Chapter 48: Are You Courting Death?

Jian You Tang Xuan personally brought the original words.

A quarter of an hour later, Yao’s face was unsightly as she went to the study.

The marquis’s matters were asked with a straight face, his tone distant.

Her temper wasn’t bad, it’s just that her face was so ugly, as if she had never given him a good look.

Ling Xiao casually pointed to the gift list: What’s the matter with these gifts?

Yao, expressionless: These are gifts for Princess Huaining’s coming-of-age ceremony, and also to be sent for the imperial grandson’s birthday celebration, and Old Concubine Qi’s birthday celebration. They have already been annotated.

She bit down on the last few words.

Suspecting that he was scolding her for being verbose.

Ling Xiao’s tone was casual: I wrote too complicatedly, I was too lazy to read.

Yao: …

It was because of the nonsense that she wrote everything down, and he said he was too lazy!

She pursed her lips, swallowing her anger.

Ling Xiao watched her tense face, vaguely suppressing her anger, and felt a little more pleased.

He pointed to the account books again: What are these expenses?

Yao’s eyebrows were furrowed, her tone already impatient: The money for purchasing various embroidery threads, a total of about two taels of silver.

Didn’t the marquis’s mansion keep track of every expense? Did he even haggle over these petty amounts of silver!

Didn’t he have anything else to do all day?

Ling Xiao glanced at her: Two taels of silver today, two hundred taels tomorrow. If you don’t keep an eye on the affairs of the mansion, it will be emptied in a few years.

Yao’s face darkened: What else does the marquis want to ask?

He threw the account books over: It’s too much trouble to check the accounts with you every time. From now on, come and check with me every time. Explain clearly all the affairs of the mansion.

Yao was already somewhat unbearably angry: If the marquis doesn’t trust me to manage it, then hand it over to someone else.

Ling Xiao: Now, apart from you, who else can manage it? Are you pointing at the old lady to manage it?

Yao choked.

Ling Xiao lightly tapped the surface of the table with his knuckles: The old lady taught you etiquette, treated you as her own daughter, and told you the rules again and again, but you don’t even observe the most basic filial piety.

Yao stared at him: The marquis’s actions today, have you really put the word ‘filial piety’ in your heart?

They both knew what the other was thinking, so what was the point of calling her over to draw pictures?

Ling Xiao raised his eyes to look at her, his voice even: The fact that I’m still patiently discussing these trivial matters with you shows that I have already put it in my heart. Otherwise, I should have already acted.

Ling Xiao didn’t push her too hard, lest she become frightened and tremble with fear. He only steadily appeared every day, willing to give her time to cultivate feelings.

He had already used the most patience he could.

But she couldn’t take an inch and ask for a mile.

Yao’s face stiffened slightly, and she tightened her sleeves.

The thing that neither of them mentioned, the thing that neither of them had forgotten, Ling Xiao would never let it go.

In the tense atmosphere, Jian Yi knocked on the door, breaking the silence.

“Marquis, Vice Minister Ji is here.”

Yao tightly pursed her lips: “I’ll take my leave first.”

Ling Xiao frowned slightly, but in the end he didn’t say anything.

Yao turned around, and Ji Huai happened to enter the door, brushing past her, startled.

“Is this Ling Xiao’s sister-in-law?”

“What?” Ling Xiao’s voice was cold.

Ji Huai hurriedly withdrew his gaze, only then realizing that he had been a little inappropriate due to curiosity.

But he also felt inexplicably, why was Ling Xiao so angry?

Ji Huai couldn’t care less, and said immediately: “The origin of the token has been found out. It’s from the Mo Escort Agency.”

Ling Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly: “Mo?”

“Yes, following the token, we also investigated the identity of the deceased. He was an escort from the Mo Escort Agency. It seems that this matter cannot be separated from the Mo family!”

Ling Xiao seemed thoughtful: “In that case, the investigation is too shallow.”

“Start from the Mo family?”

Ling Xiao’s eyes turned cold: “Investigate the Mo Escort Agency, investigate Chen Xiang, too. Investigate the Mo family openly, investigate Chen Xiang secretly.”

Ji Huai was stunned, and nodded: “Yes, I understand.”

Ji Huai was about to leave, but circled back again: “There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Your sister-in-law seemed unhappy just now. What’s wrong?” Ji Huai couldn’t help but gossip.

