You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 173 Just marry her already!

Faced with Gu Xizhi's question, Liang Jiang was taken aback: "But perhaps that is the truth."

"Even if that's true, the people who collected Tong Shouliang's body were Tong Zhao'er and Fang Chengxu, and one of them must have known about it. If you pry open the coffin, wouldn't you be alerting them?"

"But if we miss this opportunity, we'll never be able to prove it again."

“You must pretend you don’t know anything about this!” Gu Xizhi said in a deep voice. “I know you may not want to accept it, but you must listen to me. Otherwise, you’ve already alerted them and they’re watching you.”

"Whether Tong Shouliang is alive or dead is uncertain. Wouldn't my revenge be unclear and confused?"

"But when you are in the open and the enemy is in the dark, and you are completely unable to deal with the enemy by yourself, it is also a strategy to play dumb to lull the enemy into a false sense of security and make them take it easy."

Besides, if Tong Shouliang is really alive, we can find a way to lure him out directly, so why bother trying to verify whether he's alive or dead?

Liang Jiang said dejectedly, "I can only give up on Fang Chengxu for now, but I will never give up investigating this matter, nor will I let it go."

"I thank Your Highness for your help today. If it is inconvenient for Your Highness to intervene, then please do not appear. Goodbye."

He bowed to Gu Xizhi and prepared to take his leave.

Gu Xizhi could clearly sense the distance and indifference in her attitude towards her.

After a moment of hesitation, he still managed to ask, "Shall I take you home?"

“No need,” Liang Jiang refused outright, without turning her head: “I dare not trouble Your Highness.”

Gu Xizhi could only watch helplessly as Liang Jiang leaped away and disappeared before her eyes.

He frowned, a sense of disappointment rising in his heart.

Women's hearts are truly unfathomable; did I say something wrong just now?

However, many things are not as simple as they seem. Should she tell him the truth?
Pingxi Palace.

After finishing her breakfast, Consort Xie wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and scolded Gu Xizhi playfully.

"Yesterday I ordered people to prepare a thank-you gift, and I told you to go to the Minister's residence in person to thank Miss Jian. Why did you send Guanqi instead?"

Gu Xizhi said indifferently, "I don't have time."

"What important thing could possibly make you go out in the middle of the night and not come home all night? Does watching chess represent you?"

Gu Xizhi said helplessly, "I'm tracking down those robbers."

"Any clues?"

"No. Or rather, those people might not have been robbers at all."

"What else could they be but robbers?"

"assassin."

"I have no enemies in the capital, so who would want to assassinate me?"

"The robbers were all after money; no one wanted to cause a death or escalate the situation right away. But these robbers started by shooting arrows from the shadows, killing all the guards."

"But all they ask for is money."

"Things are not that simple. This was a premeditated assassination, and there is someone behind it."

"Any news about Lao Qian?"

Gu Xizhi nodded: "Two villagers nearby rescued a seriously injured person. From their descriptions, it seems to be Old Qian."

"What about the others?"

“A young lady sent someone to take him away.”

"girl?"

"Yes, those two villagers said that it was this girl who saved Lao Qian. At the time, Lao Qian was unable to move easily, so he was temporarily entrusted to them. They sent someone to pick him up the next day."

"Is Old Qian alright?" "His injuries are severe. The villagers say the situation doesn't look good, and they're afraid there's little hope left. I know that Old Qian has served Mother for so many years, and the bond between master and servant is extraordinary. No matter what, I will find him."

Consort Xie sighed, "These years of continuous warfare have left the people in dire straits, with bandits roaming everywhere. I never imagined that the capital would be in such chaos as well."

Gu Xizhi put down the spoon in her hand: "This is the capital, not Weixi. Mother, you should be more careful with your words in the future."

Consort Xie nodded: "Your mother knows that you have been walking on thin ice these past few years and have had to be very careful. So, now that the Emperor has bestowed this marriage upon you, just marry Jian Shuyan without hesitation and don't cause any more trouble."

