In the flower hall of Qingzhiyuan, vines and vines were lush and green, incense was burning in the cauldron, and two cups of Longjing tea that had just been brewed were placed motionless on the table, adding a sense of solemnity to the room. As soon as Yuan Xi stepped into the room, he saw a familiar figure. Before he could react, the person had already walked to his side, held her shoulder and asked anxiously: "Xi'er, are you okay?"

Yuan Xi suddenly saw her father appear in front of her, with an unfamiliar look of concern on his face. She felt a little dazed. She didn't know why, but she didn't feel the warmth and emotion of reuniting with her family. She just stood there blankly, feeling a little uneasy. The next moment, Xia Mingyuan turned around and said coldly to Xiao Du, who was standing behind him: "I handed my daughter to you, and this is how you treat her!"

Yuan Xi was about to speak up to defend him, but Xia Mingyuan gently pulled her away, still saying softly: "Don't worry, Dad will naturally seek justice for you, just sit down." Then he pushed her down on the chair without saying anything, signaling her not to say anything.

When Xiao Du saw this scene, a sneer appeared on the corner of his lips. He said slowly, "I had wanted to wait until things were completely settled before going to you to apologize. But I didn't expect that my father-in-law was so well-informed and came to question me so early in the morning. I'm really scared." Yuan Xi's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He looked up and met Xiao Du's gaze, which was calm and without a trace of warmth.

Xia Mingyuan snorted and continued to question: "In such a large mansion, even the new wife was abducted. I think you have been raised to be useless at home. How can you still look like the Marquis Xuanyuan at all?"

Xiao Du made a gesture of bowing and said, "My father-in-law is right. I have been used to a comfortable life these past two years. I am naturally no match for you who scheme day and night and can decide life and death with just a flick of your finger."

Xia Mingyuan naturally understood what he meant, but he pretended not to understand. He walked back to the table and sat down, saying, "You don't need to talk about this. You must give me an explanation for this matter today."

Xiao Du raised his head and looked directly into Xia Mingyuan's eyes, which had become sharper after years of political struggle. He smiled and said, "I wonder what my father-in-law wants to say?"

Xia Mingyuan was no longer anxious. He picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. He asked, "Has the murderer who kidnapped Xi'er been caught?"

Xiaodu glanced at Yuan Xi who was sitting next to him and said, "The murderer has been found, but unfortunately she is already dead."

Xia Mingyuan slammed the table and said, "Dead? Can the matter be left unsolved just because she's dead? How about this? Shuntian prefect Zhang Zhitong was once my student. I'll have him come over and investigate the case in person. He must not let the murderer of my daughter go unpunished."

Xiao Du narrowed his eyes and immediately replied, "My father-in-law is thoughtful, but this matter is an internal affair of my mansion, and there is no need to bother outsiders to interfere."

Xia Mingyuan stared at him coldly and said, "If someone dies, does that still count as internal affairs? Yuan Xi is my daughter. Since you can't protect her, then only I, as her father, will have to take care of it myself."

"Dad!" Yuan Xi, who was sitting next to him, finally spoke timidly, "Can you please let me say something? Xiao Du is my husband, and the one I want to entrust my life to. I believe he can take good care of me. Please don't force him anymore."

Her voice was not loud, but every word she spoke was firm. Xia Mingyuan could not help but glare at her, not expecting this shy and docile daughter to say such a thing, so he said with a gloomy face: "You believe him, but not me, your father."

Xiao Du showed a satisfied smile, walked forward and took Yuan Xi's hand, and said to Xia Mingyuan with a sincere expression: "Since Yuan Xi is marrying me, her safety is the most important thing in the Marquis' Mansion, and it will also be what I hold in my heart. My father-in-law is usually busy with official duties, so please don't worry about the affairs between us."

