Chapter 369: Wanting to Overturn the Case

son and Meng Jin Yao. A talented man and a beautiful woman, they were quite a match.She suddenly realized that she could take this opportunity to have her son marry. Her son had never married becaus...As the eldest branch of a prestigious family, they had resided in the capital for generations. Since their master was away, there were not many servants at the old house in Huizhou. However, the flowers, trees, and plants throughout the estate were meticulously cared for. Every courtyard was regularly cleaned and maintained by servants, so it wasn't particularly dirty. The maid quickly tidied up the courtyard.

After half a month on the boat, everyone was a bit tired. They all returned to their lodgings to rest. Zhou Yun and Yu Chuan stayed in the front courtyard, while Qing Qiu and Chan'er followed Meng Jin Yao and her husband to live in Qin Ya Xuan in the back courtyard, attending to Meng Jin Yao closely.

The Qinyaxuan is elegantly decorated, with lush flowers and trees in the courtyard. Various flowers are in full bloom, emitting a faint fragrance. A winding stone path meanders through it all, graceful and elegant.

All the furniture inside was made of pear wood. On a display shelf stood antique porcelain vases, and in the middle of the room, on a round table, sat a blue-and-white porcelain vase filled with fresh flowers.

The curtains were sheer and light, swaying gently in the breeze, casting dappled sunlight.

After taking a bath, Meng Jinyao lay on the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Though she had a regular sleep schedule on board and there were no waves on the canal, the sound of water outside and the slight rocking of the boat kept her from sleeping soundly. The bed was small and the mattress hard. For the past month and a half, she hadn't slept well, waking up with a sore back and aching muscles. Now that she finally had a comfortable bed, she naturally wanted to sleep in deeply.

Gu Jingxi also bathed, seeing that his little wife had fallen asleep, he didn't have other arrangements for the time being, so he lay down on the bed and rested first.

The couple slept until dusk before waking up. After washing their faces and getting dressed, they went out to prepare for dinner.

Liu Guanjia didn't know Meng Jin Yao's dietary preferences, so he specially asked Qingqiu and then set the dinner menu. He was afraid she wouldn't be used to the flavors of Huzhou, so he also had the chef prepare three special dishes from Beijing. In addition, there were also characteristic dishes from Huzhou, including steamed Taihu white fish, Deqing sauce lamb, and braised Taihu shrimp.

Meng Jiny Yao never had a picky palate. She accepted any flavor, sweet, sour, bitter, salty; as long as it tasted good, she liked it. Looking at this table full of dishes, her index finger twitched with excitement. In addition, for the past half month, she had been on a ship, and the food on board was mediocre. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly delicious either. Now that there were palatable meals, she ate an extra bowl of rice and ended up eating herself full.

Gu Jingxi had originally watched her eat with gusto, not stopping her. Seeing that she was full, he ordered the kitchen to make some sour plum soup to aid digestion, and then took her for a walk outside to help her digest her meal.

After getting up, Gu Jingxi saw that her small belly was bulging a bit. He couldn't help reaching out to touch her little belly and chuckled: "Ayao, be more careful next time, someone might think I've mistreated you. They wouldn't know I haven't let you have enough to eat."

Meng Jin Yao blushed and swatted his hand away. "Isn't that just because it's been ages since you've had a good meal"

Gu Jingxi said softly, "It's my fault for not thinking ahead. When we return to the capital, I will have the maids prepare some easy-to-carry snacks and buy some candies to eat along the way."

-

It was three o'clock in the late afternoon, it wasn't too early anymore, but after a nap in the afternoon, there wasn't much sleepiness at this time.

Meng Jinyao tossed and turned on the bed, then suddenly remembered Gu Xiuming's parents. She asked, "By the way, husband, I heard that Xiuming's biological father held an official position in this area. Which county under the jurisdiction of Huizhou Prefecture did he serve in"

Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback before replying, "He isn't in Huzhou Prefecture. He's just closer to his ancestral home. He's the magistrate of Tongxiang County in Jiaxing Prefecture, which borders Huzhou Prefecture. Tongxiang County is very close to Huzhou."

Meng Jinyao nodded and then asked, "Husband, you just said that two attendants left for Huizhou ahead of us. Why didn't we see them today They wouldn't be later than us, would they"

Gu Jingxi replied, "They arrived before us. It's just that I instructed them to investigate some matters secretly and they haven't returned yet."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyu nodded knowingly and then followed up, "Husband, what kind of case are you investigating this time"

Gu Jingxi didn't hide anything from her, and said slowly: "The county magistrate of Deqing County under the jurisdiction of Huzhou Prefecture fell ill and died suddenly. Later, a new county magistrate was sent to Deqing County to take office, but this new magistrate died suddenly shortly after taking office. However, the coroner found no problems during the autopsy. Later, rumors spread that there were ghosts in the Deqing County government office, scaring the county magistrates to death."

For this reason, the court sent people to investigate the case. Even the officials in charge of the case died in the county office of Deqing County. It is said that the servants on that day truly encountered a ghost and fainted from fright. Rumors of ghosts spread like wildfire, even reaching the guards who witnessed it. Later, the court again sent people to investigate but found nothing unusual. They only invited a master to perform rituals. The county office of Deqing County has never had another incident involving ghosts since then, and the case was closed.

Meng Jin Yao listened, her expression turning serious: “Husband, I feel this isn't just a case of people being spooked. Someone is behind this, using rumors of ghosts to cover up the murder of court officials.”

Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "So I'm going to investigate this case and overturn the previous verdict."

Meng Jin Yao's face grew increasingly grim. Two county magistrates had died, and even the officials sent by the imperial court to investigate the case had perished. Only the second batch of investigators survived. The fact that they lived proved they hadn't uncovered anything. Those who died, however, must have discovered something or obtained evidence that threatened certain individuals, leading to their elimination.

Thinking of this, Meng Jinyang suddenly worried about her husband. Before, all the officials who knew something had met with misfortune. If her husband found any evidence that was harmful to some people, he would probably be silenced by those people in every way possible. Although her husband's trip this time was ostensibly a visit to ancestors, there was also a certain amount of danger.

Gu Jingxi saw her frowning, her face grave, and he soothed her in a gentle voice: "Aiyao, don't worry, it's just investigating a case. I've investigated cases much more dangerous than this before.

Meng Jin Yao reminded, "Then husband, be careful."

Gu Jingxi replied, "Don't worry, A Yao. I can do it."

Suddenly, Meng Jin Yao asked again, "Husband, do you have any clues about this case"

Gu Jingxi said: "There are suspected candidates, but there is no evidence. Everything has to wait until the secret investigation is over before we know what's going on."

He was afraid that Ah Yao would worry, so he started to overthink and immediately changed the subject: "It's getting late, let's go to sleep first. We can go out shopping tomorrow morning. We didn't bring much with us when we left Beijing this time, so tomorrow we can see what else we need to buy.

Meng Jin yao responded with a sound, nestling into his arms and finding a comfortable position. She remained silent, closing her eyes and letting sleepiness wash over her.

The next morning.

Meng Jinyáo and Gu Jingxi finished their breakfast and went out to play. They also bought some things, including seasonal clothes, jewelry, rouge and gouache, facial oil, and some interesting little trinkets.

For three straight days, the couple played and didn't do anything else.

To outsiders, it seemed like their trip was just a homecoming to pay respects to their ancestors and a chance to enjoy the mountains and waters. in fact. If they were pregnant, but couldn't enter the door, the child would become an illegitimate child. There was even a possibility that due to the elders wanting to maintain the reputation of th...