After the death of the previous emperor, the Empress Dowager became arrogant

Chapter 113 All the evidence points to Fang Yue'e

The old lady had issued a gag order long ago, so when the noise outside was reported back to the mansion, it did not cause much commotion.

Wen Cheng'an and his companions had been arranged to stay in the guest room for several days. Yuan Qing was planning to go see them when he had some time.

When I went there, three young men were chatting around the stone table in the yard.

Seeing her coming, Wen Chengan was the first to stand up, salute and shout, "Sister."

"I've been busy with personal matters these days and almost forgot about you," Yuan Qing said with a smile, "Why don't you introduce me to you?"

"Look what I brought you here?" The man in the room laughed and walked out of the door carrying two wine jars. "I'm telling you, this is good stuff. I kept it hidden from my eldest brother for many years. Today I specially took it out for you to taste."

Lou Fan tucked his robe into his belt, his black boots stained with mud. When he turned his head, he saw Yuan Qing was there too. He quickly puffed out his belly and said, "Hurry, help me get the cup out. Be careful not to drop it."

Yuan Qing raised his eyebrows slightly and stepped back.

Wen Cheng'an took out a few porcelain cups from his loose robe and placed them on the table.

Lou Fan put down the wine jar, turned his gaze to the other two people, and introduced them: "They are Qiao Yunzhen and Lin Yuxiang."

"Do you know?"

"Yes, I know him. Yun Zhen is also from Jiangzhou. We played together a long time ago, but later we moved to other places.

As for this little brother, he failed to seek refuge with his relatives half a year ago, so he settled down in Jiangzhou and is very familiar with the place.”

Yuan Qing nodded to the two men, "Thank you both for taking care of An'er along the way."

"Miss, you don't have to be polite. It's just a piece of cake." Qiao Yunzhen bumped into the person next to him, "Don't you agree?"

Lin Yuxiang didn't understand what was going on, so he quickly agreed: "Yes, yes, yes."

Mu Xiaoxiao came back from the front yard. Seeing that there were strangers around, she stood behind Yuan Qing with her head down and said nothing.

Yuan Qing apologized to everyone and led Mu Xiaoxiao outside.

“Master, the surveillance personnel have returned, and there are indeed two young ladies in the Fang Mansion.

According to the servants in the mansion, the two young ladies sometimes behave in a similar way and have a harmonious relationship. Even Lord Fang often admits his mistakes. "

"Can you find out who was in contact with Lu Jiankang that day?" Yuan Qing asked again.

"It's Fang Yue'e."

Mu Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, and told her what happened outside the Lou Mansion.

Yuan Qing was a little surprised after hearing this, "The third lady of the Lu family, Lu Si?"

Mu Xiaoxiao leaned forward slightly and said, "Yes, I didn't expect that she is a little different from her two sisters.

Do you want me to send someone to keep an eye on it to prevent any changes?"

Especially the look in her eyes when she left, it was very meaningful. I just wonder if it will have an impact on tomorrow's trial.

"It's okay." Yuan Qing shook his head indifferently.

The case against the evil Lu is a foregone conclusion.

Unlike Ji Kang who has a powerful backer, as long as there is solid evidence tomorrow, he will not be able to escape the punishment of exile or public beheading at the worst.

When I returned to the yard, one of the wine jars was empty.

The three handsome young men had slightly red faces and could not sit steadily on their chairs. They could only hold on to the edge of the table to maintain their gentlemanly demeanor.

Among them, Lou Fan drank the most, but he had a good alcohol tolerance, and although he was drunk, he was still sober.

Seeing her come back, Lou Fan pulled out a chair and asked her, "You're back so soon?"

"It's nothing important," Yuan Qing took the hot tea from Wen Cheng'an and held it in his palm. "I just asked someone to return the clothes and jewelry left by Miss Fang. I didn't expect that my subordinates were careless and mistook the second lady for the eldest lady, which caused a bit of a joke."

Qiao Yunzhen, who was drinking alone, suddenly raised his head and asked, "Was that the eldest lady that day?"

"Yes."

Hearing Yuan Qing's affirmative answer, Qiao Yunzhen's brows relaxed, "No wonder, I thought I had made a mistake, but it turns out I really wasn't."

Several people looked at him at the same time.

He rubbed his forehead and said, “I have seen her before. To be more precise, I have seen her younger sister, the second young lady.

We played together for half a year when we were young, and she always followed me before.

But when I stood in front of her that day, she seemed not to know me. I called her again specifically, but she didn't respond.

At that time, I guessed that she must be the eldest lady whom I had never met before."

He turned around and asked Lou Fan: "Do I look very different from before?"

Lou Fan stared at his face for a long while, then shook his head and said, "You look just like the little hoodlum who rode horses and walked dogs in Jiangzhou before. You haven't changed at all."

"That's what I said," Qiao Yunzhen touched his face, "I haven't grown up to the point where I can't recognize you in just a few years."

"By the way, you don't know Brother Qiao's family background yet, do you?" Lou Fan put his arm around Qiao Yunzhen's shoulders, "Have you heard of Master Qiao, who taught Emperor Taizong for more than ten years, served as the founding emperor's tutor, and later resigned to travel around?"

"Could it be Mr. Qiao who is revered as the 'National Saint'?" Lin Yuxiang was slightly surprised.

"That's right. Brother Qiao is the descendant of Old Qiao," Lou Fan smiled mysteriously, "and speaking of the relationship between the Fang family and the Qiao family..."

"Marriage," Yuan Qing took over the conversation, "Lord Fang has no sisters, so the daughter of the Qiao family married into the Fang family."

The smile on Lou Fan's face did not diminish.

Yuan Qing looked at him and said, "If it is not right, then Lord Fang will marry into the Qiao family as a son-in-law."

"You've already said it, what else can I say?" Lou Fan spread his hands helplessly.

Qiao Yunzhen pulled Lou Fan's arm down, "Hey, we've gone too far. Come on, let's continue."

The two brothers began to clink glasses and drink again.

Yuan Qing took the opportunity of drinking tea to sort out the clues.

Now, all the evidence basically points to Fang Yue'e.

Then it can be understood that she was the one who married Lu Jiankang, and she was also the one who harmed the Lou family.

As far as she knew, the Lou family and the Fang family had never been at odds with each other before. Why did she scheme against the Lou family like this?

If it wasn't her intention, then someone instructed her to do it.

Fang Yue'e's return to the Fang family and Fang Shuo's appointment as the prefect of Jiangzhou were just part of the plan laid by the mastermind to bring down the Lou family.

Or think differently.

The similarities between the two sisters' actions were just a deception. Fang Yue'e was a pawn used to cover up the conspiracy, and the real culprit behind the plot was Fang Yuemei.

There is a force behind her.

There are two paths, but in the end the problem still comes back to the struggle in officialdom.

Or could it be both?

Oh, no, no… the more I think about it, the more complicated it becomes.

Yuan Qing put down the cup, wiped the tea from his mouth with a handkerchief, stood up and bowed, saying: "I suddenly feel a little tired. Excuse me."

As soon as she turned the corner of the corridor, she instructed Mu Xiaoxiao, "Choose a suitable person to secretly investigate Fang Yue'e's past.

Keep a close eye on the Fang sisters' actions, be careful and cautious, don't let anyone notice, and report back to me if anything happens."

"Yes."

"Wait, and what about North City?"

"I have sent someone to pick up that young master, and they will arrive tomorrow morning."

"Well, let's go."