Chapter 47 Anxiety

  Zhang was not without an opinion on how to deal with Jiang, she simply believed that the emperor in Beijing would uphold justice for her. She also didn't think Jiang would have a good ending, when news spread back to Beijing, Zhao Yue knew about his wife's good deeds, even if Qian Niang didn't make trouble, he wouldn't tolerate her, even considering the child she bore him.

  Although Zhao Ze was his eldest son, he wasn't his only son. His second son, Zhao Yan, who was only a year younger than Zhao Ze and born to Qian Niang, had already started his education and was very intelligent, not inferior to Zhao Ze. If the secret of the eldest son killing his brother hadn't been known by others, he might have still helped cover it up. But now that so many people knew about this matter, Zhao Ze was as good as finished. With the eldest son out of the way, his birth mother became an obstacle for the Zhao family. The daughter she gave birth to had limited uses, and Zhao Yue wouldn't keep this obstacle around just for a daughter. He was still young and could easily take another wife from a prominent family, so he wasn't worried about not having an heir.

  The problem lies in the reaction from Chiang's side alone.

  Feng Xian is too far away from the capital, and it's inconvenient to send messages, but with the imperial envoy here, Zhang Shi thinks that as long as she waits patiently for news, everything will be fine. She has already learned the truth about her son and daughter-in-law's death, and as for the details, she doesn't have the heart to ask further. No matter how evil Jiang Shi was, she has already lost her loved ones, what's the use of knowing more?

  But Zhao Xun had a different idea, she repeatedly tried to persuade her grandmother to ask the imperial envoy to investigate clearly, who was sent by Jiang's family to harm people, how they committed the crime, and how they covered up the evidence afterwards, who was in cahoots with them, etc. Zhao Xun believed that all those involved in the crime should be arrested, those who deserved to die should be killed, and those who deserved to be imprisoned should be imprisoned, no one should escape punishment.

  Mrs. Zhang felt uneasy, she found that her little granddaughter was not only intelligent but also had an unusual memory. She suspected that on the night when the ghost of Duke Gonggong slapped her little granddaughter awake, there might have been a murder at the same time, so her little granddaughter remembered that hatred deeply?

  She took Zhao Xuan alone into the room and asked seriously, "Xuan sister, why do you want to know what Jiang's family is doing and who is conspiring with her?"

  Zhao Xuan looked at her in puzzlement: "Grandma, shouldn't I want to know? They killed Father and Mother, Chuncao and Zhenzhu's sister, and everyone on the boat!"

  "Grandma knows, Grandma also resents them, but this kind of thing... isn't something you kids should be concerned with. We just need to wait for news, wait for the Emperor to investigate the case clearly, and someone will naturally inform us about what happened. Before that, you don't need to ask too much."

  Zhao Xuan vaguely understood that as the daughter of a large ancient family, she shouldn't show too much interest in this bloody and sinful matter.

  But she still wants to know what happened, and if she doesn't figure it out in a day, she'll feel uneasy all over.

  After she came over, Zhao Jiong and Madame Mi were very good to her. Chun Cao and Pearl Aunt, although not too bright in the head, also took great care of her. They died a natural death, but at least she should have figured out who killed them, right? At least let all those who harmed them get what they deserved?

  Apart from that, there's another thing. A family like hers, living in a grand mansion with many relatives and servants around them, even when they're on a boat, it's always crowded. And yet, someone can still sneak in and commit murder just because of their skills? It's really too unsafe! Is the murderer too powerful or is there a security loophole around them? Something must be done to prevent similar things from happening again. Otherwise, who can guarantee that one day when she's living happily, a stranger won't suddenly jump over the wall and stab her to death?

  For example, this time, Jiang wanted to frame Zhang by using Zhao Kuang's poisoning, what was she planning to do? She bribed two people to testify falsely, doesn't that mean the servants in this old house are not all reliable? Which servant is likely to betray and sell out their ancestors? Does Jiang have another trick up her sleeve? And so on.

