Chapter 22 False Accusation: I Don’t Need Your Hypocritical Sympathy

Chapter 22: False Accusation - I Don't Need Your Hypocrisy

Right in front of Qi Hao's mourning hall, the servants of the baron's estate were brought in batches, personally interrogated by Qi Yuan.

The household had numerous servants, and this interrogation dragged on until dawn.

Qi Yuan questioned the servants according to their rank, focusing on the trusted attendants who knew the most about their masters' business.

The servants of Feng Shi and Jiang Yueyi were also summoned. Qi Yuan carefully interrogated Jiang Yueyi's four maids—Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju—but they answered smoothly without slipping up.

Doubt began to grow in Qi Yuan's mind. If Jiang Yueyi really did kill Qi Hao, she might be able to keep her composure without revealing anything, but she'd have to get her people to do it. These four maids couldn't possibly be completely unaware; there must be something to uncover.

Maybe he was wrong. Killing Qi Hao doesn't benefit Jiang Yueyi—why would she do it?

Qi Yuan pushed those thoughts aside and kept his cool, continuing the interrogation.

Finally, he questioned the lowest-ranking servants. They were farthest from the masters and barely ever spoke to them, so there wasn't much to ask. But Qi Yuan was thorough, so he questioned everyone.

As he listened, Qi Yuan took a sip of tea. Just then, an old woman said, "Second Master, there's something I'm not sure I should say."

The household staff had never been intimidated by Qi Yuan, but since he was investigating Qi Hao's death and Feng Shi hadn't stopped him, they reluctantly followed his orders. This old woman, though merely a cleaner, spoke with little respect despite her polite inquiry, her eyes darting around.

Qi Yuan raised his hand, signaling her to speak freely.

"Well, Second Master, it's like this. I'd forgotten, but when you asked if anything unusual had been going on, it reminded me of something. I do the sweeping and cleaning. About a month or two ago, I saw the madam and her maid Qing Lan talking in a secluded corner of the garden. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop—I was just there and couldn't leave..."

Qi Yuan frowned. "Don't beat around the bush."

"I heard Miss Qing Lan say that the madam had a childhood sweetheart before marriage, someone surnamed Yan. I was standing far away, so I didn't catch everything clearly, but what I heard was true—I wouldn't dare lie. That Yan guy even went to the Jiang family to propose, but the madam turned him down herself." The old woman glanced at Qi Yuan. Seeing no reaction, she grew bolder. "I also vaguely heard the madam say something like, 'Kill the master and then go marry him...'"

"Is that so?" Qi Yuan looked at the old woman.

"Second Master, if you don't believe me, ask Miss Qing Lan. I'm not making this up."

Qi Yuan ordered Qing Lan to be brought back. While waiting, Xing An suddenly knelt before Qi Yuan, saying, "Second Master, get justice for the master!"

Xing An was Qi Hao's most trusted aide. He'd already been questioned, but his plea made Qi Yuan's face turn serious.

Before Qi Yuan could respond, Xing An continued, "At first, when you didn't find that packet of arsenic, I didn't think anything was wrong. But now, thinking it over, and especially after what this old woman said, I remember something else. On the night the master died, before he went to sleep, he visited his wife's room and drank some tea there. When he came back, he... And the coincidences that night—first the madam had us bring out the brazier, then the old madam ordered top-grade charcoal sent over..."

Xing An paused, buried his face in his hands, and wept, unable to go on.

Qi Yuan understood the implication even without hearing the rest.

Now, besides the arsenic, all the evidence pointed to Jiang Yueyi.

Qi Yuan was about to send for Feng Shi and Jiang Yueyi when the servant who'd gone for Qing Lan came back—with Qing Lan, and behind her were Jiang Yueyi, Feng Shi, and Zhou Congshen.

Qing Lan had been questioned and let go with the other maids, but Qi Yuan calling her back again immediately made Jiang Yueyi suspicious.

The arsenic was clearly a setup against her—the culprit wasn't going to stop there.

Jiang Yueyi saw it as clear as day.

She couldn't get out of this.

She couldn't even reveal that Qi Hao might not be dead—she had no evidence, no one would believe her, and she didn't want Qi Hao to have a chance to come back with Su Hengniang.

Not knowing if Qi Yuan would torture Qing Lan, Jiang Yueyi naturally went with her. Either way, she was bound to be implicated. She also got Feng Shi, hoping the bad blood between Feng Shi and Qi Yuan would work in her favor—Feng Shi wouldn't fully back Qi Yuan's verdict.

Jiang Yueyi didn't want to face Qi Yuan's judgment alone.

Once everyone was there, Qi Yuan wasted no time repeating what Xing An and the old woman had said to Feng Shi and the others.

Feng Shi's face darkened ominously, but she didn't look at Jiang Yueyi or speak.

