Xiao Du's heart suddenly sank, and he rushed over to help Xiao Zhixuan up, pretending to be angry and said, "What are you doing! Do you still regard me as your elder brother?"
Xiao Zhixuan held the pair of dry and warm hands, and her heart was slightly relieved, but she still cried, "It was all my fault before. I shouldn't have listened to my aunt and betrayed you and my sister-in-law. But my aunt was ordered by someone. Even if she was wrong, she didn't deserve to die. The one who deserved to die was the one who manipulated her behind the scenes!"
Xiao Du frowned and said, "You mean, everything Aunt Cai did was directed by someone? Who did it? Is that person in the mansion?"
Xiao Zhixuan shook her head helplessly and said sadly, "I don't know who that person is. My aunt said it was for my own good and she never told me anything. I only know that my aunt has been taking orders from one person all these years, including asking me to help her find out all the news in the mansion and the last time she framed my sister-in-law." She lowered her eyes with great guilt and said, "In fact, my aunt just didn't want to be bullied all her life, and she didn't want to lose me like this, so she was tempted to do the wrong thing..."
Xiao Du's eyes darkened. This further confirmed his guess. Aunt Cai's death was not as simple as suicide out of fear of crime. There really was a dark hand behind it.
But the coroner had sent the autopsy results yesterday, proving that Aunt Cai had indeed died of poisoning, and there were no wounds or bruises on her body. If someone had forced her to take poison, how could there not be traces on her body? More importantly, there were many people guarding outside her room at the time, and the windows were sealed from the inside. If there was really another murderer, how could he have escaped from her room?
"Brother?" Xiao Zhixuan's timid voice interrupted his thoughts. Xiao Du raised his head and asked softly, "Why do you say Aunt Cai didn't commit suicide? Did you find something?"
Xiao Zhixuan bit her lip and said, "Because on the day my aunt died, she came to look for me?"
Xiao Du stood up suddenly, shocked, "What? You said she went to your room? But she was punished and not allowed to leave the room. I also asked her maids and guards outside the door, and they all said that she stayed in the room the whole time."
Xiao Zhixuan said: "I don't know how she did it. I only remember that she was dressed as a maid that day and secretly ran to my window to call me. She said that she had found a way to escape and was going to escape from the house first. She told me to take good care of myself and that one day she would find a way to come back to see me." She thought of the farewell between mother and daughter that day. She didn't expect that it would be a farewell forever. She couldn't help but cover her face and cry again.
Xiao Du waited until she calmed down before continuing to ask, "So you think that since she told you that she was leaving the house, she would definitely not commit suicide."
Xiao Zhixuan raised her head excitedly and said, "That's right, Auntie would never commit suicide. She always leaves a way out for herself. She once told me that she has mastered the secret of the person behind it, and she will reveal the secret if she has to. By then, the person will be jealous and will definitely find a way to help her. She has planned everything carefully, so how could she hang herself without knowing it clearly?"
After hearing this, Xiao Du couldn't help but fall into deep thought. He quickly figured out how Aunt Cai escaped from the house, but he didn't understand why she wanted to go back since she had already escaped, and why she died in the house?
That day, when he saw the last letter that Aunt Cai had pressed down on her body, he felt something was wrong. Although the handwriting was confirmed to be her own, and the content seemed to be correct at first glance, there was a big irrationality when he thought about it carefully.
She confessed her crime on the letter, even mentioned the old marquis and the princess, but did not mention her beloved and caring daughter. This was really strange. Now it seems that she left a flaw on purpose, or even a hint, to make the readers pay attention to Xiao Zhixuan and the truth behind it.
He then raised his head and asked, "Xuan'er, think carefully about what Aunt Cai said to you when she said goodbye to you that day. Did she give you any special instructions? Don't leave out anything, tell me everything."
How could Xiao Zhixuan forget the last words her mother said to her? She then slowly told how Aunt Cai had told her to be obedient and well-behaved in the future, and even told her how to find a good husband. She recalled for a long time, and suddenly remembered something: "Later, she also mentioned those calligraphy works she had copied, saying that they were her hard work for many years. When she passed away, I must take them back and keep them well, and not give them to others."
Xiao Du suddenly had an idea and began tapping his fingers on the table: This is it! How could the calligraphy that was clearly placed in the cabinet fall out by itself? Someone must have deliberately flipped through it.
In this case, Aunt Cai may have hidden all the secrets she knew in those calligraphy works. But if that was true, the most important ones might have been taken away by the murderer, so how could they find out the truth?
He thought for a long time, then turned to the anxious Xiao Zhixuan beside him and said, "Okay, I understand. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. You just need to take good care of yourself now, and leave the rest to my brother. If Aunt Cai really died unjustly, I will clear her name."
Xiao Zhixuan's eyes were red with emotion, and she finally couldn't control her emotions. She threw herself into her eldest brother's arms like a child, and said with a strong sense of guilt in her voice: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, brother. I did too many wrong things before. I don't deserve you and sister-in-law to be so good to me."
Xiao Du patted her head gently like he did when they were little, and said softly: "Before, when I was poisoned and still unconscious, your sister-in-law was wrongly accused, you would rather betray Aunt Cai to help her clear the charges. That's when I knew that you were still the good Xuan'er with a pure nature." He gently held her shoulders and said: "In the future, I still want to see that good sister who would act coquettishly to me and love to play and laugh, okay!"
