TGCFNM -Chapter 385 Questioning Miss Qi

Chu Ling and Tang Yang went together to the front hall. Only Miss Qi was waiting there, while her maid stood outside the door.

After entering, Chu Ling first gave a slight nod from a distance in greeting before walking forward. “Miss Qi.”

Miss Qi returned the courtesy with a small bow. “Magistrate Chu, Tang Yang has already explained the whole matter to me. If there is anything you wish to ask, please do. It’s true that I don’t get along with her, but I never wished for her death.”

Chu Ling raised a hand, gesturing for Miss Qi to sit.

Miss Qi’s eyes were slightly red. After sitting down, she kept looking at Chu Ling.

Chu Ling asked, “Miss Qi, he said you were picking up pebbles together. During that time, did any of the pebbles fall?”

Miss Qi nodded. “Yes, but it wasn’t convenient to pick them up, so we left them there.”

She gave a specific location.

Chu Ling recalled passing by that spot while questioning others earlier. Not many people would have gone that way, as the path was rather narrow.

“What kind of person was Yu Xiangxiang?” Chu Ling asked.

Miss Qi hesitated, as if unsure whether to speak.

Chu Ling said directly, “Please speak freely, Miss Qi. No one here will spread your words and harm your reputation.”

Miss Qi bit her lip and finally spoke. “Magistrate, I’ll tell the truth. It wasn’t just me—many people looked down on her… She was Miss Pei’s cousin, but her family had fallen on hard times. Her father incurred debts outside, and her mother brought her back to the Pei family. She often snatched Miss Pei’s belongings and even tried to steal Miss Pei’s fiancé.”

“Later, the matter became a big scandal and the Pei family was embarrassed. Yu Xiangxiang restrained herself for a while. But soon after, she started targeting others again, as if she couldn’t wait to get married off… I also had a conflict with her because of Tang Yang. Several young ladies nearby witnessed it and can testify for me.”

Chu Ling nodded, signaling her to continue.

Miss Qi frowned. “In any case, none of the young ladies from the various families liked her. So when she came along this time with Miss Pei, we simply pretended not to see her.”

Chu Ling gave a soft hum and asked, “I’m curious—did she have any close sisters, or any young gentlemen she was close to?”

Miss Qi shook her head. “Impossible. Even Miss Pei, I suspect, would rather keep her at arm’s length.”

“Miss Pei already has a fiancé, yet she still came here?” Chu Ling asked.

Miss Qi also found it strange. “It seems she said she accompanied Yu Xiangxiang, afraid she might do something that would bring disgrace upon the Pei family.”

“Who is Miss Pei’s fiancé?” Chu Ling asked.

Tang Yang answered, “It’s Xu Gong, Scholar Xu.”

Chu Ling asked again, “Miss Qi, did Yu Xiangxiang go to One-Line Sky? Did you see her speaking with any man?”

Miss Qi shook her head. “Magistrate Chu, no one saw her. We only heard Miss Pei say helplessly that her cousin wouldn’t allow her to follow along… Miss Pei is quite pitiful—stuck with such a cousin, having to keep an eye on her and even getting scolded for it.”

“Scolded?” Chu Ling was surprised. “Yu Xiangxiang returned to rely on relatives, didn’t she? How does she have the nerve to scold Miss Pei?”

“That’s because you haven’t seen the way Yu Xiangxiang behaves,” Miss Qi said angrily, twisting her handkerchief tightly. “It’s simply… simply beyond words!”

Looking very interested, Chu Ling continued questioning Miss Qi for quite some time. When she felt she had asked enough, she stood and looked at Tang Yang. “Go find Zhuang Tianyou and tell him I’m about to pronounce judgment… Also, if Miss Qi is interested, she may come listen as well—it would be good to have her as a witness.”

Miss Qi immediately rose. “Yes, Magistrate. I’ll go as well.”

