The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 250

Since the new year, Seventh Lady has been changing errands one after another for mothers who are usually cold-eyed and incapable, or who are too close to Wufang.Now all the mothers in charge who come and go in and out of Mingde Hall are all accompanied by 12 people who are very careful, not to mention, even in private, they dare not say a bad word, lest someone will record it in the file in private, Presenting it to Seventh Lady, instead embarrassing everyone.

It is precisely because of this that Qin Niangzi handled the Xu family's family affairs very smoothly.If it hadn't been for the fourth young lady changing her ways to ask for this and that, the fifth room would not stop for a while. She would set aside an hour or so every morning to listen to the reports of the mothers, and then randomly check the reports submitted at any time, not even a day. How much to worry about.

Because of this filing method, it is clear when you need to check the usual big and small affairs, even human relations, etc., there are old rules first, and even the reasons are clearly recorded in the book, Qin Niangzi can look it up at any time : In terms of human relations, there are even fewer things.

Madam Fourth Young Master was in a bad mood today, she probably just returned to Shendu Hall, and she felt uncomfortable, so she sent someone to Mingde Hall, and asked Seventh Lady to send someone to find Dr. Zhong.Naturally, Seventh Lady didn't dare to be negligent, and ordered her servants to invite them quickly, and a few small things were left behind, so all the mothers returned to their respective positions and were busy.Seventh Lady called the old mother again, "The old mother stay here for a while."

Now the old mother seems to be an important minister next to Seventh Lady. When Mrs. Xu went to Xiaotangshan to recuperate, she just followed her to serve for a few days as usual, and then came back to listen to Seventh Lady: she was indeed the most proud figure in the Qingpingyuan school. .Hearing Seventh Lady call her, she hurriedly put on a smile, and asked softly after the crowd cleared up, "What's your order, Young Madam?"

Qin Niangzi shook her head at Li Xia, and Li Xia and the others understood immediately, and they filed out of the room and closed the door again.Then she said in a low voice, "Yesterday, I gave orders to go down to mother's dowry village and take all the fifteen servants who served in Mingdetang to the side courtyard and lock them up."

Just this sentence has already moved the old mother's face with horror.

It has been a year and a half since Seventh Lady passed through the door, and it has been more than three years since Fifth Lady was killed.

Three years later, the bloody case that caused Xu's family to go up and down is finally about to see the light of day again.

She couldn't help shrinking back a little, seeing Qin Niangzi's expression was indifferent, she couldn't help but say, "Young Madam, do you want to wait for a while... Not to mention anything else, at present, the Duke and Madam Tai..."

"This matter today, and that matter tomorrow." Seventh Lady's expression was calm. "Living at home, there is never an end to trivial matters. If you slow down for such a thing, I am afraid that it is intentional or unintentional. This kind of thing will never stop."

Without waiting for the old mother to reply, she continued, "When the case was investigated, the old mother must have been by her side. Do you still have any impressions of the behavior of these servants when they were interrogated?"

When she asked, the old mother was confused.Seeing that the old mother blinked her eyes and couldn't answer for a while, Qiniangzi added, "For example, who can withstand severe torture and who is weaker, and whoever is tortured will start talking nonsense..."

Only then did the old mother suddenly realize: Qin Niangzi is here to find out the details of everyone in Mingdetang.

She suddenly changed her expression, sat up straight, and counted them one by one. "The four little maids sweeping the yard are named..."

Qin Niangzi was listening and taking notes in the big booklet with a quill pen.After waiting for a while, the old mother mentioned Xiao Songhua.

"Her family came out of Madam's yard. Speaking of which, we watched her grow up." The old mother's face was somewhat distressed. No. This girl is also very stubborn, she never begged for mercy, she asked everything very clearly, she had diarrhea in those two days, and she only had two errands, the first time was to Qingpingyuan to get medicine, the second time was Spread the word for the deceased Young Madam, and asked the subordinates to prepare to go to Guangfu Temple to pay back the gods. Then she asked for leave and went back to rest, and she didn’t know anything about other things.”

