"Slap!"
Zhong Li raised her hand and caught the whip thrown by Marquis Anping.
"You!" Marquis Anping hadn't expected her to react so quickly. He roared, "You scoundrel, you're just a Temple Official, and you dare to..."
"Dare to what?" Zhong Li scoffed. "Lord Marquis is in charge of the Ministry of Works, and Dali Temple handles murder cases. I and Lord Marquis do not belong to the same department. That's the first point. Second, there is a murder case in Marquis Anping's mansion, and everything related to the case should be under the jurisdiction of Dali Temple.
It's true that Marquis Anping's mansion belongs to you, Lord Marquis, but above the mansion is the criminal law of this Southern Yue Kingdom. Treating your servants like this, aren't you afraid I'll accuse you of forced confession or killing innocent people?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"You!" Zhong Li's lecture left Marquis Anping not only losing face but also speechless to retort. Gritting his teeth, he said, "If that's the case, then according to what Temple Official Zhong means, you can thoroughly investigate and find the killer?"
"Yes! I can!" Zhong Li coldly spat out two words.
Marquis Anping sneered, "You can? How long will it take? A year or half a year? Do you think I have that much patience to wait for you?"
Zhong Li pondered for a moment, then held up five fingers and said, "Five days. I will give Marquis Anping an explanation in five days."
"Good, then I shall spare them for now and give you five days. If this case is not solved, I don't think you should continue being a Temple Official. You can go and apologize to the Tao family on my behalf! Hmph!" Marquis Anping said, dropping his long whip and turning to enter the study.
Xu Qiu glanced at Zhong Li, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately sighed and followed him into the study.
Zhong Li walked to the three servants, who were beaten within an inch of their lives, and signaled Hua Yao to carry them back to the servants' quarters, leaving a few bottles of wound medicine before preparing to leave.
"Temple Official Zhong!"
The cook, one of the servants, propped herself up and called out to stop Zhong Li.
"Aunty, what is it? Oh..."
As Zhong Li turned, the cook staggered to her feet, preparing to kneel before her. Zhong Li and Hua Yao quickly helped her up and said, "You are still injured, so there's no need for formalities."
The cook nodded honestly and lay back on the bed.
Zhong Li pulled Hua Yao along a few steps, then suddenly remembered something and turned back to look at the cook, saying, "I do have something I'd like to ask Aunty."
The cook looked up at Zhong Li, puzzled.
"May I ask how long you have been in the Marquis's mansion?"
"Over ten years, perhaps? Eight years ago, Marquis Anping's mansion changed a large batch of servants. Fortunately, this old servant was appreciated by the Marquis and was not replaced," the cook replied truthfully.
"Then... do you know about the Third Madam in the back courtyard, Changsun Tang?"
"What?" The moment Zhong Li finished speaking, the cook looked astonished.
...
The cook sat at the table, holding a freshly brewed cup of tea. "Although I don't know how the case Temple Official Zhong is investigating involves the Third Madam, who has been dead for so many years, since Temple Official Zhong asked, this old servant is willing to tell you everything I know."
"It has been almost nine years since the Third Madam came to Marquis Anping's mansion," the cook took a deep breath, a slight smile forming on her lips. She seemed to recall memories from her time in the mansion. "Back then, the Marquis's temper wasn't as tyrannical as it is now. The Third Madam was the gentlest woman I had ever seen.
The Marquis's principal wife, the First Madam, was a match arranged in childhood. The Marquis didn't have deep feelings for her. Later, when the Marquis rose to prominence in court, he married the Second Madam, who was beneficial to his career. As for the Third Madam, the Marquis brought her back from outside.
When she was brought into the mansion, the Third Madam was ill. The Marquis personally took care of her for a while until she recovered. After that, the Marquis proposed to the Third Madam's family.
Logically speaking, for a woman of ordinary peasant background like the Third Madam to marry into the Marquis's mansion as a concubine was already a great blessing. Many women would have eagerly squeezed their way into the Marquis's embrace, but the Third Madam was different. Since marrying the Marquis, this servant rarely saw her leave her courtyard to bother the Marquis."
