Ming Dynasty: At the beginning of the game, Lao Zhu resigned and retired.

Chapter 1017: The Behind-the-scenes Plot Is Frightening
"So, Queen, you mean that the one who bribed the Hu family's servants this time must be an official or a noble?"

Zhu Biao had an active mind and thought about these things the fastest, so he simply went straight to the point and asked the questions that interested him most.

Hu Xinyue glanced at Zhu Biao and nodded: "Nine out of ten!"

"If I were to guess, there's a 70% chance that he's a noble, and a veteran noble from the Jiangnan area!"

When this conclusion came out, everyone frowned.

This conclusion is somewhat scary.

Because, the candidates are basically selected, especially those who are old-established nobles in the Jiangnan area.

But can we choose the suspect based on nothing but guesswork?
Why does this sound so mysterious?

"Anqing, try to analyze it. Why do you think I said that I was a veteran nobleman in Jiangnan?"

Seeing Hu Xinyue looking at him expectantly, Anqing felt terrible.

It was as if she clearly thought she had made a lot of progress, but just as she was about to show her potential, she was slapped down by someone, and then the other person touched her head, trying to encourage her to continue studying?

This is to coax the children!

But when she looked at Hu Xinyue's smiling face, she really couldn't refute it.

Because she felt that if she didn't say anything out of anger, the imperial sister-in-law might have some other tricks waiting for her.

"Uh, what the Emperor's sister-in-law means is to analyze from the perspective of the servants of the Hu Mansion?"

"If what the Empress's sister-in-law said is true, then if you want to bribe the servants who responded, you must have multiple contacts before you have a chance!"

"And the one who can do this must be an official or a noble!"

"I guess this is why you, my sister-in-law, think the other party is a noble. But why can you be so sure that the other party is a noble from Jiangnan or a long-established noble rather than a Jiangnan official? I can't figure it out. I hope my sister-in-law can enlighten me."

Looking at the well-behaved and sensible Anqing in front of her, Hu Xinyue walked lightly to his side, holding his hand and said.

"You, although you are the young lady of the Hu family and have taken charge of the things you are supposed to take care of, you are more focused on how to manage the family business."

"You mostly focus on the managers in the industry and the housekeepers at home, but you ignore the servants in the Hu Mansion."

"In fact, if you just chat with these servants from time to time, you can learn a lot of things."

"For example, in the past, apart from the civil officials, the most frequent visitors to my Hu family were the nobles."

"Moreover, unlike civil officials who come to my Hu Mansion for official business, nobles come here to seek personal gain."

"Whether it's introducing a local official to make friends or trying to get some salt permits to sell and earn some money, these are the things I like and care about the most."

"It was precisely because this group of nobles had always needed help from my family that they fawned over everyone in the Hu family."

"From me, the eldest daughter of the Hu family, to the servants below, almost everyone has someone serving them, just for the sake of being able to say a few words for them in front of Daddy at certain times."

"And what happened to you, Anqing, was most likely done by them."

"Because from the perspective of profit, they have a motive, because the salt merchants are their money bags. If you affect the interests of the salt merchants, it is not just the salt merchants who will suffer losses."

"Secondly, the salt merchants can't bribe the servants of the Hu Mansion in just a few days, but they have been dealing with the Hu Mansion for many years and have been getting along with the servants of the Hu Mansion for a long time. They can really drag some people into the water slowly."

"The last reason, and the one I am most certain of, is that if the salt merchant took action, it would definitely not be poison!"

"A mere merchant poisoned a princess who married into the Hu family. Even if he succeeded, what would he gain?"

"If something happens to you, Anqing, can we give him the deal?"

"Anqing, if something happens to you, and your father is not around, will your mother and your brothers turn a blind eye?"

"So, obviously the target of the poison was you, but I am convinced that the other party's target was not you!" After Hu Xinyue said this, everyone nodded involuntarily.

indeed!

The other reasons may seem far-fetched or unconvincing, but the last one is more than sufficient.

The eldest princess of the Ming Dynasty, and the young mistress of the Hu family!

If they get involved in this incident, it will be a disaster for the salt merchants.

How stupid would they have to be to provoke such an enemy?
Do you really think the Zhu family are good-tempered?

At this time, Zhu Biao suddenly smiled and cupped his hands.

"The Queen is indeed very clear-sighted. Could you help me solve this puzzle?"

"What do you think the person behind this is trying to achieve?"

"How did he come up with such a trick?"

"Isn't he afraid of getting into trouble if he gives him away?"

"You know, Mao Xiang and the others are all there right now. I don't believe that an ordinary servant of the Hu Mansion can withstand the methods of Mao Xiang and the others!"

Hu Xinyue smiled and shook her head.

"Of course, the servants don't have this ability."

"That's why I said it must be those people from Jiangnan."

"Because from what I know, they are actually not as prosperous as they appear to be. Instead, they are just glitz and glamour on the outside, but inside they are rotten. They seem to be enjoying a prosperous life, but in fact, due to the extravagance over the past few years, their foundation has long been hollowed out."

"So the private salt from the salt merchants is not only an important source of income for their families, but more importantly, they can't wait any longer!"

Zhu Biao nodded thoughtfully, but Hu Xinyue looked at Anqing and continued to explain.

"Anqing, have you ever thought about this? You just caught someone and you can easily interrogate him to find out that it was the salt merchant who arranged for the murder."

"If you really follow this line of thought to seek revenge, your brothers will naturally confiscate the salt merchant's property and exterminate his entire clan, but what about the person behind the scenes?"

"What does he get?"

An Qing was startled when he heard this.

She was actually curious about this question.

Logically speaking, it's just like she came to complain today.

As long as the palace gets angry, the salt merchant will definitely die.

Not only would the whole family die, but all their years of savings would have to be sent to the palace.

But what about the man behind this?
He can't possibly compete with the Imperial Guards for food, right?
Jiang Qiu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had been in office for less than half a year, would have slit his own throat if someone tried to snatch the meat from his bowl.

So, what’s the point?

Seeing that Anqing was confused, Hu Xinyue reminded him with a smile.

"Anqing, don't forget that their wealth has always come from illegal salt."

"But private salt is something you can't just buy and sell casually!"

"The way here is very particular, so is the way out also very particular?" (End of this chapter)