi Niang. What's more, Wang Lang behaved improperly and made Shi Niang suffer a lot. But considering Shi Niang's current situation, if her family members don't say anything, I'm afraid she will have a hard time gaining a foothold in the Wang family in the future.

Xu Lingyi did not hesitate: "Then you discuss it with Shiyi Niang and see when is the right time. Invite Madam Jiang to come home and have a seat."

He is very familiar with Ren Kun.

Chang Ning also has a good relationship with him.

When the emperor arrived in secret, Princess Changning often visited him.

Now the Wang family wanted to see him, most likely to test his attitude. He also wanted to know what the Wang family was planning. If he could be a "peacemaker", it would be better than the two families going to court and being seen as a joke by everyone in Yanjing - after all, the relationship between Wang Lang and Ren Kun was not so glorious.

Seeing that he agreed so straightforwardly, Luo Zhenxing became a little uneasy: "How about I first find out what Madam Jiang thinks. If it's too difficult, I'll let Shiyi Niang go back. She said that the Marquis is in a bad mood recently and refuses visitors. I think Madam Jiang can understand."

"Let's meet her!" If Mrs. Jiang's request was too excessive, Xu Lingyi believed that Eleventh Lady would consider it and do it.