Chapter 348: The Secret of the Memorial Tablet
Chapter 348: Chapter 348: The Secret of the Memorial Tablet
More than a month of arduous, dusty travel had sharpened Xie Ming’an’s profile, making it more defined and handsome.
The Emperor quickly asked, "What is it?"
Xie Ming’an lowered his head. "When I investigated the fire, I found no signs of arson."
Shen Ningning frowned slightly as she listened.
’So, it wasn’t a malicious arson attack, but a genuine accident?’
Seeing the little one standing, Mo Lingwei worried she might get tired. He took her by the hand and led her to the crown prince chair to sit with him.
Xie Ming’an caught this from the corner of his eye, and his brow twitched.
He was about to tell Shen Ningning to get down, but to his surprise, the Emperor acted as if he hadn’t seen a thing, as though this was perfectly normal.
He even urged Xie Ming’an, "Continue. What did you find?"
Xie Ming’an looked away and cupped his hands. "I discovered that the sweet potato vines Mr. Zhang Liu was cultivating were not completely destroyed. One person managed to protect a vine and carefully preserve it."
"When I arrived, she took the initiative to present the sweet potato vine to me."
Shen Ningning’s dark, bright eyes twinkled. "This person... could it be Xie Yuanjiu?"
She’d had a feeling as soon as Xie Ming’an started speaking.
Earlier, Shen Ningning had heard from Second Master Xie that Xie Yuanjiu had left her ancestral home in Changzhou and gone to the neighboring province of Nanzhou.
She had been helping the poor along the way.
Xie Ming’an’s gaze was heavy as he nodded. "It was her."
The Emperor furrowed his brow in curiosity. "What was she doing there?"
"Coincidentally, on the day of the incident, she and Miss Jia of Nanzhou’s prominent Jia family were distributing congee to help the populace."
"When the fire broke out, they were the first to see the billowing smoke. They rushed over, but by the time they arrived, the blaze was too dangerous. My cousin, Xie Si, was only able to save one sweet potato vine from outside the warehouse—and it wasn’t even a particularly healthy one."
"Before I arrived, she didn’t know what to do with the vine. She was afraid someone would cause trouble for her, so she never dared to speak of it."
Shen Ningning’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Her expression was grave on her small, fair face.
’When it came to Xie Yuanjiu, she didn’t believe a single word.’
The little one had been deceived by Xie Yuanjiu too many times.
Besides, the whole affair was riddled with inconsistencies.
’It felt to Shen Ningning as if Xie Yuanjiu knew the court would send an imperial envoy.’
After a moment of silence, the Emperor couldn’t help but nod.
"She has unintentionally done a good deed."
Mo Lingwei knew Shen Ningning disliked her, so he naturally had nothing good to say about Xie Yuanjiu.
He scoffed. "What kind of good deed is that? It’s not like she saved the lives of Mr. Zhang Liu and his men."
"The men are dead. What does her handing a sweet potato vine over to the court prove?"
Xie Ming’an kept his head down, not saying a word, his thoughts unreadable.
But the Emperor shook his head and said gently to Mo Lingwei, "The child still did a good deed in the end."
Then, the Emperor looked at Xie Ming’an. "Since she is your cousin, you tell Us, what would be a suitable reward?"
Xie Ming’an was silent for a moment.
He said, "My cousin asked me to plead with Your Majesty. She implores you to allow her to return home to spend the New Year with Second Madam."
The Emperor was taken aback for a second before he understood.
"We had heard that she made a mistake, and that your father, Chancellor Xie, sent her back to your ancestral home to reflect on her actions."
Shen Ningning pressed her lips together and couldn’t help but ask, "Is that truly the only conclusion from this investigation?"
’This is simply absurd.’
Not a single clue about the fire had been found.
Instead, they found out Xie Yuanjiu did a supposed good deed, and now she was going to be brought back.
Xie Ming’an’s eyes were dark and deep as he looked at Shen Ningning. "For now, this is the only result."
Mo Lingwei said to the Emperor, "Father, Xie Si’s situation is ultimately an internal affair of the Xie Mansion. Even if you wish to reward her, you shouldn’t meddle in another family’s domestic issues."
The Emperor nodded thoughtfully.
He thought for a moment, then said, "Relay this news to Chancellor Xie. Let him be the one to decide."
Afterward, the Emperor kept Mo Lingwei behind to discuss state affairs, and said gently to Shen Ningning, "Ningning, we now have Dong Sanhua to oversee the cultivation of the sweet potato vines."
"Perhaps Mr. Zhang Liu in Nanzhou was simply too careless. Don’t be too upset about this, and certainly don’t blame yourself. We do not blame you."
"Alright, you should all go back and rest."
Mo Lingwei placed a Jade Token in Shen Ningning’s hand, telling her to come to the palace to find him tomorrow.
After that, Shen Ningning left the Imperial Study Room.
In the biting wind, the little one’s fair, rosy-cheeked face was etched with a somber gravity.
"Shen Ningning." Xie Ming’an called out, catching up to her from behind.
