Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Hearing that An was willing to die to return to the Marquisate, Xie Qingli was somewhat incredulous. She stared at An's slightly swollen face and asked coldly, "Xie Jingliang trampled on your dignity like that, and yet you still want to return to the Marquisate?! Why?"

An's body trembled slightly. She lowered her head and said self-deprecatingly, "You want to say that I'm willing to be degraded, right?"

Her eyes filled with tears, and she said hoarsely, "You don't know that in this world, a woman who is divorced and sent back to her parents' home can either find a nunnery to live out her remaining life with a green lamp and an ancient Buddha, or commit suicide by a white silk scarf or a cup of poisoned wine to avoid bringing shame to the family. But I don't want to live that kind of living dead life, and I don't want to die completely!"

An's tears silently fell, and she trembled as she said, "Xuan'er is gone, but Qi'er is still here. She is my only hope in this life, and I must protect her."

Hatred suddenly flashed in her eyes. "That An Hui is not a good person at all! She used to call me sister all the time, but on the day I returned home, she couldn't wait to recommend herself to the Marquis' Mansion, saying she wanted to atone for my sins and take care of Qi'er. It's really ridiculous!"

"And that bastard Xie Jingliang," An's voice was filled with resentment, and she gritted her teeth and said, "Even if I risk my life, I won't let him off easily!"

She suddenly looked up at Xie Qingli, narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are these reasons enough? Do you agree?"

Xie Qingli nodded gently and spoke slowly: "I promise to help you return to the Marquis' Mansion, but I can't guarantee that you will be able to return to being the glorious Second Madam."

An knew this was her only chance. She clenched her fists and said anxiously, "I understand. As long as I can return to the Marquis' Mansion with integrity, I'm willing to accept any position."

Chu Yuncang pulled a chair over and gently placed it behind Xie Qingli. Xie Qingli calmly sat down. She looked down at An and said in a deep voice, "Okay! Since you agree, then let's start sharing the secrets of the Xie family's money!"

An took a deep breath and revealed everything she knew. "I've been in charge of the Marquis' Mansion for many years, and I've long noticed some oddities in its accounts. Especially during my first year as housekeeper, I assumed the Mansion had no shops or property in Shengjing City, and that the only income was the Marquis's salary. I assumed the Mansion would be struggling financially, and I needed to be frugal."

"But when I checked the accounts of the Marquis' Mansion, I was shocked by the huge balance. After much thought, the only possibility was that the Jiang family had helped the Marquis' Mansion. But if that was the case, my mother-in-law should let my eldest sister-in-law take charge of the household!"

"It was around the end of that year, on a snowy day, the housekeeper came hurriedly to report that a group of people had arrived from my hometown in Qingzhou. I thought they were some poor relatives begging for food, so I went to meet them. The leader introduced himself as Xie Lao San, a member of a branch of the Xie family in Qingzhou. He said that he had come specially to deliver two carts of New Year's goods to the Marquis' Mansion at the behest of the clan elders."

"I was grateful for their sincerity and immediately sent people to unload the goods. However, Xie Lao San refused to do so and insisted on seeing either the Marquis or my mother-in-law before agreeing to do so. I was furious. Just as Xie Lao San and I were at a stalemate, the Marquis hurried over. He immediately sent me to Songhe Hall and had a private conversation with Xie Lao San for half an hour."

"My mother-in-law was also very surprised that day. As soon as I stepped into Songhe Hall, she scolded me. She angrily accused me of disrespecting my relatives in Qingzhou and forbade me to see them again."

"The group hurried back to Qingzhou the next day. The Marquis summoned the accountant to the mansion for half a day. Later, I discovered that a large sum of money had suddenly appeared in the official account. I summoned the accountant to question him, and he only said that the shop in Qingzhou had made money. But I know very well that when my mother-in-law brought her family to the capital, she sold all her belongings in Qingzhou and didn't keep any shop at all."

"Later, the Marquis opened a few shops in Shengjing City, selling ordinary items. He didn't make a profit on weekdays, but at the end of each year, he would bring in a large sum of money. Of course, people from Qingzhou would send New Year's goods every year."

Xie Qingli frowned, puzzled, "So the Marquisate isn't short of money because Qingzhou sends a large sum of money every year at the end of the year. But where does Qingzhou get this money from?"

An curled her lips, her face full of disdain. She said coldly, "My mother-in-law and the Marquis are so wary of me, it must be money that came from an illicit source."

She seemed to have thought of something, and a look of anger suddenly appeared on her face. "I once tried to test Xie Jingliang indirectly, but he said that his eldest brother was a decent person and told me not to speculate. Now that I think about it, maybe Xie Jingliang also knows about it. We are husband and wife and are one, but he was already on guard against me at that time, what a bastard!"

"Are there any other suspicious points?" Xie Qingli became more and more agitated when he saw An turning to Xie Jingliang again, and he quickly changed the subject.

An shook her head helplessly. "The servants in the mansion all did the shopping after arriving in Shengjing City, and Xie Jingliang never took me back to Qingzhou. Although I'm full of suspicion, I have no way to investigate."

Xie Qingli nodded slightly and said lightly: "Okay, I will investigate the rest of the things." She quickly stood up, looked at Chu Yuncang, and the two of them flashed out of the room like ghosts.

"Don't forget what you promised me..." An called out to the two of them anxiously, but before she could finish her words, they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The room was silent, as if everything that had just happened was just a dream of An's. Only the chair in the middle of the room proved that everything was real.

Over there, Xie Qingli and Chu Yuncang left the An Mansion and quickly returned to Li'an Garden. As soon as they stepped into the door, Xie Qingli couldn't wait to ask, "Your Highness, where do you think the Xie family's money comes from?"

Chu Yuncang sat down at the table and casually poured two cups of hot tea. He put one of them into Xie Qingli's hands before saying gently, "If what An said is true, then the silver must have been obtained by doing something shady. I guess it might be something that the court has expressly forbidden."

He paused slightly, his brow furrowed. "Although Qingzhou isn't big, it's a crucial hub for the Dongling Canal. Countless cargo and merchant ships pass through here every day, so there's a lot that can be done here..."

Xie Qingli nodded solemnly. She said in a deep voice, "This is a serious matter. We need to send someone to Qingzhou to investigate immediately."

Chu Yuncang smiled gently and said softly, "Don't worry, Li'er. I will send someone to investigate the Qingzhou incident tomorrow..."

……

The next day, Yaofang Pavilion.

Today is the day when the Third Prince invites Xie Qingyao to visit Emerald Lake. As soon as the sky was getting light, Xiao Tao and the other four maids started to get busy.

Xie Qingyao sat in front of the bronze mirror, carefully examining herself. Recently, Aunt Hua had disappeared, her grandmother had fallen ill, and she had been severely beaten by An. These successive blows had left her haggard and anxious.

She gently stroked the scar on her forehead, which was the mark left by An's beating yesterday. Anger and unwillingness were revealed in her eyes. If An, that bitch, had not been driven out of the Marquis' Mansion by her second uncle, she would have made An pay.

Xie Qingyao took out the bottle of Ningxiang Shuhai Cream that the princess had given to Xie Qingman as compensation and carefully applied it to the scar on her forehead. No matter what, today, she would definitely grasp the lifeline of the Third Prince...