Jiang Ning followed Ma Steward through the mansion for about half an hour before reaching the study.0
The study was located in the southwest corner of the Pri Minister's Mansion, very quiet, with winter plum trees planted outside.0
A young man who looked like a guard was standing under the eaves outside the study. Seeing Ma Steward hurrying over, he stopped him and asked, "The master is busy. Ma Uncle, do you have sothing urgent?"0
The young man noticed the blood on Ma Steward's clothes and forehead, frowning with a flash of surprise in his eyes, but didn't ask further.0
"Jin Yao, I have extrely important matters to report to the master. Please go and announce ."0
Jiang Ning could tell that Ma Steward was being quite polite to this Jin Yao, suggesting he must be a trusted aide of Nangong Ya. It seed Ma Steward was only responsible for managing the affairs of the entire Pri Minister's Mansion, like one was a "personal secretary" and the other a "logistics departnt head."0
Jin Yao nodded and said, "Alright, wait a mont." Then he pushed open the door and went in.0
After a while, the door opened, and Jin Yao made a gesture of invitation to Ma Steward.0
Ma Steward cupped his hands in respect and walked into the room.0
Jiang Ning followed inside, slling the faint scent of incense at the doorway. The room was heated with charcoal, warm and cozy.0
Entering the room, Jiang Ning finally saw the legendary "Pri Minister Nangong," who was also the father of this body.0
Nangong Ya, sitting behind the desk, wore a dark gray casual outfit and looked to be in his fifties. His features were stern and resolute, with an intimidating aura from years in a high position.0
Jiang Ning examined this father carefully, then realized that she looked quite like him, having inherited almost all of his facial features, except for the face shape.0
Sigh, he really was her biological father.0
Jiang Ning felt complicated. In her previous life, she had been an abandoned baby, first sent to an orphanage, then taken away by an organization around age five. She never knew who her parents were.0
Sotis she wondered why the people who gave birth to her abandoned her, as she was a healthy baby without any defects or illnesses. After much speculation, Jiang Ning guessed that perhaps her biological parents in her previous life couldn't afford to raise her.0
Unexpectedly, in this new life, she had both a father and mother, giving her a chance to fill the blank parental figures in her heart. Although she had no expectations for familial affection, Nangong Ya and Lan Xu at least satisfied her curiosity.0
Nangong Ya was holding a letter, reading it. When Ma Steward entered, he shifted his gaze from the paper, looking up towards him. To his surprise, he saw a large, frightening bloodstain. The wound underneath the clothes must have been severe. Even his forehead was broken, covered in blood, looking sowhat terrifying in the dim candlelight.0
"Old Ma, where did you get injured like this?"0
Nangong Ya asked with concern. Earlier, when Jin Yao ca in saying he had important matters to report, it must have been related to these injuries.0
Ma Steward walked to the desk and knelt down with a thud: "Master, I deserve death! The Third Young Lady didn't elope with soone, she was sold as a maid!"0
"What did you say?"0
Nangong Ya stood up abruptly. These words were like a bolt from the blue, and he doubted his own hearing.0
Ma Steward bowed his head to the ground: "Last year on Madam's birthday, the Prince of Rui ca to offer birthday wishes. After drinking, he harassed the Third Young Lady, and was caught by the Second Young Lady. The Second Young Lady thought the Third Young Lady was intentionally seducing him and harbored resentnt. After you left for your inspection tour in Jiangnan, she tied up the Third Young Lady and took her to a house in the suburbs of the Capital City, and then..."0
Ma Steward paused here, unsure if revealing those torturous thods would cause Nangong Ya to beco so enraged that he'd order Jin Yao to kill him on the spot.0
"Then what?" Nangong Ya asked coldly, trying hard to maintain his composure, though his trembling voice betrayed him.0
Jiang Ning saw Nangong Ya's hand gripping the edge of the desk, his knuckles white from the force, and his chest heaving. Seeing his furious gaze, she felt relieved.0
He truly didn't know.0
No need for patricide, that's one piece of good news.0
However, that Prince of Rui truly deserved death!0
