Until they finished buying candied hawthorn sticks, neither of them said another word.
ng Qianqian carried two sticks of candied hawthorn and returned to Fengshui Alley.
Whether he was willing to help her deal with Consort Li, he hadn’t given her an answer.
"Then why did you even ask?"
ng Qianqian had a temper too.
But her life was more important.
The next day, Tan’er accompanied the matriarch to visit the opera house, and ng Qianqian headed to the Book Pavilion.
Unexpectedly, the hallway door leading to the fourth floor was open today.
Even if she had to pry the lock, she would have wanted to go in. Now, with the door wide open, she certainly didn’t hesitate.
ng Qianqian walked through the hallway and entered the fourth floor of the Book Pavilion.
All the windows were propped open, allowing the warm spring breeze and sunlight to stream in, casting over rows of ancient and solemn bookshelves.
ng Qianqian guessed that the steward Cen had deliberately co up to ventilate the fourth floor because of the fine weather today.
This floor wasn’t for ordinary books, but rather for dossiers from various governnt offices. Considering the magnitude of the Chu Family case, it shouldn’t be hard to locate.
Indeed, ng Qianqian found the Chu Family’s dossier on the third row of bookshelves.
"The seventeenth year of Emperor Chong’an..."
This dossier was incomplete; the parts concerning interrogation were missing, but the autopsy results were painstakingly detailed.
The King Chu had been a regional militia leader, neither submitting to the court nor antagonizing it. He only fought against Beiliang forces at the border. Later, the court pacified him and conferred upon him the title of a non-royal prince.
King Chu sustained severe injuries in a major battle and could no longer lead troops into combat. It was thought his family would decline, but his son surpassed all expectations—not only inheriting his mantle but also forming the Black Armor Army, subjugating the Twelve Guards, and achieving countless victories. The court eventually appointed him the Grand Marshal of all military forces.
These autopsy results belonged to the Chu Grand Marshal.
Poisoned, a penetrating wound in the lower left abdon, the weapon a single-edged dagger confird to belong to the Chu Grand Marshal. Judging from the blood volu at the scene, the Grand Marshal lost excessive blood, but the fatal wound ca from a silver needle that pierced his heart, belonging to Chu’s wife.
ng Qianqian furrowed her brows.
Too many inconsistencies. Chu’s wife was the Grand Marshal’s confidant; if she wanted to kill him, it would have been effortless. Why poison him and stab him? Such unnecessary asures.
Unless the Grand Marshal already suspected his wife, rendering her unable to act directly, forcing her to resort to other thods, but even then, this didn’t hold up.
After he was poisoned, Chu’s wife could have used the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles to end him. Why bother stabbing him? It made no sense.
From ng Qianqian’s perspective, it seed more likely that soone stole Chu’s wife’s silver needles to murder the Grand Marshal and fra her.
"Even I can spot so many flaws, yet the court concluded the case hastily. Why?"
"Could the real culprit be soone within the court?"
"Soone of high status, capable of bending all officials involved in the case to their will."
Speaking of high status, the first person ng Qianqian thought of was Lu Yuan.
"No, it couldn’t be him."
Back then, Lu Yuan had not yet solidified his power, nor had he helped the young Emperor ascend the throne, let alone taken control of the Jinyi Guard. He didn’t wield that authority yet.
ng Qianqian carefully reread the autopsy findings word by word.
Soon, another problem erged.
The one capable of poisoning the Chu Grand Marshal and stabbing him directly must have been soone close to the Grand Marshal, soone who could obtain Chu’s wife’s silver needles.
The only plausible suspects fulfilling these conditions ca from one group—the Twelve Guards.
A traitor existed within the Twelve Guards!
If even the Twelve Guards couldn’t be trusted, who else could she trust...?
"Grand Commander!"
A voice called from the first floor.
ng Qianqian was jolted back to reality, quickly organizing the dossiers and replacing them exactly as she had found them.