Gu Xizhi wiped her hands with a handkerchief: "Mother Consort, have you changed your mind too? But what did the Empress Dowager say to you when you went to the palace to pay your respects yesterday?"

"Originally, your mother really wanted you to marry Wan'er. This time, she came to the capital with Wan'er in the hope that things would take a turn for the better and that your attitude towards Wan'er would change."

But when I met Miss Jian the other day, I found her to be gentle and virtuous, well-educated and polite, and a person who knew the bigger picture. Most importantly, she was kind-hearted.

Actually, I know Wan'er's personality better than anyone else. She is clever, cunning, and mischievous, but also a bit willful and willful. If we were to choose a princess, Jian Shuyan would be a better fit.

Therefore, when I went to the palace yesterday, the Empress Dowager said she wanted to set your wedding date for this month, and my mother readily agreed. We're just waiting for you to return to Weixi together after the wedding, leaving this place of trouble behind.”

Despite Consort Xie's earnest advice, Gu Xizhi clearly grew impatient: "Mother, you have just arrived in the capital and do not yet understand everything. There is no rush to make a decision. Let nature take its course. The wedding should be postponed for now."

Consort Xie smiled and said, "Alright, let nature take its course. If you are not free to go to the Jian family today, I will invite Shu Yan to go to the opera with you. It will be a good opportunity to test her intentions."

Gu Xizhi remained noncommittal. After seeing off Consort Xie, she immediately called Guanqi over and asked, "How's the matter I asked you to investigate the other day?"

Guan Qi said, "We sent someone to the Yue Lao Temple to check. The abbot said that a young lady from a prominent family did indeed go there to burn incense and donate lamp oil. She didn't set off to return until after the afternoon heat. The description of her appearance and clothing is the same as that of Miss Jian yesterday."

Gu Xizhi nodded: "Then it seems that I was indeed being paranoid."

"You're just too suspicious," Guanqi thought to himself.

Gu Xizhi frowned: "Did they send someone to the prison to ask?"

The chess player, who had been laughing and joking just moments before, suddenly became serious and said solemnly, "I asked him, but I couldn't get any information out of him. Everyone said the same thing."

"Same?"

"Yes, almost word for word. The prison is heavily guarded; Tong Shouliang shouldn't have the ability to switch things out, right?"

Gu Xizhi's gaze darkened slightly, and she raised her hand to point to the sky: "Describe today's weather in one sentence."

Guan Qi, not understanding the situation, honestly replied, "The sky is as blue as if it had been washed, without a single cloud in sight."

Gu Xizhi then turned to another guard and asked, "You tell me."

The guard looked bewildered: "The sun is very strong, it's dazzling."

Gu Xizhi seemed unsatisfied with the answer, so she asked the third person, "What do you think?"

The man was equally bewildered. He scratched his head and boasted, "The autumn sun shines brightly at midday, and the water is crystal clear."

Gu Xizhi brushed past Guan Qi and tapped him on the forehead: "Do you understand now?"

Guan Qi blinked, thinking for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out. She chased after Gu Xizhi, asking excitedly, "Your Highness, please enlighten us! What does this mean? What does this case have to do with the sky?"

Gu Xizhi paused, looking at Guan Qi with a face full of disappointment.

"The same thing can be described differently by different people. And when it comes to Tong Shouliang's suicide, all those who know the story agree on the same thing. Isn't that obvious enough?"

Guan Qi suddenly realized: "Your Highness, do you mean that they had planned this story in advance?"

Gu Xizhi gave Guanqi a "nonsense" look. This child is just too difficult to raise. Should she consider changing to another one?
He could only helplessly order, "Go and check if any prisoners suddenly disappeared or were released in those two days?"

Guan Qi then realized what was happening, accepted the order, and ran off in a flash.

It's not my fault for being stupid; it's just that my lord is too perceptive.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

(End of this chapter)