Tea merchant, Wan Fu.
"Madam has returned to the manor!"
A carriage stopped in front of the Wan family mansion gate. The gatekeeper saw his own carriage and hurriedly ran to greet it.
A beautiful woman, supported by her maid, slowly stepped down from the carriage.
As Madam Wan stepped through the side gate of the Wan residence, she remembered something and turned to greet the steward at the door, "Did you send food to the North Garden today?"
The steward greeted them with a smile and said respectfully, "Madam, we have already instructed people to take good care of the guests from the North Garden."
Madam Wan then asked, "Has the master returned home?"
The steward thought for a moment and immediately said, "Master has already returned home. He asked about Madam when he returned. She should be in her study now."
Madam Wan said calmly, "I understand. I'll go to the North Garden. If the master asks, just say I'm feeling a little unwell and need to go back to my room to rest."
The steward was puzzled, but he didn't dare to say anything. He bowed and saw Madam Wan off, saying, "Yes, Madam."
At that time, a side room in Beiyuan was brightly lit.
Inside sat a beautiful woman, playing with a string of beads in one hand and occasionally sipping tea; she seemed to be someone who was used to a carefree and happy life.
She seemed to be sick, scratching her face every now and then.
Strangely, no matter how hard she tried, not a single red mark was left on her face.
"Knock knock knock".
The tranquility of Beiyuan was suddenly shattered.
"who!"
A woman's voice came from outside the door, "Honored guest, my wife has come to discuss important matters with you."
"Come in."
The door, which hadn't been repaired for a long time, creaked open with an unpleasant sound.
Madam Wan stepped into the room and said to the maid behind her, "Just wait for me outside."
"Yes," the maid replied, and then closed the door again.
Madam Wan took a few steps into the room and saw a long whip placed on the round table. The person in front of her saw her and slowly stood up.
She said, "Aunt Ning, please sit down. You have an injury on your leg and it's not good for you to stand for long."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Ning gently thanked her and sat down.
Madam Wan sat opposite her and said, "This morning, news spread from the teahouse that Concubine Ning had absconded with the money of the ladies of the border town."
The news spread throughout the streets and alleys of the border town in less than half a day.
As Madam Wan spoke, her eyes were fixed on her face, trying to see something through it.
Unfortunately, what she didn't know was that the person in front of her had two faces.
Seeing that the other party remained completely unmoved, she continued, "After noon, all the ladies who had previously invested in the rouge shop went to the Wu residence to demand an explanation."
With the help of the village head of Kang Le, General Wu agreed to return the money the next day.
Upon hearing the name of the Princess of Kang Le, Aunt Ning's eyes suddenly sharpened, a change that was quickly and accurately captured by Madam Wan.
Aunt Ning feigned grievance and said, "It's all my fault for offending the Princess of Kangle. Now Aunt Xiang has run off with the money and is even turning around and blaming me."
Now I'm in a situation where I have a home, but I can't, and dare not, go back.
When Madam Wan entered the mansion, she felt that Aunt Ning had not told the truth last night. But now she was blaming Aunt Xiang for absconding with the money, which was consistent with what General Wu had said before.
However, the head of Kang Le Township has now proven Aunt Xiang's innocence.
Therefore, the story of absconding with the money was probably fabricated by Aunt Ning.
Having figured this out, Madam Wan didn't intend to stay any longer. She glanced at the long whip on the table, then got up to say goodbye to Aunt Ning.
"It's getting late. You should stay here and make yourself at home. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."
As Madam Wan turned around, she heard the sound of someone getting up behind her. Her heart pounded like a drum, thumping against her chest as if it were about to leap out of her chest.
"etc."
Upon hearing the sound, Madam Wan paused in her tracks and immediately stopped.
She suppressed her trembling legs, slowly turned around, and tried her best not to show any fear. She put on a smile and said, "Aunt Ning, is there anything else you need me to do?"
Aunt Ning's eyes were sharp as she slowly walked towards her until she stood face to face with her, their breaths almost touching.
Madam Wan clenched her fists tightly and stood rooted to the spot, as if nails had driven into her feet, rendering her unable to move.
She suddenly felt a surge of heat near her ear, so hot it made her scalp tingle.
Soon, a voice like that of a ghost pierced her eardrums and entered her mind.
"You're clever; you know how to trick me into revealing information. It's just a pity you're too timid; you even tremble when you walk."
"Now that you've learned a secret you shouldn't know, I can't let you live any longer."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wan hurriedly begged for forgiveness, "I know nothing. I promise I will keep quiet about what happened here and will never tell anyone!"
"Please let me go!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Wan felt an unbearable pain in her abdomen. Her eyes widened, but she couldn't utter a single word.
She clutched her abdomen, where she had been stabbed by a dagger, with one hand and supported her killer with the other, as she slowly collapsed to the ground.
Fresh blood flowed steadily from the dagger.
Seeing this, Aunt Ning revealed a strange smile. She said, "Only the dead can keep secrets. You've lived to be this old and you don't even know this? How naive!"
After saying that, she squatted down and took all the valuables off Madam Wan, pretending to be a robber and murderer.
Madam Wan watched helplessly as she groped her body, regretting bringing the viper-like woman back to her mansion until the very last moment before she closed her eyes.
Seeing Madam Wan close her eyes, Aunt Ning tore off a piece of skin from her face, revealing her original appearance.
However, this skin has been left on her face for too long, causing her original face to not be able to breathe for too long, resulting in redness and rashes.
Without thinking twice, she picked up the long whip on the round table and climbed out of the Wan residence through the window from the other side of the room.
He instructed the maid who was left outside, but when she did not see anyone come out of the house for a long time, she realized something was wrong and immediately pushed open the door.
As soon as the maid opened the door, she saw a person lying on the ground with their back to her.
The clothes that man was wearing were exactly the same as those worn by his wife.
The blood on the ground instantly pulled the maid back to reality.
She rushed out of the North Garden, screaming, "Help! Help!"
"Oh no! Oh no!"
"The lady has been stabbed! Guards!"
The commotion caused by the maid was quite significant, and the usually deserted North Garden was now bustling with activity.
When Master Wan heard that his wife had been assassinated in his own residence, he panicked and ran to the North Garden.
When he saw that Madam Wan was covered in blood, he cried out in grief.
After he came to his senses, he shouted, "Report to the authorities! I want the murderer to pay for my wife's life!"
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