"Was it because the illness was not completely cured?" Zhong Li recalled that both Xu Qiu and Chun Ping had mentioned that Changsun Tang died of illness.
"No!" The cook's firm denial surprised Zhong Li greatly.
"Everyone in the courtyard knows how well the Marquis treated the Third Madam. After the Third Madam finally recovered her health, why would the Marquis make her sick again?"
"Then?" Hua Yao, sitting at the table, couldn't hide her curiosity upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask.
The cook swallowed a few times, thought for a while, and shook her head. "This servant doesn't know. This servant only remembers that the Third Madam seemed to be pregnant, and then she died."
"What?" Hua Yao could hardly believe her ears. What was this about, dying after being pregnant? How did she die? A miscarriage? An accident, or something else?
Receiving Hua Yao's probing gaze, the cook sighed, "Temple Official Zhong, Miss Hua, it's not that this old servant is holding back, but some things have been locked away in the Third Madam's courtyard. Outsiders don't know. This is all this old servant knows.
Those who knew the whole story, like the Third Madam's maidservant Qiuju, were all dismissed by the Marquis long ago. Now, so many years have passed, and who knows if they are alive or dead."
"It's alright!" Zhong Li smiled faintly at the cook and said, "This information is enough."
With that, she pulled Hua Yao and they walked out of the servants' quarters.
Because they left the Marquis's mansion late, the coachman from Dali Temple was on shift at the Hai hour, and it would take a while for someone to pick them up.
The two could only wait in the pavilion in the back courtyard.
Fortunately, it was early spring, and there were no swarms of mosquitoes and flies. Otherwise, Zhong Li felt she would have been a meal for the mosquitoes at this time.
"Miss Hua!" As they admired the fish swimming in the lake under the moonlight, a voice sounded from behind them.
Zhong Li didn't turn around, as the call wasn't for her, but she recognized the voice as Xu Qiu's.
"Steward Xu, how is it?" Hua Yao turned back and asked.
Xu Qiu's gaze swept over Zhong Li, and he cupped his hands towards Hua Yao, saying, "My master requests your presence."
"Me?" Hua Yao pointed to herself.
Xu Qiu nodded.
Hua Yao looked up at the sky, which had completely darkened, and seemed reluctant.
Xu Qiu smiled and explained, "Don't worry, Miss Hua. My master has something to tell you."
Hua Yao bit her lip and looked at Zhong Li.
Zhong Li then slowly turned around, her calm gaze falling on Xu Qiu, and said, "Yao'er, perhaps Marquis Anping has something else to ask you to attend to."
"But you alone..."
"I'm fine. Besides, in the time it takes to brew two cups of tea, the carriage should be here soon." Zhong Li comforted Hua Yao.
At the same time, Xu Qiu made a gesture of invitation to Hua Yao.
Hua Yao had no choice but to follow Xu Qiu.
Zhong Li watched them leave, a faint smile playing on her lips. In fact, the moment Xu Qiu called Hua Yao's name, she knew it was Marquis Anping's command. As for the supposed business, to get to the bottom of it, Hua Yao was the apple of General Hua's eye, and Marquis Anping also intended to form a relationship with the Hua family. She couldn't be neglected; she had to be served with good wine and food, especially since no one had eaten at Madam Tao's earlier meal.
As for herself...
Zhong Li watched the small fish in the lake, raising her eyebrows slightly. Marquis Anping would be happier if she froze to death or starved to death.
In the darkness, time always seemed to pass especially slowly.
Seeing that the carriage from Dali Temple was still delayed, Zhong Li, with nothing else to do, walked towards the back courtyard of Marquis Anping's mansion.
Following her memory, she arrived at the courtyard of the Third Madam, Changsun Tang. She had merely intended to take a casual look, but as her fingertip touched the locked gate in front of her, she heard a 'crash'. The lock hanging on the gate fell to the ground, and the door creaked open a crack.