Ji Wushang looked at Marquis Jinnan, "Father, I think we should investigate this matter thoroughly. Zhu'er has always been by my side, a quick and efficient maid. How could she have offended Auntie so easily? I wonder if there's some misunderstanding. Auntie will wake up soon, and then we can ask her what really happened. Although those present at the time can testify, I want to ask them properly first."
"Hmm." Marquis Jinnan nodded. Now, he had to carefully consider everything Ji Wushang said, because time and again, she had displayed extraordinary abilities in front of him. He had to be careful; after all, he didn't know if she might defy the heavens and set a trap for him. If that happened, his reign as a marquis would be over!
Ji Wushang looked at the people around him and said, "Now we don't need so many people gathered here. Let Auntie get some rest!"
"You may all leave! Only those who were present at the time remain." Marquis Jinnan was no fool; he knew that to find the truth, some people needed to be left behind for questioning.
Ji Wushang nodded. "Let's go outside and not disturb Aunt's rest."
Soon, only Aunt Leng's head maid, Dingxiang, and a few doctors remained in the inner room to examine the patient. The others went to the outer room.
Some people stayed behind to see how Ji Wushang would investigate.
Ji Wushang stood in the hall and said, "Everyone who was there at the time, step forward!"
It went fairly smoothly, and quite a few people immediately stepped out from the crowd.
"Zhu'er, stand up and speak." Ji Wushang glanced at Zhu'er, who had been kneeling for a long time. If she continued to kneel like this, her legs would probably be ruined.
"Yes." Zhu'er was grateful and struggled to stand up. But Nan Zaiqing immediately kicked Zhu'er in the back. Zhu'er stumbled and fell to the ground, wincing in pain, but dared not make a sound.
"What are you doing?" Ji Wushang shouted angrily in an instant, and was about to rush forward, but Cuiwu immediately pulled Ji Wushang back slightly, "Princess Consort..."
"Why should she stand up? The murderer hasn't been found yet, and she's already thinking of standing up? Sister-in-law, you're being biased!" Nan Zaiqing said coldly. "There's no other evidence to prove this maid isn't the one who framed Aunt, so she can't stand up now! She must stay kneeling!"
“What if someone framed Zhu’er? Does she have to keep kneeling? She’s been kneeling for so long, shouldn’t she stand up?” Ji Wushang stepped forward. “If anyone should kneel, everyone who was there should kneel! It’s said that Zhu’er bumped into her aunt. What if someone pushed Zhu’er and then Zhu’er bumped into her aunt? Shouldn’t the person who pushed her be the one who is guilty?”
Nan Zaiqing took a step back. "Sister-in-law, don't try to argue! Everyone clearly saw that it was this wretched maid who bumped into the aunt, which led to this situation!"
"Things are still unclear. Even Father allowed me to investigate, but you immediately accused Zhu'er of it. Are you hiding something and worried about my investigation?" Ji Wushang's words were firm and resolute, forcing Nan Zaiqing to back away. His aura was intimidating, and Nan Zaiqing wanted to retort, but found herself unable to find the words! Meeting Ji Wushang's cold eyes, Nan Zaiqing felt a chill run from her toes to her heart.
"That's not what I meant... Don't misunderstand!" Nan Zaiqing watched Ji Wushang back away, not daring to look into her eyes. She felt that if she looked into Ji Wushang's eyes again, she would be drawn into an endless abyss! A sense of fear would arise in her heart!
Ji Wushang said coldly, "Then shut up and stay put!"
Nan Zaiqing was startled and hid to the side. Seeing Nan Zhaoxue's expressionless face, she immediately walked to Nan Zhaoxue's side and timidly called out, "Fourth Sister." The two of them were born to Aunt Leng, so they naturally felt closer to each other.
Nan Zhaoxue's lips twitched slightly. "You'd better stand aside quietly! Don't go causing trouble."
Nan Zaiqing listened in silence.
Ji Wushang glanced at Nan Zhaoxue, their eyes met, and Ji Wushang looked into her eyes, his gaze coldly piercing into the depths of Nan Zhaoxue's soul. Nan Zhaoxue was startled and dared not look up at Ji Wushang again.
Ji Wushang looked around with slight satisfaction. No one dared to make a sound. Aunt Jin and Aunt Zhao were waiting for Ji Wushang to speak. Of course, they would definitely bite Ji Wushang to death when the time was right!
Ji Wushang stepped forward to help Zhu'er up, making sure she was steady, before looking at the people around her. "Alright, tell me what happened. If you're lying, don't blame me for being impolite!" Ji Wushang's tone grew colder and colder.
The people standing around all lowered their heads, not daring to look at Ji Wushang, and no one dared to speak. Ji Wushang looked at Zhu'er and said, "Zhu'er, why don't you tell us about this?"
