Shang Ji was not one to be swayed by sentiment. After taking a calm sip of the tea at hand, he spoke in his usual even tone.
“Xue Niang’s letter to Grandmother has been answered. Since she said she would be heading north, I asked Cousin Zhao yesterday to take Ping’er along with him.”
Du Jingyi had been recuperating these past days and thus had not had the chance to meet or speak with her eldest sister-in-law.
To hear that her husband had already settled the matter so swiftly took her slightly by surprise. Her eyes softened with curiosity.
“Did your eldest sister-in-law agree that quickly?”
“Perhaps she has realized that we intend to strike at the neighboring courtyard,” Shang Ji replied coolly, “and that remaining in Sui’an City may not be entirely peaceful. Leaving is the wiser choice.”
Du Jingyi thought over his words and found them reasonable.
Before, there had been no suitable way to send that household away; now, with Xing Zhao’s trip as an excuse, it was the perfect arrangement. He would return within a month at most. Her eldest sister-in-law, Madam Liu, did not raise much objection—indeed, she even considered it a good opportunity.
So, despite her “serious illness,” she still packed her son’s belongings carefully. Those items had been sent out several days prior, under the pretense of a simple move. All that remained was for Shang Zhiping to accompany Xing Zhao on his journey to escort his great grandmother .
The husband and wife spoke quietly about these matters for a while. Soon, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor outside, and Butler He entered with a strained expression.
“General, Young Madam,” he said, bowing hastily, “an incident has occurred in Taoyuan.”
“Oh?” Shang Ji’s gaze sharpened. “What did they find?”
Butler He’s face grew grave. “Many voodoo figurines were discovered in the Third Old Master’s quarters. There were effigies representing the Duke, our East Court, Yunjin Court, and the West Court—in short, nearly every master of standing had one.”
Du Jingyi arched an elegant brow and glanced sidelong at her husband, though she said nothing.
Madam Wei was skilled at shifting blame. It seemed she intended to obliterate the Third Branch of the family in one decisive strike.
“Anything else?” Shang Ji asked.
“Two thousand five hundred taels in silver notes were found in the Second Young Master’s room—of uncertain origin.”
Du Jingyi’s lips curved faintly. She knew of that money; it was what Shang Liuniang had sent to the Third Branch on her last visit, to prepare a dowry for Shang Siniang.
And now only five hundred taels had been spent?
Truly, they were a family that thought only of their own gain.
Shang Liuniang had kept a portion, Erlang’s wife had taken her share, and in the end, poor Shang Siniang—who should have enjoyed a proper dowry—received only scraps.
The thought stirred a quiet sigh in Du Jingyi’s heart.
“What did she say?”
Butler He hesitated. “She faltered and gave no clear explanation before I came. Oh—” he added, remembering something, “the Third Young Master did curse a few times, though he said nothing of importance.”
Du Jingyi’s expression remained calm, but she could tell the Third Branch already knew that Erlang’s wife was involved.
It seemed that no calamity was needed; their own chaos was punishment enough.
“What about the Jingji Division?” Shang Ji asked. [The Jingji Division: the imperial investigative bureau responsible for criminal interrogations and political crimes]
“It is said they’ve caught the old servant who bribed the assassin,” Butler He replied. “She is Mama Qin—one of the attendants serving the Second Young Master’s wife.”
“Mama Qin?” Du Jingyi murmured, brows slightly furrowing. She remembered the woman vaguely.
The description matched what the assassin had said—both in age and appearance. It was no wonder Madam Wei had chosen her as a scapegoat.
“How did the deputy commander determine this?”
“They said Mama Qin found an excuse to go to the woodshed and lingered there for quite some time. If not for the strict patrols of the East Garden guards, she would have been silenced already, with no chance to protest her innocence.”
Assassins for hire, untraceable payments, and witchcraft puppets—Madam Wei’s methods were not new, yet they were effective.
Especially since the investigating officer was her own brother; naturally, the scales tilted in her favor. With this sequence of traps, the Third Branch had no hope of recovery.
Du Jingyi’s eyes glinted faintly as she gazed at the window, where the snow pressed heavily against the eaves.
“The fire burns so fiercely,” she said softly. “We might as well add some more fuel—let Madam Wei find her comfort short-lived.”
A flicker of ruthlessness flashed through Shang Ji’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
Outside, the wind snapped a few branches from the old dead trees; they fell to the snow-covered ground, lifeless and pale—much like the Third Branch members who were now writhing in misery.
In Baotao Courtyard, the sound of wailing rose one after another, each louder than the last.
The Third Old Master was utterly bewildered. When had such cursed objects appeared in his room?
If this was not an open frame-up, what else could it be? He roared in fury.
“Which shameless creature dared to slander me so! We are all kin under one roof—why would I ever curse them?”
Alas, the man standing before him was no kin of the Duke’s Mansion.
It was Wei Mingxian.
His gaze was as cold as ice. He made a faint gesture, and two or three soldiers stepped forward at once, striking the Third Old Master several times across the face. The old man’s head spun; his cheeks burned.
“How dare you spew nonsense before my Lord? Ten slaps will serve as a warning to others.”
The last time, the Third Old Master had been dragged back to Baotao Courtyard by Shang Ji’s men—humiliated but unscathed.
This time, however, the violence was real. The blood on his face and the sharp, echoing smacks filled everyone in the Third Branch with dread.
The Jingji Division was not of the Duke’s Mansion; they owed no mercy to anyone.
Thus, everyone shrank back like frightened turtles. None dared to speak for him.
Even Erlang’s wife, who was usually loudest in argument, now sobbed helplessly for justice.
Qin Mama—who served by her side—had done nothing wrong. How could she be accused of hiring a killer?
And besides, what good would the Duke’s death do them?
So, though bound tightly with rope, Qin Mama still cried out between gasps.
“Injustice! Injustice! My lord, please be discerning! Mama Qin is innocent—how could she possibly hire someone to murder our brother-in-law?”
“She didn’t do it? Then was it you?” Wei Mingxian asked coldly. His tone dripped with disdain.
He had no need for truth—only for culprits.
Since everyone involved belonged to the Third Branch, he intended to bury them all together.
“I find her the most suspicious,” he declared. “Take her away—her and that old servant. As for the Third Old Master, let him go to the Jingji Division and explain how those things appeared in his room!”
With a wave of his hand, soldiers moved in. Erlang’s wife, Mama Qin, and the Third Old Master were all bound tightly and dragged out.
Their cries and struggles echoed through the courtyard, but resistance was futile.
Without the Duke’s protection, they were no better than commoners—powerless before official authority.
As the saying went, the people could not fight the officials, least of all when the officials sought their blood.
“Take them away!” Wei Mingxian ordered.
The officers of the Jingji Division moved swiftly, hauling their captives out.
By then, a crowd had gathered at the gates of the Duke’s Mansion, eager to witness the spectacle.
“Someone’s being taken away?”
“Could there really be a traitor inside the Duke’s household?”
“I heard it’s someone from the Third Branch!”
“How do you know?”
“The old one—they say he’s the Third Old Master himself! He often came to our teahouse for a drink!”
At that, murmurs spread through the onlookers, gossip rippling like wind through reeds.
The three prisoners—mouths stuffed with rags—tried to shout their innocence, but no sound escaped.
The Jingji Division left, taking with them the bound figures and leaving behind only chaos and whispers.