She paused, and then said, "Young Madam also knows that there are too many people who can't bear the punishment, or admit it, or randomly stalk a co-worker. Among the more than ten people, she is the only one who refuses to slap her." Bite. If it gets out, it’s said that the family taught it well.”

This was vaguely pleading and justifying for Xiao Songhua. It seemed that the old mother hadn't noticed anything wrong with Xiao's family.

That's right, after all, the Xiao family's hands and feet are extremely nimble, and it's me, so why didn't I get such a precious clue by turning to Feng Jin for help?

Qin Niangzi didn't show any trace on her face. She neatly wrote down a few details that the old mother said, and then asked with a smile, "In this way, she is rare. Since my mother watched her grow up, Do you know what her family is doing now?"

The old mother thought about it for a while, and then said, "That's not very clear. Although her parents can't be said to be too stupid, they are by no means smart. My father seems to be a small steward in the outer courtyard. He once worked in the account room for a while. Something went wrong, Madam felt shameless, so she sent him to work in the stables. Mother has always been a small boss in the laundry room, and she is not a shrewd person. Pass."

The aristocratic family, the family members don't know everything, if you want to admire the appearance of Seventh Lady, you really have to have a bit of face.Seventh Lady nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Instead, the old mother thought for a long time before saying, "Oh, she also has an older sister, but when she entered the mansion when she was old, the Xiao family didn't have much face because of the large number of people back then. , so I was not able to enter the mansion to serve. I lived outside for a few years and begged for face to let him out. It seems that I married a foreigner, and I seldom come back to my mother's house these years."

Qin Niangzi was really satisfied: If the old mother didn't mention this little girl Xiao, or it could be said that she was too old to remember things, but after all, she was still a little more suspicious.Now that even Miss Xiao has spoken out, it can be seen that she really knows so much.

She didn't ask any more, but calmly motioned the old mother to jump on the next person.After half an hour like this, she had already written a few sheets of paper densely, and then Qin Niangzi picked up the tea bowl and said with a smile, "Okay, Mom really helped me a lot."

She showed her intention to see off the guests, so the old mother naturally didn't dare to stay longer, she got up quickly and said, "If the young lady has no other orders, I will take my leave."

She walked to the door, turned around again, looked at Qin Niangzi, her lips moved, and after a while she couldn't help but said, "Young Madam, family and everything are going well, this matter, according to my little knowledge...I'm afraid, It is still necessary to take it slow. With the temperament of the Duke, I am afraid that he has already had a prejudice against the young lady during the funeral of the second girl, and he also took care of the housekeeping... If the young lady acts carelessly, I am afraid that the loved ones will be hurt. Hurry up, enemies!"

The old mother really deserves to be the master next to Mrs. Xu. These words touched Qiniangzi's heart.

However, being able to say these words is enough to show that the old mother is not optimistic that Qin Niangzi can find out the real culprit, and even thinks that it is not yet time to find out the real culprit: Mrs. Wu has not been completely defeated , watching, won the favor of two elders again...

Seventh Lady smiled and said, "I understand Mom's kindness."

She stood up, and easily closed the book in her hand, "However, Xiao Qi already has a little idea about this matter, so mother can just wait and see."

The old mother couldn't help but feel a deep doubt, and in this doubt, there was a rare excitement, she swallowed and spit, and said sincerely. "With the young lady's methods, I think the old man will indeed have a lot of fun in the mansion in the days to come."

#
Sending off the old mother, Seventh Lady entered the side courtyard of Mingde Hall without delay.

The buildings of the Pingguo Mansion have very northern characteristics. They are flat and stable and symmetrical to each other. Mingde Hall is the center of the west wing of the mansion. Halls and other buildings are larger.So far, there are still two side courtyards that are usually unoccupied, but the dowries of Seventh Lady and Fifth Lady are piled up.