  Zhao Xuan wanted to know too many things, and she was worried about a lot of things. However, Zhang Shi told her not to ask any more questions, and that someone would come to explain everything after the case was investigated clearly. Zhang Shi also promised that when Zhao Xuan grew up, she would tell her the truth about what happened.

  Zhao Xuan didn't want to wait until she grew up, but she couldn't make more demands on Zhang Shi. She could see that Zhang Shi really didn't want her to pay too much attention to this matter. After all, she wasn't the real thing, although she had used the excuse of being a ghost to explain her special circumstances, and the people around her believed it, but deep down, she was still on guard, afraid that one day Zhang Shi and the others would discover that she wasn't the real Zhao Xuan and would view her as an outsider from then on.

  Zhao Xun looked up at Zhang Shi, vaguely feeling that she had been a bit restless in her actions over the past few days. She didn't want to arouse any suspicion from Zhang Shi, so she tightly hugged her and whispered: "Grandmother, you told me not to ask, so I won't ask. Those bad people, including Eldest Brother's wife, can't escape, right? The Emperor will put them in prison, won't he?"

  Zhang's expression softened, and she stroked her head: "Of course, the Emperor will uphold justice for us. Good child, I know you hate them in your heart, and Grandma hates them too, but we must put our hatred deep down and not become narrow-minded or sharp-tongued because of it. You must remember that no matter how despicable others are, we must still be a person who upholds the law and is dignified and upright."

  Zhaoxuan nodded in her arms, but she had another idea in her heart: being loyal to the law and being upright is necessary, but at the same time, one should also be on guard against others and have a way to protect oneself.

  From then on, Zhao Xuan became a well-behaved and considerate little girl again, diligently studying with her brother under their grandmother's guidance, no longer actively seeking to investigate the intelligence about Jiangshi and Zhao Jiong.

  But she also had a little change.

  When Little Brother Zhao Wei followed Lu Yunpeng to learn boxing, she would run around the corridor surrounding the yard, taking small steps. She didn't run much, absolutely not exceeding a little girl's physical endurance. In the eyes of adults, she was just a naughty child who loved to run wildly. Only she herself knew that her footsteps were becoming more and more stable, and her physical strength was gradually increasing.

  She memorized the boxing moves taught by Lu Yunpeng faster than Zhao Wei, and at the same time, she was constantly reviewing the boxing techniques taught by Gao Zhen. Zhangshi and Qiuye saw her and thought she was just watching her brother practice boxing and following along to have fun, not taking it seriously. No one knew that she was actually improving her self-defense skills.

  The days passed one by one, and ten days after the exposure of Jiang's crimes, the second decree issued by the Emperor to Zhao Kuang finally arrived in Fengxian. The Emperor did not pardon Zhao Kuang because of his paralysis, but only exempted him from exile, no longer having to go to Liaodong, instead being sent back to the capital and imprisoned in the Great Temple Prison.

  However, the newly arrived imperial envoy was also stunned by the latest developments in the case. After consulting with each other, the two envoys went to see Zhang again and decided to take both Jiang and her servant back to the capital to report to the Supreme Court and the Emperor, who would then decide how to deal with them.

  The edict did not mention who would inherit the title of Duke of Jianan, but gave Zhao Wei a county man's treatment, which was not a formal enfeoffment, but only allowed him to receive a salary and rice according to the rank of a county man every month. Local officials also had to give this five or six year old child the courtesy he deserved, and even more so they could not neglect Zhang Shi, the real Duchess of the Commandery.

  Zhang already knew about this matter and didn't think it was strange, calmly accepting the imperial decree. Zhao Wei and Zhao Xuan had also expressed their attitude earlier, not being interested in the title, and the younger siblings didn't have any reaction, focusing on reviewing their lessons.

