noffsinger Chapter 670 The Earl of Changping's Mansion
Chapter 670 The Earl of Changping's Mansion
Du Mingxian frowned, feeling bewildered.
Young ladies from the capital city generally don't leave the capital, and the young ladies from the Earl's mansion pay even more attention to their reputation. Although the Wang family does business, they are quite successful locally and are the richest family. They would also be considered wealthy in the capital. However, they never dabble in the capital city, so how did they come to have any dealings with each other?
“Last April, my elder brother went to Rongcheng to inspect the shops. On the way there, he encountered a woman whose husband had to leave midway. They encountered some robbers who killed all the servants around her.”
"My older brother rescued someone along the way, and after that woman and my brother arrived in Rongcheng, she said she was going to the county magistrate's residence. My brother took her there, and after waiting for a while, the woman said..."
"She actually said she liked my older brother and wanted him to go back to the capital with her. She even wanted to keep him as a mistress outside the city. My older brother refused, and the woman said that if he didn't comply, she would make him regret it."
“At the time, my older brother didn’t take it to heart. Although our family was in business and had no connections in the government, we still paid tribute to the local officials every year, so they would protect us to some extent.”
“My older brother didn’t take it too seriously and went to inspect the shop. Ten days later, when my older brother returned home, that woman actually… actually came to our door.”
“My older brother was very angry because that woman came with a man, saying that the man was her husband. My older brother would find such a woman disgusting even to look at her.”
“The woman left right away, and we thought that was the end of it. But two days later, the official who had been making offerings to us sent word that we had offended someone and that he would not protect us anymore.”
“If we know what’s good for us, we should quickly take our family fortune to apologize to them. My father was very angry when he found out about this, but he thought that since the other party was able to send us a message, it must mean they have some skills.”
At this point, Wang Qi lowered his voice even further. Only Du Mingxian and Ling Silang beside him could hear him; the other servants had long since retreated outside and could not hear him.
“My father knew it was a calamity for our family, so he quickly found a place and moved all our savings from the past few years out bit by bit, while also trying to negotiate with the other party.”
"After my father finished transporting the silver, he also dealt with a few shops. He was very quick, but the other party still discovered it. My father hid the silver, and the other party came too."
“They forced my father to marry a woman, telling everyone that the woman would manage the household. Then they drugged my father and said he was sick.”
“When my father was taken into custody by them, my older brother and I had already been imprisoned. They told the outside world that my brother and I were unhappy with my father’s marriage, so we stormed out and never came back.”
“Everyone believed it. The servants who served us so well have long been locked up. My father is sick outside because they couldn’t find our family’s money.”
“My older brother and I were locked up like that. Eventually, everyone was moved here. Not long after, my father was also locked up. We were given only one meal a day. They were keeping us hanging on, trying to get us to tell them where the hidden silver was.”
"A very long time has passed. I feel like I've died once, like my whole life has come to an end. Finally, I see you, sister."
Seeing that Wang Qi was panting heavily, Du Mingxian was also a little tired. "Don't talk for now, get some rest."
Ling Silang and Du Mingxian exchanged a glance. If the person behind this was just a young lady from an earl's mansion, they certainly wouldn't dare to so openly imprison the Wang family.
Moreover, this method doesn't seem like something a count's mansion would do.
"Why don't you go back and ask?"
They didn't stay in the capital for very long, and they didn't really pay attention to this Earl's mansion, after all, the capital was a place where powerful and noble people gathered.
They didn't know, but Chunfeng and the others beside them were from the Crown Prince's residence, so they must know. Even if they didn't know, they came from the Crown Prince's residence and could contact the people there as quickly as possible to find out what kind of background this Earl's family had.
Du Mingxian wasn't in the capital for the first few years of her previous life. Later, she went to the capital, but she spent the early stages developing her skills cautiously and didn't know much about what was happening in the capital. So, she really had no impression of the Bojue Mansion at all.
"Okay, you stay here and keep watch, I'll go back and ask."
"Ah."
Du Mingxian quietly came out. The servants in the room saw Du Mingxian come out and stood up respectfully to the side.
What were you doing up ahead?
"Eating is necessary because, in the eyes of outsiders, everything at the Wang family's house is normal, so we servants also need to perform our duties normally. I can't stay here forever."
"The lady is very at ease here and is not worried that the people inside will escape. Sometimes there is no one guarding this place."
Du Mingxian thought about how when she went in, she had to find the mechanism and cut the lock. There was no way she could escape from a group of people who were not fed and did not even have the strength to stand up.
"Aren't they giving these people inside any food?"
"Before, it was one meal and one water a day, but later it was changed to one bowl of water a day and one steamed bun every two days, just enough to keep people from starving."
Du Mingxian understood. "When do you usually deliver them?"
"The delivery time is not fixed; sometimes it's in the morning, sometimes at night, and sometimes in the middle of the night."
This is to give others a time difference.
When should I deliver it today?
"I received the message today that it will be delivered in the middle of the night."
"Okay, got it."
Du Mingxian left quietly. In broad daylight, she was extra careful when she went out, afraid of being seen by others. She hurried out as quickly as possible and only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
As soon as she left the Wang family's house, An'an woke up in her space. She went back into her space. She had fed An'an once when she came to the Wang family's house in the morning, and An'an had fallen asleep. Now that she had drunk milk, she didn't want to sleep anymore.
Du Mingxian carried him down the street, all the way back to the inn, where Chunfeng and the others immediately surrounded them.
"Let's go to the room, I have something to ask you."
The group went to the room, and Xia Yu stepped forward. "Madam, let me hold the young master. You've been holding him all night."
She wasn't tired at all, but she couldn't tell these people, so she could only hand the child over to Xia Yu. "I'm asking you, what kind of presence does the Changping Earl's Mansion have in the capital?"
"Huh?" Chunfeng and Xiayu seemed to have never heard of this Earl's Mansion before.
Before Qiu Shu joined Ling Silang, she had worked several errands at the Crown Prince's residence and had heard of the Earl of Changping's residence.
"It was a declining earldom with little standing in the capital. The Earl of Changping was not very capable, and his descendants were not outstanding either. However, the Earl of Changping had a daughter who was very good at business."
"Therefore, the Earl of Changping's mansion is looked down upon by other princes and nobles in the capital. They rely on their daughters or do business, and their status is very low. Few families are willing to associate with them."
Du Mingxian was somewhat surprised, "Such an amazing woman, a unique figure even in the capital, how could she not be famous?"