Qin Niangzi picked a side courtyard at random, opened the room and locked the dozen or so servants inside, and arranged for two vicious old mothers to guard her. She entered the room by herself, and inspected everyone through the window. Then he entered the interrogation room that Li Xia and the others had arranged early in the morning.

She guided a few servant girls to arrange this with reference to the impression left in her mind. There was nothing in the room except a chair, a table and an oil lamp. Even the windows were covered with black paper. Even if you walk in during the day, you must light the lamp.

Qin Niangzi went in to have a look, but she was very satisfied, and asked Li Xia and Shang Yuan, "Stay guard at the door. Don't come in until I call for someone."

Then he sat down on the chair, adjusted the direction of the light, took out the quill with satisfaction, and ordered, "Bring someone in—remember, arrange Xiaosonghua in the seventh or eighth place."

Li Xia and Shang Yuan naturally followed their orders, and after a while, they brought in a middle-aged woman with a sallow complexion and thin skin.

Seventh Lady adjusted the light so that the light from the oil lamp hit the woman's face, and then asked calmly, "Are you Mother Jiang?"

"What do you do in Mingde Hall?"

After cross-examination like this, I saw that the woman's answer was not the slightest difference from what was recorded in the information. I read the handbook again, and saw that her family members behaved very normally in the past two years, so I closed the booklet again and asked her, " What do you have to say about the matter in Mingde Hall?"

The old woman just shook her head, fell on the ground again, trembling, and begged in a low voice, "Young Madam, I really don't have much to say. If Young Madam doesn't believe me, please feel free to force a confession, and the slave will have nothing to say..."

Regardless of the handcuffs and shackles she was wearing, she suddenly fell to the ground and begged in a miserable voice, "It's just a son and a daughter of the servant, please be merciful, young lady, and don't get involved in the past. The servant will be a cow and a horse in the next life, and I will miss you." Kindness—"

Qin Niangzi couldn't help feeling sick, she just felt dizzy and her stomach was churning, she turned her head and said flatly, "If you are indeed innocent, not only your children, but even you will be fine - now, go out. "

Although she is also very clear that the status she is in, the glory and wealth, are all enjoyed by oppressing and exploiting the lower classes.But even if you understand this truth, it is even more exciting not to witness the tragedy in front of you.

She took a deep breath of cold air, calmed down again, and then raised her voice to order Li Xia. "Bring the next person in!"

After interrogating several people in this way, Qin Niangzi compared the information in the brochure one by one, and couldn't help admiring the old mother: she didn't remember the characters and reactions of these people wrong at all.It seems that during the interrogation, the old mother did indeed have a scheming mind.

Of course, since the reaction is the same, the confessions of these people are not of much value.After all, for them, the day until the incident happened was an extremely ordinary day. Everyone performed their duties, and there was neither any abnormality nor any small flaws that could be noticed.

Seventh Lady remained calm, but carefully took down the confessions of several people, and patiently interrogated several people, finally waiting for her main purpose for today.

Xiao Songhua was the eighth to be brought into the house.

This little maid was very handsome, although she could not be said to be beautiful, but at least she had a good appearance. Even after two or three years of farm work in the countryside, her temperament was still very clean, and her clothes were simple but decent.They are better able to get on the stage than some middle-aged mothers who are not very particular. These people have been locked up in Mrs. Xu's dowry village for three years, so they are naturally not proud. The vagrants in China should be brighter.

Naturally, she was also wearing handcuffs and anklets. After bowing to Seventh Lady, she knelt down on the ground and waited for Seventh Lady to ask questions.Seventh Lady was condescending and looked at her carefully for a long time, but she didn't make any changes.

Hold your breath, look rational and sober...

Seventh Lady couldn't help frowning secretly, but then she felt relieved: If she is unreliable, how can she be qualified for the job of poisoning.

