Chapter 109: They Know Nothing! (First Update)

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“This makes no sense at all. Why would he suddenly go to the Lin family to propose marriage?” Madame Meng clenched her teeth and, after restraining herself several times, finally slammed her palm forcefully on the table.

The steward lowered his head, hesitant to meddle in the affairs of his masters.

Madame Meng bit her lip quietly, taking several deep breaths before finally straightening up and turning to ask, “Has the old madam been informed of this matter yet?”

“The old madam probably didn’t know beforehand either. I only ran into Steward Qin chasing after them in front of the Lin residence just now. But by now, Steward Qin should have already informed the old madam,” the steward replied.

Madame Meng’s eyes flickered, as if weighing her options. After a moment, she weakly waved her hand, “I understand. You may leave now.”

“Yes, I take my leave!” The steward cupped his hands and bowed before withdrawing.

Shurong, standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to help Madame Meng back to her seat and poured her a cup of water.

Madame Meng seemed somewhat distracted, but Shurong waited for a long time without seeing her come up with any strategy, so she finally decided to reveal the gossip she had just overheard. “Madam, aren’t you planning to intervene to stop this?”

Madame Meng’s two senior maids were loyal, but since they had joined the household later, they were not her most trusted confidantes.

The only one she truly trusted was Mistress Qian, who had come as part of her dowry from her natal family. When her eldest daughter, Wu Qingxue, married off to Yuanzhou City two years ago—since it was a distant marriage—she was uneasy and sent Mistress Qian and her husband to accompany Wu Qingxue.

Mistress Qian had been her most reliable aide and knew all the inner workings. Now, since that couple was no longer around, it became difficult for Madame Meng to manage matters discreetly behind the scenes.

She would never confide fully in Shuqin or Shurong.

Madame Meng noticed some hidden meaning in Shurong’s words and looked up at her with displeasure.

Shurong hesitated, “I just overheard the servants saying that the Lin family’s young lady only got engaged to the Second Young Master of the Prince of Ping’s family the day before yesterday. Then, yesterday, something happened on the street—it seems she was abducted by someone—and this morning the Prince’s residence went to the Lin family to call off the engagement…”

“What?” Madame Meng immediately lost her composure, jumping up and grabbing Shurong’s shoulders, demanding fiercely, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier about such a serious matter? Has that boy gone mad, taking on such a scandal himself?”

Shurong felt wronged: “I just heard it when I went to the kitchen to fetch chicken soup for you. Madam, the Lin lady’s reputation is ruined now. If the Second Young Master really marries her, how will he maintain his standing? It’s not something trivial. I think you should hurry and discuss this with the old madam, ask her to intervene and stop it.”

Madame Meng released her and gave a disdainful cold laugh. “Do you think I can count on her?”

She slowly sat back down, pouring herself another cup of water.

Seeing her sit so calmly, Shurong grew more anxious. “This concerns the Second Young Master and the entire marquisate’s reputation in the future. Although the old madam once had a good impression of the Lin young lady, she wouldn’t just allow something like this, right?”

Madame Meng glanced sideways, replying with a question, “Do you think she still doesn’t know?”

Shurong was stunned.

Madame Meng’s eyes darkened as she stared at the sunlight streaming in through the door. She said grimly, “If she really wanted to intervene, I wouldn’t have to beg her. If she doesn’t want to, me going to her would just be a waste of time.”

Shurong suddenly understood.

Indeed, the old madam had never taken kindly to Madame Meng. Once she made up her mind about something, she never listened to Madame Meng’s opinions, whether in agreement or opposition.

“Well...” Shurong hesitated, “the more I think about it, the stranger this matter seems. Why would the Second Miss suddenly become so generous as to empty the family coffers to provide a bride price for our Second Young Master? It seems like a trap. Madam, do you think the Second Young Master has been deceived by the Second Miss? Perhaps you should send someone to the Lin family. Even if you can’t make a big scene, at least remind the Lin young lady about the situation. He only returned last night, so he may not know the full story yet…”

Before she could finish, Madame Meng shot her a sharp glare. “My son isn’t that stupid!”

She knew her son well. She had four children in total. Apart from Wu Qingrui, who was still young, the most decisive and sensible among the others was Wu Qingyu.

If it wasn’t his own idea... even if Wu Tan spoke endlessly, she wouldn’t be able to sway him!

But if it really was Wu Qingyu’s own decision, even Madame Meng herself could not comprehend it.

What could be wrong with this child’s mind? Was it really destiny that forced her son to wade into the Lin family’s muddy waters?

