Useless

But seeing the corpse on the ground regain consciousness, Jiang Chaoyu dragged the body behind the screen and hid behind it herself.

At the same time, Zeng Chenhua covered the bloodstains on the ground with a cloth, then sat on a round stool and used his body to block that direction.

Seeing that everything was in place, Zeng Chenhua said slowly, "Come in."

Chunxiang gently pushed open the door, her lotus-like steps light and graceful, like a willow swaying in the breeze. Her moon-white silk dress trailed on the ground, each step creating a poetic rhythm.

The guqin held in his arms is made of paulownia wood, and its body is covered with mottled red lacquer, as if telling the story of the vicissitudes of time.

Her fingertips lightly touched the strings, her fair fingers contrasting against the dark strings.

A gentle breeze stirred, causing strands of hair to flutter at her temples and fall onto her fair cheeks. Her eyes were lowered, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows on her eyelids, and her expression was serene and composed.

He stood before Zeng Chenhua and began to bow, saying, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, sir. What kind of music would you like to hear?"

Looking through the screen, Jiang Chaoyu sighed in admiration. No wonder it was the jade plaque from Chunxiang Pavilion; it was so beautiful, yet it looked just like a sick willow that would shed its leaves in the autumn wind.

Chunxiang didn't look around, but sat in front of the nearby screen. Although she had sensed something was wrong when she came in, it was none of her business. She could rest after playing one more tune for this guest.

Upon seeing this, Zeng Chenhua mentioned a song: "A song of longing and sorrow will suffice."

The song "Sorrow of Longing" originated in a previous dynasty, created by wives who missed their husbands while they were away at war. Whenever she missed her husband, she would take out her zither and play a tune. Those who passed by her home would hear the music and be moved to tears, remembering their own beloved. The wife played this song for three years, until her husband finally returned victorious from the distant frontier. The song was passed down through generations and eventually became a symbol of longing.

This piece of music seems to have been requested for Jiang Chaoyu, but Jiang Chaoyu is unaware of these things and does not know the person in the music or, in other words, does not know the meaning behind the music.

Chunxiang nodded slightly, her gaze focused intently on the strings, as if the whole world consisted only of her and the instrument before her.

Her hands rested gently on the strings, her fingers long and nimble, like butterflies in spring, about to dance on the strings.

As her fingertips lightly plucked the strings, a melodious sound rang out, and her expression changed accordingly. Sometimes her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were pouring out her sorrows; other times, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, as if she had just awaited her husband's return, revealing a hint of joy and satisfaction.

Her body swayed gently to the rhythm of the piano music, as if she had become one with the music, immersed in the world of music and forgetting everything around her.

The surrounding environment seemed to become peaceful and serene because of her music, and time seemed to stand still at this moment, with only the melodious music echoing in the air.

Even after the music ended, the person remained immersed in the sound of the zither.

With her superb musical skills, Jiang Chaoyu found herself in tears, wiping them away from the corners of her eyes.

"Clap! Clap! Clap! Young lady, your musical skills are superb!" Zeng Chenhua clapped after the piece ended. Praise came out casually, "I've long heard that Chunxiang Pavilion's musical skills are superb, and seeing is believing indeed."

Even though she was tired of hearing praise, Chunxiang seemed to have gotten used to it and said indifferently, "You're too kind, sir."

Chunxiang stood up. "Now that I have finished playing a song for you, my lord, I will take my leave."

Zeng Chenhua nodded, and after Chunxiang closed the door, he called Jiang Chaoyu out. After waiting for a while, there was still no movement. He peeked at the screen, but saw that the screen did not cast any shadow on it.

Suspicion arose in his heart. He slowly got up and walked to the screen. He gently pushed the screen with his fan and looked inside, only to find that the person and the criminal had disappeared.

Only a pool of blood remained in the original spot, as if no one had ever been there.

"Heh, you ran pretty fast." Zeng Chenhua curled his lips, not even realizing he was smiling. But then he thought back to those days, had Jiang Chaoyu saved him in the same way?

