Chapter 11 is suspicious.
But Tao Tao didn't mean anything by it; she genuinely wanted to make things that her "customers" liked.
Regardless of what a "client" did in life, they must be respected after death; this is the most basic principle in this line of work.
The corpse began to show signs of rigor mortis, its muscles became somewhat stiff, and it was difficult to put on clothes. She simply sat down next to its head and pulled the corpse to lean against the armrest of the soft couch.
This helps keep the body suspended in the air.
"Butler Lin, could you please bring me the rice water?"
One basin is used for washing hands, and another for washing the body.
He took it and placed it beside her.
Tao Tao pinched his chin with her left hand and used her right fingers to pry open his tightly closed mouth and clenched teeth.
She picked up the horn and was about to put it in his mouth when she glanced over and saw thick, black blood flowing down her fingers.
She paused, put the things back in their place, and pried his mouth open a little more. More black blood flowed from his mouth, instantly covering her palm.
She was close by, and the strong, metallic smell of rust hit her, staining her freshly washed body with filth.
Butler Lin was immediately shocked and shouted, "What...what happened?! Why is the master vomiting blood?"
"Isn't he dead? How can a dead person vomit blood?"
Her expression suddenly turned serious. She took a silver needle and stuck it into the blood. In less than two breaths, the tip of the needle turned black instantly.
"poisonous?!"
She was talking to herself.
He saw it too, and asked in shock, "Why are the silver needles this color? Are they poisonous? Didn't the master die of an illness?"
"Could it be that they were poisoned?"
"No, this matter must be reported to the First Madam."
If he really was poisoned to death, this matter won't end so easily.
I'm afraid he won't be able to stay in his position as steward for long. He's in charge of all the purchasing and sales in the manor, and if he's framed, even if it wasn't him, he'll likely be punished.
Poisoning a high-ranking official of the imperial court is a crime that no one can bear.
Before she could answer, he turned and ran hurriedly towards the door.
The aunt and children waiting outside looked at the anxious Steward Lin with puzzled expressions.
A charming woman, fanning herself with a round fan, watched his departing figure with suspicion: "What's that Steward Lin doing running around like that?"
"Can the master be brought back to life from the dead?"
"Aunt An, please don't say anything, or the First Madam might hear you."
Aunt Sun pursed her lips and kindly advised her.
"Don't worry, we come from respectable families, so the Madam won't be too harsh on us, unlike some people who are prostitutes who have been ridden and abused by thousands!"
"She only knows how to use seductive tricks. If she hadn't used some kind of trick in bed, would the master's body have deteriorated so quickly?"
"Don't you think so, Aunt He?"
Aunt An looked at the frail woman standing to the side who seemed to have no presence, her eyes filled with sharpness and disgust.
Faced with the malicious gazes around her, Aunt He didn't dare to utter a sound, trembling as she cried, trying her best to suppress her sobs.
Butler Lin rushed into the Buddhist hall, where Qiu Zhaolan was holding the sleeping Chen Huan in her arms. Her slender fingers gently patted his shoulder, and a smile remained on her lips.
This son is her bargaining chip for maintaining her position in this family, even though she is surnamed Qiu and has secured a good job for him.
But since it's her husband's family, if she doesn't have children, then nothing here truly belongs to her.
If she wants to maintain firm control over the Chen family, she needs to have a child.
As he walked in, he slowed his pace and wiped the sweat from his brow, but his heavy breathing made the environment less quiet.
Qiu Zhaolan glanced sideways, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic? This is unbecoming."
He composed himself, swallowing hard. "Madam, Master... Master, he..."
"What's wrong with him? He's stammering!"
He was scolded by her, and his face twitched.
"It seems that the master was poisoned to death!"
Qiu Zhaolan's gaze suddenly turned somewhat frightening as she stared intently at him, her expression turning rather unpleasant.
The maidservant beside her, quick to notice, stepped forward, took the child from her arms, and handed it over to her.
For a moment, only the two of them remained in the Buddhist hall.
"You must tell me exactly what happened, down to the smallest detail."
He forced himself to remain calm, nodded, and began to recount what had just happened.
He called a servant in and had him change the rice water again, as the blood had soiled the corpse and needed to be washed again.
Suddenly, a figure walked in through the door. She thought it was a servant and said, "Put the water here."
After waiting for a while, there was no response.
She turned her head in confusion and found that it was the same woman who had been sitting on the ground in fright.
They were hiding behind the beaded curtain, as if spying on us.
At this moment, two servants brought in fresh rice-rinsing water, one in front and one behind.
The items arrived, and she didn't say anything more.
"Wait, put this in the pit you were told to dig earlier and bury it."
Inside the white square handkerchief were the deceased's combed hair, trimmed nails, some skin and flesh tissue, and stained blood.
This custom is a part of funeral rites, expressing mourning for the deceased and blessings for the afterlife, to protect them from torment in the underworld, and is considered a way to ward off disaster.
The servants were somewhat confused, but they did as she said.
None of them dared to approach her, and she had to dress herself. If only she had known that she would have taken the Yu brothers, Yu Shan and Yu He, with her when she went out, it would have been better than her going it alone.
It seems we still can't hire temporary workers; we need to hire long-term workers.
Otherwise, if you end up fighting with someone, you'll at least have someone to put on a show of strength.
"Do you...do you need any help?"
A very soft voice came from behind.
She looked at her in surprise: "Do you dare? If you do, please help me out."
Aunt He didn't say anything, but started moving her feet, inching her way over.
Tao Tao handed her a clean handkerchief, which Aunt He took and tied on.
He stood to the side and reached out to help stabilize her body, then immediately turned his head away, unable to look directly at her.
With her help, the body was quickly dressed.
However, she did not dress him in official robes. Since the person had died under abnormal circumstances, the government would definitely have a coroner examine the body, so dressing him in official robes would not have made much sense.
Just as she put it on, calls of "Madam!" rose and fell at the door, and the person who came was walking with hurried steps.
Qiu Zhaolan walked over with a cold face and an aggressive aura, her unfriendly gaze falling on Aunt He standing to the side.
"go out!"
Aunt He lowered her head, trembled slightly, and quickly walked out.
Then she looked at Tao Tao.
Tao Tao stood up and cupped her hands in greeting: "Madam."
"You're the one who said the master was poisoned?"
The tone of the questioning seemed angry; shouldn't it have been one of sadness?
She sensed something was amiss and changed her story.
"I don't know. It was when a lot of black blood suddenly spilled from the master's mouth. I felt something was wrong, so I took a silver needle to test it, and the silver needle turned black."
She didn't say he was poisoned.
She wasn't a coroner, just a funeral director, although she did know some of the skills of a coroner.
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