Chapter 77: The Qin Family's Thoughts
By midday, news of the death of the Marquis of Pingyang's son had spread throughout the capital. Although the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion and the Supreme Court attempted to conceal the cause of death and the appearance of his body, their efforts had little effect. Instead, their evasiveness fueled a flurry of wild rumors.
In the afternoon, Li Xuanhe walked out of the Dali Temple and ran into the Minister of Rites. The minister started by saying, "I heard that you brought a girl back to the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion, and she was bullied by your brother?"
Li Xuanhe was confused: "What?"
Seeing his expression, the Minister of Rites realized the rumor was likely a lie. He was close to Li Xuanhe, so he lowered his voice and explained, "I don't know where this rumor started, but it says the prince died in your courtyard, or at the hands of a young woman. When they were found, they were naked, so it was clear what they had done."
Li Xuanhe understood a little, and his face darkened. "What does that have to do with the girl I brought back?"
The Minister of Rites sighed, "You didn't hide the fact that you brought a girl from Jiangnan Road back to the Pingyang Marquis's residence. Everyone knows that it was the girl you had chosen, and you thought you would definitely place her in your courtyard. Now the prince took advantage of your absence and raped a girl in your courtyard. Who else could it be? Of course it was her!"
Li Xuanhe turned his head to look at Chi Xiao standing beside him. "Go and investigate this matter. I want to see who is making up this story." He turned to look at the Minister of Rites and said with a smile, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Brother Chen. If anyone asks you about this, I hope you can help explain. It's true that my brother died in my courtyard, but this matter has nothing to do with Miss Xun. Miss Xun once saved my life in Chaozhou and now lives in the capital. She is a benefactor of the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion. My mother personally arranged accommodation for her and takes good care of her. My mother is very prudent. How could she allow an orphan like my benefactor to live in my courtyard? If this were to get out, wouldn't it be a joke?"
The Minister of Rites nodded repeatedly, exchanged a few more words with Li Xuanhe, and then said goodbye and left.
Li Xuanhe got on the carriage, and he could no longer conceal the hostility in his body. His face was as black as ink, and there was a sharp knife hidden in his eyes. He wished he could grind the person who gossiped about him into ashes.
He had a hunch that this matter was closely related to the Qin family.
Qin Lanxin was currently imprisoned in the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. Although, for the sake of her reputation, her involvement in the case was known only to a few within the mansion, they still sent word to the Qin family. Perhaps worried that the news would leak out, which would not only expose Qin Lanxin to criticism but also bring shame upon the Qin family, they decided to act preemptively and pin the blame on Xun Shu.
Do they really think that Xun Shu has no one to support him because he has no father or mother?
Li Xuanhe had been mulling over how to strike back at the Qin family. When he regained consciousness, the carriage had stopped in front of the Marquis's residence. He pushed open the door and was about to disembark when a servant trotted forward, anxiously saying, "My dear, this is bad! Someone from the Qin family has come, and they want to seek justice for Second Lady Qin!"
Li Xuanhe jumped off the carriage and hurried towards the gate. "Where are they now? Who is with them?"
"The master is accompanying her in the main hall. I heard that Lord Qin specifically requested to see Miss Xun, and he has sent someone to invite her."
Li Xuanhe paused, his voice becoming more urgent: "Go and ask mother to come to the front yard, quickly."
"yes."
Li Xuanhe walked through the gate and entered the marquis's mansion.
Li Xuanhou's murderer had not yet been found, and the Pingyang Marquis's residence had not yet held a funeral. Aside from the white banners on the door lintel and the white lanterns under the eaves, everything else remained normal. Li Xuanhe trotted toward the front hall and, upon reaching the door, saw a maid leading Xun Shu through the Moon Gate.
Xun Shushang didn't know what happened, but he was very happy to see him: "You're back!"
Li Xuanhe breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and took her hand, holding it tightly with a certain unquestionable air. Xun Shu was a little surprised, but she didn't ask any more questions and followed him into the house.
