The Ace Bigshot Becomes A Farmgirl

Chapter 1530: Chapter 1530: All Fingers Point to Qiuju

Oh?

The eyes of the crowd suddenly fell on Qiuju.

Old Lady Jiang was eager to clear herself of suspicion, and naturally, she blurted out everything that could exonerate her.

She pointed at Qiuju and said, ”When I was cooking, Concubine Qiu came in and said that I should use less salt. I told her that Old Master Chen had a heavy taste and liked strong flavors. But Concubine Qiu insisted that Old Master Chen was getting old and should eat lighter meals, as the doctor advised. Indeed, Old Master Chen had visited a doctor during the day, and I thought it might have been the wish of both the Young Master and the Lord. For the sake of Old Master Chen’s health, I followed the doctor’s advice and used less salt, especially in the dishes he liked, which I made particularly light.”

Little did she know that by using less salt while cooking, she’d get entangled in this mess, almost being tagged as a murderer.

Old Lady Jiang continued, ”Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival. After I had finished cooking, I went home early to celebrate with my family. I even told Concubine Qiu, and she didn’t object, so I left. Later, whether Old Master Chen liked the dishes or how much he ate, I truly don’t know. My Lord, Old Master Chen’s death really has nothing to do with me.”

Lord Xie waved his hand, ”Alright, I understand. You can be quiet now.”

Old Lady Jiang closed her mouth, shrank her head, and knelt aside.

Lord Xie turned back to Qiuju. Just as she was about to explain, he looked at Scholar Chen instead, ”Did Chen Ji really visit the doctor, as Old Lady Jiang said, and was advised to eat lightly?”

Scholar Chen furrowed his brows and slowly shook his head, ”My father accidentally bumped his leg yesterday morning and did visit the clinic, but it was just to apply some medicine. The doctor didn’t advise him to eat lightly...”

As he spoke, he seemed to slowly realize something, looking incredulously at Qiuju.

Qiuju quickly said, ”At that time, you had gone to fetch medicine for father and didn’t hear what the doctor said afterwards. The doctor did indeed advise eating lightly.”

Scholar Chen instantly choked up, unable to speak. This seemed plausible as well.

Shu Yu noticed that Qiuju was a bit flustered and smiled at Lord Xie, ”My Lord, may I ask them a few more questions?”

”Of course.”

”Qiuju, are you sure the doctor really said that?”

”I’m certain.”

Shu Yu nodded and asked Scholar Chen, ”Who is the doctor that treated Chen Ji? Can we invite him here?”

Scholar Chen gave the name of the clinic and the doctor, and Lord Xie immediately sent someone to fetch him.

During the waiting interval, Shu Yu asked Kong Zhiyou, ”When did you hear Chen Ji say he would go out to see the lanterns last night?”

Kong Zhiyou responded, ”The day before yesterday, in the afternoon. My father-in-law instructed Dongmei to keep an eye on the house, saying he would go out with my husband and Concubine Qiu on the Mid-Autumn night.”

Shu Yu smiled and said, ”He planned to go out the day before yesterday, but yesterday morning he suddenly injured his leg, preventing him from going out.” She looked at Scholar Chen, ”How did Chen Ji injure his leg?”

Scholar Chen thought for a moment, his expression turning increasingly grim, and he gritted his teeth a little, ”Yesterday morning, Concubine Qiu accidentally spilled tea on the floor. My father slipped when he passed by, stumbled a few steps, and bumped into the pillar in front.”

At this point, what wasn’t clear to the crowd?

All those who were originally accusing Kong Zhiyou of being an unfilial daughter-in-law were now whispering among themselves, pointing at Concubine Qiu.