Real Empress from a Noble Family

Chapter 398 - Knowing the Real Culprit

Chapter 398 Knowing the Real Culprit

Qiu Yelan actually knew that at least half of Madame Zhuang’s consideration was for Qiu Jinglan, but it was at least nice to hear those warm words. After returning to the chamber, she happily summoned Mrs. Zhou, intending to take a few high-end items from her dowry to pay tribute to her mother-in-law as a token of gratitude.

However, just when she spoke briefly to Mrs. Zhou, Chunran led Dongran in and both of the maids looked extremely grave!

“What’s wrong?” Qiu Yelan was shocked, “Is there anything wrong at Ruan’s Mansion?” She at once thought of the real culprit she had speculated about earlier, “Could it be that Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing were really killed by Qiu Jinglan? Has the truth been leaked out?”

Nevertheless, they shook their heads together and Dongran whispered, “Your Grace, let me speak to you alone!”

After sending away the subordinates, Dongran took a deep breath before speaking, “Young master sent someone in disguise to take a side road. He took a detour near Jing City to make sure no one was following him before sneaking into Ruan’s Mansion at night and informed me of the young master’s message!”

“What is it?” Qiu Yelan couldn’t help but grip her sleeve tightly.

“Chunfu Princess, Miss Ou, and Young Earl Ling…” Dongran struggled to maintain the soft, measured tone while keeping a close eye on Qiu Yelan, fearing that she couldn’t endure any excitement in her pregnancy, “These three are all still alive! And all of them are safe!”

Qiu Yelan was dumbfounded!

Only after a long time did she say in a faltering voice, “Really?”

“It’s true!” Dongran said with certainty, “This matter is of vital importance and so young master ordered that this couldn’t be written down, but only the oral message was allowed!”

“And then where are the three of them now? Is my brother the only one who knows? What about Sir Jibei?” Qiu Yelan’s face turned pale, then blue, and finally red. She thought sharply for a moment before asking in a deep voice, “What is my brother’s plan for sending this oral message with such efforts?”

This should have been good news if Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing weren’t dead!

Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing were dead, no ifs or buts about it. But as the cause of their death, Jiang Qizheng and others were alive! They were not only alive but safe and sound! How could the first branch and third branch accept this? Not only could they not accept it, but even Marquess Qin might also not be able to accept it. No one would believe that the deaths of Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing had nothing to do with the fourth branch.

Everyone would believe that the whole thing was a conspiracy planned by the fourth branch from the beginning of the journey to the west.

When Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing died, the first branch and the third branch were already going to the fourth branch for an explanation. Besides, the fourth branch didn’t suffer any losses at all, and so…

If Marquess Qin kept blocking their way, Jiang Tianao and Jiang Tianqi, the two brothers would have to risk being death-defying to exert pressure despite their age!

Qiu Yelan had no choice but to keep cautious!

“Don’t worry, Your Grace! As a matter of fact, Sir Jibei knew the news that Chunfu Princess and others are safe and sound as soon as he arrived in Shazhou!” Dongran was busy saying, “These days, Sir Jibei was so busy, but he often spent time visiting Chunfu Princess and Miss Ou!”

After a pause, she added, “Chunfu Princess has planned to recognize Young Earl Ling as her foster brother!”

“Do you say Sir Jibei has long known that Chunfu Princess and others are safe and sound?” Qiu Yelan didn’t pay much attention to the following things Dongran said, but she just noticed this, “So did Sir Jibei deliberately leave this matter out of the news of the mourning?”

“Exactly!” Dongran nodded her head and then whispered, “It is said that the surviving subordinates of the Second Young Master and the Sixth Young Master were even killed by Sir Jibei! It was to exterminate all the witnesses!”

Qiu Yelan’s gaze sharpened, “So you mean he is on our side?”

