Do You Know?: Rule the World

"Sir, please don't just listen to one side of the story and jump to conclusions."

Sheng Hong didn't want to offend Wang Ruofu, so he picked up the two purses he had found in Xiaodie's room, weighed them, and then asked the servant to bring a scale.

After weighing the silver in the purses, Sheng Hong's eyes darkened slightly.

"One of these two purses contained the ten taels of silver that Guan had pointed out, and the other contained a full fifteen taels."

"You only make 500 coins a month. Where did you get the money in this purse?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaodie looked up at Wei Xiaoniang, and for a moment she didn't know whether she should tell her what happened in their courtyard.

Wei Xiaoniang stroked her bulging belly. She knew that if she didn't tell the truth now, Xiaodie would not be able to escape unscathed.

So, she said in a serious tone: "Why don't you confess to the master and the lady?"

Xiaodie nodded, wiped her tears, and told Zhao Han everything about how the kitchen maid withheld charcoal for food, how she went out of the house to exchange charcoal for charcoal, and how she met Zhao Han by chance.

Minglan stepped forward and tugged at Sheng Hong's sleeve, sobbing, "Daddy, please have mercy on us! If it weren't for Young Master Zhao's money, my mother and I would have been frozen sick long ago."

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Chapter 7: Invite Zhao Han

"Master, yesterday I was reluctant to eat the cake myself, and gave half to this servant."

Xiaotao's eyes were red from crying, and she sobbed quietly behind Minglan.

His narrow shoulders were shaking constantly, and anyone who saw him would feel pity for him.

There was a barely perceptible coldness in Lin Qinshuang's eyes, but a gentle smile remained on her face.

During these days, she asked Zhou Xuenniang to instruct the kitchen maid to withhold the charcoal and food in Wei Xiaoniang's room.

I wanted to make Wei Xiaoniang unable to bear it any longer and take the initiative to complain to Sheng Hong, and then I could put the blame on Liu Xiaodie.

Unexpectedly, she had been holding it in all this time, preferring to pawn her jewelry in exchange for charcoal for food rather than reveal a single word to Sheng Hong.

It seems that she will give birth in just over a month.

In desperation, Lin Qinshuang gave Guan Niangzi some money and ordered her to slander Liu Xiaodie for stealing, and then she brought the matter to Sheng Hong.

If the charges are proven at this juncture, Sheng Hong will not let him off easily.

At the very least, Liu Xiaodie would be expelled from the Sheng Mansion, and at the worst, she would be beaten to death!

I never thought that the young master of the Zhao family would appear. No wonder Liu Xiaodie has been much more well-behaved in the past few days. It turns out that he has no shortage of money.

Wang Ruofu's mouth twitched, and she almost couldn't suppress the smile in her heart. She looked at Lin Qinshuang coldly.

"Great! Great! Our concubine doesn't even have a stutter."

"You bitch are going to force her and the master's child in her belly to death!"

Lin Qinshuang's eyes rolled around, and thinking about how clean she had been in handling the kitchen accounts, she calmed herself down and said, "Madam, you can't slander someone's innocence with empty words."

"Every month's allotment is recorded in the book. Madam, please send someone to check it."

"Sister Wei is the softest of hearts. Maybe the servants thought she was easy to bully and secretly took her away."

Wang Ruofu had a quick temper. Seeing that she couldn't win the argument with Lin Qinshuang, she raised her finger and pointed at her angrily.

"You bitch are really good at talking. You can even make up for what happened when you were the housekeeper!"

Wang Ruofu's external brain, Mother Liu, frowned, knowing that her wife had never had the upper hand in verbal battles.

He quickly reached out and tugged at her sleeve, and waited until Wang Ruofu obediently returned to her chair and sat down and shut up.

She said, "Master, can you send someone to ask Brother Zhao to come and prove whether what Liu Xiaodie said is true or false?"

Family disgrace should not be made public, and Sheng Hong did not want this matter to be made public.

But since Zhao Han gave Liu Xiaodie some money, it meant that he already knew something.

If this matter is not handled properly, it will be difficult to explain if Zhao Han asks about it in the future.

Sheng Hong took a deep breath and said, "Go and invite them!"

After receiving the order, Mother Liu specially sent a trustworthy servant to invite Zhao Han.

At Zhao's house, night gradually fell.

After finishing his dinner, Zhao Han went to the study. Just as he lit the lamp and before he could get a book from the bookshelf, he saw Chang Qing lift the heavy curtain and walk up to him.

"The Sheng family sent someone to ask you to come over, saying there's something important that needs your testimony."

After hearing this, Zhao Han pondered for a while and guessed that this matter was probably related to Liu Xiaodie.

He did not delay, packed up briefly, got on the carriage and headed straight for Sheng Mansion.

Sheng Hong sat upright on the Huanghuali chair, quietly waiting for Zhao Han.

"Little girl..."

Minglan frowned, her heart full of worry, and so did Xiaotao.

