"Madam...are you hungry?" Qiao'er finally asked cautiously.
Qin Sheng sat in front of the dressing table and nodded: "A little. Go and ask Granny Fu to cook me a bowl of noodles."
Qiao'er said "okay" and quickly went out.
After Qiao'er left, Emerald poured a cup of tea for the madam, then said worriedly, "Now that things have escalated like this, madam, will the Earl and the Old Madam... try to kill you?"
"Won't."
Qin Sheng took a sip of hot tea before saying, "Although they have completely lost face, they still have some reservations."
Despite hearing her say that, Emerald still felt uneasy.
Who knows? What if the Earl and Madam get enraged and do something desperate? What wouldn't that mother and son do?
Moreover, if it weren't for the lady's keen sense of smell that detected something amiss with the calming incense, who knows what might have happened to her now!
She felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it.
A short while later, Qiao'er returned with a steaming bowl of noodles.
Qin Sheng was indeed hungry. After finishing her noodles and rinsing her mouth, she asked, "Have all my dowry items been inventoried?"
The two maids nodded.
Qin Sheng was the only daughter in her family. When she got married, Madam Qin prepared a very generous dowry for her, which included not only fields, estates, and shops, but also a lot of gold, silver, jewelry, porcelain, and antiques.
These dowry items were all kept in her own small storeroom.
From the moment the lady revealed her intention to divorce the prince, the two maids personally prepared all of the lady's dowry.
"good."
Qin Sheng nodded, looked at the two of them, and said, "I originally thought I could divorce Yin Wenxiao today, but now it seems that it won't work. He has no reason to divorce his wife, so I can only divorce my husband."
"..."
The two maids looked at each other in dismay. Divorce... If they divorced, the lady's reputation in the capital would be completely ruined.
"But I'm afraid I won't have a place to stand in the capital anymore."
Qin Sheng gave a wry smile, "I plan to go to Ningzhou, buy a small house, and see if I can start some business. You two—"
"Of course we'll go with Madam!" the two maids said in unison.
They were both orphans, with no relatives left in the world. If it hadn't been for Madam Qin's kindness in buying them into the household, they might have ended up being sold into brothels.
...
The news that the Earl of Pingyin had purchased poison to kill his wife had spread throughout the capital in a short period of time.
In an ordinary household, if the evidence is conclusive, the matter would be handled accordingly.
However, this involves two people: the Earl of Pingyin and the legitimate daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief who has been married off.
The old woman, Shi, who was accused of buying "Yanwang Zhui" (a type of poison), couldn't withstand the torture and committed suicide by biting her tongue after only one night.
He didn't say anything before he died, not even a cry for justice.
How can we investigate now?
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, Lord Lian, was in utter misery.
Granny Shi's body is still kept in Shuntian Prefecture. Lord Lian summoned several capable subordinates to discuss the matter.
What are your thoughts?
Even the adults looked haggard; after just one night, several blisters had already appeared on the corners of their mouths from worry.
The officials from Shuntian Prefecture looked at each other, none of them saying a word.
Finally, Lord Lian turned his gaze to the Prefectural Magistrate, "You speak."
This case was ordered by the Regent himself. If it's not handled properly, none of them, from top to bottom, will have a good time.
The prefectural magistrate thought for a moment and then cautiously said, "In my opinion, the two most crucial figures in this case are already dead. Perhaps... we should close the case here?"
He himself felt a little guilty about what he said.
Lord Lian frowned. "This case involves the Left Censorate and the Earl of Pingyin's residence. The Regent said it must be handled 'fairly'."
“You’re right, sir,” Constable Xu agreed.
This Constable Xu was a江湖人士 (jianghu person) in his early years. Later, he was recruited to Shuntian Prefecture by the Regent. He has always been fearless in handling cases and impartial in dealing with powerful figures.
Lord Lian was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Officer Xu, do you have any ideas?"
Officer Xu said, "In my humble opinion, we should immediately summon the Earl of Pingyin, Yin Wenxiao, and his mother to the court to see what they have to say."
"..."
Even the adult almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Is that someone you can just summon at will? At the very least, he still holds the title of "Earl of Pingyin"!
"this……"
Someone said, "This is probably not appropriate. The Pingyin Earl's Mansion is, after all, a noble's residence. If we summon him rashly, people outside might see it and spread rumors."
"What are you afraid of?"
Officer Xu declared righteously, "Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone a mere Earl of Pingyin!"
"..."
The others exchanged bewildered glances, then all looked at Lord Lian, asking him for a decision.
Even adults are suffering terribly.
Although he was indeed higher in rank than Yin Wenxiao, he was still a Earl!
Gritting his teeth, Lord Lian said to Constable Xu, "In that case, this matter is entrusted to you, Constable Xu."
Anyway, he's the Regent's man. If something really happens, the Regent will be there to protect him.
"Yes, sir!" Constable Xu bowed and left.
...
Inside the palace.
Yue Rongheng was processing memorials in a side hall when Emperor Xiangzheng, Yue Rongxiao, who had just finished his studies, entered and said, "Fifth Uncle."
"Have you heard about the Pingyin Marquis's residence?" Yue Rong asked without looking up as she was reviewing memorials.
"I've heard about it."
Yue Rongxiao knelt beside him. "But now that both of the certified individuals are dead, Fifth Uncle, shouldn't this case be closed?"
"Um?"
Yue Rongheng put down his pen. "Although the witness is dead, the physical evidence is still there, isn't it? How do we close the case?"
"..."
Yue Rongxiao swallowed subconsciously. "But even if there is physical evidence, it cannot prove that it was the Earl of Pingyin or his mother who instructed it."
Speaking of which, Granny Shi was a loyal servant who would rather die than betray her master.
Yue Rongheng glanced at him, said nothing, and continued to process the memorials.
Yue Rongxiao felt a little uneasy. He had always known how hard his fifth uncle worked, and he wanted to grow up quickly so that he could stand on his own.
His biggest fear was that his fifth uncle would be disappointed in him.
"Your nephew is dull-witted." Yue Rongxiao pursed his lips. "Then, Fifth Uncle, what do you think is the best way to handle this matter?"
"Has the son of Marquis Wuping gone to the capital?" Yue Rongheng suddenly asked.
“He’s already in.” Yue Rongxiao said, “I heard from the palace servants that he got into a fight with someone in a restaurant on his first day in the capital and got his head broken.”
Wu Tianlang was used to being arrogant and domineering in Ningzhou, and his personality couldn't be changed in a short time.
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