After Transmigration, I Snag a Stunning Bigwig as My Husband-Chapter 873 - 869: Thankless Task

Searching wastes time.

After waiting for half an hour, Manager Li finally returned.

He was holding a brocade box, and two old women were bringing a maid in.

The maid was evidently Xie Jinyu’s close personal maid.

One of the women kicked her leg, and the maid fell to the ground with a thud.

The sound was so loud that it made people’s knees ache.

After leaving the main hall, Manager Li took some people to search around, focusing on Peony Garden, followed by the rooms of Xie Jinyu and Xie Jingchuan.

They searched everywhere but couldn’t find anything.

However, Xique’s keen eyes noticed when Su Jin mentioned the Short Flute, Xie Jinyu’s maid ran indoors.

Manager Li remembered that when he brought people into the room to search, Xie Jinyu’s maid was standing at the window.

He glanced out the window.

Good heavens.

A brocade box had been thrown outside the window.

If you weren’t paying attention, you would truly miss it, as no one would look outside the window.

The maid was presumably afraid the brocade box would be found during the search and threw it out, proving that the Short Flute in the box is the one that caused fake Old Madam to bleed from her six orifices.

The maid knew to discard the Short Flute, which should act as a witness, so Manager Li brought the brocade box along.

Xie Jinyu was so furious that she wanted to strangle the maid on the spot.

It’s just a Short Flute, and it doesn’t have any engraving claiming it’s used for Controlling Gu.

Yet this move, she practically confessed on her own!

Manager Li opened the brocade box and placed it before the Prince.

The Prince took out the Short Flute, and there was also a music score inside the brocade box.

When Princess Nanzhang saw it, she said, "It’s just a Short Flute. Does having a Short Flute prove the existence of Gu worms?"

Su Jin smiled mildly, "Does the Commandery Princess know why the Heir of Marquis Jingguo’s wife traveled thousands of miles to our Daqi back then?"

Princess Nanzhang frowned.

Su Jin generously explained, "Because Third Master Qin sold four Gu worms while she was out collecting herbs, two of which she had raised. She came to Daqi to retrieve the Gu worms."

"The Gu worm that took out fake Old Madam came from her Qin family."

Princess Nanzhang’s expression stiffened.

Manager Li looked at the Prince and said, "I just checked the account books. The day fake Old Madam died suddenly, Duke Chong’s Mansion sent a brocade box, and the servant recognized it as this brocade box."

Hmm.

Fake Old Madam bleeding from six orifices is not a trivial matter; the maids and servants in the mansion remember it clearly.

And Xie Jinyu was playing the flute at the Observation Tower.

Maids underneath the Observation Tower remembered this incident.

She couldn’t deny it.

She brought the Prince out, wanting to drag Su Jin down, and yet Su Jin stayed on the bank while she floundered in the water.

With both material and witness evidence available, there was no room for Xie Jinyu to argue.

The Prince’s face was icy, filled with rage; Xie Jinyu had never seen him like this before, and she was so scared that her knees buckled, falling to the ground.

The Short Flute was sent by Duke Chong to Princess Nanzhang.

Princess Nanzhang didn’t have the heart to play the Short Flute; she played it for fun.

Only afterward did she realize this Short Flute was used to control Gu worms and silence people, and the Gu worm was planted when fake Old Madam invited Old Madam Duke Chong to the Great Buddha Temple.

If she had known, she would never have helped Duke Chong.

What Xie Jinyu said initially was believed by Su Jin: if she had known the Gu worm was used to kill fake Old Madam, she wouldn’t have played the flute intermittently, causing fake Old Madam to bleed from six orifices but still have a last breath.

But Su Jin didn’t believe the latter part: if she had known the Xiao’s voice could kill fake Old Madam, she would have played more earnestly and wouldn’t have left the Short Flute behind.

Moreover, this was also Duke Chong’s redundant action. Qin family provided a wooden flute, fearing that if it was given to Princess Nanzhang, it wouldn’t be appreciated, so they specifically crafted a Jade Flute, which Xie Jinyu couldn’t bear to discard, hence it remained as evidence.

What is this called?

This is self-inflicted harm.

Even if Princess Nanzhang and Xie Jinyu were unaware at the time, they still helped Duke Chong silence people.

Moreover, after learning about it, they didn’t proactively confess to the Prince, and the maid even threw the Short Flute to conceal it for them.

Su Jin originally planned to reclaim the housekeeping rights in a few days, but now they have presented themselves to her, giving her no reason not to seize it now and wait a few days.

And even before she spoke, the Prince had already taken back the housekeeping rights and handed them over to her.

Su Jin, "..."

No way to escape it.

Princess Nanzhang’s face was livid.

She didn’t want it, yet it was forced upon her.

She didn’t want to give it, yet it was forcibly taken away.

Xie Jinyu cried, "This is all committed by me alone. If Father wants to punish, only punish me; it has nothing to do with my mother."

Su Jin smiled faintly, "Such a big issue with Gu worms, I imagine Old Madam Duke Chong wouldn’t have told you, right?"

Old Madam Duke Chong silencing people, this thing is naturally better known by fewer people.

Xie Jinyu knew either because Princess Nanzhang told her or she happened to know.

Now claiming Princess Nanzhang was unaware, is that reasonable?

Moreover, over the years, fake Old Madam and Princess Nanzhang’s relationship has always been delicate.

The issue of fake Old Madam being swapped out, Princess Nanzhang is very likely an insider.

The Prince not pursuing her is already quite considerate.

If Princess Nanzhang had informed the Prince upon learning about it, he might not have been so resistant against her.

Sadly, she wanted the Prince for herself but didn’t offer him her true heart, even helped his enemies; Su Jin couldn’t understand her intentions.

Although fake Old Madam has passed and Old Madam Duke Chong has died, behind this old case lies deception, causing the Prince’s aversion.

Housekeeping rights were seized, Princess Nanzhang smiled bitterly, as if she had endured colossal injustice, saying, "When the cunning hare dies, the hound is cooked; when the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden."

"Now that I am no longer needed for managing the inner residence, is the Prince so eager to kick me aside?!"

These words made the Prince sound heartless.

Prince’s face turned ashen.

Princess Consort looked at Princess Nanzhang and said, "Though I’ve always lived in Qingqiu Garden, I know you forced fake Old Madam to hand over the housekeeping rights."

"Since you consider managing the household a bitter task, why did you fight for it back then?"

"Fake Old Madam considered you overworked, wanted Third Madam to help you share the burden, why didn’t you allow it?"

This housekeeping task was tightly controlled by Princess Nanzhang, and coupled with her holding leverage over fake Old Madam, for so many years Third Madam only managed to take over embroidery room with the help of Su Jin.

Previously she monopolized housekeeping rights, not allowing anyone else to touch it, and now uses it to claim the Prince discarded her when done.

Truly it’s her way in both directions.

Princess Nanzhang complains and accuses the Prince, outsiders might think she has no merit but has hard work, yet once the truth unfolds, if managing the household is so exhausting, why cling onto it? Isn’t this self-defeating?

Xie Jingchen walked in, saying, "It’s inappropriate for the management of the Prince Mansion to be under a concubine. When others send invitations, they don’t even know how many copies to send. Father will be heading to the border soon, perfect time for rectifying the household rules."

While Xie Jingchen spoke.

Su Jin and Xingxing both looked at him.

Speaking of rectifying household rules, they felt they might end up as sacrifices.

Others simmered silently.

His own partner is someone who disregards household rules, yet the heir speaks of fixing household rules, how will that go?

Dare the heir take actions on the heir’s wife?

The maids and servants secretly anticipated.