Chapter 186: Duty-Bound
“My lord, let me tell you, that Lady Qin, tsk tsk, her strike was truly fast, accurate, and ruthless. The moment that concubine said her husband’s surname was Yu, Lady Qin slapped her so hard she went flying.”
“I’m telling you, several pots of the Prefect’s wife’s chrysanthemums were crushed; there was even a human imprint pressed into them. It was truly a chrysanthemum appreciation—those chrysanthemums were genuinely beautiful.”
“My lord, next time, don’t you dare bring those ‘dear,’ ‘well-behaved,’ and ‘kind’ little Lu’er and Guo’er out with you. It’s just embarrassing.”
After the group of noblewomen finished attending the Prefect’s wife’s chrysanthemum banquet, they all had things to say upon returning home.
They couldn’t help but share with their husbands the news of Madam Jiang striking Official Yu’s concubine.
And incidentally, they also used it to keep their own husbands on their toes.
Of course, there were also clever wives who viewed the situation from a different angle.
“Madam Jiang gifted the Prefect’s wife a pot of black chrysanthemums, which the Prefect’s wife adored, immediately treating her as a guest of honor. That Madam Jiang seems very calculating. Her striking Official Yu’s concubine, which seemed flamboyant and reckless, was likely because she knew her husband was at odds with Official Yu. After all, Official Yu had publicly led men to search the Jiang Mansion, showing absolutely no regard for the Jiang Family.”
“The little girl of the Jiang Family truly possesses stunning beauty. Madam Meng didn’t come today, so it seems the rumor that Madam Meng is as beautiful as Daji must be true. As for that rumor about her destiny, it was likely spread by someone on purpose.”
Whether they were clever wives, jealous wives, or brainless wives, once they finished sharing the gossip with their husbands…
The husbands returned the favor with an even bigger piece of gossip.
Official Yu was dead.
All the wives felt a chill run down their spines.
They had been chattering away, perhaps with a touch of schadenfreude, wanting to express to their husbands, “Look, other people’s wives cause so much trouble, but I’ve never caused you any. I’ve even tolerated those little sluts in your backyard, so you should show me some respect.”
And then, Official Yu died!!!
They had been worried that Madam Jiang would face retaliation from Official Yu.
And he just died like that???
Isn’t that too fast?
Isn’t that too coincidental?
Isn’t that too timely?
Uh, what?
The Prefect’s wife was also chatting with her husband.
Between the two of them sat that pot of black chrysanthemums.
It was particularly beautiful.
She had never seen such a robust chrysanthemum before.
Its color was a mutated black.
She looked at the chrysanthemum with a beaming smile and even ate an extra bowl of rice.
Prefect Zhou looked a bit like his plump wife; he also had a slightly chubby, well-fed appearance.
However, Prefect Zhou’s face looked much fiercer, and when he smiled, he looked like a smiling tiger—very calculating and shrewd.
In front of him, the Prefect’s wife appeared very naive and sweet.
“Old Zhou, don’t you think this flower is pretty? Madam Jiang gave it to me. She’s the wife of that Official Rank you said was very handsome. She’s a good person, we get along well, she’s loyal, and she looks like she has a good temper. I’ll invite her over to play again tomorrow.”
The Prefect already knew about Madam Jiang striking Judge Yu’s concubine, and he also knew that Judge Yu was dead.
Yet his own silly wife was still here praising her good temper.
He didn’t dare speak easily about official matters with his wife at home, as she had always been loose-lipped.
“Fine, if you like her, then let her come over to keep you company. But don’t keep calling her over and over; she has things to do and can’t always play with you,” Prefect Zhou said, suppressing his impatience.
His wife was the only daughter of his mentor and also his junior fellow apprentice; he had been doting on her since childhood.
He had coaxed her from a young girl in the prime of her youth into the plump wife she was now—two girls’ worth of youth.
“I understand, you can rest assured when I handle things. Commander Jiang’s daughter is also exceptionally pretty and very lovable. Oh my, looking at her makes me want to have another child.” The Prefect’s wife smiled until her eyes curved, leaving only slits on her chubby face.
Prefect Zhou shuddered, stood up uncomfortably, and said, “I still have official business; I’m going to handle it.”
The next day.
The weather was clear and fine.
Because Judge Yu had died unexpectedly, an emergency meeting was convened.
Everyone was muttering in their hearts, how could there be so many “accidents”?
They had just had a conflict with the Jiang Family; during the day, Madam Jiang had struck Official Yu’s concubine, and by night, Official Yu had died unexpectedly.
Everyone was curious about what Commander Jiang would do and how he would prove his innocence.
They were even more curious about this new colleague.
Today, Jiang Changtian was dressed in his official robes, looking more handsome and dashing than all the men present, both old and young.
When the matter of Judge Yu was brought up, Commander Jiang resolutely stood forward and volunteered, saying:
“Official Yu and I were like brothers. We are both colleagues who accepted the amnesty. The other officials here have experience in the officialdom, but we lack experience and might easily offend people. With Brother Yu’s accident, I am duty-bound to find the murderer. I do not believe that someone as cautious as Official Yu would accidentally fall from a cliff. There must be an inside story. Prefect, please entrust this matter to me. I will definitely investigate the truth and provide everyone with an answer.”
Everyone:…
Prefect Zhou: Granted. Meeting adjourned.
As the group walked out together, an official noticed a stain on Commander Jiang’s official robes and quickly reminded him. Commander Jiang smiled and said, “It’s nothing, nothing. I was painting with my daughter this morning and accidentally got it dirty.”
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