The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 267: Not Qualified to be Part of the Chu Family

Chapter 267: Not Qualified to be Part of the Chu Family

The dowager slammed her palm on the table, her demeanor imposing, "What’s the rush? In the capital, which family has it easy? If you’re afraid, then you’re not qualified to be part of our Chu family!"

Chu Hanming shrugged his shoulders, somewhat timidly muttering, "Mother, I’m not afraid. It’s just that there have been too many incidents recently, and things have been restless."

"Our children, every one of them has potential. What’s strange about someone being envious and causing trouble?" The dowager snorted, her expression calm.

Chu Hanlin also said, "Second Brother, even if you’re farming in the village, if you have a good harvest, there will still be people jealous and trying to sabotage. Our mansion has encountered such things before. There’s no need to panic too much."

Chu Hanming nodded. With his big brother in front, he indeed didn’t need to be too afraid.

Now that the Marquis of An’yang’s Mansion was flourishing, such incidents were quite common.

Chu Ye asked, "Your Highness, since someone is targeting our mansion, do we have any clues? Have we traced who is behind this?"

With his wife pregnant and needing to rest, they couldn’t remain passive all the time.

Ye Siheng nodded slightly, "We’re investigating."

"The person behind this has gone to great lengths to target others. Since you all have hidden guards protecting you when you go out and talismans protecting you, be more careful recently to avoid giving others a chance," Nanli reminded.

The people nodded solemnly, keeping her words in mind.

Nanli and Ye Siheng didn’t stay long and returned to the Prince’s Mansion.

It was already dark, and it was time for dinner.

The maids brought in dishes one after another.

The fragrance wafted, and Nanli had a good appetite, eating quite a lot.

But Ye Siheng still occasionally picked up food for her, "Eat more. You were frightened today."

"Not really," Nanli said. "I believed in Third Brother from the beginning. And when I saw someone at the Ministry of Justice, I became even more convinced of Third Brother’s innocence and confirmed who the real murderer was."

Ye Siheng raised an eyebrow, "Judging by the face?"

Nanli smirked, "That’s right. He committed a heinous crime, and his facial features gave him away. But the problem is how to clear Third Brother’s name."

Ye Siheng put down his chopsticks with a hint of disdain, "I didn’t expect someone to try to fight against the odds. They must think they have a long life."

"It’s not exactly fighting against the odds. If the aura of the death curse had dissipated completely, I wouldn’t have any means to deal with it." Nanli also finished eating and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "It’s just that the person who cast the curse is limited in ability, so they left this gap."

Ye Siheng looked at her, the candlelight shining softly. The childishness had faded from her face, and now she appeared even colder and more charming.

His heart pounded a few times faster.

He blamed himself for his lack of self-control, turned his head away from her, and said, "Earlier, you mentioned that Fan Guizong seems to be studying these occult symbols and formations. Could it be him?"

"Very likely," Nanli’s gaze turned serious.

At this moment, Qing Feng entered from outside, with a slight chill still clinging to him.

"Your Highness, the list of people we investigated is ready."

He handed it over with both hands.

"So fast." Nanli took it, opened it, and glanced inside. It was a list of the low-ranking officials and scholars who were present outside the courtroom today. "No omissions?"

"No, I have a reputation for having a good memory. Everyone present today is remembered," Qing Feng said with some pride in his voice.

"Today, that evil talisman suddenly ignited, indicating that someone tried to destroy the evidence from afar. We can start from here and uncover the person behind the scenes," Nanli said seriously.

She didn’t want to alert the enemy by making a fuss about it at the time.

Qing Feng adjusted his expression, "I understand. I’ll make sure to investigate each of them thoroughly and quickly bring the culprit to light."

"Leave it to Qingyang to handle," Ye Siheng ordered. At the same time, his face turned cold, devoid of any warmth in his eyes. "Summon all the servants to the front yard."

Without asking further, Qing Feng passed on the order. Soon, the front yard was crowded with servants.

Although the mansion only had Ye Siheng and Nanli as the masters, there were still quite a few servants, totaling over a hundred people. Even in the Liuli Pavilion, there were over ten maidservants, although only a few could enter the main house.

Rainbow and Chunbao were among them. Like the others, they were anxious, wondering what had happened.

Normally, household affairs were Nanli’s responsibility as the princess, but she was often busier than Ye Siheng. So, besides managing state affairs, Ye Siheng also took care of the household affairs.

"What’s going on?" Nanli was puzzled.

"There’s someone who’s been blabbering," Ye Siheng said.

Nanli suddenly realized. She had heard that Sun Yaozu had revealed their private matters, which prompted Third Brother to hit him. She had been thinking about the case all day and momentarily forgot about this trivial matter.

But in Ye Siheng’s eyes, this was not trivial. The people in the inner courtyard had been carefully selected and investigated. Now that their privacy, which he and Alina had not yet consummated, had been leaked and exploited, it was a serious matter.

A guard brought a chair to the corridor.

Ye Siheng was already wearing black clothes, and with the darkness of the night, his extremely handsome face was now filled with a gloomy expression.

As soon as he sat down, a sense of oppression enveloped the servants, and their hearts trembled, burying their heads even deeper.

He didn’t interrogate them verbally, instead instructing the guards, "Take action."

The guards acted swiftly. Except for Rainbow and Chunbao, all the maidservants from the Liuli Pavilion were dragged out.

The steward’s face was cold as she said, "You all serve in the Liuli Pavilion, yet you spread the master’s affairs outside. Speak up, who has such loose lips?"

The maidservants all knelt down, crying out their innocence.

Ye Siheng, holding a teacup, was not patient. "Since none of you want to admit it, you will all be punished together. Get out of the mansion."

Not taking their lives was already his greatest mercy.

The maidservants pleaded tearfully. Serving in the Prince’s Mansion not only had good treatment but also gave them face when they went out. They didn’t want to be kicked out.

Most importantly, in the Prince’s Mansion, either no punishment was given, or it was severe. They couldn’t compare to the young ladies outside. How could they withstand it?

In a situation where no one admitted fault, some began to accuse others, trying to absolve themselves.

It was chaotic, almost unrecognizable.

Nanli walked out, her face showing some impatience. "If I were to use the True Word Talisman to interrogate you, you would probably leave the mansion sideways."

Likewise, she was annoyed by those who talked too much.

If this news hadn’t leaked and been exploited by malicious people, today’s incident probably wouldn’t have happened. Although Third Brother was unharmed in the end, he must have been left with a shadow in his heart.

When it involved her family, she wouldn’t hesitate to take action.

The maidservants glanced at each other, tears still on their faces.

They had been serving in the Liuli Pavilion for some time and knew the princess’s abilities well. Once the True Word Talisman was used, they wouldn’t be able to hold out. So, immediately, two or three maidservants prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling as they said, "It was us who were foolish for a moment and said things we shouldn’t have said."