Who Cares About Being the Matriarch? My Rebellious Husband Secured Me a Noble Rank! - Chapter 41

The Marchioness’s expression froze, her boiling anger faltering for a moment. “What do you mean by that? What does this have to do with the Magistrate’s Office?”

Chi Yan gestured with a flick of his fingers, and Balian released his grip. Steward Wang dropped to his knees with a thud, his face growing increasingly uneasy.

That look alone was enough to send a wave of dread through the Marchioness. What had this fool done behind her back?

She had yet to grasp the full severity of the situation, so she kept her composure—barely.

Chi Yan let out a slow, mocking chuckle. “Today, this junior accompanied the Marchioness to Putuo Temple to offer incense. But on the way back, we were ambushed by bandits. According to them, someone paid for a hit—my wife was the target. Tell me, Marchioness, can you guess who ordered the hit?”

Steward Wang’s eyes bulged in disbelief as he stared at Chi Yan.

Yes, he had paid off some street thugs—but only to scare Shen Tangning, maybe rough her up a little, not to kill her!

The Marchioness’s heart flipped violently in her chest. She shot a horrified glare at Wang. How dare he?! This imbecile had dared to pull something like this behind her back—and now someone had the evidence to prove it?

Fool! Utterly brainless!

Chi Yan’s smirk deepened. “That’s right. It was Steward Wang.”

“Second Young Master, you’re slandering me!” Wang immediately cried, refusing to admit guilt. He had no clue what went wrong, but if the accusation stuck, even the Marchioness wouldn’t be able to protect him.

“I, Wang Fu, swear on my life—I would never do such a thing! Please, Marchioness, see the truth and grant me justice!”

He wore the mask of the wronged, convinced that Chi Yan was simply exaggerating the truth.

Just as he was about to let loose a heartfelt cry, someone else dropped to their knees—Nanny Qin.

Tears streamed from her eyes as she sobbed out, “My lady was attacked by those criminals and is still bedridden. If the Marchioness doesn’t believe me, she may go see for herself!”

Her voice choked with grief, but her words were razor-sharp. “Would my lady go so far as to use her own body to falsely accuse a steward? I, too, find this situation strange. How would a lowly servant dare harm his master unless someone was pulling the strings behind him?”

Nanny Qin bowed her head and slammed it against the floor. “I beg the Marchioness to thoroughly investigate this matter and give my lady justice!”

“You—!” The Marchioness’s face alternated between red and pale from anger.

This brazen maid!

Was she insinuating she had ordered the steward to act?

That baseless accusation made the Marchioness’s face turn green with fury.

If she had actually done it, fine—but she had no clue about any of this!

Grinding her teeth, she suddenly regained calm. “Fine! Chi Yan, you say Steward Wang did this—do you have proof? Where are the bandits? Bring them here. Let them testify!”

Chi Yan hesitated slightly, looking troubled. “They’re dead.”

“Dead?” The Marchioness narrowed her eyes, suspicious. “So, there’s no testimony now? No witnesses? Then surely you must have some evidence. You can’t just throw around accusations without proof.”

She smoothed her sleeves; her voice tinged with arrogant disdain. “Yan-ge’er, I say this for your own good. You’ve acted recklessly. If the authorities conducted investigations the way you do, there’d be no end to wrongful convictions!”

Wang clung to her words like a drowning man to driftwood. He straightened up slightly, regaining a sliver of confidence. “Second Young Master, if those men are dead, how could they testify? If Your Lordship has something against me, what chance do I have to prove my innocence?”

Chi Yan met the Marchioness’s gaze, his own dark and unreadable. She was still the same—aloof, proud, convinced she had the upper hand.

But things had changed.

Who said he was still the same pushover from before?

“You’re right,” Chi Yan said with a faint laugh. “I should’ve come better prepared. Evidence is everything, after all.”

The Marchioness frowned. There was something in his tone that made her feel strangely uneasy.

Chi Yan rubbed his temple, raising an eyebrow with a lopsided smile. “As for a witness… we do have one. It’s just… I may not be qualified to invite her myself.”

A flicker of doubt passed through the Marchioness’s eyes. “Who is it?”

He calmly replied, “Her Highness, Princess Jianing.”

The moment the name left his lips; the Marchioness’s mind went blank. Her body wavered.

“Who did you say?”

“The Princess,” Chi Yan said slowly. “My wife and I only made it out alive thanks to her timely help.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a servant burst into the courtyard in a panic. “Bad news, Marchioness! The Marquis has returned!”

The Marchioness blinked, irritation rising. “Fool! Why the panic over that?”

The servant stammered, “B-but he’s not alone… Lord Liu of the Magistrate’s Office came with him!”

“…What did you say?” Her expression changed at once.

She shot to her feet, teeth clenched. “Why didn’t you say so sooner, you imbecile?!”

Chi Yan watched the Marchioness storm off with amusement curling at his lips.

Say what you will—Shen Tangning truly had the foresight of a seer.

—

Back in the carriage on the way home, Chi Yan had voiced his doubts. “Those thugs are all dead. How are we supposed to prove Steward Wang was behind it?”

Shen Tangning’s lashes lowered, casting a soft shadow beneath her eyes. “There will be someone to testify for us.”

Chi Yan perked up. “You mean… the Princess? She doesn’t seem the type to get involved.”

From what he’d heard, the Princess was a strange one—not known for her warmth or generosity.

Sure, she’d sent people to look for Shen Tangning, but only because it happened under her nose. She likely didn’t want to be dragged into trouble.

But Shen Tangning’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “We couldn’t recognize the Third Prince’s elite guards, but the Princess might. What do you think she’ll do?”

Chi Yan thought carefully.

“If word gets out… it’ll disgrace the royal family. For the sake of appearance and her own reputation—she’ll want this dealt with quietly. Which means…”

“She’ll need someone to take the fall,” Shen Tangning said approvingly. “Even if we don’t ask, she’ll step in herself.”

Steward Wang was nothing but a disposable pawn. Whether he lived or died hardly mattered.

Unfortunately for him—but hardly innocent.

The moment he set his sights on Shen Tangning, he was destined to die.

—

Snapping back to the present, Chi Yan felt a pang of admiration.

Dealing with a clever woman was… exhausting.

—

Over in the main hall, the Marchioness hurried to greet the newcomers. “My Lord, Lord Liu.”

One look at the stormy face of the Marquis of Ningyuan told her things were bad.

“Your Ladyship,” Lord Liu greeted formally.

The Marchioness forced a strained smile. “Lord Liu, such an unexpected visit. Why didn’t you send word in advance?”

After all, who wanted a magistrate knocking on their door?

Lord Liu gave a small cough and said frankly, “To be honest, I’ve come regarding a certain… case.”