Chapter 95 Are all men this calculating? ...
Pei Zhiwei bit her lip and pondered for a while, "But Wang Jingzong came to attend a funeral, so this should be considered a temporary action."
So is it possible that these clothes and accessories originally belonged to the Xu family father and son?
Upon hearing this, Xie Ji wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips, looking as if he were something dirty. "No matter how unhygienic Wang Jingzong is, he wouldn't wear the clothes of a dead person, would he?"
Let's not talk about Xu Fengyan and Xu Ren.
Xu Li didn't die, but he's in jail now.
Doesn't he find it unlucky?
As he spoke, he raised his chin and glanced around. "I'm not trying to be mean, but among us, who hasn't seen all the fine clothes and delicacies since we were little? Would any of us wear new clothes that these three of them haven't even worn before?"
He gestured with his chin toward Liu Jingchang, "Lord Liu, if it were you, would you wear that?"
Liu Jingchang was taken aback by his question, as if he had thought of something that made him uncomfortable. He then swallowed hard and said, "I would rather wear my own old clothes than touch other people's clothes."
Moreover, it's about... those who have passed away.
Having received the answer, Xie Ji turned his gaze to Pei Lin, "Lord Pei, what about you? Do you know how to dress?"
Pei Lin was gazing at the mourning hall when he heard this. He turned his gaze away and gently tugged at the corner of his sleeve. "If I had a choice, I certainly wouldn't."
Pei Zhiwei said, "I naturally wouldn't touch other people's things on their own initiative."
But what if Wang uses 'respect' as an excuse?
And these are brand new clothes that I've never worn before. Under these circumstances, is it really necessary to force myself to wear them?
She had thought that these words would make everyone hesitate, since it was common for women to borrow each other's accessories under the pretext of "decency".
Unexpectedly, the men present almost unanimously replied, "We still won't wear it."
Even Xiao Yunzhan's voice was mixed in.
Liu Jingchang shook his head repeatedly, saying, "That's not appropriate."
Xie Ji even rolled his eyes and said, "I'd rather be naked than wear anything."
Only Pei Lin softened his tone slightly and added, "Even for the sake of appearances, if I had a choice, I wouldn't wear it."
Pei Zhiwei was completely stunned.
She had seen too many women worry about clothes and jewelry since she was a child, and she originally thought that only women would attach so much importance to clothing and accessories.
But the answers from these men completely overturned her understanding.
She tilted her head slightly as she looked at them, her face full of doubt, as if trying to find the answer to why men cared more about clothing than women.
Pei Lin saw his daughter's bewildered expression and immediately understood.
This child seems a bit out of touch with the idea of "men's attitudes toward clothing".
He coughed lightly, interrupting Pei Zhiwei's daze, "There's no use worrying about these things now. The most urgent thing is to check Wang Jingzong's luggage when he came."
As soon as he entered Yangzhou, I sent someone to investigate. He had requested leave from the Xuzhou government under the pretext of attending a funeral, for a total of twenty days.
And he himself must have anticipated that he would be presiding over the funeral at the Xu residence, so it's impossible that he wouldn't bring his own clothes.
Pei Zhiwei then came to her senses, and the doubts she had just had were now completely suppressed. "I want to ask Wang's personal maid. Judging from the maid's demeanor just now, she must be someone Wang relies on."
Perhaps we can get some clues from her.
“Alright, let’s split up then.” Pei Lin nodded.
Xiao Yunzhan: "I'll go with Madam Pei."
After saying that, he looked at Pei Lin and subconsciously explained, "If anything needs to be drawn during the investigation, I'll be here to make it easier for you."
Pei Lin didn't say anything, but just stared at him meaningfully.
Seeing this, Xie Ji immediately stepped between the two, saying, "Then I'll go with you too!"
In case that maid tries anything funny, I can at least ask her a couple of questions.
Liu Jingchang also spoke up at the opportune moment: "Then I will go with Lord Pei to check the guest room where Wang Jingzong is staying."
And that's how things were settled.
Pei Zhiwei, accompanied by Xiao Yunzhan and Xie Ji, and followed by two yamen runners, headed towards the main courtyard where Madam Wang lived.
Just as they turned the corner of the moon gate, they saw a maid in green standing outside Wang's room.
When the maid saw that there were yamen runners following behind the three of them, her face turned several shades paler.
This made the red mark on her forehead, left when she kowtowed to Xiao Yunzhan, appear even darker, as if a patch of dark red rouge hadn't been applied.
Pei Zhiwei: "Are you Wang's personal maid?"
The maidservant quickly lowered her head and placed her hands folded over her stomach. "Yes, this humble servant is Madam's personal maidservant, named Biying."
Pei Zhiwei sized her up.
This maid looked to be quite old, probably in her thirties, and her skin was very well-maintained, without a single fine line on her face.
Her hands didn't have the thin calluses that ordinary maids get from doing rough work, and her nails were neatly trimmed.
It makes sense. Being a personal maid to Lady Wang meant she didn't have to do any heavy work, lived a comfortable life, and naturally took better care of herself than ordinary maids.