Chu Ling had the others leave first, then beckoned Wan Sanjin over and instructed him to retrieve something from Su He.

After Wan Sanjin also left, Chu Ling turned to Fu Qingyu and asked, “Young Master Fu, may I ask—do you know Chu Rou?”

Fu Qingyu shook his head. “I know there’s such a person, and I’ve met her before, but we’re not close.”

“Then the person you mentioned—the one who has an average relationship with you and gave you the stone—was it Chu Rou?” Chu Ling asked again.

Fu Qingyu shook his head decisively. “No. It wasn’t her. It was someone else.”

After finishing her questions, Chu Ling said, “Alright. As long as it wasn’t Chu Rou.” As she spoke, she took out the note from her sleeve and unfolded it:

My lord, that person said you are a fence-sitter—both a man of Heir Xiao and someone who came to the capital to seek refuge with Prince Rui. She advised me to keep my distance from you and said you will surely meet a fatal end.

Chu Ling clicked her tongue. “What idiot wrote this?”

“My lord, you truly don’t need to worry about Chu Rou. She… is nothing to be concerned about,” Fu Qingyu said.

Chu Ling crumpled the note into a ball. “There’s nothing about her that makes me nervous.”

Chu Rou had merely been reborn and knew certain things. But in her previous life, Chu Rou’s experiences had not included Chu Ling. Saying such things now was probably just to gain the Nangong family’s trust.

And what could possibly happen to the Nangong family… The only one worth paying attention to in that family was Nangong Jing—White Tiger.

White Tiger was in Dongle City…

If there was something that could bring benefits to the Nangong family and help them avoid risks, it would certainly be related to Nangong Jing. Linking that to Chu Rou’s plans and schemes… so could it be… Nangong Jing’s marriage?

“In the capital, are there any unmarried men of suitable age whose family power is comparable to the Nangong family?” Chu Ling looked at Fu Qingyu.

Fu Qingyu was startled, not understanding how Chu Ling’s thoughts had leapt so quickly to eligible bachelors…

“Heir Xiao?” he ventured hesitantly.

Chu Ling’s eyes widened. Xiao Lengjue!

But didn’t Xiao Lengjue like Sun Yingxiu? Everyone in the capital knew it.

Ghost Scholar frowned slightly. “The Nangong family is deeply trusted by His Majesty, yet they are also an aristocratic clan the imperial family is wary of… If, as you speculate, my lord, Nangong Jing were to become Xiao Lengjue’s secondary consort, then Xiao Lengjue would indeed gain considerable power.”

Chu Ling knitted her brows. To win Xiao Lengjue’s trust, Chu Rou would certainly reveal many things. If what she revealed matched certain future events of the Nangong family, then the Nangong family might very well listen to her.

After going to such lengths and stirring up so much trouble, the position of principal consort would likely still belong to Sun Yingxiu. So what exactly was she busy for?

“Does she really like Xiao Lengjue that much?” Chu Ling truly couldn’t understand it.

“Who?” Fu Qingyu asked.

“Chu Rou,” Chu Ling replied casually.

Fu Qingyu seemed momentarily stunned. “My lord, Chu Rou truly isn’t worth worrying about. And… Heir Xiao may not necessarily favor her. There’s no need for you to fear that after she marries over, she would use her status to oppress others.”

Chu Ling waved her hand. That wasn’t what she was worried about. She genuinely felt that Chu Rou’s mind was filled with nothing but her own romance.

“Lord Fu, let’s go. We have a case to try,” Chu Ling said, then walked out.

Fu Qingyu followed behind her.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Tianyou had already arranged a place for the trial. All the scholars had arrived, and the inner room was partitioned off with screens—inside were the young noble ladies.

When Chu Ling arrived, Wan Sanjin, Su He, and the others had also come over.

Pei Ningzhu was helped to a seat by Miss Qi. Tang Yang stood beside Miss Qi, whispering something to her, only to receive a glare in return.