Ling Xiao’s face darkened: “Is that so?”

“Aiya, aiya, I spoke too soon, pretend I didn’t say anything! I’ll leave now.” Ji Huai turned around and ran away like a wisp of smoke.

Ling Xiao leaned back in his chair, his frustration even greater.

In the following days, Yao reported to him once every day according to Ling Xiao’s rules, each time for half an hour. They maintained the hard-won harmony.

Yao tried her best, and Ling Xiao was more tolerant, but he was more anxious in his heart.

It was as if a knife was hanging loosely around her neck, and she knew clearly in her heart that the knife would fall at any time, but she had no way to avoid it.

As for when the knife would fall, she had no way of knowing.

And in the past few days, the Mo Escort Agency had already been thoroughly investigated, and the evidence was conclusive!

Ling Xiao directly ordered Mo Shikang, the owner of the Mo Escort Agency, to be brought in for questioning.

The imperial prison.

“They have such courage, who are you! How dare you move against me, I will definitely make you suffer!”

Before Mo Shikang arrived, his abusive voice had already been heard.

Ling Xiao picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea, calmly waiting.

Until the heavy door was opened and Mo Shikang was pushed in, he suddenly raised his head and saw Ling Xiao, and his face instantly changed.

“Marquis Ling…” He began to speak in a flattering tone.

Ling Xiao placed the teacup in front of him: “Master Mo doesn’t need to be afraid, I’ve just invited you here to ask a few questions.”

Mo Shikang’s face stiffened, and he held the teacup with both hands, but dared not drink.

Why would Ling Xiao personally investigate a case under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice?

Just using his feet, he could guess the matter.

“A few days ago, we caught a group of assassins, related to the Lotus Sect.” Ling Xiao didn’t beat around the bush.

“Impossible, I have no relations with those rebels at all!” Mo Shikang hurriedly interrupted.

Ling Xiao said lightly: “It should be so. When searching the assassins, we found a token.”

Ling Xiao casually put it down: “Master Mo, are you familiar with this? This is the Mo Escort Agency’s token.”

Mo Shikang’s face instantly turned pale, and he immediately understood.

The Mo family was a royal merchant, why would they be involved in these dirty things? Unless Master Mo can give an explanation, tell me who the Mo Escort Agency is working for, and I might spare your life.

Ling Xiao’s voice was casual, as if he was just making small talk, but his eyes swept across the room, and his sharpness was undisguised.

Mo Shikang started to tremble all over, shaking like a sieve, and the tea in his cup spilled.

How dare he betray Chen Xiang? Mo Shikang was able to get to where he was today entirely because of Chen Xiang’s support behind him. Chen Xiang was holding a thousand pieces of evidence against him, enough to kill him ten thousand times over.

But if Ling Xiao found the Mo Escort Agency’s token on the assassins, he would definitely be convicted!

No matter what, Mo Shikang dared not act rashly.

Suddenly, he knelt down with a plop, hurriedly explaining: “I have no knowledge of this! How could I collude with rebels? This, this must be a slander!”

“Marquis Ling, please be aware of the details, I am old, and my industries are now managed by my sons. The matters of the escort agency, the matters of the escort agency, are managed by my son, Mo Ziqian! That’s right, it must be him, doing something behind my back that I can’t see, that unfilial son!”

Ling Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly, with a hint of coldness in his eyes.

This old fox was weighing the pros and cons, using a useless son as a scapegoat to perfunctorily deal with him?

Mo Shikang burst into tears, wailing: “Marquis, I would never dare to participate in any treasonous activities. I am old, it was so hard to earn this fortune, I only want to return to my hometown to retire, how would I dare get involved in this kind of thing? Please have mercy, Marquis!”

Ling Xiao’s voice was faint: “If that’s the case, then first bring Mo Ziqian in for questioning, and interrogate them both.”

Mo suddenly encountered misfortune, and the capital was in an uproar.

The Mo family was, after all, the most prominent royal merchant in the capital, flourishing for several generations, who would have thought they would be implicated in a rebellion.

Overnight, the news spread throughout the entire capital.

“Madam,” a maid rushed in.

“What is it?” Yao was listless.

“Something happened to the Mo family. This servant just heard from the shop that Master Mo and Young Master Mo have been imprisoned, seemingly related to a rebellion!”

Yao’s face changed in shock: “What?”