Lin Qingge, as if surprised by Lin Qingge's sudden question, showed a moment of bewilderment.
At this moment, a woman beside Madam Xing gently exclaimed, "Mother, isn't this the pink pearl from your earring?"
"It… it does seem somewhat similar."
Madam Xing examined it uncertainly, but the woman said with a tone of certainty:
"That pearl earring was bought by Father last year at a great expense from foreigners as a birthday gift for you, Mother.
You liked it so much, didn't you? You wore it almost every day.
Right, when I paid my respects to you this morning, I saw it.
Ah, seeing this object reminds me of Father… he…"
At the end, the woman began to weep again.
After her sobs subsided, she bowed to Lin Qingge, "This humble one, Li Xiaolian, greets Your Excellency. My father's sudden passing has left me overwhelmed with grief. I hope Your Excellency will not take offense at any impropriety."
Lin Qingge suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, but the hand holding the pearl remained frozen in mid-air.
Seeing this, Madam Xing quickly took the pearl and the handkerchief.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. This is indeed my possession.
I was very fond of that pearl earring, but I never expected one of the pearls to fall off today. It must be due to daily wear, causing some wear and tear.
Fortunately, you, Your Excellency, found it.
However, upon reflection, the sudden damage to an item with sentimental value is inauspicious. Perhaps this is Heaven's reminder to me, reminding me that my husband might face disaster today.
If I had paid more attention, perhaps my husband would not have died…
It is all my fault; I caused my husband's death!"
Finding Madam Xing's acting rather exaggerated, Lin Qingge knitted her brows slightly and changed the subject, "Madam Xing, I ask you, did Director Li agree to pay money to buy an official position for that Xing Wanli?"
"This…"
Caught off guard by the succession of questions, Madam Xing's eyes darted around, and she stiffly nodded, "Your Excellency, it is true!
Your Excellency, it is like this.
My nephew, Xing Wanli, is well-versed in literature and brimming with knowledge. However, he is frustrated by his unfulfilled ambition and has nowhere to offer his talents.
Seeing this, my husband could not bear it and wished to find a familiar official to recommend him.
This way, it would not only provide an opportunity for my nephew to display his talents but also allow the court to gain a capable minister."
Lin Qingge glanced at Madam Xing, who spoke these words with a composed face, and finally understood where Xing Wanli's inexplicable confidence came from.
Damn it.
If Madam Xing's words were to be believed, then villains like Shangguan Wanlie, the "Flower Bully," would all be pillars of the nation?
Damn it!
I have seen shameless people, but I have truly never seen anyone more shameless than her!
While Lin Qingge's inner thoughts were racing, Hua Jinrong spoke first, "It is truly a blessing for our Great Xia Kingdom to have a capable talent like Madam Xing's nephew~
However, I wonder which official was the matchmaker and facilitator?
To be honest, my family has some spare money, and I wish to obtain an official post, but I have always lacked an avenue for it~"
"This…"
Madam Xing instinctively looked towards the Jingzhou county magistrate in the distance.
Catching this detail, Hua Jinrong walked up to the Jingzhou county magistrate, fanning himself, and said with a smile, "Magistrate Tang, is it?
You were originally just a blacksmith, but because your sister married into the household of Cheng Tian Prefecture's Prefect Zeng Ji as a concubine, your entire family has ascended to heaven.
In less than a year, you not only gained an official title but also transformed into the Jingzhou county magistrate.
Truly, you have great abilities~"
With every word Hua Jinrong spoke, the Jingzhou county magistrate's complexion turned paler, until he was trembling like a sieve.
Although Jingzhou was information-poor, that was in comparison to the capital city far away.
Jingzhou was under the jurisdiction of Cheng Tian Prefecture. Even if they had intentionally blocked information, his sister was a concubine in the Prefect of Cheng Tian Prefecture's household, and a highly favored one at that. Therefore, he was aware of the news of the Prefect of Cheng Tian Prefecture's demise.
While Hua Jinrong was speaking in veiled terms, Yan Tinghao openly displayed his anger and indignation on his face.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingge, quite ungenerously, added fuel to the fire, "If I'm not mistaken, Magistrate Tang, you must also have had a very good relationship with that Flower Bully Shangguan Wanlie, right?
In other words, Shangguan Wanlie has been preying on the local populace all these years, and Magistrate Tang, if you are not to be credited with hard work, you are certainly indispensable."
"How dare you, Jingzhou county magistrate!
Engaging in the trade of official positions, colluding privately with the Prefect of Cheng Tian Prefecture, treating the authority of the court and the trust of the people as a game, you are utterly unfit to be an official. No, you are committing a grave sin!"
Yan Tinghao declared indignantly, then shook his head and muttered softly, "No, I must have my cousin deal with this fellow later!"
"Fool, do you really think you're just a constable?
As the dignified King of Zhennan, it's perfectly fine for you to kill this Magistrate Tang on the spot."
Lin Qingge incited him, but did not actually intend for Yan Tinghao to do so. Instead, she returned to the main topic, "Between the hours of yi ke past noon and wei ke in the afternoon today, where were you all, and what were you doing respectively?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, at that time, there was an old woman causing trouble at the entrance. Fearing that it would disturb the master and madam, I went to the entrance to help drive her away. Neighbors who passed by can all testify."
The first to answer was the steward, Uncle Wen. According to him, the masters of the household had their lunch early, so the servants would rest and eat after noon. During this time, they would mostly gather in groups of three to five.
Those without time witnesses were Madam Xing and Li Xiaolian, who were resting alone in their rooms, and Xing Wanli, who had gone out and had not yet returned. These three.
"Madam Xing, you say you were alone in your room. Do you have any witnesses?"
"Originally, my maid, Yin Tao, could have testified for me. But that dead girl has been missing since this morning. I don't know where she's gone gallivanting?"
Lin Qingge glanced at Madam Xing and then turned to the daughter of Director Li, "Miss Li, is your personal maid also missing?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, my personal maid requested three days of leave due to an urgent family matter. My daily needs are temporarily being handled by others.
Therefore, the maid who was serving temporarily went to attend to other matters after I rested, and truly had no leisure to attend to me at all times."
"I see."
Lin Qingge nodded, walked past the Jingzhou county magistrate, whose face had turned ashen, and continued her questioning, "Steward Wen, you were the first to discover the deceased?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. This morning, when I passed by the study, I heard the master sighing in the room. I wanted to inquire about the reason and share his worries. But the master merely shook his head and instructed me to withdraw fifty thousand taels of silver notes from the accounting office. After I withdrew the silver notes from the accounting office, the gatekeeper found me and said an old woman was causing trouble at the entrance. I had no choice but to go and handle it. When I returned after dealing with it, and intended to hand the silver notes to the master, I found that the master had, had already breathed his last!"