Seeing that he was excluded, Xia Mingyuan looked even more unhappy and said, "Okay, I'll give you two days, and I'll come to you for an answer in two days. If the real culprit is still not found by then, don't blame me for using the power of the government." He walked to Yuan Xi's side and said in a slow tone, "Take good care of yourself, Dad will come to see you again." Yuan Xi opened her mouth, but before she could ask about the Seventh Aunt's recent situation, she saw Xia Mingyuan walking out without looking back. She sighed, turned her head and secretly looked at Xiao Du, but found that his face was getting a little colder.

Xiao Du stood up slowly, thinking over and over again in his heart: two days later, it was the day when Aunt Wang was promoted to be a concubine. What was Xia Mingyuan's intention by deliberately choosing such a time? Aunt Wang was promoted to be a concubine by Wang Shoucheng alone. If something went wrong in the middle, the Marquis's Mansion would lose the most critical bargaining chip in the court, and then the Xia family would be able to reap the benefits. Moreover, the incident just happened yesterday. Why did Xia Mingyuan come so timely? Who was the one who informed him that he could coordinate the time so well? As he thought about it, he couldn't help but glance at Yuan Xi, and the words that the secret guard had said to him emerged in his mind: "After all, she is the daughter of Prime Minister Xia, and we have to be on guard." He was confused and unsure.

Yuan Xi understood the suspicion hidden in her eyes, and suddenly felt uncomfortable, so she stood up and said, "My Lord, I think you have important things to do, so I won't bother you any more." After that, she hurried out. Xiao Du wanted to hold her and say something else, but he only touched the hem of her cold skirt, and a certain place in his heart became empty.

At this time, the bright sun outside the window made the ground scorching hot. The servants of the mansion hid in the shade of the trees in groups of three or four, cursing the sultry weather. Across the lush green bamboo forest, the old mansion master Xiao Yunjing was wearing a silk robe, writing with a pen, facing a pool of clear water. When he saw Xiao Du walk into the house, he raised his head, put his pen aside, and asked, "Is Xia Mingyuan gone?"

Xiao Du nodded and repeated the conversation in the flower hall. The old marquis closed his eyes and sighed deeply, saying, "No matter what he wants to do, who do you think did this?"

Xiao Du understood that he was talking about Yuan Xi's repeated murders. After a slight hesitation, he replied, "Since the day Yuan Xi got married, the mansion has been in turmoil. I do suspect someone in my heart, but..."

The old marquis saw through his thoughts and asked, "Do you want to say that Shuyao did it?"

Xiao Du nodded and said, "Rong Xuan was the one who came out of Aunt Wang's room after all, and she was also involved in the farm incident. Now Rong Xuan is dead and there is no evidence. It is very likely that she was silenced. Then Aunt Wang is the most suspicious person. But..." He showed a puzzled look and said, "I still can't understand why Aunt Wang did this. Moreover, to set up this situation, you need a very meticulous and ruthless person. I always feel that Aunt Wang is not such a person."

The old marquis sighed and said, "Although Shuyao has some selfish motives, she is not a wicked person. I have been sorry for her all these years..." He paused, and said, "Just go ahead and investigate. Since Prime Minister Xia has already intervened, there must be something complicated behind this matter. No matter who it is, he cannot be allowed to stay in the marquis' mansion. If it really is Shuyao..." He pressed his eyebrows and felt a headache.

Xiao Du said quickly, "Father, don't worry too much. Even if it really was her, she would have brought this upon herself. Minister Wang has no reason to be angry with us."

The old marquis raised his eyes and looked at him, saying, "At this point, you should understand the implications of this. The decision you make is related to the safety of the Marquis' Mansion and the Xiao Family Army. You cannot make any mistakes."

Xiao Du nodded solemnly, discussed a few more words, and then bowed and left. The water was shimmering under the corridor bridge, and the dense bamboo leaves cast a cool shade above his head, but he could hardly have a moment of peace in his heart: Rong Xuan's death, the real culprit behind it, Yuan Xi's identity, Xia Mingyuan's purpose... Everything seemed to be covered by a layer of mist in front of his eyes, making it hard to figure out. Moreover, he had a stronger and stronger feeling that someone seemed to be hiding in the dark and secretly spying on his every move: that day, Luo Yuan had just reminded her that Aunt Wang might have problems, and Yuan Xi got into trouble. Could this really be just a coincidence? He looked up at the dazzling sunlight in front of him, sorted out his scattered thoughts, and decided to start with Rong Xuan's body. Only by finding out the truth behind her death could he understand it.

