pjbooks Chapter 135 The civet cat exchanges for the prince
Chapter 135 The civet cat exchanges for the prince
Le Xiuyuan and Wei Hongwen heard Qin Wanying's thoughts and instantly perked up.
Both of them turned their gazes toward the last servant.
She was a middle-aged woman.
Granny Wang?
Wei Hongwen looked at Granny Wang strangely. Granny Wang had been serving in the Yongning Marquis's mansion for many years, but Qin Wanying's inner thoughts suggested that Granny Wang had a secret.
What secret could there be?
The two of them pricked up their ears, listening to Qin Wanying's innermost thoughts.
[It was this Granny Wang who stole the jade pendant. Last night, taking advantage of the absence of others, she secretly sneaked into the Marquis's bedroom, took the jade pendant, and then had her nephew, who was out on an errand, take it out and put it in her residence.]
Wei Hongwen's pupils dilated.
What?! The jade pendant was stolen by Granny Wang!
Granny Wang is an old servant in the household and has a certain amount of power, managing many servants. I never expected that she would be so dishonest!
Outrageous!
Wei Hongwen glared at Granny Wang with resentment. Granny Wang's eyes darted away, looking a little guilty.
He thought to himself, "Won't my secret be discovered?"
No, that's impossible. She did it very discreetly; no one saw her stealing the jade pendant.
Moreover, the moment she took the jade pendant, she gave it to her nephew and had him move it outside, so it was impossible for her to leave any evidence!
Thinking of this, Granny Wang regained her calm expression.
Le Xiuyuan saw the resentment on Wei Hongwen's face and had a guess in his mind.
Could he also hear Qin Wanying's thoughts?
He observed quietly.
[This Granny Wang, over the years, has worked for the Yongning Marquis's residence, embezzling a considerable amount of money and buying a large mansion on the outskirts of the capital.]
On the surface, she's a servant, but behind the scenes, she lives a glamorous life, her house is full of gold and silver treasures, and she even has servants to attend to her!
Wei Hongwen became even angrier.
Unexpected, unexpected!
I initially thought this Granny Wang was an honest and kind person, and she would sometimes smile innocently when she saw people. I never expected her to be such a faker!
She usually dresses very plainly, but I never imagined she had embezzled so much money from their family!
She was just a servant, yet she bought such a large house and even hired servants to serve her!
They're sucking the blood of the Yongning Marquis's mansion!
[She also arranged for many people in the mansion: the head chef in the kitchen, the shop assistants in charge of purchasing ingredients, the maids in the Crown Princess's quarters, the servants in charge of pruning trees in the outer courtyard, and many others—all of them were relatives of this Granny Wang.]
Wei Hongwen was stunned for a moment, then burst into anger.
He was unaware of these things.
Granny Wang wielded power in the household, and many people were recruited by her. However, these recruits rarely spoke to Granny Wang, and the Marquis's household had no idea that they were her relatives.
[The Yong'an Marquis's family is truly audacious. They misjudge people and don't even bother to check the backgrounds of their servants. This Marquis's mansion is practically becoming like Wang Mama's.]
Wei Hongwen bit his lower lip.
Miss Qin is right. It is indeed their Marquis's mansion that is poor at judging people and doesn't even bother to check their backgrounds before hiring them.
Le Xiuyuan, who was standing next to him, was also listening intently.
Qin Wanying is right; the Yong'an Marquis's mansion is far too ambitious.
He went to work at the Ministry of Justice because it was full of strange and interesting stories, and he found that listening to these stories gave him a certain sense of satisfaction.
[If Yue Xiuyuan, who loves gossip, knew the truth, his eyes would definitely light up! He's had his fill of this juicy gossip!]
Le Xiuyuan looked slightly embarrassed and quickly adjusted his expression.
So that's what "eating melon seeds" means!
That makes sense; he really does enjoy gossiping!
Wei Hongwen's gaze also fell on Le Xiuyuan.
When Qin Wanying mentioned Le Xiuyuan in her thoughts, Wei Hongwen noticed Le Xiuyuan's expression.
He was certain of one thing.
Le Xiuyuan could also hear Qin Wanying's inner thoughts!
It seems he wasn't the only one who could hear it.
Is there anyone else who can hear Qin Wanying's thoughts?
It seems we'll have to observe further.
Le Xiuyuan and Wei Hongwen locked eyes.
Both of them were certain that the other could hear Qin Wanying's thoughts, and it seemed that they had also discovered that they could hear them as well.
No, we absolutely have to discuss this matter in a bit!
Fortunately, Qin Wanying had her back to the two of them and couldn't see their expressions, otherwise she would have definitely noticed something amiss.
Later, after Xiao Dongqian usurped the throne, he purged the Yongning Marquis's household. To protect herself, this old woman, Wang, fabricated evidence of the Yongning Marquis's treason and presented it to Xiao Dongqian.
As a result, the entire Yongning Marquis's household was executed, but Granny Wang and her relatives not only escaped unscathed but also received many rewards, and her son was even given a minor official position.
Le Xiuyuan was shocked.
Good heavens, the Yongning Marquis's mansion is in such a terrible state! Betrayed by its servants, and purged by treacherous officials.
In fact, Yue Xiuyuan had a good impression of Marquis Yongning. Both Marquis Yongning and Marquis Dingbei were loyal and upright, and devoted to the country and its people. He never expected that Marquis Yongning would end up like this.
Le Xiuyuan and Wei Hongwen exchanged another glance, their eyes revealing a hint of shared misery.
We are all wanderers in this world!
One was executed along with his entire family, and the other was cut in half at the waist. They were truly brothers in misfortune!
Wei Hongwen's gaze then fell on Granny Wang.
That old bastard is really going too far!
They ate the food and drank the wine of the Marquis of Yongning, sucking the blood of the Marquis of Yongning, and in the end, they still betrayed their master for personal gain, causing the downfall of the Marquis of Yongning!
Absolutely despicable! Utterly despicable!
The two thought it was the end, but Qin Wanying's next thought left them both frozen in place.
[This Granny Wang is incredibly audacious! A few days ago, when the Princess Consort of Yongning Marquis's residence gave birth, Granny Wang actually switched the baby with a live one! The child the Princess Consort is currently comforting isn't her own, but Granny Wang's daughter's child!]
Both of them looked at Qin Wanying.
Granny Wang, did you replace all the children born to his sister-in-law?
His father had only two sons, his elder brother and him.
My father didn't have any children after he got married, and it wasn't until he was over thirty that my eldest brother was born.
The eldest brother was the same; he and his wife had been together for many years without having children. Now, at the age of thirty, he and his wife finally had a son.
This child was hard-won, and the entire household cherished him like a treasure.
And now they're telling him that this child has been switched at birth? Is he Wang Mama's daughter's child?
Wei Hongwen clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
What about his older brother's real child? Where is the real child?
I wanted to listen further, but my heart remained silent.
Both of them were extremely anxious.
At this moment, Qin Wanying turned around and said to Marquis Yongning, "My lord, this jade pendant was stolen by Granny Wang."
When Le Xiuyuan and Wei Hongwen saw Qin Wanying turn around, they pretended to be surprised.
They couldn't let Qin Wanying know that they could hear her thoughts.
Otherwise, Qin Wanying would feel uncomfortable and might distance herself from them, and they would never hear these messages again!