"Yes. At that time, I was carrying a plate and passing by the gate of Lanruo Garden. I didn't do anything. But I didn't expect someone to call my name. I just turned around and bumped into the concubine. There were people supporting the concubine at the time. Who would have thought that the concubine would immediately cry out in pain... Please, Your Highness, spare my life! I did not mean to bump into the concubine."
"Who called you? Are you sure you recognize them?" Ji Wushang asked immediately. It seemed someone had planned it all out, timing it perfectly so that Aunt Leng would leave the courtyard. Then they called out to Zhu'er, and Zhu'er turned and bumped into Aunt Leng. But it didn't make sense. Since Aunt Leng had people supporting her on both sides, shouldn't she be steady? Why did Zhu'er say her stomach hurt after just one bump?
“This servant doesn’t know… This servant didn’t turn around to see who it was before I bumped into my aunt. The maidservants next to my aunt immediately beat me. This servant didn’t see who called my name.”
As expected, there was no one to be seen, which meant there was no way to verify the truth.
"Those of you supporting Aunt Leng, come out here." Ji Wushang looked at the people standing there.
Several people immediately stepped forward from the queue. Ji Wushang stepped forward and asked, "Tell me, what happened when Aunt Leng was bumped by Zhu'er?"
"Your Highness, that maid Zhu'er actually bumped into the concubine herself! She was extremely fierce! We servants didn't even have time to stop her, and then this happened! Everything I'm saying is the truth. If Your Highness doesn't believe me, please ask them!" The maid immediately pointed to the other maids kneeling beside her, who all nodded immediately, "Yes, yes, that's exactly right!"
Ji Wushang remained expressionless. It seemed these people were plotting against him and Zhu'er! Zhu'er immediately knelt on the ground, "This servant did not bump into Auntie very forcefully, and this servant was indeed beaten up by you all. This servant is telling the truth."
With both sides sticking to their own versions of events, everyone wondered how this matter should be handled.
"With so many people saying it, how could it be false?" Aunt Zhao said, clearly unable to bear it any longer. Ji Wushang glanced at Aunt Zhao, "Aunt, as the saying goes, 'three men can make a tiger,' so we can't rule out the possibility that this is true!"
"That's clearly the truth. There's no such thing as 'three men make a tiger' about it!" Aunt Zhao sneered. "If you can't find any solid evidence, then deal with this matter quickly and don't drag it out!"
"Yes, yes!" The people around him echoed quietly.
Ji Wushang glanced at them, and those people immediately fell silent.
"Someone, call Granny Shi and Granny Li over here," Ji Wushang said.
A short while later, Granny Shi and Granny Li rushed back and bowed to Ji Wushang and the other masters. Ji Wushang looked at them and said, "You two have been in the manor for quite some time now, and the people in the courtyard respect you. There's nothing else to do today, so take Zhu'er to the inner room and carefully examine her body to see if anyone has beaten her. I want the truth!"
"Yes." The two maids knew what was important. They glanced at the Marquis of Jinnan, who nodded slightly. The two maids immediately took Zhu'er to check.
Ji Wushang then walked over to the kneeling maids and said, “You are right. Zhu’er is very fierce. You didn’t even have time to stop her from offending the aunt. Well, if things are as you say, then Zhu’er must not have been beaten by you and must not be injured, right?”
"Your Highness, before bringing Zhu'er into this room, several servants were afraid that she would resist, so they hit her a few times and kicked her."
"You!" Ji Wushang gritted his teeth. He would make these maids suffer endless pain!
The maids immediately dared not look at Ji Wushang. At this moment, Aunt Jin said, "Princess Consort, this is perfectly normal. Who knows if that Zhu'er is some deeply hidden villain? If so, she should be given a good beating to make her confess!"
Ji Wushang frowned as she listened. Her words were actually criticizing herself for hiding her medical skills while talking about Zhu'er, and revealing them only now would inevitably make others think that she had some malicious intentions.
"Zhu'er has served me since she was a child. How could I not know what kind of person she is? To say that she is fierce is utter nonsense! She doesn't know martial arts. She's just a weak woman. Hmph, if she were as you say, wouldn't she be defying the heavens?"
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Who knows if your Zhu'er might be a very deep-hidden person who has deceived you! Only now has she suddenly revealed herself and offended Aunt Leng!" Aunt Zhao said again.
Ji Wushang narrowed his eyes. "This matter is open to discussion! I will definitely give you a perfect answer tonight!"
Just then, Granny Shi and Granny Li came out from outside, with a little maid supporting Zhu'er behind them.
"Reporting to the Princess Consort, the maid has been punched and kicked many times, but there are also many twisted marks. This maid must have endured two beatings of different degrees," Granny Shi said respectfully.
