The steward’s face changed instantly at Zhao Mingyan’s words. How could he dare respond?
Those words had only been meant to frighten Madam Wang. Over time, they had come to understand that though she was fierce in manner, she was actually simple‑minded and easy to fool.
In truth, they had never informed Nan Yan beforehand about delivering anything. The chests contained silver and gold, along with one particularly sensitive item. If Madam Wang accepted them, Nan Yan would be implicated in a serious matter—and he would have no way to deny it, since they could claim they had sought his wife’s approval and she had knowingly received them.
Their plan was simple: rely on Madam Wang’s rash and gullible nature. By telling her the items had already been discussed with Nan Yan, and knowing he was unlikely to appear that day, she would most likely accept them without question.
But unexpectedly, Madam Wang came out herself. Not only that, she began asking questions. When she proved harder to deceive, the steward tried to intimidate her further, claiming the items concerned Nan Yan’s career prospects.
Ordinarily, even a shrewd woman might have been cowed by such talk. But instead, Zhao Mingyan asked him directly: first, whether his master was indeed Marquis Guangping; second, whether the Marquis himself had spoken those words. It was a death trap for him.
He didn’t even dare to admit in front of Zhao Mingyan that his master was Marquis Guangping. Their actions were not legitimate. When they entered, they had only told Uncle Chen they were from the Marquis’s household, without showing any token of proof—so that later, if trouble arose, they could deny responsibility.
The Marquis’s household had many people, many masters. Who could say which one had sent them?
Her first question struck at his very life. Her second question forced him to contradict his own lie. How could he dare claim the Marquis had personally said such a thing?
It had all been a bluff to scare them. He couldn’t possibly throw such words back onto his master. If the Marquis ever heard of it, his own head would roll. Even if the Marquis had truly said it, he could never admit it openly here.
Zhao Mingyan’s two seemingly light, simple questions were in fact deadly precise, striking straight at his weak point.
The steward couldn’t help but lift his eyes to the young girl standing beside Madam Wang.
She appeared to be a girl of fifteen or sixteen, with a face like peach blossoms, eyes like spring apricots, delicate brows and jade‑like skin—an elegant and refined beauty. Her looks were excellent, her bearing composed and reserved, unlike ordinary people. Yet she wore the simplest coarse cloth garments, clearly the attire of a servant.
Of course, everyone in the Nan residence dressed plainly. Even Madam Wang herself wore cotton year‑round. Only the two young mistresses of the household ever wore silks and satins.
Because of her clothing, the steward assumed Zhao Mingyan was just a maid. He frowned and looked her over twice. “Miss, I am only following orders. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
The steward quickly shifted his tone—from pressing and intimidating to pitiful and humble. His words reframed his role: he was merely a poor servant, ignorant of the details, only running errands for his master. If they questioned him too much, weren’t they just bullying a lowly servant?
But Zhao Mingyan’s expression didn’t change at all. “Brother Steward, that’s not right. We’re only asking which master you serve and on whose orders you’ve come. How is that making things difficult for you? Besides, you yourself said these items are of great importance, precious, and even tied to our lord’s future prospects. With matters so serious, of course, we must handle them properly, lest we harm our lord’s affairs—and in turn, your master’s as well.”
Her reasoning was clear, her logic airtight, leaving no loophole for him to exploit.
The steward thought to himself: *Since when did the Nan residence have such a sharp little maid?*
This string of precise rebuttals and flawless logic was nothing like what an ordinary servant could produce. It seemed their plan would fail today.
His face darkened. “Miss, I just remembered—there may be something missing among the items. My master said nothing must be lacking. Perhaps I should return, sort through them again, and then seek my master’s instructions. Later, we’ll deliver them directly to Lord Nan.”
With that, the steward turned to leave.
Seeing him about to go, Zhao Mingyan’s eyes flashed. She quickly turned to Wang Shuang. “Sister Shuang, we can’t let them leave so easily! At the very least, we must see what exactly they’re trying to deliver.”
Zhao Mingyan was meticulous. Since she had already spotted suspicious signs, she had to pull at the threads and uncover their true intentions. Otherwise, they might try to trick them again next time.
Wang Shuang, who had been confused through most of the exchange, understood this one point clearly. Seeing the men about to leave, she immediately grabbed the kitchen knife she had just used for chopping vegetables. “What do you think you’re doing? Coming and going as you please—what do you take the Nan residence for!”
Madam Wang charged forward with the kitchen knife. The steward and his attendants had never faced such a scene before—his legs gave out, and the items in his hands clattered to the ground.
One of the boxes burst open, revealing a chest full of gold ingots and a sheet of paper.
Everyone froze at the sight.
The steward, seeing the contents exposed, no longer cared about Madam Wang’s knife. In a panic, he hastily gathered up the gold, shouting for his men to flee, scrambling away in disarray.
But Madam Wang, watching him run off with so much money, exclaimed,
“What’s this—sending money? If they’d said it was money, that would’ve been fine! If it’s money, I’ll take it!”
Zhao Mingyan: “……”
She looked at the simple‑minded Madam Wang, who even seemed a little regretful, and stepped forward to pat her gently. “Sister Shuang, I don’t think it’s as simple as just sending money.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look at this.” Zhao Mingyan unfolded the sheet of paper that had fallen from the box. It was densely covered with writing. An entire page of exam questions.
Zhao Mingyan’s expression grew grave.
Madam Wang peered at the paper. “What’s written here? I can’t read.”
Zhao Mingyan: “Sister Shuang, these appear to be exam questions.”
“Exam questions?” Madam Wang’s simple eyes widened, then suddenly lit up. “My heavens! Nan Yan was recently appointed as chief examiner for this year’s imperial examinations. If these are exam questions, then it means the questions have leaked!”
At that, Zhao Mingyan immediately understood the scheme. “Sister Shuang, that’s why they sent so much gold and silver, with the exam questions hidden among them. What they’re trying to do is…”
“Frame Nan Yan for taking bribes and selling the exam questions!”