Wife is hell

Chapter 9 The Angry Widow Tang

The next day, the sky remained gloomy.

She was as gloomy as a resentful woman brewing her emotions.

The fluffy, layered cloud skirt desperately suppressed the restlessness within, as if hot rain would pour down at any moment.

After having breakfast, An Chenghu packed his bags and prepared to head to the neighboring county.

Before leaving, he handed a thin booklet to Jiang Mu.

Inside were several suspects he had selected based on the information he knew.

Having been based in Yancheng for over twenty years and frequently dealing with the local government offices, An Chenghu was very familiar with the situation of many wealthy families in the city.

In addition, the murderer's family background should be quite good, and he should be involved with the police station, which greatly narrows down the scope of the investigation.

"Based on my years of experience in solving cases, the murderer is most likely among these people. You need to investigate them one by one, and be very careful."

An Chenghu carefully instructed, "Remember what I said yesterday: the murderer must be discovered and arrested by Chief Tang himself. Don't risk becoming the first to speak out."

Jiang Mu nodded and said, "Uncle An, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. By the way, should I report your trip to the neighboring county to Steward Tang?"

An Chenghu shook his head:
"No need. Chief Steward Tang must have already gotten wind of this. You just focus on your investigation. It's better to wait for her to come to you on her own initiative, so that the county magistrate won't find any fault with you."

"Should I go to the government office to find some people first?"

"No need. The more people, the more trouble it will cause, and the county magistrate won't give you any manpower. Oh, by the way..."

An Chenghu suddenly remembered something, took out a piece of slightly stiff official paper, and handed it to Jiang Mu.

"The eldest daughter of the Shi family, Yu Huan, asked me a while ago to find a job for Bao Lu in the yamen. I didn't want to agree, because it would be too much trouble to take care of him."

But now that your head is cleared, and only Baolu is left, it's alright. I pleaded with the county magistrate to get that kid in; he can run errands for you from now on.

Furthermore, Xueying's arrival at Divine Phoenix Island is like doing someone a favor in advance.

Jiang Mu accepted the official document.

It was stamped with a vermilion official seal and several lines of black ink characters.

The yamen runners of the Great Qian Dynasty were not classified as lowly servants, and their descendants could participate in the imperial examinations or be selected for cultivation.

Otherwise, An Chenghu wouldn't have allowed Jiang Mu into the yamen.

Especially after the occurrence of spiritual disasters, many old systems were reformed.

Jiang Mu joked, "Then I'll take Shi Tou with me to investigate. I'm sure the county magistrate and the others would be happy to see two fools like us assisting Chief Tang in investigating the case."

An Chenghu was amused and patted Jiang Mu on the shoulder: "Be careful."

……

After An Chenghu left, Jiang Mu went to Shi Baolu's house next door to look for him.

However, the gate to the other party's courtyard was locked.

"Strange, why did they go out so early in the morning?"

Jiang Mu was puzzled but didn't think much of it. He simply picked the nearest suspect from the list given by Uncle An and decided to go and investigate on his own.

About an incense stick later, he arrived at a grand mansion.

According to the information provided by An Chenghu, the owner of this house was a widow surnamed Yan, who came from a scholarly family but later fell into poverty and married a merchant.

After the businessman passed away, she single-handedly supported the family business and raised her son.

This woman has a strong personality and single-handedly runs the family business very successfully.

Because he had donated a lot of money to the patrol office and had a good relationship with the staff, some petty people who coveted his property dared not easily cause trouble at his door.

Jiang Mu decided to visit them in person.

Investigating covertly is time-consuming and laborious; it's better to probe directly.

The murderer must harbor resentment towards him for "stealing" Tang Jinxian. If he suddenly appears, the other party's expression and reaction may reveal a flaw.

He straightened his clothes and was about to ask the gatekeeper to announce his arrival when, at that moment, a beautiful woman dressed in fine clothes and with an elegant demeanor, surrounded by a group of maids, gracefully stepped out of the gate.

The woman's straight back revealed her refined upbringing.

Her jet-black hair was neatly combed, with only a gold hairpin hanging down beside her cheek, swaying gently.

A well-dressed, handsome young man was also by her side.

Jiang Mu's gaze sharpened.

I felt that the young man looked somewhat familiar.

Upon careful recollection, it was indeed the man who had gotten off the carriage with Shi Xueying yesterday.