He then walked towards the secret room where Rong Xuan's body was placed. As soon as he reached the corridor, he saw Yuan Xi standing in front of the door from a distance, talking to the gatekeeper. He then walked up and asked, "What's the matter?"

The servant heaved a sigh of relief when he saw him coming, and said, "Madam, you must go in, but the Marquis has told no one to go in. I am really in a dilemma." Yuan Xi was still worried and felt a little uncomfortable when she saw him. She turned around and was about to leave, but Xiao Du pulled her back and said softly, "Let's go in together."

Yuan Xi was somewhat delighted, but she was unwilling to show weakness to him. She only lowered her head and pouted, muttering softly: Don't you need to be on guard against me? Who knew that Xiao Du had excellent hearing and listened to every word. He was immediately amused by her little daughter's resentful expression, so he gently took her hand, leaned close to her ear and whispered: "I don't know who said this morning that I was the person she would entrust her life to. Could it be that they changed their minds so quickly?" Yuan Xi blushed and pushed him away, but the anger in her heart slowly melted away.

The servant stood there blankly, neither watching nor not watching, thinking silently in his heart: The Marquis and his wife are really in a unique mood, they don't choose a good place to flirt, but have to run to this place where the corpse is placed to be affectionate. At this time, Xiao Du glanced at him and said, "You don't need to guard here, go outside and wait for me to call you." The servant hurriedly ran out and closed the door tightly. Yuan Xi didn't know what kind of strange picture was emerging in his mind, and was immediately attracted by the corpse on the long table.

Because the weather was very hot, in order to prevent the corpse from decaying, many ice cubes were placed under the long table. The cold air lingered around and slowly penetrated into the bones, which was clearly separated from the hot and noisy outside the door, separating the two worlds of life and death. Yuan Xi saw Rong Xuan's once beautiful eyes, which were now staring up lifelessly, as if she had countless grievances to complain about. She felt sour and angry in her heart, and suddenly walked over and pinched her cheek.

Xiao Du's eyes widened, and before he could stop her, he saw Yuan Xi pinching the corpse's mouth open, and Rong Xuan's tongue, which had turned dark blue, stretched out beside her hand. He couldn't help but look at his wife with admiration. Yuan Xi was unaware, and just stared at her throat and said, "Why didn't she call for help at that time?"

Xiao Du frowned and asked, "Do you think she was poisoned and became mute?"

Yuan Xi nodded, and then pulled open her clothes to examine her carefully. She said, "There are marks of being tied on her wrists and marks of being strangled on her forehead. I think she must have been imprisoned somewhere before. Not only can she not move, but her voice has also been mute in some way."

Xiao Du added: "Since the murderer had already imprisoned her, why did he take the risk of bringing her to Yunniang's yard and killing her? Aren't they afraid of being caught?"

Yuan Xi thought for a moment and said, "Maybe the murderer doesn't want us to know where Rong Xuan was imprisoned, and I always feel that the place should be not far from Yunniang's residence." She paused, and continued, "Everyone in the mansion went to great lengths to find me that day, and when I returned home, I thought everything was fine, so I naturally didn't expect that something would happen again soon." Xiao Du frowned and said, "You mean Rong Xuan has been imprisoned in the mansion, and the murderer deliberately waited until everyone let down their guard and then released her to kill her." In this case, this matter may have been a trap since Yuan Xi was captured, and the people who set up the trap are all linked together. What exactly is they trying to achieve?

Yuan Xi did not answer him, but pondered in his heart, and asked again: "Tell me, what was the murder weapon that killed Rong Xuan?" Xiao Du also thought: the human neck bone is very hard, if you want to cut it off without any hindrance, you must have a precious sword that can cut iron like mud, and the person who uses the sword must have extremely strong skills. And how could there be such a person in the mansion, and how could he hide such a weapon.

