Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: The Bastard of the Pei Family

Shen Qiuci, leaning against Pei Yuanzhou’s chest, opened her eyes slightly, her gaze blurry from intoxication. As he watched Pei Chengyun get closer, he noticed that Pei Yuanzhou’s heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.

Pei Chengyun stopped in front of them and smiled at Pei Yuanzhou, “It’s been a while, brother. I hope you’re doing well.”

Pei Yuanzhou’s expression stiffened, and after a moment of stunned silence, he retorted angrily, “The Pei family doesn’t recognize you as a member! I’m not your brother, and don’t try to claim kinship with me!”

Their brief exchange drew the attention of the onlookers. Just as the situation was becoming awkward, Prefect Liu hurried over and bowed, “Minister Pei, you’re three days earlier than expected. What brings you to the capital?”

Pei Chengyun replied casually, “The Emperor is impatient, and I couldn’t afford to delay even for a moment.”

Prefect Liu had known that the new Minister of the Court of Justice would arrive in the next few days. The Emperor’s urgency was due to the unresolved case of the murderer in the capital, and Prefect Liu’s inability to provide a satisfactory answer had displeased the Emperor. Consequently, the Emperor had instructed Prefect Liu to hand over the case entirely to the Court of Justice.

“I am incompetent and have disappointed the Emperor. Now that the Emperor has instructed you to take full responsibility for this case, I will cooperate fully with Minister Pei to help capture the murderer as soon as possible.”

Pei Chengyun returned the bow and said, “In that case, I would appreciate it if Prefect Liu could have all the case files sent to the Court of Justice as soon as possible.”

With that, Pei Chengyun strode towards the inner courtyard to examine Lu Yan’s corpse.

“F*ck him!” Pei Yuanzhou spat at his departing back, “He’s a bastard. I don’t know what the Emperor was thinking, giving him such a high position?”

Prefect Liu hurriedly said, “Young Master, you can’t speak like that. Minister Pei has solved many difficult cases in Yunzhou and was appointed by the Emperor as the new Minister of the Court of Justice. He’s entrusted with great hopes. If your words get to the wrong ears, it might seem like you’re questioning the Emperor’s judgment.”

One sentence was enough to silence Pei Yuanzhou.

Several small rooms were set aside in the main hall of the Minister’s mansion, and the clerks of the Court of Justice were taking statements from the guests one by one, asking where they were during the incident and if they had heard or noticed anything unusual.

When Pei Yuanzhou was called to be questioned, he entrusted the heavily intoxicated Shen Qiuci to Madam Ning’s care.

Shen Qiuci leaned on the table, quietly listening to the discussions around her. Madam Ning draped a cloak over her shoulders and asked Ning Baichuan, “I’m a bit confused. I thought the Danyang Marquis’s mansion only had one son, Pei Yuanzhou. When did he get a brother?”

Ning Baichuan explained, “It should be the child of a concubine the old Duke took in. You were away from the capital for a while, so you might not know the details. The old Duke fell in love with an embroiderer from an embroidery shop and brought her into the mansion as a noble concubine. She gave birth to a child within a year of entering the mansion. Although Pei Chengyun is three years younger than Pei Yuanzhou, he started his education very early and was favored by the old Duke. By the age of five, his knowledge already surpassed Pei Yuanzhou’s.”

“But just when Pei Chengyun was six years old, the old madam Pei suddenly produced evidence, accusing the embroiderer of being pregnant before she entered the mansion, and Pei Chengyun was not the biological son of the old Duke.

This incident was once a big scandal in the capital, and even I, who was young at the time, heard about it. In the end, the old Duke and Pei Chengyun underwent a blood test to verify their relationship, and since their blood didn’t match, the old Duke felt humiliated and, in a fit of anger, kicked the concubine and Pei Chengyun out of the mansion.”

Madam Ning sighed after hearing this, “That family of theirs seems like a century-old noble family, a model of propriety, but behind the scenes, it’s all dirty and messy. However, according to what my husband said, Minister Pei is quite capable. Being kicked out of the mansion wasn’t exactly honorable, yet he was still appointed by the Emperor as the Minister of the Court of Justice at a young age?”

Ning Baichuan said, “I’ve also heard about the incidents in Yunzhou. That place has always been known as a lawless frontier, with frequent cases of robbery and murder due to incompetent officials. Pei Chengyun went there and solved all the murder cases within ten days, uncovering the corruption and collusion between officials and bandits, and cleansing the area of corrupt practices. The Emperor has praised him several times during court meetings, so it’s no surprise that he’s been promoted to Minister of the Court of Justice.”

Shen Qiuci listened to their discussion and got a rough idea of Pei Chengyun’s background. He seemed like a difficult person to deal with.

The Court of Justice was efficient in questioning the guests. Within half an hour, they had investigated over a hundred guests. During the incident, most of the guests were watching the play or listening to music in the courtyard, and those who had stepped away, like Madam Ning, were also within the courtyard and had witnesses.

The guests present were mostly high-ranking officials in the court, and they weren’t known for their patience. After cooperating with the Court of Justice’s investigation and seeing no results, they couldn’t help but complain when they saw Pei Chengyun return, “You’ve asked all your questions, and now you’re still stumped? The people here today are all close friends of the Lu family or high-ranking officials and their relatives. Who could commit such a heinous act?”

“I think the murderer must have snuck in during the chaos. After all, he’s incredibly skilled, having committed crimes in front of many people without leaving any clues…”

“I advise Minister Pei not to waste his time on us. Maybe the culprit has already escaped!”

Facing everyone’s criticism, Pei Chengyun bowed and said, “Thank you, gentlemen, for your patience. The questioning is over, and you may leave now.”

The crowd dispersed, grumbling, and Pei Yuanzhou also planned to escort Shen Qiuci back to the mansion. However, as he stood up, he was stopped by Pei Chengyun.

“Elder brother, wait,” Pei Chengyun said.

Pei Yuanzhou asked irritably, “What trick are you trying to play now?”

Pei Chengyun smiled and said, “Everyone present has been investigated, but one person still has suspicion.” As he spoke, he placed his hand on Shen Qiuci’s shoulder.

“Absurd!” Pei Yuanzhou brushed off Pei Chengyun’s hand.
“She’s just a delicate woman who’s drunk, do you think she’s capable of killing Lu Yan?”

Pei Chengyun said firmly, “When Lu Yan disappeared, my sister-in-law was also not present at the scene. I just asked, and no one in the mansion knows where she went at that time.”

Madam Ning chimed in, “Didn’t I tell you? The Pei family’s Madam got drunk and passed out behind the rockery.”

“Oh?” Pei Chengyun’s eyes sharpened as he looked at her. “Can Madam Ning guarantee that during the time my sister-in-law was away from the scene until you found her, she didn’t go to Lu Yan’s room?”

Madam Ning was taken aback and couldn’t respond.

Pei Yuanzhou angrily said, “Even if you want to ask questions, you should wait until my wife is sober. What can you get out of her when she’s in this state?”

“Don’t worry about this, Elder brother,” Pei Chengyun said with a wicked smile.
“I have ways to make my sister-in-law wake up in front of me.” With that, he closed his folding fan and pushed Pei Yuanzhou’s hand away from Shen Qiuci’s waist.
Then, he pulled her limp body into his arms.