Chapter 96
There was a drizzle in the afternoon, dewdrops rolled on the branches, dusk was falling, and the rain and fog had not yet dispersed, covering the Ninghe Hall like smoke.
Following Nanny Ming's suggestion, Jiang locked Xie Yunxiu in the west wing behind Ninghe Hall, waiting for Wang Shuhuai to come back and deal with her.
Although Jiang was domineering and unruly, she had never tied anyone up. She was very nervous and stood under the corridor with her sleeves rolled up. She kept looking towards the hall, hoping that her son would return home quickly to take over this hot potato.
The first person to come back was not Wang Shuhuai, but the second master.
Ever since the eldest princess left, the second master has been walking his birds and listening to music all day, living a very happy life.
When Jiang saw her husband leisurely strolling into the hallway with a cage of birds in his arms, her face suddenly darkened.
"What were you doing? Why did you just come back?"
The second master waved a newly acquired cage of yellow sparrows in front of Jiang, "Didn't father go to the palace for Chu girl's matter half a month ago? Her Royal Highness the Princess asked him to collect all the birds that were originally left in Changchun Palace. Now father doesn't need to entertain birds, so he threw all these things to me. Look, this bird is called Ying'er, and the song it sings is also very beautiful. Why don't I keep it in the Ming Dynasty to entertain you on weekdays?"
Jiang had something on her mind and didn't want to argue with him. She avoided him in annoyance and said, "Go away. I have something to do." She continued to look at the entrance of the hall and asked, "Why hasn't my son come back yet?"
"Which one do you mean?"
Before she finished speaking, Jiang saw a tall, crimson figure walking across the hall in front of her. She couldn't help but look happy, "Huai'er, are you back?"
At 5 pm in the afternoon, Nanny Ming sent Ming Gui to find Wang Shuhuai and told him that Xie Yunchu's sister Xie Yunxiu had come to the mansion and her whereabouts were a little strange. Wang Shuhuai guessed what was going on and asked Nanny Ming to keep an eye on her. After finishing his official duties, he turned down the social activities and quickly returned home. He was worried that Xie Yunchu would get angry, so he didn't dare to say anything. He didn't take off his official uniform and went straight to Ninghe Hall.
Wang Shuhuai came to his parents with clear eyes and bowed. A mist lingered between his brows, like frost and snow.
"Mother, where is he?"
Jiang said, "It's in the back room. What are you going to do?"
Wang Shuhuai stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked at his mother. He had no intention of talking to her in detail. "Son will interrogate first. Mother has been worried all day. Go and have a rest. I will take care of the rest."
Wang Shuhuai gave a wink, and Nanny Ming immediately took a few maids to the west wing at the back to bring the person out.
In order to avoid making any noise, the person's head was covered and her mouth was gagged. Three maids held her tightly and forced her to follow Minggui.
Wang Shuhuai bowed to his parents and was about to turn around, but Jiang was still a little worried and stopped him, saying,
"Son, women have more tricks than men. You must be careful and don't be fooled by her."
Wang Shuhuai paused and nodded expressionlessly.
The second master almost laughed out loud when he heard this. He stopped his wife and said, "Your son has been promoted to the position of a minister at such a young age. He is definitely not a pushover. He took her away because he was worried that it would pollute your eyes. Don't get involved."
Jiang glared at her husband. The second master smiled and waved at Wang Shuhuai.
Wang Shuhuai bowed again and then left Ninghe Hall.
Minggui followed Wang Shuhuai's instructions and brought Xie Yunxiu to a side courtyard behind the Duke's Mansion. Usually, there were some sundries piled here. When they heard that Wang Shuhuai was going to interrogate someone, the maids and servants cleaned up the place quickly.
Minggui threw Xie Yunxiu in first, then told the servant to fetch the West Lake Longjing tea that the second master usually drank. After the tea was poured and placed on the long table, Minggui went into the house with Wang Shuhuai, leaving three maids from the Discipline Courtyard behind and sending the rest out.
Qi Wei and Leng Shan stood at the door, each holding a long sword.
Xie Yunxiu was tied up and sitting in an armchair. At the instruction of Wang Shuhuai, the old woman threw away the sack on Xie Yunxiu's head and pulled out the cloth ball stuffed in his mouth. Xie Yunxiu immediately gasped for breath and looked timidly in the direction of the flickering candlelight. There was a person sitting in front and behind him. He was wearing a second-grade scarlet official robe. He had a slender figure, clear eyebrows and a calm and clear look in his eyes.
If it’s not Wang Shuhuai, then who else could it be?
When Xie Yunxiu saw him, tears immediately rolled down her cheeks, "Brother-in-law..." Her voice was hoarse after being locked up for half a day.