She asked slowly, "What's your name?"

Xiao Songhua moved, and replied softly, "Slave Xiao Songhua, her family name is Xiao."

Just answering this sentence, there will be no more unnecessary reactions.

Seventh Lady hummed, and said, "What were you doing on the day the incident happened?"

"Because of her poor health, the servant has some diarrhea. She rests in the lower room in the morning, and only enters the house to serve in the afternoon." Xiao Songhua narrated slowly.

Again, there are no extra words.

Seventh Lady compared her descriptions, and seeing that the old mother also had this information in her memories, she nodded and asked, "Then what did you do the day before the incident happened?"

Xiao Songhua showed a thoughtful look, she raised her head boldly, and glanced at Qin Niangzi.

Qiniangzi looked over with all her eyesight, and then realized, in this glance, this girl showed a little bit of thought.

"My servant can't remember clearly." After a while, Xiao Songhua said in a nasty voice, "It seems that she was just laying hands in the yard, because the young lady who passed away had a lot of things to do, and she ran errands for her a few times."

"I heard from them that you went to Qingpingyuan to get medicine for Fifth Sister." Seventh Lady stared at Xiao Songhua, "Is it?"

Xiao Songhua tilted her head and pondered for a moment, then she admitted in a low voice, "Yes."

"Do you know what medicine you are taking?" Seventh Lady slowed down her voice.

Xiao Songhua shook her head without hesitation, "I'm not sure."

She added, "Because there are some medicines that are not available in Mingde Hall. Mr. Zhong came to prescribe the prescription. We are now looking for it from the former young lady's dowry. If it is not good to find it, we will go to Qingpingyuan now." Go look for it. I vaguely remember that in those two or three days, even the slaves had gone to Qingpingyuan more than ten times to get the medicine. About the day before the incident, the slaves also walked two or three times to get the medicine. I only remember one time. Codonopsis pilosula, another time I took Huang Ling, and the other one or two times, I don't remember clearly."

Just listening to Xiao Songhua's explanation, Qin Niangzi really didn't suspect her at all: Not only was this little girl extremely calm, but when she answered her answer, she gave each answer in a clear and proper way.He described the scene at that time again, and cleverly exonerated himself.

She hummed with interest and changed the topic again, "Who else is in your family?"

Xiao Songhua was obviously taken aback for a moment, and then quickly answered, "The slave girl has parents and a sister who is already married. Father Xiao Dalong..."

She introduced her family again. The statement was not much different from that of the old mother, but she added some speculative words, "Because I have never had contact with outsiders, and I don't know if it is like this now."

"When did your sister get married, and who did she marry?" Seventh Lady asked casually while writing on the booklet.

Xiao Songhua's answer came quickly, "It's a foreigner who came to the neighborhood looking for a job. Because he saw his sister, he liked it very much, so he asked a matchmaker to come. He returned to his hometown shortly after marriage. He only knew that his brother-in-law's surname was Qiu. I don't know what it's called... At that time, I had already entered the mansion to serve, and my contact with the family was much less."

Qin Niangzi raised half of her face and looked at Xiao Songhua with a half-smile. "I don't know what it's called? Your brother-in-law's name is Qiu Shisan, don't you know? He's nicknamed Old Earthworm, and he's a hundred householder in Guangzhou... It's rare for your family to have a decent relative, you won't forget it so quickly Bar?"

A trace of surprise flashed across Xiao Songhua's face. She tilted her head and thought for a while, then showed doubts again, and said slowly, "I don't know what Young Madam means...Your servant's brother-in-law is from Hebei, isn't he?" With the nickname of Old Earthworm, the slaves also—”

Qin Niangzi squinted her eyes, leaned back on the back of the chair, looked Xiao Songhua up and down, and smiled after a long while, "Okay, I don't want to eat a toast or a fine wine, it seems that you won't be able to tell the truth if I don't use any tricks. "

(End of this chapter)