She hurried downstairs, her steps light.
On the first floor, she saw Lu Yuan, who looked deeply irritated.
Lu Yuan sat on the shiny polished floor, leaning against the wall. One of his long legs extended forward while the other bent casually. His posture was lazy and unrestrained, yet radiated elegant defiance.
Bao Shu sat despondently by his side.
ng Qianqian was utterly surprised.
Bao Shu, usually full of energy and noisy whenever she visited, had never been this dejected before.
"Greetings, Grand Commander."
ng Qianqian bowed to Lu Yuan and asked curiously, "What happened to Zhaozhao?"
Lu Yuan kept his face cold and remained silent.
Great, the Grand Commander had a foul temper—she couldn’t afford to provoke him.
ng Qianqian turned to Bao Shu instead.
Bao Shu shot her father a resentful glance, and Lu Yuan spared her a fleeting look in return.
Both of them snorted simultaneously before turning their faces in opposite directions.
ng Qianqian froze for a mont. Could it be... father and daughter had quarreled?
The older one was beyond her ability to pacify, so she decided to comfort the younger one.
Since Bao Shu frequently ca by, the Book Pavilion had plenty of little toys prepared just for her. ng Qianqian took a bright red rattle from Bao Shu’s designated shelf to amuse her.
Lu Yuan scoffed coldly.
Bao Shu grabbed the rattle, clawed her way to Lu Yuan’s side, and shakily clung to his arm to pull herself up.
ng Qianqian smiled appreciatively, pleased to see the child seeking out her father. Such an obedient little one...
Bao Shu clung to her father’s shoulder with one hand while raising the rattle high with the other, then smashed it against Lu Yuan’s head in a fit of fury and exasperation!
Lu Yuan: "Do you have a death wish?!"
When the treacherous minister gets angry, corpses pile mountain high!
Bao Shu was frightened out of her wits and tossed aside the rattle, scrambling desperately back toward ng Qianqian.
ng Qianqian hadn’t anticipated the boldness of the little one, daring to strike even her own father.
She was genuinely concerned Lu Yuan might squeeze the child to death. She hurriedly scooped Bao Shu up, perford a backward flip, and landed ten steps away on one knee.
"Grand Commander, I’ll take Bao Shu outside first and co back later to tidy up the Book Pavilion!"
If she didn’t leave now, she feared he might crush them both.
Once she reached Tinglan Garden in one breath, ng Qianqian finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Looking at the aggrieved little one in her arms, she said with a laugh and a sigh, "You hit soone and now you’re the one feeling wronged?"
Bao Shu pointed toward the study.
ng Qianqian carried her inside, and Bao Shu pointed to the desk.
Approaching the desk, ng Qianqian was startled to discover three portraits of young won from Miaojiang displayed there.
Her gaze shifted to the paper bin beside it, which overflowed with torn portraits.
Bao Shu let out indignant cries of complaint.
While ng Qianqian was still bewildered, Qing Shuang entered with a stoic expression and explained, "They were chosen by Madam as candidates for the Grand Commander’s wife. Bao Shu tore their portraits, so the housekeeper sent another hundred."
Bao Shu looked devastated—she couldn’t tear them all; they were endless!
ng Qianqian imdiately understood. The "Madam" capable of interfering in Lu Yuan’s marriage had to be his mother. The group that she encountered yesterday had indeed been sent by her, with the elder being their steward.
She hadn’t expected them to be arranging a marriage for Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan’s sour mood from last night and his irritation this morning were both due to this marriage matter?
Qing Shuang continued, "The Grand Commander doesn’t want to marry them, and Bao Shu doesn’t want them as her mother."
ng Qianqian muttered softly, "I can see that."
Wait a mont—if the two shared the sa goal, shouldn’t they be working together against the common enemy? Why had they started squabbling instead?
Qing Shuang added, "Bao Shu wants ng to be her mother."
ng Qianqian: "..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)