The two looked at each other, unable to figure out what to do for a moment. The room fell into silence. After a while, Xiao Du spoke up, "When I was leading troops in the past, if the enemy's formation was difficult to break through, I would use a sand table exercise in the camp to find the key. How about we deduce it this time?"

Yuan Xi nodded, thinking this was a feasible method, so the two began to speculate from the time when Rong Xuan was captured: when Xiao Du led people to rescue Yuan Xi, the mansion was in chaos, and the murderer took the opportunity to hide her in a secluded and secret place in the mansion. Until late at night, the man released Rong Xuan for unknown reasons. At this time, Yuan Xi suddenly said softly: "I think Rong Xuan ran into Yunniang's yard by herself." When Xiao Du heard this, many key points emerged and slowly formed a clear context in his mind: Rong Xuan was not wearing shoes, and the soles of her feet were covered with mud and wounds, which showed that she walked barefoot in the woods. If the murderer brought her to Yunniang's yard, she would not have tried to struggle. It would also be difficult for the murderer to drag a living person around in the yard without making any noise. He suddenly understood and said excitedly, "I know why she died in Yunniang's yard. You said there was a mark on her forehead, so she must have been blindfolded since she was imprisoned until the murderer took her out. That place should be not far from Yunniang's yard, and Yunniang was used to sleeping with a light on. Rongxuan was trapped in darkness for a long time, and was suddenly released. Naturally, she would run towards the light without caring about anything, hoping to find someone to save her."

Yuan Xi immediately raised her head and looked at him approvingly, thinking that this speculation was very reasonable. Xiao Du was very pleased with her and couldn't help but raise his chin proudly. Yuan Xi's expression was a little solemn and said: "If this is the case, the murderer must be someone who is very familiar with Yunniang's habits. How many people in this mansion know Yunniang?" Xiao Du also calmed down. Yunniang had an accident five years ago. Since then, she has been staying in this side courtyard and rarely shows up. Only those who have been staying in the mansion can be so familiar with her. In this case, Aunt Wang is more suspicious.

He thought about it, still puzzled: "If she ran into Yunniang's yard by herself, how did the murderer kill her?" Even if it was a sword that could cut iron like mud, it would be impossible to kill a person who was desperately trying to survive without making any sound.

Yuan Xi also frowned, carefully examining the cut on her neck, and suddenly exclaimed, "It's not a knife, it's wire!" She raised her head, her eyes lit up, and said, "Rong Xuan was desperate to survive, so she would have run forward regardless of everything. It was late at night, and the murderer only needed to tie a very thin wire at the right height where she had to pass, and she would not be discovered at all. As long as she quickly hit the wire, her neck would be cut off. Then the murderer only needed to cut the wire and take it away, and he could leave without anyone noticing."

Xiao Du imagined the scene of Rong Xuan's head flying off while running, and felt a chill down his spine. He asked, "Can a piece of wire cut her neck?" Yuan Xi nodded and said, "I once read a book that said the power generated by a very thin wire is in no way inferior to any sword. All that is needed is speed and ruthlessness."

The two of them deduced this possibility and immediately went to Yunniang's courtyard to verify it. The blood from that night had long dried up, but a deep imprint was found on the tree trunk not far away. Seeing that their guess was correct, the two of them smiled at each other. Xiao Du looked outside again and said, "The house where Rong Xuan is imprisoned must be not far from here. Since the murderer came up with this trick, he must have chosen a place in advance so that she can see the lights in Yunniang's courtyard when she walks not far away, and the distance she runs cannot be too far, otherwise she will be discovered."

Yuan Xi nodded and suddenly pointed to a stain on the tree and asked, "What is this?" Xiao Du saw the black powder on the tree and was not sure. He happened to see Xi Qiao helping Yun Niang out, so he called her over to ask. Xi Qiao touched it with her hand, then took it in front of her to look carefully, and said, "This is pot ash." Xiao Du suddenly realized and immediately called the servants to check the abandoned house a few miles outside the yard that had been used as a stove. Yuan Xi was relieved and happy to see that the real culprit had been found. He turned around and saw Xiao Du with an expression that seemed to want to say something but stopped, so he looked back at him strangely.

