Chapter 192 – She Did Have A Witness
“Eldest Brother, do you know that I was previously engaged and had a fiance?” Wei Yuewu raised her small face and asked without dodging.
“Marquis Jing Yuan, Mo Huating!”
This was something that the entire mansion of Marquis Hua Yang knew.
“Although Eldest Brother knows that Marquis Jing Yuan used to be my fiance, you definitely don’t know that Second Elder Sister fell in love with Marquis Jing Yuan. The two of them conspired to kill me on my way back to the capital. The servants I brought from my maternal grandfather’s home and the people sent by the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang to pick me up were all killed on a snowy night. Dozens of lives were lost like that.”
Thinking back to that day, Wei Yuewu’s eyes flashed with a harsh expression. That scene was too tragic. Although she was strong-minded, every time she dreamed of it, she would wake up in fear.
After all, she was just a weak young lady in her teens who had little experience of the outside world!
“What? There was actually such a thing!” Wei Ziyang apparently didn’t hear about this. He slapped heavily on the table and his face turned pale with anger.
“Eldest Brother, you actually only need to investigate briefly to decide whether these things had happened or not. Regardless of what Eldest Brother had heard before and who had said those words, facts speak louder than words. Perhaps the assassination incident is not easy to verify, but after I entered the capital, all the subsequent incidents happened because Second Elder Sister wanted to be with Marquis Jing Yuan. After that, something happened to Second Elder Sister in the imperial palace, and Marquis Jing Yuan was unwilling to marry Second Elder Sister.”
Wei Yue said slowly.
Wei Yuewu believed that there was no evidence of Mo Huating’s assassination of her, and even the maid Shuiyun had long since died. However, it was still very easy to find out that Wei Yan and Mo Huating had an affair.
Since Wei Ziyang was valued by Wei Luowen, he couldn’t be a foolish person.
Wei Ziyang really didn’t expect there were so many stories that he didn’t know. He remembered that his mother told him although Wei Yuewu was young, she had a malicious heart.
“Do you have any evidence?” Wei Ziyang calmed down and said coldly.
“Evidence?” Wei Yuewu laughed and pointed at herself mockingly. “Eldest Brother, do you think that a young lady from an aristocratic family like me, who just arrived at the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang and whose personal maid was even killed in the assassination would be able to find any evidence against Marquis Jing Yuan? If Marquis Jing Yuan was so easy to be exposed, how could he still stand in the court now?”
Wei Ziyang choked. Of course he knew Mo Huating. The two of them were about the same age, and Mo Huating was the future son-in-law of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. Therefore, the two of them naturally had a close relationship. He also knew that Mo Huating was cautious and his reputation had always been very good.
If Mo Huating really did this, not to mention Wei Yuewu, even he wouldn’t be able to find out any evidence against Mo Huating.
Wei Yuewu had already asked Nurse Mei before, but Nurse Mei only said that although this Eldest Young Master Wei was the son of the Second Master, he preferred martial arts to reading and got along well with Marquis Hua Yang. Therefore, he had been raised by the first branch and lived beside Marquis Hua Yang since childhood. Anyone not in the know would think that he was Marquis Hua Yang’s son.
Moreover, Wei Ziyang was an open-minded person, and he treated people well. Whether it was within or outside the mansion, everyone would give a thumbs-up when mentioning this Eldest Young Master Wei. His mother, Lady Li had been valued by the Madam Dowager for so many years, and this Eldest Young Master naturally contributed a lot.
“Eldest Brother, if you still don’t believe me, I actually have a witness. Do you want to see her?” Seeing the solemn expression on his face, Wei Yuewu simply disclosed a piece of shocking news.
Witness? Well, she did have one!
“You have a witness?” Wei Ziyang couldn’t calm down anymore and asked doubtfully.
“Eldest Brother, are you willing to come with me?” Wei Yuewu stood up. In fact, she had prepared a witness just in case something like the current situation would happen.
“Alright!” Wei Ziyang looked deeply at Wei Yuewu and nodded.
Because she was going out with Wei Ziyang, when Wei Ziyang sent a lad servant to tell the Madam Dowager that he wanted to take Wei Yuewu out for a stroll, the Madam Dowager naturally had no objection.
