In the attic of the Yunlanzhai, Jiang Lingyao was held in Zhou Huiniang's arms, and she was whispering to her about the Duan family: "Mother, the grandparents of the Duan family are very kind. They also told me that if my husband bullies me, I can just tell them and they will discipline him."
Jiang Lingyao said in a brisk voice, with obvious pride: "He doesn't dare to mess with me."
Zhou Hui Niang patted her daughter's back gently and sighed: "This marriage is really..."
Jiang Lingyao squeezed her mother's hand and whispered, "I know you're worried about me, but you also know my temper. How can I let others manipulate me?"
When she talked about this, Zhou Huiniang's worry disappeared a little. She couldn't help but tap Jiang Lingyao's forehead and said, "You are so arrogant and conceited, and you are still so proud of yourself?"
Jiang Lingyao smiled softly, then sat up straight and held her hand: "Mom, don't worry, I won't let my life be miserable."
Zhou Hui Niang looked carefully at her daughter's face, which was still as beautiful as before. Deep in her eyes, there were still bright stars shining, which were the fire in her heart that would never be extinguished.
Zhou Hui Niang was relieved and said, "As for you... I don't worry about your sisters getting married. The sons-in-law they chose were all those your father had chosen a long time ago. We thought you were still young and didn't want you to get married so early."
"I didn't expect that His Majesty would suddenly grant me a marriage," Zhou Huiniang said, her voice pausing slightly. "Do you think His Majesty would..."
She didn't dare to say any more, but tears welled up in her eyes again.
Jiang Lingyao squeezed her hand and coaxed her softly, "Mother, if His Majesty has any favor, how could father not know it? If father really thinks this marriage is unusual, he will not give up. Even if I disobey His Majesty, father will not watch me suffer."
Jiang Lingyao smiled brightly, with trust in her family: "When it comes to who is the smartest in the family, my grandfather is first and my father is second. Mom, you still don't believe in my father."
What she said made sense. From the day the imperial edict arrived, Zhou Huiniang was so worried that she could hardly eat. It was only after Jiang Zhisheng comforted her and told her that it was not a bad thing that she reluctantly cheered up and prepared for the wedding.
But although the two families lived two streets apart, they rarely interacted with each other. Zhou Huiniang and the ladies of Yongping Marquis's mansion were just nodding acquaintances. Because Duan Nanqi's parents died early, she had no idea what this son-in-law was like. She was worried about whether her daughter was living well in the Duan family and whether she was wronged.
Now seeing that she was still smiling brightly, Zhou Huiniang felt relieved, but she still couldn't help wiping away her tears.
"You were not my child, but when I brought you back to my room, you were just that little. You cried and were sick day and night. I..." Zhou Hui Niang choked up, "I worked so hard, endured hundreds of days and nights, and finally raised you to be the best daughter in Yanjing."
"If you are not living well, even if I don't want this title of wife, I will still seek a path to happiness for you."
When Jiang Lingyao heard this, she threw herself into Zhou Huiniang's arms and cried softly.
"Mom, I'll be fine."
The mother and daughter cried for a long time, but Aunt Zhang beside them felt that something was wrong, so she came up to persuade them and fetched some water and helped with makeup. This eased the atmosphere. Jiang Lingyao ate a bowl of lily and mung bean soup prepared by Zhou Huiniang, and then she started smiling again.
"Mom, let me tell you, Duan San knows how to eat, drink and have fun. The chef at Xinghuang Garden is better than ours," she said with a hint of pride. "Don't look at him as unreliable and without a good future, but he knows how to live."
Jiang Lingyao smiled sweetly: "You are willing to listen to me and live a good life with me. Mom, isn't that good enough?"
Seeing her daughter like this, Zhou Hui Niang breathed a sigh of relief and could not help but nagging her: "You, don't just eat, drink and have fun all day. Your son-in-law's parents died early. Although he has grandparents to take care of him, he has to start his own business in the future. Even if he has a lot of property, it will eventually run out."