Just thinking about the Lin family gave her a headache.

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She still vividly remembered the scene when she first arrived in the capital with her children, and the Lin family patriarch came with his entire household to cause a commotion...

Recalling that, Madame Meng suddenly couldn’t hold back a smile.

Shurong was puzzled and thought she had lost her mind. “Madam, what are you laughing at?”

Madame Meng opened her eyes and glanced at her, then, in a lighter mood, began to recount the old story.

She said, “When I first came to the capital, because my husband was trying to legitimize me, the Lin family showed up and made such a ruckus. That was the only time I ever saw our master so embarrassed—he was scolded mercilessly by the Lin patriarch and was completely unable to hold his head high…”

She sighed deeply.

Shurong’s expression twisted slightly, and she murmured, “Are you happy or angry about this?”

“What’s there to be unhappy about? Their scolding was aimed at someone else, not me!” Madame Meng said. Recalling this old matter, which she hadn’t mentioned for a long time, felt like recounting someone else’s story. She sneered coldly, “But it’s funny. The Lin patriarch always fancied himself a rare man of insight, yet when he came to stir up trouble, thinking he’d gotten his revenge, they didn’t even know what had really happened!”

Shurong had only been in the household a little over four years and knew very little of the past. What she knew was like any outsider—

The old madam disliked the master legitimizing a concubine; the Lin family resented the Wu family for not taking good care of their treasured daughter, Lin Wan-niang, who died young.

Though Madame Meng’s words sounded strange, Shurong didn’t think much of it, her mind focused on the present matter. She couldn’t help but confirm again: “Are you really going to just let the Second Young Master go to the Lin family without interference?”

“The Lin patriarch is stubborn and proud. If he still remembers the past, he would never stoop to this!” Madame Meng said, her fingers tightening around the cup, her eyes growing resolute and fierce.

How laughable! That man made her the marquise in name only, turning her into a puppet after all these years.

Out in the world, she was looked down upon; at home, she was constantly restrained by the old madam’s power, always having to watch her temper; and now she was utterly powerless regarding her children’s affairs—not a single bit of influence!

At this moment, at the Lin residence, Mistress Li anxiously led Wu Qingyu inside.

She was unsure of the patriarch’s attitude, but with all the recent commotion, the crowd outside was still gathered, eager to see how things would end.

You can’t strike someone’s friendly face—now that the Wu family’s son had brought the bride price and politely come to propose, she could not afford to be neglectful.

Although she had sent someone to invite Lin Xiucheng, it was obvious he wouldn’t be back anytime soon, so she took the boy directly to the patriarch.

Though the venerable lord hadn’t left his study all day, servants had brought him news of the commotion.

Mistress Li nervously brought both Hu Tianming and Wu Qingyu to the door, expecting the patriarch might refuse to see Wu Qingyu. Unexpectedly, the page boy at the door immediately summoned them both inside.

Mistress Li waited anxiously in the courtyard.

Inside the study, the patriarch was practicing calligraphy. Once the page boy served tea, he quietly withdrew.

“Student greets Master!”

“I am Wu Qingyu of the Marquis Dingyuan’s household, paying respects to the venerable lord!”

Both bowed deeply.

The patriarch paused his brush, sat back, raising a hand: “Sit down.”

“Thank you, Master!” Hu Tianming gave thanks and sat down in a chair at the side. Wu Qingyu stepped back but did not sit; he stood tall and respectful.

There was more than a generation between him and the patriarch, and since this was his first formal visit with a marriage proposal intent, he observed strict etiquette.

The patriarch glanced at him from the corner of his eye, expression unreadable, took a sip of tea, then nodded at Hu Tianming: “Jingxi, these past few days you have come repeatedly on my family’s behalf. This old bone of mine is truly ashamed. Please accept my thanks.”

Jingxi was Hu Tianming’s courtesy name, known to few outside—and fewer still with the right to address him thus.

Hu Tianming spoke formally, cupping his hands: “Master, you flatter me. I dare not claim such merit! You have been a mentor and benefactor; running errands and easing your burden is my duty. But time is pressing; let us get to the point. I am here regarding Miss Yanyao’s matter yesterday. I have basically sorted out the case…”

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He then pulled a bundle of case documents from his sleeve, stood, and handed them both to the patriarch.

