The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

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Wang Xu stared at Gu Jiao in shock, "Why are you giving him acupuncture?"

"To extract a confession." Gu Jiao answered.

"Just one needle can make him confess?" Wang Xu was skeptical.

To avoid Wang Xu overthinking it and assuming she was manipulating the culprit’s confession, Gu Jiao didn’t explain that it was a hallucinogen.

Gu Jiao watched as the culprit, lying on the ground, gradually relaxed his previously tense body, and understood that he had entered a state of hallucination.

She couldn’t let him sink too deep into hallucination though, or he would completely lose connection with the outside world and wouldn’t hear anything.

Gu Jiao tapped his shoulder with the rolling pin and said seriously, "If you don’t want to suffer more, hurry up and tell me——who is the mastermind behind you?"

Gu Jiao had knocked him out earlier and waited for Wang Xu to arrive so that Wang Xu could personally hear the other party’s confession.

The person didn’t struggle much and confessed obediently.

However, the name he gave wasn’t the person Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing had in mind.

"Who is Li Ping?" Gu Jiao asked Wang Xu.

Wang Xu thought for a moment before saying, "He probably didn’t mean Ping, but imperial concubine(Pin), Imperial Concubine Li of the inner palace."

To confirm his guess, Wang Xu asked the other party a few more details about how Imperial Concubine Li had instructed him.

At this point, the person was in a dazed state and would speak without reservation about anything he remembered.

Based on his testimony, it was indeed Imperial Concubine Li from the imperial harem who had ordered him to assassinate Shangguan Yan.

As for why Imperial Concubine Li wanted Shangguan Yan dead, the culprit didn’t know. There was no prior connection between him and Imperial Concubine Li. It was just by chance that she had caught him in an illicit affair with a palace maid.

In Great Yan’s imperial palace, eunuchs and palace maids were forbidden to have romantic relationships, and being caught was a capital offense.

Using this as leverage, Imperial Concubine Li forced him to help her eliminate Shangguan Yan.

"Does Imperial Concubine Li have a grudge against Shangguan Yan?" Gu Jiao asked.

Wang Xu fell silent.

Imperial Concubine Li had only entered the imperial palace a few years ago, while Shangguan Yan had been imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum more than a decade ago. The two had no overlap whatsoever.

So, it was impossible for them to have any sort of grudge.

However, Wang Xu’s silence wasn’t due to this fact. It was because... Imperial Concubine Li was quite close to another imperial consort in the harem.

Gu Jiao looked at Wang Xu, "Who?"

Wang Xu’s expression grew heavy as he said, "Imperial Consort Wan."

Imperial Consort Wan, whose maiden name was Mu, was the legitimate daughter of Old Master Mu and the sister of Mu Qingchen’s mother.

Imperial Concubine Li, having no support in the imperial harem, had lived a difficult life at first. It was only after latching onto Imperial Consort Wan’s influence that she rose from a mere wardrobe palace maid to her current status as Imperial Concubine Li.

Gu Jiao was puzzled, "Then, does Imperial Consort Wan have a grudge against Shangguan Yan?"

"There was indeed a grudge." Wang Xu let out a sigh, "It happened when Shangguan Yan had just returned to Shengdu with the Eldest Imperial Grandson, who was barely a year old at the time. Imperial Consort Wan privately gossiped with the servants, questioning whether the child was an illegitimate one picked up from outside. Shangguan Yan, who was still the Crown Princess then, overheard it. She slapped Imperial Consort Wan and wasn’t satisfied with just that——she also punished her by making her kneel in the Imperial Garden as a warning to others. At that time, Imperial Consort Wan was still just a low-ranking imperial concubine, but it was humiliating nonetheless."

Gu Jiao rubbed her chin, "The Crown Princess had that much power?"

Wang Xu replied, "With Empress Xuanyuan and the Xuanyuan Family backing her, of course she had great power. Besides, she was the only legitimate daughter. After the Emperor and Empress, she was the most noble."

