Chapter 377 She's Deeply Scheming
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Jinyao subconsciously recalled what happened at the banquet today, and thought about the words and actions of Madam Wei and Madam Han. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with them.
She asked, "Why do you say that, my husband?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "I'll tell you when we get back."
After hearing this, Meng Jinyao did not ask any further questions.
Back at the Gu residence, upon arriving at their lodging, Qinya Pavilion, Gu Jingxi dismissed the maid and brought up the earlier topic with her: "Madam Wei is not as gentle and kind as you see her. What you see is only the surface. When she gets ruthless, she won't even spare an infant in swaddling clothes, and she has several lives on her hands. No matter what her reasons are for doing this, how innocent are those children who don't understand anything? Be careful if you encounter her again in the future."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was shocked. She recalled how Madam Wei was kind to Madam Han, but Madam Han was polite and distant to Madam Wei. It turned out that Madam Han was a kind-faced but ruthless character.
Her former stepmother, Madam Sun, was kind on the outside but ruthless on the inside, but at least Madam Sun could see through the flaws in the details.
But this Mrs. Wei didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were gentle and clear, her smile was warm, and she was gentle, meticulous, and thoughtful in her work. She could even hear guests praising Mrs. Wei in private, and she even began to appreciate her—it was an appreciation of beautiful things.
It is evident that this person is far more cunning and scheming than Sun Shi.
The next moment, Meng Jinyao was puzzled again: "Husband, how do you know she did such a thing?"
Gu Jingxi didn't hide anything from her and replied truthfully, "After arriving in Huzhou Prefecture, I had Zhou Yun and Yu Chuan secretly investigate matters related to Lord Wei, including his family affairs. Lord Wei had three children who died at her hands, and some of his concubines also drowned or died in childbirth."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's expression turned serious. It was common for children and women to die in the struggles within the inner quarters of wealthy families. She just hadn't expected someone who seemed so kind to do such a thing. But what shocked her even more was something else: her husband had come to investigate a case. If he could find the Prefect of Huzhou, Lord Wei, wouldn't that prove that the case was related to Lord Wei?
Gu Jingxi glanced at her and said unhurriedly, "I don't believe in such ghost and god talk. I also had people investigate the previous two magistrates of Deqing County. They were both good officials and did not embezzle or accept bribes. Their mysterious deaths must have been because they knew something and were silenced. It's unlikely that ordinary people would be the ones who silenced them, only officials. So the finger is pointing at Lord Wei."
Meng Jinyao's expression grew increasingly grave, and she asked again, "Husband, are their deaths really related to Lord Wei?"
"There is no evidence yet, so it's too early to draw any conclusions." Gu Jingxi paused for a moment, then continued, "I can't do anything right now, lest I alert them. Zhou Yun and the others will investigate secretly first. Fang Xuan and Fang Ce can't show their faces right now either."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "What about Madam Han?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Madam Han is indeed kind. When she was still young, her family environment was simple. After she got married, her backyard was also clean. Although Lord Han had a concubine, he did not take any concubines and did not participate in any intrigues."
Meng Jinyao nodded, then asked, "Husband, how do you know so much about Lord Han being in Hangzhou?"
“He is Lord Wei’s brother-in-law and also Lord Wei’s superior. It’s never wrong to know more about him.” Gu Jingxi smiled and pursed his lips. “If you want to investigate a case, you not only need to investigate the suspect, but also the suspect’s network of relationships.”
As Meng Jinyao listened, her heart pounded. If Lord Han was also involved in this matter, it would be a major case with far-reaching implications. She asked softly, "Husband, how long will it take to investigate this case?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "After the ancestral worship, we still need to go to Deqing County. There are some things we will only know when we get there. Isn't your uncle the new magistrate of Deqing County? Your aunt treated you well when she was alive. Since we have come to Huzhou Prefecture, it is only right that we go to Deqing County to see your uncle. This is also a good excuse to cover up our trip."
Meng Jinyao nodded again and didn't ask any more questions. She couldn't help with the investigation, so she treated it as a sightseeing trip and would return to the capital afterward.
Gu Jingxi didn't want this to bother her, so he changed the subject: "Ayao, play a game of chess with me, and let me see if your chess skills have improved."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao felt a surge of excitement and immediately agreed, asking her maid to bring over the chessboard.
She was very good at chess, but her husband was even better. He wouldn't let her win, so she had to put in a lot of effort and study every move carefully if she wanted to win.
The game ended, and unsurprisingly, Gu Jingxi won.
Seeing his young wife looking dejectedly at the chessboard where the game was already decided, as if regretting the missed opportunity, he reached out and patted her head to comfort her, saying gently, "Ah Yao, I've told you before, when an opportunity arises, if you hesitate and look back, you'll miss it and end up regretting it."
Meng Jinyao refused to admit defeat: "Husband, let's play another round!"
Gu Jingxi agreed to her request, but her chess style stemmed from her personality. This tendency to be cautious and ensure absolute certainty before making a move was a result of her upbringing and could not be changed overnight.
So, unsurprisingly, she lost again.
Gu Jingxi continued, "You were able to seize the first opportunity, and logically, seizing the second opportunity would have resulted in a draw. However, you hesitated the second time, which gave me the chance to win. Let's play another round."
After losing another round, Meng Jinyao became more determined and played another round, eventually ending the day's battle in a draw. She smiled contentedly, stretched her neck, glanced at the sky outside the bed, and realized it was getting late.
She didn't eat much at the banquet today. She instructed her maid to cook her a bowl of noodles, ate the noodles, and then went to take a bath in preparation for resting.
However, when she wanted to rest, the people around her were restless.
The man, having tasted the sweetness of love, seduced and coaxed her, leading to another round of torment.
When it was over, Meng Jinyao was covered in sweat and too tired to move. Seeing that Gu Jingxi didn't seem tired at all and was even carrying her to the clean room, she couldn't help but ask, "Husband, aren't you really tired?"
Gu Jingxi looked at her meaningfully and asked, "Ayao, are you questioning your husband?"
Meng Jinyao gave a blank "Huh?" and was about to speak when he sealed her lips with his.
Immediately afterwards, the clean room became a scene of absurdity, with bathwater splashing and spilling all over the floor.
After getting dressed, just as she was about to leave the washroom, Meng Jinyao saw the mess everywhere. Considering the commotion she had just caused, she knew the maid would know what had happened when she came in to clean up. She blushed instantly and glared at the man reproachfully: "Gu Jingxi, you said we were only going to take a bath!"
Gu Jingxi held her close and coaxed her gently, "Ayao, please calm down. I was wrong. It's all my fault for misunderstanding. I thought you were questioning me, so... Please forgive me this time, okay?"
Meng Jinyao was furious and seriously suspected that the man was deliberately distorting her meaning and then deliberately bullying her. He even asked her whether it was better to be in the bedroom or in the clean room. She didn't want to answer, so he tormented her until she had no choice but to give an answer.
She puffed out her cheeks and said firmly, "Gu Jingxi, you scoundrel, you definitely did it on purpose!"
Gu Jingxi looked at her innocently, with a hint of grievance in her eyes: "Ayao, I didn't, you misunderstood me."
Meng Jinyao knew he was faking his pitifulness, but she couldn't help but fall for it. She glared at him and said irritably, "I'm tired, I don't want to argue with you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi immediately and attentively picked her up by the waist and carried her back to her room after leaving the clean room. He then tactfully massaged her waist, finally managing to appease her so that she wouldn't dare to cause any more trouble that night.
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