Chapter 117: Accountability Begins
The little maidservant Liu Ye who was named knelt down, shaking all over like a sieve, looking extremely pitiful.
"Reply, report to the young lady, I am truly wronged! I did not harm the lady!"
She had just finished delivering the soup and hadn't walked far when she heard that the lady seemed to be going into premature labor. She was terrified and pale. After being tied up and brought to the front yard by the eldest lady, the little maid felt like the sky was falling and burst into tears.
Jiang Wan's eyes are very deep. When he stares at someone quietly, it always gives people a sense of oppression.
"Liu Ye, let me hear you defend yourself."
"Wuwuwu, it really wasn't me. It has nothing to do with me. Miss, please spare me..."
The little maid was so frightened that she burst into tears and spoke incoherently. Hongzhu, the senior maid beside Jiang Wan, stepped forward and shouted at her.
"Shut up! Just answer the young lady's questions. Why are you crying? Why don't you just tell the truth? Why are you betraying your master?"
"I, I didn't! It wasn't me!"
Liu Ye flatly denied it, but Hong Zhu pressed on.
"It was you who delivered the soup. If it wasn't you, who else could it be? Did you ask someone else to do it?"
"No!"
"That's it. Since you were the one who served the soup from beginning to end, who else could have done it if not you?"
“…I, I don’t know.”
Liu Ye shrank back and continued to cry out for justice.
"But it really wasn't me!"
"Oh, then it must be Nanny Chen, right?"
"Ms. Hongzhu, please be kind. How dare this old servant be so audacious as to murder the lady? I beg you, Miss, to be discerning!"
Nanny Chen also kowtowed loudly. Hongzhu was the capable maidservant of the eldest lady, so she didn't dare to offend her openly and could only make indirect accusations.
"I'm not like some people who signed a living contract. My family's indentures, which meant they had to sell themselves to their deaths, are all in the Duke Ling's mansion. Even if I were to go insane, I would never dare to murder you, Madam! Miss, I'm innocent!"
Jiang Wan asked coldly.
"One is cooking the soup, the other is serving it, and both keep saying they're being wronged. Who do you think it could be?"
Hongzhu received a subtle hint from her master and quickly continued to join in the conversation.
"Master, there are so many cases of people crying thief in this world. How can we just listen to them? If that doesn't work, why not ask Guard Cheng to report it to the police?"
When the prefect gives him dozens of beatings, and his skin is torn to pieces, he'll probably be able to think clearly and know what to say!"
"What you said does make some sense, but why bother reporting it to the police? Can't I figure it out myself?"
He pretended to frown and think for a few breaths, then raised his hand to order the followers who were already standing outside the door.
"Cheng Zhuo, have someone bring over a board. Today, I will hold a private court session to see what demons and monsters are causing chaos in this mansion!"
It was obvious that the master and servant played a good duet, and the slaves kneeling below were scared out of their wits.
The eldest daughter always kept her word. Although the housekeepers were usually kind, they were definitely not soft-hearted. Furthermore, since the lady was involved this time, she would definitely not let it go!
Most of them had signed death agreements, so what if they were beaten to death by their masters? In times of chaos, life is worthless, and in times of peace, the lives of slaves are equally worthless. Who would care about seeking justice for themselves?
When people are faced with a life-or-death crisis, they will always try to find ways to save themselves. Didn't someone immediately kneel down?
"My lady, I have something to report!"
Jiang Wan narrowed his eyes, and Hongzhu whispered beside him.
"This is the fire-stoking maid in the main kitchen, Zhang Xiaocao. She's the niece of Old Man Zhang, the gatekeeper, and she's just started working in the mansion."
What does it mean to be a capable personal servant? It's like being a senior secretary to the CEO of a listed company. She needs to know everything, big or small, and be available when the boss needs her.
"Zhang Xiaocao, come here and answer."
"yes!"
Jiang Wan coldly looked at the little girl kneeling in front of him. She was no more than eight or nine years old, thin and small, but her eyes were big, and she looked like a very smart child.
"Tell me, do you have any clues?"
Zhang Xiaocao's sallow little face was still stained with hunger. He thought about how it had only been a few days since he entered the mansion and finally had enough food and clothes to eat and wear, and was not beaten or bullied. How unfair it was that he died like this?
I just gritted my teeth and went for it.
"To answer the eldest lady, Sister Liu Ye is lying!"
The little girl didn't dare to look at others. She could only clench her fists to have the courage to finish what she wanted to say.
"I was delivering some food to my grandfather when I ran into Sister Liu Ye on the road. I hid aside. She was talking to Brother Liu Gui, the guard in the front yard, by the pond. She didn't have any soup in her hands at that time! I'm sure!"
boom!
Liu Ye's body softened and she almost couldn't kneel.
"What nonsense are you talking about, you little bitch? When did I have a secret meeting with someone? How dare you ruin my reputation like this? I'll tear your mouth apart!"
He turned around and wanted to strangle the little girl, but Jiang Wan, who was already full of anger, kicked her to the side.
"Someone, bring that Liu Gui over here!"
"yes!"
Cheng Zhuo came and went in a hurry, not only grabbing the people the eldest lady had named, but Ma Fei also brought some people with him and brought almost all the servants in the mansion to the yard.
"If you dare to betray your master, I will expose your hidden secrets. Do you believe it?"
Ma Fei was so angry that he kicked Liu Gui hard. He thought he was in charge, but his subordinate had hooked up with the maid in the head kitchen and might even kill the master! He wanted to skin Liu Gui alive!
"Boss, I really didn't do that! I just spoke to Liu Ye twice. How could I have known that I would be involved in such a fatal incident?"
Liu Gui had a sad face, and he was worried, angry and upset. He was really annoyed.
"Okay, Brother Ma, I'll take the person over first. The young lady is still waiting there!"
"Well, leave this outside to me and Wang Bao."
The few people had clear division of labor and quickly brought all the people who needed to be brought to the court for confrontation.
The servants at the gatehouse all nodded, saying that Zhang Xiaocao had indeed come to bring food to Old Zhang at that time. The woman guarding the second gate also stated the time the little girl left and returned, proving that there were no logical loopholes in Zhang Xiaocao's statement.
Jiang Wan wasn't a professional case solver, nor did she have the psychologist's ability to accurately read expressions and determine who was lying. But she had a very clear mind and knew how to sort out the timeline and logical relationships.
Especially after Liu Gui nodded in agreement and indeed said a few words to Liu Ye by the pond, the atmosphere in the whole room became so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
"Liu Ye, do you want to recruit?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
