The next morning, the Zou Mansion was in an uproar. Even the ten-foot-high wall could not block the shrill voice of the mistress of the house, Zhao Ximei.
"What a bunch of losers! They can't even catch two thieves in disguise!"
The leading guard had a dull face, but spoke with great conviction, "Madam, you are wrong. Last night, my brothers and I guarded this garden like an iron barrel. Not even a bug could escape, yet those two people simply vanished into thin air."
The implication is to completely deny the issue of dereliction of duty.
"That's right." The other guards nodded frequently, indicating that what the boss said was true.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shi was not anxious at all. She sat down on the flower stool and asked while drinking tea, "That makes a lot of sense. Now let me ask you, what color clothes were those two thieves wearing last night?"
“Black.”
"White."
"Flower."
Zhao sneered, and the guards began to complain to each other in low voices.
"How could it be black? I clearly saw that person running out of the main room, dressed in bright white."
"How could it be white? I clearly saw two people running out from the other side of the rockery, one covered with a red scarf, the other with a green scarf."
"Nonsense! I saw a man in white and a woman covered with a red veil..."
"That's enough!" Zhao threw the teacup to the ground, the steaming tea reflecting her current mood. "Everyone seems to be talking nonsense, but why do they act like they're blind when they speak?"
The guards looked at each other, and seeing that the leader didn't say anything, they didn't dare to say anything more because they had to take money.
The Zou family has such a big courtyard, and it is not necessarily known to everyone that someone broke into the mansion last night. But now that there is such a commotion, I am afraid that the third concubine and the servants in the mansion will know about it.
Li Guizhen, the nanny following behind Zhao, saw this and took the opportunity to intervene, saying, "I heard that the handkerchief the thief dropped was embroidered with flowers. We can always find out where it came from by checking."
The leading guard seemed to be waiting for this sentence and presented the emerald green handkerchief to Zhao.
The handkerchief was made of ordinary green satin, with a white lily flower embroidered on the corner.
"Actually... I asked someone to inquire about it this morning. The handkerchief belongs to Miss Ayun from Wangchen Tower."
When the words "Wangchen Tower" came out, Zhao's face twisted a little. But the guard's next words were truly heart-wrenching.
"But Miss Ayun fell ill two years ago. This handkerchief was given to her lover. After she died, her lover secretly returned it, fearing it would bring trouble to her."
Zhao's brows relaxed, but her face turned pale. She threw the handkerchief to the ground as if her hand was burned.
The whole yard fell silent.
After a long while, Zhao said with disgust, "Burn this thing."
The person next to him agreed and was about to step forward to light the fire when Zhao suddenly changed his mind.
"Wait."
******************
Within half a day, rumors were spreading throughout the mansion about how many romantic relationships Mr. Zou had incurred. It was said that the deceased Miss An Yun was also involved in his affairs. There were also rumors that ghosts had come to visit him last night. It was feared that the deer in the swamp had transformed into spirits and had seduced Mr. Zou's spirit.
When Hao Bai came to the west wing to consult, Zhao's face could be described as "as pale as gold paper".
"Sir, are you here? Please prescribe me two sets of tranquilizing medicine today."
Hao Bai didn't rush to prescribe medicine. Instead, he closed the door behind him mysteriously.
For a moment, the only people left in the room were the half-dead Mr. Zou and the two of them.
Zhao raised her head and frowned slightly: "Sir, what are you doing?"
Hao Bai said quietly, "Madam, the medicine may have been found."
Zhao was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. Her considerable expense in seeking medical help was well worth it; it seemed her troubled times were finally coming to an end.
"But..." Hao Bai frowned, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Zhao Shi became anxious when she saw it.
"Sir, have you really found the Buddha's relic? What's the problem with your hesitation?"
Hao Bai sighed, his expression expressing his fate perfectly: "Madam, do you believe in karma?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao's face darkened. How could she not have known about the rumors going around outside a while ago? Now they had even reached the courtyard. She felt that outsiders were jealous of her family's prosperity and were taking advantage of their misfortunes to fabricate more stories. She had already decided to replace the servants because of their gossip. But now even the doctor she had hired was using these tactics to annoy her. It was truly unacceptable.
"Are you going to use the matter of gods and ghosts to evade me?"
Hao Bai didn't mind Zhao's displeasure at all. Instead, he said sincerely, "How can cause and effect be discussed in the same breath as ghosts and gods? It's the simplest truth in this world that every cause has its effect. Now the master's illness is the effect, so we must carefully investigate the cause."
Zhao's face still showed dissatisfaction, but she was a little shaken in her heart: "Everything depends on human effort. I don't believe in fate. The master's illness must be related to human effort."
Seeing this, Hao Bai was not in a hurry and said in a slow tone, "Madam, you have made up your mind. I am just a doctor and there are things I cannot do. I am saying this in advance in the hope that Madam can see this matter more clearly. Apart from this, I have no other intentions."
After saying that, he took out a small wooden box from his sleeve. When he opened the box, an oblong bead sat in the middle. It was crystal clear and seemed to emit holy light in the dim light of the room.
Zhao stared at the rare treasure, but her heart couldn't help but think of the emerald green handkerchief.
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