The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 265: Adding Fifty Taels of Bad Luck

Chapter 265: Adding Fifty Taels of Bad Luck

Elder Cao was already in pain, his complexion not looking good at all. The small official had confessed to cursing someone to death, and the members of the commoner factions were speechless, looking at each other.

They were even more annoyed now. They had thought they could suppress the arrogance of the noble factions, but it turned out they had only hurt themselves in the process.

To save face, one of the commoner students who had been vociferous earlier said, "This person is so ruthless, he should be beheaded in public as a warning to others!"

The other commoner faction members echoed his sentiment.

Even though the small official couldn’t move, his body was trembling.

Ye Siheng looked at Elder Cao. "What is your decision, Elder Cao?"

Elder Cao sighed, covering his heart. "This is a case for the Grand Court. It’s up to Qin Zheng to decide how to judge. I can’t interfere."

"Elder!" The small official regretted not being able to kneel down. "I was confused for a moment. Please save me!"

Elder Cao looked disappointed. "Confused? I’ve always said, killing demands retribution, it’s only natural!"

Qin Zheng had already ordered the small official to be taken to the prison and awaited his fate.

Seeing this, the members of the commoner factions dispersed slowly.

"Third brother, are you alright?" Nanli asked with concern.

Chu Huan, even though he had been vindicated, still felt a lingering fear, his face slightly pale.

He shook his head gently. "I’m fine."

But his hands and feet were still icy.

Sun Yaozu’s body was covered with a white cloth, and Chu Huan asked again, "Sister Six, is his soul still here? Does he know how he died, how he was killed?"

"The curse is very sinister; his soul is probably already dispersed. How could he know?" The fortune-teller answered.

Chu Huan’s heart tightened.

Sun Yaozu might have had a sharp tongue, but he didn’t deserve such a fate.

At this moment, Qing Feng had gone out and returned. He said, "Your Highness, the Black Armor Guards have searched the small official’s home and indeed found the silver notes under his bed. His family has also been questioned, and they were unaware of his actions."

Ye Siheng nodded slightly. "It seems what he said wasn’t false."

"So Your Highness suspected the small official early on and sent someone to investigate?" Qin Zheng was surprised and felt that he, as the Chief Magistrate of the Grand Court, was not doing his job well.

"It was A’Li’s idea," Ye Siheng didn’t take credit.

Before Nanli went to Wanfo Temple, she had ordered him to investigate the small official’s background.

Qin Zheng’s eyes flickered.

When he was investigating the case, seeing Ye Siheng and Nanli appearing together, he actually thought that these two were trying to protect Chu Huan and find a way to clear his name.

So even when Nanli invited Master Lingzhen, he didn’t trust her much.

At the same time, he looked down on Nanli. When her younger brother committed a crime, she was full of complaints about finding the real culprit. But when his own younger brother was in trouble, she was just like any other person, trying to protect her own.

Now that the truth was revealed, Qin Zheng felt deeply ashamed.

"Chu Huan, it was my biased view that almost caused you to suffer injustice. I’m sorry." Although Elder Cao had a bad temper, he had been able to survive in the officialdom for so long, and the commoner factions regarded him as a leader, which meant he had his strengths.

For example, now he knew when to bow his head and admit his mistakes.

Chu Huan was anxious and said, "Elder Cao, please don’t say that. You only wanted to seek justice for Big Brother Sun."

But Ye Siheng saw the truth. "The person behind the scenes is clearly calculating. They chose Sun Yaozu because he was Elder Cao’s student. With Elder Cao’s temperament, he would definitely hold onto Third Brother."

Elder Cao nodded solemnly, realizing that he was also a pawn in this game.

But the person behind the scenes must have targeted the An’yang Marquis’s Mansion and the Prince Yu Mansion. With Ye Siheng’s means, he would definitely expose this person. Elder Cao didn’t need to concern himself with this case; he just needed to wait for the news.

One day, when the case was cleared, Chu Huan naturally didn’t need to stay in the Grand Court, so Ye Siheng and Ye Siheng sent him back to the Marquis of An’yang’s Mansion. Before leaving, Nanli saw Elder Cao’s emotional ups and downs today, so she gave him a heart-protecting pill just in case.

Elder Cao felt even more ashamed; he hadn’t expected Nanli to hold a grudge against him for his earlier aggressiveness. Master Lingzhen felt that he had made a profit from this trip because Nanli had indeed given him a teleportation talisman. He was reluctant to use it and graciously let Ye Siheng send him back.

When the fortune-teller saw Master Lingzhen leaving, he asked Elder Cao to settle the bill. "Thank you for your help today, sir," Elder Cao said. "Give him fifty-six taels of silver."

His attendant was already taking out the money. The fortune-teller waved his hand. "It’s fifty-six taels of silver, to be exact."

Elder Cao frowned. "Why is it fifty taels more? Didn’t we agree on six taels?"

The fortune-teller said seriously, "You asked me to examine the body and determine the cause of death. It’s such bad luck; I feel like fifty taels is too little!"

Elder Cao regretted not asking more questions when he hired him. He waved his hand and could only let his attendant give him the money.

The fortune-teller happily took the money and left. He didn’t go back to continue his street stall but caught up with Master Lingzhen.

"Master, I still have some spare teleportation talismans. Do you have any interest in buying a few?" Master Lingzhen was surprised, scrutinizing the fortune-teller. "You also have teleportation talismans? Did you draw them yourself?"

"Of course, I drew them. Master, haven’t you already seen my skills? The teleportation talismans I draw are no worse than those of Princess Jiuyi." The fortune-teller said, "They cost only five hundred taels each, a reasonable price."

Master Lingzhen continued to stare at him but couldn’t see any brilliance in the fortune-teller’s soul. "Five hundred taels is still expensive; I don’t have that much money. The one Princess Jiuyi gave me is enough for me to play with."

The fortune-teller raised an eyebrow and smiled suddenly. "Well, that’s a pity. My business can’t be completed again." He didn’t delay Master Lingzhen’s return journey and stepped aside.

The Black Armor Guards drove away in a carriage, and the fortune-teller shook his money bag, heading to Chunxi Tavern to buy a pot of cold knife. While drinking, he returned to his small and shabby cottage, smelling of alcohol.

Someone opened the door and saw the fortune-teller’s flushed face and the smell of alcohol. The young man couldn’t help but frown. "Master, what’s so good about the alcohol in the mortal realm?"

It was obviously very pungent.

The fortune-teller’s good mood instantly sank to the bottom when he saw the person. His face fell, and he said, "Why are you here again? Is it so hard for me to live a peaceful life for a few days?"

The young man rolled his eyes. "Master, you’ve been selling your wares in the mortal realm for more than ten years. Haven’t you had enough of this peaceful life? You say you’re in seclusion, but there’s been no movement on Yunxiao Peak. The senior brothers are already suspecting that you’re actually just being lazy and thinking of going to Yunxiao Peak to see what’s going on."

The fortune-teller hurriedly asked, "Did you stop them?"

"I didn’t. If I did, could you still be drinking here, Master? If the senior brothers find out that you’ve secretly come to the mortal realm, they will come and take you back as soon as possible," the young man said.

The fortune-teller patted his disciple’s shoulder. "Good disciple, I knew I didn’t choose the wrong disciple!"