"Say it to me alone?"
Lin Qingge frowned at his exceptionally handsome face.
"A man and a woman should not touch each other. My wife is also here. If Madam Chen thinks it is acceptable, could you allow my wife to be present as well?"
"Yes."
An accident scene with a corpse lying nearby was not a good place for a chat, so Lin Qingge led Tang Wan'er directly to Leng Ningyue.
From beginning to end, Tang Wan'er did not spare a glance at Liu Jinhua, who stood at the doorway, looking terrified.
After instructing Liu Jinhua that she could go home but not leave Changzhou County for the time being, Lin Qingge looked at Murong Bai not far away and asked behind her, "Madam Chen, your husband died of sudden death due to sexual excess, which is considered accidental death. According to regulations, the body can be claimed by the family. Do you want to take it back for burial, or have us handle it at our morgue?"
Tang Wan'er glanced at the corpse slumped on the bed like a puddle of mud and said expressionlessly, "Reporting to Your Excellency, other than the younger uncle Chen Rao, the Chen family has no other relatives in Fengtian Prefecture. As a weak woman, I am not good at appearing in public, so it is better to have the morgue handle it. As for the money for the processing..."
When money was mentioned, Murong Bai cut in first, "As for the money, you can send it directly to the morgue."
Tang Wan'er nodded, accepting.
Lin Qingge, whose plans were interrupted, gave Murong Bai a glare and silently noted it down in her mental ledger before continuing to walk out.
On the other side.
Leng Ningyue was accompanying Lin Zimo, who had eaten until his belly was round, for a walk to aid digestion in the lobby downstairs. Not far away, Yan Tinghao sat with a mournful face. Beside him stood the shopkeeper of Xiangtang Pavilion, who was tied up. The flower thief, however, was nowhere to be seen.
As expected, Lin Qingge, for once, did not speak to scold. She walked to Leng Ningyue's side and informed her. Because of the previous incident, Leng Ningyue did not entrust Lin Zimo to Yan Tinghao's care. Instead, she kept him with Lin Moyuan, who had reappeared at some unknown time.
However, when Lin Qingge led Leng Ningyue into the adjacent private room.
Tang Wan'er, who had been waiting there, looked at Leng Ningyue up close. Her previously calm expression instantly turned to shock.
"How can it be you? No, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the capital? And you clearly already..."
Facing Tang Wan'er's string of questions, Leng Ningyue said nothing. Seeing this, Lin Qingge, who was somewhat surprised that Tang Wan'er seemed to know Leng Ningyue, introduced them, "Madam Chen, this is my wife, Madam Leng." "Wife, this is Madam Chen Chong, the wife of the deceased Chen Chong."
Leng Ningyue nodded slightly, acknowledging the introduction.
"So it is Your Excellency's wife. It was my mistake. I thought I saw an old friend." Although Tang Wan'er spoke to Lin Qingge, her gaze was fixed on Leng Ningyue's face, as if trying to see through the veil Leng Ningyue was wearing.
But Leng Ningyue herself paid no mind to it. Lin Qingge placed her hand on her lips and coughed lightly, reminding her, "Madam Chen, you said you had something to tell me earlier?"
"Yes, Your Excellency." With that, Tang Wan'er, who was brought back to her senses, took out a booklet from her sleeve. "Reporting to Your Excellency, this is the detailed record of the hidden accounts of my husband Chen Chong and his elder brother Chen Shu in their operation of Xiangtang Pavilion in Fengtian Prefecture. It clearly records how many women were purchased from the intermediaries and where these women were assigned. It also records the illicit earnings of each Xiangtang Pavilion and the list of regular customers."
Lin Qingge heard this and did not reach out to take the booklet that Tang Wan'er presented with both hands. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you giving this to me?"
"According to my knowledge, Your Excellency is not only a favored disciple of Fengtian Prefecture Magistrate Xu Changling but also a rare honest and good official who loves the people as his own children. Therefore, on my way here, I thought repeatedly and decided to present this to Your Excellency. I hope Your Excellency can protect my life from Chen Shu."
"Madam Chen, what do you mean by that?"
"Your Excellency, as Chen Rao just said, I, an outsider, inherited all of the Chen family's property. The Chen brothers will certainly not let me off. Chen Rao is easier to deal with, he is not to be feared. As for Chen Shu, although he established his own household to pursue an official career and to avoid implicating the Chen family should the truth be revealed one day, he is, after all, a member of the Chen family. If he learns of the death of my husband Chen Chong, with Chen Shu's vengeful nature and his various ruthless methods, even if I return all of the Chen family's property, he will not let me, who holds their handle, go. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, I have decided to seek Your Excellency's help."
"Madam Chen, let's speak frankly. Why do you think I, a mere county magistrate, can go against Chen Shu, who has the support of His Highness the Fourth Prince in the capital?"
Upon hearing Lin Qingge's question, a rare faint smile bloomed on Tang Wan'er's lips. "Your Excellency, my decision is merely from the heart."
"From the heart?"
"Yes, Your Excellency saved my life a few years ago."
!!!
Lin Qingge's head was filled with a string of question marks. She then realized that the person she was referring to was probably not herself, but her cheap elder brother Lin Jingxing. As if sensing the confusion on Lin Qingge's face, Tang Wan'er explained, "A few years ago, our Tang family offended someone unknown, and our entire clan was massacred overnight. My father seemed to have foreseen this and had me lodged with relatives in the city beforehand. Unfortunately, the other party was prepared and found my hiding place. My uncle and aunt's family sacrificed themselves to protect me and sent me out. I fled like a headless fly, but fortunately, I met Your Excellency. It was Your Excellency who saved me onto the carriage, safely sent me out of the city, and gave me travel expenses. Although it may have been a small matter that Your Excellency did not keep in mind, for me, it was a life-saving grace. Therefore, I trust Your Excellency. Moreover, I do not expect Your Excellency to confront Chen Shu head-on. I only hope that Your Excellency can protect my life as much as possible. If Chen Shu proves too difficult to deal with, it is fine for Your Excellency to hand me over. My life was saved by Your Excellency in the first place, and I will never blame Your Excellency. As for this ledger, consider it a bargaining chip for Your Excellency to play against Chen Shu."
...
Lin Qingge, who found herself involved in the gossip, secretly glanced at Leng Ningyue beside her. Seeing that her expression was calm, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while also resenting her cheap elder brother for not staying home to read properly at night and going out wandering aimlessly! Fortunately, Tang Wan'er was already married. If she had met a love-struck person who wanted to offer herself in marriage, what would she, the successor, do? Would she really have to have many wives and concubines and enjoy the happiness of having multiple women?
Uh—
It seemed not impossible... But that was on the premise that she was a real man! Otherwise, what was the point of gathering so many beautiful women? Would they play Dou Dizhu or Mahjong?
As Lin Qingge was thinking about these irrelevant things, Yan Tinghao knocked on the door from outside.