His gentle tone made Xiao Zhixuan cry so hard that she could hardly control herself. But in the end, she still put on her once signature brilliant smile and nodded firmly at Xiao Du.
Just as Xiao Du began to investigate the death of Aunt Cai, Yuan Xi finally received the first letter from the Marquis' Mansion.
It was a light and breezy day. She leaned against a ginkgo tree, facing the falling leaves in the sky, and slowly unfolded the light yellow paper in her hand.
This was the first time she saw his handwriting, and it was as vigorous and unrestrained as he was. Yuan Xi read every word carefully, as if she saw him standing in front of her, telling her stories.
There was no cheesy love talk in the letter, but he just told her about the interesting things that happened in the mansion after she left, one by one, as if they were happening right in front of her. He also mentioned her favorite gardenia tree, saying that the gardenias on the tree had almost all withered in the past few days, and he felt sorry for it, so he asked the maid to collect all the petals, crush them into flower mud, and then soak paper in it, and use it to write letters to her after drying. In this way, every time she received a letter, she could smell her favorite fragrance and remember the days she had spent in that gardenia forest.
Yuan Xi put her nose to the letter paper and smelled a strong scent of gardenia. The fresh and elegant fragrance penetrated into her heart and lungs, making her smile softly.
The last words written on the paper were: Xi'er, it has been four days since you left. I can't see you during the day and can't sleep at night. Even though I miss you so much, I can only express my feelings to the "Jiao Huang" that you and I planted together. Speaking of Jiao Huang, there is a strange thing. According to the usual flowering period, it should not sprout until spring if it is planted in autumn. Who would have thought that yesterday, I actually saw a small piece of tender buds emerging from the soil, with new green and dew on the tip. Seeing it with my own eyes, the surprise and emotion are beyond words. I only hope that you can be by my side, so that this situation and this scene can be considered perfect. I always thought that there should be two people standing under this flower.
The last few words were slightly crooked, as if the writer was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion and could not write as calmly as before. Yuan Xi closed his eyes and pressed the letter firmly against his chest. His heart seemed to be stabbed by something, which was painful and sore, and he almost cried.
After a long time, she slowly opened her eyes, reached out her hand to take a fallen leaf flying in the air, and felt confused: no matter how beautiful it was, it was destined to wither. Should she hold it tightly or let it go?
She thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Finally, she sighed, stood up, went back to her room and carefully put the letter away. She looked back and saw the parrot outside the window still jumping around. She felt anxious and couldn't help but walk over to tease it while reading: "Xiao Du, you big fool. Xiao Du, you big fool."
The parrot blinked, tilted its head and thought for a while, then began to shout happily, "I want to stew a big egg! I want to stew a big egg!"
Yuan Xi was stunned for a moment, but couldn't help wanting to laugh. Finally, he could only sigh in his heart: "It is indeed a stupid bird. I really don't know where I found it." But after being teased by it, he felt much better.
The next day, Yuan Xi was anxiously waiting in the house for another letter. Unexpectedly, Xia Mingyuan sent someone to bring a message, saying that the young lady was afraid that staying in the room every day would cause her to suffer from mental illness, so he asked Yuan Xi to accompany her to the Pudu Temple to worship Buddha.
Yuan Xi was stunned when she heard the news. Before she left home, her father would take one of her sisters with him when he went to the temple to worship Buddha. That was a day everyone looked forward to. After all, after staying in the palace for a long time, everyone was looking forward to going out and having fun.
When she was little, Yuan Xi had thought countless times whether her father would remember her one day and take her with him. Later, when she grew up, she realized that this was just wishful thinking, so she stopped thinking about it. Who would have thought that today, after this wish came true, she would not be as happy as she had imagined.
Yuan Xi's biggest wish since she was little was to have her father smile at her, to show her even a little care and attention. But she herself didn't expect that when this day really came, she would no longer care about it.
Although she thought so, she still asked Nanny Li and An He to dress her up. After all, this was her father's good intention, and she also hoped to go to the Buddhist temple to understand the depression in her heart.
So after packing up, she got on the carriage with her father and drove all the way to Pudu Temple. On the way, Xia Mingyuan asked her if she was used to the food and clothing these days. Yuan Xi answered one by one, and she felt relaxed. She told her father some interesting things about the parrot, which reminded Xia Mingyuan of some things he had seen and heard outside. So this journey was the most comfortable time for the two of them to spend time together in these years.
The carriage stopped outside the gate of Pudu Temple. People inside the temple had already received the news, and a young nun led them inside. Xia Mingyuan asked Yuan Xi to stay in the meditation room first, and he went with the young nun to find Master Kongji.
Yuan Xi was unwilling to wait in the room, so she walked to the main hall with the sound of the Buddhist bells in the courtyard. The incense was lingering in the hall. She knelt on the cushion, looked up at the majestic Buddha statue in front of her, and silently said in her heart: "It is said that the Buddha can know everything. Can you let Yuan Xi know what to do?"
The sandalwood incense was curling, the gods and Buddhas were silent, and only the sound of monks chanting sutras could be heard. When she stood up, she turned around and saw a man walking into the hall. He was wearing a familiar green shirt and jade belt, and had an elegant demeanor. The man was a little surprised when he saw her, but then he smiled and greeted her, "Mrs. Xiao."
Yuan Xi was also surprised. She had never thought that she would see the young master again, and her heart no longer had any waves.
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