Chapter 332: Confession (IV)
A'ru returned to Wufengyuan with snacks and found that Sun Qiao had already returned to the west wing.
"Shall I have the snacks delivered to the west wing?" Aju asked.
Sun Wei told her not to rush and asked her to sit down.
"You went to get some snacks, what took you so long?"
A'ru said, "I thought the date cake was too sweet, so I asked the chef to remake it, which is why it was delayed a bit."
Sun Wei picked up the date cake, took a bite, and asked, "You did this on purpose, right?"
Aju smiled and asked, "What are you doing on purpose?"
"You left on purpose to let me and Aqiao talk alone." Sun Wei said, "Although you didn't ask anything, you don't know everything."
A'ru didn't refute, but said, "It doesn't matter whether you know or not. As long as the princess needs my help, I will do my best to help her."
Sun Wei sighed and said, "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" A'ru said, "You've helped me a lot. If it weren't for you, I don't even know if I could survive."
"At this point, I don't have to hide it from you," Sun Wei said, "Aqiao is my biological brother."
Even though Aju knew that Sun Wei had special feelings for Sun Qiao, she was still shocked when she heard this.
Sun Wei looked at her and said seriously, "You are the person closest to me. I shouldn't hide anything from you. You have to keep what I say next a secret for me, okay?"
——
Until the next day, Aju was still in a fog.
"The Crown Prince is really not going to pursue the matter of you impersonating Princess Yuzhang?" she asked again.
Sun Wei adjusted her hair in front of the bronze mirror and said, "That's what he said. If you're worried, go ask him."
"I won't ask, it's scary." Aju said, "I'll just pretend I don't know."
Sun Wei smiled and asked, "Has Aqiao gone out?"
"He went out. I just went to the front hall and heard that the prince asked Sima Deng to accompany him." A Ru thought for a moment and said, "The prince is actually very nice to Master Sun. I wonder if he has any other intentions?"
"Aqiao has nothing to gain. What intentions could the prince have for him?" Sun Wei looked at herself in the mirror. "Has Madam Fang replied?"
"Someone came over this morning and said that Madam Fang is not free today and will meet with the princess another day."
Sun Wei was not surprised.
Fang's eldest daughter, Wang Yao, had just become the Crown Princess, and her entire family was now very powerful in Jiankang City. Meeting her was not easy.
"No problem," Sun Wei said. "You can go there in person later and make sure to meet Madam Fang and thank her sincerely on my behalf. Just tell her that the Third Young Master invited Ah Qiao to go boating on the lake today. I'm very grateful and will invite them and their son to visit the palace some other day."
"And then?"
"Then you see how she responds. If she asks you a question, answer it truthfully."
Aju followed Sun Wei's instructions and went there. Not long after, she came back.
"Madam Fang seemed unaware of the Third Young Master's lake cruise and was quite surprised. She asked me in detail and then sent me on my way. As I was leaving, I waited a moment and saw Madam Fang's steward hurried out of the house, heading towards North Lake."
As expected.
Sun Wei knew Fang's character very well.
Last time at Xianglu Temple, Sun Qiao's behavior was rather disrespectful, and the Princess had a certain disdain for him. Given Fang's penchant for currying favor with the powerful, she would never allow Wang Xu to play with Sun Qiao again. Furthermore, even if Wang Xu truly desired to befriend Sun Qiao, with his abilities, he wouldn't be able to conceal his meeting with Sun Qiao from Fang's spies.
Therefore, Sun Wei thought it was extremely unreasonable for Wang Xu and Sun Qiao to make an appointment to go boating on the lake.
The only explanation is that someone was actively promoting a relationship between Wang Xu and Sun Qiao. This person might have also arranged for the encounter between Sun Wei and his brother at Xianglu Temple.
Speaking of that last time, Sun Wei's intuition wasn't a coincidence. She'd been on the lookout ever since.
At noon, Sun Qiao came back in a bad mood.
