Zhongli Mingye sat on the upper seat in the county yamen and sipped some tea. He didn't say much, but his whole body exuded a menacing aura.
"Did a baby go missing from your residence today? By chance, this king happened to pass by, so I came to inquire about the situation."
The more Song Jinyu looked at the lady, the more she felt that the lady was acting guilty.
The way her sister - in - law treated her child at home was what a mother should be like. She held the baby in her arms every day, calling it her precious darling and was extremely afraid that the baby would get the slightest injury. If Lingyu were to go missing, her sister - in - law would probably have fainted by now.
However, this lady's eyes were constantly darting around. Although there seemed to be sadness on her face, this sadness didn't reach the bottom of her eyes.
"Madam, how many hours has the young master been missing?"
Suddenly being called out, Li Shi panicked and quickly knelt down. "I just arrived at the Qingshui Nunnery this morning and soon lost consciousness."
"About two hours or so."
Song Jinyu stood up, gave her a deep look, and continued, "Has Magistrate Tang sent people to look for the child?"
Although Tang Ze was not familiar with the young girl, seeing that Prince Yu had a special attitude towards her, he naturally treated her very respectfully. "I've sent people to look for my son, but several hours have passed, and there's still no news."
He was truly anxious. Being in middle - age, he had just had his legitimate son. Now, all he wanted was for his legitimate son to be safe and sound. He was so worried that his head was covered in sweat. After the old lady got the news, she fainted.
The arrival of Prince Yu was really unexpected.
"In that case, this king will go back first. I hope you can find the young master and bring him home soon." Seeing that it was getting late, Zhongli Mingye decided to take Song Jinyu back first.
On the way, Song Jinyu told him her doubts. "I think there's something wrong with that lady."
"Oh? This king thinks she's very anxious!"
"Come on, this kind of behavior doesn't look like a normal mother's attitude at all!" Song Jinyu saw that he didn't seem to care and seriously explained, "My nephew had a fever a few days ago. My sister - in - law was so worried that she couldn't eat and cried every day. It wasn't until he got better that her emotions stabilized."
This young master was missing! How could she be so calm? Although Tang Ze seemed calm on the surface, his hands were constantly clenched.
Looking at Song Jinyu thoughtfully, Zhongli Mingye suddenly grinned wickedly. "You like kids a lot, don't you? You seem to know so much about them."
"Then you should quickly give this king a child of our own."
This was going too far! Song Jinyu's face blushed with anger at his words. She turned her head and refused to talk to him. They were having a good conversation about the case, but he went so off - topic.
Seeing that she was shy, Zhongli Mingye said seriously, "Later, I'll ask Qingfeng to investigate this lady's past."
This was better!
Her complexion improved a bit, but unexpectedly, the next moment Song Jinyu was so angry that she couldn't speak.
"You still have to give this king a child!"
"You! Humph..."
When they got home, Song Jinyu went to the Zhuxuan Courtyard and told Xiang Shi about the matter.
Xiang Shi was holding Lingyu and coaxing him. When she heard that the county magistrate's wife had lost her young master, she quickly hugged the child tighter.
"If Lingyu were to go missing, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to live anymore."
Yes! This was the right reaction...
There must be something wrong with that lady. Just as she was racking her brains to figure out the cause and effect, a huge trouble broke out in the He Family.
A baby suddenly appeared in the He Mansion!
Master He was very proud. This was He Shuda's son. The He Family finally had an heir and wouldn't be cut off by that poor - relation girl from the Song Family.
However, the baby's mother was a big problem!
It was inevitable to use some extraordinary means.
Song Wangqiu suddenly got the news and rushed to the He Mansion to make a scene. She was beaten out by Master He with a stick.
"If you dare to cause trouble again, this old master will surely beat you to death!"
Leaving these words menacingly, the people of the He Family swaggered away.
Song Wangqiu's eyes were full of despair. She had always known that He Shuda had a mistress. She didn't expect that the mistress had even given birth to a child!