Ji Wushang's eyes immediately fell on the several maids who had lowered their heads, and he walked over immediately. "There are two marks of being beaten... I believe you all heard it, right? You actually lied to me? Guards, drag them away and give them fifty lashes, then kick them out of the manor!" Ji Wushang ordered loudly.
"Wait, Princess Consort, isn't it a bit hasty to judge tonight's events based on just this one point? Zhu'er really offended Consort Leng, almost causing her to miscarry. Such a crime cannot be lightly forgiven! Perhaps these maids truly deceived everyone present, but it's understandable that they were angry seeing Zhu'er offend Consort Leng and felt indignant on her behalf, which is why they exaggerated the matter!" Zhao Yirou said calmly, her words reaching everyone's ears, drawing all eyes to her. What she said made sense!
Ji Wushang sneered, and the maids immediately nodded vigorously and knelt down. "It is indeed as the Second Young Mistress said. We were so angry at the sight that we said such things! Please punish us, Princess Consort!"
"Changing your story so quickly, huh!" Ji Wushang sneered. "So you're admitting you beat Zhu'er up?"
The maids exchanged glances and nodded. At most, it would just be a beating, nothing serious! They might suffer some minor injuries themselves! That woman had promised a generous reward if they crippled Pearl or embarrassed the Princess Consort… Absolutely worth it!
"So that means Zhu'er isn't as fierce as you all, she doesn't know martial arts, and she's extremely weak... You're the ones who led me to this conclusion," Ji Wushang said. "Then why were you able to beat Zhu'er so badly? Why didn't you push Zhu'er to the ground and protect her when you bumped into Aunt Leng?!"
“Your Highness, the maid said it was because there wasn’t enough time. Zhu’er was too fast, so naturally the maids couldn’t react in time. Isn’t that normal?” Aunt Jin raised her beautiful eyes slightly and looked at Ji Wushang, as if to say, “You’re so stupid.”
Ji Wushang stepped forward and walked towards Aunt Jin, his face expressionless, but his aura was very imposing.
Aunt Jin saw this and immediately stepped back.
Ji Wushang walked faster and faster towards her, and Aunt Jin shouted, "What are you doing?!"
Ji Wushang stopped and smiled. "Look, I haven't even bumped into you yet, and you're already making such a fuss. Besides, if you had a few maids with you, they would definitely ask me what I'm doing or just block me, right? On another note, if it were Aunt Leng, who was pregnant, would she let someone threaten her child by bumping into her belly? She'd probably be screaming for her maids to chase the person away before the bump even happened!" Clearly, Aunt Jin had contradicted herself!
Those around them immediately realized that Ji Wushang's words made sense. Because Aunt Jin had just had a very strong reaction, she would certainly be much more careful compared to the pregnant Aunt Leng!
Hearing Ji Wushang's words, Aunt Jin realized she had been tricked! But the look in her eyes just now was terrifying! She couldn't help but back away, her natural reaction being to call for help... What a despicable woman, using such tricks to scheme against her! Damn her!
"But Princess Consort, don't forget, that's the truth. No matter how you argue, it's still Zhu'er who offended Aunt Leng." Zhao Yirou glanced at Ji Wushang with disdain. Let's see what you do then? That's the truth; she needs to be punished, and severely punished!
Ji Wushang laughed, "Sister-in-law Yirou, didn't you realize that Zhu'er was framed?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone began to whisper among themselves. Even Zhu'er, who was kneeling on the ground, looked at Ji Wushang in surprise, wondering if she had been framed.
"Explain yourself clearly!" Aunt Zhao, unable to contain herself any longer, immediately shouted at Ji Wushang. Sure enough, the whispers around them subsided.
“You maids all know who you’re working for,” Ji Wushang said. “But what I do know is that you were responsible for creating the opportunity so that Zhu’er would happen to pass by this courtyard gate and bump into Aunt Leng, wasn’t that right?”
"Please, Your Highness, do not fabricate things on purpose!" The maid in the lead was indeed quite sharp-tongued.
Ji Wushang said, "You all know the truth!" Then he addressed the crowd, "The reason I say this is because, firstly, Zhu'er was carrying things and had no other intentions; secondly, she doesn't know martial arts and is physically weak, yet you maids who were protecting Aunt Leng knew Zhu'er was about to bump into her but didn't protect her in time. Instead, you beat Zhu'er up afterwards, and the servant beat her a second time. This must have been a conspiracy among you, right?"
The maids immediately lowered their heads, not daring to utter a single word.
At this moment, Zhu'er seemed to suddenly realize something. "Yes, yes, I remember now. When I turned around, I only lightly touched my aunt, and she fell to the ground. Then those people immediately pushed me to the ground and started punching and kicking me!"