"We hadn't even boarded the boat when someone from Wang Xu's family arrived. I vaguely overheard some of their whispers. It seemed his mother was upset that he'd left without permission, and she sent for him. Wang Xu was very disappointed, and we even argued a bit."
"Then what?"
"Then, I did as my sister had said, pretending I hadn't heard anything. I asked Wang Xu to go home and rest assured. I would write to him and ask him who to give it to. He hesitated for a long time and just told me to give it to Li Mo, the chief clerk of the Shangshu Mansion."
Hearing this name, Sun Wei felt no surprise at all.
Sun Qiao studied her expression and asked, "Sister, do you recognize this Li Zhubu?"
"More than just knowing each other." Sun smiled.
She didn't say much to Sun Qiao and went to see Sima Jun immediately.
"I believe that the mastermind behind this matter is undoubtedly Li Mo. He is the chief clerk of the Shangshu Mansion, and the two things that happened recently are closely related to the Shangshu Mansion. First, when I met with the eldest princess, Wang Xu suddenly found Aqiao. Fortunately, Aqiao did not recognize me in person, otherwise I would have no way to defend myself. Second, when Lu Ming went to stop the prince's carriage, the prince was already going to the Shangshu Mansion to welcome his bride. Li Mo knew exactly when and where to act. Li Mo knew that the prince and Wang Han had a bad relationship. Even if he suspected the Shangshu Mansion, he would first suspect the Shangshu Mansion and not him."
Sima Jun pondered for a moment and looked at her: "Madam, do you think that Li Mo left alone and has nothing to do with the Shangshu Mansion?"
Sun Wei said, "That's right. If it's Wang Han or the Princess's intention, these things could be done more directly, without having to be so secretive. However, these are just my guesses, and I have no evidence."
"Why do we need evidence?" Sima Juan said calmly, "Just arrest him and torture him."
"No," Sun Wei said hurriedly, "Now is not the time to alert the enemy. And there is one more thing I think I should clarify first."
After that, she turned to Deng Lian and asked, "Earlier, I asked Sima to check on Jiang Yuan's female relatives. I wonder if Sima Deng still remembers it?"
Deng Lian hurriedly said, "I remember. Jiang Yuan had few relatives, only a wife and a daughter. I have already found out. After Jiang Yuan died, his wife pleaded with the Shangshu Mansion and managed to preserve his body. The coffin has been taken back to his hometown in Ningzhou."
Sun Wei couldn't help but frown: "Is there anyone else at his home in Beijing?"
"There are still old servants guarding the house."
Sima Jun looked at Sun Wei and asked, "Madam, are you coming to visit?"
"I have an important matter that I must personally inquire about." Sun Wei said.
Sima Jun nodded and said to Deng Lian, "Prepare the carriages and horses. Madam and I will go together."
Deng Lian agreed.
Facing Sun Wei's surprised gaze, Sima Jun stood up and said calmly, "Didn't Madam say this matter was important? Since it concerns the palace, I will not stay out of it."
——
Jiang Yuan's house is in the south of the city.
Deng Lian was right. Jiang Yuan's family had returned to their hometown, and now there were only the old steward and a few servants taking care of the house.
The old steward saw the situation and was quite scared when he heard that they were people from the Prince of Yuzhang's Mansion.
Sun Wei asked Deng Lian to lead his men to withdraw, then he got off the carriage himself and explained, "I had a chance encounter with Jiang Changshi. I was passing by here and wanted to burn incense in front of Jiang Changshi's spirit."
The steward was also a man who had seen some of the world, so he didn't dare to refuse. He quickly bowed and accepted, opened the door, and invited Sun Wei and Sima Jun in.
There was mourning cloth hanging in the front hall, and Jiang Yuan's spirit tablet was placed there.
After Sun Wei and Sima Jun paid their respects, they were planning to inquire about the Jiang family's news from the old steward.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door. It turned out to be Deng Lian carrying someone out from the backyard.
"This man is sneaking around and trying to escape through the back door. I don't know what he's going to do."
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