Xiao Du covered his lips and coughed lightly, then winked at the side. Xiqiao quickly understood and helped Yunniang walk away. He stared at Yuan Xi for a long time, and finally said, "Things in the Marquis' Mansion are more complicated than you think. The responsibility entrusted to me does not allow me to trust anyone casually. Do you... understand?" Yuan Xi was stunned. She didn't expect him to say this to her frankly. She lowered her head and said nothing, but silently took his hand. Xiao Du's heart was filled with tenderness. He suddenly remembered what these hands had touched before, so he widened his eyes and struggled for a while. In the end, he let her hold his hand and walked out with a bitter face. Yunniang stood in front of the window, watching the shadows of the two people overlapping tightly behind her, and suddenly grinned and laughed.

Because the area was small, the servants quickly found the stove room where Rong Xuan was imprisoned. From the dust on the ground, it was obvious that someone had struggled, but they could not find any clues about the murderer. They only found a torn piece of clothing in the firewood pile, with a few drops of strange blood on it. Yuan Xi stared at the piece of clothing for a long time, knowing that this must be some kind of message that Rong Xuan wanted to convey to her, but she couldn't tell what it was.

She had a headache from thinking so much, so she asked An He to take her to the courtyard to get some fresh air. Just as she walked to the lotus pond, she suddenly felt unsteady and fell forward. At this moment, a dark shadow quickly rushed to her side. Just as he was about to pull her back, he found that Yuan Xi had already stood firm. There was no panic on his face. He just looked at him secretly and asked, "Are you the secret guard he found for me?" The secret guard had never been looked at by two women, so he nodded awkwardly. Yuan Xi tilted his head and thought for a while, then winked at An He. An He asked according to what she had taught him in advance, "Secret guard means that you can do whatever the lady asks you to do?"

The secret guard puffed out his chest and said, "My responsibility is to protect the madam's safety." An He added, "The madam has something she wants you to do for her now. This matter involves the madam's safety." The secret guard widened his eyes, not understanding what they were trying to do. Yuan Xi told An He to bring some account books and a piece of paper. The secret guard took the paper, but became more confused after reading it. He didn't understand why they asked him to do this. Yuan Xi whispered something to An He again, and An He smiled at him, "Madam said that you just go and do it, and she will ensure your safety. Otherwise, she will jump into the pool immediately, and then I will tell the Marquis that you failed to protect her well." The secret guard's face darkened. The lady in front of him looked timid, but she had ways that you could not refuse. So with a bitter face, he accepted the task assigned by Yuan Xi and did it honestly.

Two days later, just after the Great Heat, the almanac said it was a good time to get married. Aunt Wang put on a pink flower-patterned double-breasted outer gown, had her maid comb her hair into a bun, and had her jewelry arranged. In the mirror, her eyebrows were dyed with joy, making her facial features as beautiful as peaches and plums. She opened her dressing box, took out a pair of crystal jade earrings, stared at them for a long time, her eyes slightly wet, and said silently in her heart: "Brother, I have finally waited for this day."

She remembered that many years ago, the day before she was sent to the Marquis' Mansion, her brother placed the earrings in her palm and said with guilt on his face: "Little sister, I'm sorry for you." She smiled and shook her head. She knew that her brother was as skilled in both military and literary skills as others, but because no one recommended him, he could only be a low-ranking military general. He needed the help of the Marquis' Mansion to realize his ambitions. So even if she had to be a concubine, she was willing to help her brother to win over the Marquis who was most favored by the emperor.

She had also been waiting with longing for the legendary brave and warlike Marquis Xuanyuan. After all, he was the man she would rely on for the rest of her life. But when she saw the look in his eyes when he looked at her for the first time, she knew that she could not occupy any position in his heart, because there was someone in his heart, although she never understood who that person was.