Zhou Congshen couldn't help but speak up, but Jiang Yueyi cut him off, saying coldly, "I never said anything about killing him."

If this hadn't come up, Jiang Yueyi would have even forgotten that conversation with Qing Lan. She never expected that words spoken in a secluded spot would be overheard and remembered.

Normally it wouldn't have mattered, but when something goes wrong, everything becomes a problem.

Jiang Yueyi tried to recall what she'd actually said, but she couldn't. Yan Shuo had indeed brought it up—that was true—but she was sure she'd never said anything about killing Qi Hao.

But her words alone weren't enough—there wasn't just the old woman's hearsay, Xing An was also there as a witness.

Compared to the old woman's random bits, Xing An's words were far more damaging.

He was the one closest to Qi Hao.

Jiang Yueyi couldn't understand why Xing An would say such things. Had he planted the arsenic too?

She stumbled back two steps, lost her balance, and collapsed into an armchair, her heart pounding like a drum.

Qing Lan wept, "It's all my fault—I spoke carelessly and implicated the madam. But the madam never said anything like that, nor would she harm the master. If someone needs to be punished, take my life instead!"

Qi Yuan wouldn't let Qing Lan off easily. He ordered her to be taken into custody.

Zhou Congshen was so worked up his forehead was drenched in sweat, but all he could do was plead, "It wasn't her—really, not her. Second Master, don't act rashly. Keep investigating."

At last, Feng Shi, who had been staring at Qi Hao's coffin, spoke. "Lord Qi, what do you think?"

Though expected, Jiang Yueyi's heart sank.

Qi Yuan glanced at Jiang Yueyi, then after a moment's thought, said, "We can't rush to a verdict. We must first report to the court and examine any flaws in the case to avoid a miscarriage of justice."

Jiang Yueyi had been looking away, but at Qi Yuan's words, she turned her head slightly to glance at him, then immediately averted her gaze, as if even looking at him was too much.

Her eyes were moist, holding back tears of grievance, but her gaze was icy.

Qi Yuan met her glare. At first he was puzzled, then it hit him—he believed she was the killer and was about to have her arrested. Of course she'd hate him.

Feng Shi said, "But she is pregnant. If we report to the court..."

Jiang Yueyi gritted her teeth at this. "Mother, it wasn't me. Don't you believe me either?"

Feng Shi was momentarily at a loss. She walked to Qi Hao's coffin and wept before saying hoarsely, "How can I believe you? When the arsenic was found, I didn't believe it was you. I even spoke up for you. But now, they all say it's you..."

Jiang Yueyi rose and approached Feng Shi, her face streaked with tears.

"Don't you know my character, Mother? How could I do something so heinous? The master was my husband—how could I?" Jiang Yueyi sobbed, but beyond that, she had no stronger defense.

"You and Hao'er were never close. I... sigh..." Feng Shi seemed drained of all strength, unable to form complete sentences. She leaned on Zhou Congshen as she wept.

Zhou Congshen had been silent, but now he whispered a few words into Feng Shi's ear. She listened and slowly nodded.

Helped by Zhou Congshen, she sat down. After gathering herself, she said to Qi Yuan, "This is a stain on the estate, but Hao'er was the Chengping Baron. For his sake, and for justice, as you said, we must report it to the court. However, the matter isn't fully resolved, and she is with child. Handing her over now would invite outside criticism of our household. I find that highly inappropriate."

Qi Yuan asked, "Then what does the old madam propose?"

"Let her first give birth to the child in her womb. This is also Hao'er's... only bloodline," Feng Shi said, tears streaming down her face again. "After the delivery, you can decide what to do. Besides, I really don't want to believe she did it. Let's take it slow; things will sort themselves out. There might be other twists. What you've found may not be correct either."

Qi Yuan was noncommittal about Feng Shi's lack of trust.

"Fine, I'll do as the Old Madam wishes," Qi Yuan agreed. "But she is still under suspicion, after all. It's understandable to hold off reporting for now, but she cannot be allowed to move freely in the mansion. Please find a suitable place, Old Madam, and I will have her guarded there."

Feng Shi was already exhausted in mind and body. She waved her hand and said, "Enough, let it be so. I must return first."

Jiang Yueyi saw that Feng Shi had not given up on her after all and had granted her some time. She quickly knelt at Feng Shi's feet. In that brief moment, she had thought of something to say.

"Thank you for your compassion, Mother!" Jiang Yueyi grabbed the hem of Feng Shi's skirt. "I can't defend myself any further without evidence, but I beg you to consider one thing: I don't yet know if my child is a boy or a girl. If I were truly the murderer and killed the master before the child's birth, and if I give birth to a daughter, the title would go to another person. Wouldn't I then have to live at the mercy of others with my daughter?"

Feng Shi was startled. She opened her mouth to speak but only shook her head. After walking a few steps, she said, "From now on, it's up to your own fate."

