Chapter 56 Falsely Accuse
“Admit it?” Qin Yunuan’s words were filled with sarcasm, “I’m innocent. What should I admit? Sister Yunzhuang, you want to blame me for Tinghe’s death because of the unknown content in this letter?”
Qin Yunzhuang was irritated. The executioner’s homicidal intention and ferociousness appeared on her face. Even thick powder couldn’t hide the thought of wiping Qin Yunuan out of the family in her heart.
“Okay, Third Miss, don’t blame me for not giving you a chance,” Qin Yunzhuang said as she handed the letter in hand to Qin Zhi, “Father, please look at it. Last time my mother said that Sister Yunuan left the house secretly, and you said that she had no evidence. Now here is the evidence of her running out of the mansion and signing a contract with an unknown businessman. She wanted to share the profit. An unmarried girl went out of the house and made deals with those cheap businessmen. Tinghe discovered the contract which Third Miss hid on the bookshelf, and handed it to me. The second day she died inexplicably. Father, I didn’t dare to surmise. Please make your decision.”
Qin Yunzhuang, saying that she didn’t dare to surmise, sentenced Qin Yunuan within a few words. Qin Yunzhuang was easily jealous and wasn’t a good girl in the past, but her compelling tone was rare. Qin Yunuan tilted her head to look at Dou Qing’e who stood behind Qin Yunzhuang. She understood. Like mother, like daughter. Qin Yunzhuang was becoming well educated under the instructions of Dou Qing’e.
“I can’t see why you dare not to surmise,” Qin Linfeng’s tone was arrogant, but every word he said was to protect his sister and mother, “It’s all too obvious. This daughter of a concubine was blinded by wealth. She collaborated with businessmen secretly to make profits but was discovered by the servant girl in her yard, so she had to kill her.”
“Evidence, brother, I only need evidence,” Qin Yunuan smiled at Qin Linfeng.
Everyone focused their eyes on the thin envelope between Qin Zhi’s thumb and forefinger. At the moment, Qin Zhi felt that his fingertips became hotter, but his eyes were getting colder.
Qin Zhi held the envelope and stared at Qin Yunuan for a long time. Suddenly, he waved his hand and tore the envelope quickly. A four-fold “contract”, which was about the length of an arm, was revealed. He looked very grave all of a sudden as if his face had been frozen by the snow and ice in the extreme north.
The atmosphere turned weird. Qin Yunzhuang’s confident heart suddenly fastened its beat. She felt inexplicably worried and her heart went cold. Especially when she saw Qin Yunuan’s calm smile and the air of loneliness and detachment about her.
“B*stard!” Qin Zhi roared in anger, throwing the so-called, blank “contract” on Qin Yunzhuang’s feet. He said sharply, “Is this the contract you mentioned? Does this prove the cooperation between Yunuan and those businessmen?”
This was a dynasty that emphasized agriculture and restrained commerce. Take Qin Zhi’s nephew Su Chenghai for example, he was not warmly welcomed by Qin Zhi because of his identity as a merchant. It’s already very nice of Qin Zhi to greet him while everyone was present. If Qin Zhi had known about Qin Yunuan’s private sales of embroidery products, he would have been furious. That was Qin Yunzhuang’s plan. Now, everything seemed to be out of her expectations.
The “contract” at Qin Yunzhuang’s foot was a blank piece of paper with the smooth lines visible, but no trace of ink.
“No, this is impossible,” Qin Yunzhuang whispered. She had read it in the morning. The words on it were very clear. It was a contract with a clear distribution of dividends and responsibilities. Qin Yunzhuang picked up the “contract” in a haze and looked into it again and again. There wasn’t even a black spot on the paper, not to mention a word.
“Qin Yunuan, you switched the envelope,” Qin Yunzhuang shouted, pointing at Qin Yunuan’s nose.
“I am flattered, Grand Miss,” Qin Yunuan responded without obvious emotions, “I’m not that capable. As you have said, the contract was given to you by Tinghe. You saw it and put it away by yourself. It was your servant girl who fetched the envelope, and I didn’t even know about the contract. How can I switch it?”
Qin Yunzhuang’s eyebrows twisted and then she turned towards Chenyue. Immediately, Chenyue knelt and kowtowed while saying, “Grand Miss, I picked up the letter as you asked. I didn’t do anything.”
Qin Yunzhuang knew that Chenyue didn’t dare to do this. Apart from Hong Luan and nurse Gui, she had followed her for the longest time. But Chenyue’s words made Qin Yunzhuang’s crime a little more serious.
Qin Linfeng grabbed the blank paper in Qin Yunzhuang’s hand. He frowned and looked at it for a long time, and then he vowed to Qin Zhi, “Father, there must be something nasty. Someone must have the intention to frame Yunzhuang.” Qin Linfeng said while observing the obedient Qin Yunuan, “It must be her, must be her.”
