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

Chapter 53 Night Visit to the Capital Prefecture

Master Liang was clearly taken aback for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "That man was so frightened that he didn't dare to go forward to check. He was huddled in the woodpile and only managed to save his life by chance. But from afar, he heard those assassins shouting that daring to oppose Xiliang would lead to the fate of the Duke's mansion."

"That's strange. Who would deliberately dress up as one of us to go and die?"

"I also had a glimmer of hope, wondering if you and your sister-in-law deliberately found two people to impersonate each other to fake your deaths in order to avoid assassination by the Xiliang people, so that you could hide your identities."

Therefore, although I had my doubts about the identities of those two people, I kept them to myself and never told anyone else.

Madam Liang nodded: "Second brother, you are right to do this. Whatever the reason, we really don't want to go back to the Duke's mansion."

If anyone asks again in the future, you should still insist that my daughter and I died by the swords of the Xiliang people.

"But General Tong seems to have recognized Liang Jiang. If he asks me about it when I get back, can't I just say anything? Besides..."

Master Liang hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Lady Liang pressed further, "And what?"

Master Liang hesitated for a moment: "Perhaps I am being paranoid. I feel that if General Tong really suspects your identities, why doesn't he ask you directly, but instead comes to me indirectly to seek confirmation? I am a little worried that he has ulterior motives."

Lady Liang disagreed: "We have no vested interests with him, and Liang Jiang has completely severed ties with the Fang family. There will be no further involvement. What could he possibly be up to?"

"I can't say for sure, but I'm worried about the safety of you two, a widow and a child, staying here. Why don't you come back to the capital with me?"

Madam Liang shook her head: "I'm fine here, I don't want to go back."

Master Liang stopped trying to persuade her, and just sighed: "I can understand you, sister-in-law. Now that your elder brother is gone, going back will only bring back painful memories every day, and it will make you feel sad."

How about this? I have a close friend in Yuncheng in the southwest who has been through thick and thin with me. He owns several manors and employs many guards.

My sister-in-law and niece have decided to move to Yuncheng for a couple of years. I've asked this old friend to look after you both, so I can rest assured.

Before Madam Liang could speak, Liang Jiang refused outright: "Thank you for your kindness, Second Uncle, but this is my father's hometown, and my mother likes living here and doesn't want to leave."

Seeing that the mother and daughter refused to leave, Master Liang said no more.

"Since that's the case, then I won't try to persuade you any further. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just come back to the capital and find me. We are family after all, and although your second uncle's strength is meager, he will definitely do his best to help you."

Mrs. Liang nodded gratefully.

After a simple meal at the Fang residence, it was getting late, so Master Liang reluctantly bid farewell to the mother and daughter, mounted his horse, and headed back to the city.

Lady Liang, still worried, instructed him to remember not to tell anyone else about what happened that day after he returned to the capital.

Liang Jiang smiled dismissively: "Mother, you're overthinking it. Second Uncle would never tell everyone about our whereabouts. He'd rather everyone think we're dead."

Madam Liang gently scolded, "How can you talk like that?"

Liang Jiang shrugged: "Can't you see? Second Uncle came today not because he's worried about you and me, but because he's worried about us."

"What's the difference?"

“Of course it’s different. He’s afraid that our identities will be exposed and that returning to the capital would be a threat to him.”

"Nonsense, your second uncle was just worried about our safety and tried to persuade us to go back."

Liang Jiang was both amused and exasperated: "This is a strategic retreat. Can't you see that he wants to send us far away, far from the capital?"

“You know, your second uncle is indeed greedy, but even if we break bones, we are still connected by tendons. He is still your father’s younger brother.” Liang Jiang said helplessly, “No wonder my master always says that you have been growing up on Yuhua Mountain, focusing only on learning medicine. You are skilled and kind-hearted, but you don’t know the dangers of the world.”

In this world, let alone the throne, countless brothers turn against each other over a meager living. If he truly cared about us, why did he remain silent about our Duke's estate and profits just now? What else could it be but hypocrisy?

Upon hearing the words "unaware of the dangers of the world," Lady Liang remembered that she had mistakenly married Liang Jiang to Fang Chengxu, and immediately fell silent.

"No matter what, whether your second uncle is good or bad, it doesn't really concern us. We won't see each other again anyway."

Your second uncle still has to fulfill his filial duties to your father and take care of your grandmother, so we shouldn't count on that little bit of family property.

Despite her young age, Liang Jiang possessed a maturity beyond her years, and she earnestly advised Lady Liang.

“I’m not concerned about the family fortune, I just want my mother to know that some people can be known by their appearance but not by their heart. Besides, Grandmother, you gave birth in the war and injured your body, and you have been unable to have children since. Since then, Grandmother has looked down on you and favored my second uncle’s family. Thinking about it, I feel that she wasted her sincerity and felt sorry for you.”

"Alright!" Madam Liang's eyes darkened, not wanting to say more: "That's all in the past."

Liang Jiang was very unconvinced and couldn't understand why her mother always looked like she was avoiding a snake or a beast whenever the topic of going to the capital came up.

She didn't want to go back, but she still had to go secretly.

My father's case cannot be left unresolved in this ambiguous manner.

Unfortunately, we are currently clueless and don't know where to begin our investigation.

Last time, Gu Xizhi accidentally ate the drugged sugar water, and since he was already in a dangerous situation, he didn't have time to ask some questions before he had to be sent away.

Should I try to find out what he's up to and see if he knows any valuable clues?

Also, I don't know if the murder of those two women is related to my father's death.

Since ancient times, killing enemies on the battlefield has not affected wives and daughters. For the people of Xiliang to pursue them so relentlessly, even coming all the way to Chang'an to kill them, is it not a bit too outrageous?
There's something intriguing about this.

In the end, she decided to sneak into the capital's residence at night!

Review the case files from that year to see if there are any suspicious points that you may have overlooked.

After arranging things at the Fang residence and having Feng Ge send people to protect her mother, she had no more worries about Fucheng and began her work.

As the saying goes, skill breeds daring, and Liang Jiang didn't take the guards of the Jingzhao Prefecture seriously at all.

They arrived in the capital at dusk, ate and drank their fill, and waited until late at night. Then, they covered their faces and, as swift as a cat, sneaked into the Jingzhao Prefecture and headed straight for the vault where files and physical evidence were stored.

The guards in the government office were not strict, after all, no one would come here to wander around for no reason.

Liang Jiang went into the vault, took out a luminous pearl from her bosom, looked around, and felt a bit overwhelmed.

The shelves around the room were piled high with files, comparable to the collection of books in the Wensheng Shigong Pavilion on Yuhua Mountain.

I should have invited Lu Xingzhan along; at least we'd have another pair of eyes.

Liang Jiang searched the archives for a long time before finally getting the hang of it. Following the numbered clues, she slowly flipped through the files and finally found the case file of "herself" being murdered years ago.

Although two years had passed, Liang Jiang noticed that there was no dust on the files, indicating that someone had just looked through them.

Tong Shouliang?
Did he secretly investigate the matter of his own murder back then?
What was the motive? It couldn't be to verify whether he was still alive, could it?
Just as my second uncle said, if he really suspected my identity, why didn't he ask me openly and honestly, instead of hiding in the shadows and secretly spying on me?
Moreover, did he retrieve this file because he was unaware of his "murder," or was he feeling guilty and trying to cover something up?
With mixed feelings, Liang Jiang opened the case file, quickly glanced through the entire record of the case, and then turned directly to the section on witness testimonies.

(End of this chapter)