"I'm not being sarcastic. You really are," Xu Maozhi scolded as he straightened his clothes. "Confucius said, 'Women and small - minded men are difficult to deal with.' How true it is!"
"You shouldn't look down on women," Ran Ran said angrily. "Isn't your mother a woman? Aren't your wife and daughter women? Could there be you without women?"
Yi Qing was highly amused. Seeing Xu Maozhi's face turn red with anger from being retorted, she couldn't help asking Ran Ran with a smile, "How did you figure out that this elder brother isn't Lord Xu?"
"Lord Xu has a dark face. He? He's even fairer than me. He should be called a pretty boy, no, an old pretty boy," Ran Ran replied.
This silly girl had taken the descriptions of Xu Maozhi from the opera troupe and the folk storytellers seriously and thought he was extremely dark - faced.
Yi Qing laughed heartily and said, "Lord Xu, this must be the first time in your life that you've been complimented on your good looks."
"Where did she compliment me?"
"Pretty boy!" Yi Qing said. "Only those who can make a living by their looks can be called pretty boys!"
Xu Maozhi's face darkened.
Ran Ran was stunned. She looked at him and then at Yi Qing. "Sister - in - law, is he really Lord Xu?"
"He should be the one you've heard of," Yi Qing nodded with a smile. "But ignorance excuses no one, right, Lord Xu?"
Xu Maozhi looked proud and didn't even glance at Ran Ran again. "Madam, I still have some things I'd like to confirm with you. Please excuse the irrelevant people first."
"Hey, how can you talk like that? Who's the irrelevant person?" Ran Ran put her hands on her hips.
Anyway, she just couldn't believe that the person in front of her was her idol, so she retorted first.
Xu Maozhi squinted at her and sized her up. "You keep calling Madam Yi sister - in - law, so you're a family member of General Xiao? I've heard that the people in the Xiao family have little contact with General Xiao. Which branch are you from?"
Yi Qing was alarmed, but the smile on her face remained unchanged. "Lord Xu, don't forget that the person in front of you now is Doctor Yi, not some general's wife. I'm just an ordinary woman. She's a neighbor who brought her mother here to see a doctor. We got familiar with each other after coming and going, and it's natural for her to call me sister - in - law. What's wrong with that? If this address is inappropriate, what do you think would be appropriate, Lord Xu?"
Xu Maozhi was definitely a very meticulous person. If he caught any clue, he could follow it up.
Mrs. Fan was a bit flustered. She stood up and pulled Ran Ran. "Madam, since you and this lord still have business, we won't bother you anymore. Ran Ran, why don't you apologize to Lord Xu?"
Ran Ran reluctantly bowed briefly, but her eyes looking at Xu Maozhi were full of resentment.
Xu Maozhi thought that women were more fearsome than tigers. It was better for him to keep his distance from them in the future!
Mrs. Fan quickly led Ran Ran away.
Xu Maozhi looked at the swaying cotton curtain and mused, "Why do I feel that that woman was very flustered, as if she was deliberately avoiding me?"
Yi Qing said calmly, "Lord Xu is well - known far and wide. The folk rumors say that you can communicate with ghosts and gods. Who among ordinary people wouldn't be afraid when seeing you?"
"Madam, you're wrong. That girl just hit me, didn't she?"
Yi Qing lied without batting an eyelid. "She was exorcising ghosts."
Xu Maozhi: "..."
He thought he had been quite kind to Yi Qing! Although his investigation had started in the wrong direction at first and his judgment of her had been a bit extreme, he had corrected it quickly later, hadn't he?
He thought it was necessary to talk to Yi Qing further about this issue.
He said, "Madam, after I found out that it was Ping Xinian who was responsible for the matters in your mansion, I submitted a memorial to the emperor asking for severe punishment..."
The implication was that he had really helped her.
Yi Qing lazily lifted her eyelids and gave him a half - smiling look. "So did Ping Xinian receive any punishment later? Wasn't she still going to be Xiao Jinghan's second wife in a grand manner? So I don't know whether Lord Xu submitted a memorial or not, but the result is clearly right here!"
Xu Maozhi sighed. "After the truth is found out, the rest is up to the emperor's decision."
He also thought the emperor's handling was rather odd, but he had already argued his case and failed.
"Isn't Lord Xu supposed to uphold justice and never give up even if facing death?"
Xu Maozhi was so retorted that he didn't know what to say. His face flushed even redder.
After a while, he decided to ignore it and directly started another topic, which was also the main purpose of his visit today.
He said, "Madam, if I say that I suspect there's something fishy about General Xiao's death, what do you think?"
After asking this question, he stared at Yi Qing intently with a scrutinizing look, not wanting to miss any of her reactions.
Yi Qing said, "What do I think? Of course, I'll look with my eyes to see what evidence Lord Xu can present. You've mentioned this matter before. It's an old story. May I ask, Lord Xu, did you bring evidence for me to see today?"
Xu Maozhi: "… No. I'm here to ask for your help."
He originally thought that he would first create a sense of mystery, then reason with her and appeal to her emotions, making Yi Qing miss Xiao Jinghan, and then she would naturally help him investigate the case.
Who would have thought that Yi Qing didn't take the bait at all.
Did she really have no feelings for Xiao Jinghan?
"No," Yi Qing immediately gave an accurate answer after hearing his mutter.
"Our marriage was just an accident. We have a child but no feelings. So if you want to suspect someone, don't forget to suspect me. Don't just target Xiao Tian."
Xu Maozhi felt a bit headache.
He hadn't even mentioned Xiao Tian yet, but Yi Qing brought it up first.
"Madam, the evidence you want, I'm not unable to provide it. It just takes some time."
"Okay, I'll give you time," Yi Qing said. "One year, three years, five years. As long as it's within my lifetime."
She didn't think there was any problem with Xiao Jinghan's death at all, so she didn't need any evidence; she just used the evidence to shut Xu Maozhi up.
"It won't take that long," Xu Maozhi said. "As long as Madam agrees to one thing, the truth will surely come to light in as short as three to five days or as long as ten to fifteen days!"
Yi Qing didn't want to talk to him at all, but she knew how persistent Xu Maozhi was in investigating cases.
"Lord Xu, please tell me first. Let's get this straight. If it's something I can't do, please don't force me."
Xu Maozhi didn't play by the rules. Yi Qing had a hunch that after all this beating around the bush, it wouldn't be a small matter.
But she never expected it to be such a big thing!
Xu Maozhi took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, placed it on the table and flattened it. "Madam, you just need to sign your name on this to confirm."
Yi Qing frowned, picked up the paper, glanced at it and then put it down.
Xu Maozhi was surprised. "Madam, you've finished reading it."
Yi Qing nodded. "Yes, I have."
Apart from some archaic words and punctuation marks, the only character she could recognize was the character "Xiao". How could she not read it quickly?
"So Madam, do you agree?" Xu Maozhi's heart was in his throat.