“Brother, you can eat anything, but you can’t say anything without evidence. Evidence, brother, what about your evidence?” Qin Yunuan smiled. The corner of her mouth lifted elegantly like a butterfly wing, but it stroke the nerves of Qin Linfeng fiercely.
The word “evidence” had rapped Qin Yunzhuang and Qin Linfeng so tightly that they could not breathe. They looked at Dou Qing’e for help. In crucial times, they prayed that Dou Qing’e could give them an idea.
Dou Qing’e’s complexion had long turned pale, but she covered it with her usual elegance and dignity. Stepping on the purple embroidered shoes, she approached Qin Zhi gently and said just one word, “Master.” Qin Zhi snorted coldly and then turned his body, leaving her a well-defined profile only.
“Father, father, I have evidence!” Qin Yunzhuang dragged Qin Zhi’s cuffs suddenly and said, “I remembered the signature on the contract. The boss who signed the contract with Sister Yunuan has a name of Ciren and the surname was Wu. He is new to the Royal City for business. I heard that he is well-known in the regions south of the River. Father, you can find out yourself and you will know that your daughter is not lying.”
“Wu Ciren?” Qin Zhi repeated the unfamiliar name. He tilted his head to ask Butler Xie, “Is there anyone with this name in the regions south of the River who came to the Royal City?”
Butler Xie had been dealing with all kinds of major businessmen in the Royal City for the harvest of the mansion of Grand Commandant, therefore he had a wide network of people. After thinking for a long time, he said, “Speaking of the businessmen from the regions south of the River, there is only one boss Shen in the capital. I have never heard of the name Wu Ciren.”
“Impossible, Butler Xie. Think about it carefully. I remembered that the contract mentioned the Golden Butterfly Embroidery House of the regions south of the River. It was said to be the property owned by boss Wu.” Qin Yunzhuang was so anxious that her forehead was sweating.
“Grand Miss, the Golden Butterfly Embroidery House was owned by a Nobleman of Baling. I have never heard of it being passed on to outsiders.” Butler Xie’s next sentence put out the small flame in Qin Yunzhuang’s heart. She looked at Qin Zhi eagerly and was panicked. She had to repeat, “Father, believe me, believe me.”
But Qin Zhi was certain in his heart, “Hmm, your mother likes to make troubles out of nothing. Do you also like to mess the house up?”
“Father, my sister is not such a person,” Qin Linfeng rushed out to protect Qin Yunzhuang.
“Brother, did you mean that Yunuan had cheated?” Qin Yunuan lowered her head. She looked grieved as she hid her cries in those words, “My servant girl died, and it made me uncomfortable. But from the beginning to the end, my elder brother and sister were talking about how vicious I am. How I would comply in appearance but oppose in the heart and do private business. But now my elder sister was said to be framed. Father, I have been criticized without any reason and suffered grievances for many times since you came back. Father, despite my low status, I couldn’t bear such injustice.”
Qin Yunuan’s moving words fell with the crystal tears falling down from her snow-white cheeks. This was the first time Qin Yunuan cried in front of Qin Zhi. She knew it well in her heart that tears were useless to an inflexible, old-fashioned person like Qin Zhi. But they worked this time as a catalyst and blew up Qin Zhi’s chauvinistic heart filled with anger. Once touched, the anger would pour out like a volcanic eruption.
Now she only needed to add a trigger.
The servants inspecting on the other side of the rockery sent a man to report that they had found a black pearl of unknown origin in the hand of Tinghe, which seemed to be ripped off from clothes. A trace of cotton fiber could also be found on it.
Qin Linfeng’s heart turned over. He raised his hand subconsciously to cover his belt which was embroidered with round black pearls about the size of a little fingernail. He was too careless that the little girl pulled off his pearls while struggling. His eyes flickered with blurred and elusive, thoughtful light.
Qin Zhi fell his eyes on Qin Linfeng’s belt, which was not fully covered. He remembered the four-finger-wide, lake green belt very well. It was a gift for his adulthood ceremony, which he had spent a lot of effort to prepare. His son should enjoy a more glorious, delicate ceremony than others. The belt was called the Big Dipper, and the seven black pearls on it are all selected with great caution and directly transported from the coast of East Qin. It was a first-class product, and now….
“Put away your sleeve,” Qin Zhi said to Qin Linfeng without feelings or warmth.
“Father,” Qin Linfeng tried to refute, “Actually, finding the owner of the black pearl found on the girl might not explain what has to do with that girl’s death. Maybe, it may just be that Tinghe’s hands were unclean and she had stolen something.”
“Brother, you are saying strange things. If Tinghe had been a thief, she would have first hidden the stolen goods or sold them. How could anyone be stupid enough to keep them in her hands? And,” Qin Yunuan turned her eyes, “brother, you dare to disobey father’s words now?”