"You two are still young, and I don't ask for my son-in-law to be promoted to a higher position, or to be made a marquis or a prime minister. As long as he can provide you with fine clothes and delicious food, and the two of you can live a life of wealth and safety, that's better than anything else."
Zhou Huiniang had told Jiang Lingyao these words countless times before she got married. When she heard them again, Jiang Lingyao had a different feeling.
People say raising a child is exhausting, and even after a girl gets married, her mother still worries about her.
Jiang Lingyao talked to Zhou Huiniang for a long time before she was invited by the maid outside to go to the large dining room in the front hall, where the whole family sat down to eat.
Coincidentally, Duan Nanqi was on duty today, and he had to go to Jinyiwei for work in the afternoon, so he couldn't drink alcohol at noon.
But if he didn't drink, he would be scolded by his wife's family of three generations. After the meal, Duan Nanqi didn't eat many bites of the dishes, but drank a bellyful of tea. He also paid for a banquet for each of his three brothers-in-law, and then left the Anding Marquis's Mansion with Jiang Lingyao in a cold sweat.
When he saw tomorrow outside again, Duan Nanqi realized that he had returned to the human world.
Jiang Lingyao saw him wiping his sweat, her face full of concern: "Husband, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
Duan Nanqi: “…”
Duan Nanqi smiled at her gently: "No, it's just too cold today. Don't worry, my lady. Let's go home."
Jiang Lingyao reached out her hand and wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief, her face full of concern.
Duan Nanqi lowered his head and let her poke and tap him on the face obediently, with clear doting in her eyes.
This appearance made Jiang Linghao, who was sending it out, quite satisfied.
Jiang Lingyao simply wiped him twice, then stuffed the handkerchief into Duan Nanzhu's hand with disgust, said goodbye to Jiang Linghao, and got on the carriage.
Duan Nanqi smiled helplessly at Jiang Lingyao, made an appointment to have a drink together next time, and then rode home.
Jiang Lingyao returned home, she was very happy, but Duan Nanqiao was so tired that he went to bed directly after returning home and did not wake up until late at night.
The two of them had a simple meal without saying much. Jiang Lingyao thought about going to Shuntian Mansion to close the case tomorrow, so she went to bed early after dinner.
The sky gradually darkened, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.
The gentle evening breeze blew through the streets and alleys of Yanjing. After the night watchman's drum was beaten once, the first watch of the night quietly arrived amid the sound of people's deep sleep.
As the first watch came, there was Shen Suning, who always seemed to be full of energy, hiding during the day and coming out at night.
Jiang Lingyao didn't need a maid to keep watch at night, so when Shen Suning arrived, she went to the corner room first and woke up Xingyun, who then tiptoed to call Jiang Lingyao.
Jiang Lingyao slept very soundly today, but she did not dream. She was just floating in the clouds until the clouds pushed her and she woke up slowly.
As soon as she closed her eyes, she quickly regained consciousness.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Lingyao quickly sat up and let Xingyun change her clothes while she tied her hair.
Shen Suning's face was as gloomy as water. She whispered, "Sir, there is another murder case in Yu Yong Prison."
Jiang Lingyao paused as she tied her hair. She frowned and asked, "Who is the deceased?"
"The deceased is Chen Shuangxi."
"What?" Jiang Lingyao was shocked. "Isn't Chen Shuangxi under the guard of the Royal Guards? How did he get out of the cell?"
Shen Suning was waiting beside Jiang Lingyao, her voice was low but her speech was fast.
"It is still unknown, but tonight at 10:00 p.m., a lieutenant of the Jinyiwei passed by the front yard where the pagoda was parked and heard the sound of dripping water. He went over to take a look and saw Chen Shuangxi..."
Shen Suning paused and said, "He died in the pagoda."
Jiang Lingyao had many questions in her mind, but when the words came to her lips, she asked, "Did you go to the scene?"
Shen Suning shook her head and said, "No, Master Yao only gave me a few words when he left, and I came to pick him up. I don't know what happened at the scene."
Jiang Lingyao sighed, put on her shoes, stood up, and put her raven blue work uniform back on.
