"System, what did you say about how Jiang Chengzong died last time? Continue?" Xu Wanying asked immediately.
[Host, didn't you say you didn't want to waste energy on him? His death isn't exactly sensational news; you won't find any gossip that interests you.]
She couldn't help but purse her lips: "Don't make me sound so cold-hearted. Someone's about to die and you're only thinking about gossip! Besides, Li Chunlan sent so many gifts, my emotions are bound to be high, and you've probably had your energy boosted too, so you should reciprocate in some way, otherwise you'd be too heartless."
The system remained noncommittal: [The host isn't exactly a kind-hearted person.]
Stop rambling and get to the point.
He was murdered in a conspiracy. A letter he wrote to the ruler of an enemy state was slipped into his secret memorial to the emperor. Later, his subordinates accused him of treason and collusion, and a large number of letters between him and the enemy state were seized. The evidence was irrefutable, and he had no way to refute it. In order to avoid implicating the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, he took the blame himself.
[Because the current emperor still needs men from the Marquis of Zhongyi's family to go to the battlefield, he did not pursue the matter further, allowing only his death to save the entire family.]
Xu Wanying listened with a pounding heart, then couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, I almost lost my whole family. That's the bad thing about ancient times—they could easily wipe out nine generations of your family."
She was relieved, but Li Chunlan was so frightened she almost fainted.
It's such a big deal!
No wonder Jiang Chengzong's death was unavoidable; it turned out to be the result of a joint operation by several parties.
Firstly, secret memorials sent to the palace must have followed a strict procedure to ensure they reached the emperor quickly and accurately, without being replaced or damaged en route. However, Jiang Chengzong's secret memorial was still tampered with, clearly indicating that the person behind it had a powerful background.
They could even bribe Jiang Chengzong's close associates; their power was immense.
Xu Wanying immediately asked, "Tell me quickly, who was responsible?"
Jiang Chengzong was the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion. Although the emperor did not implicate the entire Jiang family later, even a fool could tell that the emperor's trust in the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion would be greatly diminished.
If Jiang Chengzong is indeed convicted of treason and collusion with the enemy, the emperor will definitely not let the Jiang family off the hook. Once the war is over and the men of the Jiang family are no longer needed, that will be the time to discard them like worn-out millstones.
[Insufficient energy, unable to detect.] The system's merciless voice rang out.
Xu Wanying was furious: [Ha, what the hell? What kind of joke are you making! I'm overjoyed looking at all these gifts, and you're telling me I don't have enough energy? Did you steal them again?]
[This system is intelligent and incapable of engaging in unethical human behavior like stealing energy; all its use is rational. The host's emotions are indeed currently high, but after consuming eighty percent of their energy by gossiping about the two concubines in the harem, and then hearing about Jiang Chengzong's fate, very little remains.]
[The murderer suspected of killing Jiang Chengzong is far more complex and requires far more energy than the host can afford.]
The system's explanation was logical and well-founded, but Xu Wanying simply didn't believe it: [How could that be? You only said a few words about those two concubines; you didn't recount the entire story of how they tore each other apart. Why would you need so much power?]
[The higher the position and authority of the gossip, the more difficult it is for the system to detect, and naturally, the more energy it requires. Host, rest assured, follow me for the gossip, there will be no deception.]
Xu Wanying immediately retorted: "Bullshit! If I hadn't been constantly earning energy and following you around like a spectator, I'd be starving nine times in three days!"
[The power of those nobles in the palace requires a lot of influence, so I won't ask. But Jiang Chengzong's subordinates aren't exactly high-ranking or powerful, so you should name two or three of them. Otherwise, how can you justify using the influence Li Chunlan has provided?]
This time, the system was much more responsive: [Both of Jiang Chengzong's deputy generals, on the left and right, have problems, as does the Marquis's personal attendant who follows him.]
Upon hearing this, Xu Wanying couldn't help but click her tongue: "Good heavens, he's got people planted in his office and home, practically a sieve. If he doesn't die, who will?"
Although Li Chunlan didn't understand what she meant by "office," she roughly understood the meaning.
At this moment, Li Chunlan's face was deathly pale, and her legs were weak. If she hadn't been holding on, she might have fallen off the chair. She was feeling dizzy and disoriented, as if she were suffering from vertigo.
"Sister-in-law, why do you look so pale?" Xu Wanying was startled when she saw her like this, fearing that she might die here.
"It's nothing, it's just that thinking about those scenes in my dream makes me feel sad again. Sister-in-law, what should I do?" Li Chunlan forced a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.
“I think there must be some villains around my elder brother. But my elder brother has a strong yang energy, so he didn’t feel it himself. But my sister-in-law, as his wife, had a premonition. When you go back, talk to my elder brother more and tell him to pay close attention to the people around him, whether they are the servants who often serve him in the Marquis’s mansion or the subordinates of his new recruits in the military camp. The closer the relationship, the more carefully they should be investigated. Maybe we can find out a few villains.”
“Once he has investigated and found out all the treacherous people around him, my sister-in-law will naturally be able to rest easy.”
Xu Wanying immediately started making up lies, but she didn't feel guilty at all when she said these words; on the contrary, she was quite confident.
Even if she's lying, it's a white lie; she's doing a good deed, and she's proud of it!
"Yes, sister-in-law is right. I'll have him investigate when I get back!" Li Chunlan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
Now her emotions have stabilized considerably. At least she knows why Jiang Chengzong got into trouble and who is responsible. With everything under control, things will be much easier.
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