Zhao Guanjin looked up as Wei Qianrui arrived, surprised, and asked, "Why are you here?"
"What, you don't want me to come?"
Her voice suddenly rose, and she glared fiercely at Zhao Guanjin.
Zhao Guanjin frowned and blurted out without thinking, "What are you going crazy about?"
Wei Qianrui became even angrier, "I'm going crazy, and you say I'm going crazy! I'm carrying your child, and if you don't care about me, you dare to mess around behind my back."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Guanjin angrily slammed the table, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
The three maids beside them immediately knelt down, heads bowed, not daring to breathe.
"Am I talking nonsense? I think you've been bewitched by these vixen-like women. Don't you want to take care of our mother and child anymore? Zhao Guanjin, do you have any conscience?"
The maid who had been grinding ink earlier immediately burst into tears, looking as if she had suffered immense grievance.
"Madam, the Young Master and I are innocent. The Young Master's heart and eyes are only for you. Please don't misunderstand and damage the affection between you and the Young Master."
Her explanation only intensified Wei Qianrui's anger, "You lowly wench, what right do you have to speak here?"
The little maid immediately pressed her head to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
"It's all my fault, madam. I beg you to spare my life."
Seeing the maid's subservient demeanor, Wei Qianrui was extremely pleased. Although she was now the Young Madam, she hadn't yet indulged in her superior status.
The joy in her heart made her forget to maintain her facade, and the arrogance and disdain on her face were displayed vividly.
Zhao Guanjin was somewhat shocked. Was this still his innocent and kind Qianrui?
Looking at the pathetic little maid kneeling on the ground, he felt pity and concern.
So he reached out and personally helped the little maid up, "You did nothing wrong. Is anyone not born of a mother and raised by parents?"
The little maid blinked her watery eyes at Zhao Guanjin, full of adoring little stars.
Even at this moment, she did not forget to curtsy, "Thank you, Young Master."
Wei Qianrui was extremely angered by this scene. She pulled out a hairpin from her head and was about to throw it at them.
Song Momo, with quick hands, grasped her wrist, "Young Madam, be careful not to hurt yourself."
Saying this, she took the hairpin from Wei Qianrui's hand. Zhao Guanjin looked at Wei Qianrui with disbelief.
"How can you be so vicious? If this hairpin had scratched her face, you would have ruined a perfectly good young lady."
"I'm vicious, and you call me vicious! Zhao Guanjin, you still say there's nothing between you and her, so why are you protecting her like this?"
"Enough, don't you think you've done something wrong? Because of your baseless suspicions, you want to harm an innocent young girl. You should go back. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
"Zhao Guanjin, you scoundrel."
Wei Qianrui began to throw a tantrum and smashed several ornaments nearby. Her actions completely refreshed Zhao Guanjin's perception of her, and he disliked her even more.
Seeing that the time was right, Song Momo immediately called a few maids to help her half-carry, half-support Wei Qianrui back to her room.
When the Marchioness heard the news, she sent a governess to lecture Wei Qianrui and also went to sow discord with her own son.
Wei Qianrui cried with red eyes, and the accompanying governess told her to be magnanimous, criticizing her actions as crude and ill-bred.
After crying for a while, Wei Qianrui also calmed down. Now, her only reliance in the Marquis's mansion was Zhao Guanjin.
She was pregnant and hadn't seen him for a long time. Seeing that scene just now, her emotions surged, and she lost control of her temper for a moment.
Now she deeply regretted it and said several soft words expressing her desire to apologize to Zhao Guanjin.
The governesses did not give her that opportunity, and under the guise of letting her rest well for her pregnancy, they directly placed her under house arrest.
That night, Wei Qianrui lay alone in bed, her tears soaking the pillow. She caressed her belly, counting the days.
When the agreed-upon time arrived, Jun Jiuli handed all the jewelry to Sun Ci. Sun Ci took a white jade bracelet to exchange for money, and the remaining jewelry was carefully stored.
Two days later, Jun Jiuli went into the palace to see the Emperor and vividly described how she found someone very suspicious.
"Hahaha, when did you become interested in this, my girl?"
"I am a princess of Great Chu, so I must be vigilant if someone intends to do harm. Father Emperor, you must believe me. I secretly sent guards to track them. If it weren't thoroughly investigated, how would I dare to tell Father Emperor?"
"I really can't do anything about you. I'll have the Jingzhao Yin bring soldiers to search. You, a young lady, shouldn't join the commotion."
"Okay, I'll listen to Father Emperor."
Shui Wa: "This Emperor really dotes on his daughter. Just a few words from his daughter, and without any evidence, he's willing to go along with the fuss."
"Mm, having a good birth is truly a skill."
"..."
The Emperor had already sent a eunuch to convey his message to the Lord Jingzhao Yin. Jun Jiuli chatted with him for a while before returning to the princess's mansion to wait.
When the Yin brought his men, they bumped into Sun Ci and the other three. The men quickly protested and asked why the Yin was arresting them.
The Yin remained silent. Soon, the soldiers found the jewelry. At this moment, the three dared not speak and all turned their gazes to Sun Ci.
"Sir, this is all a misunderstanding. This jewelry is the reward given to us by a rich merchant's wife whom we rescued. It's definitely not stolen."
The other three quickly agreed.
The Lord Jingzhao Yin flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly.
"What is the name of the lady you rescued? And which lady, after being rescued by a few men, would give her jewelry instead of money? Do you think this official is easily fooled? Take them all back, I will interrogate them personally."
As Sun Ci opened his mouth to argue further, a constable immediately covered his mouth. Their hands were bound, and the group returned to the yamen.
Since His Majesty had personally instructed him to arrest these people, the Yin interrogated them with extra diligence, wanting to quickly ascertain the truth and report to His Majesty.
The four were full of lies. The Yin checked their household registration. Upon discovering that they were all from the former State of Wei, he treated the matter with even greater seriousness.
Since they were uncooperative, torture was applied. After one night, all except Sun Ci confessed.
The Yin asked them to reveal the names and addresses of others. The three were interrogated separately, and their accounts differed.
After organizing and verifying the three lists, they all deliberately omitted the names of more than a dozen people, but they were not so coordinated as to omit the same individuals.
After compiling the information, a new list was created. The Yin then locked the four of them together and subjected them to torture simultaneously.
He read out the contents of the new list one by one. Anyone who could provide additional information would be allowed to eat and have the torture suspended.
After two days, Sun Ci also couldn't endure it any longer and joined the ranks of betraying his companions. That afternoon, they could no longer name any other people.
The yamen officials spent the following days verifying the list. After confirming that these people were indeed former Wei State citizens, they reported to the Emperor, who dispatched people to apprehend them.
When the soldiers arrived at the house Jun Jiuli had rented, they only found a puppet disguised as a corpse inside.
After the corpse was carried back to the yamen, Sun Ci and the others confirmed it. They were then thrown into a mass grave, and the group all confessed without reservation, signing and sealing their confessions.