Chapter 36: Prison - Part 1

“What?!” Qin Dezhao, knowing he was drunk, thought he misheard. “Has the Jing Zhaoyin lost his mind? How dare he come to our Marquis of Loyalty and Courage mansion and arrest the Marchioness without any reason?!”

“The five maidservants who were sold off by the Madam, their bodies were found at the Burial Mound outside the city, and their parents have claimed the corpses. That’s why the Jing Zhaoyin came to arrest the Madam. The servants are looking everywhere for the Marquis, waiting for you to return and take charge!” The follower said with a mournful face.

The drunken Qin Dezhao slapped the table and stood up, his eyes filled with ferocity as he roared, “What’s the big deal about a few maidservants being beaten to death? Has the Jing Zhaoyin gone mad, or does he want to become my enemy?”

“Marquis, those maidservants had already been freed from servitude and were civilians. The Madam is involved in a murder case, which is why the Jing Zhaoyin came to arrest her! Marquis, please return to the mansion quickly!” The follower, sweating profusely, was almost in tears.

Qin Dezhao sobered up significantly. How could they free maidservants of their servitude? In his half a lifetime, he had never heard of such a thing!

“Return to the mansion!”

The follower quickly took down Qin Dezhao’s gray mouse fur cloak and draped it over him, helping him downstairs.

Just as Qin Dezhao stepped out of the tavern, he was about to board the carriage when he saw the carriage of his cousin, the Imperial Censor Sima Yan, stop in front of his own. Sima Yan lifted the curtain of his carriage and looked at Qin Dezhao.

Qin Dezhao quickly cupped his hands, “Cousin…”

Sima Yan’s face was displeased, “The news of your Madam being involved in a murder case reached the Imperial Censor’s Office half an hour ago, and you still have the leisure to drink here?!”

Qin Dezhao felt a chill up his spine, “I’m heading back to the mansion right now!”

“The current administration is displeased with the atmosphere among the meritorious families. Listen to your brother’s advice, have your Madam quickly go with the officers from the Jing Zhaoyin’s Office and answer their questions. Do not rely on the prestige of the marquis’s mansion to resist! Your mansion’s internal conflicts between the heir and his stepmother have already come to light. The heir, Qin Lang, volunteered to relinquish his position and was praised by the emperor. Who can guarantee that some court officials won’t seize the opportunity to report on your mansion? If that happens… it is not impossible that the emperor might strip your mansion of its prestige! Remember this…”

The cold wind blew, and Qin Dezhao felt a chill all over.

“Thank you for your advice, cousin!” Qin Dezhao responded respectfully.

Sima Yan sighed, looked at Qin Dezhao, and shook his head, “It’s the end of the year. Tell your Madam to stay out of trouble and not keep causing problems!”

With that, the Imperial Censor Sima Yan dropped the curtain and told the coachman to drive away.

Qin Dezhao hurriedly ordered his coachman to return to the mansion quickly.

Ever since Mrs. Jiang injured Bai Jinxiu, who had just married into the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage mansion, misfortune seemed to have plagued their household. At this moment, Qin Dezhao also resented Mrs. Jiang.

The main gate of the marquis’s mansion was surrounded by onlookers and the officers from the Jing Zhaoyin’s Office, with the gate tightly closed.

Qin Dezhao avoided the commotion and had the follower park the carriage at the corner gate. He entered with a sullen face. As soon as he walked into the inner courtyard, he heard Mrs. Jiang inside the house, yelling at the servants. His veins bulged with anger, and he lifted the curtain and entered.

“Marquis…”

Nanny Wu saw Qin Dezhao enter and quickly bowed in greeting.@@novelbin@@

Qin Dezhao, with a determined stride, snatched the whip from Mrs. Jiang’s hand and slapped her, causing the Marchioness to collapse onto the soft couch. “You ignorant and vicious woman, you’ve caused a huge scandal and are still here beating and scolding people!”

Nanny Wu and the other maidservants were so frightened that they all knelt down, not daring to lift their heads.

Mrs. Jiang held her face, looking up at the furious Qin Dezhao with wide eyes. She wanted to get angry but, thinking of the officers outside waiting to arrest her, quickly kneeled at Qin Dezhao’s feet. “Marquis! Marquis, you must save me! This is a plot by the Duke’s mansion! Yesterday, they said those maidservants’ contracts were with Bai Jinxiu, but now they claim the five maidservants are civilians! The Duke’s mansion wants me dead, Marquis, you cannot ignore this!”

Qin Dezhao’s eyebrows twitched, and he calmed down. After a moment of thought, his eyes filled with a cold light, “You say… yesterday they said the maidservants’ contracts were with Bai Jinxiu?!”

“It’s the absolute truth. If I lie, let me be torn to pieces! If you don’t believe me… ask Nanny Wu!” Mrs. Jiang clung to Qin Dezhao’s leg, crying without any dignity.

The trembling Nanny Wu banged her head on the floor, “Marquis, yesterday I accompanied the Madam to the Duke’s mansion to bring back the young Madam and ease the tension caused by the heir leaving the mansion! But the third Miss of the Bai family said the young Madam was injured by our lady with a stone to pave the way for Qin Lang’s departure. Miss Bai also said the five maidservants’ contracts were with the young Madam, and no slave trader would dare take them without seeing the contracts! This is all absolutely true!”

The Duke’s mansion… Qin Dezhao gritted his teeth, his sharp gaze intimidating everyone. Nanny Wu didn’t even dare to raise her head.

Qin Dezhao closed his eyes and completely sobered up, “You should go with the officers from the Jing Zhaoyin’s Office. I will find someone to handle it, and you won’t be wronged! But if you don’t go… the entire marquis’s mansion and your son will be implicated.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Jiang turned pale and collapsed on the ground.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Courage mansion was in turmoil, and the news of the Marchioness being imprisoned was reported to the Duke’s mansion by the stewards left there by Bai Jinxiu that very night.

This was just as Bai Qingyan had predicted, and she was not particularly pleased by it.

Before Bai Qingyan retired, Chun Tao hesitantly reported that the little maidservant Yingshuang, who had been secretly following Chun Yan, reported that Chun Yan had met with a servant in the front courtyard today.

“Seeing the servant leave the mansion, little Yingshuang, not knowing her place, followed him outside and witnessed the servant heading to the back gate of King Liang’s mansion to whisper with their people. Without a word, she knocked him out with a punch and brought him back. She just threw him to Lu Huyuan and came to Qinghui Courtyard happily asking for pine nut candy as a reward…” Chun Tao said with a mix of tears and laughter.

Sitting in front of the bronze mirror, Bai Qingyan, who had been filled with anger, was instantly amused, “Yingshuang is fourteen this year, isn’t she?”

“Yes, Miss, she is fourteen, you still remember…” Chun Tao took the white jade comb and began combing Bai Qingyan’s hair.

Yingshuang was brought back by Shen Qingzhu when she was ten. She was not only weak but also not very bright, and because she ate a lot, her parents sold her as they couldn’t afford to raise her.

Yingshuang had been following Shen Qingzhu for so many years, and no one knew how skillful she had become.

“Tomorrow, inform Nanny Qin and transfer Yingshuang to Qinghui Courtyard. Have Chun Xing and others teach her proper manners. She will stay at Qinghui Courtyard from now on,” Bai Qingyan said.

Chun Tao bit her lip, hesitating as she thought of asking forgiveness for Chun Yan, who grew up with her. “Miss, Chun Yan she…”

“Ignore her, just have someone keep an eye on her.”