Chapter 35 Chapter 35 It Has to Be Him
Mrs. Jiang noticed Liu Jinshu's displeasure and said with a smile, "I won't interrupt you guys. Jinshu, you must send her back to me safely—I can't hold on without her."
Liu Jinshu nodded and smiled.
Xiaoman probably guessed why he came. After Mrs. Jiang left, she raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "Is it taboo for you that I'm helping my mother with the lawsuit?"
The tone is very aggressive.
Liu Jinshu seemed a little helpless, "I am your fiancé, not your enemy."
Xiaoman was stunned.
"I admire Madam Jiang very much and hope she can escape the quagmire of the Zhang family. I have no objection to you helping her. But Xiaoman, could you please consider us a little more?"
"……What's the meaning?"
"Mrs. Chiang can ignore people's criticism; she won't get married again. What about you? If you rashly accuse your father and grandmother in the lobby, will Zhang Wen sue you for disobedience? How will you get away with it? How will people view you? How will you interact with the wives of my colleagues in the future?"
Xiaoman: "Whatever you want, I don't care. The worst that can happen is..."
"The worst that can happen is we won't get married, right?" Liu Jinshu interrupted her abruptly, looking extremely impatient, completely different from his usual gentle and humble self.
Xiaoman looked at him with a little surprise.
Liu Jinshu also realized his own loss of composure and calmed down for a moment before slowly saying, "I know very well that I'm your second best choice, but I don't mind. Sincerity can move mountains and break rocks. One day I'll be able to impress you."
"I've been desperately trying to get closer to you, but you've been avoiding me. I've tried everything to marry you, but you've shown no interest in marriage. I really doubt that everything I've done is in vain."
He sighed tiredly, "What on earth...what do you think of me?"
Xiaoman felt stuffy and irritated, and was even a little afraid to look him in the eye.
After a long silence, she said, "I will try my best."
Liu Jinshu laughed. It was hard to say whether he was more disappointed or more hopeful, but the relationship between the two was moving in a good direction.
"You can rely on me a little more." He paused, then added, "I'm your fiancé, and I'm more trustworthy than anyone else."
Xiaoman immediately understood what he meant, but she had no intention of arguing and just nodded silently.
The two stood face to face, neither of them spoke again, and the atmosphere was as gloomy as the weather.
Fortunately, this situation did not last long. Mrs. Jiang was still worried, so she asked Mother Fang to come back and pick up Xiaoman.
Mrs. Jiang was worried and repeatedly asked what they had said, especially Liu Jinshu's attitude.
He was afraid that the Liu family's marriage would fall through.
Xiaoman felt even more uncomfortable seeing her like this. She had wanted to tell her her true feelings, but now she didn't dare to say it.
He only vaguely replied, "He told me to find him if I have anything to do."
"He's a man who values friendship after all." Mrs. Jiang's heart sank back into her stomach. She gently poked Xiaoman with a finger and said, "You're being too naughty, kid. Aren't you afraid that your future mother-in-law will dislike you?"
"Even if nothing happened today, Mrs. Qin wouldn't like me."
With this temper, what will I do when I get married?
Madam Jiang sighed deeply and questioned why the Jiangning government office had accepted her complaint. "Could it be that you contacted Chen Ling'an?"
Xiaoman snorted: "I didn't find it, I just borrowed his name to use it."
Mrs. Jiang's forehead veins throbbed, and she was about to teach her a lesson, but then she thought that if it weren't for her, the child would not have taken such a risk.
Guilt flooded over her like a tide, and Mrs. Jiang's throat felt like it was choked by cotton, and she was so swollen and painful that she couldn't speak.
After a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence: "From now on, don't look for him again."
Xiaoman nodded.
Mrs. Chiang also brought Zhang Junyi to her residence.
"The child doesn't plan to return to the Zhang family, so you don't have to go back either. Stay with me, it will be easier to take care of him."
Xiaoman had to go back because she had something else to do, but it was not convenient for her to tell Mrs. Jiang directly.
"You..." Mrs. Jiang didn't know what to say and immediately lost her temper. "Even if the Zhang family sues me for kidnapping, don't even think about leaving me."
