Qiu Ping knelt on the ground, secretly observing the beautiful woman opposite her, dressed in simple plain clothes, with a face as cold as ice. She trembled uncontrollably from fear.
Zhong Li turned slowly and walked to the vanity case. She casually took out one of the remaining hair ornaments and threw it in front of Qiu Ping. "Take a look at this. Do you think there's anything wrong with it?"
Qiu Ping swallowed the saliva in her mouth, mustered her courage, and picked up the object from the ground. She examined it carefully under the sunlight shining in from the window. When her fingertips brushed over a spot, they were stained with a lot of golden powder. Her face stiffened, and she said,
"Miss, I... I don't know about this thing. I was just being greedy for small gains. I never thought..."
"Never thought what?" Zhong Li squatted down, her gaze fixed on Qiu Ping's panicked eyes.
Indeed, when Qiu Ping was tidying up the scattered gold and silver jewelry, she had noticed something was wrong with this item.
Xie Xiaoyun, the wife of the richest man in Anding County, would not use fake jewelry plated with gold. That could only mean one thing: everything here, from the coffin outside to all visible valuables, had already been swapped.
As for the reason, perhaps the maid in front of her could provide some clues.
When asked, Qiu Ping bit her lip, seeming reluctant to say more.
"Stealing from the family head and swapping the family's property. If I remember correctly, according to the laws of Nanyue Kingdom, the hands of a habitual thief..."
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you."
Qiu Ping was, after all, a woman, and this was likely her first time stealing. Zhong Li's casual remark was enough to make her repeatedly kowtow and stammer.
Zhong Li remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"I have my reasons for doing this," Qiu Ping said timidly, glancing at the woman opposite her.
"Ever since Madam Xie married into the family, I have been her personal maid. By rights, I should be mourning and serving the mistress. However, the Jia household suddenly encountered a crisis. Within a few days, the Jia family was in chaos. Apart from the steward and Young Master Qiao, most of the servants had fled. I still have elders and children at home, which is why I fell prey to greed."
Zhong Li followed her words, looking at the stolen golden artifacts she had obediently placed on the ground. After examining each one, she said, "They are all fake. Are you sure you didn't know?"
"I didn't know, I really didn't know!" Qiu Ping flailed her hands, "When I arrived, the things here were almost emptied. I made a mistake in my haste. If I had truly known about the deception, why would I have taken them? Wouldn't you agree?"
Zhong Li did not refute her. She knew Qiu Ping was not lying. Otherwise, having served Xie Xiaoyun for so many years and seen so much gold, silver, and jade, she would have been able to distinguish the genuine from the fake.
"Then do you know why Jia Kun killed Xie Xiaoyun?" Zhong Li changed the subject and asked.
Qiu Ping was taken aback that the woman who was just questioning her about theft would suddenly ask about this. She glanced at Zhong Li, then quickly lowered her eyes and shook her head vigorously.
Zhong Li could not miss her evasiveness.
She did not press further, but as she picked up the fake jade ornaments from the ground, she said, "Well, what would a mere servant know? I'll take these gold and silver items. You also know that the heir apparent of Prince Xian's residence is waiting for my reply outside. He is the imperial investigator appointed by the Emperor. As for what the subsequent punishment will be..."
"Miss!" Qiu Ping's face turned deathly pale at this. She quickly stepped forward a few paces, grabbing Zhong Li's skirt with her hands, and said,
"I truly don't know about this. Madam Xie married into the Jia family three years ago. At that time, to marry Madam Xie, my master divorced the Jia family's original mistress. For these three years, my master has doted on Madam Xie, even to the point of obeying her every command.
If Madam Xie wanted the stars from the sky, my master would have likely moved the moon for her."
"Oh?" Zhong Li's heart stirred with doubt upon hearing this. This shouldn't be right. She recalled that the case files stated the masters of the Jia family had disharmonious relations, but this maid's account was different.
Qiu Ping sensed Zhong Li's suspicion. Her eyes darted around, and finally, she bit her lip and kowtowed, "As long as you spare me, I am willing to tell you everything I know."
"Speak!"
Qiu Ping swallowed with difficulty and said, "If we are to truly investigate, the master and madam were not without their conflicts, but that was about a year ago."
"What happened?" Zhong Li pressed.
"A year ago, the old matriarch of the Jia family passed away. Everyone rumored..." Qiu Ping glanced at Zhong Li timidly and continued, "It was rumored that the madam thought the old matriarch, who had been bedridden for years, was a burden and had dealt a heavy blow to her..."
"So, Jia Kun and Xie Xiaoyun were not on good terms for the year following Jia Mu's death?" Zhong Li asked, having understood Qiu Ping's words.
Qiu Ping shook her head, then quickly nodded.
Zhong Li became a little confused.
"For the past year, I haven't quite understood things myself. On the surface, my master still treated my madam as well as ever. But in private... my master and madam argued frequently. My madam would sometimes get so angry that she'd make my master sleep in the study. Just when we all thought my master and madam were truly at odds, the next day they would be inseparable. So... I don't understand either."
Qiu Ping truthfully recounted what she had witnessed.
"However..." Qiu Ping seemed to recall something and continued, "A few days before my master killed my madam, I happened to see... my master kneeling before my madam in her room."
"You also think Jia Kun killed Xie Xiaoyun?" Zhong Li caught the key point in Qiu Ping's words.
Qiu Ping was startled. "Isn't... isn't that what the yamen concluded? I just thought that perhaps my master killing my madam might be related to this, which is why I mentioned it."
"Then do you know that Xie Xiaoyun was pregnant?" Zhong Li asked again.
"What? Madam is really pregnant?" Qiu Ping exclaimed in shock.
But then, as if understanding something, she quickly covered her mouth.
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, pulled Qiu Ping's arm away, and said, "Do you know something? Speak!"
Qiu Ping's eyes widened as she looked at the stern woman opposite her. Knowing she had let something slip, she could only nod. "I only guessed this...
More than a year ago, my master almost lost his life on the official road to Jincheng. After that, strange things kept happening in the household. Either servants died, or business deals that the Jia family had agreed upon fell through. The madam even encountered bandits several times when she went to offer incense at nearby temples."
"And then?"
"After that, my master felt it was due to bad luck. Since my madam had no news of pregnancy, he agreed to have Qiao Fu, the only relative of the Jia family, brought to the residence for upbringing. But it is strange, ever since Qiao Fu arrived, apart from the old madam's death, there haven't been any major incidents, even though my master did not think highly of Qiao Fu.
As for my madam, we servants noticed... that my madam and Qiao Fu were getting a bit too close. That's why when you said my madam was pregnant, I jumped to conclusions. After all, for the past two years, my madam's belly had been silent. Ever since Qiao Fu arrived..."
Zhong Li released Qiu Ping's hand, her mind now clear.
Although Qiu Ping's words were speculative, many rumors were not without basis. It seemed the Jia family case was not as simple as it appeared.