Seeing that the person had already run away, there was no need for him to stay. So he summoned Yunqi to handle everything in the private room.

As he stood up, he looked Yun Qi up and down and asked directly, "Where's your assassin's talisman?"

When Zeng Chenhua asked this, Yun Qi touched his body and realized that his Death Talisman was missing. The absence of the Death Talisman meant that the person could also disappear.

Seeing Yun Qi's actions, Zeng Chenhua understood the reason. "Go back and receive your punishment." He spared Yun Qi's life.

Yunqi was very grateful upon hearing this, "Thank you, my lord."

As she stroked the pattern on the purse, she remembered what Jiang Chaoyu had said. This purse was embroidered by her own hand, so she should cherish it even more. Therefore, she placed it next to her inner clothing.

The previous incident has been exposed, so it seems we can't keep this person around.

Moonlight spilled onto the wall, and the wind howled incessantly. At this moment, Zhao Dongjia was enjoying a drink at home, feeling quite content with the warm wine, unaware of the impending danger.

Zeng Chenhua stood on the roof beam of Zhao Dongjia's house, quietly watching Zhao Dongjia's every move, and said sarcastically, "You still have the nerve to drink and make merry here after your business has been exposed. It seems you haven't been taught a lesson enough."

At this moment, Zhao Dongjia was pleased with the day's deliveries, seemingly unaware that the person who worked for him was already dead. Perhaps it was arrogance, or perhaps he had become complacent after holding a high position for so long.

Zeng Chenhua walked up to Zhao Dongjia, who was somewhat drunk and confused. Upon seeing Zeng Chenhua, Zhao Dongjia's face was full of smiles, and he flattered him, saying, "What wind has blown the Second Prince to my humble abode? Please sit down, please sit down."

At this moment, he was filled with arrogance. Whether it was because Zhao Dongjia was a little drunk and mistakenly thought that he and Zeng Chenhua were in cahoots, or something else, he was completely impolite.

Seeing Zhao Dongjia's action, Zeng Chenhua's resolve not to keep him intensified.

He casually sat down, picked up the wine glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp, then asked, "I wonder when Master Zhao's men will return?"

Zhao Dongjia waved his hand dismissively, saying, "They're all veterans; there's no rush."

Zeng Chenhua toyed with the wine glass in his hand, using the moonlight to see the patterns on it clearly. A large dragon poked its head out of the rim of the glass, while a smaller dragon coiled around its belly and looked up. Such wolfish ambition, yet it made no attempt to guard against anyone. This wine was so emboldening.

Zhao Dongjia was drinking at this moment. He would never normally bring this out, but the dark and windy night was the perfect time to embolden himself.

Zeng Chenhua took the wine pot and refilled his cup. "Do you know that your men are all dead?"

"Death? Second Prince, you must be joking. My two henchmen aren't pushovers." Hearing Zeng Chenhua say this, Zhao Dongjia sat up straight, his eyes clearly showing disbelief.

Seeing this, Zeng Chenhua stopped hiding his intentions and took out his sword. He casually poured the wine from his cup onto the sword in front of Zhao Dongjia, looking at the stupid Zhao Dongjia with disdain.

At this moment, Zhao Dongjia finally sobered up. The wine cup in his hand fell to the ground, its sound standing out abruptly in the quiet environment. He knelt down on the ground. If he hadn't noticed before, the Second Prince's sword was now illuminating his eyes, and he realized something was wrong when he saw the cup on the table.

Moreover, the mention of his own brothers suggests that the Second Prince has already dealt with them, and even he himself is not spared. He must have been drunk and confused earlier, putting on airs in front of the Second Prince.

The stench of urine from his crotch wafted to Zeng Chenhua's side on the wind, reminding him of how the gold and silver jewelry of previous years had transformed him from a thin scholar into the burly man he was today. He knelt on the ground, trembling.

“You weren’t like this when you first came to me.”

Back then, Zhao Dongjia was still the spirited young Zhao Huasheng, who was going to the capital to take the imperial examination. After passing the examination, he came to Zeng Chenhua to apply for the same position. In just a few years, people's hearts have been corrupted into what they are now.