That sounded like the Xuanyuan Family’s way of doing things.

It seemed Shangguan Yan had indeed been very protective of Xiao Qing.

Gu Jiao said, "It’s pointless for us to keep guessing here. Whether Imperial Concubine Li was really acting under Imperial Consort Wan’s orders, we’ll have to ask Imperial Concubine Li directly."

Wang Xu nodded in agreement, "I’ll head into the imperial palace right away."

"Wait." Gu Jiao stopped him.

"Hmm?" Wang Xu was puzzled.

Gu Jiao pointed at his arm, "Your injury."

"Oh, this." Wang Xu had almost forgotten he was injured. Suddenly feeling a bit awkward, he cleared his throat and said, "It’s not a serious wound."

Despite his words, when Gu Jiao walked over with her first aid kit, he hesitated only slightly before holding out his arm.

Gu Jiao took out a cotton swab soaked in iodine from the kit, treated his wound, and stitched it up with three stitches.

Because of the anesthetic, it didn’t hurt at all.

Wang Xu looked at Gu Jiao with a complex expression, feeling a wave of gratitude, “Th-thank you.”

Gu Jiao held out her hand, “One tael of silver.”

Wang Xu: “…”

After handing over the silver, Wang Xu, with a dark expression, took the culprit back to the Commandery Office.

Watching the two figures walk away, Gu Changqing asked, “He’s really the culprit, right?”

He was referring to the head eunuch.

Gu Jiao replied, “Yes, I checked the back of his right hand, and it had the crescent-shaped scar Shangguan Yan mentioned.”

Shangguan Yan had briefly regained consciousness earlier, and Gu Jiao had taken the opportunity to ask her about the culprit. Shangguan Yan hadn’t clearly seen the other party’s face, but she had grabbed his hand and felt the scar on the back of it.

Gu Changqing’s eyes deepened, “So, it wasn’t Imperial Consort Han after all.”

Indeed, they had all thought that the mastermind behind this would surely be the Crown Prince’s mother.

……

Wang Xu took the culprit back to the Commandery Office, locked him in the prison, and hurried to report to the Emperor.

The Emperor ordered Zhang Dequan to bring Imperial Concubine Li over, but Zhang Dequan only brought back news, “Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Li hanged herself.”

After receiving the Emperor's permission, Wang Xu borrowed a very experienced coroner from the Ministry of Justice to carefully examine Imperial Concubine Li's body. It was confirmed that she had indeed committed suicide, rather than being strangled or killed and then hung up.

A crucial lead had suddenly been cut off.

Now that she was dead, the only option was to investigate her belongings and the people around her.

After an entire night of harsh interrogation, a young eunuch finally broke down and confessed that Imperial Concubine Li had once sent him to a bank to deposit a sum of silver banknotes, totaling three thousand taels.

Imperial Concubine Li’s annual salary was only three hundred taels, and even if she didn’t eat or drink for ten years, she still wouldn’t have been able to save that much. The problem was, she hadn’t even been in the imperial palace for ten years, and she had already spent quite a bit on tipping servants and paying respects to higher-ranking imperial concubines and consorts.

She was living on the edge herself, so where would she have gotten the extra money?

Imperial Consort Wan, who was close to Imperial Concubine Li, became the first suspect.

Imperial Consort Wan cried out in innocence, insisting she hadn’t given Imperial Concubine Li that money. But when the Emperor ordered a harsh interrogation of her palace maids and eunuchs, a young palace maid revealed the truth.

The money had indeed come from Imperial Consort Wan, exactly three thousand taels.

“Your Majesty——” Imperial Consort Wan knelt on the cold, hard floor, her tearful face reflected in the polished white marble.

The Emperor sat in his chair, with Wang Xu and Zhang Dequan standing on either side.

The Emperor's voice was stern as he said, "Will you confess on your own, or should Zhen order a thorough investigation into your accounts with the Mu Family?"

Raz P.'s Thoughts

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…