"What a useless piece of trash. He arrived so late, and Ye Zhen almost managed to get away with it."
Lady Hou cursed inwardly.
Then I thought, thankfully I made it in time.
Otherwise, if the Marquis were to investigate, it would be very disadvantageous for her.
Once a person's trust in another person is broken, that crack will widen infinitely, and many things that were once firmly believed will be overturned.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and promptly set up today's scheme with the county magistrate.
Once the Marquis is convinced that Ye Zhen has committed adultery, he will not bother to investigate the matter further, and she can put an end to the affair with Ye Zhen.
Thinking this way, Lady Hou decided that once the matter was over, she could also give the magistrate a good death.
But to everyone's surprise, the clerk knelt down and cried out, "My lord, please, my lord, do justice for our master!"
"Sir, he was hanged from the roof beam last night."
He took out a purse and a handkerchief from his pocket. "These were found at the scene. They don't belong to my family. I suppose they were left by the murderer."
The handkerchief contained remnants from under an adult's fingernails, likely scratches the adult had made on the murderer before dying.
He presented all the evidence to the Marquis of Zhongyong.
When Lady Hou saw what it was, her mind went blank and she almost fainted.
How could the county magistrate have died? The evidence points to her.
What happened to the things she gave to the county magistrate? Where did they go?
Who ruined her plans?
The Marquis of Zhongyong's expression darkened further.
He recognized the fabric fibers; it was the same fabric worn by the guards of the manor.
Do you recognize this?
He handed the purse to the Lady Hou.
In his view, the Lady of the Marquis had always managed the household affairs very well. If the murderer was from the Marquis's mansion, she, as the head of the household, might have seen the purse.
But Lady Hou, feeling guilty, exclaimed in surprise, "How could I know this?"
As soon as she said it, she realized she had overreacted and was about to correct herself.
Ye Zhen raised his hand. "I think I've seen him before."
Lady Hou was in a state of turmoil, instinctively feeling that Ye Zhen would never say anything kind.
"Don't meddle recklessly and cause trouble for the Marquis's mansion."
Ye Zhen replied seriously, "It seems to be Guard Wu who serves Mother."
If she doesn't point it out, even if the servants in the Marquis's mansion recognize her, no one will dare to say it.
Lady Hou was furious, and her unease grew stronger.
Zizhu jumped out quickly.
"The young mistress is truly indecent. How could the young mistress of a noble family be interested in a guard's waist?"
Ye Zhen took off her purse, held it high above her head, and said to Marquis Zhongyong, "Because a guard's purse is better than mine, the young mistress's."
My mother works hard managing the household alone, so as her daughter-in-law, I pay extra attention when I notice anything unusual in the house.
Compared to the purse brought by the advisor, Ye Zhen's purse looked particularly simple, even shabby.
Marquis Zhongyong frowned slightly, a hint of bewilderment flashing in his eyes.
Every time he returned home, he heard how well his wife treated his daughter-in-law, and how the servants in the house were also disciplined by his wife.
But just now, a maidservant reprimanded her master.
Ye Zhen put the purse back and looked at Madam Hou, "I thought it was a gift from Mother to Guard Wu."
The fabric used to make the purse was a gift from the Lady of the Marquis.
But she just denied it, so she can't admit it now.
She wanted Ye Zhen to rot in the mud, not to bring a murder charge upon herself.
Wu, the guard outside the door, also panicked.
He didn't even know when his purse had fallen out.
After returning from the county town, the Marquis's wife arranged for her to keep an eye on the Marquis's movements. When she discovered that he didn't have much money in his purse and had other duties to perform, she didn't rush to look for him.
Originally, it wouldn't have mattered if the purse had fallen into the magistrate's house, but now that the man is dead, if he were to admit that it was his purse, he would be unable to explain himself no matter how hard he tried.
He rushed into the house and knelt down to clarify the situation.
Furthermore, he accused Ye Zhen, saying, "Young Madam, I have no grudge against you."
You cannot frame me like this simply because I avoided you when you last sought to speak with me.”
Ye Zhen lowered his eyes, not arguing with the servants, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
He truly is a man of Lady Hou's, sharing the same lineage as her, yet his actions have ultimately harmed Lady Hou.
The Marquis of Loyalty and Courage frowned more and more deeply.
Seeing that Ye Zhen remained silent, Wu, the guard, felt somewhat smug.
Little did he know that the Lady of the Marquis was determined to kill him.
Those who think they're so clever.
The Marquis values rules above all else, and until Ye Zhen is fully convicted, he is still the master of the Marquis's mansion.
If one or two of them show disrespect to Ye Zhen in front of the Marquis, wouldn't that shatter the illusion she had cultivated in the past?
Wanxing felt sorry for Ye Zhen, and was even more angry that the Marquis's wife held absolute power in the Marquis's mansion.
She crawled forward on her knees, saying, "My lord, you are wise. Although my master is only a fifth-rank official, my young lady is still the daughter of an official."
How utterly despicable must one be to become entangled with servants? They're all just slandering him.
She was so anxious that her voice was trembling with tears.
Ye Zhen held her hand tightly.
In the Marquis's mansion, she only had Wanxing.
In their past lives, they didn't even have a chance to argue.
In this life, they stood before the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, and things were different.
Looking up at the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, Ye Zhen said resolutely, "Father, my aunt once told me that you are the most sincere and passionate general, with justice in your heart."
You have misunderstood your daughter-in-law; it must be because she has acted improperly.
But the daughter-in-law reiterated her stance: she was willing to go to court to clear her name.
The Marquis of Loyalty and Valor had a gloomy expression.
No one told him that Ye Zhen had proposed taking the case to court; they only said that the magistrate intended to protect Ye Zhen.
"You have dealings with General Ye?"
Ye Jinghong, the Great Abyss Goddess of War, is also his old friend.
“My aunt would sometimes write to teach me.”
Ye Zhen felt a lump in her throat when her aunt was mentioned.
My aunt returned to Beijing to report on her work, and I made a special detour to see her.
At first sight, Ye Zhen wanted to get close to her. At that time, as a young girl, she thought that her aunt was the only relative in the Ye family who came to see her, which is why she clung to her so much.
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