Chapter 80
The news that Marquis Zhengyang was trying hard to get his eldest son named Crown Prince had spread throughout the capital.
Even Yao Yuan had heard of it.
Not to mention Jiang Lingyao, who is always boasted about by Meng Xinyue whenever she meets her, and knows the details of this matter.
According to Meng Xinyue, in the mansion of Marquis Zhengyang, Marquis Zhengyang was devoted to the court, and the household was taken care of by Marquis Zhengyang's wife. Marquis Zhengyang and his wife loved their eldest son very much, and as soon as their eldest son got married, they immediately submitted a petition to confer the title of Crown Prince on him.
Even if he would be demoted, it was better than having his title of Earl of Zhengyang taken back by the imperial court after a hundred years and being left with nothing.
Most of the nobles in the capital are like this, so the action of the Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion is in line with common sense.
But now, Steward Wang said that the Earl of Zhengyang did not ask for a title for Xue Yaozu, which was a bit strange.
Jiang Lingyao asked: "Manager Wang, do you know why?"
Steward Wang had a bitter face and sighed, "How can I, a servant, know all this? I only know that the master didn't really want to confer the title of Crown Prince on the eldest young master, but the eldest young master had already married, and the young mistress kept talking about it all day long, so the uncle lied to the young mistress that he had already requested the title, but the court had not issued an order yet."
Steward Wang said, "I just didn't expect that the young lady would tell everyone about it, and the whole city of Beijing would know about it. This is giving the old master a headache. If we keep dragging our feet and not asking for the title, it will be really bad if the commotion gets out of hand."
If the imperial court issues an imperial edict directly, the Zhengyang Marquis's mansion will be in chaos, so this matter is really difficult to deal with.
Jiang Lingyao asked, "What else do you have to say?"
Manager Wang thought about it for a long time and didn't think there was anything else to say, so he said, "I have already told you everything I know. There is nothing more to say."
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi exchanged a glance and ordered, "Go down and call Steward Wen over."
Such noble families are often full of filth and corruption. They appear glamorous and luxurious on the outside, but are actually extremely filthy.
The reason why the Duan and Jiang families have such a clean and upright family tradition is that from the elders to the younger generations, they all cultivate themselves and improve their character, and will not kill each other for petty gains. This is how the family maintains peace.
One can imagine the family life of a rising star like Zhengyang Bo who suddenly became popular.
Wealth is dazzling.
"If the Earl of Zhengyang really didn't ask for the title of Crown Prince, then Xue Yaozu is also suspected of patricide. After all, if the Earl of Zhengyang died suddenly in his prime, the court would not directly revoke his title. As long as he is not found to be the real murderer of his father, he can probably be granted a rank of Fourth Rank Upper Cavalry Commandant."
Duan Nanqi said: "Otherwise, it is unknown whether the title of Marquis Zhengyang can be passed on to the next generation. After all, he has not achieved anything..."
This statement was a bit harsh, but it was also the truth. Everyone in Yanjing knew how Xue Dingshan came to be the Marquis of Zhengyang. And who among the noble families really looked up to him?
As for Xue Yaozu, he had never served a single day in office and had only been a paid captain of the Jinyiwei. It sounded good to say the least, but in reality he had no chance to be rewarded for his merits. If he could not be named the crown prince, he would have to give up half of this huge Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion in the future.
Jiang Lingyao said: "In this case, according to previous clues, the ones who wanted to kill Lord Zhengyang were Steward Wen and Xue Yaozu."
"But that steward Wang also harbored hatred towards the Marquis of Zhengyang, thinking that he did not treat him well enough by not letting him be the steward of the Marquis of Zhengyang's mansion."
Duan Nanqi nodded and looked at Chu Xiunian: "Captain Chu, please remember that this case should not be delayed for too long. All the confessions today are important clues."
Chu Xiunian said: "Yes."
Seeing that the two of them were discussing very lively, Yao Yuan sat aside and drank tea calmly. Duan Nanqi did not ask him, and he just pretended not to be there.
