Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 320: The Heir Pei Neglected by His Wife

Chapter 320: Chapter 320: The Heir Pei Neglected by His Wife

After returning to the manor and visiting the old lady and Madam Pei, as soon as she returned to the Lixiang Courtyard, Qu Fulan opened the dossier to read.

No one knew how long it had been, but she finally put down the dossier, and her expression no longer carried the lightness from before.

"The evidence is conclusive; there’s not a flaw to be found." Qu Fulan murmured.

"Naturally, no flaw can be found, or how else would His Majesty have ruled? Since it has been ruled upon, it means the case is settled unless more compelling evidence surfaces to overturn it, which is unlikely."

Qu Fulan’s eyes flickered slightly; she didn’t argue that she wanted to overturn the case, but she indeed had no evidence.

Mr. Li was the Governor of Yunzhou, playing a role in supervising and controlling the area.

But that year, a dam was released in the Yunzhou area, which should have been for irrigating the fields, but an error occurred, leading to many villages in Yunzhou being flooded and countless casualties. This dereliction was severe, and many officials were held accountable, including Mr. Li, who had the least authority in Yunzhou, affecting his entire family.

If it truly were Mr. Li’s negligence leading to such consequences, it’s only right he faced punishment.

But the facts shouldn’t be like this; otherwise, the book wouldn’t have said so, but how the facts are supposed to be is beyond her grasp.

After so many years, much of the evidence and witnesses are gone, and what’s left is detrimental to Mr. Li, already ruled against by the emperor. How can she overturn the case?

To overturn this case equates to overturning the emperor’s decision, which is almost impossible.

If she can’t prove the Li Family’s innocence, her discovered background may impact the Pei Family’s reputation in the future.

Moreover, she would feel guilty towards her birth parents; if they were innocent, they’d be unable to attain any posthumous justice.

Qu Fulan felt a bit heavy-hearted, these matters were beyond her ability, leaving her feeling powerless despite her intentions.

Even if someone were to investigate now, she wouldn’t know where to start, as she’s not an expert in solving cases.

Pei Ji’an couldn’t bear to see her so downcast and said, "Later, I’ll send someone to Yunzhou to see if there are any clues."

Qu Fulan’s bewildered eyes instantly brightened, "You’re willing to help me?"

Pei Ji’an tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "I said I’d send someone to investigate, but don’t get your hopes too high; there might not be any clues."

"What if there are clues?"

"If there are clues, naturally we continue investigating. There have been overturned wrongful cases throughout history, but the prerequisite is solid evidence."

These words may sound simple, but in practice, they are quite challenging, so even Pei Ji’an couldn’t assure anything.

Qu Fulan was quite content; even without any evidence, he was willing to help her, which made her satisfied.

No matter the final result, as long as an effort is made, there will be no regret.

"Thank you, Si." Qu Fulan leaned in and kissed his chin.

Pei Ji’an chuckled, "Is this gratitude too light?"

Qu Fulan knew he was still fixated on that one blind choice.

In some matters, men always enjoy the thrill more than women.

"Once this matter is fully resolved, everything is negotiable."

A few days later, the pot that Qu Fulan ordered was ready, and she made a dish at home for everyone.

First, she placed the duck inside the oven to roast, using the heat within to cook it. The oven’s temperature was high first, then low. Since the duck didn’t see open flames during the roasting, the surface was free of impurities. The roasted duck was crispy on the outside, tender and full on the inside, rich but not greasy, with a unique aroma.

"It smells good. I heard a roasted duck like this costs more than an ounce of Silver outside, no wonder they say roasted duck is unaffordable for ordinary people, exclusive to the nobles."

Qu Fulan had a few roasted ducks brought out, the aroma wafted through the air, making the four maidservants salivate.

But the matter wasn’t finished; Qu Fulan cut the roasted duck into sections, then pressed and cooked it several times on an iron griddle until the roasted duck was crispy outside and tender inside. She then added various pre-prepared seasonings, and as soon as she stir-fried it, the alluring aroma was indescribable, just seeing the color made one’s mouth water.

"Does the roasted duck need to be pressed and stir-fried again? I’ve never seen this method, but the taste is even better." The maidservant said.

Qu Fulan smiled, "This is called iron plate duck, just another way to make the roasted duck more flavorful."

It’s considered a delicacy and a fresh experience for people to try.

After leaving some for the maidservants, Qu Fulan sent a duck each to the old lady and Madam Pei.

As for the other two households, Qu Fulan didn’t deliver to them; offering to the old lady and Madam Pei was her duty, while she didn’t need to extend herself to others. Otherwise, doing too much might make others think she was obligated to do so, and if she delivered less one time, she’d become the subject of gossip.

The old lady couldn’t handle overly flavorful dishes, so after tasting a bit, she gave the rest to others.

Madam Pei was different, having a bold taste, and after eating, she wasn’t satisfied, so she went to the old lady face-to-face to ask for more.

"I’ve been waiting for your culinary creation for so long that the flowers have nearly withered," Madam Pei said while eating, clearly not hiding her love for food, truly a gourmand.

Qu Fulan also preserved one for Pei Ji’an; after trying it in the evening, he said it was excellent, predicting it would ignite an iron plate duck craze in the restaurant.

After watching him eat, Qu Fulan eagerly asked, "How are things progressing with Mr. Zhang and the scholars?"

She had chosen to make roasted duck today for a reason.

Pei Ji’an gave her a sideways glance, "Earlier, you said I was highly skilled, and others would kill for an invitation from me, but now you’re asking like this, suggesting those words weren’t sincere?"

"No, no, absolutely sincere. I know with Si on the job, nothing is impossible! I’m just interested in the progress; it’s about the progress, not the success." Qu Fulan repeatedly emphasized the word "progress" to show her sincerity.

Pei Ji’an, knowing her eloquence, didn’t plan to contest with her on this point, and just gently pinched her cheek, "It’s settled; Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xu agreed to come out and give their critiques, and there are eight scholars, all top of their field."

Saying it was easy; for the aged Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xu, Pei Ji personally went to invite them for their involvement.

As for the other scholars, it was just a matter of written invitations, and no one refused.

Altogether, ten judges, all reputable, and among them, two with exceptional prestige, guaranteeing a grand and spectacular event.

Qu Fulan quickly decided on a theme, requiring participants to write essays around it.

Saying it, doing it, she began drafting the plans!

Once engrossed in her career, Qu Fulan had only work in her heart and nothing else, disregarding even Pei Ji’an for several days; if no one brought it up, she might forget she had a husband entirely.

As for how the Princely Heir himself felt, temporarily put aside, even the four maidservants around Qu Fulan thought the Young Madam was too engrossed in work, neglecting the Princely Heir.

Once, the Princely Heir came back early to accompany the Young Madam, only for her to keep writing until lights out, without even a glance at him, much less a word. Luckily the Princely Heir said nothing and quietly read beside her, such a good husband is hard to find.

They advised the Young Madam to pay more attention to the Princely Heir, lest she regrets it later.

"Am I that inattentive?" Only after finishing her tasks did Qu Fulan have leisure to sit down for tea, when the four maidservants began their complaints.