Chapter 544: Which Is Lighter, Which Is Heavier?

Gu Jiu Ling made a gesture, and another maid was grabbed by the arm and brought before Gu Jiu Ling.

The maid fell to her knees with a thud, her whole body trembling.

This maid was the one present when Jinzhi miscarried, a second-rank maid serving in Jinzhi's room.

"Speak! How did your young mistress fall back then?"

The maid trembled with fear: "In reply to the Princess Consort, my master that day was playing with the cat kept in the elder miss's courtyard, when the elder miss accidentally hurt the cat's tail and the cat lunged and bit her."

"The young mistress and the elder miss were both frightened; the young mistress tried to shield the elder miss, while the elder miss tried to avoid the cat, and they collided."

"Besides, the cat also rushed over, and both mother and daughter fell down!"

Gu Jiu Ling's brows furrowed tightly; earlier Chen Yiyi hadn't said that, claiming that this child Ru Yue was immature and mischievous, bumping into Jinzhi, which caused Jinzhi to fall and miscarry prematurely.

"Who usually looks after the elder miss's clothing?"

Gu Jiu Ling's voice was deep and cold.

A trembling middle-aged woman hurriedly stepped forward, kneeling and kowtowing, already scared out of her wits, not knowing what to do.

"It… it was the servant who managed it…"

"Bring the clothing the elder miss was wearing on the day of the incident!"

Gu Jiu Ling stared at her intently, already having formed a suspicion and a plan.

The woman's body went rigid, not daring to lift her head.

"I… I reply to the Princess Consort! That day's clothing… clothing… got dirty, so the servant took it to wash."

With a crash! Gu Jiu Ling seized the teacup and hurled it at the servant grandma's forehead.

Zhao Lang's eyes flickered slightly, and he coldly said: "Take her away and beat her!"

The guards on both sides stepped forward, seized the servant grandma and headed down the steps, raising their hands to administer a beating.

As the blows landed, the servant woman could only draw in breath, unable to exhale, and she began to wail miserably, unable to endure.

"Master! I'll speak! I'll speak!"

"Bring her back!" Zhao Lang said coldly.

The servant woman, beaten until her body was covered in blood, was dragged back before Gu Jiu Ling, knowing she could not withstand today.

If she still refused to tell the truth, she would likely be beaten to death.

She quickly looked at Gu Jiu Ling and wept: "The elder miss gave me silver to directly scatter Five Stone Powder on the elder miss's outer garment; the cat smelled it, went mad, and thus knocked down the young mistress."

"I, a lowly servant, would never dare to do such a thing on my own; it was all the elder miss's doing!"

Gu Jiu Ling was practically laughing in anger at these scheming servants, as if they truly thought she was nothing, or that the masters of the Zhao family were all fools.

Such vile and clumsy tactics could be employed, yet in this world the more vile and clumsy they are, the more obvious their effect.

Gu Jiu Ling slowly rose, picked up a packet of Five Stone Powder, opened it, and let a little of the powder fall onto her clothing.

Immediately she bent down, opened the cage holding the cat, which lunged out and leapt straight at Gu Jiu Ling, but she seized the skin on its neck in one grip.

The cat, already frantic, scratched and bit, yet could not reach Gu Jiu Ling's body.

Hearing the cat's scratching and biting, little Ru Yue burst into tears again, and Yun Duo directly carried her back to the rear courtyard.

Gu Jiu Ling looked at Qiao Songyue and smiled faintly: "Sir Qiao, the matter is just as such; how this case should be investigated is up to you."

"Both human and material evidence are present; investigate however you see fit!"

Qiao Songyue's face was no better; he hadn't expected the General's manor to produce so many wicked servants—such scoundrels would have been beaten to death long ago in any other prominent clan, so why keep them?

"Princess Consort, rest assured; this humble official will handle the matter impartially and show no leniency!"

As Sir Qiao spoke those words, he slightly turned his face toward the An family members, who were already stunned on the side.

At that moment, Old Lady An was trembling all over from fright, not knowing what to do.

She hurried forward a step, intending to block her granddaughter, but was pushed aside by the constables Sir Qiao had brought.

An Chengren and An Chenggui quickly steadied their mother.

"Chengren, Chenggui, you two had better think of a solution! Quickly think of a solution!" Madam An stared in disbelief, then grabbed both her brothers' hands and burst into tears.

"You are also court-appointed officials; think of a solution! Don't let Sir Qiao take Yiyi away!"

Madam An's cheeks flushed red with anxiety.

An Chengren also had no idea this time, and hurriedly looked to his brother.

The younger brother had always been the mainstay of the An family.

"Second brother! Look at this……"

An Chenggui's face turned bluish with anger; he too harbored ambitions, yet was saddled with such a short-sighted family.

Originally, Jinzhi as the eldest legitimate daughter of the An family, the An family only needed to curry favor with the General's lady, and opportunities would abound.

This time, however, they were ruined by a group of vicious and extremely foolish inner-household women.

At that moment, An Chenggui's heart felt as if it were being roasted over a fire; his whole body trembled with rage, not even bothering about brotherly ties, he turned away and coldly stared at An Chengren, whispering: "Brother, can you still not see where the crux of the problem lies?"

"Now, Chen Yiyi wants to kill the General's lady, and even spare neither of the General's two children—do you say he can still live?"

"Can the An family still protect this woman? If we must protect her, then fine—you and I will remove our official caps, wash clean the necks of our whole family, and wait for General Zhao to come and cut them off; what else do you ask me to do?"

"This……"

An Chengren's face instantly turned ashen, and he again looked toward his mother, who was wailing bitterly.

An Chenggui flung his sleeve and glared fiercely at his mother: "Those women are truly not presentable; go tell mother whether to choose the An family or her granddaughter—she can decide for herself."

Having said that, An Chenggui turned and strode big steps toward the gate of the Zhao household.

He actually understood a principle: today Gu Jiu Ling only arrested Chen Yiyi and did not punish the An family, still out of consideration for Jinzhi's face.

Considering the last time he spoke up for Jinzhi, after this uproar the goodwill between the Princess Consort of Rui and the An family is likely exhausted.

An Chengren watched An Chenggui stride away, and was instantly at a loss.

An Chengren steeled himself and walked to the still-wailing Old Lady An, lowering his voice: "Second brother said, choose between your granddaughter and your two sons."

"If you insist on choosing your granddaughter, that's fine; my son will risk his life, taking off his official hat and robe, my son will go beat the peace drum and file a lawsuit; if the lawsuit fails, my and my younger brother's heads will be hung on the city gate tower—you decide for yourself."

Old Lady An's sobbing stopped abruptly; she stared fixedly at her own son, and suddenly her heart grew heavy.

He also realized this time that his thoughts and plans had been exposed.

Now the Princess Consort of Rui is only targeting her granddaughter; she isn't punishing her, which also gives her a way out.

Upon further reflection, compared to her granddaughter, her son is naturally more important.