“That’s right!” Dongran nodded, “According to the messenger, Sir Jibei also has planned to set Prince of Cai and his wife up! But…”

She hesitated and lowered her voice, “The Jiang Family’s first branch and the third branch may not be willing to accept this result! Young master is quite worried that they will get angry and do something desperate! After all, Old Master Tianchi from the fourth branch of the Jiang Family certainly holds the army, but in Jing City, those two branches are still entrenched!”

“If they want to do anything desperate, they have to think of Marquess Qin!” Qiu Yelan pondered for a moment and said, “People can’t come back from death. Even though in the eyes of Marquess Qin, Chunfu Princess isn’t as important as Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing, it’s impossible for him to kill his official granddaughter for the sake of the two dead persons! Unless Marquess Qin is insane, he won’t have to accept the current outcome! He has to help the fourth branch to suppress the first branch and the third branch… Otherwise, if the first branch and the third branch really dare to be against us, the fourth branch, no matter what the outcome is, my father-in-law in Beijiang will not be able to spare them! At that time, it will be chaos all over the world!”

“The Jiang Family has always been arrogant and domineering since it started! Once they lose their current position, there will surely be many enemies waiting to revenge them. Marquess Qin cannot afford to take that risk! This is also the reason why Sir Jibei is pretending to be besotted… Wait!”

She frowned, “Who on earth killed Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing…? Was it my brother?”

“How could it be young master?” Dongran smiled bitterly, “It was someone you couldn’t even think of. Chunfu Princess masterminded it, Miss Ou Qinglan did it, and the Eighth Young Master stood in front of Sir Jibei to take the blame!”

“Chunfu Princess?” Qiu Yelan was stunned, “It was her!”

The result was so surprising!

She could understand that Ou Qinglan killed Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing because of anger, but she still had the impression that her sister-in-law was a typical high-born girl!

“I can’t believe it either when I heard it!” Dongran pursed her lips, “But it was these two! It was also because of them that the Eighth Young Master decided to bite the bullet, saying that he did it himself. Sir Jibei couldn’t hand the Eighth Young Master over to the first branch and the third branch for disposal. So, he had to find Prince of Cai to be the scapegoat!”

“I know!” Fortunately, Sir Jibei had been in Beijiang for many years and spent decades with Jiang Tianchi. Of course, he couldn’t do anything like handing over Jiang Yadan, the trueborn son of his nephew who had been cultivated with great care, to die! Qiu Yelan settled down and said, “This news must be kept secret for the time being. Although Marquess Qin should refuse to let the conflict between the branches go too far, this is a big matter, and it is better to wait until Sir Jibei returns to announce it!”

Dongran nodded and said, “I understand!”

After sending Dongran away, Qiu Yelan rubbed her forehead and asked around, “When will Yashuang return today?”

As Madame Zhuang was recovering, she refused to ask her son to abandon his official duties to accompany her. Like her mother-in-law, Qiu Yelan naturally had to act like a virtuous wife, telling her husband not to worry too much about her and to go to work when he had to. So, Jiang Yashuang was not at home now.

“If you are in a hurry, shall I send someone to urge, madame?” Su He suggested.

“No!” If it were something else, Qiu Yelan would order someone to urge, but the thing that Dongran told must not be leaked out in advance. If Qiu Yelan immediately urged Jiang Yashuang to return home as soon as Dongran came, everyone else would know that important message from Shazhou had been delivered.

So, they could only wait.

After Jiang Yashuang finished his errand at noon, he first went to serve a cup of soup to Madame Tao, and then went to Madame Zhuang to have some fun before returning to his own courtyard.

At that time, Qiu Yelan was already waiting for a long time, feeling anxious to see him, and so she pulled him into the inner chamber upon meeting him, “I need to tell you something important!”

Jiang Yashuang was surprised and asked, “What?”

When he heard that Jiang Qizheng and the others were still alive, he almost jumped, “Really?”

