After walking to the stone table and sitting on the stone bench, Wei Che was the first to break the silence. He looked at Su Huaiyue and said sincerely, "Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry for last night. I was not in my right mind at the time. I hope you don't mind if I have offended you in any way."
Su Huaiyue smiled, trying to make her tone sound more relaxed: "I understand, you were also calculated by someone, it's okay."
But after they finished speaking, the two fell into deathly silence again.
Are apologies and understanding sincere or are they just compromises?
After a while, Wei Che seemed to have made up his mind and told Su Huaiyue everything that had happened between him and Jing Zhiwan: "Jing Zhiwan must have been drugged. There must be someone behind it. But I really can't figure out what their purpose is in doing this."
Su Huaiyue couldn't help but frown after hearing this and said, "It's really strange. What good will it do for her to do this?"
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che sat at the stone table in the courtyard. It was late at night and the moonlight was blocked by thick clouds. Only a few lanterns were left swaying in the wind, casting mottled light and shadows.
Su Huaiyue recounted the story of her meeting with Yan Shu last night, her voice very low, as if she was afraid that the secret would be blown away by the night wind.
When she mentioned Yan Shu, her fingertips unconsciously stroked the cracks on the stone table. The cold touch reminded her of the coldness in Yan Shu's eyes.
"He said he would find a way to overthrow the county magistrate, but that tone..." Su Huaiyue suddenly shuddered, as if invisible insects were crawling across her spine. "It's like a hunter looking at his prey caught in a trap. He's obviously smiling, but it makes you feel cold all over."
Wei Che's knuckles knocked on the stone table, making a dull sound.
His eyes fell on Su Huaiyue's slightly trembling shoulders, and suddenly as if realizing something, he put his outer robe on her.
The clothes still carried his body temperature, but it could not dispel the coldness in Su Huaiyue's heart.
"You mean, the dismemberment case was done by Yan Shu?" Wei Che's voice was hoarse, as if it had been polished with sandpaper.
His pupils shrank to the size of needles in the shadows. "Intentionally making Zhang Yi the target of public criticism to shake the county magistrate's foundation?"
Su Huaiyue nodded, her throat tightening.
She recalled the tragic scene described by the maid during the day—the head of the male master was abandoned in a mass grave, and the female master's organs were scattered in the streets.
Those images were pieced together into a bloody puzzle in his mind, and Yan Shu's figure stood in the center of the puzzle with a sneer on his lips.
"But why did he choose such a cruel method?" Su Huaiyue suddenly grabbed Wei Che's wrist, her nails almost digging into his flesh. "Is human life just a piece of white paper to him?"
The night was as dark as ink, hanging heavily over the courtyard. A few lanterns swayed in the wind, and the dim light cast mottled shadows on the ground, like a monster with bared fangs and claws.
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che sat at the stone table in the courtyard. It was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.
Thinking back to the time she spent with Yan Shu, Su Huaiyue felt a chill in her heart, as if a chill was running from the soles of her feet straight up into her heart.
She knew very well that getting along with someone like Yan Shu was like courting disaster, and she would dig her own grave if she was not careful.
Her hands unconsciously clenched, her slender fingers turned white due to the force, and the veins on the back of her hands bulged slightly.
His body was trembling slightly, like a leaf swaying in the autumn wind.
Her eyes were full of worry. Her originally bright pupils were now shrouded in gloom, and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she was carrying a heavy burden on her mind.
Her lips were slightly pursed, and she bit her lower lip from time to time, revealing her inner tension and anxiety.
Wei Che had been paying attention to Su Huaiyue's expression, and seeing her like this, he felt a little distressed.
He leaned forward slightly, with the angle of his upper body just right, expressing his concern without making Su Huaiyue feel oppressed.
His gaze fell firmly and gently on Su Huaiyue's face. That gaze was like the warm sun in winter, bringing warmth and strength.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry too much." Wei Che's voice was low and steady, like ripples on a calm lake, slowly spreading out. "Yan Shu's return of the jade is just a way for him to take control of the initiative."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, as if he was quite disdainful of Yan Shu's tactics. "People like him like to hold everything in their own hands. It seems to give you a little sweet treat, but in fact it is to better control you. Just like in a game of chess, he calculates every move, making his opponent fall into his trap unknowingly."
As he spoke, he waved his hand gently, as if trying to dispel the gloom brought by Yan Shu.
"As long as we know what's going on, there's no need to be too afraid." Wei Che continued, his tone carrying a reassuring power, "No matter what happens, I will be by your side."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and gently patted Su Huaiyue's shoulder. The pat was light, yet full of power, as if he wanted to pass on his courage and determination to her.
After hearing Wei Che's words, Su Huaiyue's uneasiness was slightly relieved.
She nodded slightly, as if to cheer herself up, took a deep breath, and her chest rose and fell slightly.
She tried to calm herself down, loosened her hands, and slowly let them hang down. The expression on her face gradually relaxed.
"You're right, I was a little panicked." Su Huaiyue raised her head and looked at Wei Che with a hint of gratitude in her eyes. "It's just that Yan Shu is really unpredictable. Every look and every word he says seems to have hidden meaning. Dealing with him is like walking on a road full of traps, every step is frightening."
She wrinkled her nose slightly, a helpless smile on her face, as if she was a little troubled by Yan Shu's complexity.
The next morning, sunlight shone through the thin clouds onto Youzhou City.
The county magistrate, accompanied by the coroner and a group of yamen runners, arrived at the scene of the crime with a solemn expression.
As soon as I walked to the door, a strong smell of blood hit me in the face, making me almost nauseous.
The county magistrate frowned and covered his mouth and nose tightly with one hand. The strong and pungent smell of blood still went straight into his nostrils, making his eyes sting.
He forced himself to look into the house, and the scene inside made his scalp tingle instantly.
The ground was covered with dried bloodstains, which were a dark red color, like dried rust, spreading wantonly on the ground. In some places, they were condensed into lumps, as if telling the tragic scene of the crime.
Among the bloodstains, there were some scattered human body fragments. Several fingers were lying on the ground so abruptly, which made people shudder; there was also a piece of meat stuck to the table leg, as if it would slip off at any time.
This family was originally an ordinary well-off family with a little money, but not much. The layout of the house shows the warmth it once had.
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