Chapter 266

Chapter 266 Whether it was extracting a confession through torture or luring with promises, the fact that she was willing to speak saved Xie Run a great deal of trouble. When she entered Jiang Baobao's room, Jiang Baobao was lying in bed, while Xing'er knelt on the ground with bloody marks on her face. A maid served freshly brewed tea, and Xie Run asked with a faint smile, "How did you and Concubine Wan get involved with each other? And how did you scheme to harm Consort Jiang?" Xing'er kept her head lowered. "A year ago, because my mistress offended Consort Xie and was demoted to Concubine Consort, I tried to advise her several times, but she refused to listen." "It was then that I began to harbor disloyal thoughts." Hearing that what she said matched her own guesses, Xie Run asked, "And then?" "It was Concubine Wan who approached me first. She asked me to do things for her, and in return, she would resolve the issue of my deed of indenture and transfer me away from my mistress's side." Jiang Baobao couldn't help but angrily rebuke, "Shut up! Don't call me your mistress!" "You traitorous thing, who is your mistress? You're not even worthy of being a servant of the Jiang family!" Seeing Jiang Baobao getting worked up again and about to grab Xing'er for a furious scolding, Xie Run could no longer tolerate it. "You shut up!" "Getting angry after childbirth is the easiest way to cause severe bleeding. If you want to die, then stop wasting words. In a moment, I'll have someone block the mansion physician at the door and not let him in!" Jiang Baobao instantly fell silent. Xie Run said, "That part of yours is the truth." "You were dissatisfied with Jiang Baobao's cruelty and stupidity and wanted to serve in another courtyard, but your deed of indenture was in Jiang Baobao's hands. If she wouldn't release you, you couldn't go anywhere." Wan Linlang was indeed skilled at seizing people's weaknesses and exploiting them. Xie Run smiled. "Jiang Baobao has a rash temper and hates nothing more than her maids harboring disloyal thoughts." "Since Wan Linlang was so certain she could help you get your deed of indenture, it couldn't possibly be that she planned to make Jiang Baobao willingly let you go. That could only mean... she wanted Jiang Baobao's life!" Jiang Baobao's eyes widened as she looked at Xing'er in disbelief. There was also a hint of surprise in Xing'er's eyes, and her scalp went numb, but she still couldn't help nodding. Xie Run gave Jiang Baobao a meaningful look. "Nanny Mu by Eldest Young Master's side—do you know her?" "I heard you're about to be transferred to serve by Eldest Young Master's side. Without Nanny Mu's approval, you probably wouldn't have this opportunity, would you?" Xing'er's body swayed as if about to collapse. Jiang Baobao, hearing yet more things she hadn't known, gnashed her teeth and nearly tore the handkerchief in her hands apart. Xing'er said fearfully, "This servant has only met Nanny Mu once." "My mistress fell into Concubine Wan's trap and was coaxed into using a false pregnancy formula. Concubine Wan was afraid my mistress would back out midway, so she had me secretly encourage my mistress, making her firmly believe that the false pregnancy would bring no danger and could also bring down Consort Xie." "During that period, any thoughts my mistress had, I would report to Concubine Wan." "Before Concubine Wan left the manor, she sent me a letter telling me to follow Nanny Mu's instructions." "This servant met Nanny Mu only once—that was when she told me that the rockery had been tampered with, and it was time to urge my mistress to use the miscarriage to harm Consort Xie." "Other than that, I never saw Nanny Mu again." "As for the matter of being transferred to serve by Eldest Young Master's side, I only used silver to bribe Steward Zhao. Everything else was arranged by Concubine Wan." Xie Run set down her teacup and clapped her hands with a smile. "What a Concubine Wan." "You certainly know how to trim your sails. You've confessed everything you should, leaving only Nanny Mu stubbornly tight-lipped, refusing to reveal a single word." Xing'er knelt and kowtowed. "Please spare this servant's life, Consort Xie! Please spare this servant's life!" "This servant has done wrong and dares not hope for a lenient punishment. I only beg Consort Xie to spare this servant's life!" Xie Run sat in the chair and said calmly, "Your deed of indenture is in Concubine Consort Jiang's hands. You're a servant she brought from her family, so by rights, the manor has no authority to punish you." "Now that you've voluntarily admitted your mistakes, I won't punish you." Xie Run glanced at Jiang Baobao, whose eyes were red with anger. "But if your mistress wants to punish you, the manor can't interfere either." Xing'er seemed to lose all her strength and collapsed helplessly to the ground. She appeared utterly despairing, no longer holding any hope. But Xie Run clearly saw that the moment she finished speaking, Xing'er let out a heavy sigh of relief. Jiang Baobao was foolish and impulsive, but precisely because of that personality, she was also easy to handle. Xing'er was by no means stupid. Having served Jiang Baobao since childhood, she naturally knew what Jiang Baobao liked to hear. If she had the ability to use her wits to placate Jiang Baobao, though she couldn't escape a beating, she would certainly keep her life. If she were even more capable, she might even seize the opportunity to become Jiang Baobao's trusted confidante. The sigh of relief she had just let out was also a sign of her confidence in being able to preserve her own life under Jiang Baobao's hands. Xie Run had never dared to underestimate the cunning of the maidservants in the inner courtyard. Having finished interrogating one case, Xie Run felt as though several pounds had been lifted from her scalp. As dusk was falling, the manor's servants were preparing to close the main gates. News had already come back from the people the Princess Consort had sent out to investigate. The person was brought in by Chunjuan. "This servant pays respects to Consort Xie." Xie Run was spending time with her son. She turned her head to look at him. "At Nanny Mu's home—did you find out anything?" "Your servant initially investigated Nanny Mu's family members but found no information whatsoever." "Only at nightfall did a hunter suddenly appear at Nanny Mu's house. Without saying a word, without even stepping through the door, he left some rabbit meat at the entrance." "Your servant grew suspicious and deliberately sent people to investigate." "This hunter is an orphan, without father or mother. In his early years, he was picked up and raised by a retired wounded soldier. He had no dealings whatsoever with Nanny Mu's family in the past." Xie Run listened but could not guess what connection this hunter might have with Nanny Mu's family. "But your servant had a sharp-eyed young man by his side, who noticed at a glance that this hunter bore some resemblance to Nanny Mu's eldest son." Xie Run was surprised yet somewhat incredulous: "Was Nanny Mu's eldest son fathered by the hunter?" "More than that!" The speaker grew somewhat agitated: "That hunter looked strong and sturdy, but he was actually a coward!" "Your servant had people seize him, and once the token was flashed, he confessed everything." "Nanny Mu's husband was born impotent, utterly incapable of getting a woman with child. But to keep up appearances and to have an heir to carry on the family line, Nanny Mu's husband and mother-in-law devised a scheme of borrowing seed." "Because the hunter had no parents and lived year-round deep in the mountains, his whereabouts unpredictable, this family set their sights on him."