"What is the purpose of the Second Miss's pestering?"
Wang Shuhuai had gentle features, and there was even a hint of smile in the depths of his pupils, but that smile was like ice water, making people feel cold.
Xie Yunxiu shuddered, "Brother-in-law, I just want to take care of my sister, nothing else. I have no one to rely on now, so I just hope to catch my sister's eye and get some sympathy from her..."
Wang Shuhuai didn't believe it. "Your father-in-law banned you from entering the mansion, but you took advantage of Yun Chu's illness to sneak into the mansion. Your whereabouts are really suspicious."
Nanny Ming told Wang Shuhuai that she suspected Xie Yunxiu intended to seduce him, with the idea of two women sharing one husband, but Wang Shuhuai disagreed. Xie Jijiu valued his reputation more than his life, and it was impossible for him to allow his concubine's daughter to be his son-in-law's concubine. If Xie Yunxiu had any brains, she would know that it was impossible for her to be his concubine. Moreover, he had warned Xie Yunxiu last time in Xie's house. If Xie Yunxiu simply admired him and wanted to be his concubine, she should have given up the idea that time.
Xie Yunxiu has been lurking in Jiangzhou for several years and has collected a lot of documents from Western Chu. She went to great lengths to get close to him and intends to stay in the palace, so she may have other purposes.
Wang Shuhuai thought about it and still suspected that Xie Yunxiu was a spy. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Since the second young lady is unwilling to tell the truth, I will not be polite. Come, search her body for me."
Xie Yunxiu's pupils shrank sharply, and he said sternly,
"Brother-in-law, I am an innocent woman. How can I explain to my father if you do this?" Seeing the two women rushing towards her, Xie Yunchu twitched her arms and tried to break free from the ropes. Her voice became sharp, "I want to see my father. Wang Shuhuai, take me back to the Xie Mansion."
Wang Shuhuai saw her flustered expression and was more certain that she had some plan. He held the tea cup leisurely and said, "I, Wang Shuhuai, never need to give an explanation to anyone for my actions."
The old woman immediately dragged the person to the inner room. Soon, the sound of clothes being torn was heard. Xie Yunxiu burst into tears and made a fuss, while Wang Shuhuai drank tea leisurely without any fluctuation in his expression.
In the inner room, two maids held Xie Yunxiu's arms and forced her to kneel on the ground, while another maid squatted down to search her body.
Seeing that she was about to be exposed, Xie Yunxiu realized that the situation was hopeless and it was impossible for her to rely on Wang Shuhuai. She had given up and only wanted to save her life. She begged for mercy from the outside.
"Brother-in-law, I was wrong. I shouldn't have coveted you. I was just jealous of my sister and wanted to be your bedmate, so I tried every means to get close to you... Please don't search me. After all, I am your daughter. If your father knew you were doing this, he would think you did something to me. It concerns your reputation, so you should just stand by."
Unfortunately, no matter how much she screamed, there was no movement outside.
Xie Yunxiu felt very disappointed.
This old woman was the manager of the Discipline Institute and had some experience. She searched the pockets of his robe but didn't find anything suspicious. Finally, she found a small bag of powder from the edge of the sleeve.
When she found it, she immediately took it out and showed it to Wang Shuhuai.
A small bag of white powder was placed on the table.
When Wang Shuhuai saw the thing, his face turned pale and he said, "Go get a doctor."
The palace had a resident doctor, and Minggui ordered him to run to the front yard as fast as his feet could.
Xie Yunxiu was in disarray, with her hands and feet tied and thrown into a haystack. She was silent, her eyes staring blankly at the void in front of her, her face pale with horror, and she didn't know how to react for a moment.
In a short while, the resident doctor came over. Wang Shuhuai asked him to identify what it was. The doctor took out the powder and tasted it with the tip of his tongue. His expression suddenly changed. "This powder contains thunder vine grass and saffron. If a woman takes this medicine when she is sick or menstruating, she will have vaginal discharge. Over time, it will harm her body..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Shuhuai's pupils gradually tightened, and a hidden viciousness slowly surfaced, gradually wandering around his body like a vine. Then, the unstoppable murderous aura almost broke through the layer of coldness on his cheeks, and the warmth covering his face collapsed inch by inch.
He was stunned for a long while before he found his own voice. He spoke coldly, word by word.
"I order you to go to Chunjing Hall immediately to check the pulse of the young lady to prevent her from being poisoned."
"Yes..." The doctor quickly wiped the sweat off his face and left.
Wang Shuhuai stared blankly at the small bag of powder and told Qi Wei,
"Go find me some more of this."
Qi Wei understood what he was going to do and turned and left the room.