Even though she had been abandoned by He Shuda after being seduced, she still had some hope for him in her heart. So she had been taking good care of her body in the Song Family, hoping that one day she could return to the He Family and be the young mistress again.
Now that the mistress had given birth to the eldest grandson of the He Family, her hope was completely shattered!
"I will surely destroy you all!"
She became more and more crazy, attributing all her misfortunes to Song Jinyu. Just yesterday, she had seen Prince Yu seeing Song Jinyu off the carriage. He had looked so doting and reluctant.
Why was it that they were both daughters of the Song Family, but Song Jinyu could enjoy such wealth and honor while she had become an abandoned woman!
He Family, Song Jinyu, just wait! A look of cruelty flashed in her beautiful eyes, and her face twisted.
A few days later, Zhongli Mingye got the news. He smiled slightly. There were actually so many interesting stories behind the case of the missing infant in the county yamen.
He was just about to go and share this with Song Jinyu when unexpectedly, another piece of news came from Chengyin County. Lady Li, the magistrate's wife, suddenly died of an illness.
"This is getting interesting!"
Putting down the tea in his hand, he went to the Song Mansion in a good mood.
Song Jinyu was busy taking care of the medicinal herbs in the yard. "Why do you plant these yourself?"
Zhongli Mingye walked up to her. Watching the young girl scoop water with a ladle one by one, he took it over.
"The ones I plant myself are more effective."
However, she was more eager to know how the case was going. "The matter is more complicated than you think. Do you want to hear?"
Nodding, her innocent eyes made his heart flutter. He couldn't help but reach out and touch her delicate face.
"What are you doing?"
She shyly dodged the ambiguous gesture and looked around. Fortunately, there was no one around.
Sitting leisurely on her imperial concubine's couch, he slowly told this seemingly ordinary but actually strange story: "It all started when Li Shi was still unmarried. She had known He Shuda since childhood, but the He Family looked down on Li Shi's background. So Li Shi married Tang Ze as a second wife."
As he was talking, he watched Song Jinyu's expression. Seeing that she was very confused, he explained, "Last year, Li Shi and He Shuda suddenly met in an inn. Their old feelings resurfaced, and they had an improper relationship."
Uh? Song Jinyu looked even more innocent. Improper?
"Later, Li Shi suddenly got pregnant. Calculating the time, the child was He Shuda's. After the child was born, he was very much loved by Tang Ze. Everything was quite peaceful at first."
"It's a pity that after Li Shi learned that He Shuda had gotten married, she was often dissatisfied. So she told He Shuda about the child."
Zhongli Mingye looked at her amusingly. Suddenly, he reached out and interrupted her train of thought, then continued, "The He Family happened to have no eldest grandson. After learning this news, they discussed a plan with Li Shi, and that's how the scene of the missing infant happened."
Song Jinyu's expression remained unchanged. "It's a pity for Tang Ze..."
"It's not a pity. Li Shi is dead..."
"Ah?"
"Did the He Family kill her? Or did Tang Ze not want to bear the humiliation?"
Instead of answering her question, he asked Song Jinyu, "He Shuda's future is ruined. It's probably very difficult for him to make a comeback." As he watched Song Jinyu's reaction,
Unexpectedly, Song Jinyu didn't care about He Shuda at all. She only asked, "Who killed Li Shi?"
"She committed suicide!"
"She died on the night after we went there."
Song Jinyu was indignant. "What's the relationship between the He Family and the Tang Family now?"
"They made a deal. Tang Ze received a lot of benefits and won't pursue this matter anymore. The He Family got out of this scot - free, but He Shuda will never be able to take the imperial examinations again." Zhongli Mingye had grown up in the palace since childhood and had seen a lot of dirty things. He didn't expect this matter to still touch him.
The young girl was even more angry. "Li Shi died so unjustly!" Why could He Shuda get out of this scot - free? Was it because of Concubine He in the palace? Tang Ze could bear the shame of being cuckolded. It was just a deal of power and money!
Humph!