The main hall where Marquis Pingyang entertained guests was spacious and elegant, its nanmu pillars framed by delicate relief carvings, and its floor paved with black jade-like bricks. Three people sat in the room. In the front were Marquis Pingyang and the Qin family master, the father of Qin Lanxin and Qin Huixin. To the other side of the Qin family master sat a woman of about the same age as him, the Qin family's wife.
The aroma of tea in the room mixed with the rich smell of incense and candles wafting in from afar, which was quite strange. When the people in the room saw Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe enter together, they stopped talking and showed a flash of surprise.
Lord Qin and Madam Qin's gaze fell on the two men's holding hands, their faces slightly embarrassed. Li Xuanhe pretended not to notice anything and sat down next to Marquis Pingyang, his lips curled slightly. "My brother just passed away, and there's been some chaos at home. I didn't expect Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin to be so eager to visit. We haven't made any preparations, so I hope you won't mind if we're not welcoming you well enough."
These words were quite blunt, and Lord Qin looked displeased. Madam Qin forced a thin smile and said, "It's been a while. How are you, Sanlang?"
"My brother died today, right here in my yard, on my bed. What do you think, Madam Qin?" The maid served Li Xuanhe tea. After taking a sip, Li Xuanhe said calmly, "I wonder what brings you two here today?"
"He'er!" Pingyang Hou shouted, "How can you be so rude!"
Li Xuanhe pretended not to hear, still looking in the direction of the Qin couple. Madam Qin straightened her body slightly and leaned in Li Xuanhe's direction. "Sanlang, we received the letter you sent today and were horrified. Lan Xin has been docile and well-behaved since she was a child. How could she have killed someone? Did you make a mistake? She must be terrified now. Can we take her back to the mansion? We will keep her under careful watch and will not let her leave the mansion, let alone the capital, until the murderer is found."
Li Xuanhe feigned surprise. "Why, in the eyes of the Qin family, the death of the Marquis of Pingyang's son was nothing more than a joke, and those involved in the case can be taken away at will?" He sneered and continued, "Is imprisoning the Second Miss Qin in the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion already a special favor? Or do you want to take the Second Miss Qin to the Dali Temple for temporary residence in public? Then, all those random stories you made up outside will be useless."
Li Xuanhe had just casually tested them with these few words, but he hadn't expected that Qin and the other two would immediately change color after hearing them.
It seems that this matter is really related to the Qin family.
Marquis Pingyang slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups on it to sway, interrupting their conversation: "He'er! How can you be so rude now! You act like a country bumpkin!" Marquis Pingyang was furious and glared at Xun Shu fiercely. He softened his tone and continued, "Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin are your elders after all. How can you treat your elders like this? They came to visit today for another matter. After all, the Second Miss of the Qin family is in this situation because of your brother. We, the Marquis Pingyang Mansion, owe her this. If the case is investigated in the future and it turns out that she has nothing to do with it, you should erase the content related to her from the case file. The Second Miss Qin is not married yet, so don't tarnish her reputation any further."
Li Xuanhe nodded. "Of course. If we investigate the whole thing, it will be clear that Second Miss Qin was innocently implicated. The Pingyang Marquisate should compensate her."
Marquis Pingyang nodded, extremely satisfied.
In the past two days, Pingyang Hou has experienced many ups and downs. First, Sanlang returned home, then his concubine became pregnant, and later he had a big quarrel with his wife. Before his anger subsided, his beloved eldest son suddenly passed away, and his death was so shameful.
A variety of emotions mixed together, he was already exhausted, and now after talking with the Qin family for a long time, he was already at the end of his strength. He couldn't hold on any longer and said, "The mansion is quite messy. If you two don't have anything to do-"
"There's one more thing." Lord Qin glanced at Madam Qin and spoke through gritted teeth, "Lan Xin has always been attracted to San Lang. Why not let the Qin and Li families further strengthen their relationship?"
Is he crazy?! Li Xuanhe frowned when he said this, and Pingyang Hou beside him was furious: "Qin Zhengyi! Are you crazy?! He'er is now my only legitimate son, and he will inherit the Pingyang Hou Mansion in the future! How can you marry a-"
His chest heaved, and he didn't finish the second half of his sentence. Qin Zhengyi sneered, "Marquis Pingyang also knows that Lan Xin's body has been defiled, but why doesn't Marquis Pingyang think about who caused this situation—"
His words were interrupted by a sound from outside the door.