Butler Wen arrived soon.
He is a well-mannered middle-aged man with some scholarly qualities. To be honest, if you only look at his appearance, he is indeed suitable to be the steward of the Earl's Mansion. He looks much more elegant than Steward Wang.
Butler Wen had a sad look on his face. After coming in, he just bowed silently without saying a word.
Duan Nanqi nodded on the table, and Jiang Lingyao cleared her throat and asked the first question.
"Butler Wen, can you tell me where you were yesterday evening?"
Butler Wen was quite smart. He understood that was the time of Xue Dingshan's death without any explanation.
Steward Wen sighed and said, "At that time, I accompanied Madam, Young Master and Young Madam to listen to Master Kong's lecture. At the end of the hour of Hai, Madam ordered Steward Wang to go back to the main courtyard to light the lamps, fearing that the Marquis would fall."
Butler Wen did not explain further, as if he was certain that Butler Wang would explain why there was no one to light the lights in the huge main courtyard.
Jiang Lingyao looked at him and asked, "When did you come to the Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion?"
Xue Dingshan was born into a farming and reading family. He had a poor foundation and no roots in the capital. If he had not gone to the capital to take the imperial examination, he would not even have a servant.
Then Wen Li must be the younger brother of the Zhengyang Marquis Mansion.
Wen Li was very confident and answered fluently: "In the third year of Tianshun, the Earl's Mansion was completed. There were not many servants in the Earl's house. I used to be a housekeeper in a wealthy family. I was chosen by the Earl to enter the Earl's Mansion to serve as the housekeeper for the Earl."
That is to say, he came to the Xue family after Earl Zhengyang was conferred the title of Earl Zhengyang and given the Earl's Mansion for his contribution in assisting Emperor Tianshun in restoring the throne.
He was quite powerful. He became the housekeeper as soon as he arrived, and squeezed out the steward Wang so much that he could only do the job of serving the uncle personally, and he was not valued by the uncle.
Jiang Lingyao asked: "Who do you think has a grudge against Uncle?"
Butler Wen was stunned for a moment, and he seemed to be considering his words. After a long while, he said, "Master Bo is warm and polite, and is very kind to his servants. Everyone in the family respects Master Bo very much, and no one has any grudge against him."
That's a beautiful answer.
Jiang Lingyao lowered her eyes and said, "But we just interrogated Steward Wang, and Steward Wang said in person that he resented Master Bo because Master Bo did not let him be the steward."
"You are in the mansion every day, so you wouldn't be unaware of this, right?"
Wen Li looked back and said, "Manager Wang is Master's servant and grew up with Master. He just muttered a few words, but he still cares about Master in his heart and would never kill anyone impulsively."
He actually began to protect Manager Wang.
Jiang Lingyao blinked and asked, "So, where is the young master?"
"What young master?" Wen Li was a little surprised.
Jiang Lingyao said, "According to the secret order of the Imperial Guard, the Earl of Zhengyang did not even submit a request to confer the title of Crown Prince. Could it be that Xue Yaozu learned of this and became enraged and killed someone?"
"After all, everyone in the capital knows that he is going to be the crown prince, but his own father doesn't care at all. It's really embarrassing."
This time, Butler Wen was silent for a long time.
He seemed to have not expected that the Imperial Guard had already found out so much inside information. He was unprepared for the moment and could not answer immediately.
Jiang Lingyao looked at him, and seeing his gloomy face, she suddenly smiled: "Why, this question is too abrupt, you haven't thought of an excuse yet, right?"
When Wen Li was pressed by him to answer this question, he could only explain: "Young Master didn't know what Master did, so how could he hate Master?"
Jiang Lingyao nodded: "That is to say, the Earl of Zhengyang did not ask for the title of Crown Prince, and you also know this, right?"
Wen Li's face turned increasingly pale and blue.
He closed his eyes tightly, as if unwilling to say anything more.
