The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 53: Comeback against the Wind
"Your Excellency is very observant. You... confess quickly." Shang Jinliang advised.

It’s not that I feel sorry for Mu Xiaoniang, I just really don’t want to see her being hypocritical anymore.

Mu Xiaoniang's tears rolled down. When the guards intensified the torture, she finally couldn't hold on any longer: "I confess... I confess..."

Magistrate He raised his hand and the bailiff stopped.

Mu Xiaoniang, sweating from the pain, could not straighten her body. She fell to the side and took a while to recover before she could speak clearly, "The medicine bag is indeed mine. I used it for self-defense. Later, when I met the master, I kept it at the bottom of the box. One day, the master saw me rummaging through the box and told me its purpose..."

A few days ago, the master suddenly came to me for medicine. I asked, but he refused to reveal anything. I am just a humble concubine, how could I dare to ask again? Today, the messenger came in a rage, and I remembered the medicine bag that the master had taken, so I hurriedly burned it..."

"Shang Mu, are you sure that this medicine is a sleeping pill and belongs to you? Is there anyone else who knows about it besides you?" Magistrate He asked without changing his expression.

"I am sure that this is mine. I kept it close to my body and have only told the master about it, except for the maidservant brought into the mansion. Can the master tell anyone else? I don't know." Mu Xiaoniang's red and swollen hands trembled uncontrollably, and she gasped in pain from time to time.

"Where is Shang Mu's maid?" Magistrate He asked the yamen runner.

"Reporting to the Lord, I have brought it with Shang Mu and am waiting outside."

"pass!"

Mu Xiaoniang brought her maid Mu Mian from outside the mansion herself, and she did not trust the maids and old women assigned to her by Xiao Yu.

"Do you know what this is?" asked Magistrate He.

Mu Mian: "My Lord, this is Miss Mu's medicine. Before she followed the Master, Miss Mu was an actress. She often wandered among many gentlemen. She was worried that she might get pregnant accidentally, so she always kept medicine to prevent miscarriage..."

"Kapok!" Mu Xiaoniang screamed, her eyes flashing with poison. "I've treated you well, why are you slandering me? Why are you spouting nonsense in court?"

Mu Mian shrank back in fear, and lowered her voice a little: "Everything I said is true. I brought Miss Mu with me into the mansion because I was worried that the master would have children in the future. Just in case..."

"Mu Mian, you're talking nonsense! You're talking nonsense!" Mu Xiaoniang looked at Mu Mian in panic, then at Shang Jinliang and the others, with a bad premonition in her heart, "Sir, this is a drug, it's a drug!"

"Shang Mu!" Magistrate He's face darkened. "I've asked a doctor to examine this, and it turns out it's a drug that can cause miscarriages in women. Why do you keep calling it a drug? How do you know a drug can harm your husband? Who are you colluding with? Come here immediately!"

The plan was completely disrupted. Mu Xiaoniang didn't even know what went wrong, and she couldn't understand why Mu Man betrayed her, as she treated her like a sister!
"Sir, I have something important to tell you." When Mu Xiaoniang was at a loss, Mu Mian suddenly kowtowed deeply.

"Say!"

She pulled out a few packets of medicinal powder from her bosom, folded her hands, and held them above her head. "A few days ago, Miss Mu had a secret meeting with someone. That person gave these medicinal powders to Miss Mu and told her to act accordingly. I didn't hear clearly, and I didn't know what it was until today.

Seeing the officer searching for medicine, Mu Xiaoniang immediately ordered her servant to fetch a brazier, intending to arouse the officer's suspicion and seize the remaining powder.

The powder was presented to Magistrate He. Without bothering two people, the doctor from before came to identify it and even dispersed it with water. He took a parrot to verify it and finally nodded to Magistrate He.

He Zhifu looked at the powder in front of him, his expression unclear: "Why did you betray your master?"

"My lord, I have not betrayed you." Muqian straightened his back, his attitude still humble. "I have been wandering for half my life. When I followed Mu Xiaoniang, I also gave myself to others for food and clothing. I finally got into the Shang Mansion. This is the stability I have never had in my life. I no longer have to fight with others for a roof over my head and get my head bloodied. I no longer have to get half a bun out of a stray dog's mouth to fill my stomach and get my fingers bitten off. I no longer have to be afraid of being pounced on by a smelly beggar in the middle of the night and dare not sleep... I am grateful to have met you, sir, and to be brought into your mansion.

I was redeemed by my master, and my monthly salary is given to me by my mistress. I am a slave of the Shang family, and this is my act of protection for my master."

Many people then noticed that Mu Man had only eight fingers, and the ring finger and little finger on his right hand were missing.

Her experience moved several officials in the He magistrate's office. The magistrate's voice softened a little: "Do you know who Mu Xiaoniang is having a secret meeting with?"

"I didn't know that Miss Mu would meet that man every two or three months." Mu Mian shook her head.

Mu Xiaoniang was a very cautious person. Mumian never saw her lover every time, but Mumian's past experiences made her very sensitive. She thought for a moment and said, "I have heard his voice."

"Sir." At this time, the yamen runner brought the scrolls he had retrieved from Wen Yan's house, a total of three scrolls.

Magistrate He unrolled the scroll, revealing a garden scene familiar to anyone who had attended a gathering of scholars. He had the paintings, along with the one depicting a beautiful woman emerging from her bath, sent to the rear yamen.

The identification results came out soon, and it was found that the painting of beauty emerging from the bath was painted by Wen Yan.

Shang Mingshu had bought this painting at a high price from a playboy a long time ago. That was also because Shang Mingshu disliked Wen Yan. As the elder sister was obsessed with Wen Yan's love, she could fool Wen Yan if she took it out rashly.

She was just waiting for Wen Yan to pass the imperial examination. Once Wen Yan cared enough about his reputation, she could use this painting to force Wen Yan to give up Shang Wenshu. She didn't expect it to be used today.

"Mr. Wen, you're so bold!" Prefect He said to Wen Yan angrily, "This painting was personally authenticated by the headmaster of Ziyang Academy. It's a perfect match for your skills. How dare you deceive me? Come, give me twenty strokes of the cane first!"

Wen Yan was dragged limply by the yamen runners into an open yard and beaten with a stick.

"Sir," Shang Mingshu stepped forward. "My three sisters and even my father were suspected of hiring someone to sneak into Mr. Shi's garden and commit murder. We had three pieces of evidence: gold beads, garden paintings, and drugs. Now, all have been proven to be framed. Therefore, my family is innocent."

"Big..." Shi Qingyu was very anxious. They had prepared carefully, spent so much time and effort, and sacrificed so many people to set up such a dragnet in an attempt to catch the Shang family in one fell swoop. Now they had to watch Shang Mingshu turn the tide and make a comeback.

She is not reconciled!

She had just made a light sound when it was blocked by Shi Houqiong without a trace.

Things have developed to this point, and the more you say, the more mistakes you will make.

Magistrate He glanced at Shi Houqiong casually before exchanging glances with the other inspectors. He finally acknowledged Shang Mingshu's words, "Shang is innocent. This prefecture and the others jointly bear witness to this. If it weren't for your heroic actions today, my wife would have been killed."

County Magistrate Gao's eyelids twitched.

Magistrate He had only recently taken office, but they had already figured out his personality. He was very clear about the distinction between public and private matters. He openly mentioned Shang Mingshu's life-saving grace to Madam He in court to tell them.

He wants to support Shang Mingshu.

(End of this chapter)