Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Send this food box...
Of course, sending this food box wasn't the eldest lady's order. In fact, Jiang Wan hadn't seen the eldest lady since he sneaked into the Marquis's mansion.
The nanny had already gone to the eldest lady to check. It was impossible for them to match. Jiang Wan had already started thinking about what to do if he was caught.
The moment Jiang Wan saw Marquis Jing'an, she knew he was no good. If caught, she would likely die. She didn't know any martial arts, and she had no weapons to avoid detection. What should she do?
She feigned fear, closing her eyes as she selected a suitable weapon from the system store. Capture the leader first. If she could capture Marquis Jing'an, she might still have a chance to escape. But he was surrounded by martial arts masters and guards, so she had to subdue Marquis Jing'an immediately.
The long sword she exchanged for was so big that she couldn't hide it; the big knife was too heavy and affected her speed; the rope was convenient, but she would probably be killed before she could wrap the rope.
After much deliberation, Jiang Wan exchanged for a dagger. This dagger was light and sharp, with a double-edged blade, perfect for a woman like her who didn't know martial arts.
After logging out of the system, she carefully assessed her position: Marquis Jing'an was only two steps away, and since the body search had revealed no weapons, he was unprepared. Meanwhile, the other guards and martial arts masters were over twenty steps away from Marquis Jing'an. At this distance, there was a chance he could threaten him with a knife.
The front yard where they were was seventy steps from the mansion gate, and the Jinyiwei who were waiting for her outside the mansion were about a hundred meters away. As long as they could get Jing'an Hou out of the mansion, she would be safe for the time being.
Not long after, the old lady who asked the questions came back.
Jiang Wan hid his right hand in his sleeve, clenched the dagger, and was ready to strike.
"Master, the eldest lady said that Miss Lanxiang did send a lunch box to your study at midnight tonight. Inside the box is purple rice cake from Zhenweifang, which she specially kept in a heat-insulated bag, hoping you would come home tomorrow morning to enjoy it." The old nanny reported with her head lowered. "The eldest lady said that she left it in your study at night as a surprise for you, but she didn't expect you to come home early."
After hearing this, Marquis Jing'an's expression obviously eased.
Jiang Wan, who was ready to fight to the death, was stunned for a moment.
No, what was going on? She hadn't even met the young lady tonight, so how did the other party get the same information? More importantly, why was he trying to cover up her lie? Had Wen Shen even persuaded Jing'an Marquis's own daughter to rebel?
Jiang Wan looked at Jing'an Hou, who was confused. When the latter heard that the lunch box contained breakfast prepared for him, he rarely smiled, and his tense and gloomy face softened a lot.
Tsk tsk, a daughter slave.
But at least it was over. Jiang Wan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to stand up when he heard the servant say hesitantly, "Well... I was guarding the yard tonight and didn't see Sister Lanxiang come out of the eldest lady's room."
Jiang Wan secretly pinched his palm and replied, "It's dim at night. Maybe you just went to the toilet or dozed off."
This is human nature. During the long night, most night watchmen would nap in the yard or read storybooks to pass the time. If there were multiple watchmen, some would roll dice or play mahjong. When things got exciting, it was inevitable that they wouldn't notice.
After Jiang Wan said this, the servant was no longer sure and apologized to her repeatedly. However, these words still caught the attention of Jing'an Hou.
He looked at Jiang Wan thoughtfully, a cold light flashing in his eyes, so fast that it was hardly noticeable, but it made her feel extremely dangerous.
"Lanxiang, right?" Marquis Jing'an looked at her as if she were an insignificant object. "Take her out and chop her up, then give her family some extra silver and give her a proper burial."
Jiang Wan:?
Everyone:?
After traveling through time for more than half a year, she has witnessed with her own eyes how the words "take human life lightly" are written.
The servant also looked guilty and knelt beside her: "My Lord, I must have been dazzled and didn't see Sister Lanxiang. I am willing to accept the punishment. Please be fair and give Sister Lanxiang a chance."
The head of the guards also stepped forward, seemingly about to speak, but was interrupted by Jing'an Hou, who raised his hand and said, "This woman is not simple. Since there are doubts, it is better to kill her by mistake than to let her go by mistake."
There were gasps in the front yard. Honestly, if she were truly an innocent maid in the Marquis's mansion, facing such a master who took human life so lightly would surely be heartbreaking. The chief guard sighed, said "I'm sorry," and drew his sword.
As Jiang Wan's brain raced, he caught a glimpse of a fleeting light at the mansion gate out of the corner of his eye.
Should I just pull out the dagger, or continue to fight? For a second or two, a myriad of thoughts raced through Jiang Wan's mind, and he finally shook his head slightly towards the door.
Seeing the cold light at the gate disappear, she crawled forward on her knees with a pale face, tears in the corners of her eyes about to fall, looking as pitiful as she could be.
"Master, please spare me! The lives of my entire family are in your hands. How dare I have any other thoughts? I have been with the young lady for so many years. She has treated me very kindly. Not only has she never lacked food and clothing, but she has also often shared her worries with me. Master, you know that the young lady suffers from nightmares, and when she wakes up at night, she only allows me to be close to her and serve her."
