boyutpedia Chapter 2 What a tragic fate!
Chapter 2 What a tragic fate!
"How could someone have fallen into the water out of nowhere!"
A strong male voice suddenly rang out from outside Furong Garden, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
"Sir, please, please do justice for my young lady..."
Before long, the footsteps drew closer, and the curtains were quickly lifted.
Chu Qingyin had just been so angry that she vomited blood, and felt dizzy and her chest was burning.
Upon seeing the head of the family, who was addressed as "Master," she stopped pretending to be asleep and opened her weak, dark eyes to look outside.
Upon seeing this, Chu Qingyin was startled.
Standing outside the curtain was a middle-aged man, around fifty years old, dressed in a purple official robe and with a jade belt around his waist. He was none other than Qiao Gongquan, the Minister of War of the current dynasty, a high-ranking official of the second rank.
Unexpectedly, she found herself possessing a corpse and ended up in his house.
So, the person who received Lu Zhiheng in the front hall just now was none other than Qiao Gongquan.
One is the Minister of War, the other is the Grand Secretary...
No wonder!
No wonder Lu Zhiheng was just a secretary in the Hanlin Academy before, but suddenly he was able to produce a bunch of military accounts. If he had the help of Qiao Gongquan, the Minister of War, it would have been a piece of cake.
Many things that I couldn't understand before suddenly became clear.
Chu Qingyin gritted her teeth in hatred. How could she have ended up in the home of her "political enemy"? What a tragic fate!
"Yinyin, how are you feeling right now?"
When Qiao Gongquan saw his daughter staring intently at him, he assumed she was frightened from falling into the water. Overwhelmed with fatherly love, he reached out and touched Chu Qingyin's forehead: "Why is your fever so high!"
Chu Qingyin was dazed by the sound of "Yinyin".
Her brother and Pei Yuanling used to call her that too.
When she came to her senses, she opened her eyes, her gaze revealing a hint of confusion and innocence, as if she had just woken from a nightmare. "Father, what... what happened to me?"
Seeing this, Qiao Gongquan felt even more distressed and quickly comforted her in a soft voice, "Yinyin, don't be afraid, your father is here."
Xianglan, wiping away tears, sobbed, "The young lady was already frail; it's a miracle she survived. Now, a high fever is inevitable; we'll just have to see what the doctor says..."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Gongquan turned to Xianglan with a stern face and asked, "Tell me the truth, or you'll regret it."
Xianglan dared not hide anything, and with tears in her eyes, she recounted in detail what had happened in the garden an hour earlier.
It turns out that the owner of this body is the eldest daughter of the Minister's family, Miss Qiao, whose given name is Qingyin, and she is fifteen years old.
Since the death of Qiao Gongquan's first wife five years ago, Qiao's eldest daughter has been temporarily raised by Aunt Jiang.
Last year at the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern festival, Miss Qiao met a young scholar by chance, and the two fell in love at first sight, exchanging poems and books from then on.
After Qiao Gongquan discovered this, he firmly opposed the two of them dating. Qiao Da Niang then made a scene, cried, and even threatened to hang herself. She even eloped with the scholar during the Lantern Festival.
Although they were eventually caught and brought back, the scholar was beaten half to death and thrown out, and Miss Qiao was also locked up for half a month.
I never expected that after being released from confinement yesterday, this suicide attempt would happen today...
"It must be that the second young lady said something to my young lady that made her so distraught that she did such a foolish thing."
Xianglan's tearful accusation pulled Chu Qingyin back to reality.
Before she could think it through, she heard a sharp rebuttal from outside: "You vicious maid! I braved the freezing cold to fetch the doctor for the young lady, and you, while I was away, sow discord between the master and my Ling'er!"
Everyone in the room looked in the direction of the sound and saw Aunt Jiang, dressed in a purple dress, walk in quickly, wiping away her tears, and say, "Master, I'm innocent! Please don't listen to this maid's nonsense!"
