Chapter 389: Chapter 390: Why Are You Here Again?

Old Mrs. Ning refused to believe her, insisting to the death that she had been poisoned. Mr. Gao had no choice but to have a doctor summoned to the court.

The diagnosis was the same. Although the old woman was blind and walked with difficulty, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her health.

Xiao Wanyu looked at Old Mrs. Ning with utter conviction. "I’ve already told you, I’m innocent. If I were as vicious as you say, given how you’ve been tormenting me all this time, I would have lost my patience and struck long ago. I certainly wouldn’t be letting you run your mouth off here."

Since no one from the Ning family had come to visit her these past days, Xiao Wanyu knew that even if she were released from prison, she could never go back to them. Her words became sharp and unforgiving.

Old Mrs. Ning shot back, not to be outdone, "You... You’re finally showing your true colors! This blatant disrespect for your elders reveals your venomous heart. The Ning family has no place for someone like you!"

"You..."

"Silence," Gao Ning said, slamming his gavel down. He addressed Old Mrs. Ning. "Since it has been clearly established that your health is fine, you may step down."

"Your Honor, you can’t just let it go like this! She must have used a subtle poison that other doctors can’t detect. You must make her confess!"

Gao Ning had no more patience to waste on her. He turned to a Government Official at his side and ordered, "Take her away."

Once the court was cleared, Gao Ning questioned her in detail again. Despite an interrogation laced with threats and intimidation, Xiao Wanyu still insisted she was innocent. But when a written confession was placed in front of her, her pupils constricted and her shoulders tensed involuntarily.

Gao Ning had been observing her reaction closely, and this confirmed his suspicions.

The maid had actually only provided some irrelevant speculations. He and his steward had cleverly used these to craft a fake confession. It seemed some of their fabricated points had indeed hit upon the truth.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He nodded to the steward, and they proceeded to the next stage of the interrogation.

＆

Xu Nuo looked at Matchmaker Lao with a pained expression. "Why have you come again today?"

"What’s this?" Matchmaker Lao glared at her. "Now that your mother’s gone, am I not welcome here anymore?"

Xu Nuo replied, "I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that, as you know, I’m in a mourning period. A marriage engagement is impossible. You don’t need to get involved in this."

Matchmaker Lao sighed. "If only you had listened to your mother. You wouldn’t have so many worries now.

These old bones of mine can only keep matchmaking for a few more years, but you have your whole life ahead of you. You can’t just hide in your estate and never go out.

Besides, as they say, it’s not the thief you fear, but being targeted by one. Sometimes, simply avoiding them won’t solve the problem."

Ever since Xu Nuo began her mourning period, Matchmaker Lao had been inundated with requests to arrange a match for her.

She knew what they were all thinking. They saw that Xu Nuo was now alone and without support, and they wanted to get their hands on the fortune of a family without an heir.

Even those who had been hesitating on the sidelines before were now jumping into the fray, seeing everyone else trying all sorts of schemes. They all wanted to snag a "bargain."

The whole neighborhood was in an uproar because of them, like a pack of wolves eyeing a juicy steak.

Having been a matchmaker in the neighborhood for many years, she knew all these people inside and out. She managed to pick the best of a bad lot, finding two or three families that had at least a few minor good points.

She wanted Xu Nuo to agree to a betrothal just to shut down everyone else’s schemes, but Xu Nuo had refused them all.

.bg-ssp-10081{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;}

"I know you look down on all of them, but this stalemate isn’t a solution.

I bet even your maids get bombarded with questions whenever they leave the house now, don’t they?"

Xu Nuo pressed her lips together. ’Those people were doing more than just asking for information. Some were even trying to bribe her maids. The things they were after were truly disgusting. She had already tightened security around the entire residence.’

Seeing Xu Nuo’s silence, Matchmaker Lao shook her head. "Listen to an old woman’s advice. Don’t be so rigid about your plans. The first thing to do is to make all these people give up.

I came today with a piece of news. Why don’t you listen first, and then see if you’ll consider it?"

Xu Nuo looked up at Matchmaker Lao. "Did someone give you trouble again?"

Matchmaker Lao shook her head. "Actually, this young man I want to propose today is someone you know. His family’s circumstances are quite decent now. If you were to marry him, you should have a good life."

"Someone I know? Marry *him*?" Xu Nuo seized on those two points. "Who is it?"

Matchmaker Lao didn’t beat around the bush. "It’s that boy from the Gu family, the one I matched you with before. You almost married him. If your mother hadn’t passed so suddenly, the two of you would probably be a family by now.

But then you were unwilling to get married right after her death, so the matter was dropped. If not for that, you wouldn’t have all these problems.

But who could have predicted such a twist of fate? His fortunes turned, and now he has an uncle who is a government official.

He himself doesn’t mind marrying into your family, but now that he has rejoined his clan, he must follow their rules. They forbid their men from marrying into another’s household; otherwise, they are expelled from the clan."

"That’s just an excuse," Xu Nuo retorted, her opinion of Gu Lehuan souring. "When we were about to get married before, why didn’t he bring this up?"

"Let me finish. Even if he has changed his mind, it’s perfectly understandable.

Otherwise, with his uncle’s current status, he’d be a laughingstock if he married into your family.

But one of their clan rules did impress me: a man may only take a concubine if he is still childless at forty. Otherwise, he’s thrown out of the clan with nothing to his name.

That alone is enough to make me think highly of them.

Given my friendship with your mother, there’s no way I’d agree to help him without looking into things first.

I made inquiries, you know. That boy from the Gu family, his Seventh Aunt is a newly appointed Imperial Merchant. The scented soaps and laundry soaps we all use now, she’s the one who makes them. A family like that certainly isn’t after your inheritance."

’In her opinion,’ she thought, ’this brokerage and Xu Nuo’s inheritance that everyone is fighting over probably mean nothing to a family like that.’

Xu Nuo, of course, knew Jin Qianqian. Thinking of that kind, young Madam, her expression softened slightly.

Matchmaker Lao was an expert at reading people’s faces and immediately changed her approach. "Besides, you only wanted to take a live-in husband so you could continue being a baby broker, not to carry on the family line for that heartless father of yours.

He divorced your mother and has long since had a beautiful new wife and young children. He’s forgotten you ever existed.

Listen to my advice. While he still hasn’t remembered this daughter of his and doesn’t yet know about the assets you control, you need to quickly find someone to have your back. Otherwise, there will be even more trouble ahead."

"On what grounds? This is the family business passed down from my maternal grandfather!" The thought of her biological father made Xu Nuo clench her fists. "As long as I’m here, he can dream on."

Matchmaker Lao said, "You silly girl. The principle of filial piety alone is enough to pin you down. What if he doesn’t demand the inheritance directly, but just arranges a marriage for you? Could you possibly resist then?"

.bg-ssp-10016{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} #dl-banner-300x250 { max-height: 0 !important; overflow: hidden !important; }

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.