But she didn't mind. She never expected to be favored by the old man. She only hoped to have a son or a daughter and gain a foothold in the mansion. It was not until her youngest son was born and she had experienced many things that hatred slowly took root, and it became deeper and deeper like a vine. She began to learn how to please and calculate, and to hold the gifts in the mansion firmly in her hands. Anyway, the man didn't want it, so how could she let it go easily? Fortunately, her brother was appreciated by the emperors of two dynasties, and he continued to make military exploits and his official position became higher and higher. She and her brother relied on each other, and she married her niece from her mother's family to the mansion. The Wang family was finally no longer the merchant family that was looked down upon by others. But she knew in her heart that as long as her identity was still a concubine, everything she had now was just like a mirror flower and water moon, and it would flow away from her at any time.

Today, she finally came to this point, and was no longer just that man's servant. Thinking of this, her eyes gradually turned cold, and the face in the mirror gradually blurred, and suddenly turned into the cold and slightly sarcastic face of Madam Zhao. She threw the bronze mirror to the ground, her heart full of hatred. The maid behind her was startled by her, and hurriedly bent down to pick up the bronze mirror, but accidentally swept the rouge on the dressing table to the ground, and the scarlet powder was immediately spilled all over the ground.

The maid was so scared that she almost cried, and she quickly knelt down to admit her fault. Aunt Wang's face changed, but she finally smiled and said, "Today is a good day. I don't want to punish anyone. Just clean up these things quickly."

The maid thanked her repeatedly and began to clean up the mess. Aunt Wang held the hand of another maid and walked to the door. She looked back at the scarlet blood on the floor and suddenly felt hot. She took a deep breath, loosened her collar, and walked towards the main hall with a graceful gait.

Many people were already standing and sitting in the hall. Although it was just a simple ceremony, it was carefully arranged and looked quite festive. The old marquis and Madam Zhao sat at the top, and below them were the younger generation such as Xiao Du and Yuan Xi, and then the specially invited guests and relatives. Aunt Cai, who rarely showed up, stood behind the old man, still with a calm and submissive look on her face, as if this scene had nothing to do with her. There was also a person sitting next to the old marquis, wearing a black robe and a jade belt, with a square face and broad shoulders, and a bit of official authority on his dark face. It was Wang Shoucheng, the Minister of War who came specially.

As soon as Aunt Wang saw him, tears burst out uncontrollably. She hurried forward to pay her respects, and tremblingly called out, "Brother!" Wang Shoucheng also showed an excited expression, but it was inconvenient for him to stand up. He just wiped his eyes silently, nodded at her, and expressed all his words in this eye contact.

Xiao Du watched coldly, then stood up and said, "Today is Aunt Wang's big day, I specially asked Manager Zhou to prepare some gifts." After saying that, he clapped his hands, and Zhou Jingyuan led a man carrying boxes and baskets in. Aunt Wang was smiling, but when she saw the man carrying the boxes, she suddenly widened her eyes and shouted, "Why are you here!"

The man who was carrying the box raised his head and it turned out to be Liu Song, the manager of the farm that day. Xiao Du said, "I saw that Aunt Wang and Manager Liu have known each other for many years, so I specially asked him to come and celebrate for you. What's wrong with that?" Aunt Wang finally recovered from her shock, twirled her hair, and forced a smile and said, "My Lord, you are joking. Manager Liu and I only have some exchanges when we report the accounts every month, but we are not very familiar with each other."

"Not familiar?" Xiao Du laughed, walked to the trembling Liu Song, and said word by word: "Why not let Manager Liu tell us whether these gifts should be handed over to the account of the Marquis' Mansion or the private account of Aunt Wang." Liu Song was struck by lightning, and his feet went soft and he knelt down. Aunt Wang's face turned pale and she screamed: "How can the Marquis say such nonsense without any evidence!"

