Chapter 105 Grandmother
Jiang Yuerou suddenly stuffed the crumpled paper ball into Jiang Qingning's hand, her chest heaving violently. "Look, big sister, I don't know who actually stuffed this filthy thing under my makeup box. What a vicious intention! They want to alienate us sisters and put you in an unjust situation."
Jiang Qingning took the paper ball and unfolded it slowly. With the candlelight on the table, he calmly scanned the lines of eye-catching doggerel.
"The daughter of the Wen family is a wolf from the Northern Di, harboring sinister intentions and harboring misfortunes.
Pavilion Master Ning, if you had known this earlier, you would have been the mastermind of the strategy of killing someone with a borrowed knife.
The talk in the corridor is not harmless, the bait is thrown and the fish bites into the net.
Poor chess player, he didn't know his own limits and ended up in prison with nothing but sorrow."
Every word was like a poisoned needle, precisely piercing the core of the connection between her and Wen Ziyi.
Jiang Qingning's breathing stagnated almost imperceptibly, and a cold glint flashed across the depths of his eyes, but a hint of anger at being slandered quickly appeared on his face.
She slammed the plain paper down on the desk, her voice trembling with anger. "Who dares to slander me like this and fabricate such hurtful words? Wen Ziyi has evil ambitions and is lurking in the mansion, stealing secrets. The evidence is irrefutable. What does this have to do with me?"
"If I had known she was a Beidi spy, how could I have allowed her to set foot in Ning Pavilion? This would have endangered her and the safety of the entire family. Killing with a borrowed knife, throwing bait into a trap, is sheer nonsense!"
She turned to Jiang Yuerou, her eyes sincere and filled with regret, and held her cold hands tightly with both hands.
"Yue Rou, you must not be deceived by such a mean trick. It is obvious that someone cannot bear to see us sisters get along well.
"We are all witnesses to the Jiang family's insecurity and the incident involving Wen Ziyi, where Lord Qin used drastic measures to eliminate traitors for the country."
"This person who wrote this and hid it with you deserves death."
"First, they want to sow discord between you and me, causing us sisters to become disunited and causing chaos in the inner court. Second, they want to frame me and bring Wen Ziyi's crime to my head."
"Their purpose is probably to muddy the waters of the capital, allowing the real mastermind or his accomplices to escape."
Jiang Qingning's analysis is clear and every sentence hits the point.
Jiang Yuerou held her hand and listened to her earnest and angry words, and the shock, anger and doubts in her heart were slightly soothed.
She looked at the clear anger and grievance of being wronged in her sister's eyes, and said in a voice filled with fear: "But big sister, this poem is very detailed and even includes the language of the corridor. I'm afraid we are being monitored."
She meant that before Wen Ziyi was arrested, she had indeed had a conversation with Jiang Qingning in the corridor. This detail was written into the poem, making it seem particularly real.
Jiang Qingning frowned, as if trying to recall something. "It was just a casual greeting. Wen Ziyi is a thoughtful person. When she tested me with words that day, I just responded perfunctorily. How could I have revealed any secrets?"
"The person who wrote this poem is either someone in the mansion spying on him and making up stories, or he is an accomplice of Wen Ziyi, deliberately fabricating details to confuse the public and seek revenge!"
"Yue Rou, have you offended anyone recently, or are there any servants around you who behave suspiciously? This note was slipped quietly into the bottom of your dressing box. It must have taken time and effort, and must have been deliberately planned."
She picked up the piece of plain paper, examined its texture by candlelight, and gently rubbed the worn edges with her fingertips. She already had some guesses about its origin.
Just then, there were light footsteps outside the door.
Zi Su whispered at the door, "Miss, there's been some activity at the Duke's Mansion. Lord Qin has ordered the closure of all land and waterway checkpoints out of the capital, with a focus on checking anyone heading south. A pigeon has also been sent to the south, and the target seems to be Yunze Water Stronghold."
Zi Su's voice was not loud, but it was clearly audible in the quiet study.
Jiang Yuerou was a little confused when she heard this, not knowing how this was related to the crisis facing her sisters.
Jiang Qingning's eyes suddenly became stern, and his fingers holding the plain paper tightened slightly.
Qin Xiu moves so fast!
Yunze Water Stronghold...Fu Boqian...this line was indeed closely watched.
Her face remained expressionless, and she only nodded slightly to Zi Su: "Got it, keep paying attention."
She turned to Jiang Yuerou, her expression solemn and her voice low, "Yuerou, you heard it, Lord Qin is doing his utmost to hunt down Fu Boqian and his men, and there's a lot of panic going on inside and outside the capital."
"At a time like this, the biggest fear is that the inner courtyard is unstable and someone takes advantage of it."
"This note is most likely a counterattack from those stray dogs or their accomplices. They can't do anything to Lord Qin, so they want to start from the inner house to create chaos, so that we will lose our composure and even become suspicious and attack each other. Then they can fish in troubled waters or divert Lord Qin's attention."
She folded the note solemnly, but did not return it to Jiang Yuerou immediately. Instead, she held it tightly in her hand and looked at Jiang Yuerou with burning eyes.
"This piece of paper was my negligence. I allowed this filthy thing to be delivered to you by a wicked person. Go back and rest in peace. I will handle this matter."
"Sister will definitely get to the bottom of this, find out who is behind this, and give you an explanation.
Remember, no matter what happens, you and I are sisters, and we must not fall for the schemes of such villains to sow discord between us."
Jiang Qingning's words were firm and full of the determination of a protector and the power of comfort.
Jiang Yuerou looked at her sister's firm and concerned eyes, and the doubt and chill in her heart were finally suppressed by a warm current.
She nodded heavily, her voice thick with nasal saliva: "Don't worry, big sister, I will go back soon, you should be careful too."
"Go, have the maid guard the door and be alert at night."
Jiang Qingning personally wrapped a cloak around Jiang Yuerou, walked her to the door, and watched her and her maid disappear into the shadow of the corridor.
The study door closed gently, isolating the inside and outside.
The gentle words of comfort just now faded from Jiang Qingning's face, leaving only an icy silence.
The candlelight danced, casting flickering shadows in her deep eyes.
She slowly walked back to the desk and unfolded the crumpled and smoothed piece of paper.
His fingertips slid across a few lines of words, and a very cold arc appeared at the corners of his lips.
"Humph, you do have some good eyesight."
She held the plain paper close to the flickering candlelight. The orange flame greedily licked the corner of the paper, spreading rapidly and devouring the heart-piercing words.
The ink twisted and charred in the flames, eventually turning into a small pile of ash, which silently fell into the cold inkstone.
Jiang Qingning watched quietly as the last spark of fire died out, and a faint smell of burning filled the study.
The next day.
A half-old small carriage with a green curtain was blocking the center of Ning Pavilion's vermilion lacquer gate.
The curtain of the car was lifted, and a skinny hand stretched out, tightly grasping a pitch-black cane with a dark gold inlaid on the top.
Old Mrs. Jiang, the Jiang family's old lady who had been in seclusion in a farm in the suburbs for eight years and had been indifferent to everything, was helped down from the carriage by a tense-looking maid.
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