There is a god in the sky

Chapter 176 The Dance Competition Scandal 11

"You're just handing over a case you've only half-solved, and you don't even want the credit?"

Shen Lan took Xiao Ji's pulse and wrote him a new prescription.

His wound has healed and is scabbing over. All he needs to do next is drink some herbal decoction to strengthen his body and replenish his vital energy.

“My father felt that the person behind this case was not simple and was afraid that I would not be able to handle it since I had just returned to Beijing, so he made an excuse to remove me from the case.”

"I can see that Magistrate Xu is clearly trying to smooth things over."

Xiao Ji tapped his fingers on the coffee table, frowning as he asked Shen Lan, "You just said that Qingman might have committed suicide?"

"That's possible, but the reasoning is a bit far-fetched."

Xiao Ji had considered many possibilities.

He checked everyone he could at Bixiao Tower that day, and there were very few young masters who didn't have an alibi for that time period.

But if the investigation eventually reveals that the person committed suicide, then he will likely offend a lot of people.

"Tell me carefully."

Shen Lan took Xiao Ji to her residence and took out a doll from the cabinet.

She sewed this doll out of scraps of cloth in her spare time, stuffed it with cotton, and made it to a life-size scale.

Xiao Ji was startled, almost thinking she had some strange hobby.

Shen Lan found a thin rope and strangled the doll's neck. She changed the angle three times, and the rope left three marks on the doll's neck.

"My lord, look, the marks on Qingman's neck are closer to the third type."

In other words, either the murderer was much taller than her and could easily lift her, or the rope was hanging from a roof beam.

"That doesn't make sense. It's not like she strangled herself with a thin rope first, then got up and hung herself on that white cloth, is it?"

Shen Lan hadn't really figured it out either.

"Or, before Qiaoyu went in, someone else went into that room, saw that she was dead, and simply used that white cloth to frame Miaoniang."

Xiao Ji pondered for a long time, then gently stroked the doll's neck with his fingers.

If someone else were to do such a thing, it would definitely be considered somewhat erotic, but Xiao Ji is too proper, so no one would think of anything inappropriate.

"Assuming Qiaoyu lied, she went into the house and found Qingman dead, then framed Miaoniang, and pretended to know nothing about it, it's not impossible."

Shen Lan noticed that Xiao Ji seemed to have a lot of suspicion about Qiaoyu's maid.

Unfortunately, the person has already been released, so it's not easy to ask questions now.

Qiaoyu was released from prison and was at a loss as to where to go.

She had only walked two blocks when she noticed someone following her. Before she could hide, several burly men stuffed her into a sack and carried her to a familiar place.

"Untie the sack, I have questions to ask," the Second Young Master Tong said menacingly.

When Qiaoyu saw it was him, her eyes flickered, and she lowered her head guiltily.

Tong Juntao slapped her across the face, "You bitch! I never thought I'd fall for you."

Qiaoyu covered her face and knelt on the ground, "This servant doesn't know what the Second Young Master is talking about."

"Hmph, wasn't it you who encouraged Qingman to let me steal the family's account books? If I hadn't been drunk that day and listened to that bitch's instigation, how could I have made such a low-level mistake?"

Tong Juntao regretted it as soon as he came to his senses.

But the ledger could not be found anywhere.

He had suspected Qingman, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find anything, and he never expected her to die suddenly.

"I never suspected you before, but I just happened to learn something. On the day Qingman died, you were going in and out of her room, and you were also secretly meeting with a man. To be honest, did you kill Qingman?"

Qiaoyu hurriedly denied it: "I didn't kill him, how could I have such audacity?"

"It seems you won't tell the truth until you see blood. Perfect, let me show you how I punish disobedient servants."

Tong Juntao let out a malicious laugh.

A group of burly men surrounded Qiaoyu; some pinched her face, others tore at her skirt...

"Ah...get away! Get away now!"

Tong Juntao said coldly, "If you don't want to talk, then forget it. I'll just kill you and continue my search."

Qiaoyu screamed in fright.

"Kill me and you'll never find the ledger!"

"Stop!" he shouted, staring at Qiaoyu's half-naked body and asking, "Where is the ledger?"

Qiaoyu bit her lip and shook her head, trembling, "I don't know either..."

"continue!"

"No...no, I'll tell you...I'll tell you, I gave it to a beggar, the person I was in contact with."

"Whom have you been obeying all along?" Tong Juntao kicked her to the ground.

He thought he had the maid under his control and had her do things for him, but he never expected that he had been deceived all along.

"I don't know who he is." Qiaoyu shook her head, hugging herself.

She cried in despair.

"He knows nothing when asked, that's great." Tong Juntao left the person behind.

He knew this hurdle was difficult to overcome, so his only option was to plead with the Crown Prince to prevent any further trouble.

The crown prince had just placed a lieutenant in the palace and was feeling quite pleased with himself when the gunpowder incident occurred.

He originally intended to have the county magistrate take the blame, but his mother said that it would be better to take the opportunity to muddy the waters, kick out the Vice Minister of War, and install one of his own people.

Although the eunuch Li Ge was young, his methods were first-rate, and he actually managed to get the Marquis of Pingyang to turn his attention to Minister Lai.

At this time, the man surnamed Lai died, leaving no way to verify the story. He also managed to frame the Marquis of Pingyang, killing two birds with one stone.

When Tong Juntao came to visit, the Crown Prince was talking to his advisors about the Marquis of Pingyang.

"I never expected that Father would appoint him as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. Could it be that the Marquis of Pingyang has been too dissolute in recent years, causing Father to lower his guard?"

Outsiders only thought that Marquis Pingyang retreated from the front lines to the capital because he was injured.

In reality, it was just that the emperor was worried that his achievements would overshadow his own, so he temporarily changed commanders on the front lines.

For so many years, the Emperor has kept the Marquis of Pingyang at arm's length and not given him any real power, isn't it because he's worried that the Marquis will find out what happened back then?

The advisor said frankly, "In time, the emperor will no longer need to worry about the Marquis of Pingyang rebelling. Giving him a post won't hurt. Besides, I heard that this matter was caused by Consort Li in the palace whispering in his ear."

"Consort Li is favored in the palace and rarely seeks anything for her family. This time, she probably pleaded for him on behalf of Marquis Pingyang."

Consort Li had no children, so the Crown Prince was not worried about her.

Moreover, the next generation of the Marquis of Pingyang are all disappointing. One is Fu Qingyan, who is ignorant and stupid, and the other is Fu Qingyang, who is petty and narrow-minded. What future can they have?

In conclusion, although the Marquis of Pingyang obtaining the position of Vice Minister of War was not in their plans, it would not have much of an impact.

The Crown Prince's current enemy is the Second Prince. As long as Marquis Pingyang doesn't support the Second Prince, he can tolerate him.

Upon hearing that Tong Juntao had come looking for him, the Crown Prince was reluctant to see him.

His maternal family was very powerful and was his strongest backing in the court. If it weren't for his maternal grandfather and uncle, he really wouldn't bother to meet a playboy like Tong Juntao.

"Fine, let him in and see what he's up to this time."

When Tong Juntao saw his cousin, the Crown Prince, he became timid and didn't mention the account book at all. Instead, he talked about some gossip from outside.

The crown prince was utterly disappointed and found an excuse to send the man away.

His aide noticed his displeasure and said maliciously, "Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but your cousin is likely to cause trouble in the future. It's a misfortune for the prestigious Tong family to produce such a spendthrift son."

The crown prince's gaze turned cold, and he said in a gloomy voice, "I hope my uncle can keep an eye on him."