Chapter 15 She seemed ready to cry at any moment.
Sun's mother, who had been being supported by others, suddenly rushed out, her bloodshot eyes filled with pain. She grabbed Zhao Wenyue's arm tightly and roared at her, "How could you treat Madam like this? How could you treat her like this!"
Zhao Wenyue desperately tried to break free from Sun Mama's grip, crying out in despair, "What's wrong with wanting to marry Xue Lang? If Mother hadn't always disagreed, I wouldn't have come up with this idea. I didn't want my mother to die; it was all an accident."
Finally, Madam Sun could no longer bear it and slapped Zhao Wenyue across the face, glaring hatefully at the daughter whom the lady had pampered since childhood: "How could the lady have given birth to such a thing as you?"
"You old hag, how dare you hit me! It was all your fault for instigating my mother. If it weren't for that, my mother wouldn't have died."
Even now, Zhao Wenyue still wants to blame Xiaolin's death on other people; she doesn't think she's done anything wrong at all.
The Zhao family's drama ended in utter chaos.
"Take them away."
After Bai Xiuming gave the order, the guards of the Mingjing Division stepped forward to separate the people. Several of Xiao Linshi's personal maids helped Sun Mama, while Zhao Wensheng and Zhao Wenyue, the brother and sister, were escorted out.
Without the brother and sister, the courtyard became much quieter.
Bai Xiuming turned to Granny Sun and asked her, "You were the first person to discover your mistress's body. Did you see the jade hairpin?"
Sun's mother tried hard to recall the scene at that time, when the lady was covered in blood and there was that monster that was still alive.
She remembered that the lady was wearing a jade hairpin at the time.
Sun's mother answered with certainty: "Yes, Madam wore it. I remember that Madam wore it. She liked that jade hairpin very much and wore it all the time except when she was sleeping."
Thinking that the lady might have died because of this jade hairpin, Mama Sun burst into tears again.
Sun Mama's words made Achan frown. When she went to check earlier, Xiaolinshi did not have a jade hairpin in her hair.
Can the jade hairpin run away by itself?
She suddenly remembered her experience in the West Market. If the jade hairpin contained a snow needle snake, it might have actually run away on its own.
At this moment, the guards from the Mingjing Division also came over to report: "Sir, we have searched the room inside and out, but we have not found the jade hairpin."
Bai Xiuming grunted in agreement and turned to Jiang Kaidao, saying, "Please bring Lord Zhao back."
So Zhao Ming was invited back to the main courtyard.
"Does Lord Bai have any further instructions?" Zhao Ming asked coldly with a tense face. Even though he was usually good-tempered in public, as a victim's family member, he couldn't suppress his anger at being treated like this today.
"The case of your wife's murder is still under investigation. Until the investigation results are available, please keep the people in your household in check, Lord Zhao," Bai Xiuming said calmly, seemingly oblivious to the other party's hostile attitude.
"This matter does not require Lord Bai's reminder."
"As for Lord Zhao's two children, they are both involved in this case and need to be brought back to the Mingjing Division for questioning."
Zhao Ming said in a deep voice, "Understood. I will keep a close eye on this case. I urge Lord Bai to investigate it as soon as possible and make sure no one is wrongly accused."
The investigation has temporarily concluded, but the case remains unclear. After all, the jade hairpin hasn't been found, and A-Chan has no clue who used Zhao Wen-yue to deliver it to Madam Lin, or what their motives were.
The Mingjing Guards withdrew in an orderly manner, and Zhao Ming finally saw A Chan, who was about to leave.
He stepped forward and spoke to Achan, the sorrow still lingering between his brows: "You must be Achan, right? Your aunt has been mentioning you to me a lot these days."
Achan stopped and stepped forward to greet him: "Greetings, Uncle. Please accept my condolences."
Zhao Ming looked at Bai Xiuming's back, who was surrounded by a group of subordinates, and sighed heavily: "It's a misfortune for my family. It's all my fault for raising such an unrighteous, disloyal, and unfilial beast, which caused your aunt to die tragically."
Achan felt a little strange. This uncle seemed to think that his son, Zhao Wensheng, was the culprit, and his daughter, Zhao Wenyue, was innocent.
His words to Lord Bai just now also emphasized this point.
From an outsider's perspective, what truly led to Madam Lin's death was the jade hairpin given to her by Zhao Wenyue; otherwise, Mama Sun wouldn't have been provoked into fighting with the young master.
But why was her uncle's attitude different from others? Suppressing her doubts, Achan said, "This is not her uncle's fault, please don't blame yourself."
Zhao Ming shook his head, his expression still dejected.
Achan glanced at the sky; it was definitely past curfew. But it wasn't appropriate for her to stay at the Zhao residence, so she said, "Uncle, please forgive me. It's getting late; I should take my leave."
Zhao Ming couldn't very well keep Achan there, so he could only nod and say, "I'll have a servant take you back."
Achan declined, saying, "No need. I suppose the officials from the Mingjing Division haven't gone far yet. I can go with them."
Although Mingjing Division and Changping Ward are not on the same route, that doesn't matter.
"Very well." Zhao Ming choked up for a moment. "I will send someone to tell you on the day of your aunt's funeral."
"Thank you for your understanding, Uncle. I'll take my leave now."
"Go on." Zhao Ming didn't look away until A Chan's figure disappeared.
He glanced at the people in the main courtyard and said, "Seal off the main courtyard. Everyone else, go back and rest."
After saying that, he didn't linger in the main courtyard and walked towards the study.
Achan walked quickly towards the outside of the mansion, and sure enough, she caught up with the Mingjing Division members who had not yet left at the entrance of the Zhao mansion.
