Fang Qingyue and Shen Yuhan looked at each other before stepping in.
Sitting opposite Fang Qingyue was a woman who was about seventy years old.
Her face was pale, and she was holding something embroidered in her hands. Seeing Fang Qingyue, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. After a while, she said, "Miss Fang, I injured my leg a few days ago and cannot bow to you. Please forgive me, Miss Fang."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyue waved her hand and said, "Aunt, there's no need to be so polite. I originally wanted to come here to ask about Uncle Zuo's past, but unfortunately, I ran into him on the way here, being chased by someone..."
After a long silence, she continued, "Do you know what happened back then?"
Madam Zuo's eyes flashed with a dark color, and after a while she said, "I knew it would be like this. Now that I'm being targeted, how can I hide from it?"
She looked up at Fang Qingyue, with a hint of guilt and kindness in her eyes.
"Back then, Lord Fang had contact with the Prime Minister. But the Prime Minister did some dirty things behind his back, and my husband didn't want to see Lord Fang and the Prime Minister get entangled any further, so he tried to persuade him. But Lord Fang got furious and kicked us out."
"Miss Fang, I know you are investigating what happened back then. But please don't investigate any further. Some things are simply beyond our control. If you continue investigating, you will only end up dead."
Fang Qingyue couldn't believe it and shook her head, saying, "I believe my father was wronged. Even if it means death, I will clear his name."
After saying that, she stood up and left the room.
On the way back, Fang Qingyue was in a very low mood.
She didn't believe her father would have any dealings with the Prime Minister. Her father had always been incorruptible, so how could he cling to the powerful for some petty gains?
Seeing her depressed look, Shen Yuhan felt very distressed.
He gently placed his hand on Fang Qingyue's shoulder and said in a hoarse voice, "Actually, I'm hiding something from you."
"Your father's death back then was indeed closely related to the Prime Minister, but it wasn't as simple as the Prime Minister blaming your father."
Zhou Shiran had been a bad official from the beginning. After ascending to the position of Prime Minister, he took advantage of the opportunity to amass wealth.
He embezzled most of the money and food used to relieve the victims, not to mention other things.
Fang Xifu was the official in charge of managing military rations at that time.
"Back then, the Emperor planned to send someone to escort grain to the border, and your father wasn't supposed to go. However, someone who had a bad relationship with your father deliberately arranged for him to be the official in charge of escorting the grain."
"Zhou Shiran has also set his sights on that batch of grain."
At the beginning, he tried to persuade Fang Xifu to go along with him and hand over the food and supplies.
But after several attempts to persuade him, Fang Xifu still refused.
So Zhou Shiran sent people to exchange the food and grass, replacing the original good food and grass with food and grass mixed with stones and sand.
It happened that the war between Dazheng and Rongdi broke out. The soldiers were not well fed and clothed, and even the horses did not have enough hay to eat.
The enemy army besieged the city for a full forty-nine days. Not a single civilian or soldier in the city survived. They were so starving that some even resorted to cannibalism.
When this incident happened, the emperor was furious. After a thorough investigation, he found that something went wrong with the grain and fodder that Fang Xifu was escorting.
If not, even if another forty-nine days had passed, such a tragic situation would not have occurred.
After this incident, Fang Xifu did not make any excuses and immediately pleaded guilty and accepted the punishment.
But the person who actually exchanged the food and supplies has been at large ever since.
After she finished telling the story, Fang Qingyue's eyes were filled with tears.
"My father's death was so unjust..." She clenched her palms tightly, her whole body was trembling, and complex emotions surged in her heart.
If Zhou Shiran was in front of her at this moment, she would kill him here even at the risk of her life.
This is to comfort my father and the soldiers and civilians who died tragically.
Shen Yuhan held Fang Qingyue's shoulders tightly to comfort her.
"Don't worry, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and will never let anyone die in vain."
Not only did Fang Xifu die a tragic death, but he was also forced to bear the lives of the people in the city. He was clearly a clean-handed man, but because he refused to be associated with the Prime Minister, he was slandered in this way.
It's really despicable.
Fang Qingyue leaned gently in Shen Yuhan's arms, and her emotions gradually calmed down.
She couldn't lose her composure and let Zhou Shiran find out that she already knew what happened back then, so she could only mutter, "Please help me take good care of Madam Zuo."
She lowered her eyes, a look of loss on her face.
Madam Zuo didn't want to tell her about what happened back then, also out of protection. She didn't need such protection, but she was also grateful for Madam Zuo's kindness to her.
"Yeah." Shen Yuhan nodded, waved Zhiyuan over, and gave him a few instructions.
Now that Zhou Shiran has discovered this place, Madam Zuo is no longer safe here. It would be best to send her to Jiangnan to avoid Zhou Shiran's pursuit.
After settling Mrs. Zuo down, Shen Yuhan took Fang Qingyue back to the Fang family's old house.
Now that the clues to the housekeeper have been cut off, he has to look for other clues.
Song Xiaoya returned to her room only after she had dealt with Chen Qiu Nian that day.
When she turned around, she saw her subordinate squatting behind her, which frightened her to death: "What are you doing here?"
"Master, this is what we found in your room." The subordinate took out the defense map. "This map is coated with fluorescent powder. It is invisible during the day, but it will emit a bright glow at night. I just discovered it."
After Song Xiaoya stole the defense map, she put it aside and never looked at it again.
The person who contacted her had not yet arrived, and she had no way to pass on the message.
I can only keep the defense map in my hands for the time being and wait for someone to come and get it.
Upon hearing this, Song Xiaoya hurried to check and found that the defense map was indeed coated with fluorescent powder.
Now that the powder has fallen off, it is difficult to be noticed. But one can imagine what Shen Yuhan's purpose is in applying this kind of thing on it.
She slammed the table hard and said in a cold tone, "It must be Shen Yuhan who did it! You should stay in the courtyard today and don't go out. If Shen Qiu Nian comes back, send a message to me."
"Yes." The subordinate lowered his head and responded politely.
After leaving the villa, Song Xiaoya hurried to the palace.
She needed to take the risk and go to Shen Yuhan's study to check whether the defense map she stole was the real one.
If this were true, the security in Shen Yuhan's residence should be even stricter.
If it is false, it means that Shen Yuhan has discovered her identity and she will need to remain dormant in the future.
The prince's palace and the villa are far apart, and you need to pass by the marquis's palace in between.
When she arrived outside the Marquis' Mansion, for some reason, Song Xiaoya wanted to take a look at the ancestral hall.
She flew over the eaves and headed towards the ancestral hall.
Under the cover of night, Song Xiaoya's figure was completely hidden in the shade of the trees, and her shadow could not be seen at all.
When Song Xiaoya arrived outside the ancestral hall, she didn't find anything and was about to leave when she saw Li Junyi.
She looked panicked, and she was holding something in her arms. Song Xiaoya narrowed her eyes, a dark glint in them.
What on earth could have made Li Junyi so panicked?
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