Wei Ziyang grew up with Wei Luowen and was therefore more intimate with members of the first branch. Besides, the Madam Dowager was happy to see him and Wei Yuewu on good terms.
Wei Yuewu got on the carriage with Shufei. Wei Ziyang rode his horse and followed the carriage out of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. Then, they headed towards the mansion of Wei Yuewu’s maternal grandfather in the capital.
When the servant keeping the door heard that Wei Yuewu was here, he hurriedly reported it to the butler, who greeted them at the door.
They headed straight for the hall. After sitting down, Wei Yuewu said to the old butler of the mansion, “Butler, did my Eldest Aunt leave an old maidservant here?”
The old butler replied with a smile, “Yes, Miss. The Eldest Lady said that if she was of any use to you, you can take her away.”
“Is she alright now?”
The old butler gave an instruction to the people beside him and replied, “Yes, she is. Previously, she tried to run away. After she was caught, I told her the truth and she became well-behaved.”
Anyone would behave well and dare not run away anymore after learning that their masters wished to tear them apart.
When the witness was brought, Wei Ziyang stared at the old maidservant in front of him, who was barely recognizable. After a while, he said hesitantly, “Nurse Qian!”
Nurse Qian was Lady Li’s most trusted servant, how could Wei Ziyang not recognize her? However, when he saw her last year, she looked energetic and young. It had only been a year since he had seen her, yet she had actually aged like this.
Seeing Wei Ziyang, Nurse Qian’s face turned pale with shock. Then, she knelt down to Wei Ziyang with a plop and said with a trembling voice, “Eldest… Eldest Young Master!”
“Nurse Qian?” Wei Ziyang frowned.
“Yes… yes, it’s me!” Nurse Qian lowered her head, tears almost falling down her cheeks.
Wei Yuewu stood up and said, “Eldest Brother, if you have questions, ask Nurse Qian. If you want to bring her back to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, there is no problem. I’ll go and take a walk in the garden first. This is the first time I’ve been to my maternal grandfather’s mansion in the capital since I returned.”
“Alright!” Wei Ziyang knew that she was avoiding suspicion and nodded.
When Nurse Qian heard the words “bring her back to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang”, her entire body collapsed. When she was in the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, what she did ended up with failure. Furthermore, it even caused Lady Li to be punished. In addition, Shuiyun had indeed died at her hands. Nurse Qian clearly knew that all of these combined were enough to put her on the road to extinction once she returned to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.
This was also the reason why she didn’t run away after figuring out the situation.
But this had nothing to do with Wei Yuewu. She took Huamo and walked out of the hall. Behind her came Wei Ziyang’s question, “Nurse Qian, tell me why you’re here.”
Sure enough, Wei Ziyang had stayed at the border for many years, and he knew that Nurse Qian’s mental state was extremely fragile at this time. By coming straight to the point, he could easily make her tell the truth.
The old butler also retreated, leaving the hall to Wei Ziyang. He followed behind Wei Yuewu and said, “Miss, do you want to take a look in the backyard? It’s also the yard where Her Ladyship used to live.”
“My mother used to live here?” Wei Yuewu was stunned for a moment. She had always thought that Mother had just arrived in the capital when she met Father, after which he fell in love with her at first sight. Father asked the Madam Dowager to cancel his previous engagement and then proposed to Mother again. During this time, her maternal grandfather might not have a house in the capital.
“Her Ladyship lived here for a short period of time. She only stayed here for a short period of time before she got married. She departed here and married into the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.”
The old butler introduced with a smile.
“Then… I will go and take a look!” Wei Yuewu nodded. She picked up the corner of her skirt and stepped across the threshold.
Actually, this mansion wasn’t big, and could in no aspect compare to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. However, it could be seen that the old butler was a dedicated person. Even though no master lived here for many years, all the plants and trees here were neatly trimmed, and the rooms were clean and tidy.
In the garden, there were rockery and flowing water. Although it was much smaller, it was still pleasing to the eyes.
“Miss, this is the courtyard where Her Ladyship used to live.” The old butler said as he pointed to a courtyard on the right side of the garden, which was almost at the edge of the garden.
Wei Yuewu nodded and walked to the right. It looked very close, but in fact, there was some distance. She reached the gate of the courtyard only after crossing three moon-shaped doors.