She put on her official hat and asked Shen Suning, "Is there any movement in the study?"
Shen Suning came in a hurry today and didn't pay attention to the study. After hearing this, she thought for a moment and said, "There was no sound."
Jiang Lingyao then said, "Okay, let's go."
Just like last time, Shen Suning took her to the rooftop before looking for a horse. When they reached two alleys in front of Yuyong Prison, Jiang Lingyao heard the sound of a team of orderly footsteps from a distance.
She suddenly tightened the reins and stopped quietly with Shen Suning.
The footsteps came from far away, very fast and with a clear purpose, obviously running towards Yu Yongjian.
Although it was late at night and there was no light in the alley, the silver plate hanging high in the sky still allowed people to vaguely see the scenery ahead.
Looking forward along the corner of the alley, Jiang Lingyao could barely see a group of bright red figures.
She whispered, "The Royal Guards are here."
Shen Suning said in a low voice: "Master Yao asked me to tell you that this time, the Jinyiwei saw the crime scene first, so the Jinyiwei will investigate first. Even if you arrive, you have to wait a little."
Jiang Lingyao frowned, but she was not angry. She just said, "I know."
She waited for a while until all the Jinyiwei had entered the prison, then she said, "Let's go to the side door."
The Royal Guards must have heard the sound of horse hooves from their side, but the case was urgent and they did not pay enough attention to patrol.
There are four gates in Yuyong Prison. Because the pagoda is placed in the front yard of the main gate, Jiang Lingyao and Shen Suning chose the east side gate and walked through many turns to reach the side gate.
There are still four Jinyiwei captains here. After a few days of trial, the Jinyiwei captains will not stop Jiang Lingyao and greet her politely: "Master Qiao, this is Shen Yamen."
Jiang Lingyao nodded in return, handed the horse to the Jinyi Guard, and quickly entered the Yuyong Prison.
The prison was very quiet tonight. Jiang Lingyao knew that Yao Yuan must be dealing with the Jinyi Guards in the front yard. After a moment of thought, she led Shen Suning to the back room.
There are twice as many Jinyiwei in custody tonight as on the day Rong Jingui died. A living person disappeared under the supervision of Jinyiwei and died in another courtyard not far away. This is really embarrassing for Jinyiwei.
Rong Jingui's case had not yet been officially closed and submitted to His Majesty, but yet another case had been filed. If Jiang Lingyao was the new town's appellant, she would probably be so angry that she would vomit blood by now.
Jiang Lingyao walked quickly along the dark path with swaying tree shadows. She only felt the night was dark, the dew was heavy, and the chill was terrifying.
The further we walked, the more voices we could hear ahead. It must be the Imperial Guards meeting after their search.
After passing a bamboo forest, Jiang Lingyao suddenly stopped.
Not far ahead, in front of the rear compartment, between the lights, a tall figure stood with his hands behind his back.
His voice was indescribably cold: "The people are already in the hands of the Jinyiwei, and they can still lose them. What use are you?"
As he said this, he slowly turned around. In the bright lights, Jiang Lingyao finally saw the face of the Jinyiwei official through the shadows of the bamboo.
He was tall, with a face as if carved by a knife or an axe. On his extremely elegant young face were a pair of deep peach blossom eyes that shone with a fiery light.
But at this moment, the pair of peach blossom eyes that usually always showed smiles were now filled with icy sharpness. He was intimidating without being angry, and his voice was somewhat different from the past.
"Tonight, the captains on duty to guard the rear compartment will go back and receive their punishments. Each of them will receive ten lashes as a warning to others."
As he said this, he suddenly turned his head, and his deep peach blossom eyes looked deep into the bamboo forest.
Chilly, icy, and shocking.
Jiang Lingyao's heart was beating like a drum. She clenched her hands tightly, not allowing herself to move at all.
In the quiet night, she could clearly hear her own heartbeat.
Bang, bang.
Even though it was dark, she could still see the adult's face clearly with the help of the countless lights in the courtyard.
His name is Duan Nanxi.
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