Xiaoman had no choice but to go back to the house to rest dejectedly.
After a while, Zhang Junyi came over. She wanted to sell the two boxes of clothes and jewelry, exchange them for silver bills, and then prepare a carriage for her.
"Pick up your aunt?" Xiaoman asked.
Zhang Junyi: "Big brother is her hope. She is still waiting to be the imperial consort. Why should I rush in and make others dislike me? Zhang Xiaoman, you won't burn bridges after crossing them, right?"
Xiaoman: "I will definitely do what I promised you. But I'm curious, why are you so anxious to get a carriage instead of taking good care of yourself?"
Zhang Junyi's gaze drifted out the window.
The rain stopped, and the air was filled with a moist and refreshing scent of grass and trees. The sky was clear and cotton-like white clouds swayed gracefully in the wind. Two birds chased each other as they flew over the wall.
"I want to walk around," she said softly, "get some sunshine, see the street scenes, and listen to people talking."
Xiaoman's slightly wary eyes gradually softened, "Okay."
When she left, Zhang Junyi suddenly said, "You're just luckier than me."
Xiaoman smiled, didn't say anything, and didn't turn around.
Later, news came from the Zhang family: Zhang Wen's right arm bones were broken and he could no longer lift a pen to write.
He will never be able to recover in this life!
Mrs. Jiang was greatly relieved, but at the same time, she felt an indescribable bitterness. Finally, she sighed deeply and said, "Forget it. As long as the Zhang family agrees to a divorce, I won't care about the farm they have embezzled."
Xiaoman was unconvinced, but Fang's mother advised her, "Anything that can be solved with money is not a problem. Madam can live well even without those farms. The right thing to do is to spend money to avoid disaster and leave that den of wolves as soon as possible."
But before they could find the right person to mediate, something went wrong.
That night, Fang Mama's nephew's wife came to her in a panic, and then Fang Mama followed her with a pale face, without even saying a word to Mrs. Jiang.
After she left, I never saw her again.
A for-sale notice was posted on the door of her nephew's house. The neighbors said that her nephew owed gambling debts and mortgaged the house to the creditor.
Mrs. Jiang had a bad feeling and hurried to the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion.
The next day, I got the news: Mother Fang had killed someone!
Mrs. Jiang couldn't believe her ears. Mother Fang didn't even dare to watch a chicken being killed, so how could she have the courage to kill someone?
The steward of the Marquis's residence sighed, "That's quite cruel. The man who died was a loan shark. Mother Fang went to repay the loan, and for some reason she got into an argument with him and accidentally pushed him down the stairs to his death."
Hearing this, Mrs. Jiang said hurriedly, "Since it was a mistake, there is room for recovery. As long as the person can be brought back safe and sound, I will pay any amount of compensation."
The steward hesitated for a moment, "The family of the deceased has spread the word that they don't want money, but only his life. Someone in Huai'an Prefecture has also sent a message to the Ministry of Justice, hoping for severe punishment."
Mrs. Jiang felt a little cold. Once there was a government background, things would become difficult.
The steward added, "Don't worry, Madam. The case hasn't been concluded yet. Our prince has taken care of everything. Madam Fang won't suffer."
Seeing that Mrs. Jiang was still in a daze, Xiaoman handed her a thick red envelope and thanked her again and again.
The steward answered the call and said a few words of comfort, but he never said whether the Marquis' Mansion would come forward to rescue the person.
Xiaoman guessed that the Marquis's Mansion would not help.
To them, Mother Fang was a relative, but in the eyes of others, she was just a servant. There was no need for her to get involved in a murder case and get herself into trouble.
Especially when Marquis Pingyang returned to the capital.
I'm afraid this lawsuit will not be easy.
-
Mother Fang was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice Prison.
She was not tortured, but she looked very haggard, with a pale face and disheveled hair, with a few strands of white hair that were particularly eye-catching.
Mrs. Jiang couldn't stand it any longer, "How did it become like this..."
Xiaoman supported her with one hand and handed her the things she had brought through the prison door with the other hand. "Here are clothes and food. Mom, please take good care of yourself."