Jiang Lingyao sighed softly: "I didn't expect that Butler Wen would be so caring towards the other people in the Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion. You have found many excuses for them. Next, how are you going to find excuses for yourself?"
Wen Li was a little overwhelmed by her repeated telling of the affairs in the palace. Jiang Lingyao clearly saw a flash in his eyes, and he was indeed panicked at that moment.
Duan Nanqi also saw it, his eyes were deep, and he said: "Wen Li, I advise you to tell the truth, otherwise it will be difficult for you to come out alive after being sent to the imperial prison."
Butler Wen opened his mouth but couldn't say a word. He was indeed a little confused. After thinking for a long time, he whispered, "In fact, the Madam and Uncle have always been at odds."
He was really smart. He didn't talk about his own problems first, but diverted the trouble to the wife of the Marquis of Zhengyang.
Jiang Lingyao didn't seem anxious, and asked, "Why not?"
Butler Wen paused for a moment before lowering his voice and saying, "Madam is the daughter of an official. If Master had not passed the imperial examination, Madam would not have married Master. When I entered the mansion, Madam had already given birth to Master. After she was out of the confinement period, she used her poor health as an excuse to live in a separate room from Master. Until today, she has not lived in the same room with Master."
Jiang Lingyao had met Su Shuxian several times. She had always been a quiet person, but she was quite friendly and would also try to persuade Meng Xinyue. She didn't look like such a stubborn person.
Jiang Lingyao asked: "Why are you unhappy?"
Butler Wen said, "Madam is the daughter of an official, and she looks down on the background of the uncle. She probably has hope after giving birth to the eldest son, so there is no need for her to get along with the uncle. After all, it is a family affair that happens behind closed doors and no one else knows about it. The uncle also sympathizes with her because she had a difficult labor when giving birth to the eldest son, so he is particularly tolerant of Madam."
The word "tolerance" sounds very impolite.
Jiang Lingyao had always thought that Butler Wen was very strange. It was not until this moment that she began to realize that he was not commenting on family affairs in the capacity of a subordinate, but rather spoke in a tone that sounded like that of a master.
Jiang Lingyao asked, "Does Master Bo have any concubines that he favors?"
Wen Li shook his head and said, "Master Bo is a man of integrity and a Buddhist. He is not interested in women."
Xue Yaozu is now in his twenties. Could it be that Xue Dingshan has not been interested in women in the past twenty years?
Wen Li was afraid that the masters would not believe him, so he added: "If I deceive you, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death."
This oath is extremely cruel.
"As you said, the Madam and Uncle just didn't get along," Jiang Lingyao said slowly, "Then did she have any reason to kill Uncle?"
Since Wen Li brought up Su Shuxian, he must have something to say.
Sure enough, this time Wen Li did not hesitate, he said: "Madam... I heard that you had a childhood sweetheart cousin, but unfortunately your father was adamant and thought that the two families were not suitable, so he forced you to marry him."
"After the marriage, the uncle was not close to the lady. Over the years, the lady was quite resentful, and everyone in the mansion knew it."
Even the Imperial Guards didn't know about this news. Duan Nanqi only raised an eyebrow: "How did you know about this?"
Wen Li lowered his eyes and said, "Madam, there is a maidservant who serves you. She was your personal maidservant. Once, she got drunk and told me this in person. If it is false, then it is just nonsense from this maidservant."
What does this have to do with Butler Wen?
Jiang Lingyao smiled faintly: "Okay, let's talk about the last thing."
"Who are you working with to seize the title of Marquis of Zhengyang? You said that Marquis Zhengyang cannot die now and you want to keep him alive in order to gain wealth and glory in the future?"
Wen Li's face changed drastically.
With the cold and majestic Jinyiwei above him and the covetous Shuntian Prefecture below him, even if Wen Li wanted to escape, the final questioning would still fall on him.
However, Jiang Lingyao saw a hint of relief in his panic.
What is he celebrating?
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