Chapter 398 Why is this?
Gu Jingxi knew that Wei Heng and his wife only appeared normal on the surface, but were actually a pair of lunatics. He couldn't help but feel a little worried about his own wife being with that lunatic Mei Qingyun.
Therefore, when Gu Jingxi saw Meng Jinyao, he glanced at her and asked gently, "Ayao, how do you get along with Madam Wei?"
Meng Jinyao said truthfully, "We got along quite well. I must say that Madam Wei is very talkative and knows how to distract others. When I talked to her, I naturally followed her topics."
Gu Jingxi pulled the person over and sat them down: "So what did she talk to you about?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "We didn't talk about anything. At first, he said some comforting words, but then he casually started talking about other things, just everyday conversation. But there's one thing that puzzles me: it seems that Lord Wei doesn't like Madam Wei staying with me. He seems a little unhappy that Madam Wei stayed, or maybe it's just my imagination."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi's brows furrowed slightly. He couldn't tell A Yao those disgusting things, lest he offend her ears. Wei Heng wouldn't let Mei Qingyun stay because of him, and their arguments were also because of him. Even during their intimate moments, he would bring him up in a tirade. They didn't find it disgusting, but he did.
He remained silent, and Meng Jinyao, without giving it much thought, smiled and said, "I've noticed that Madam Wei has a particular fondness for the study. She's recounted many amusing incidents that happened in the study with Lord Wei—betting on books and spilling tea, composing poems, painting and inscribing calligraphy, playing the zither and flute, playing chess, and even having conflicts with her husband—all of these occurred in the study. Although she's not a kind person and would plot against her husband's children and concubines, judging from her descriptions, she and Lord Wei seem to have a pretty good relationship. Does Lord Wei not know about her actions?"
Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback: "Study?"
Meng Jinyao nodded and replied, "Yes, everything she told me happened in the study, and the conversation always revolved around the study. Even if I tried to change the subject, she would bring it back up and continue talking about the study. She even asked me if I had any interesting stories that happened in the study. There's really nothing to say about the study, but seeing how obsessed she was with it, I could only try to appease her by telling her some funny stories about reading and writing in the study with my second brother when we were little."
Gu Jingxi found it odd. Normal conversations wouldn't revolve solely around one place, and the other person was deliberately evading the topic. Someone as talkative as Mei Qingyun would naturally follow the conversation, not struggle to steer it back. Why was the other person so fixated on the study?
Seeing that he remained silent, Meng Jinyao asked suspiciously, "Husband, is there something wrong with Madam Wei?"
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly: "I don't know, and I'm not sure."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao didn't press further. She couldn't help with anything related to the case anyway. It was lunchtime, so she had the maid prepare the meal first, and they could talk about it after lunch.
To make things easier for Gu Jingxi, Meng Jinyao had the maids set out the meal in the room and then dismissed them.
Gu Jingxi looked at the bowl of congee in front of him, then at the bowl of rice in front of A Yao, and the delicacies on the table. He fell silent. He knew he couldn't pretend to be sick anymore; he needed to come up with a different excuse.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao chuckled and said, "Husband, I said we'd have dinner in the room, wasn't that for you? To make the act complete, you're so sick you can only eat plain porridge. So enjoy your porridge, but you can eat whatever you want from the side dishes."
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "Okay."
Meng Jinyao picked up a slice of meat for him and asked, "Husband, do you not need to pretend to have a high fever tonight? I was afraid that if Lord Wei really invited a famous doctor to take your pulse, it would give me away, so when Madam Wei left, I specifically said that there was no need to invite a famous doctor."
Gu Jingxi replied, "There's no need to pretend anymore. But illness comes like a landslide and goes like a slow, drawn-out process. I'm weak right now and need to rest for at least ten days before I can return to the capital. I need to find the account book as soon as possible and then take it back to the capital to report."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "Does my husband have any clues about the account books?"
“We should have some clues by now.” Gu Jingxi paused, then continued, “If we don’t, we’ll search high and low to find them.”
Meng Jinyao was taken aback: "What do you mean by 'should'?"
Gu Jingxi said, "It's not certain yet; we'll only know after we've searched for them."
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night.
Yu Chuan returned and reported to Gu Jingxi that he had made a mold of the key hanging around Lord Wei's neck. After he finished speaking, he handed the mold he had obtained to Gu Jingxi.
Gu Jingxi took it, glanced at it, and then said calmly, "Well done. How did you do it? Did anyone notice?"
Yu Chuan replied respectfully, "My lord, rest assured. I used a sleeping potion, and Lord Wei and Madam Wei were both sound asleep, completely unaware that someone had entered their room. I didn't linger either; I made a mark and left, and none of the Wei family's servants noticed me."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "What did Madam Wei say to Lord Wei after she returned home today?"
Yu Chuan truthfully replied, "Lord Wei and Madam Wei had another few words, but Lord Wei was very afraid that Madam Wei would let slip what he had done. He was relieved when he learned that Madam Wei hadn't said anything. I think Lord Wei is worrying unnecessarily. Even if Madam Wei is crazy, she can still be clear-headed. Lord Wei's downfall will not do her any good."
After listening, Gu Jingxi remained silent for a while, then asked him, "Did you really search every corner of Lord Wei's study?"
Yu Chuan nodded and said with certainty, "We've searched everywhere we can. There's nothing useful in the study, and no hidden compartments. It's just an ordinary study."
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "I'll go look for it tomorrow. If I find anything, I'll give you a reward."
Upon hearing this, Yu Chuan looked bewildered and asked, "What reward does Your Excellency intend to give me?"
Gu Jingxi spoke in a gentle tone, but his words chilled the heart: "Of course, the reward is to give you a daughter-in-law with a temperament similar to Madam Wei, to marry into that family, and then to marry Chan'er off to someone else."
Upon hearing this, Yu Chuan was instantly horrified and hurriedly said, "My lord, please give me another chance. I'll go look for it again."
Gu Jingxi asked in a low voice, "So you didn't look carefully enough before?"
"Your Excellency is wise!" Yu Chuan shook his head repeatedly and hurriedly explained, "I really have searched the entire study, but I just couldn't find anything."
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "I'll go look for it tomorrow. Have someone make this key as soon as possible."
"Yes, my lord."
Yu Chuan quickly agreed and then took the mold.
That night, Yu Chuan didn't dare to sleep. He immediately went to Lord Wei's study. Even though he had searched carefully before, he still searched again carefully and meticulously, lest he miss something and his master really wanted to marry him off.
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