Jiang Wan wiped away a tear and said, "I'm sorry to say this, but I've always treated the young lady like a sister. My death doesn't matter, but I'm worried about the young lady. If the Marquis wishes to sentence her to death, please don't let the young lady know. Just say I'm returning home."
Marquis Jing'an was indeed shaken and stopped the guards' actions.
Originally, Jiang Wan had no choice but to break off relations, but Jing'an Marquis's doting on his daughter gave her some inspiration. Furthermore, since the other party was only suspicious and had no concrete evidence, she didn't necessarily want to break off relations.
Jiang Wan instantly recognized the flash of "Mountain and River" sword outside the mansion gate. After all, she had repaired it herself, so she was familiar with it. Wen Shen personally came to assist, which was safe. But Jing'an Marquis was a hereditary first-class marquis and the uncle of the Third Prince. While holding a first-class marquis hostage might buy her temporary safety, it would bring endless trouble later.
Wen Shen would also be in trouble. Because he was the Sixth Prince's uncle, he was already viewed with suspicion by the current emperor, and couldn't even hold an official position in Lin'an. If he showed up at the Marquis's residence tonight, who knew how the emperor would react.
I really don’t know what that guy was thinking. He actually went into battle himself with a sword in hand.
Jiang Wan put these thoughts aside for the moment and timidly looked up at Jing'an Hou. He was staring at her intently. The crowd around them was so dense, yet so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"So, tell me, when was the last time Miss had a nightmare?"
Jiang Wan tilted her head slightly to hide the upturned corners of her mouth.
Having spent a long time in the antiques business in her previous life, she had seen all sorts of monsters and demons. Whether it was distinguishing truth from lies or even making up lies on the spot, she was quite experienced.
There are three key points to making up lies: first, what you say must be consistent with the listener's cognition and cater to the listener's emotions; second, you must never feel guilty, your eyes must be firm, and your tone must be firm; third, the description must be detailed, but the verifiable parts must be vague.
Jiang Wan pretended to recall for a second before answering, "The young lady last had a nightmare on the fifth day of the sixth lunar month. It happened to be my maid's night watch that day. The young lady slept soundly for the first half of the night, but suddenly woke up at midnight and called me in. I brought her some water and realized she was having a nightmare. So I told her some folk stories, and she slowly calmed down."
After a pause, she continued, "My Lord, the eldest lady's favorite songs are 'Eternal Life' and 'Wutong Rain'. If she wakes up in the second half of the night, she should drink almond tea to calm her nerves. If she wakes up in the first half of the night, she usually also eats some sweet cakes."
Hearing this, even the cold and indifferent Marquis Jing'an's face was moved. Even he, as a father, didn't know these details. For a maid to be able to do this, it was clear that the relationship between master and servant was indeed good.
Marquis Jing'an raised his right hand, signaling the guards to sheathe their swords. Without the sword poised against his neck, Jiang Wan felt a sense of relief. Then he saw the old marquis wave to the guard leader and whisper something.
After a while, two guards brought two people to the front yard, kicked their calves, and forced them to kneel down.
Both of them were tied with chains, one was a fifty-year-old man, and the other was a woman with disheveled hair.
The servants in the courtyard all knelt on the ground, their heads lowered, not daring to look. Jiang Wan, who had just been interrogated by Jing'an Marquis, knelt in the front, and the woman with disheveled hair happened to kneel in front of her.
Jiang Wan, who had his head down, raised his eyelids and saw the woman's face clearly.
She was so frightened that she almost stood up, but she had to pinch her palms tightly and force herself to kneel down and not move.
This woman was He Wanrong.
A sharp pain radiated from her palm, connecting to her pounding heart. Jiang Wan understood Jing'an Hou's intention almost instantly.
Shortly after He Wanrong was captured, she contacted the Imperial Guards. If she had escaped through that secret passage, the next day, Jing'an Hou would have used this as an excuse to make a big deal out of it, accusing the Imperial Guards of colluding with the rebel's daughter and harboring evil intentions.
Now it seems that He Wanrong was actually a bait. It was just that she chose to stay in the dungeon at the time, and when Jing'an Hou's plan failed, he came up with another one, which led to the current situation.
If there were any Jinyiwei among these servants, they would probably have an unusual reaction when they saw He Wanrong being arrested.
But Jiang Wan knew very well that Marquis Jing'an did not kill He Wanrong at the beginning, and now that everyone in the mansion knew about it, he would not kill her even more.
Because He Wanrong had only rummaged through the things of the Minister of Personnel's concubine, she had no official connection to the Jing'an Marquisate. The Marquisate's imprisonment of He Wanrong, bypassing the County Magistrate's wife, was inherently unjust. If they had killed her secretly, it would have been fine, but now that it was out in the open, killing her would have been even more unjustified.
Moreover, He Wanrong's identity was sensitive. It had only been half a year since the case of Duke He. If she was suddenly killed for no reason, it would not only arouse suspicion among the court officials, but also make His Majesty wonder whether there was something fishy behind the case of Duke He.
Just as Jiang Wan had controlled himself, he heard the voice of Marquis Jing'an:
"I lost an important letter tonight. It was these two who were responsible."
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