Only when Feng Shi had walked far away did Jiang Yueyi slowly get up from the ground. Since she was under suspicion, and the maids were all detained aside, no one came to help her for a moment.

Qi Yuan saw her struggling to stand and couldn't bear to watch, so he came over and reached out to help her. But before his hand touched Jiang Yueyi, she pushed him away.

"Don't you pretend to be kind. I can get up myself." Jiang Yueyi bit her lower lip hard. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead, but she still held on.

Qi Yuan fell silent for a beat, then had to order someone to release Qing Lan and let her come.

With Qing Lan's support, Jiang Yueyi finally managed to get up from the ground.

But after this commotion, she was utterly exhausted, and her heart was filled with grief and depression, as if a towering flood was about to drown her.

Suffocating under this flood, she could barely breathe. At last, unable to care anymore, she cursed, "Qi Hao is a heartless creature, who even abandoned his mother. You are also heartless. You two brothers are cut from the same cloth!"

It took Qi Yuan a while to realize she was cursing him. He was somewhat surprised. Her words were strange—Qi Hao was dead, not deliberately abandoning Feng Shi. And Jiang Yueyi was merely his sister-in-law, a chance acquaintance. His arresting her could not be called heartless; it was utterly absurd. He didn't know where this was coming from.

But Qi Yuan did not refute her.

For a moment, no one spoke, leaving only Jiang Yueyi's soft sobbing.

Soon Zhou Congsheng returned from Feng Shi's side. He came to inform Jiang Yueyi of the place she would be staying; Feng Shi had already arranged it.

Jiang Yueyi's expression was not much better when facing Zhou Congsheng. She didn't want to stay there looking at Qi Yuan any longer, so she immediately followed the guide out.

Zhou Congsheng lingered behind, hesitating a few times, but finally couldn't help saying to Qi Yuan, "Second Master, I know you are doing this for our cousin. You are known in the capital for being fair and just, even the emperor trusts you. But this time you have truly wronged an innocent person."

Qi Yuan raised his eyes and said, "I only believe in evidence."

"But the evidence is all wrong and messy." Zhou Congsheng sighed, unable to say more, and could only add, "Cousin's health was very poor. Lately, he was getting worse day by day, sickly and never recovering. We kept it from Aunt. He himself felt he had no will to live. Even without this fire, he wouldn't have lasted long. There's no need for you to wrongly accuse someone on his behalf."

After Zhou Congsheng's rambling words, Qi Yuan's brows knitted tighter. He couldn't help but gaze suspiciously at Zhou Congsheng, but some words remained stuck in his throat and were never spoken.

He knew that Qi Hao's health had always been managed by Zhou Congsheng and his master, Lu Ruohui. Recently, Lu Ruohui had left the capital to practice medicine elsewhere, leaving only Zhou Congsheng here. As a compassionate physician and being Qi Hao's cousin, Zhou Congsheng should never have said that Qi Hao wouldn't live long. It sounded bizarre.

Even Feng Shi had become suspicious yet uncertain of Jiang Yueyi just now. What right did Zhou Congsheng have to insist on clearing her name?

Qi Yuan rubbed two fingers together lightly behind his back. Before this, he had rarely seen Jiang Yueyi. He hadn't even attended Qi Hao's wedding. He had only seen her from a distance once when he went to see Qi Hao. His impression of her was not good—he only knew she was a scheming woman in the inner court, nothing but a beautiful face.

He hadn't expected Zhou Congsheng to back her so strongly. Coupled with the rumor that she had a childhood friend surnamed Yan outside, this Jiang Yueyi made him reassess her.

He couldn't help but suspect that something was off between Zhou Congsheng and Jiang Yueyi, perhaps even related to the cause of Qi Hao's death.

The residence of the Earl of Chengping seemed to be firmly under Feng Shi's control, with everyone in their proper place. But upon closer examination, there were undercurrents stirring; it was not peaceful at all.

Zhou Congsheng waited for Qi Yuan to speak for a long time, but seeing no response, he finally heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head as he walked out. Yet he stopped after a few steps and hesitated, then said, "You will regret this."

After saying this, Zhou Congsheng felt he had spoken out of turn and tried to leave immediately before Qi Yuan could react. At that moment, a young servant ran in from outside and said to Zhou Congsheng, "Bad news! The mistress fainted on the road!"

Hearing this, Zhou Congsheng asked no further questions. He only turned back to glance at Qi Yuan with a gloomy expression, then hurriedly followed the servant.

Qi Yuan stood before the spirit tablet for a while longer. Once the people around had gradually dispersed, he called for Xing De to lead the way. After all, Jiang Yueyi was Qi Hao's widow, his own sister-in-law. If something happened to her now, it would be hard to answer to Qi Hao in the afterlife.