Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

"Se-se?" Fu Wenzhao was even more puzzled.

Xie Yao said, "My cousin Se Se was originally the niece of one of my aunts from the second branch of the Xie family. She had been living in the Xie residence for a long time. Later... due to an accident, the Xie family announced that she had drowned."

A look of shock flashed across Fu Wenzhao's face as he instantly understood many of the details, including why Xie Jue had gone to such lengths to arrange this identity.

Fu Wenzhao looked at Xie Yao and said, "So that's how it is... Third Young Master, you came today to inform me of this matter?"

Xie Yao said, "I'm here for another matter. My cousin Sese has been sent to the quiet room... The root cause, besides Zheng Tong's troublemaking, lies with the troublemaker Li Shi and the death of her husband Wang Da..."

Xie Yao paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Wang Da's death was not an accident, but... it was an idea I gave to Xie Yihua."

The moment the words "It's me" left his mouth, Fu Wenzhao suddenly threw a punch!

Although Fu Wenzhao was not skilled in martial arts, he was proficient in the Six Arts of a Gentleman, and this punch was solid and forceful, without holding back any strength.

Xie Yao was so struck that he staggered, his lip split open, and a thin line of bright red blood trickled down his pale jaw, dripping onto his plain clothes and spreading into a glaring red dot.

Xie Yao was knocked to the side by the blow, but he didn't turn back immediately, nor did he raise his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

I felt a little relieved.

Fu Wenzhao's chest heaved violently. Although he was angry, he was also surprised that Xie Yao didn't dodge.

Is he here to ask for a beating?!

Fu Wenzhao: "Xie Yao! You...your Xie family...are truly doing very well!!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yao slowly turned his head, licked the salty taste from the corner of his mouth, and spoke in an unusually calm voice, as if he hadn't been the one who had just been hit: "Brother Fu, please forgive me. This punch was what I deserved."

"But I have something else to give to Brother Fu. Please take a look."

Xie Yao pulled a confession out of his sleeve.

The Fu family is in the eye of the storm. Not only is it inconvenient for them to contact the Li family, but they also have to avoid them. Otherwise, if they are not careful, people will say that they not only harmed Wang Da, but also wanted to silence the Li family.

But Xie Yao didn't have this concern.

Xie Yao naturally knew about the shady dealings between Li Shi and Xie Yihua, and with a little manipulation, Li Shi confessed everything.

Fu Wenzhao took the statement and looked at it, then stared at Xie Yao in surprise: "You..."

Even if Sese is indeed a member of the Xie family, she's just a distant cousin, while Xie Yihua is his own sister.

Xie Yao met his shocked and puzzled gaze, but said nothing more. He simply bowed deeply to Fu Wenzhao and then turned and left.

……

After washing up, Jiang Sese sat down at the small table and ate her meal with great satisfaction.

I felt like I wasn't reflecting on my mistakes, but rather experiencing life at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

After eating and drinking her fill, Jiang Sese looked out the window at the patch of blue sky cut through the high walls, then glanced at the two old women doing needlework. It was quiet, but undeniably a bit boring.

Jiang Sese thought for a moment and asked Granny Li to find the materials she needed. She made a deck of cards, and with the two nannies and herself, there were exactly three of them, enough to play Dou Dizhu (a card game).

Granny Li frowned as she listened, feeling that these terms like "bomb" and "landlord" sounded rather improper, like gambling.

Granny Liu listened with great interest, finding it novel and interesting.

"Hey, just listening isn't fun, let's play a game and we'll see!" Jiang Sese said and started shuffling and dealing the cards.

After two rounds, the two nannies gradually figured out the trick.

Although Li Mama didn't say anything, her eyes clearly became focused, and she began to seriously calculate the cards.

Granny Liu was even more boisterous, beaming with joy whenever she won a game.

While playing cards, Jiang Sese chatted with two old women. Her imprisonment this time was a bit sudden, and she hadn't figured out what was going on before she was invited to get into the carriage.

Upon hearing this, Granny Li glanced at Jiang Sese, lowered her head without replying, and continued to study her card playing strategy.

Granny Liu, however, couldn't keep a secret, and since Jiang Sese was under Consort Hui's protection, there was nothing she couldn't say. She blurted out, "Who else could it be? Of course, it's that Duke Zhenguo!"

"The Duke of Zhenguo?" Jiang Sese paused slightly, her fingers still showing curiosity as she held the newly dealt card. "I wonder, which Duke of Zhenguo is it?"

Liu Mama glanced at Jiang Sese and whispered, "Of course it's that Duke Zheng, Zheng Tong! Yesterday morning at court, he had the loudest voice. He said there were rumors going around in the capital, some nursery rhyme pointing at you, and that you were getting some strange medicine in your mansion... Ugh, he just kept insisting that you were a jinx, a demon who would shake the foundations of the country! He insisted that His Majesty had to deal with you! The Empress didn't dare say anything, she just sent two of us to look after you."

"Zheng...Tong?" Jiang Sese repeated the name subconsciously.

"Ahem!" Granny Li coughed loudly, interrupting Granny Liu, and glared at her with displeasure, her eyes filled with warning. "Sister Liu, watch your words. How dare you and I discuss matters of the court?"

Realizing she had misspoke, Granny Liu quickly shrank back and said sheepishly, "Yes, yes, elder sister is right."

Then, he quickly changed the subject, "Miss, it's your turn to play your card."

Jiang Sese seemed not to hear Liu Mama's urging.

Duke Zheng Tong!

These five words exploded in Jiang Sese's mind like a thunderclap from a clear sky!

There are three major cases in this novel. The first one is the case of Consort Chen, which she already knows about.

The second case was the Shuoyun case, which involved border military funds and implicated countless people.

And the third one...

That was the Zheng family massacre case, which was extremely tragic and shocked the court and the public!

The book clearly states that it was this high-ranking and powerful Duke Zheng Tong who, due to his long-standing grudge against Xie Jue, sent people to kidnap Xie Jue's younger sister, Xie Yihua, in order to humiliate the Xie family.

As things turned out, by a twist of fate, it was Xie Yujiao who was kidnapped!

Xie Yujiao was kidnapped. Although she was later found, her reputation was ruined. Unable to bear the humiliation, she hanged herself.

Later, Xie Jue uprooted the entire Zhenguo Duke's Mansion.

Zheng Tong himself was forced to commit suicide, all the male members of the Zheng family were beheaded, and the female members were sent to the brothel... The once illustrious Zhenguo Duke's Mansion was reduced to ashes overnight!

"Miss? Miss, what's wrong? Are you frightened?" Granny Liu panicked when she saw Jiang Sese's unfocused eyes and quickly reached out to help her.

Granny Li also became anxious: "Quickly, pour the young lady a cup of hot tea!"

Jiang Sese snapped back to reality, looked at the concerned faces of the two people in front of her, forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and forced out an extremely weak smile: "It's nothing, I'm just a little... a little scared."

"Granny is right, these things... are not for us to discuss. Come on, let's continue playing cards."

The game continues.

Jiang Sese's heart could no longer be as relaxed and carefree as before.

Because she knew where Zheng Tong's Achilles' heel was.

Zheng Tong was an extremely cautious person. In the original story, Xie Jue paid a huge price and spent a lot of time and effort in order to obtain this leverage.

But she already knows this weakness.