Mrs. Chen knelt in front of the hall, constantly crying and begging for mercy.
In desperation, she had no choice but to tell the whole truth one by one.
It turned out that three days ago, a mysterious person came to them.
The mysterious person gave them a large sum of money and asked them to do as he said.
There would be even more generous rewards after the deed was done.
Chen Wu thought that he didn't have much time left anyway, so he simply agreed to this matter.
He wanted to use his last days to ensure that Mrs. Chen would have no worries about life in the future.
"Your Honor, I didn't mean it. Please spare me!" At the thought of the punishment she was about to face, Mrs. Chen's face was smeared with tears and snot.
The Prefect of the Capital City looked solemn. He never expected that such a thing would happen under his jurisdiction.
If Miss Shen hadn't been so intelligent, the Shen family might have suffered an unjust grievance.
Immediately, he asked sternly, "Do you know who that mysterious person is?"
Mrs. Chen shook her head. "That person was very well - covered."
After hearing this, Ruan Jiu tightened her fingers.
She thought to herself, why is it another mysterious person?
I wonder if this person has any connection with the one who sent the letter before?
But if it is really the same person, why did the mysterious person want to frame the Shen family?
Although the problem of the Shen family had been solved for the time being, Ruan Jiu's doubts were increasing.
A sense of uneasiness also welled up in her heart.
It seemed that the capital city was more dangerous than she had imagined.
Back at the Shen Mansion, Qin Shuang immediately ordered someone to boil pomelo leaves to dispel the bad luck for Shen Yu and Shen Wenshan.
Then she exclaimed that she must go to the Wanfo Temple the next day to pray for the safety of the whole family.
As for Ruan Jiu, she put those doubts aside for the time being and was going to catch up on some sleep.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she lay down, Chun Tao rushed in.
"Miss Biao, the gatekeeper said that someone sent a letter for you."
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu instantly lost all her drowsiness. She immediately sat up.
She took the letter and opened it. The crooked handwriting on it was exactly the same as the one she received that day.
Ruan Jiu frowned as she read the content of the letter. Her expression was complicated.
"Meet at the Qingfeng Pavilion on the outskirts of the city at the third watch tomorrow."
Her mind kept recalling the things that had happened these days.
First, a letter from the mysterious person led them to discover that Chi Wei was privately minting copper coins.
Then something happened at the Zuiyue Tower, and the father - and - son of the Shen family were implicated and imprisoned.
Just as they had rescued them, the mysterious person invited her to the Qingfeng Pavilion.
Presumably, the incident at the Zuiyue Tower was related to this mysterious person.
What on earth did this mysterious person mean?
It seemed that she had to go to the Qingfeng Pavilion in person to find out the truth tomorrow.
However, she had to keep this from Xie Jingchu. In case the mysterious person's target was Xie Jingchu, she must not let Xie Jingchu get into danger.
So, early the next morning.
Under the pretext of going to the Wanfo Temple to pray for blessings with Qin Shuang, Ruan Jiu went alone to the Qingfeng Pavilion on the outskirts of the city.
When she arrived at the Qingfeng Pavilion, to her surprise, the person who invited her turned out to be a noble lady in gorgeous clothes.
The noble lady was sitting alone in the pavilion. There was not a single maid or servant to attend to her.
However, this did not make Ruan Jiu lower her guard at all.
"Miss Shen, please sit down." The noble lady said with a smile.
Since this person could send the letter to the Shen Mansion, she must have known Ruan Jiu's identity clearly.
So Ruan Jiu was not coy. She walked straight over and sat down.
Then she said straightforwardly, "Since madam already knows my identity, but I know nothing about you, it's a bit unfair."
The noble lady smiled faintly and slowly said, "I'm Cui Jin, the wife of the prime minister."
What?
The moment she saw this person, Ruan Jiu had thought of countless possibilities because of her extraordinary temperament.
But the last thing she expected was that this person would be the wife of the prime minister, the legal wife of Gu Kexing.
Immediately, she looked suspicious and asked, "Then why did you deliberately lead me to Taiping Village to discover that Chi Wei was privately minting copper coins?"
Was it for winning the favor of her husband?
But the fifth concubine had already been divorced.
Or was it that Gu Kexing deliberately asked Cui Jin to spread the news in order to test the Shen family?
However, even if it was to test the Shen family, there was no need to sacrifice Chi Wei.
After all, the position of the Minister of Revenue was a very lucrative one. Not to mention how much profit the privately - minted copper coins would bring to Gu Kexing every year.
Ruan Jiu looked at the calm and composed wife of the prime minister in front of her.
She considered herself good at judging people, but she couldn't see through this person for a moment.
Cui Jin still smiled faintly and replied, "The Crown Prince was already investigating this matter. I just took advantage of the situation."
This answer made Ruan Jiu even more confused.
Her frown deepened. It seemed that Gu Kexing didn't know about this.
But Cui Jin was Gu Kexing's wife and carried the title of the wife of the prime minister. Why did she do something that would damage Gu Kexing's right - hand man?
What secret was hidden in this?
However...
Immediately, Ruan Jiu's eyes sharpened and she said coldly, "Then why did you frame the Shen family?!"
Even if Cui Jin was dissatisfied with Gu Kexing, what did it have to do with the Shen family?
Why did she go to so much trouble to frame the Shen family?
Cui Jin curled her lips, with a look of disdain in her eyes. "If you can't even handle such a small matter properly, how can I trust you to be my ally?"
"Ally?" Ruan Jiu was puzzled. "What do I have to ally with you for?"
"Of course, it's because we have a common enemy."
"The wife of the prime minister is joking. I've just come to the capital city not long ago. I've never had a feud with anyone. Where does the enemy come from?"
"Gu Kexing has framed the Shen family again and again. If you've never resented him in your heart, then what were you doing in Gu Kexing's study when you went to the prime minister's mansion?"
"The wife of the prime minister's words are too serious!" Ruan Jiu covered her mouth pretending to be panicked. "Could it be that I got lost in the prime minister's mansion that day and made madam misunderstand?"
Cui Jin smiled. "Don't play dumb. I just sent two maids to test you that day, and you just fell into the trap."
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu put away the panic in her eyes.
It seemed that the old were indeed wiser.
This wife of the prime minister had a very deep mind.
A sense of worry welled up in her heart.
Could it be that Xie Jingchu's identity...
She couldn't help but tighten her fingers and tried hard to calm herself down so as not to show any flaws.
Cui Jin then said, "I didn't expect Miss Shen to be so intelligent. You could crack the situation I set up in just one day. I'm sure that as long as we join hands, we will be able to bring Gu Kexing to his doom."
After hearing this, Ruan Jiu squinted her eyes slightly. "Do you know what kind of situation the Shen family would be in if I couldn't figure out the mystery?"
Cui Jin's eyes darkened. "If you couldn't crack the situation, you wouldn't be worthy of being my ally."
It turned out that Cui Jin had done all this just to test her.
Ruan Jiu sneered and mocked, "I didn't expect the usually vegetarian and Buddha - praying wife of the prime minister to be so ruthless. In order to achieve her goal, she doesn't hesitate to harm others' lives and regards human lives as worthless!"
Whether it was the Chen couple or the Shen family.
In Cui Jin's eyes, they were just like floating duckweeds.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Cui Jin's lips.
But that smile seemed to gradually change its meaning. It even became a bit ferocious and terrifying.
Even her eyes became cold and cruel, which made Ruan Jiu tremble in her heart.
"I'm cruel? What I've done is just a drop in the ocean compared to what Gu Kexing has done. Even if I have to go to hell, I will drag Gu Kexing down with me!"