"I didn't know that the daughter of your Qin family can marry whoever she wants, and is even more free and easy than me."
The eldest princess entered the house with her maids. Her attire was lavish, her makeup exquisite, and her beauty undimmed by Li Xuanhou's death. She appeared to be nothing more or less ordinary. As she entered, the maids knelt on the floor. The Qin couple paused for a moment before kneeling down. After they had completed the formal ceremony, the eldest princess said, "Rise."
The princess walked over to Marquis Pingyang and sat down in Qin Zhengyi's seat. She glanced at him and said calmly, "Fortunately you refused. Otherwise, I would have thought you were idiotic. You were forced into this situation by the Qin family. It's really a disgrace to the Marquis Pingyang's mansion."
Qin Zhengyi said with a gloomy face: "Your Highness, please be careful with your words."
Marquis Pingyang was in a very complicated mood. On the one hand, he was annoyed that the eldest princess had offended him in public, but on the other hand, he felt much more at ease because of her arrival.
With her around, the Qin family’s plan is likely to fail.
As expected, the princess glanced at Qin Zhengyi with her beautiful eyes and sneered, "Are you worthy enough to tell me to be careful with my words? You said that the prince raped the second daughter of the Qin family, so why did she appear in Sanlang's courtyard? Could it be that the prince kidnapped her? Now the people from the Dali Temple have found the tiger and wolf medicine in the remaining tea in the house. With some time, the source of this medicine will be revealed. Whether it was an accident that implicated her, or it was her own fault, I believe we will know the truth soon." She paused, her words meaningful. "Speaking of which, I also heard about this scene yesterday a few years ago. Unfortunately, it also involved your daughter. Master, do you still remember it?"
How could Marquis Pingyang not remember? A few years ago, Qin Huixin and Li Xuanhou were caught in the same room, disheveled. Back then, the Qin family was a downtrodden aristocracy. Marquis Pingyang had considered bringing her into the palace as a concubine, but Li Xuanhou was adamant. In the end, it was the old lady who made the final decision, securing Qin Huixin and Li Xuanhou's marriage and marrying her off as the Crown Prince's wife.
The plot is indeed somewhat similar.
Marquis Pingyang looked at the Qin couple suspiciously, and under his gaze, the couple's faces turned even paler, and their tone was no longer as tough as before.
Qin Zhengyi swallowed his saliva and said awkwardly, "Today we are discussing Lan Xin's affairs, why mention Hui Xin's affairs again! Even if Lan Xin took the initiative to go to San Lang's yard, it was because she was attracted to San Lang, but she didn't use any dirty tricks! The poison in the teapot definitely had nothing to do with her!"
He spoke with conviction, as if he trusted his little daughter deeply and didn't seem to be lying. Seeing no one answer, his tone softened a bit: "I know this is really unfair to Sanlang. How about this, Xinlan can be a concubine, as long as Pingyang Marquis Mansion reserves a place for her -"
The eldest princess threw the teacup on the table hard at Qin Zhengyi's feet. The cup shattered and the tea splashed, wetting the corner of his clothes and leaving a large dark mark.
Qin Zhengyi's voice was hoarse and he dared not say anything more.
The princess didn't argue with him. She turned to look at Xun Shu and smiled, "Good boy, you're scared, aren't you? What happened today is just a joke, don't take it to heart. Don't worry, I'm here and I won't let you suffer any injustice. I've asked the kitchen to make some snacks, dozens of them. Come to my courtyard later and try them to see which one you like. I'll have them make them for you every day from now on."
Xun Shu was indeed just there to watch the show, and in the end she didn't understand why she was called here. When she heard the eldest princess' words, she was about to answer when she heard another commotion outside the door.
"Oh no! Something happened in the old lady's courtyard!"
Pingyang Hou stood up suddenly and asked anxiously, "What happened to mother?"
The servant knelt in the hall and said in a trembling voice, "The young master... is gone!"
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