Mother Fang couldn't stop crying. "My wife's matter is at a critical juncture, and I...I am the one who has dragged my wife down."
"This was an accident, no one could have imagined it." Xiaoman interrupted, "Mother Fang, please tell us what happened."
If you keep crying like this, I'm afraid the time will pass before you can get anything substantial.
In fact, Fang's mother herself was also confused.
Her nephew owed gambling debts and was detained, so her niece-in-law asked her for help.
As for the five thousand taels of silver, all her savings had been used to fill the shortfall in her nephew's purchasing account. Where could she find so much silver in such a hurry? She had no choice but to carry a few dozen taels of silver and ask the creditor to give her a few more days.
The creditor didn't care about that little bit of silver at all, but when he kept scolding her, he even brought Mrs. Jiang into the matter. But a dog can't spit out ivory, and Mother Fang was furious when she heard it.
The two men started pushing each other, and the man fell out of the window and died.
Coincidentally, there were only two of them upstairs that day, and they were arguing very loudly, so Fang's mother was naturally identified as the murderer.
"He was shouting and waving the candlestick around like he was going to kill me. I was so scared I pushed him as hard as I could. He stumbled back and hit the window. It was closed, and the latch wasn't in place. He just... just fell down like that and died..."
Thinking of the tragic scene, Fang's mother's voice couldn't help but tremble, "I really didn't want to kill him, I really didn't want to kill him!"
Xiaoman hurriedly said: "Mom, Mom, this is an accident, no one could have expected it, it's not your fault, you will be fine, you will be fine."
"Third girl is right. You have to take good care of yourself and don't think too much. I will definitely rescue you." Mrs. Jiang warned her carefully, and only let go of Mother Fang's hand reluctantly after the jailer urged her again and again.
Mrs. Jiang asked the jailer if he knew where the victim lived, as she wanted to go and pay her respects.
The jailer said, "Madam, it's best not to negotiate directly with the other party in a murder case. It's the same if you have anything to say to the authorities."
Mrs. Jiang still insisted, so the jailer told her.
The deceased's surname was Shi, and he lived not far from here, about a quarter of an hour's drive away.
There was a funeral banner hanging at the door of the Shi family's house, and no one was seen coming to pay their respects. A few receptionists with white cloth wrapped around their waists were sitting lazily in the gatehouse, eating melon seeds and chatting, and they could vaguely hear bursts of crying coming from inside the door.
When he heard that someone was there to pay their respects, the receptionist was a little surprised. He looked Mrs. Jiang up and down and suddenly asked, "Is your last name Jiang?"
Mrs. Jiang nodded subconsciously.
The man suddenly became alert and shouted towards the door: "The Shi family, people are coming!"
Xiaoman thought to herself that this was not a good thing and pulled Mrs. Jiang back.
It's too late.
A group of people rushed out from the hallway and blocked their way, but fortunately, they just glared at them without beating or scolding them.
Seeing this, the groom hurriedly stood in front of Madam Jiang and Xiaoman and said, "If you want to talk, please talk nicely. Don't hurt my wife and daughter."
Mrs. Jiang suppressed her inner fear and held up the funeral gifts, "I am here to pay tribute to Master Shi."
The bag of silver was knocked to the ground by a woman in mourning. "Who wants your money? You killed someone and used the silver to humiliate him. Give me back my man's life!"
As he said that, he actually pounced on me and started to fight.
"Stop!" A man who looked like a housekeeper stopped her and looked at Mrs. Jiang. "You wouldn't come here for no reason. I'm afraid it's not just to offer condolences."
Mrs. Jiang said, "I'm so, so sorry. No one wants to see this kind of outcome. My mother definitely didn't mean to do it. She deeply regrets it now—"
"Don't talk about these nonsense. How much money are you going to pay in compensation?" someone interrupted impatiently.
So impatient? Xiaoman was surprised.
Mrs. Jiang felt relieved. It was fine as long as there was something to talk about. "It is natural that we will take care of Mr. Shi's funeral. In addition to the 5,000 taels owed, we will also pay an additional 50,000 taels of silver."
"Fifty thousand taels? You're treating a beggar like that!" It was the same man again.
