Chapter Fifty: Snatching People

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They caught someone!

The wet nurse of Lady Wu’s heart skipped a beat—how did they catch someone so quickly? Hopefully, they wouldn’t reveal anything about their mistress.

Whoever took charge of interrogating this person was crucial.

No matter who it was, the eldest branch must not get involved.

The wet nurse said, “They caught someone? I’ll go take a look!”

Madam Jiang was very clever. She noticed the old woman from the third branch acting strangely and called out, “I’ll come with you to see!”

The wet nurse glanced at the matriarch of the fourth branch and said, “The old lady doesn’t look well. Older sister, you stay and help escort her back.”

Coincidentally, two maids that Madam Jiang had brought over arrived. She called to them, “You two escort the fourth branch’s matriarch and Lady Six back. I’ll go see the culprit!”

The two maids agreed and went to the old matriarch of the fourth branch.

The fourth branch’s matriarch also wanted to see who the culprit was, but she was weak and had no attendants with her. So she called to Lady Xue Six, “You go check who it is. Bring them back later; I will interrogate them!”

But it was already so dark—was it really safe for a young lady to interrogate a fierce male criminal?

All of Lady Six’s doubts and complaints were swallowed back when she saw her grandmother’s disheveled hair. If it hadn’t been for her, her grandmother wouldn’t have suffered like this. Well, she would go then.

Lady Xue Six followed Madam Jiang and the wet nurse.

They soon arrived at where the few old women were. The culprit was detained on the ground, waiting for someone.

From a distance, the wet nurse recognized He Dalang immediately. There was no chance she had caught the wrong person. What should she do? What if He Dalang reported them to the third branch?

This matter had to be handled by the third branch.

With a plan forming in her mind, the wet nurse stopped looking at the culprit and sprinted down the flower path leading to the third branch, leaving Madam Jiang and Lady Six behind.

Her running looked like a startled pheasant.

Madam Jiang watched her go and thought to herself, something was off tonight. Why would that old woman run like that?

She glanced back at Lady Six, who was staring blankly in the direction the wet nurse had fled.

She asked, “Miss, do you have any clues? Did you get a good look at the culprit’s face? Do you recognize him?”

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Lady Xue Six was startled, then shook her head, “I didn’t see clearly.”

But judging by how Lady Wu’s wet nurse ran, this matter probably involved Lady Wu. That Lady Wu could lie to her with her eyes wide open and meet a strange man—there was nothing she wouldn’t do.

Madam Jiang saw that Lady Six clearly knew something but was hesitant to speak. She thought, well, it would be figured out eventually. The key was to bring the culprit back and let the matriarch interrogate.

But by the time the two arrived, a Ninth Prince appeared from somewhere, accompanied by two royal guards.

The Ninth Prince looked down at the kneeling man and said, “Leave it to me to handle!”

One of the old women chimed in, “It was thanks to His Highness the Ninth Prince’s arrival that this villain was caught!”

So the Ninth Prince had credit and should be the one to interrogate.

Madam Jiang frowned under the flickering lantern light and asked, “Your Highness, this isn’t the back courtyard. How did you get in?”

Xiao Yi replied, “I wasn’t sleeping yet. I heard the shouting and climbed over the wall.”

Climbed over the wall? Their walls weren’t that low? Apparently not high enough—Madam Jiang made a mental note.

Xiao Yi felt frustrated by Madam Jiang’s wary gaze. With his handsome looks, whenever he helped others, he was always met with gratitude—except from the Xue family, especially the eldest branch.

Nevertheless, Xiao Yi insisted on claiming the right to interrogate He Dalang, because this matter involved the feud between the third and fourth branches of the Xue family.

If it went to the eldest branch, when it came time for punishment, both the old matriarch and the old general of the Xue family would be in a difficult position. But in the previous life, Lady Wu had caused Lady Six’s death, and their family member A Zhi was deeply saddened. This time, they couldn’t let A Zhi suffer again. So this matter had to be handled by him. If he interrogated, he wouldn’t owe anyone favors and could deal with Lady Wu accordingly.

Xiao Yi told Madam Jiang again that he would interrogate.

Madam Jiang’s mind raced. She had initially wanted the old matriarch to interrogate out of fear that the fourth branch couldn’t contend with the third. She had no grudges or favors with either the third or fourth branch, but she couldn’t tolerate the third branch’s wickedness. If the third branch succeeded in harming the fourth, they would have tarnished the honor of all the Xue women. Moreover, if the third branch could harm the fourth, they could easily harm the eldest branch and others as well, so she had to be cautious.

But if the old matriarch, as the eldest sister-in-law, really interrogated, what would she do?

Punish the third branch? She feared their persistent harassment. Also, as a Xue, the old matriarch would find it difficult to decide.

If she did not punish, how would the fourth branch see it? Would it not cause a rift?

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Indeed, she hadn’t thought it through. This matter shouldn’t be meddled with—the eldest branch must not interfere.

Wasn’t now the best way to handle it? Hand it to the Ninth Prince, so no one on either side would be offended nor spared.

Madam Jiang nodded on her own accord. “Fine, but Your Highness, if anything comes up during the interrogation, you must notify me immediately!”

Xiao Yi smiled, “Madam, if you’re worried about reporting back, just tell everyone—this young prince is not only a royal but also in charge of criminal affairs. Handing him the person is the right choice!”

Yes, royal personnel—what trivial matters could they not handle?

With this assurance, she felt comfortable reporting back.

Madam Jiang no longer troubled the Ninth Prince and let him lead his men away.

Lady Xue Six watched the Ninth Prince, who had never once looked at her, feeling an inexplicable unease. But her grandmother had told her to bring the culprit back. Now that they hadn’t, she’d surely be scolded.

Before Lady Xue Six could return to face the scolding, the third branch’s matriarch, accompanied by several servants and Lady Wu’s wet nurse, arrived in a grand procession.

Lady Wu wanted to harm Lady Xue Six—Lady Six was well aware of this. If their servant was caught, she would definitely come to the rescue. No matter what, the culprit must not fall into the hands of the eldest branch.

Because if the eldest branch interrogated and found out, it would mean that Xue Qiu would know—and Xue Qiu was not one to overlook a slight.

The third branch’s matriarch and her group, upon seeing that He Dalang was gone, assumed Madam Jiang had taken him away. She raised her hand and ordered the servants to surround Madam Jiang, sternly saying, “It was the third branch who took the initiative to capture the culprit. On what grounds did you take him away? Call that person out now, or if anything happens to my third branch, you’ll regret it!”

Madam Jiang, who had served the Xue matriarch for years, was not afraid of the third branch’s matriarch. She frowned and said, “The one frightened was the fourth branch’s old matriarch, not the third!”

The third branch’s matriarch snorted, “Who knows? What if it was aimed at the third branch? Our fourth sister-in-law being startled might just be a coincidence. I need to find out clearly before saying anything!”

Madam Jiang remained silent.

The third branch’s matriarch grew increasingly anxious and furious. “I’ll ask you again—where is the person now?”