Tang Jiaojiao is not at the mansion.
After searching around, I finally learned from the gatekeeper that Tang Jiaojiao had left early in the morning.
Miss Tang is the chief at Duke Yan Mansion, and she never needs to inform anyone before she goes out, so no one knows where she went.
"Send a message to the Eldest Princess!" Tang Ziqian ordered with a stern face while having someone prepare a horse to leave.
"Did sister go to the palace?" Tang Xiaobai jogged behind him and asked.
"Not necessarily," Tang Ziqian "clanged" his blade into its sheath, "It’s fine if she went to the palace—" He didn’t finish, turned to press Tang Xiaobai’s shoulder, "Stay at home obediently, I’m managing outside, don’t make your own decisions, understand?"
Tang Xiaobai grabbed him with his hand, shaking his head hurriedly: "Brother can’t go to the Imperial College! The death of ten Jia San is not worth injuring one student!"
If Tang Jiaojiao went to the palace, it’s okay; the worst scenario would be her going to the Imperial College.
Early today, news came that the Wannian County Office Mortuary caught fire, and at the time, Tang Jiaojiao’s expression wasn’t too good.
Everyone knows that this setup is for Tang Ziqian, but Tang Jiaojiao probably feels it started because of her and has been emotionally unstable.
Especially since Tang Ziqian mentioned nothing about past events during the Chongyang Festival, it gave the other party a chance to elevate Jia San to a wrongful spirit.
With Miss Tang’s temperament, she’s already tried very hard to endure since her brother was schemed against.
The result was that the most crucial evidence—Jia San’s corpse—was burned!
"This was all calculated, brother can’t go!" Tang Xiaobai clung to him tightly.
Going there might result in being falsely accused.
Tang Ziqian pushed away her hand: "But Jiaojiao—"
"You don’t need to go personally!" Tang Xiaobai sighed, "Brother has so many personal soldiers, what are they for? People of our status shouldn’t get involved in brawls or disturbances ourselves." Seeing his surprised look, she explained, "The last sentence was what Ah-sister said!"
At this point, Tang Xiaobai felt a hint that Tang Jiaojiao would not go to the Imperial College anymore.
Tang Jiaojiao didn’t take many people with her today, it’s unlikely she would go looking for trouble on someone else’s turf; if she lost, where would she put Miss Tang’s dignity?
So, she most likely went to the palace to defend her brother.
...
"...Last year during Chongyang, that beggar colluded with bandits to kidnap me, and later, the Capital Prefecture couldn’t find any evidence, or perhaps pretended not to, eventually letting the person go?"
"...That day, they rushed out again, nearly causing me to fall off my horse; no family would have a brother not step up in such a situation, especially when Jia San’s behavior was strange that day and we don’t even know how he died!"
"...Those students only know to study all day; who knows who’s behind bribing them to defend such filthy, lowly scoundrels? Why don’t we see them lighting half a column of incense for soldiers who died in border battles?"
Though she was defending, Miss Tang stood upright, looking proud, her words full of contempt, yet with her stunning beauty, she seemed born to hold others in disdain.
Empress Yuan turned her eyes aside, speaking warmly: "I heard about this case, Your Majesty has already handed it over to the Capital Prefecture and the Imperial Censorate, you don’t need to be anxious, just wait for the news."
Tang Jiaojiao lifted her eyelids, her exquisite, lively eyes staring at Empress Yuan for a bit, then smiled: "Empress won’t handle this?"
Empress Yuan frowned, displeased: "This matter, His Majesty has his own judgment, it’s not within my responsibilities."
Tang Jiaojiao laughed once: "Then I’ll just have to request an audience with the Imperial Concubine."
Empress Yuan’s face suddenly turned gloomy: "What do you want me to do? Send someone to the Imperial College gate to bang gongs and drums, publicizing your kidnapping by a beggar incident?"
Tang Jiaojiao’s smile was as vibrant as a flower: "That is exactly my intention—"
...
"Go to the Imperial College... keep it quiet, if you see Miss Tang, bring her back no matter what!"
After the personal soldiers obeyed the order and set out, Tang Ziqian called for a horse again.
Tang Xiaobai paused for a moment, asking: "Brother, where else are you going?"
Tang Ziqian smiled coldly: "To collect evidence!"
...
"...Last night the corpse was burnt, I can neither find nor think of any evidence to clear my brother of murder charges, but I absolutely won’t allow anyone to disgust my brother or disgust our Duke Yan Mansion using that beggar!"
In Lizheng Hall, the young girl stood gracefully, yet her beautiful eyes were filled with killing intent.
Empress Yuan secretly lamented.
This Tang Jiaojiao, just like her brother, has an unrestrained character, if not agreeing with her, she could really turn and go to Consort Zheng, trampling the face of her, the Empress;
But to agree—
How can this be agreed to? Tang Jiaojiao is clearly acting behind her family’s back, if she agrees, wouldn’t the Eldest Princess of Ji Country and Duke Yan Mansion hold this against her?
The last time she summoned the Second Miss Tang, Duke Yan Mansion and the Gu Family were still suppressing her natal family.
Empress Yuan quietly wiped the sweat from her palm, saying: "You probably don’t know yet, early today, Wannian County Captain Xue Shaoqin submitted a memorial, stating that after examining the beggar’s corpse, he discovered poison, suspecting that the beggar’s death may not necessarily have been caused by Ziqian, the matter is still undecided, no rush."
Tang Jiaojiao looked up in surprise.
She really didn’t know this yet, but—
"The corpse has already been burned, can Xue Shaoqin’s memorial be used as evidence?"
She had just asked when she saw the Empress’s personal maid walk in quickly, whisper a few words beside Empress Yuan’s ear.
Subsequently, Empress Yuan showed a look of astonishment, glancing at her with a very complex expression: "The corpse was not burned—"
...
Thirteen corpses at the Wannian County Office Mortuary were burned, but not including Jia San.
On the twenty-second of the first month, Wannian County Captain Xue Shaoqin submitted a report, stating that Jia San’s body contained poison, suspected to be poisoned before death.
Subsequently, Tang Ziqian personally brought Jia San’s corpse, throwing it at the gate of the Capital Prefecture.
...
"I knew it!" Tang Xiaobai’s eyes shone with excitement, "I knew the body was the most important evidence, Brother is so smart, how could he be unprepared and let the corpse get burned? He must have been prepared all along!"
Li Mu looked indifferent: "Perhaps that’s the case..."
This kind of matter, he was already numb to.
"And that mastermind! Brother found them so quickly, really too impressive!" Tang Xiaobai exclaimed.
Tang Ziqian not only preserved the corpse, but also found the person who poisoned Jia San, coupled with the subtle mention of past Chongyang events, the case instantly reversed, with Duke Yan Mansion turning from lawless, life-disregarding nobles to innocent, wrongly accused victims.
Today is another day of rising brother admiration!
"Do you think that the person who rescued Ah Yuan might have been sent by my brother? Maybe a Hidden Guard or something?" Tang Xiaobai guessed happily.
Li Mu turned his face away: "We’re here."
Tang Xiaobai immediately perked up, eagerly climbing out from the carriage without waiting for assistance, jumping down.
The roof’s wide and high, the gate opens over half the block; blessed and deeply graced, the plaque bears the mark of a winding dragon.
Tang Xiaobai raised her head, looking at the high hanging imperial inscription "Imperial College," and laughed.