"Do you remember when you came to me, it was for the well-being and happiness of the people?" Zeng Chenhua looked at Zhao Huasheng with disdain. He gently placed the wine-stained sword against Zhao Huasheng's neck, which frightened him so much that he begged for mercy. He could no longer recall his former self.

Human greed knows no bounds, and Zeng Chenhua blamed himself for indulging him into this state, committing crimes against the people. "The court is investigating, and I covered it up for you, but I don't seem to see any reward from you."

Zhao Huasheng was terrified. He let the sword graze his neck, leaving a bloody mark. Saving his life was more important than the bloodstain.

Clutching Zeng Chenhua's clothes with both hands, she pleaded, "Please, Second Prince, give me another chance. I will definitely change my ways." She saw him on the ground, his head bleeding from a head injury, his face smeared with blood and tears.

Looking at the person in front of him who showed no remorse whatsoever, Zeng Chenhua was still testing how far his heart had gone.

"Don't worry, I've taken care of it. The imperial court won't trace it back to you." Upon hearing this, Zhao Huasheng felt as if he had received a get-out-of-jail-free card.

"Thank you, Second Prince, thank you, Second Prince." Hearing this, he was relieved and relaxed completely. Even the flesh on his face loosened and trembled. It seemed that the Second Prince was going to spare his life.

Zhao Huasheng hurriedly climbed over to the table, shook the wine from the wine pot and poured it into the large and small dragon cups he had just used. Some of the wine spilled outside the cups, but Zhao Huasheng didn't care. He then respectfully presented the cups to Zeng Chenhua, keeping his head down and not daring to look directly at Zeng Chenhua. "Second Prince, drink."

Zeng Chenhua looked at the glass of wine in front of him, his face reflected in the glass as he looked down. Perhaps Zhao Huasheng was tired from holding it, for his trembling hand caused ripples on the surface of the wine.

At this moment, Zeng Chenhua regretted it again; Zhao Huasheng could not be allowed to live. "I regret it again."

His previously relaxed hand tightened its grip on the sword, and in an instant, it swung towards Zhao Huasheng.

Zeng Chenhua directly stabbed Zhao Huasheng with his sword. At that moment, Zhao Huasheng's smile was still frozen on his face. He slowly looked at the spot where he had been stabbed, and the cup fell to the ground with a heavy sound.

As he drew his sword, blood stained the door. Zhao Huasheng collapsed heavily to the ground, twitching as he died, his eyes wide open.

He took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off the sword, then casually tossed the handkerchief onto Zhao Huasheng's face, covering his eyes.

The next day, the people in the mansion discovered that Zhao Huasheng's body had gone cold.

The news quickly reached Shi Jinzhuang's Li Yuanxiu's ears, and Li Yuanxiu then told Jiang Chaoyu.

"I heard that Zhao Huasheng was stabbed to death with a sword."

Jiang Chaoyu was very curious. Could this be Zeng Chenhua's doing? After the news was exposed, he sent someone to kill Zhao Huasheng.

"Could it be because of yesterday's..." Jiang Chaoyu suddenly didn't want to talk about it anymore, because the deal had already been made, so the fewer people who knew about it, the better, even Li Yuanxiu next to her.

Hearing Jiang Chaoyu suddenly stop talking, Li Yuanxiu stared at the person in front of her with some curiosity, "What happened yesterday?"

Jiang Chaoyu thought for a moment and decided it was best not to say anything. She turned her gaze to the left, then looked at Li Yuanxiu in front of her, smiled faintly, and casually brushed it off. "It's nothing. I was just thinking that maybe some of his enemies from before have come looking for trouble."

Zhao Huasheng was always a smiling tiger before his death, and it was never heard of whether he had offended anyone.

But this reminded Li Yuanxiu of the argument Zhao Huasheng had had with someone at Shijin Manor, so she told Jiang Chaoyu everything. Jiang Chaoyu was hearing about this for the first time and was very confused.

"You mean two tall men came to cause trouble for Zhao Huasheng?"