Chapter 298 The Death of Madam Yu
"Good, good, good..." Madam Yu said "good" countless times, and a bright smile bloomed on her face, as if she could already see the beautiful scene of Min Qiaoshi falling to the ground, begging for mercy, and crying bitterly.
The two talked for a while longer before the Duchess of Annam got up and left.
Before leaving, the Earl of Annam gave her a final instruction: "Madam, this matter must not be discussed with outsiders until it is completely settled."
"I know."
"Oh, by the way, Madam, you can also think about it carefully and see if Madam Min Qiao has any other incriminating evidence or wrongdoings. Have someone collect and summarize them privately, and expose them all at once later."
"Alright, alright, I'll think about it." Madam Yu was overjoyed. "When you go out, tell the people outside that I'm tired and need to rest, and ask them not to come in and disturb me."
She couldn't contain her joy, but to avoid arousing suspicion from the servants, she decided to calm herself down first.
Hmm, while I'm at it, let me think of something else that could be used to smear Min Qiao's head.
Anyway, the Duchess of Annan said that all she had to do was stand up and accuse Min Qiao of her crimes. She didn't need to provide any evidence, so it was up to her to say it.
“Alright. Then I’ll take my leave.” Lady Annam clearly saw through Madam Yu’s plan. However, she didn’t stop her; on the contrary, she was pleased.
"Take care," Madam Yu said dismissively, before immersing herself in fabricating charges against Madam Min.
Lady Annan smiled and went out the door. Following Madam Yu's instructions, she told the people at the door not to go in and disturb them, and then left the Yongning Marquis's residence.
Little did anyone know that shortly after Lady Annam left, she actually darted out from the shadows to the bedside and, before Lady Yu could react, snapped her neck, then quietly slipped out of the room.
Madam Yu died quietly.
Because of the instructions given by the Duchess of Annam before she left, the servants had not dared to go in and disturb her.
It wasn't until after noon that the head maid, worried about Madam Yu's health, mustered up the courage to go into the room to wake her up and give her something to eat.
To everyone's surprise, no matter how they called, they couldn't wake up. So they cautiously stepped forward to check his breathing.
This attempt was like falling into an ice cave.
"Grandma, Grandma!?...Grandma!!! Someone come quick! Something's happened! Someone come quick! Something's happened to Grandma!..."
The head maid's exclamation immediately drew everyone inside.
Soon, Lady Yongning arrived, along with several of her daughters-in-law. Lord Yongning and his sons were also quickly summoned back.
The Yongning Marquis's residence was instantly thrown into chaos.
However, Lady Yongning quickly brought the situation under control.
First, all the servants of Shou'an Hall were taken into custody, and the gates of the mansion were sealed off, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving easily, in order to prevent any information from leaking out.
While waiting for Marquis Yongning to return, she questioned each of the servants at Shou'an Hall to find out who had been to Shou'an Hall that day and what was suspicious about them.
"It's Lady Annam! It must be Lady Annam!"
"Yes! Today, besides the Marquis and his wife, only the Lady of Annan came to visit the Grand Madam!"
"When Lady Annam left, she specifically instructed us not to go in and disturb the Grand Madam!"
"When we went back inside, something happened to the Grand Madam! She must have killed her!"
"That's right! It's her!"
...
The servants of Shou'an Hall unanimously concluded that the crime of killing Madam Yu was committed by the Earl of An'nan.
When Marquis Yongning returned, this was the result he received.
"Are you joking with me?" The Marquis of Yongning looked at his wife with icy eyes. "What grudge does the Lady of Annan have against my mother? What grudge does the Annan Earl's Mansion have against our Marquis of Yongning Mansion? Why would the Lady of Annan Earl want to kill my mother? And why would she do it so brazenly, coming to our door to commit murder?"
"Are you taking me for a fool? Or are you trying to protect someone?"
The Marquis of Yongning spoke in a low voice, and there wasn't even a hint of anger in his tone. Yet, every word he uttered carried a chilling aura.
Lady Yongning knew that the Marquis of Yongning was truly enraged.
The death of Madam Yu completely crossed his bottom line!
Lady Yongning felt a chill run down her spine, but outwardly she feigned strength and said, "What do you mean by that? What are you trying to say? Who do you think I'm trying to protect?"
"Yu Bin, don't be unreasonable!"
"The claim that Lady Annam murdered the old lady was not made by me, but by all the servants of Shou'an Hall who unanimously identified it."
"If you don't believe me, you can call someone here and ask them yourself. See if I'm lying!"
The Marquis of Yongning ignored his wife and instead ordered his men to bring all the people from Shou'an Hall over.
Seeing that no one looked like they had been beaten or punished, Marquis Yongning began to inquire about the whole story.
Upon learning that the last person Lady Yu saw before her death was indeed Lady An'nan, the Marquis of Yongning frowned deeply.
He still didn't believe it!
"Go and call the Fourth Miss over."
Marquis Yongning still harbored doubts about the truth.
"Yu Bin, what do you mean?! Do you suspect that he really killed the old lady?" Lady Yongning's heart clenched violently.
Marquis Yongning glanced at his wife and changed his mind, saying, "I will go there myself."
As he spoke, he quickly walked towards Zhen Huan's courtyard.
Lady Yongning did not believe that Lady Yu was killed by Lady Annan.
Like the Marquis of Yongning, she also felt that there was a greater possibility that he had actually killed Madam Yu.
Seeing this, he quickly followed.
When the group arrived at Huanzhen's courtyard, a young maid opened the door. She was startled to see the Marquis of Yongning and his wife arriving together. She quickly prepared to kneel and pay her respects.
Marquis Yongning waved his hand impatiently to stop him, and strode inside while asking, "Is your fourth young lady here? Where is she now? Has she left the house today?"
Although the maid didn't know what had happened, she still answered each question: "The Fourth Miss is taking a nap in her room right now. She has been resting quietly in her room these days and rarely goes out. She hasn't left the house yet today."
"Are you sure your fourth young lady didn't go out today?" Marquis Yongning frowned and asked in a cold tone.
The young maid nodded firmly, "Fourth Miss did not go out today."
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Yongning's tightly furrowed brows did not relax at all.
Just as Lady Yongning was about to speak and get angry, she saw Zhen Huan appear at the door in her nightgown.
She leaned against the door frame, looking at Marquis Yongning with a blank expression.
"What kind of appearance is it to run out like this, with your clothes disheveled?" Marquis Yongning scolded instinctively.
He actually gave Yongning Marquis a cold glance, then turned and went back into the house.
The little girl quickly followed her inside to help her get dressed.
Well, she's the only one serving in the whole courtyard. She has to guard the gate, take care of Zhen Huan's daily needs, and keep an eye on people...
There was nothing they could do; after Xiaofeng and Xiaoyu were sent away, they really didn't want any more servants.
This little girl was given to her by Lady Yongning after she died.
Seeing that Zhen Huan was indeed nonchalant yet unchanging, the doubts in the heart of the Marquis of Yongning subsided somewhat.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com