The old butler had already let someone open the door. An old maidservant was guarding the door and waiting by the side. Seeing Wei Yuewu, she was so excited that she couldn’t speak. She actually choked and kowtowed heavily to Wei Yuewu. “Mi…Miss!”
‘”This is Yucai’s mother. Back then, she was the nurse-in-charge who served Her Ladyship. Later, Yucai followed Her Ladyship to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang and the courtyard became empty. The Old Lady told people to keep this courtyard, so Yucai’s mother volunteered to come here to be a steward and gate-keeper.”
The old butler sighed and introduced.
Yucai’s mother? Was Yucai the senior maid who used to serve Mother and disappeared after her death?
Wei Yuewu was slightly stunned, but she immediately extended her hand to help the old maidservant up. She smiled gently and said, “There’s no need to stand on ceremonies.”
Yucai’s mother wiped away her tears and stood up. She stood up and waited on the side with her hands lowered.
“Miss, please have a look around here and ask Yucai’s mother if you have questions. She has always been in charge of this courtyard and knows everything. I will go to the front yard and see there is anything I can do.” The old butler said.
No matter what, Wei Ziyang was a guest here. And furthermore, he was a distinguished guest. He could not be left in the hall all the time.
Wei Yuewu smiled and nodded, and the old butler retreated.
This courtyard was much smaller than Wei Yuewu’s own Lotus Courtyard. Wei Yuewu always had a feeling that the courtyards of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang were much bigger than the courtyards of other mansions. Both their layout and construction radiated with an imposing atmosphere. It was said that the mansion was bestowed by the previous Emperor after the old mansion of Marquis Hua Yang caught fire.
Yucai’s mother pushed open the main apartment’s door. Everything in the room was spotless, just like when the mistress was there.
Time seemed to have stopped, and the fragrance of books was the same as when she was her maternal grandfather’s home. Everything inside and outside the house made her feel as if she had returned to the place where she had lived for more than ten years.
“This… is Mother’s room?” Wei Yuewu’s nose turned sour and tears flashed in her eyes. She walked to the window and sat on a chair.
Even the chair was in the same position as she used to put her chair when living in her maternal grandfather’s home.
Too many things were similar or identical, making her wonder if she was in her dream.
“This is Her Ladyship’s room. Although Her Ladyship didn’t live here for a long time, the Old Lady was afraid that she would not be used to living here. Everything was arranged according to her courtyard back home.” Yucai’s mother replied respectfully. Looking at the face similar to Her Ladyship, she secretly turned to wipe away her tears.
In front of the window was a writing desk with a chair placed sideways. Wei Yuewu was also used to sitting sideways to the desk and reading. If she needed to write something, she could just turn around.
She picked up a half-closed book on the desk and found it was an ordinary Book of Songs. However, the Book of Songs was densely packed with notes. Especially, there were a few handwritten poems that described the love between men and women, which showed the gentle feeling of love of a young woman.
In Wei Yuewu’s mind, a shy girl appeared, who sat under the window, reading from time to time. Her eyes were filled with shyness as if they desired to speak. At that time, Mother lived here as a bride-to-be. It was normal for her to write such notes.
This meant that at that time, not only did Father fall in love with Mother at first sight. Mother should also fall in love with Father!
But since that was the case, why did the result turn out like that? Nurse Han’s words seemed to sound in her ears. Even though she repeatedly told herself that this was not the truth, she still thought that Father’s so-called love at first sight was not real, and he actually forced Mother to marry him. Otherwise, how could she explain what Nurse Han saw later?
However, when she saw this book of poetry, she fell silent for a moment!
The room was very quiet. Huamo and Yucai’s mother stood respectfully with their hands lowered. Wei Yuewu suddenly stopped flipping through the book and looked up at Yucai’s mother. “How long did my mother live here?”
“About several months. Although Marquis Hua Yang had the intention to marry Her Ladyship at that time, I heard that their mansion had already arranged for him to get married to someone else and the two families had already begun subsequent procedures. However, I didn’t expect that after seeing Her Ladyship, Marquis Hua Yang would actually be bent on asking for her to marry him.” Yucai’s mother lowered her head and replied.
Wei Yuewu flipped through a few more pages and finally stopped in one place. Then, she asked softly, “To which family was my father engaged before he met my mother?”
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