Chapter 93 True and False Daughter (I)

The trafficking of human beings and the selling of Xiaoyao Pills are all crimes punishable by death. It is clear that the person behind this must have a bigger conspiracy.

At the same time, the minister who was secretly sent by the emperor to the southwestern border of Ningzhou also sent a report.

Ningzhou is separated from the Myanmar Kingdom to the south by only a mountain. Twenty years ago, when the Xiaoyao Pills disaster happened, Ningzhou was the prefecture that suffered the most.

This time the emperor sent his trusted aides to the cause, fearing that the same incident would happen again.

But according to the news, with the previous lessons, Ningzhou Prefecture has been very strict in preventing Xiaoyao Pills, which makes it impossible for people to infiltrate. This time, it is the other prefectures that are in a more serious situation.

Especially in Minzhou Prefecture in the southeastern coastal area, people were smoking in broad daylight in restaurants. It got to this point, but local officials turned a blind eye to the situation.

After reading the report sent by the messenger from Minzhou Prefecture, the emperor was so angry that he threw it to the ground.

Afterwards, the emperor ordered the Ningzhou Army stationed in Ningzhou to send a team to Minzhou to destroy any trace of Xiaoyao Pills found on the spot. At the same time, the court also sent officials from various departments to Minzhou to take over all government affairs in Minzhou.

When the situation became so serious, not a single local official reported the matter to the court. This shows that they were either blind or in cahoots with the criminals. In short, they were not fit to be officials.

The emperor directly issued an imperial decree, requiring all local officials of the sixth rank and above in Minzhou Prefecture to come to Beijing immediately to be questioned, and those below the sixth rank to be suspended from their posts, and whether they should be reinstated would be decided after the investigation was thorough.

For a moment, all the prefectures and cities that heard the news became nervous, fearing that such a thing would happen to them tomorrow. From the prefect to the governor, all the officials, big and small, wanted to dig up every inch of floor tiles in their jurisdiction to have a look.

At the same time, Lady Jingguo in the capital finally received the letter from her brother.

Lady Jingguogong did not ask her brother to send the letter to the Qin family, but sent it to a shop. This shop was her dowry, and the people in the shop were all her confidants.

Lady Jingguo took the letter but did not dare to open it. She was afraid that what her brother would find out would be something she would not be able to accept.

She stared at the envelope for a long time before she mustered up the courage and reached out with trembling hands to open it.

After reading just two lines, Lady Jingguo felt breathless. It was indeed like this. Her feeling was indeed correct. Her Ruyue, her real daughter, had not returned...

The letter said that when Ruyue was four years old, she was taken away by a servant when she was taken out to watch the lanterns. At that time, Nanny Xu and the servants did not choose to inform the Jingguo Mansion of the incident, but wanted to find the child themselves so that they could pretend that the incident had never happened.

Ten days later, a timid servant thought that the matter could not be concealed, so he wanted to apologize to the Duke Jing's mansion and explain the matter. But at this time, Nanny Xu came back with a child and told everyone that the girl had been found.

At that time, a maid said that the girl looked different from before. However, Madam Xu said that she had been missing for a long time and had become darker and thinner, so she didn't look the same. She then showed everyone the identical birthmark and finally dispelled everyone's doubts.

But perhaps the doubt was not dispelled, but in order to avoid being blamed by the Duke Jingguo's Mansion, everyone chose to remain silent.

After seeing this, Lady Jingguo felt her mind suddenly become clear.

Yes, it was Nanny Xu who mentioned to her that Mingzhou was a place with beautiful scenery and was most suitable for recuperation. Moreover, her hometown was also in Mingzhou and she was more familiar with the place. It would be more convenient for her to live there with the girl.

No wonder she couldn't see Ruyue when she wanted to when she was five years old. And when she passed away when Ruyue was six years old, her child happened to have chickenpox, so she could only see him from a distance.