Wei Xiaoniang pursed her lips and said gently and firmly, "It's okay. Your father will definitely find out the truth and clear Xiaodie's name."

Minglan nodded, standing on tiptoe from time to time to look outside the yard.

The fifth girl, Rulan, who was fighting crickets in the house, heard the noise and quietly ran over to watch the fun.

About half an incense stick of time later, the servant arrived at the backyard first.

"Master, Madam, Young Master Zhao is here!"

The voice just fell.

Zhao Han was wearing a navy blue brocade robe and a dark patterned cloak. He had a calm face and a serene temperament as he slowly walked into everyone's sight.

Lin Qinshuang glanced at him for a moment, then quickly stepped aside, secretly praying in her heart that she would be able to break Wei Xiaoniang's wings today!

"Meet Uncle Sheng, Madam."

Zhao Han bowed in accordance with the rules and etiquette.

After Sheng Hong explained the reason directly, Zhao Han smiled calmly and said, "It's true that I gave the silver to Miss Xiaodie."

"I felt so sorry for her that day. She was such a loyal servant. I never believed she would steal. I'm afraid there must be some misunderstanding."

After hearing this, Lin Qinshuang's heart tightened. She clenched her handkerchief and pretended to be calm.

Zhou Xueniang was eager to protect her master. After a quick calculation, she said, "As the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not his heart. Brother Zhao knows nothing about what's going on in our inner house."

"It's common knowledge that Liu Xiaodie has always been a rude person. It's no surprise that she would commit theft."

Zhao Han's expression was slightly cold, but he still maintained politeness on his face.

"This lady is wrong. If Miss Xiaodie is willing to offend others in order to protect Miss Wei, this is an act of loyalty and righteousness."

"To falsely accuse her of theft based on this would chill people's hearts, wouldn't that?"

When Lin Qinshuang saw that Zhou Xuenniang was blocked and sent back, she felt secretly resentful, but she did not dare to show it at all.

Wang Ruofu looked at Zhao Han with great admiration, wondering why she didn't have such a clever tongue!

"Uncle Sheng is the magistrate of a prefecture. He must know that the so-called physical evidence alone cannot be used to convict a person of a crime."

"This is not only about my innocence but also about the livelihood of the young lady in the mansion. I hope Uncle Sheng will understand clearly."

After saying this, Zhao Han restrained his expression, stood tall and graceful, and waited quietly.

Sheng Hong climbed his way up to the position of Tongpan, and in recent years he has handled countless cases of all sizes in Yangzhou.

In fact, he had already discovered that there were many loopholes in today's events, most of which were probably the work of Lin Qinshuang.

Between an insignificant slave and a concubine he had favored for many years, he naturally chose the latter without hesitation.

But Zhao Han got involved in this matter. If he blatantly protected Lin Qinshuang and framed Liu Xiaodie and beat her to death, there was no guarantee that Zhao Han would not be dissatisfied.

What's more, he will serve in the same court with Zhao Han in the future!

After weighing the pros and cons for a moment, Sheng Hong looked coldly at Madam Guan, who had a strong and plump physique.

When Madam Guan noticed this gaze, she knelt on the ground like a barrel.

"When did you discover your purse was missing? When was the last time you saw it?"

Madam Guan's eyes wandered as she hesitantly replied, "My Lord, I found it last night while I was cleaning the house. I thought I had left it somewhere else, but I searched the whole house and couldn't find it. That's when I panicked and alerted Madam Lin."

Madam Guan's forehead was covered with sweat, and her voice became lower and lower as she spoke: "The last time I saw him was three days ago."

Wang Ruofu set her eyes on the old women who lived in the same courtyard with Madam Guan.

"Has anyone seen Liu Xiaodie come to your courtyard in the past three days? You must confess the truth!"

The old women knew the situation clearly and did not dare to lie at this moment. They shook their heads and denied it one after another.

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Chapter 8: Golden Pheasant with Ripped Feathers

Minglan frowned and stared at Madam Guan.

Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she quickly ran into Wei Xiaoniang's room and took out a few unburned charcoal sticks from the stove.

"Daddy, Madam, this is the charcoal Madam Guan gave us!"

"It's been cold these past few days, so in order to save some money, I mixed some stove charcoal into the ash charcoal that Sister Xiaodie bought."

Sheng Hong looked at the charcoal fire in Minglan's hand with a grim face.

Every family has some dirty things going on in their backyard, but there are very few families that treat concubines as harshly as his family does.

Wei Xiaoniang lowered her eyes and said, "Xiaodie knows that I have been ill recently and has not left my home. I hope my lord will understand."

Madam Guan knelt on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably, and she frequently looked up at Lin Qinshuang and Zhou Xuenniang for help.

I never expected that what I got in return were only two sharp eyes.

Zhou Xuenniang even shook her head secretly and gave a cold warning.

Mother Liu is experienced and thoughtful.

She patted Wang Ruofu's shoulder and said loudly, "In my opinion, my Lord, it would be better for you to send someone to check Madam Guan's room. It would be best not to miss her husband's residence either."