Chapter 267 - 265: The Faint Affection of Years Past (Part 1)

Chapter 267: Chapter 265: The Faint Affection of Years Past (Part 1)

Jiang Shaobai immediately looked at Mr. Yao, "Who is Sun Niang?"

It’s a long story. The worst part about splitting up during an investigation is that both sides have information gaps.

Mr. Yao could only go through their list of suspects with Jiang Shaobai, finally saying, "This Sun Niang used to be on the Xu Family estate, taking care of Miss Xu with one of the suspects, Yang Quanfu.

Miss Xu asked us to send someone to ask her some questions."

Xu Jing glanced at the increasingly grim-faced Xu Guangyi and Mrs. Wen, saying, "Please have Mr. Yao share the findings with us."

Mr. Yao nodded and said, "Miss Xu asked me to send people to inquire whether Yang Quanfu had any close relationships with any women during his years on the estate.

Yang Quanfu was originally from Miss Xu’s maternal family—the Xu Family. He was sent by the Xu Family to the Western Capital to take care of Miss Xu when he was just twenty-six years old.

He had previously married, but his wife died shortly after the wedding without leaving a child. After that, Yang Quanfu never remarried.

According to Sun Niang, in Yang Quanfu’s third year on the estate, when he was twenty-nine, he met a farmer’s daughter named Wen Jingxiang. The Wen family were tenant farmers of the Xu Family and lived in a village next to the estate. Wen Jingxiang was a lively and outgoing young woman.

Sun Niang said she didn’t know how Yang Quanfu and Lady Wen met, only that for a while, Lady Wen would come up with various excuses to see Yang Quanfu, claiming her kite fell into the estate and that she needed to retrieve it or that her family made pastries and she was delivering some for the estate to try.

Sun Niang said it was clear to her that Lady Wen had feelings for Yang Quanfu, but Yang Quanfu always maintained a lukewarm attitude. Sun Niang originally thought Yang Quanfu had no interest in Lady Wen; unexpectedly, when someone from the village came saying Lady Wen had fallen ill and hadn’t gotten out of bed for several days, Yang Quanfu’s face changed. He quickly left, and Sun Niang concluded that Yang Quanfu must have feelings for Lady Wen too."

As Mr. Yao spoke, Xu Guangyi and Mrs. Wen’s expressions could no longer simply be described as grim, and beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

Xu Jing’s eyes were icy as she looked at them. She said, "And then? Why didn’t Lady Wen and Yang Quanfu become a couple?"

The original owner’s memory didn’t include this Lady Wen.

Perhaps the original owner saw her but didn’t remember.

It could only be that Lady Wen was there for such a short time that the original owner, being young, didn’t have time to form an impression.

Mr. Yao said, "Sun Niang said she too thought Yang Quanfu and Lady Wen were close to being a couple, but after that, she never saw Lady Wen visit Yang Quanfu again. On one occasion, while doing some errands in the village, she asked the villagers and they all said Lady Wen had gone elsewhere for medical treatment due to her poor health.

Though Lady Wen was lively, she had been frail and often sick since childhood, so Sun Niang didn’t give it much thought, only sighing that Yang Quanfu and Lady Wen were fated not to be together."

Disappeared?

Xu Jing’s eyes darkened, "After that, did Sun Niang ever mention if Yang Quanfu behaved unusually?"

Mr. Yao was taken aback, "That question was not asked by the person I sent. However, he brought Sun Niang here, and Miss Xu can ask her directly..."

In the distance, Xu Guangyi’s expression changed, as if he wanted to say something. Xiao Yi calmly said, "All of this is to rescue Young Master Xu and Young Master Wang. Minister Xu surely won’t mind us summoning someone from your estate."

Hearing Xiao Yi’s words, Xu Guangyi was at a loss for how to respond.

Standing beside him, Duke Qiao was already impatient with the couple, glaring at him with barely restrained fury, making Xu Guangyi even more reluctant to speak, so he had no choice but to watch as Sun Niang was nervously brought in.

Xu Jing gave her a glance, saying, "Don’t be afraid; we called you over just to ask a few questions."

Initially, Sun Niang was quite flustered when she was suddenly awakened and brought here in the middle of the night. But upon seeing the child she had raised, Sun Niang visibly calmed down, exclaiming excitedly, "Miss..."

From the original owner’s memories, Xu Jing knew Sun Niang was a simple and kind woman who truly cared for her, so her tone softened slightly, "We are assisting the authorities in an investigation that might be related to Manager Yang. I want to ask you, after Lady Wen went to seek medical treatment, did Manager Yang show any unusual behavior?"

Sun Niang was momentarily stunned, then nodded immediately, "Yes! Yes! At that time, this old servant felt pity that Manager Yang and Lady Wen couldn’t be together, so I paid more attention to him than usual. Afterwards, Manager Yang seemed like a different person; originally outgoing, he suddenly became taciturn. Moreover, he went to the Western Capital once a month!"

Going to the Western Capital once a month?

Doesn’t that coincidentally align with Mrs. Wen calling on Manager Yang once a month!

Xu Jing immediately asked, "Do you know why Manager Yang went to the Western Capital every month?"

"This, the old servant doesn’t know," Sun Niang said. "Manager Yang never mentioned it, but I know he went to the Western Capital because he often brought back snacks that are only sold there for Miss to enjoy, which Miss should remember."

Xu Jing promptly searched her original memories and found this detail!

However, since Yang Quanfu had always treated her well on the estate, often finding various treats and fun items for her, the original owner didn’t find anything remarkable about these Western Capital treats.

Sun Niang continued, "Manager Yang never used to visit the Western Capital so frequently, let alone dress up specially for each visit. This old servant even wondered if Lady Wen was in the Western Capital for treatment and if Manager Yang went there every month just to see her!"

Xu Jing quickly exchanged a glance with Mr. Yao. Mr. Yao abruptly stood up and turned to Mrs. Wen with a serious expression, "Mrs. Wen, do you have nothing to say? Sun Niang mentioned this behavior of Manager Yang occurred after he joined the Xu Family! At this point, shouldn’t you tell us the truth? Why did you summon Manager Yang every month?"

Mrs. Wen involuntarily trembled slightly.

Mr. Yao then added fuel to the fire, "Could it be that the reason you summoned Manager Yang is related to Lady Wen?! Has she been in your hands all these years!"

"No!"

Mrs. Wen couldn’t help but cry out, but as soon as she spoke, she knew it was over and slumped into her chair.

Xu Jing looked at her coldly, her thoughts becoming increasingly clear, "Initially, you used Lady Wen to coerce Manager Yang into helping you, betraying the Xu Family, right? The Wen family were tenant farmers for the Xu Family; controlling Lady Wen must have been a simple matter for you.

However, even so, Lady Wen was a commoner, and unlawfully imprisoning a commoner is illegal!"

"I didn’t! I... I was just helping her with her treatment, not imprisoning her! Yang Quanfu chose to join us to help treat Wen Jingxiang!"

Seeing she could no longer hide it, Mrs. Wen broke down and screamed.

Xu Jing suddenly stood up, "Where is Lady Wen now? Did you unlawfully imprison her? Let her come out and speak for herself!"

Mrs. Wen, strangely, pulled a bitter smile, "Oh, I know what you’re trying to do—are you trying to use this to frame me? Give it up because—Lady Wen passed away from illness two months ago!"