The little one pretended not to hear, walking all the way to her sedan chair.
"I have something to say to you!" Xie Ming’an exclaimed, pulling back the curtain. His sharp brows were tightly furrowed on his handsome, fair face.
Shen Ningning lifted her bright eyes to look at him. "Lord Xie, I’m truly disappointed that with all your skills, this is all you managed to find."
Xie Ming’an gritted his teeth, pushed aside the curtain, and squeezed right in.
The compartment, already small, was now so cramped that Shen Ningning’s small frame was pressed against the wall!
She furiously flailed her small fists, hitting him a couple of times. "Get out! You’re going to crush me!"
But Xie Ming’an simply scooped her up as if she were his little sister and sat her on his lap.
A palace maid peeked through the curtain, looking at them in confusion. "Commandery Princess, Lord Shaoqing, should... should I fetch a larger sedan chair?"
Xie Ming’an shook his head and ordered coldly, "No need. Just leave the palace."
His fair, slender hand clamped over Shen Ningning’s mouth, and the fuming little girl kicked her legs in protest.
Once the sedan chair was moving.
Xie Ming’an finally whispered in her ear, "Things aren’t as simple as I told the Emperor."
"I’ve made a major discovery. Mr. Zhang Liu might not be dead."
Shen Ningning immediately stopped struggling and looked up at him with wide, bright eyes.
Xie Ming’an let go.
With a somber expression, he said, "The first thing I did when I got to Nanzhou was examine the bodies."
Xie Ming’an had started as a forensic doctor. He could calmly determine the cause of death and identity of any corpse, whether it was burned to a crisp or bloated from being in the water.
"The fire burned down the entire granary used for cultivating the sweet potato vines. There were fourteen bodies inside. According to survivor testimonies, one of them had to be Mr. Zhang Liu."
"But after making inquiries, I learned that Mr. Zhang Liu had been missing the top joint of his right little finger since childhood. However, when I examined the remains, not a single one was missing that specific bone."
"Furthermore, I found an extremely narrow hole in a corner of the granary. There were black handprints around it. I suspect that after the fire started, Mr. Zhang Liu escaped through that hole."
Shen Ningning’s eyes flickered, her soft voice laced with confusion. "But why didn’t he show himself after the fire was put out?"
Xie Ming’an lowered his voice. "He didn’t dare."
"Mr. Zhang Liu must have sensed that someone was trying to kill him."
"That’s why I didn’t report the full truth to the Emperor immediately. I was afraid of tipping off our culprit."
"I may have returned, but I left men and informants behind."
"I also left a trail of clues for Mr. Zhang Liu. If he’s smart, he’ll know how to use them to get to the capital safely and find you."
Shen Ningning nodded.
The little one frowned again. "Cultivating the sweet potato vines was an order from Uncle Emperor himself."
"Mr. Zhang Liu and his men held considerable prestige in Nanzhou. The people knew they were growing a crop that could save the entire realm. No ordinary person would try to kill him just for money."
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the mind of the person pulling the strings was terrifying.
Xie Ming’an gently patted her little shoulder.
"Don’t worry. I’m investigating this, and I’ll be sure to get you an answer."
He said this as he lowered his gaze to look at the pensive Shen Ningning.
There was one other thing on Xie Ming’an’s mind.
On his way back, he had heard from a trusted subordinate that they had gotten to the bottom of another matter.
Shen Ningning’s parents were not the farmers they were claimed to be.
「At the same time.」
In the ancestral hall of the Xie Mansion.
Second Madam Xie was piously wiping the incense stand and the offering table.
She muttered under her breath, "Venerable ancestors, your unworthy daughter-in-law repents to you. Please quell your anger."
Just then, she accidentally knocked over the memorial tablet at the very end of the row.
With a loud CRACK, the tablet fell to the floor and shattered!
Second Madam Xie’s face went pale with fright.
Her first instinct was to look back toward the entrance.
’Please don’t let any servants see this, or I’m done for!’
Luckily, the doorway was empty.
Second Madam Xie quickly gathered the pieces of the tablet.
When she saw that it was just the nameless tablet Xie Suzhi had made for Shen Ningning’s supposed farmer parents, she breathed a sigh of relief.
’Thank goodness it wasn’t one of the Xie family ancestors!’
"I’ll find a chance to have a new one made. No one should notice... Huh? What’s this?"
Just as Second Madam Xie was about to gather the fragments, she saw a thin, inscribed board tucked inside a hidden compartment of the broken tablet.
She pulled it out, and her eyes widened in shock as she read it—
Spirit Tablet of My Beloved Wife, Shen Siyi
Second Madam Xie couldn’t believe her eyes.
This was the tablet Shen Ningning used to pay respects to her birth parents. Why was Shen Siyi’s name on it?
And hidden so deliberately, too.
’Could it be...?’
A possibility bloomed in Second Madam Xie’s mind. Her expression turned to one of utter shock as she clapped a hand over her mouth.
’Was Shen Ningning actually Shen Siyi’s long-lost daughter?’