Chapter 6

Chapter 6

In truth, Cook Wang’s story was easy enough to verify, and it matched the maids’ testimonies perfectly.

Lady Xu’s elder brother, Xu Bozhao, was indeed a frequent visitor to Ningyuan Marquis Manor.

It was said that he was the only son of the Xu family, and a nephew whom the Old Madam valued highly.

But the man had failed at both scholarly and martial pursuits, and he was a notorious lecher. He often came to Ningyuan Marquis Manor to sponge off them.

It was said that, relying on the power of the marquis’s mansion, he had bullied men and forced himself on women outside, committing no small number of vile deeds.

Even the Marquis of Ningyuan found him deeply repugnant.

But out of consideration for his mother and his beloved concubine, he had no choice but to bail the man out time and again.

In great noble households like this, with so many people and so many loose tongues, it was inevitable that there would be one or two useless relatives.

Even Yuan Nanshan’s family might not be free of such things.

After considering for a moment, I said to Cook Wang, “If what you say is true, then your suspicion only grows stronger.”

Her brother had done such a thing, yet Lady Xu had not only shown no remorse and offered no compensation, she had even used her position to bully the victim and hurl abuse at her.

With Cook Wang’s devotion to her daughter, it was entirely possible that, in a fit of rage, she had committed murder.

Yuan Nanshan also said, “Precisely.”

Cook Wang was so frightened that tears streamed down her face. She hurriedly waved her hands and said, “My lord, please see clearly! How would I dare kill Concubine Xu? My whole family, young and old, all serve in the marquis’s mansion. I don’t just have one daughter-I have two sons as well!”

“Besides, before I left, Concubine Xu was clearly alive and well. She even cursed me to my face and told me not to speak of the matter… We servants would never dare try to reason with our masters.”

With that, she covered her face and began to cry, aggrieved.

From what I heard, her words were sincere, and she did not seem to be concealing anything.

The hall fell silent. Only Cook Wang’s sobs could be heard.

Yuan Nanshan and I exchanged a look. Then I immediately asked, “Are you certain that when you left, Concubine Xu was still alive?”

Cook Wang raised her right hand. “I’m certain. I can swear it. Concubine Xu truly was still alive!”

“What time did you leave Concubine Xu’s courtyard? Did anyone see you during that period?”

If there was a witness, then naturally she could be cleared of suspicion.

Cook Wang thought hard for a while, then said, “I must have gone back around the second quarter of the Shen hour-around half past three. I still had to return and make pastries for the Old Madam.”

“…I remember that when I came out, I think I saw County Lady Qixia. But it was only a hurried glance, so I don’t know whether the County Lady took any notice…”

In that case, we would have to ask for the County Lady’s testimony.

To avoid wronging an innocent person, I had Yuan Nanshan take Cook Wang into custody.

This would both prevent her from fleeing and ensure her safety.

If she was not the killer, then the real murderer might set their sights on her.

And that would be troublesome.

For now, all we could do was look at the testimonies of the others and make a judgment afterward.