  It was Wang Siping who felt uneasy in his heart, and he specially asked to see Zhang Shi, asking: "The crime of the old master has been decided, and tomorrow he will be escorted back to Beijing. The evidence against the eldest lady is also conclusive, and it's hard to say whether the old master can pass through safely due to this involvement. Among the entire second house, only Wei Ge'er alone can inherit the title of Duke of Jianan. Why was he not mentioned in the emperor's edict? Is it true that the emperor simply temporarily displaced his anger at the old master onto the old lady, as the eldest lady said when she first returned to her hometown, and later will still let him inherit the title?"

  "Zhang smiled slightly: 'As for the matter of the title, His Majesty has his own ideas. What's there to be anxious about? Wei Ge is still young, and getting a county baron is already not bad. If the title were higher, it might not be beneficial for him to seek official position through imperial examination. I would rather have him study diligently at home and take the imperial examination in the future. This was also his father's wish before he passed away, so I specially requested an edict from His Majesty, who graciously granted a county baron title to him.'"

  Wang Siping had nothing to say, and after leaving the yard, he privately told people: "The old lady is indeed a young lady from a scholarly family, her thoughts are all high-minded, and she is not on the same path as Master and Madam. The title of nobility doesn't count for much in her eyes, what she hopes for is that Brother Wei can pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official in the future."

  Everyone in the old house was amazed, and the news spread. Some people in the clan also ridiculed Zhang's foolishness. However, Fengxian is located in Jiangnan, close to Suzhou, which has always been a place of cultural prosperity. Most people think that taking the imperial examination and becoming an official is the right path, so they wouldn't openly mock Zhang's idea, but instead show some respect.

  Someone secretly passed this on to Jiang's ears, who was being held in the backyard. She almost couldn't believe it: "How is that possible? How is that possible?! That's a noble marquis! How could she say no and refuse?! If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have even come back for Fengxian, let alone provoke Zhangshi unnecessarily!"

  The person who spread the news saw her almost going mad, fearing being discovered, and quickly escaped. Only when they were far away did they let out a sigh of relief. Afterwards, in private, they discussed with relatives and friends: "It's said that the eldest lady is the daughter of an official family, while the old lady only comes from a common scholarly family. In terms of insight, the old lady is a hundred times better than the eldest lady! What's the point of having a title? It's just empty wealth and nobility. Only with achievements can one become a high-ranking official in court. The eldest lady's father and brothers are all officials, so why does she only care about titles?"

  These comments were only circulated in a small circle, but the respect for Zhang's family grew deeper day by day. The imperial envoy escorted Zhao Kuang and Jiang's family back to Beijing, and Zhang's family brought their grandchildren to see them off at the street corner, and people made way for them from afar, clearing a wide path.

  Zhao Kuai was after all the son of Zhao Lao Jun Gong, and the imperial envoy took into consideration his father's position and saw that he was already paralyzed, so he didn't make him ride in a prisoner's cart. Instead, he had him moved into a simple horse-drawn carriage and even left a rough servant from the Zhao household to take care of him. Jiang Shi was a female relative and received similar treatment; two robust and fierce female wardens were specially assigned from the Shanghai Prefecture Female Prison to keep watch on her.

  However, Hong Ying was not so lucky. When she was dragged onto the prisoner's cart, Zhao Xiu almost didn't recognize her. The originally round and smooth-faced big maid was now disheveled and dirty, with a messy hair and a wretched appearance, no different from a beggar on the side of the road.

  In comparison, the young women with good eyesight who were willing to cooperate with the investigation had a much better situation. They squeezed into two ordinary horse-drawn carriages and did not wear cangues. Their clothes were neat and tidy, and their complexion was normal.

  When the Chiang family arrived, their entourage, including servants and luggage, was so large that it filled 17 or 18 horse-drawn carriages. Now, only 4 or 5 carriages were needed to accommodate them. They had come in glory, but departed in disarray. Upon returning to the capital, who knew what fate awaited them?