Bai Xiuming stood beside a tall horse, seemingly about to mount it.
Ah Man walked through the crowd, stopped behind him, and asked softly, "I wonder if it would be convenient for you, sir, to escort me home?"
Hearing her words, the guards of the Mingjing Guard all looked at Achan with strange eyes. There were quite a few young ladies in the capital who had shown their favor to their lord, but none of them were as bold as her.
"It's inconvenient." Bai Xiuming stepped into the stirrups, nimbly mounted his horse, and refused without any mercy.
"But now it's curfew. The master sent someone to bring me here, but now he's going to abandon me?" Achan looked up at him, her bright eyes glistening with tears in the dim night.
Bai Xiuming couldn't help but think that she seemed ready to cry at any moment.
Achan's pitiful appearance prompted Jiang Kai to speak up, "My lord, shall I send her back first?"
He brought the person, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to send them back, right? Anyway, with the speed of the Dragonblood Horse, they'll arrive very quickly.
Bai Xiuming's cold gaze swept over him, and Jiang Kai immediately shut up.
Achan lowered her head in disappointment: "If it is really inconvenient for you, sir, then I will have to walk back by myself."
She slowly turned around, and with a soft thud, a drop of water hit the ground.
Bai Xiuming tightened and loosened his grip on the reins, finally instructing Jiang Kai, "Take your men and go first."
"yes."
Although they were all very curious, who would dare to risk their life and watch the garrison commander's spectacle? After receiving the order, they quickly formed a group and left.
Bai Xiuming dismounted and asked Achan, who had said she was leaving but hadn't taken a single step for a long time, "Can you ride a horse?"
Achan immediately turned around: "I've learned it, but I don't dare to ride horses."
"Mount up."
Achan stepped forward, but because the Dragonblood Horse was too tall, she struggled for a long time but couldn't climb onto its back. The Dragonblood Horse snorted, as if mocking her.
Seeing that Achan, with half her body hanging on the horse, was still trying persistently, Bai Xiuming finally took pity on her and reached out to support her waist, pushing her onto the horse's back.
Achan mounted the horse, but Bai Xiuming did not ride with her; instead, he led the horse from below.
The sound of hooves clattering was frequent, and the Dragon Blood Horse was moving at a considerable speed, but Bai Xiuming, who was leading the horse, was still strolling leisurely.
After leaving the Zhao residence, there was no one else on the street. Lanterns could be seen every now and then, and the only sounds were the hooves of horses and the wind.
After the dragon-blooded horse had been gone for a long time, Achan tentatively asked, "My lord?"
"What's up?"
She asked, "If what the Zhao siblings said tonight is true, what kind of punishment will they receive?"
“Zhao Wensheng’s sentence is at least five years for using supernatural methods to harm people.”
"What about Zhao Wenyue? Isn't she the same?"
“She can only be convicted after the stall owner is arrested. If she was misled and manipulated, the charge will be much lighter.”
"What if we can't find the stall owner?" Achan paused, then said, "If she can't even find the jade hairpin, will she not be punished at all?"
If the Mingjing Division cannot find evidence, Zhao Wenyue can recant her testimony at any time. She may not think of this, but Zhao Ming certainly can.
"Possibly."
Achan suddenly understood Zhao Ming's different attitude from others. Zhao Wensheng was going to serve five years in prison, and he was considered a cripple. He had become an outcast of the Zhao family.
But Zhao Wenyue still has value, which is why Zhao Ming made that statement.
“I thought my uncle would take his anger out on his children because of my aunt’s death, but the result seems to be different from what I expected. The feeling I get from my uncle is also completely different from what my aunt said,” Achan said softly.
Even at this point, she could still differentiate between her two children based on their interests. She couldn't help but begin to wonder whether the good man in Kobayashi's eyes was real or a fabricated lie.
Bai Xiuming raised the corner of his lips: "You see things more clearly than your aunt."
His words undoubtedly confirmed Achan's guess: Zhao Ming's deep affection for Xiaolin was not as genuine as it seemed.
"Perhaps it's because I've seen too many heartless people, and I no longer want to believe that there are any truly good men in this world," Achan said with a mocking tone.
Whether Kobayashi was lucky or unlucky is unknown, but at least in the last moment before her death, her lie was not exposed.
Bai Xiuming turned his head: "You've been deceived?"
Achan was startled, but managed a smile: "You jest, sir. I was just thinking of... Marquis Jinyang. Before my mother passed away, wasn't he just as affectionate as my uncle?"
Just as Achan thought the other party was about to say something, Bai Xiuming spoke up: "We've arrived."
Sure enough, they had arrived at Changpingfang, but because there were no lanterns for lighting, Achan almost didn't recognize her own door.
She gripped the reins tightly, slowly slid off the horse, and bowed to Bai Xiuming after regaining her footing: "Thank you, sir, for escorting me home tonight."
Bai Xiuming gave a perfunctory "hmm" and mounted his horse.
He turned his horse around to leave, but then he heard Achan's voice: "Tonight is the third time I have met you, sir."
Bai Xiuming had a premonition of what she was going to say, and he was surprised that he had the patience to wait and listen to her continue.
"Can't I really know your name?" she asked him pleadingly.
"My name is not a secret; you can ask someone for it."
"But I want to hear it from an adult in person."
"You certainly have a lot of demands."
Achan blinked, gazing intently up at him. In the darkness, she could only make out his outline. But every subtle expression of hers was clearly imprinted in Bai Xiuming's eyes.
Unable to get a reply, she pressed her lips down, pouting slightly.
"...I rest my life in vain."
The sound of horses' hooves almost drowned out his voice.
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