After I stopped being a lady from a rich family, I fought all over the capital

Chapter 24: Xie Family Posts a Seal, Lu Family Is Arrested

"You think your house isn't messy enough? Why bring up that unlucky thing?"

When Mrs. Xie mentioned her only daughter who died young, her tone was not one of pity at all, but rather one full of disgust.

Xie Lao Er and Xie Lao San naturally knew that their mother disliked their younger sister, so they quickly lowered their voices, lowered their heads and dared not mention it again.

The doorman hurried over to report: "Madam, Second Master, Third Master, someone from Jingzhao Prefecture wants to see you."

Madam Xie frowned: "Who is coming? What is the matter?"

Her heart was slightly tense and she was visibly nervous.

Could it be that due to the pressure from the Princess Chang, the Jingzhao Prefecture is going to confiscate the property?
"It's a subordinate of Lord Jiao, the left military inspector of Jingzhao Prefecture. He said he has something to ask you."

Upon hearing that it was not an important person, Mrs. Xie immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the doorman again and thinking about what he had just heard, he felt a little unhappy.

What do you mean you want to see her? Ask her a few questions?
After all, she is the old lady of the Xie family. Although her sons and husband are incompetent, and her grandchildren are even more hopeless, and have not yet earned her an imperial edict, she is still an official's wife after all!

Besides, she didn't break any law and wasn't involved in any case. Even if the visitor was from Jingzhao Prefecture, there was no reason for him to be so rude. Just go and see her, right?

Mrs. Xie thought so and was not in a hurry to go out.

Otherwise, wouldn't those lackeys of Jingzhao Prefecture and low-ranking officials think that she, the old lady of the Xie family, was trying to curry favor with them?
She would never do such a stupid thing as to flatter others at the expense of her own reputation.

It was Lord Jiao, the patrol envoy of the Left Army, who came in person - she asked the second and third sons to greet him personally.

Madam Xie said coldly: "Let him wait for a while, and tell him that there is something else going on at home, and ask him to leave a visiting card..."

She paused for a moment, then emphasized again, "Tell him to bring his parents' visiting card, make an appointment, and come back."

As she spoke, she seemed to be teaching her two sons a lesson: "Our Xie family, although the door lintel is not high, is also a well-behaved family. How can any random person come to our door without saying hello or handing in a visiting card? Do you think our Xie family is a vegetable market?"

"What's more, the people who came here are those low-ranking officials from Jingzhao Prefecture!"

Old Madam Xie pinched her temples and felt a ball of anger in her heart, making her very annoyed.
-
When Jiao Bubai heard what his deputy said, he suspected that there was something wrong with his ears.

"What did you say?"

The deputy raised his hand and swore: "These are the original words of the old lady of the Xie family. I have not exaggerated at all."

He raised his chin towards the doorman who was waiting not far away and said, "The person is still waiting there. If you don't believe me, I'll call him over for you and let him talk to you in person."

Jiao Bubai glanced at the doorman, then retracted his gaze and glared at his deputy.

The deputy is innocent, the deputy is wronged, the deputy is rubbing his hands like flies.

It’s not me who said that, there’s no use glaring at me!

Jiao Bubai glared at him, but he didn't dare glare back. He could only try to open his eyes wide, trying to appear neither humble nor arrogant.

"Why don't you hurry up then?"

"Ah? I don't have your visiting card?" The deputy stretched out his hand and asked for a visiting card.

Jiao Bubai raised his leg and kicked the man: "Why are you bowing?" "They are trying to hit you or me in the face, but you don't just slap them back, but you want to hand my face over to them to step on?"

"Are you stupid?"

Jiao Bubai gave the man a look of disdain, then looked serious and gave a stern order.

"Everyone, clean up the crime scene, take the bodies and suspects back to the government office, seal up the Xie family, and no one is allowed to enter or leave without a warrant!"

"what?"

"Ah for what?"

"But the Xie family is the victim's family after all. We just carry the body away without saying a word—"

Jiao Bubai couldn't help but kick the man again.

The deputy looked aggrieved and innocent.

"When did Jingzhao Prefecture need the consent of irrelevant people to handle a case?"

Jiao Bubai had a straight face and an upright look: "When a murder occurs on the street, the body should be kept intact and carried back to the morgue of Jingzhao Prefecture. We should wait for the coroner to come and perform an autopsy and issue a more detailed autopsy result. Then, based on the victim's characteristics, we can look for his family members. Isn't this a normal procedure?"

"You've been working beside me for several years. Do you still need me to remind you?"

Jiao Bubai snorted coldly: "I think you want to take up your post again with those new probationary yamen officials!"

Who said that the murder that happened in front of Xie’s house must be committed by Xie’s family?

A murder happened right on the street!

How dare the deputy say more?

It took him more than a year to get a permanent job. If he had to go back to work in the government because of this, he would be at a great loss.

The deputy stopped hesitating and waved his hands to the other men, parroting: "Take Lu and the maid away, carry the body back to the morgue, look for her family, and the rest of the witnesses..."

The deputy glanced at everyone and said in a much more tactful tone: "Please return to the yamen and take notes one by one."

With clear instructions, everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture acted very quickly and efficiently.

In just a moment, the scene was cordoned off and all the evidence was taken away.

When the Xie family came out to see, they were dumbfounded.

Song Lan had no choice but to follow in the crowd and go to the government office to take a statement.

Lu struggled for a few times, but when the yamen official pulled out his knife, she fainted limply, as if she was pretending.

But this time, I was really scared.

It was because she heard Song Lan chuckle in her ear and say, "Aunt, what do you think if——"

　Historical Events: The Internship System for Officials in the Ming Dynasty
　　This article is fictional and does not mention a specific dynasty.
　　(End of this chapter)