She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 250 - 249: So Angry it Hurts my Liver

Chapter 250: Chapter 249: So Angry it Hurts my Liver

What puzzled Zhou Bingyi even more was Jiang Yifan. Jiang Yifan had been so extremely incompatible with his former wife that he was willing to ruin his prospects, seizing the opportunity to divorce her, and then, in a flash, he was demoted to the position of county magistrate in Qingyuan County. That was a man who could walk beside the Emperor as an Imperial Censor, and compared to a remote county magistrate, the difference was astronomical.

A woman who bore a striking resemblance to his ex-wife should have triggered his unpleasant memories, yet why did he go to such lengths to protect that woman?

The more Zhou Bingyi thought about it, the more troubled his mind became. He had thought it through quite well; his daughter was smart and beautiful, with exemplary conduct. If only she could catch Prince Yu’s eye, even if she could not become the princess consort, being a high-ranking concubine would also do. Who knew that Qi Ye would appear out of nowhere?

According to his daughter, this Qi Ye carried herself with the grace of a noble family and was superior to many men in handling affairs. That would have been all well and good, but after all, she was just a country abandoned wife. No matter how capable she was, what could she possibly do? Could she really make her way into Prince Yu’s Mansion? However, if she got involved with Duke An’s Mansion, then things were not so clear-cut.

Dressed casually, Zhou Bingyi, leading a few attendants and subordinates, hurried to the county town under the pretext of inspecting the autumn harvest in Qingyuan County. Arriving at Wei Hour on the third day after receiving the message, he did not enter through the front of the county government office but instead passed a message through the corner gate at the back of the Yamen, stating that someone from Yuyuan City had come to visit.

It didn’t take long before the small corner gate opened, and a servant respectfully led them inside.

Halfway there, Jiang Yifan rushed forward to meet them and stopped a few steps away from Zhou Bingyi, bowing deeply: "I had no idea Lord Official would come in person. This humble official has failed to receive you from afar. I beg Lord Official’s forgiveness."

Zhou Bingyi hurried forward to help him up, saying, "Please stand, Lord Jiang. Lord Jiang remembering to bring a message to this official is greatly appreciated. This is not the place for talking. Let us go inside."

"Please, Lord Official," Jiang Yifan promptly gestured for Zhou Bingyi to follow him to the back hall.

Jiang Yifan was well aware of the purpose of Zhou Bingyi’s visit. Without much ado, he ushered Zhou Bingyi into the seat of honor, instructed Shi Yu and Cui Cheng to serve refreshments, and dismissed the others. He recounted the entire situation involving the Liang family and the snack shop, most of which had been mentioned in the case files. There were also some details provided in the letters from Elder Master Liang’s wife, Lady Liu.

What neither the case files nor the letters had pointed out was that the men who had assaulted the servants from the Liang Residence were guards from Duke An’s Mansion. Lady Liu and Liang Qiyuan had no idea about anyone from Duke An’s Mansion; they assumed they were strong men hired by the Qi family. And as for Jiang Yifan, it was not suitable to mention such issues in the letters, and these matters were not implicated in the records either.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bingyi’s brows furrowed. In this matter, the only point that could be made in favor of Liang Qiyuan was that the servants of the Liang Residence had been beaten up. Regardless of the reasons, it was the Liang family who had suffered a loss.

But if the ones who beat them were guards from Duke An’s Mansion, then there truly was nothing to say. If the Liang family had a conflict with people from Duke An’s Mansion, it wasn’t the Liang family who were at a disadvantage, so was it expected that the guards from Duke An’s Mansion should suffer instead?

Jiang Yifan explained, "It has been troubling for this lowly official. Initially, I thought that if Elder Master Liang spent some silver to let off steam in the snack shop and kept things quiet, that would be enough. Thus, I merely detained the troublemakers without conducting an interrogation or treating anyone harshly. I just wanted to release them once the matter was resolved," he said, his expression one of difficulty as he let out a deep sigh, "But who would have imagined that the incident would blow up to such proportions? Elder Master Liang even had a backup plan."