Xiaoman looked carefully at the man, who was about thirty years old, with a pointed face and monkey cheeks, standing there with his arms folded and a nonchalant look. There was no sadness on his face, only the excitement of getting a great bargain!
She spoke before Mrs. Jiang could, "Who are you? Can you represent the Shi family?"
The man paused and looked at the butler.
The housekeeper glared at the man, but asked Mrs. Shi: "Please make the decision, Madam."
Mrs. Shi cried, "No amount of money can buy back my husband's life. My poor husband was fine when he passed away. How can we, an orphan and a widow, survive? I hate it, I hate it so much..."
She pointed at Mrs. Jiang, trembling all over and crying breathlessly.
Xiaoman looked at her outstretched hand, which was thick and dry, with big knuckles and black nails, and then stared at her tear-stained face thoughtfully.
Mrs. Jiang felt even more guilty after hearing her words. In addition, she was eager to save people, so she said, "I understand your difficulties. The living must live on. Please be kind and spare my mother's life. I am willing to pay any amount of money."
Mrs. Shi just covered her face and cried.
"It's a mess here, let's talk in the madam's room." The butler made a gesture of invitation.
Mrs. Jiang hesitated for a moment, but still followed him to the next room.
Several people who looked like security guards also entered the house, but strangely, Mrs. Shi did not come in.
The housekeeper asked Mrs. Jiang how much she was willing to pay.
It would be inappropriate to say too much or too little. Mrs. Jiang was undecided, so she asked them to make the decision.
The same person who had been shouting the same thing came back: "Everyone can say nice things, but if I ask you to give me all your property, will you give it to me?"
Someone immediately echoed: "That's right, this matter can't be settled without a million or eight hundred thousand. Everyone knows that your wife Jiang is rich enough to rival a country, and her annual expenses are tens of thousands of silver!"
Mrs. Jiang was shocked. She expected to have to pay a large sum of money, but she didn't expect them to ask for one million taels. Even if she sold all her property, she couldn't raise the money.
Seeing the situation was at a stalemate, the housekeeper coughed twice and said, "Since Madam is in a dilemma, let's forget about it. We will listen to the government and do whatever the government decides."
"If you owe money, you must pay it back. If you kill someone, you must pay with your life!" the guards said hatefully.
Mrs. Jiang was getting more and more panicked. "It's not that I don't want to give it to you, I just don't have that much money."
The housekeeper sighed, "We are all women, and it's not easy for us. Let me make the decision for our wife. When you bring the six hundred thousand taels, we will withdraw the lawsuit."
Mrs. Jiang calculated that she had about 30,000 to 50,000 taels of silver in cash, jewelry and jade antiques that could be sold at Maosheng Pawnshop, and houses and farms. All in all, she had more than 500,000 taels of silver. If she borrowed some from her sister, it should be enough.
She nodded.
Those people immediately became agitated and exchanged heated glances with each other. Even the experienced and steady housekeeper couldn't help but breathe irregularly with excitement.
He took out the settlement agreement he had written in advance and solemnly filled in the amount of compensation. "Please come here, Madam."
Soon, Mrs. Shi appeared, supported by someone. She was probably illiterate, and she even held the settlement agreement upside down. She still found her name under the guidance of the housekeeper and pressed her fingerprints.
Mrs. Chiang picked up the pen and prepared to sign.
"Wait!" Xiaoman stretched out her hand to stop him. "This is not a trivial matter. Why not ask the government to be a witness so that we don't have to argue about it later?"
This was a reasonable statement, and the housekeeper could think of no reason to refute it, so he said he would go to the government office immediately. "It's done, you can rest assured, and we can bury the master. It's so hot, and it's a pity that our master is still lying in the morgue."
He began to wipe away his tears.
Mrs. Shi cried out in pain and kept beating her chest. "You cruel, short-lived ghost! You never had a single good day, and you died just like that! It hurts me so much..."
Xiaoman suddenly said, "I think Mrs. Shi is too emotional. Why don't we go to the government office another day?"
Everyone was stunned. Mrs. Shi's crying gradually stopped. She looked at the housekeeper's face and whispered, "I'm fine. Let's do it today."