As the patriarch flipped through the papers, Hu Tianming continued, “Based on the investigation and Miss Yanyao’s testimony yesterday, I believe Brother Lin’s earlier judgment was correct. It was likely a paid hit by the Jiang family. The two assailants were ruthless criminals with multiple murders, but both are now dead, so direct testimony against the Jiang family as mastermind is impossible. However, according to Miss Yanyao, the old woman who falsely delivered news to the Lin residence yesterday morning is a clue. I am here to ask for your thoughts. If you wish to pursue this further, time is of the essence. I will immediately lead the household guards to search the Prince of Ping’s mansion to find the culprits, or find an excuse to interrogate the Jiang family’s attendants to get a confession.”

Such matters often are like this: if you proceed strictly by the rules, you may struggle for breakthroughs. But if you temporarily ignore constraints and verify facts, uncovering the whole truth is not so hard.

Whether it is Jiang Pingzhi’s scheme against Lin Yanyao or the recent murder of the top scholar at Zhuque Tower, how difficult could it be to investigate? If Hu Tianming dared to storm the Prince of Ping’s and Princess Qingyang’s mansions, snatch Jiang Pingzhi and Li Xun’er’s trusted servants, and interrogate them harshly, he’s fully confident they’d talk.

But doing so would break protocol, risk enmity with two powerful households, and almost certainly lead to impeachment and dismissal.

Clearly, Hu Tianming’s willingness to say this to the venerable lord shows he was ready to risk everything for the Lin family.

The patriarch examined the documents. His granddaughter had narrowly escaped death, naturally making him furious, though his expression was calm. After Hu Tianming finished, he slowly said, “Don’t let personal vendettas spoil the official domain. You have done enough for the Lin family these days. Since it ended without disaster, as long as Yao returns safely, we will deal with our private grievances ourselves. This file is fine; proceed with filing it according to your usual procedure.”

He handed back the documents.

Hu Tianming was about to retrieve them when Wu Qingyu stepped forward respectfully, “Venerable Lord, Prefect Hu, may I take a look at this file?”

Hu Tianming said nothing but looked to the patriarch.

After a moment’s consideration, the patriarch tossed the file onto the table.

Wu Qingyu bowed, then quickly skimmed through the documents. After reading, he returned the file respectfully and stepped back, bowing again. “Venerable Lord, Prefect Hu, though I may be overstepping, may I speak?”

Hu Tianming waited silently, watching the patriarch’s reaction.

In truth, the patriarch disliked Wu Qingyu—not for other reasons but because he was the son of Wu Xun and Madame Meng. Seeing him stirred unease.

However, the young man’s manners and discipline were pleasing, so while he maintained a cold demeanor, he didn’t embarrass Wu Qingyu. Now he considered and nodded: “Speak.”

Wu Qingyu bowed again and spoke politely, “May I ask, Venerable Lord, do you mean that since there is no concrete evidence, the matter concerning Miss Yanyao’s incident is not to be pursued further?”

The patriarch nodded, “The government needs evidence to pass judgment. This matter has no basis for further investigation.”

Wu Qingyu nodded, then turned to Hu Tianming: “Prefect Hu, I have an improper request. Could you amend the file slightly?”

Hu Tianming frowned, “How do you want it changed?”

Wu Qingyu said, “At the inner city, only someone witnessed the carriage being abducted by bandits; no actual injury occurred then. The later driver’s murder and bandits’ capture happened outside the city. There were no other witnesses; only my cousin was on the carriage at the time. I would like Prefect Hu to revise the first part of the file accordingly. I will provide an additional statement admitting that I sent someone to escort my cousin out of the city, where the bandits attacked. As for the Lin family uncle reporting to the authorities, you can consider him uninformed, mistakenly believing his daughter was abducted by bandits, prompting the report. Would this be acceptable?”

If it was Wu Qingyu who escorted Lin Yanyao away, then the abduction by bandits never truly happened—it was merely a rather excessive prank played by the Wu family’s second son.

Since the two families were relatives, this explanation, though somewhat damaging to Wu Qingyu and the Wu family, at least completely extricated Lin Yanyao from the ordeal.

After all, now that the Wu family had come forward to propose, even admitting that Wu Qingyu played a cruel joke on the Lin family’s daughter, at worst it meant he had stolen the Jiang family’s marriage alliance.

Hu Tianming thought the Lin family would have no reason to refuse this proposal if they wished to preserve their daughter’s reputation, though it would certainly hurt the Wu family’s pride.

However, since it was not his decision, he only looked to the patriarch and said, “Master, what do you think?”

——Side note——

Brother Yu: Oh dear, bowing to her wife and grandfather has left my back aching—I can’t straighten up…

This novel is first published here; please do not repost!