She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 253 - 252 Framing an Imperial Appointed Official

Chapter 253: Chapter 252 Framing an Imperial Appointed Official

Zhou Bingyi, preoccupied with concerns, hastily finished dinner with Jiang Yifan and the two moved to the study. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Bingyi brought up the case involving Liang Qiyuan.

Confronted with the meticulous Jiang Yifan, Zhou Bingyi chose not to beat around the bush, saying to Jiang Yifan, "The root of this case lies in the foolish Liang Qiyuan, who let a personal grudge escalate to this extent. If this case is not handled properly, not only is the entire Liang family’s life at stake, but even this official cannot escape involvement. Alas, it’s truly a disaster out of nowhere."

Zhou Bingyi heaved a heavy sigh and said to Jiang Yifan, "Lord Jiang, please interrogate Liang Qiyuan once more. Although the case has already been investigated thoroughly, and the testimonies of the witnesses are all clear, I still implore Lord Jiang to afford him another opportunity to defend himself. Even if there is no turning point when it’s reported, it is better than nothing." As for how to report it, it was not the time to discuss it and would be deferred for later consideration.

Jiang Yifan promptly replied, "There’s no need for such formal language, sir. Interrogating a suspect is entirely within the responsibilities of the Yamen; it’s just that before, Elder Liang refused to speak, and due to his special status, I... It was my oversight."

Bringing this up again filled Zhou Bingyi with gloom, yet he still gathered his spirits and said, "Indeed, it all stems from the stupidity of my brother-in-law who, because of a common civil dispute among the people, ended up causing such a major case of rebellion." Zhou Bingyi didn’t specify, but his tone carried a trace of resentment.

Jiang Yifan didn’t immediately respond. After musing for a good while, he stood up, took an unsealed letter from a box on the bottom shelf of the bookcase, and handed it to Zhou Bingyi, speaking indifferently, "It wasn’t my intention to escalate the case to this point; rather, Elder Liang’s ambitions were not with ordinary civil disputes, but something much larger in scale."

Zhou Bingyi, somewhat confused and increasingly anxious, worried that his brother-in-law had caused yet another disaster.

Upon reading the letter, Zhou Bingyi was so furious he almost cursed his mother. Liang Qiyuan, this fool, seemed keen to drag him into the mess, deliberately leaving behind physical evidence!

The letter was addressed to Zhou Bingyi, and its content echoed what Liang Qiyuan had boastfully told Lady Liu, informing his brother-in-law, the official. He had devised a grand scheme and would inevitably bring down Jiang Yifan. Then, his brother-in-law could use this as a pretext to investigate Jiang Yifan, thereby currying favor with the powers in the capital. The wording of the letter made it easy to detect the tone of seeking credit.

Zhou Bingyi, shaking with rage, slammed the letter on the desk. "This idiot! He’s framing an Imperial Appointed Official!" Another charge added, and it even implicated him.

Jiang Yifan, seizing the moment, lifted his cup of tea and, with his head down, sipped without uttering a word.

Massaging his temples, Zhou Bingyi changed to a more apologetic tone, "I have misspoken. Please forgive me, Lord Jiang. You did not submit this letter to the public office and have already let Liang Qiyuan off the hook. I am grateful for that here. Alas, to have such a brother-in-law and not to have managed him more strictly – that’s my fault."

He had long noticed Liang Qiyuan’s recent ascendency, but he didn’t take it to heart, thinking it was just human nature. Who could have imagined that he would be so presumptuous as to, as a commoner, conspire against court officials? And the worse part was that he had the audacity to put such a plot into a letter and plan to send it out.

Jiang Yifan offered no further comment, only saying, "I’m glad you understand my dilemma, sir."

Zhou Bingyi, less concerned with Jiang Yifan’s demeanor, hesitated for a moment before asking, "What do you plan to do with this letter, Lord Jiang?"

Jiang Yifan lifted his eyes from his teacup and looked at Zhou Bingyi, "This official had not planned to reveal this letter, but since you have seen it, you may dispose of it as you see fit. In my opinion, a letter that has not been sent should be treated as if it does not exist."

Zhou Bingyi bowed to Jiang Yifan in thanks, "Lord Jiang is magnanimous, and I am grateful for your kindness."

Although it was clear that Jiang Yifan had resolved the case, it was Liang Qiyuan who had laid out the groundwork, and others merely followed his lead. Regardless of the reasons, since Jiang Yifan had not taken the matter to its extreme conclusion, Zhou Bingyi should be thankful for Jiang’s mercy.

Next, he had to meet with Qi Ye, first apologize to the Head of the Qi Family and Qi Ye, gain the forgiveness of the Qi family, and then he would have the opportunity to speak with His Highness Prince Yu.

Zhou Bingyi put the letter away and changed the subject, saying, "The climate is excellent this year, and the harvest in the entire Yuyuan Prefecture has been good. I plan to visit Clear Water Village tomorrow to inspect the harvest in the village and its surroundings, and also to visit the Qi family of Clear Water Village to apologize on behalf of my brother-in-law, who is in disgrace."

"I will follow your instructions carefully," Jiang Yifan replied, "I will make arrangements early tomorrow and accompany you."

Early the next morning, Jiang Yifan and Zhou Bingyi, dressed in civilian clothes, along with their respective subordinates and attendants, rode towards Clear Water Village.

By then, the autumn harvest in all the villages had ended, the gathered crops were either dried or stored, and even the straw left in the fields had been mostly tidied up.

The group roughly inspected the surrounding villages and then hurried to the second branch of the Qi family, north of Clear Water Village. The sky was still bright, and it had just reached the Si Hour.

Zhou Bingyi had never been to Clear Water Village, much less seen the extensions of poverty-stricken villages turn into clusters of buildings. As his gaze swept over the area time and time again, he wondered, was this the filthy place for raising livestock that Liang Qiyuan had described?

Although he did not share Liang Qiyuan’s scorn, having heard from his second daughter about the remarkable cattle farms and cheese, he had never imagined seeing such a sight. The vast expanses of fenced paddocks were far from the dirty and messy image of livestock breeding; they were astonishingly clean and well-organized.

Jiang Yifan explained on the side, "That’s where they raise dairy cows, mostly females, for the sake of getting cow’s milk, which people refer to as the cattle farm. That area under construction across from here is a dairy workshop, another enterprise of Sixth Master Rong, where cow’s milk produced by the dairy farm will be processed into various dairy products. According to Lady Qi, once the dairy products are mass-produced, they can serve as high-end ingredients for businesses that make exquisite desserts and foods, or for wealthy families."

Zhou Bingyi asked in a strained voice, "Both of these enterprises are managed by Lady Qi from the Qi family?" No wonder Jiang Yifan said that His Highness Prince Yu valued her so highly.

The old residence of the Qi family no longer showed much activity, but the newly built one next to it was bustling with noise and the sound of carriages and horses. Two carriages parked outside the gate had been properly arranged, suggesting that someone was about to embark on a long journey.

Jiang Yifan and Zhou Bingyi dismounted in front of the grand entrance of the Qi family’s residence, followed by their retinue jumping off their horses. Before they could enter, someone already came out to greet them after hearing their arrival.