Xianglan said urgently, "This servant is not talking nonsense. This morning, the second young lady came, and not long after, my young lady went to the pond."
Aunt Jiang's eyes flickered.
Qiao Gongquan, who was standing to the side, also looked rather grim. He looked at Chu Qingyin on the bed and asked, "Yinyin, what did your second sister want with you this morning?"
What was the purpose? To instigate the original owner to commit suicide by jumping into the pond, staging a self-inflicted injury scheme.
Chu Qingyin's experience of palace intrigue in her previous life allowed her to immediately understand the situation in the inner quarters of the Minister's residence.
After a moment's hesitation, she looked at Qiao Gongquan and whispered, "Father, I don't know why I fell into the pond. I'm so scared..."
Aunt Jiang's expression changed slightly.
Unexpectedly, after this little bitch woke up, instead of helping her out, she put on this pitiful act in front of the master.
She immediately put on a concerned expression: "Young lady, what are you saying? We're all family, how could we harm you? You must have slipped and fallen while playing by the pond, right?"
Chu Qingyin turned to look at Aunt Jiang, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes, and said timidly in a low voice, "I...I don't know, Aunt, please don't force me..."
The moment the word "forced" was uttered, Qiao Gongquan's eyes turned cold, and he stared straight at Aunt Jiang.
"Mr. Jiang, what exactly is going on?"
Aunt Jiang was startled. Although she didn't know why the eldest young lady was behaving so strangely today, she knew she couldn't reveal any flaws at this moment.
"My lord, I am innocent!"
Aunt Jiang's slender waist slumped, and she immediately knelt down on the ground, crying out, "I have always treated the eldest daughter as my own daughter, how could I possibly harm her? The eldest daughter must have fallen into the water and was frightened, and is still confused right now."
Chu Qingyin closed her eyes and glanced at the woman on the ground.
This Jiang woman is quite adaptable and has good acting skills; she even shed tears right now.
"Master, why don't we call the Second Miss over and ask her?" Xianglan suggested.
Before she could finish speaking, Aunt Jiang's heart tightened, and she immediately turned to Xianglan, angrily rebuking her: "You wretched maid, you must have deliberately framed my Ling'er, trying to sow discord between me and the eldest young lady!"
The accusations came too quickly, and Xianglan knelt down with a thud: "Master, this servant wouldn't dare! This servant only told the truth, without hiding anything!"
Seeing the two kneeling down, Qiao Gongquan's face was ashen, but he remained silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Chu Qingyin guessed that Qiao Gongquan was probably pretending to be confused when he knew the truth.
After all, whatever the truth is, it's a family scandal, and as the head of the family, he naturally doesn't want to make a big deal out of it.
No rush. She's only just arrived. Today, she'll give this Aunt Jiang a little warning. Once she's feeling better, she can clean up the mess in the inner quarters later. It's just a side thing.
"Xianglan has always been loyal to me and would never lie."
Chu Qingyin coughed twice, then turned to Aunt Jiang: "Aunt, there's no need to cry. If this matter truly has nothing to do with Second Sister, I believe Father will give us justice. Right, Father?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Gongquan's face showed a hint of unease.
Looking at her eldest daughter's weak and pale face, she couldn't bear it any longer. She also turned to Aunt Jiang on the ground with a stern expression: "Mrs. Jiang, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If I find that you have lied in any way, I will not let you off easily!"
The authoritative tone startled Aunt Jiang, but she could only grit her teeth and agree: "Yes, sir, I will definitely cooperate."
"Alright, stop crying."
Qiao Gongquan pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Yinyin is still sick. Let the doctor take a look first."
The doctor hurriedly put down his medicine box and went to examine the sick and emaciated girl by the bed curtains.
Chu Qingyin gently closed her eyes; she knew that this tactic of striking a chord to intimidate others had worked.
Qiao Gongquan's suspicions about Jiang and her daughter have been sown, and Aunt Jiang will likely never have peace of mind again.