There is a god in the sky

Chapter 197 Who is the Murderer 4

Xiao Ji wanted to summon the concubine's daughter of the Marquis of Zhenyuan for questioning, so he didn't say much to Magistrate Xu.

However, the person he sent did not bring the girl; only an old woman came to report.

"Greetings, Lord Xiao. This old servant serves the Second Miss in the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence. You may ask this old servant any questions you may have."

Xiao Ji cut to the chase: "Where was the Second Miss between 5 PM and 3 PM last night?"

"My daughter went out at the beginning of the hour of You (5-7 PM) and had tea with the daughter of Manager Wu at a teahouse. I heard that they parted ways around the end of the hour of You, and my daughter went home."

This timeframe is roughly the same as what Xiao Ji found out.

He then asked, "Did you young ladies have any conflict with Miss Wu at the teahouse?"

"This... I wasn't serving you here, so I don't know much about it."

The old woman kept her head down, thinking that Xiao Ji couldn't see her face, and thus unaware that she was deliberately hiding something.

Xiao Ji said calmly, "If you are unwilling to tell the truth, then please invite the Second Miss here. I will ask her myself."

Is this a place for respectable young women to come to?

Even if it's just a question, if bad things get out, her daughter's reputation will be ruined.

The old woman said nervously, "My lord, please forgive me, but I just remembered that the two of them seemed to have had some kind of argument."

What was the argument about?

"It seems to be about jewelry and clothes, those are the kinds of things young girls talk about."

"Did you take action?"

"No, no, my daughter never hits anyone."

Xiao Ji sneered, "Don't think I'm deaf. I only need to ask any servant in the Marquis's mansion to find out that the Second Miss is not a good-tempered person."

I heard this news from outside, like a gust of wind.

In other words, everyone already knew about the bad temper of the second young lady of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion.

"My lord, don't listen to the rumors outside. The second young lady is dignified and virtuous. How could she hit someone? Even if she did, it was the other party who struck first."

"So I'm very curious, why did Miss Wu take action? Now that she's dead, your daughter is the last person who had any contact with her. If you can't explain it clearly, I'll have to suspect that she's the murderer."

The old woman was so frightened that she shouted back, "Sir, you can't talk nonsense! My daughter is innocent and has absolutely not committed any murder."

Xiao Ji slammed his hand on the table.

"Then tell me honestly, what exactly caused the argument between the two of you? Or would you like me to summon the teahouse staff to confront you?"

The old woman knew she couldn't hide it anymore after hearing this.

The two were arguing so loudly that someone might have overheard them.

She stammered, "The thing is, Miss Wu has taken a liking to my young master and wants to ask you to help us make the match."

Of course my daughter wouldn't agree. Not only is the young master already married, but the two families are not a good match. This isn't matchmaking; it's clearly harming them.

Miss Wu scolded my daughter for being heartless and said she would never associate with her again. My daughter was naturally angry, so she pushed her, and then they started fighting.

But don't worry, adults, the two girls' fight was nothing more than a few shoves and pushes; not even a scratch was broken.

Xiao Ji also asked the teahouse staff, who confirmed that the two had parted on bad terms and gone their separate ways.

"Your Excellency is wise. You can ask the gatekeeper of the Marquis's residence. Our carriage returned to the residence at 3:15 PM."

"Okay, you can go back now."

The old woman hurriedly got up, bowed, and left.

Just as she was about to leave, she looked up and said, "My lord, this old servant thinks that Miss Wu may be thinking of doing something drastic."

"Oh? How do you say this?"

"She admires my young master, but her love is unrequited, so it's normal for her to be depressed."

Furthermore, she deliberately chose Qixiu Workshop, definitely to annoy the people of our Marquis's residence.

Xiao Ji actually found her words to make sense.

"I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

After the old woman left, Sui Feng spoke up, "If there is such a connection, it is very possible that what she said is true."

What do you think is the likelihood of dying from jumping from the third floor?

"If he landed headfirst, he probably wouldn't survive."

Xiao Ji raised his hand and ordered, "Go to the Wu family and bring Madam Wu and the maid who usually serves Miss Wu. I have some questions to ask."

The person was brought over quickly, and Xiao Ji asked directly, "Miss Wu, do you have a man you like? Has your family arranged a marriage for you?"

Madam Wu was taken aback at first, then sighed.

"To be honest, my lord, Qing'er has someone she loves, and they are very much in love. However, they are not well-matched in terms of social status, so there is no possibility of marriage."

"Could it be the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's household?"

"Yes," Madam Wu sighed. "I've hit her, I've scolded her, I've said everything I could, but that silly girl is so absorbed in it that she won't listen to anyone."

"In that case, it is understandable that she chose to commit suicide by jumping off the building of Qixiufang because she could not have the one she loved."

Madam Wu's eyes widened, and she said sharply, "No! Impossible! Qing'er couldn't have committed suicide! She's not that kind of person."

Madam Wu spoke at length about her daughter, who was strong-willed and resolute, and would never commit suicide.

"She said during the New Year that even if she couldn't be the wife, she would be willing to be a concubine to enter the Marquis's mansion."

If my husband and I hadn't both disagreed, she might already be married into the Marquis's household.

"This does not mean that she won't have a moment of despair."

Madam Wu burst into tears.

"If I had known it would turn out this way, I would have just granted her wish and let her become my concubine."

"Do the two of them meet frequently?"

Mrs. Wu covered her face and said, "I don't know. I don't know when they started. It's all my fault. I was too lax in keeping an eye on her."

Girls from wealthy families were strictly separated from boys after the age of seven, in order to avoid such things from happening.

A teenage girl plunges headlong into what she believes to be love, unaware that it's a dead end.

Whether she took her own life or was forced into it remains to be seen.

After seeing Madam Wu off, Xiao Ji still had one last question.

He quietly gave Suifeng a task, and then went back to his residence first.

Xiao's mother is preparing a congratulatory gift.

Upon seeing Xiao Ji return, she scolded him playfully, "You didn't come home all night again. I thought you stayed at the Zhao residence, but it turns out you were busy with a case."

"Mother, what are you saying? Why would I stay overnight at the Zhao residence?"

Xiao's mother glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Of course I want to hold my grandson as soon as possible."

Xiao Ji didn't respond.

He had never really thought about this; he found it hard to imagine what it would be like to have children in the future.

What gift is Mother preparing for the New Year?

"It's Madam Tong's birthday, and the invitation has already been sent. I need to list out the gifts in advance to avoid being caught off guard later."

After thinking for a moment, Xiao's mother asked with a puzzled look, "Now that you are also a member of the officialdom, you should prepare a gift on your own. What do you want to give?"

Xiao Ji gave her his invitation, saying, "Mother can decide what to do."

When Xiao's mother saw that he had received a separate invitation, she smiled and said, "It seems that the Tong family values ​​you quite a bit."

“This invitation was sent by someone from the Zhao family, and Mother knows what that means.”

Xiao's mother didn't know much about court affairs, only that the Tong family was the maternal grandparents' family of the Crown Prince.

“When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Tong family will be in great glory. It’s not surprising that the Zhao family is close to the Tong family. I think your in-laws value your future very much.”