Chapter 176 My Beloved Concubine Has Been Abducted

Xie Min slowly raised her head, hoping to see her mother Lin's gentle and loving face.

But when she looked up, she saw Aunt Su smiling, looking at her like a loving mother.

"It's you!"

Xie Min was so frightened that she pushed her away, her voice filled with shock, anger, and disgust.

Her chest heaved violently; the feeling of snuggling in Aunt Su's arms and acting coquettishly just now made her feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.

"Qiu Tong!" Xie Min turned around abruptly and shouted at the maid standing beside her, "Get this slut out of here!"

She couldn't understand how someone could hold her like a puppy!

For the past ten years or so, she has never given Aunt Su a kind look.

For Aunt Su, it was an act of leniency for her to say fewer words about her in public.

Seeing this, Qiu Tong lowered her head and hesitated.

She dared not disobey her mistress, and she also knew that now that the second mistress was gone, Aunt Su was the only mistress of the second branch of the family.

Seeing Qiu Tong's predicament, Aunt Su stood up before Qiu Tong could make a move.

She looked at Xie Min, whose face was full of anger, and said in her humble tone, "It was I who overstepped my bounds and disturbed you, Miss. You have only just woken up, so please take good care of yourself."

After a pause, Aunt Su seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, the Second Master's illness has been cured."

She spoke softly, a hint of warmth hidden in her eyes.

She wanted Xie Min to know that even without her mother, Lin Shi, she still had a loving relative like Second Master.

"What?" Xie Min, who was sitting angrily in the tent and didn't even want to lift her eyelids, suddenly looked up at Aunt Su upon hearing this, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Aunt Su met her gaze and nodded slowly, lowering her voice even further: "It was the Second Madam who cured the Second Master of his illness."

Second wife? Mother? Xie Min's heart sank.

A terrible thought popped into my head: Did my mother lose her life because she was treating my father's illness?

Seeing this, Aunt Su said no more, gave a slight curtsy, and turned to walk out slowly.

The tent fell silent instantly, but Xie Min suddenly turned her head, staring sharply at Qiu Tong, and said in a stern voice, "Why didn't you stop me just now!"

The way she hugged Aunt Su and called her "Mother" must have been seen clearly by this girl, but Qiu Tong didn't say a word to stop her!

"Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?"

Qiu Tong was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground with a thud, her voice trembling with tears: "This servant wouldn't dare! This servant only saw that you had your eyes closed just now and your face was full of joy, so I didn't dare to make a sound and disturb you!"

Xie Min's eyes reddened when she heard Qiu Tong say that.

She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, her heart filled with self-mockery.

Does my current disheveled and dejected appearance really seem so pitiful to others?

"Get up." Xie Min's voice was lower, and her tone was tinged with weariness.

She had no time to investigate the fault of a maid; all she wanted to know was how her mother had suddenly passed away.

Was her death related to her father's illness?

Filled with eagerness and trepidation, Xie Min hurried to the Lin family's courtyard.

The house, which was once familiar, now felt desolate.

The bed and the shrine looked neat and tidy, as if they had never been touched.

The bronze mirror that had once been stained with blood had been wiped clean by the servants.

The servants said that Mother passed away in front of this dressing table.

Xie Min slowly walked to the dressing table and sat down. Her fingertips gently brushed the cool edge of the mirror, and the scene of her mother sitting here doing her hair kept appearing in her mind.

When I was little, my mother always loved to comb her long hair in front of the mirror, and would occasionally ask me with a smile, "Min'er, do you think this jade hairpin of yours is pretty?"

Thinking of this, Xie Min took a deep breath, reached out and opened the drawer of the dressing table, and took out a familiar wooden box.

She used to always pester her mother for pretty jewelry. Her mother would always smile and put her favorite pieces of jewelry into this box, jokingly saying, "When Min'er grows up, all of these will be your dowry."

The wooden box felt so light in her hands that Xie Min's heart jumped into her throat.

She opened the box with a slight tremor.

When she saw the letter lying quietly at the bottom of the box, her heart finally settled down, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She knew that her mother, who loved her so much, would never leave her without even a word.

Xie Min unfolded the letter with trembling hands, and lines of familiar handwriting came into view.

In the letter, the mother recounted the beautiful moments she shared with her father when they first met, and also frankly admitted that she was the one who caused her father to be poisoned. Her words were filled with guilt and remorse.

Finally, the mother wrote that she had no regrets about dying because she was able to save her father, and leaving was a relief for her.

At the end of the letter, her mother repeatedly urged her: "Min'er, please take good care of yourself. Don't be so stubborn about some things. Don't make the same irreparable mistake that I did."

After reading the letter, she clutched the paper and walked out of the house in a daze.

Wandering aimlessly along the corridor, tears blurred my vision, making it difficult to even see the path beneath my feet...

When Xie Yanzhi and Yuan Qing personally arrived at General Li's residence, General Li assumed they were there for his daughter, Li Huiyan, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Before Xie Yanzhi could speak, he ordered a servant, "Quickly, go to the backyard and invite the young lady over."

"Young Master Xie, have you come today to see Yan'er?"

General Li couldn't hide the satisfaction in his eyes.

It seems Yan'er was right; given enough time, Xie Yanzhi will eventually see her good qualities.

That's why they came to our door in person to find us.

Xie Yanzhi met General Li's meaningful gaze and said calmly, "Exactly."

But the next sentence made General Li's smile freeze instantly on his face.

"However, I'm here to pick someone up. My beloved concubine, Shen Qingnian, has been captured by Lady Li."

General Li's face darkened, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction and protectiveness: "Does Prince Xie have any evidence for his words? Don't slander Yan'er without reason!" He knew his own daughter best. Li Huiyan had always been calm and dignified. How could she do such an absurd thing?

Also, when did Xie Yanzhi acquire a concubine?

"When Miss Li arrives, General Li will know." Xie Yanzhi's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was still calm.

Seeing this, General Li had no choice but to suppress his displeasure and sit quietly in the hall with Xie Yanzhi, keeping a calm face and waiting.

Upon hearing that Xie Yanzhi had arrived, Li Huiyan in the backyard immediately understood his purpose.

But she had already made arrangements; the two maids who took Shen Qingnian away had already left the capital.

As long as she insists on denying it, what can Xie Yanzhi do to her?

Moreover, the maid said that her father was also waiting in the main hall, so there was no way to avoid it.

A moment later, footsteps were heard outside the hall, and Li Huiyan, dressed in an elegant long dress, walked in gracefully.