"Madam Yan."

Jiang Mu stepped forward and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

The beautiful woman stopped walking gracefully, and her sharp, elegant eyes turned to Jiang Mu.

When she caught a glimpse of his county yamen uniform, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

The young man next to him was taken aback when he saw Jiang Mu, and then his expression became slightly strange.

"Madam Yan, I am from the county government—"

"What's the matter?"

The woman spoke coldly, her voice slightly magnetic.

She looks like a domineering female CEO.

Jiang Mu was unfazed by the woman's domineering attitude and said:

"It's like this, things haven't been peaceful in Yancheng lately, with several cases occurring in succession. The higher-ups specifically instructed us to strengthen patrols in the surrounding area. They also emphasized the importance of reminding important people like you, who need to go out frequently, to be extra careful about their safety."

The woman looked Jiang Mu up and down with her beautiful eyes and asked, "What is your surname, sir?"

"The surname is Mu."

Jiang Mu replied.

The woman gave a wink to the maid beside her and said calmly, "Thank you for reminding me, Officer Mu. I have also heard about the recent cases, and I will naturally be more careful."

The maid took out two pieces of silver and handed them to Jiang Mu.

Jiang Mu readily accepted the gift after thanking him, and then spoke again: "Madam, would it be convenient for me to bother you for a few more minutes for a brief chat?"

A hint of displeasure flashed across the woman's face.

But perhaps out of respect for the government office, or perhaps because Jiang Mu's words had worked, she hesitated for a moment, then waved to the driver, signaling him to wait outside.

He said to Jiang Mu, "Since this is official business, please come in and sit for a while."

Upon entering the elegantly furnished living room, a maidservant served tea.

The young man named Wen Yu did not follow him in.

"Does Lord Mu have any other questions?"

Madam Yan picked up her teacup and got straight to the point.

Compared to Tang Jinxian, who was also a widow, Madam Yan's looks were not comparable, but her mature and plump figure, cultivated from years of pampered life, was not much inferior.

Jiang Mu took a sip of tea and smiled:
"It's just routine to gather more information. For example, have any strangers been loitering around the mansion recently, or have you noticed anything unusual?" Madam Yan shook her head: "I haven't noticed anything unusual."

"Have the servants reported any unusual phenomena?"

"nor."

Jiang Mu then asked a few more questions casually.

Although Madam Yan was slightly impatient, she responded briefly to each question.

They even summoned the servants who patrolled the courtyard to inquire.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Mu deliberately changed the subject: "When I saw you outside just now, I felt that you had an extraordinary demeanor, and that young master was even more distinguished. You must be the young master of your family, right?"

Hearing the other party praise her son, Madam Yan's expression softened slightly: "He is indeed my son."

Jiang Mu then praised, "As the saying goes, a tiger mother will not have a dog son. I have heard that the madam has put a lot of effort into cultivating the young master. I imagine that the young master must be very knowledgeable and will surely have a bright future."

The woman's tone carried a hint of helplessness, yet also a touch of pride:
"I do hope he can pass the imperial examinations and achieve fame, but this child has his own ideas and is determined to pursue the path of cultivation. I did not want him to leave home and face danger, but I could not persuade him otherwise."

Hearing this, Jiang Mu was basically certain that Wen Yu was not the murderer he was looking for.

The murderer was in a repressive environment where he was controlled and unable to resist.

His mother would never indulge her son like that.

Having achieved his goal, Jiang Mu chatted for a few more minutes before getting up to say goodbye.

Madam Yan did not linger and signaled to her maid to see the guest out.

As Jiang Mu stepped out of the gate, the young man named Wen Yu suddenly chased after him and called out to him as he was about to leave.

"Mu Guan Cha,"

Wen Yu wore a gentle smile, but his eyes revealed a condescending arrogance. "I know you. You are Xueying's neighbor. And you like her very much."

"What's the problem?"

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

Here it comes, the melodramatic plot is about to unfold.

As expected, a warning glint flashed in Wen Yu's eyes:
"Xueying is already a disciple of Divine Phoenix Island, and her future achievements will surely be extraordinary. She is not someone that some toad can even dream of. I think you understand what I mean, right?"

Young man, your threats are so unoriginal...

Jiang Mu muttered a complaint to himself, but shook his head, feigning confusion, and said, "I don't quite understand."

