Chapter 643: Seeking Trouble
Huang Yaner returned to the Bo's Mansion and went to report to Jiang Qingzhi first.
"The Duke's wife immediately ordered people to call over the young Duke's entourage. When I left, I saw the Duke's wife called over some maids, all holding sticks..."
The Duke's wife is able to take charge of the Duke's Mansion and let the old playboy have no worries, so her skills and means are naturally not bad.
"Why mobilize so many troops?" Jiang Qingzhi smiled.
At this time, Sun Chonglou asked, "How big is the Duke's Mansion?"
"Big." Huang Yan'er said, "But I always think it's too big. Our uncle's house is also big, but I think it's small."
This is peace of mind.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled.
Soon, news came from the Duke's Mansion.
"Madam has beaten more than ten people, and they all cried out for injustice." The man said, "Madam said that the Duke is on duty today and cannot get away, so please ask the Second Master to go."
Tsk!
Jiang Qingzhi said to Xu Wei: "It seems that this matter is not simple."
At the Duke's Mansion, the Duke's wife looked a little tired, with a deep look in her eyes, "He can withstand the torture, which shows that he is not an ordinary person. I know that there are thorns in the Duke's Mansion, but everyone in the backyard knows everything, and their fathers and grandfathers are all old people in the Duke's Mansion. Unexpectedly, someone also mixed sand. It shows that I was negligent in the past."
"Madam, the second master is here."
"Oh! Come on, please."
Jiang Qingzhi came in, "Sister-in-law."
The Duke's wife smiled bitterly, "This matter involves outsiders, and I, as your sister-in-law, have run out of tricks, so I invited you to come."
She pointed at those people and said, "You can command the entire Duke's Mansion."
Jiang Qingzhi sat down. When he came in just now, he saw dozens of people kneeling outside. Now he thought that most of them were Zhu Shitai's men.
"Everyone around Dalang is a family-born child." The Duke's wife said softly, "They all know each other well."
"You can only know a person's face but not his heart." Jiang Qingzhi took out a cigarette. "Since he was able to withstand the torture, it shows that he was prepared. If he was prepared... then he must have been in contact with the outside world..."
The Duke's wife's eyes lit up, "Yes, so we can find the traces in this way..."
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is wise."
The Duke's wife said angrily, "I am at a loss here, but Qingzhi, you found the clue as soon as you arrived. How wise! Don't ridicule my sister-in-law."
Jiang Qingzhi smiled, "Since there is contact, then it's simple. We just need to ask people to recall whether there is any abnormality in these people's recent communication with the outside world."
"Those dozens of people..." the steward said, "Second Master, dozens of people are needed to investigate their recent communications with the outside world. I'm afraid it will take a long time!"
"Why do we need dozens of people?" Jiang Qingzhi lit up the medicine cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and raised his eyebrows slightly, "The people who serve Dalang must be divided into internal and external people!"
"Yes."
"Although the Marquis of Linqing is not a poor family in the capital, he has long been like everyone else. For such an ordinary noble relative to dare to assert that Dalang has a chronic illness, the source of the information must have made them believe it without a doubt. Who around Dalang knows everything about this matter?"
"Those close friends!" The Duke's wife stood up suddenly, then sat down again. "Look at me. Qingzhi, you handle this matter."
The steward was shocked, "Second Master... yes, that must be the case."
Jiang Qingzhi ordered: "Call in the people around Dalang."
Several maids were called in, looking pitiful.
And they are all beauties.
Hey!
Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "Sister-in-law, young people should be careful about sex. Putting such a beautiful woman next to Dalang, you..."
The Duke's wife blushed slightly, "This is not..."
"Spoiling!" Jiang Qingzhi said bluntly, "On the one hand, he is strict, but on the other hand, he is spoiling. Dalang is not crazy. This is the blessing of the Zhu family's ancestors."
The Duke's wife could only smile bitterly.
Jiang Qingzhi looked at these people and said, "I'm sure you have heard of my identity."
These maids met Jiang Qingzhi for the first time, but when they saw that he dared to ridicule Zhu Xizhong and his wife, and the Duke's wife just smiled bitterly, they thought of the second master in the rumors.
Jiang Qingzhi said calmly, "You may have heard of my methods. When Dalang was sick, you should have known that he was pretending. Since you knew it was a fake, but you still leaked it, it's obvious that you were hostile."
Several maids' faces turned pale instantly.
"It's not difficult for the Duke's Mansion to make a few maids disappear." Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicinal smoke, "It's inevitable that innocent people will be affected."
"Second Master, please spare my life!" A maid knelt down.
"Second Master, please spare my life!"
Several maids knelt down and begged.
Jiang Qingzhi said calmly: "It's rare for such a delicate beauty to be able to withstand torture. However, my methods here are not as conventional as those of the Duke's Mansion. Jia Lan!"
"Uncle!"
The maids saw a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard coming forward, and it turned out to be a woman.
"Would you like to try the Jinyiwei's methods?" Jiang Qingzhi asked casually.
Several maids were trembling. But one of them was a little slow. Jiang Qingzhi narrowed his eyes at her, pointed at her and shouted, "Catch her!"
Everyone was stunned. Two maids rushed over and held the maid. The Duke's wife said, "That's Su Xiang, who is in charge of Dalang's food. Her mother is with me..."
Jiang Qingzhi followed the gaze of the crowd and saw a woman who looked quite respectable. The woman knelt down and said, "My mother and I are loyal to the Duke. Please make the decision, Madam."