Those around immediately started pointing and whispering.
“But I don’t understand. There’s no reason for Aunt to deliberately put on such a show, using her hard-won pregnancy as a bargaining chip. If the child is really miscarried, at most she can kill Zhu’er, but that won’t help. I don’t think Aunt would do that, would she?” Zhao Yirou’s lips curled up.
"So, this was orchestrated by someone. We'll find out who it was later!" Ji Wushang glanced at Zhao Yirou, then scanned each person's face before finally settling on the kneeling maids. "Tell me who instructed you. If you do, I'll spare your lives. But if I find out the truth instead of you telling me, I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!" Ji Wushang snorted coldly.
Everyone present was immediately filled with dread. They had long heard that Princess Ji Wushang's methods of punishing people were becoming increasingly ruthless, but they never expected it to happen to them so quickly! Marquis Jinnan coldly glanced at the people around him, "It's getting late. If the murderer is still not found, you maids will go to the back mountain to guard it, and Zhu'er will receive thirty strokes of the cane!"
Guarding the back mountain, wouldn't that be even more certain death? The back mountain is extremely desolate, and more importantly, there's not a single person there, but there are many wolves and dogs! Usually, servants, maids, and young boys who commit crimes are beaten to death and dragged to the back mountain to be fed to the dogs! It's so eerie and terrifying, worse than death!
Ji Wushang listened without any reaction. It was the Marquis of Jinnan's business what he wanted to do, and the specifics depended on whether he agreed with it! Ji Wushang then gave them a slight smile, but the ruthlessness in his eyes was enough to chill anyone who saw it! He didn't intend to repeat his old tricks, but he would show absolutely no mercy to the wicked!
The maids were terrified, but they dared not reveal who had ordered them to do it! If they did, they didn't know if they would die the same way.
Aunt Zhao narrowed her eyes. So what if she knew who had ordered it? She definitely wouldn't be able to find out who did it! Luckily, she was smart enough! This time, Ji Wushang was lucky. Next time, you just wait!
Ji Wushang looked at them and suddenly smiled, "I know who ordered you."
Those around her were immediately stunned. How could Ji Wushang say such a thing!
"Tie Feng, bring the man up here!" Ji Wushang glanced at Tie Feng, who was standing to the side. His sudden appearance meant that the man had been captured!
"Yes!" Tie Feng immediately waved his hand. At this moment, three or five iron guards brought in a tall woman dressed as a maid carrying a bundle. The maids were terrified when they saw her!
"She made you do it, didn't she?" Ji Wushang laughed, a laugh as sinister as that of a demon from hell!
The guard then forced the woman to the ground and kicked her in the knee. "Kneel down!" The woman immediately knelt on the ground, her face filled with terror.
The maids immediately lost their nerve and kowtowed on the ground, crying, "Spare us! Spare us! It was her, she made us sisters do it!" One of them spoke up, and many others quickly chimed in, causing an uproar among the crowd.
So that's how they got framed!
I almost got fooled by appearances!
Ji Wushang said coldly, "I've already said before, since I found out about this, not because you confessed, you're all going to be chopped up and fed to the dogs!"
"Ah, Princess Consort, spare me! Spare me!" The maids cried out in despair. People around them looked at Ji Wushang, wondering if she would change her mind.
"Drag her away." Ji Wushang uttered these three cold words as he walked up to the kneeling woman, who was now trembling. Ji Wushang looked down at her, while behind him, Tie Feng ordered his men to drag the maids away.
Aunt Zhao looked on, opened her mouth, but didn't speak. If this fire were to spread to her, wouldn't she be finished? But… this woman… didn't she send people to kill her? How did she end up here! It seems those assassins she sent were utterly incompetent! How infuriating!
Zhao Yirou looked at Aunt Zhao and silently watched as she walked up to her without anyone noticing, whispering, "Aunt, what should we do?"
"Just watch, don't ask me!" Aunt Zhao was slowly getting scared. Although she asked in a low voice, there was no guarantee that Ji Wushang hadn't seen it!
Ji Wushang's lips curled up at this moment, "I don't want to treat you the same way. Tell me the truth, and I'll guarantee you won't die!" As he spoke, he looked at the woman. Judging from her clothes, he could tell that she was a second-class maid. On her body, Ji Wushang saw some signs of stumbling, which was probably caused by falling and injuring herself while fleeing in a panic.
"This servant...this servant dares not speak!" The maidservant was now prostrate on the ground, pleading, "Please spare my life, Princess Consort!"
"Just tell me who ordered you, and your life will be spared! Otherwise, don't even think about negotiating with me!" Ji Wushang's tone was icy cold!
Aunt Zhao was extremely anxious, wondering what could be done to remedy the situation!