Xie Yunxiu in the inner room heard this and was filled with fear. She didn't care about her dignity and rolled down from the firewood pile and crawled towards the outer room.
"Brother-in-law, I was wrong. Please forgive me. This was given to me by my aunt. I don't know anything..."
After hearing her words, Wang Shuhuai suddenly remembered that there was still Aunt Lu. He turned his head and looked at the fir trees outside the window.
"Go find out where her aunt is and kill her for me."
"Yes, sir."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yunxiu spat out a mouthful of blood and became hoarse.
Leaving the old woman to look after Xie Yunxiu, Wang Shuhuai lifted his knee-guard and walked out of the house.
On the night of the first day of the new year, there was no moon and no wind. The deep sky was like a huge black hole covering the world.
Wang Shuhuai raised his eyes and looked deeply, as if layers of dark clouds were about to press down. His heart was covered with a layer of haze. He couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if this poison got to Xie Yunchu.
Xie Yunxiu's intermittent crying sound came from the inner room, as weak as spider silk, densely entangled in people's hearts.
Wang Shuhuai's face turned cold, he had guessed what Xie Yunxiu was planning, it was obvious how deep her heart was and how evil her mind was. He then realized that he was in a high position and had provoked some women with bad intentions, causing trouble for Xie Yunchu.
Yun Chu is kind-hearted and simple-minded, so how can he deal with this?
The fear lingers in my heart.
As for Xie Yunxiu, he naturally wanted to strangle her to death with his own hands, but he didn't. Letting her die so easily would be too easy for her.
Minggui looked at Wang Shuhuai for a while and reminded him softly, "Master, the Xie family sent someone to your house to ask about this last night. I'm sure that Xie Jijiu will soon know that the second young lady is in our house. What are you going to do?"
Wang Shuhuai's private treatment of Xie Yunxiu was against etiquette and human nature.
Wang Shuhuai had expected this, and his eyes flashed with anger. "If I return her to the Xie family, Xie Jijiu will at most lock her up in the family temple for life. I can't let her get away with it."
After all, the chaos in the Xie family was also related to Xie Hui. If Xie Hui hadn't allowed the concubine to be in charge, Xie Yunxiu wouldn't have to compare herself with her elder sister in everything.
Wang Shuhuai originally wanted to respect Xie Hui, but now he no longer has that heart.
Wang Shuhuai returned to his study in silence. Just as he changed into his official uniform, the doctor came back and immediately reported,
"Second Master, I just took Second Madam's pulse. Her pulse is stable and there is no sign of blood loss. She has taken medicine today and is much better now. She only has a slight cough."
Wang Shuhuai leaned on the long desk for a while without saying anything, and with a sigh of relief in his heart, he gave the order in a calm voice,
"Go check on Second Madam's pulse every now and then. I'll leave her affairs to you. If you take good care of her, I'll reward you handsomely."
The doctor bowed and smiled, "Don't worry, I will do my best to serve you, Second Madam."
The doctor left, and Qi Wei came back soon. He went to the pharmacy and bought a lot of saffron and tripterygium wilfordii.
"Master, how do you plan to deal with Miss Xie?"
Wang Shuhuai closed his eyes and leaned back in the armchair, his slender fingers stroking back and forth between his eyebrows, his voice was so calm that there was no trace of emotion.
"Drink all of it, and send him to the water prison in Shuishang City overnight, and leave it to Ge Niang to decide."
The Water City outside the water gate of the north suburbs is the most famous black market in the capital, where all kinds of people and shady ruffians gather. Ge Niang is a brothel owner in the Water City, who controls several black market deals and is one of Wang Shuhuai's spies. She has endless ways of tormenting people.
Xie Yunxiu has evil intentions and intends to murder Yun Chu, but Wang Shuhuai is determined to cut her into pieces.
Qi Wei nodded expressionlessly, and immediately took the powder to the side yard, grabbed Xie Yunxiu's hair and poured the poison powder into her mouth, then knocked her unconscious and threw her into a carriage, and ordered the secret guards to quietly drive the carriage to send her away overnight.
Seeing that Xie Yunxiu had not returned for a long time, Xie Hui and Madam Ming guessed that something had happened, and sent people to the Wang Mansion to inquire. Wang Shuhuai sneered and ordered Qi Wei to take Xie Yunxiu's small bag of poison powder and the jade Buddha she bought, and went to Xie Mansion.
In front of Xie Hui, Qi Wei explained the whole story.
When Xie Hui learned that the concubine intended to murder the eldest daughter with poison powder, a mouthful of blood gushed out from his chest, his eyes turned black, and his tall and thin body fell straight to the ground.
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