Lady Jingguo burst into tears in the room and calmed down after a long time. She asked someone to help her wash and put on makeup. Then she returned to her parents' home with her brother's letter.

When Lady Jingguo's mother learned about this, she was also shocked. Who could have thought that a nanny could be so bold.

"Mother, I will definitely re-examine this Madam Xu. Maybe she was the one who planned to get Ruyue lost in the first place. Otherwise, it would not be such a coincidence that she could bring back a child as old as Ruyue."

Ironically, this Nanny Xu was the maid she brought from her mother's home.

Lady Jingguo's mother patted her daughter's hand, signaling her to calm down.

"After you go back, everything will be as usual. Don't say anything and don't do anything. Tomorrow, I will ask someone to go over and find a reason to call Madam Xu back. I will interrogate her. This matter cannot be made a big deal for the time being. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Mother."

"Okay, go wash your face again and rest for a while before coming back. Don't let anyone see that something is wrong."

In recent days, Nanny Xu has been paying special attention to the wife of Duke Jingguo. Today, she was relieved when she learned that she went out to check the accounts in the shop.

Today, as soon as Lady Jingguo came back from outside, Nanny Xu came forward.

"Madam, what's wrong with you? Why are your eyes so red?"

Lady Jingguo listened to her mother's instructions and tried not to show any abnormality on her face. Instead, she frowned and complained, "The shop assistant was careless and messed up several days' worth of accounts. It took me a long time to sort them out. My eyes are sore."

As expected, Nanny Xu did not doubt it, but stepped forward to stop Lady Jingguo and said, "Such a careless servant should be kicked out directly, Madam, don't worry."

"Of course, I'm tired and I'm going to go back to sleep."

On the afternoon of the second day, Lady Jingguo asked Nanny Xu to go to her room and look at portraits of unmarried men in the capital with her. Lady Jingguo said that she wanted to start preparing to choose a husband for her daughter, and Nanny Xu did not notice anything wrong.

Half an hour later, the mother of Lady Jingguo, Old Lady Zou, sent someone close to her. After coming in, she whispered to Lady Jingguo.

After she finished speaking, Lady Jingguogong said to Madam Xu, "Madam, please come back to the mansion with me. My mother said she has something to tell us about the families we just talked about. Some of these families were mentioned by my mother, and I thought she might have something else to tell us."

Originally I should have gone, but the second brother is about to come back from work, and I have something to say to him, so you should go in my place."

Nanny Xu had no doubts about this reason. Moreover, since it concerned Qin Ruyue's marriage, she would not refuse. She agreed immediately and went back with the people sent by Old Madam Zou.

On the way there, she was still thinking about which of the young men she and her wife had just seen was better. Even if she couldn't marry a prince, she couldn't just marry an ordinary man.

She was thinking about something, but as soon as she entered the old lady's yard, she was gagged and taken to the room by someone who had been waiting there, and was interrogated by the old lady herself.

Old Madam Zou acted quickly and did not give her any chance to make up a lie. As soon as Old Madam Zou asked a question, the expression on her face gave her away. Anyone with eyes could see that something was wrong with her.

Nanny Ai, who is by the old lady's side, used to be a managing nanny in the Ministry of Punishment when she was in the palace. She is well versed in interrogating people.

But Aunt Xu was also very strict in her words. She didn't reveal a single word and only said that she was wronged.

Of course Old Madam Zou did not believe this. Moreover, since the eldest brother had already written the letter, he would have surely checked everything out.

"Even if you don't say it, there are plenty of people in Mingzhou who say it. I called you here today, so I'm not wronging you. I've deceived you for so many years, so I'm not in a hurry for a few days. But my daughter is very anxious. She wants to send the fake away from home, so far away that he will never come back in this lifetime."

When Aunt Xu heard this, she stopped being stubborn and fell to the ground crying, "Madam, please, Madam, the girl knows nothing. She is innocent. Please let her go, please let her go!"