Jiang Ning sat in front of the bamboo house, chin in hand, listening as Ma Steward stuttered on: "The Second Young Lady, she... she..."0
"Speak!" Nangong Ya shouted impatiently.0
"The Second Young Lady broke the Third Young Lady's arms and legs, burned her face with a hot iron, and even tried to force her to drink a potion to make her mute... Finally, she had find a human trafficker, and we sold her as a maid who had committed a grave error, to sowhere outside the Capital City..."0
Nangong Ya's face turned terrifyingly dark. Ma Steward waited in fear for his punishnt. After a while, he heard Nangong Ya call out to the door: "Jin Yao, co in!"0
The person outside responded and entered the room, standing respectfully with hands at his sides, waiting for orders.0
"Go and call Dongi here, without alarming anyone else," Nangong Ya instructed gravely.0
Jin Yao responded with a "Yes" and turned to leave.0
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow, sowhat impressed by this father.0
Even with anger surging in his heart, he could maintain rationality, not believing Ma Steward's one-sided account, but quickly calming down and thinking to confront soone else. Verifying the truth before making decisions was sothing few people could do.0
No wonder he could beco Pri Minister, Jiang Ning thought.0
This was good; she also wanted to see this "Dongi," to recognize her face and avoid having to search for her blindly later.0
After a while, Jiang Ning heard two sets of footsteps outside, followed by a male voice saying, "Go in." Then the door opened, and a young woman who looked like a maid entered.0
Dongi first saw Ma Steward kneeling on the ground and was startled, not understanding the situation. When she walked to the desk, she lowered her head and called out "Master" to Nangong Ya.0
Nangong Ya narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing this young maid. His gaze was so sharp that it was hard to et directly, and Dongi unconsciously lowered her head, her heart beginning to pound.0
"Which year did you enter the mansion?" Nangong Ya asked, trying to soften his tone.0
"In response to the master, it was the sumr of the 11th Year of Chongming."0
"Oh, so it's been over two years."0
Nangong Ya nodded. He seed to rember that Nangong Ling's maid had left the mansion to get married at that ti, so they found a new young maid for her.0
"Have you been serving the Third Young Lady since you entered the mansion?" Nangong Ya asked again.0
"In response to the master, yes."0
Nangong Ya slowly exhaled, his voice deepening: "You said before that during my inspection tour to Jiangnan, the Third Young Lady t a young gentleman traveling from afar, fell in love, and eventually eloped with him. Now, tell the details carefully."0
Jiang Ning clearly saw Dongi's body stiffen.0
"Ma-Master, this servant... this servant doesn't know much..." Dongi's voice beca much softer.0
"You may not know much, but you must know sothing, right? You were her personal maid. Even if, as you say, the Third Young Lady sent you away every ti she t with that person, you should at least know roughly when and how they t, right?" Nangong Ya stared intently at Dongi, his eyes dark and unreadable.0
"In response to the master, they... they t a few days after you left for Jiangnan."0
"Where did they et?"0
"At Xianyi Pavilion. This servant accompanied the Third Young Lady to buy hair ornants when they t. The Third Young Lady fell in love at first sight and was imdiately flirting with him. After returning, she often snuck out late at night to et him privately and told not to tell anyone else..."0
As Dongi spoke, Jiang Ning was close enough to observe her expression clearly.0
Dongi was lying!0
The right hemisphere of the human brain is mainly responsible for imagination and creativity, so when people fabricate lies, their eyes tend to look up and to the right; when recalling true mories, eyes tend to look up and to the left.0
People without training are unaware of this, and just now, Dongi kept looking up and to the right.0
Moreover, the frequency of blinking can also be an indicator of whether soone is lying. If a person needs to process a large amount of information in their brain, such as weaving a lie, their blinking speed and frequency generally increase.0
In just a few short sentences, Jiang Ning counted that Dongi blinked eleven tis!0
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