Jiang Qingzhi laughed and said, "Loyal? Just now I said that the Jinyiwei's punishments were terrible, and everyone was trembling, except for this person, who looked panicked but determined."
The mother and daughter just cried, but the more they did so, the more sympathy they aroused.
Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "You won't cry until you see the coffin." He said to the maids, "Recall carefully Su Xiang's recent whereabouts."
Several maids knew that this was their last chance to escape, and they racked their brains.
A maid said, "I remember now. Just half a month ago, Su Xiang went out of the house four times in a row. Every time, she said that something happened at home. But when she came back, she sat there in a daze for a long time..."
"Half a month ago!" Jiang Qingzhi narrowed his eyes. "When did Dalang propose marriage to the Linqing Marquis family?"
The Duke's wife looked embarrassed. "It was half a month ago!"
Jiang Qingzhi stood up and said, "Sister-in-law, just let go and do the rest. Even if the other party is a spy from the Imperial Guard, just do it. Old Zhu and I will naturally take care of the things outside."
"Thank you, Qingzhi."
The wife of the Duke knew that Jiang Qingzhi was saving face for herself... She didn't even know that someone had planted a secret agent around her only son. If the person behind the scenes wanted to kill Zhu Shitai, it would be easy for him to do so.
Jiang Qingzhi walked outside and heard a stern shout from inside, "Beat him!"
"Why bother?"
Upon hearing the news, Zhu Xizhong hurried back home.
"Who is it?" the old dude asked murderously.
The Duke's wife bowed, "It's all my fault. Su Xiang's mother was someone I brought from my mother's family. I thought I knew her inside out, but who knew her husband was bribed outside, and the whole family became spies for others."
Zhu Xizhong's expression eased after hearing this, "It's not your fault."
The Duke's wife smiled bitterly, "After being tortured, the whole family spoke. The person behind this has not been in contact since the Linqing Marquis's Mansion rejected the marriage proposal..."
"Their goal is to destroy the Duke's Mansion!"
Zhu Xizhong said coldly: "I only have one son, Dalang. He has a chronic illness and often goes crazy. This news is now spreading all over the outside world. Those families who were interested in marriage in the past now stay away from me. Hey! Times have changed, damn it!"
"This is a feud with the Duke's Mansion!" The Duke's wife gritted her teeth and said, "Of course my family won't do that. So then..."
Zhu Xizhong sighed, "You only saw that the Duke's Mansion has been honored and favored by several emperors, but you don't know how many people the Dukes have offended behind the scenes."
The Duke's wife was startled, "You mean..."
Zhu Xizhong's eyes were deep, "Do you think the emperor would trust a mansion of the Duke of Chengguo that doesn't offend anyone, or a mansion of the Duke of Chengguo that has many enemies?"
"Checks and balances!" The Duke's wife gasped.
"The heart of an emperor is like a needle in the sea!" Zhu Xizhong said, "Over the years, the Chengguo Mansion seems to be thriving, but the number of enemies is increasing. Those people often attack me in the court. Privately... have you forgotten that our business was targeted a few years ago?"
The Duke's wife suddenly realized, "Those are the people?"
Zhu Xizhong nodded, "The man behind the scenes bribed Su Xiang's family to be his spies, and this time he couldn't help but use them. It seems cruel to ruin Da Lang's reputation. But Madam, Da Lang is still here, not dead, understand?"
The Duke's wife was horrified, "Yes, I know. If that person is determined, Dalang will be in danger."
"Thanks to Qingzhi!" sighed the Duke's wife.
"What my brother hates most is the petty intrigues among the rich and powerful. He once said that what he hates most is the infighting within the family. Moreover, whenever he hears about any infighting within the family, he will definitely stay away from it."
Zhu Xizhong smiled and said, "He is so smart, he naturally knows that there is a lot behind this matter. But he still came, just for Dalang's sake."
"His methods, unraveling the mystery..."
"Qingzhi once said that the use of troops is nothing more than a battle of wits between the two sides. Whoever can figure out the opponent's mind will win." Zhu Xizhong said: "All the brave generals under Altan Khan were defeated by him. What do you think of a maid in the backyard fighting with him..."
"That's asking for trouble!"
"That's enough. The whole family doesn't even need to thank me. I'll just give him a few more glasses of wine later. Also, my sister-in-law is pregnant, and there's no one to take care of her at home. If you have time, go and look after them."
"I know what's going on. I'll be right back."
The Duke's wife nodded and said sadly, "It's just Dalang's marriage...ah!"
When Jiang Qingzhi returned home, he actually saw several old palace maids.
"Greetings, Lord Earl!" The female official who led the team saluted, "We are here on orders." She pointed at a few old palace maids and said, "These people have served pregnant nobles. His Majesty ordered them to come to the Earl's Mansion often to inquire about it. By the way, His Majesty also said that men should not stay at home and indulge in love affairs. I am here to take care of these matters."
"But aren't you also in Xiyuan?" Jiang Qingzhi muttered, turning back and ordering, "Send some of the pickled vegetables I made to Xiyuan."
Daoye has had a poor appetite recently and doesn’t eat much at each meal.
"Yes." The cook was so happy that he wished he could deliver it himself.
On her way back, the female official delivered the sauerkraut to Yongshou Palace.
"Long Wilbur said it was a good appetite. Besides, Long Wilbur said that the situation in the north is nothing more than a matter of fighting against the enemy and covering the water with earth. Your Majesty need not worry about it."
Emperor Jiajing looked at the jar of pickled cabbage and smiled, "You idiot!"
(End of this chapter)