“Who dares to joke with you about such an important thing?” Qiu Yelan frowned and said, “It’s just that my brother is worried that the first branch and the third branch will use this as an excuse to turn against us. It’s fortunate that my grand uncle has a partiality for us and has hidden the news!”

“Anyway, it’s great news that Qizheng sister and others are well!” Jiang Yashuang stood up and couldn’t wait to go to Madame Zhuang to report the news, “Does mother know this? I’m sure she doesn’t! Otherwise, she surely should have told me when I went to visit her!”

“Wait!” Qiu Yelan shouted at him, “I got the news before noon. Don’t I want mother to be happy? But I don’t dare to tell her so easily. Have you forgotten the doctor’s advice that since mother’s condition has only been stabilised, she cannot be overjoyed or overwhelmed?”

Jiang Yashuang froze, sat down again, and exhaled, “Yes, yes, thanks to your reminding. I was so happy that I forgot it!”

However, the news that his official sister was still alive made him overjoyed. He just couldn’t settle down. He got up again and paced back and forth, thinking about what to say when he goes to see Madame Zhuang, “Although mother is in better spirit these two days and doesn’t talk much about sister Qizheng, she is still very sad in her heart. Just for our sake, she is not willing to show her weakness… Only when she knows that sister Qizheng is still alive can she rest easy! But the doctor’s advice must not be disregarded… We need to let her know and meanwhile keep her emotion stable…”

The couple discussed for a long time and finally decided not to say anything on that day first and then go together the next day to tell Madame Zhuang slowly. They decided to bring An and their nephew with them at that time to pamper Madame Zhuang first and relax her before carefully telling her.

Of course, the doctor would be called too!

However, something unexpected happened. The next morning, they were just freshening up when the servant outside hurriedly came to report, “An accident at the side yard!”

“Which yard?” Jiang Yashuang, being a man, was quick to tidy up. He tied his clothes and went out to ask, “What happened?”

“It’s the yard where Miss Qiu and Miss Mei are staying!” The servant reported urgently, “The two girls have been taken away by Old Master Tianao and Old Master Tianqi’s men!”

Qiu Yelan, who had just finished combing her hair, rushed out without even putting on her hairpin and ring, “What? Why?”

“The two old masters said they planned to trace Deng Yi’s whereabouts from the two girls!”

Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang quickly looked at each other and turned grave, “It is a lie! They clearly suspect that Qiu Jinglan is the murderer of their sons, but Marquess Qin has stopped them from doing anything about it, and so they turn to Qiu Qian and Mei Xue now!”

After all, although Qiu Qian and Mei Xue were grounded by the fourth branch after the Gu Family was defeated, they were not treated badly. So, anyone would think that their relationship with Qiu Yelan was not as bad as it appeared. Perhaps they knew something.

Especially there was still no news of Qiu Nie and Deng Yi. Since Qiu Jinglan was able to take in the only son of the murderer of his father, Kuang Qingwu, let alone Deng Yi, whose hatred for him was not so deep.

Perhaps the disappearance of these two men was related to the deaths of Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing!

“Whether these two are enemies or friends, I’m not sure!” Qiu Yelan looked at her husband, “However, since the people are held by us, the fourth branch…”

“There is absolutely no reason to let the first branch and the third branch grab and dispose of them at will!” Jiang Yashuang nodded with a sullen face, “You go to mother’s side, and I’ll go to argue with the two uncles!”

But Qiu Yelan shook her head, “These two have a deeper connection with me than you do! It was also my fault that they were placed in the side yard at the beginning! I’ll go with you!” She reached out and stroked her belly, thinking, “With all this fuss, there’s no way for Marquess Qin not to step in! Even though he has always been partial to the first branch, now that I am pregnant, he will have to show me, his grandson-in-law, some respect and not just force Yashuang to concede!”

After all, Qiu Qian and Mei Xue were insignificant in the eyes of Marquess Qin and they would probably be used by him as a bargaining chip to appease the first branch and the third branch!