"You'd better rest for a few more days. If you faint again, we can't afford to pay for a second one." Xiaoman smiled inexplicably and helped Mrs. Jiang leave.
"Hey, don't go!" The security guards stopped them.
Xiao Man didn't look at Mrs. Shi, but said to the steward, "You know who the lady standing in front of you is."
The Pingyang Marquisate might not stand up for a mother, but if they make things difficult for Madam Jiang, the Marquisate will not sit idly by.
A trace of annoyance flashed across the housekeeper's face. He raised his hand and the Shi family members moved away.
Mrs. Jiang was afraid of trouble, so she hurriedly pulled Xiaoman into the carriage.
They rushed all the way home, and only when they sat on their own couch did they relax their tense breath.
It is the hottest time of the year, and the air is so thick that water can be squeezed out of it. Even though there is an ice jar in the room, it still feels stuffy and unbearable.
"How can Mother Fang endure in prison?" Mrs. Jiang frowned tightly, her face full of worry.
Xiaoman said, "The Shi family knew that Mother would do everything in her power to save Mother Fang, so they dared to ask for so much and wanted to take all of Mother's wealth."
Mrs. Jiang sighed, "I'm worried that if I bargain, they'll go back on their word."
Xiaoman couldn't help but remind her, "They've never met Mother, yet they know so much about the friendship between Mother and Mother Fang. They even gave a fair amount of money for your dowry. Doesn't Mother find it strange?"
Mrs. Jiang was startled, then she exclaimed as if waking from a dream: "Someone mentioned the Shi family, could it be the Zhang family?"
"The Zhang family is definitely involved, and the Shi family isn't necessarily the Shi family. Without money and background, you can't do loan sharking. The Shi family supposedly lives well, but Mrs. Shi's face is dark red, her skin rough, and her hands look like they've been doing farm work for years."
"What's even more bizarre is that they all act according to the housekeeper's mood, even Mrs. Shi is no exception. The housekeeper is so delicate and tender, he looks more like the master."
Xiaoman's eyes sparkled. "I suspect someone is plotting against my mother."
Mrs. Jiang thought what she said made sense, but also found it unbelievable. "Master Shi is truly dead. Using a human life to set up a scheme, the price is too high!"
Xiaoman: "Mrs. Shi's grief doesn't seem fake. I'm also unsure whether Mr. Shi was murdered or died accidentally. We can't figure this out on our own."
Madam Jiang pondered for a moment, "How about I go to the Marquis' Mansion..."
She was hesitant and lacked confidence.
Xiaoman was unsure: "We've troubled the Marquis' Mansion too many times, and the Marquis' Mansion has many connections among the nobles and the military. The Ministry of Justice may not be willing to give the Marquis' Mansion face. Why not ask Liu Jinshu for help?"
Mrs. Jiang thought about it and decided that he was the only one. "I trust him, but I'm afraid the Liu family won't agree."
Xiaoman's mind flashed back to Madam Qin's stern face, and she couldn't help but smile bitterly, "After all, I'm the future daughter-in-law of the Liu family, so they'll at least give me some respect."
It was not convenient to go directly to the yamen to find Liu Jinshu, so she asked the servant to pass a message to his servant. She wanted to make an appointment to meet outside, but the servant said that the young master would have a day off tomorrow and asked her to come to his house to relax.
Although a little surprised, Xiaoman still came to the Liu family as instructed.
Probably having received instructions from the young master, the doorman hurriedly and respectfully escorted the person to the second gate when he heard that it was the third daughter of the Zhang family.
Another well-dressed maid came up and said with a smile, "My young master has been called away by the master. Would you like to wait in his study or come sit with the mistress first?"
Of course, I would pay my respects to Mrs. Qin first.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Qin had a guest, so Xiaoman was placed in the adjacent ear room.
The ear room was a small one, originally a corner of the flower hall, separated by eight rosewood carved screens. Although one could not see what was happening next door, one could hear all the sounds clearly.
"...How shameless! When I think about the fact that her sister and I are sisters-in-law, I don't even want to go back to my parents' home."