Xiao Du stopped talking and just looked at Yuan Xi. Yuan Xi sighed, stood up and said, "Auntie Wang knew that I didn't understand the accounts, so she gave me the fake accounts of the farm without any worries. But after reading them over and over again, I always felt something was wrong. Later, I realized that the harvest of the farmland should be affected by natural disasters, but there was a drought lasting a whole month last year, but there was no change in the accounts in this book, which showed that there was something wrong with these accounts. But I was afraid that I was wrong, so I didn't dare to make it too public. I secretly asked someone to check it out, but it turned out that part of the farmland was secretly sublet to other tenants, and the rent collected was loaned out in the name of the Marquis' Mansion, and none of these were recorded in the account book."

Aunt Wang stared at her with astonishment, and then turned to resentment. She never thought that she would fall into the hands of this young girl. She couldn't help but take two steps back. When she was thinking about how to explain, Xiao Du said again: "Then Aunt Wang, can you tell me, what exactly were these private accounts used for? Who were they given to?" As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Shoucheng. Wang Shoucheng was still in shock, but now he was trembling under the look. He couldn't help but stand up and shouted: "What do you mean, Marquis? Since Shuyao entered your Marquis' Mansion, she has never returned home once. Do you still suspect that the money was embezzled by the Wang family?"

Xiao Du said slowly, "Minister Wang, why should you be so quick to distance yourself from the matter? Since Aunt Wang has set up a private account, she must have another account book to record it. I believe that we can find it by searching her room. And Minister Wang, you have risen rapidly in recent years and have been very generous in your spending. I wonder where did you get the money?"

Wang Shoucheng was speechless and looked very unhappy. He fell straight into the chair. Aunt Wang finally reacted and looked around the room with a sneer. She said, "So that's how it is. You made me a concubine, but it was just a trap. You wanted to force me to admit my guilt in front of everyone and even bring my brother to be a witness so that he can take the blame. You are so cruel, so cruel..." The despair in her eyes was no longer Unable to maintain her posture, she bent over and cried, "Yes, I did it! I set up the account privately! But it has nothing to do with my brother. You forced me to do it. It was you! It was you!" She pointed at the old marquis, and then at Madam Zhao who had been watching all this coldly. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she said, "It was you! It was you who arranged this trick! Over the years, you haven't hurt me enough. You have to force me into a dead end before you can rest assured!"

Madam Zhao looked down at her from a high position, then was too lazy to look at her again, and slowly picked up a cup of tea and sipped it. At this time, Xiao Yunjing shouted loudly: "Enough! If you just hide some private accounts, I won't make things difficult for you because of your many years of management in the mansion and your long-term friendship with my brother. But I didn't expect that you would do such a treasonous thing as murdering the mistress in order to cover up your ugly deeds!"

Aunt Wang raised her tearful eyes and stared at him blankly. After a while, she said, "Murdering the mistress? When did I murder anyone?"

Xiao Du took a step forward, his face gloomy and said: "Are you still trying to make excuses? You saw that I asked Yuan Xi to help you manage the accounts, and you were afraid that she would find out something fishy, ​​so you made things difficult for her at first, and then when you saw that you couldn't delay any longer, you gave her a fake account book. Who knew that she would actually take it seriously and go to the farm to check it out? You were afraid that if she saw too much, the scandal would be exposed, so you bribed Rong Xuan to poison her in the lantern. Who knew that Yuan Xi didn't die due to some strange coincidences, and you were afraid that Rong Xuan would accidentally tell the truth, so you decided to kill her and silence her!"

Aunt Wang's hair was in disarray. She shook her head violently and screamed, "I didn't do that! I didn't mean to kill anyone. Please stop slandering me!"

Yuan Xi then pulled out a piece of cloth from her bosom, on which was written a line of small words in beautiful handwriting. She thought of the person who wrote it, and her tone began to become more angry than ever before, saying: "Rong Xuan had already felt guilty, but she didn't dare to tell me the truth. She only dared to confess in this piece of cloth that you gave her a packet of powder and asked her to secretly put it into the lamp, and then secretly sewed this piece of cloth into my shoes. Who knew that you would cruelly kill her? Fortunately, she secretly left a message before she died. It took me a long time to figure it out. She drew a plum blossom with blood on the corner of her clothes to tell me that there was something hidden in the upper of the shoe with plum blossom pattern embroidered for me a few days ago."