Zhou Bingyi slowly sipped his tea, seething inwardly. This Jiang Yifan was really despicable, speaking as if not interrogating those hooligans should earn Zhou Bingyi’s gratitude. It wasn’t about not conducting an interrogation; had he done so, that fool Liang Qiyuan would not have had the opportunity to dig such a big hole and bury himself in it.

But those words simply couldn’t be uttered, Zhou Bingyi felt a liver ache from how exasperating Qingyuan County’s people were, one after another.

Jiang Yifan glanced at Zhou Bingyi, seemingly becoming somewhat panic-stricken, stood up from the lower seat and, with an apologetic tone, said with a cupped fist and another bow, "My lord, I truly had no other choice. After arresting Elder Liang, I interrogated him twice during the sessions in the second hall, but to no avail as Elder Liang did not utter a single word, completely unwilling to cooperate. The case files have also been repeatedly suppressed by me and not definitively concluded, leading to the current outcome."

Zhou Bingyi quickly put down his tea cup and waved his hand, signaling Jiang Yifan to sit, "Lord Jiang needn’t feel guilty. I have already reviewed the copy of the case files sent over by Lord Jiang and can see the great effort you’ve put in. Allow me to thank you in advance for your dedication," — managing it so shrewdly that not only has he driven the case to this point, but he also managed to clear his own name completely!

"Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just that as an official I failed to investigate, which prevented me from stopping this matter early, leading to such a difficult situation. Lord, you do not blame me, and for that, I am already grateful for your grace. How dare I accept your words of thanks," Jiang Yifan bowed again, his words heartfelt.

Zhou Bingyi felt if he continued this conversation with Jiang Yifan, he might die of anger, so he turned to ask, "I heard from my daughter that Qi family’s woman, Qi Ye, is quite formidable and is currently in charge of Sixth Master’s two businesses. Is that true?"

Jiang Yifan said, "Yes, Lady Qi, who manages the dairy farm and the dairy product workshop, has already begun to see some success, and the prospects for the future are promising. Therefore, Sixth Master holds Lady Qi in high regard."

Does this mean... that this matter can’t end well? Jiang Yifan is a mischievous one, exploiting the chaos. Lucky for him, he came here portraying amicability with Qi Ye.

Zhou Bingyi glanced at Jiang Yifan, then asked, "May I inquire, where are the household members and guards of Duke An’s Mansion now? Are they still in Clear Water Village?"

Jiang Yifan replied, "The estate managers and guards are all in Clear Water Village. As Young Master Zhou must have also told you, because Lady Qi bears a striking resemblance to Duke’s granddaughter, Duchess An has sent generous gifts and a few servants from the Duke’s Mansion to attend to Lady Qi. Since the accommodations at the Qi family’s residence are modest, the estate managers from the Duke’s Mansion felt uneasy. They said they would wait until the new courtyard is completed and everything is properly arranged before returning to report to Duchess An. Everything needs to be well before Duchess An can be at ease."

Zhou Bingyi’s heart skipped a beat, was it that Duke wouldn’t be at ease until Liang Qiyuan was handled?

It’s impossible to have a conversation in this atmosphere. He stood up and said, "I’m going to see that good-for-nothing brother-in-law of mine, to ask him what exactly is going on. Can Lord Jiang make the necessary arrangements?"

"Certainly, certainly." Jiang Yifan quickly stood up following Zhou Bingyi’s lead, and promptly agreed upon hearing Zhou Bingyi’s question, "Would the Lord like to meet Elder Liang in the second hall, or... I mean, to extract the prisoner, there must be a record in the jail; we also need to have a record of the interrogation and confession here."

Zhou Bingyi did not wish to meet privately with Liang Qiyuan in the county government office’s second hall, and hastily waved his hand, "No need, just arrange a private visit."

"Very well, I’ll make the arrangements," Jiang Yifan agreed.