Then a woman whispered to comfort her, but something in her words pierced Mrs. Qin's lungs, and she immediately shouted angrily, "She's asking my brother to clean up her mess again. Why? She's so arrogant. Those who know her say she's her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, while those who don't think she's raising a—"
"Sister Qin!" the man interrupted hurriedly.
Xiaoman stood up suddenly, her face ashen, her eyes almost blazing with fire, and she was about to rush out to argue with her.
Just as her hand touched the grille door, she stopped, took a deep breath, and turned away.
In this extraordinary period, we must not cause unnecessary trouble to our mother.
Regardless of whether Mrs. Qin did it on purpose or it was a trap set by someone, these words were Mrs. Qin's true meaning.
She didn't need to stay any longer.
Behind him, the voice from the flower hall had not yet faded away, "After all, he is my biological father, but you are turning your elbow outward and not caring about the kindness he gave me."
"It's better to deny it than to cause so much trouble for nothing."
"Without a good wife in one generation, there will be no good sons in three generations. I can't let the Liu family be destroyed in her hands."
…
Xiaoman ran out of the Zhang family's gate in one breath.
These words must never be said to her mother, but she felt uncomfortable and wronged and wanted to cry.
I want to find someone to talk to, but I don’t know who to talk to.
The evening mist is heavy, the crows are flying back home, and the pedestrians on the street are in a hurry, each of them has a place to go.
Where does she belong?
Xiaoman stood at the intersection, feeling a little confused.
A crow cawed as it flew overhead, and Xiaoman suddenly came to his senses: Now is not the time to be discouraged!
Go to the morgue.
If Mr. Shi also looked like a farmer, she would go and beat the drum to report the matter, even if she had to report it to the Imperial Palace, to save Mother Fang's life.
But the Shi family was also there, and they wanted to drag the corpse to the crematorium!
Xiaoman was shocked. "How could they burn the body when the case is not yet closed?"
The Shi family's housekeeper said coldly, "The autopsy report has been recorded, and the superiors in the government office have approved it. Of course I can take him away. Do you think you'd be happy if my master rotted in there, stinking, and covered in maggots?"
Xiaoman hurriedly said that that was not what she meant, but the housekeeper was impatient to listen and told his men to pull the cart and leave.
They were so numerous and powerful that Xiaoman and the coachman couldn't stop them at all.
The body in the car was wrapped tightly, and it was impossible to create an accident and lift the cloth to take a look.
Just as he was getting anxious, the sound of horse hooves came quickly. Liu Jinshu turned over and dismounted, striding towards Xiaoman.
Xiaoman didn't have time to explain the situation, "Don't let them take the body away!"
Seeing Liu Jinshu's hesitation, Xiaoman was so anxious that she almost jumped up and down, "This concerns Fang's mother's life, they want to destroy the evidence!"
The Shi family was furious. While denouncing Xiaoman for being rich and heartless and taking human lives, they pulled the flatbed cart out.
Xiaoman held on to the shaft of the cart tightly and refused to let go.
Liu Jinshu was worried that she might get hurt, so he shouted, "Everyone, stop! Since there are any doubts, we need to reexamine. Take the body back!"
The latter sentence was said to the morgue attendants who were watching the fun.
The officer was startled and muttered, "This is not good. They are the deceased's family members and they have the Ministry of Justice's approval in their hands."
Liu Jinshu breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm Liu Jinshu, the Imperial Academy Lecturer. I'll take responsibility for any problems. You just have to follow my orders."
"Master Liu, you can't take responsibility for this," the Shi family's butler said in a deep voice. "The Hanlin Academy can't control the Ministry of Justice. You rashly interfere without knowing the truth. Aren't you afraid that the Ministry of Justice will report you?"
Liu Jinshu frowned slightly, "In this emergency, I will explain the situation to the Ministry of Justice."
"Then let's wait until Lord Liu becomes the chief judge." The butler waved his hand and led everyone away leisurely.
Xiaoman ignored Liu Jinshu's obstruction and wanted to chase after him.
But the group stopped.
The air suddenly became quiet, without a breath of wind, and even the cicadas' cries melted into the boundless silence.
The setting sun slanted in from the west, and a figure slowly emerged in the rich and solemn rose color.
"The Northern Pacification Division has taken over this case."
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