Aunt Wang was a little stunned by what she said, but she quickly shook her head and explained loudly: "It's not like that! I asked Rong Xuan to add something to your lantern, but it was just some drug powder. I just wanted to scare you so that you wouldn't dare to stay in the farm. But I never asked her to poison you, and I don't know how she died! You don't have any evidence, so don't try to frame me for murder!"

Seeing her determined look, Yuan Xi suddenly became a little hesitant. She recalled the last time she saw Rong Xuan, and she said to herself with tears in her eyes: "I didn't know it was..." Something flashed through her mind, but she couldn't grasp it. At this time, someone hurried in, handed something to Xiao Du, and said something to him. Xiao Du looked at the thing in his hand, sneered, and said: "You said you didn't do it, why did you find these unused Qingshi powder in your room?"

Aunt Wang stared blankly at the thing in his hand, her eyes filled with shock and anger. Her eyes were red, and she gritted her teeth and shouted, "So that's how it is. You have arranged everything long ago and deliberately framed me. You just want me dead..."

Her eyes were gloomy. She took off the ornaments on her head and body one by one and threw them on the ground. Her eyes slid across the rooftop bathed in the warm sun outside the door. This was where she had spent the first half of her life. She had had so many hopes and struggles, but at this moment, they were all trampled underfoot. It turned out that her life was worthless! Thinking of this, she covered her face and roared in despair.

At this time, Xiao Qing could no longer bear it. She rushed out and hugged her, shouting loudly without hesitation: "Mother!" Aunt Wang gently touched his head, tears streaming down her face, and said: "Mother is sorry for not being able to protect you. All mother can do now is not to drag you down anymore." She choked in her throat and could no longer speak.

At this time, Wang Shoucheng stood up, bowed deeply to Xiao Yunjing, and said humbly: "It is my incompetence that caused my sister to make such a big mistake. Can you please, Brother Xiao, for the sake of our friendship for many years, let her go."

Xiao Yunjing and Xiao Du looked at each other and hesitated, but Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong. Fortunately, it could still be salvaged. At this moment, someone hurried in from the door and shouted angrily, "Old Marquis, are you trying to collude with others to cover up the murderer who tried to harm my daughter?"

Everyone was shocked by the shout. Xia Mingyuan stood in the middle with a sullen face. He raised his chin and said, "Fortunately, I have brought people from Shuntian Prefecture here. I just heard it clearly. Now the person is captured and the victim is captured. If Minister Wang wants to protect your sister again, he will be accused of breaking the law knowingly!"

Wang Shoucheng knew that it was irreversible, so he could only sigh inwardly, and then glared at Xiao Yunjing fiercely, saying: "I didn't expect that you, the Marquis' Mansion, would even bring up Prime Minister Xia in order to convict my younger sister. It seems that you really made a good marriage."

Xiao Du frowned, not expecting Xia Mingyuan's move to be so vicious. Just as he was thinking about how to resolve it, Xia Mingyuan had already sent someone in to drag away Aunt Wang who was kneeling on the ground. Aunt Wang tightly grasped Xiao Qing's hand, with a look of determination in her eyes. She stared fiercely at Madam Zhao who was sitting at the head, stood up shakily, and said, "Brother official, can you wait a moment? I have something else to say."

Those people looked at each other, not knowing how to react, when Aunt Wang suddenly took a few steps forward, pointed at Madam Zhao and laughed crazily, "Do you think you won? You would never have thought that I would know your biggest secret. Today I will let everyone know that you..."

"Shut up!" Xiao Yunjing rushed over and slapped Aunt Wang to the ground. Aunt Wang covered her face and fell to the ground, but she had made up her mind to fight to the death, so she was desperate to speak again. Xiao Yunjing quickly grabbed her collar and dragged her in front of him, gritted his teeth and whispered in her ear: "If you still want your son to live, shut up as soon as possible."

Aunt Wang raised her head and stared at Xiao Yunjing in disbelief. The shock in her eyes gradually turned into sadness, and finally there was only emptiness...