Before Wen Yu could speak again, he suddenly stepped forward, put his arm around the other's shoulder, and said teasingly:
"I hate being lectured or threatened. Since you're so naive, I'll say something naive that might break your defenses."

"what?"

"Do you believe me that I've slept in the same bed with Xueying many times?"

Wen Yu's expression changed drastically, and he then flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly, "It was just playing around when we were kids, what's there to talk about?"

"Sleeping as a child, that's still sleeping."

Jiang Mu, with a roguish air, said, "I watched her grow up, and she watched me grow up. If you don't believe me, you can ask her if she used to like mischievous kids?"

After saying that, Jiang Mu turned and left.

Wen Yu was left standing there alone, his face alternating between pale and flushed, his fists clenched tightly.

However, after this incident, Jiang Mu became even more convinced that Wen Yu was definitely not the murderer.

How could someone who harbors twisted, repressed hatred towards their mother, whose psyche is already warped, possibly like or even be jealous of another girl in a normal way?

Jiang Mu took out the roster and crossed out one name.

"next."

-

-

The office of the patrol and inspection department, where officials in charge of handling daily official business signed documents.

Tang Jinxian held the note handed to her by her subordinate, her pretty face covered with a layer of frost, and anger flickered in her cold, light brown eyes.

The note said that An Chenghu had been transferred to a neighboring county.

Snapped!
The woman slammed the note on the table, laughing angrily:

"What a fine Magistrate Yang! He's quite the righteous one. Does he really think he's got a powerful backer?"

Last time, the other party was perfunctory and sent a fool like Mu Jiang to assist her in the case, which was bad enough, but I didn't expect them to dare to openly trip her up.

Even a clay Buddha has a temper.

What's more, she's already in a terrible mood these past few days.

"Xiuxiu!"

"grown ups."

A pretty female official who was in charge of assisting with daily official duties walked in quickly and bowed respectfully.

Tang Jinxian suppressed her anger, her expression calm, and said indifferently:
"All documents, case files, and drafts submitted by the Tongxin County Government that require approval or filing by the Inspection Office in the past six months shall be returned. They shall be instructed to check them one by one according to the 'Detailed Rules for the Regulations of the Inspection Office on Official Documents.' If there is any error or omission in the format, wording, or seal, they shall not be submitted again."

"In addition, I will send a letter to Lord Li to conduct a routine audit of the losses incurred during the transport of grain and the apportionment of corvée labor in Tongxin County. Send someone to deliver it to him as quickly as possible later."

"The disaster relief funds and travel permits allocated by the Patrol Office to the County Government need to be reassessed and will not be disbursed to them for the time being. Magistrate Yang should wait."

"Furthermore, review the case files of cases closed in the county within the last three years, especially those suspected spiritual disaster cases that may have doubts or have been handled hastily, and have them re-examine them."

"By the way, temporarily transfer the county magistrate and registrar to the patrol office to assist in handling official business."

Xiuxiu paused for a few seconds, then quickly replied, "Yes."

Tang Jinxian leaned forward slightly, her sharp phoenix eyes fixed on her:
"If Deputy Director Yu interferes, make him come to me personally. If he refuses with the excuse of being busy with official duties, just tell him that anyone can take down a window, but I, Tang Jinxian, prefer to take down a roof. So what if we're both exposed to the scorching sun and the pouring rain? Let's see who dies of heatstroke first, and who drowns first!"

"Yes."

Seeing the woman wave, Xiuxiu forced herself to leave.

Indeed, a widow can be quite terrifying when provoked.

Once the room quieted down again, Tang Jinxian let out a long breath, which had been stuck in her chest, and murmured, "I wonder if this silly boy is up to the task?"

She trusted An Chenghu's abilities.

But Mujiang...

Although his previous performances were barely acceptable, he still looked too inexperienced.

"Oh well, let's see how it goes."

The beautiful woman sighed and leaned heavily back in her chair.

The force of the blow was considerable; the shape of Yingfeng trembled and swayed, squeezing out a few beads of sweat, which had seeped out due to the heat, from between her brows. The beads bounced and splashed, creating a fine, shimmering effect.

"But then again, if Mu Jiang can really help me find the murderer, it means he's quite capable. It also means that this kid is not easy to handle."

"We need to think of a way to find something to do with this kid."

"But how do we catch it?"

(End of this chapter)