Pei Zhiwei withdrew her gaze and continued to ask, "You look quite old, so why are you still serving by Madam's side?"
Didn't Madam Xu find you someone to marry?
Logically speaking, a maid like you who has served the mistress for so many years should have been released from her social status and married long ago.
Upon hearing this, Biying's face regained some color. "Replying to your question, young lady, many years ago, Madam arranged for me to be removed from the social status of a married man."
"Oh?" Pei Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with doubt.
"Then why are you still serving by the Madam's side?"
Biying smiled slightly and said, "I married Wang Fuxing, the third manager of the Xu family who is in charge of purchasing. We both work for the Xu family, so it's more convenient for us."
Furthermore… furthermore, I truly cannot bear to part with my wife, so even after I remarry, I intend to stay by her side and serve her for a few more years.”
The third steward in charge of purchasing? His surname is Wang? Or is he from the husband's family of her personal maid?
It was discovered earlier that Xu Fengyan trusted Wang Shi immensely, but now it seems that the entire Xu family is now under Wang Shi's control.
She suppressed her thoughts and continued to ask, "Did your lady know beforehand that Lord Wang Jingzong would be coming to the Xu residence?"
Biying: "I don't know."
Our wife only found out that her uncle had arrived when he knocked on the door of the Xu residence.
Hearing the gatekeeper's report, he hurriedly went out to greet them.
"Then do you know why your uncle came here?" Pei Zhiwei stared intently at Biying, not wanting to miss any subtle expression on her face.
Bi Ying's eyes trembled almost imperceptibly, as if she was flustered by the question, but she quickly regained her composure and looked at Pei Zhiwei with a face full of doubt.
"Isn't your uncle here to attend the master's funeral? Is there anything else?"
"I haven't heard Madam mention anything else."
Pei Zhiwei did not miss the strangeness she had just noticed.
But she didn't point it out, pretending not to have noticed anything, and continued to ask, "Did he bring any personal belongings with him when he came?"
"I brought it." Biying nodded firmly.
"Then was the clothing he wore last night a style that's currently popular in Yangdu, and was it something he brought himself?" Pei Zhiwei finally got to the crucial point, her voice a few decibels deeper than before.
Biying: "No, those clothes were prepared by the madam for my uncle a long time ago."
Pei Zhiwei immediately frowned, her tone questioning: "Didn't you just say that your wife didn't know Lord Wang was coming?"
If you didn't know, why did you prepare clothes for him in advance?
Biying seemed to have anticipated her question and explained, "Young lady, you may not know this, but my mistress sends some fashionable clothes and accessories from Yangzhou to her family every season."
Firstly, it's to show filial piety, and secondly, it's to let the bride's family know about the new styles in Yangzhou, so they can wear them out in a respectable way, right?
If it weren't for the master's sudden...
She sighed softly as she said this, "These things should have been sent out long ago, but the master had an accident, and the madam had no heart to take care of these things."
So the delivery was delayed.
Just then, her uncle arrived, and the lady thought that she was relying on him to take charge of everything these past few days.
The clothes and accessories were all readily available, so he was allowed to change.
This explanation sounded flawless, but Pei Zhiwei still felt that something was off.
She stared into Biying's eyes and asked again, "Did you handle all these things?"
“…I suppose you could say I handled it too.” Biying hesitated slightly.
"The clothes were all chosen by the lady herself. She has a high level of knowledge and good taste."
She also knows the preferences of everyone on her mother's side of the family.
After the lady had made her selections, she asked me to keep an eye on the people packing the boxes so they wouldn't put the things in the wrong place.
So it should be considered that it went through my hands too.
Pei Zhiwei stopped dwelling on the question and suddenly asked, "Do you know if Lord Wang has recently made any enemies? Or, in your opinion, who is most likely to kill him?"
Biying's hand trembled violently, and her complexion, which had just begun to recover, turned pale again.
But she quickly realized her mistake, immediately raised her hands, rubbed them together, and breathed warm air onto them, as if she felt cold.
After completing this series of actions, she slowly spoke, "No... I haven't heard that my uncle has any enemies."
My uncle works in Xuzhou and rarely writes letters to my wife.
This time, he has been so busy at your residence that he barely has time to rest, and he has hardly had any time to close his eyes. How could he possibly make enemies with anyone?
As for who would kill him… I truly don’t know. Everyone in the Xu household respects my uncle, and no one would harm him.”
Looking at her feigned composure, Pei Zhiwei became even more certain that she was hiding something.
She took a step forward, her face becoming more serious, and her tone more forceful.
"Biying, you should think this through."
Wang Jingzong was an official appointed by the imperial court, and he is now dead in the Xu residence.
If this case isn't solved, not only will the entire Xu family be implicated, but you, as the personal maid of the Xu family matriarch, will also be in serious trouble.
If you utter even a single falsehood, or deliberately conceal anything, you will be treated as an accomplice.
Biying's body stiffened abruptly.
Upon seeing her like this, Pei Zhiwei immediately added fuel to the fire, "If you confess honestly now, you might be spared your life because you were the one who told the traitor."
You can think it over carefully before you speak.
Biying clenched her hands tightly and suddenly looked at Xiao Yunzhan.
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