The matter soon reached the ears of Wu Caiwei and Jiang Feng, who exchanged surprised glances, guessing a certain possibility.
To verify their suspicions, they decided to probe further.
A while ago, at Jiang Yu's request, they had moved back to the Marquis's manor. The primary reason was that Jiang Feng felt he couldn't always live outside if he intended to inherit the manor.
Jiang Yu was very pleased by their主动 approach, believing that the occasional efforts to foster their relationship in recent times had paid off.
The three of them drank tea, chatting idly. Jiang Feng casually remarked, "Chunyan was attacked several times recently. We captured some assassins, and under severe interrogation, they confessed."
"Is that so? That's good news. It's better to find the culprits to guard against them. I wonder who harbored such deep hatred for her? We must retaliate fiercely, otherwise, they'll think our Ning Marquis's manor is easy to bully." Jiang Yu's smile remained unchanged, as if genuinely happy about finding the culprit.
"But all the evidence points to our manor. Does Father have any suspects?" Jiang Feng continued to probe.
"Oh? This requires a thorough investigation. We must not let a guilty person go, nor should we implicate the innocent." Seeing Jiang Yu appear to be seriously contemplating, Jiang Feng couldn't help but wonder, had he suspected wrongly?
Initially, he thought the killer must have been his father. The reasoning was readily available: he was dissatisfied with Wang Chunyan's status and felt she disgraced the Marquis's manor. At first, he hadn't thought of him. Qiu Ze's incident had suddenly awakened him.
The Ning Marquis's manor had strict rules. How could ordinary people enter, let alone Qiu Ze? He was led in as soon as he arrived, clearly having been instructed beforehand.
Furthermore, the fact that he had exhausted all his resources and found no leads indicated that this person's identity was extraordinary. In his early years, due to his father's displeasure, he rarely went out. Later, when he went to study elsewhere, he only befriended disciples from ordinary families at the academy. It was impossible for him to have offended someone of higher status and position than their Ning Marquis's manor.
After eliminating all other possibilities, he thought of his father. However, his father's flawless answer and natural demeanor just now made him uncertain of his suspicion.
Wu Caiwei watched this old fox perform before her. If she hadn't noticed his right leg twitching unconsciously, she would have almost been fooled.
Seeing that his tea was finished, she picked up the teapot and walked to his side, naturally refilling his cup.
Leaving the main courtyard and heading to an open space, Jiang Feng couldn't help but voice his doubts, "Was it really him? What did you give him?"
Wu Caiwei stopped and looked at him earnestly, "Aren't you angry? He's your father."
Seeing her seriousness, Jiang Feng, fearing misunderstanding, said cautiously, "Although he is my father, he has never cared about me since I was young. I only know that you are the most important person to me in this life, and we will spend the rest of our lives together. If I cared about him, I would have stopped you when you put something in the tea just now."
Wu Caiwei smiled sincerely. It was precisely because she knew he wouldn't mind that she acted. Of course, he was his father, so she hadn't gone for the kill. If someone else wanted her life, she would definitely retaliate without mercy. But this was his father, and she had to consider his feelings, even though he always put her first.
The next day, when Jiang Yu woke up, he felt weak and unable to exert any strength. The imperial physicians came and went, but could not diagnose the cause of his illness.
This made him think of Jiang Chen and also the test conducted by the couple yesterday. He wondered where the problem lay, subconsciously feeling that it must have been his daughter-in-law's doing.
He had a servant call Jiang Feng. Grasping his son's hand, he cried, "I know I've wronged you for so many years, but acting against her was truly out of my love for you as a son. You don't know what people say behind our backs; I felt ashamed for you. It's better to endure a short pain than a long one. I wanted to eliminate this hidden danger without your knowledge."
"Father, what are you saying? I don't understand. Did you do it?" Jiang Feng feigned ignorance, though he knew.
Jiang Yu, unsure if he truly didn't know or was pretending, recounted the cause and effect of the matter.
"You don't need to get involved in my affairs. I don't think you're afraid of people talking about me behind my back, but rather afraid of people talking about the Ning Marquis's manor, about you, and feeling ashamed, which is why you acted," Jiang Feng guessed the crux of the matter immediately.
"I don't deny that's part of the reason. But you will be the master of the manor in the future, so gossip about the manor is gossip about you. The reason I've become like this is all Wang Chunyan's doing. Get her to cure me quickly," Jiang Yu couldn't bear the feeling of powerlessness and wanted his son to persuade Wang Chunyan.
"It couldn't be her. We've been together all this time, and I don't understand what Father means. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave," no matter what Jiang Yu said, Jiang Feng refused to admit it.
Seeing that he couldn't move his son, Jiang Yu called for Yun Ya. Yun Ya listened to her son in all matters. Moreover, if the Marquis died, her son would become the Marquis, and she would become the Old Madam, respected by everyone. Therefore, she paid lip service to Jiang Yu's words, letting them go in one ear and out the other.
Jiang Yu finally experienced the feeling of being unable to call out to heaven or earth. Lying in bed, he repeatedly pondered where the plan had gone wrong. Eventually, he thought of Qiu Ze, deeming him incompetent and a failure. A few days later, his body was found in a pond in the capital. Chai Hu personally handled the body and arranged a simple burial.
From then on, the Ning Marquis's manor was completely in the hands of Jiang Feng and his wife. The couple's businesses flourished nationwide. They did their utmost to do good deeds. When the national treasury was depleted, they even donated more than half of their fortune, deeply moving the Emperor.
Within a few years, they welcomed their first son. Although Yun Ya was not satisfied with her daughter-in-law, a grandson was still her own grandchild. With a grandson, all worries vanished, and she gradually accepted Wu Caiwei.
The following year, Jiang Chen and Jiang Yu both passed away. Only their family remained in the manor, living in harmony.
Of course, Wu Caiwei hadn't forgotten Lei'er, who was the main culprit behind Qiu Chai Hu's death in her previous life.
When he was released from prison after serving his sentence, Shen Niangzi had remarried and had a son and a daughter. He was no longer her entire world.
Shen Niangzi took him to her husband's family. Her husband's family knew he had served five years in prison and looked at him with contempt.
He couldn't accept this and left without saying goodbye. While outside, he got into a conflict with someone and was beaten to death.
When Wu Caiwei received the news, she calmly said, "I know," and put it aside. Her children were grown, and she needed to find good wives for her sons and good husbands for her daughters.
Regardless, Chai Hu was not Jiang Feng's biological son. To prevent him from feeling awkward in the manor, she used her money to buy him a five-courtyard residence outside and set up some businesses. She then found the daughter of a minor official and married him off grandly, so he could live a normal life.