Chapter 182 Blue Peony
"You are a servant of the Kong family. I ask you, where did Kong Wenjie secretly mint official silver?"
After asking the question, Jiang Yu observed the boat captain's expression and subtle body movements. He saw the captain look somewhat stunned after hearing the question, and then say, "Privately minted official silver? I've never heard of that."
Jiang Yu found nothing unusual about him and asked, "Has Kong Wenjie ever been in contact with lead ore?"
The boat captain remained silent for a while before saying, "I don't know if he has ever been in contact with lead mines, but his lover, the widowed husband of the Jiangzhou Prefect's sister, used to manage the lead mines in Jiangzhou."
"How did the widowed sister's husband of the Jiangzhou Prefect die?" Jiang Yu asked again.
The boat captain said, "I heard he died of illness, but I don't know the specifics."
"Has Kong Wenjie had any contact with the King of Lingnan?" Jiang Yu asked.
The boat captain shook his head. "You already asked me that last time. I don't know."
Jiang Yu looked at him calmly, and the boatman felt a strong pressure. He said, "I'm just an ordinary servant, not a personal attendant. I really don't know."
"Alright, that's fine." Jiang Yu had him taken away, and then the madam, Lan Mudan, was brought in.
Lan Mudan had also lost a lot of weight, and her clothes and hair were somewhat dirty and disheveled. However, she was in good spirits, and her eyes shone with an unyielding light. Although she obediently knelt down upon seeing Jiang Yu, her entire being exuded defiance.
To some extent, nearly a year of living in darkness, even without abuse, could break a person through sheer mental and emotional exhaustion. Like Young Master Chen and the boat captain. But Lan Mudan maintained her original mental state.
This woman has an exceptionally strong inner strength.
"Nearly a year has passed, and Miss still hasn't figured things out?" Lan Mudan's words were laced with sarcasm.
Jiang Yu wasn't angry; instead, she smiled and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that the second master of the Xie family was sentenced to death for smuggling salt."
Lan Mudan's face was filled with malice, but Jiang Yu remained indifferent to her hostile gaze. "I'm not here today to discuss the smuggling of salt, but rather... the illegal minting of official silver."
As Jiang Yu spoke, she didn't miss a single subtle movement from Lan Mudan. When she uttered the words "privately minting official silver," Lan Mudan's fingers suddenly twitched, as if she wanted to clench her fist but immediately stopped. At the same time, she lowered her head.
This woman is truly extraordinary!
“You should know that the Xie family privately minted official silver,” Jiang Yu said.
"I am a prisoner, and whatever you say goes, Miss." Lan Mudan raised her head and looked at Jiang Yu with a defiant expression.
Jiang Yu smiled slightly, "Do you know how Xie Zihui died?"
Lan Mudan clenched her hands tightly this time, her face contorted in pain. Jiang Yu's smile widened, and she said, "Tear them apart by five horses."
Lan Mudan's breathing became rapid. Jiang Yu leaned back in her chair. It seemed she had guessed correctly. Lan Mudan and Xie Zihui had a close relationship, but she didn't know how far their relationship had progressed.
Lan Mudan looked like she hated him to the extreme, but she didn't say a word. She was truly exceptionally patient.
Jiang Yu added, "It was Xie Yun who took the initiative to push Xie Zihui out, in order to protect the Xie family. The second branch of the Xie family is truly pitiful, leaving behind Madam Xie and Xie Lei as orphans and widows."
"Don't bother trying, I won't say anything," Lan Mudan said viciously to Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu smiled at her, got up and walked out. When she reached the door of the interrogation room, she stopped and turned back to look at Lan Mudan, saying, "Oh, there's one more thing I guess you'd like to know. Xie Lei, the son of the second master of the Xie family, broke his leg and had it amputated. He'll spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair."
"What did you say?" Lan Mudan suddenly stood up, looking at Jiang Yu in disbelief.
Jiang Yu's lips curled into a smile. It seemed she had guessed correctly; Lan Mudan cared a lot about Xie Zihui and Xie Lei. She just didn't know what her relationship with Xie Lei was.
“Once I ran into Xie Lei when I went out, and he wanted to kill me,” Jiang Yu said, recounting the story as if telling someone else’s tale. “Of course I had to fight back! I knocked him off his horse and broke one of his legs with the horse’s hoof.”
"I'm going to kill you..." Lan Mudan tried to rush towards Jiang Yu like a madwoman, but was held down tightly.
Jiang Yu's smile faded, and she said seriously, "I'm the kind of person who holds grudges. Xie Lei wronged me once, so I won't let him live. If I have the chance, I will definitely kill him."
"You can't!" Lan Mudan shouted frantically, but she quickly regained her senses and said, "Xie Lei is the eldest grandson of the Xie family. If you want his life, the Xie family will agree."
Jiang Yu: "Last time, didn't I make Xie Yun willingly offer up his own son's life? Who do you think Xie Yun will push forward this time?"
Lan Mudan gritted her teeth, seemingly trying her best to suppress her emotions. Jiang Yu looked at her and said, "The eldest branch of the Xie family has Xie Ning'an, who is the next person in charge of the Xie family. Xie Yun certainly won't push him out. Although the third branch of the Xie family is mediocre, it is said that Third Master Xie seems to be very popular with Old Madam Xie. As for the second branch of the Xie family... Xie Zihui is already dead, and Xie Lei is crippled. Obviously, this branch is useless..."
"You're talking nonsense, you're talking nonsense." Lan Mudan became agitated again, twisting her body from side to side, struggling to rush to Jiang Yu, but was held down firmly.
"Whether I'm lying or not, you'll see for yourself." Jiang Yu turned to Li Zhong and said, "Find some time to let her see Xie Lei."
"Yes," Li Zhong replied.
Jiang Yu then looked at Lan Mudan, "You'll know whether what I said is true or not then. If you honestly tell me everything you know, I'll let you out, how about that?"
"Hmph, you want me to go out and fight the Xie family." Lan Mudan instantly understood Jiang Yu's intention.
Jiang Yu laughed, "Then you'll be free. I can't control what you want to do."
Lan Mudan clenched her fists tightly and remained silent. Jiang Yu turned and left the interrogation room. Back in the study at Yunfeng Courtyard, Li Zhong asked Jiang Yu, "How did you know Lan Mudan cared about Xie Lei?"
Jiang Yu: "I guessed."
She was right; Lan Mudan cared so much about Xie Zihui, which meant their relationship wasn't just a normal business partnership or a superior-subordinate relationship. Before leaving, she tried to use Xie Lei to provoke Lan Mudan, but she hadn't expected Lan Mudan to actually care about Xie Lei.
"In nearly a year, Blue Peony has changed somewhat," Jiang Yu said.
Given Lan Mudan's intelligence and forbearance, in the past, the more she cared about Xie Lei, the less she would have shown it. Her composure was also on the verge of collapse.
"This old servant will find out as soon as possible when Xie Lei leaves, so that Lan Mudan can watch from a distance," Li Zhong said.
Jiang Yu nodded, and Li Zhong left to make the arrangements immediately. After he left, Xia He asked Jiang Yu, "Why is Lan Mudan so concerned about Xie Lei?"
At this point, she widened her eyes and said incredulously, "Xie Lei wouldn't happen to be Lan Mudan's son, would he?"
Jiang Yu: "It's hard to say."
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