Chapter 49: Catching the Red-Handed
"Miss." Yunxiang's face was covered in sweat and her clothes were stained with mud. She knelt on the ground and looked at Jiang Rulin. "Miss, I have done everything you asked me to do. Miss, you must save me."
Looking at the person on the ground, Jiang Rulin widened her eyes. She looked around and didn't see anyone else, so she quickly dragged the person behind the bushes.
"You did something like this. Do you know how many people are looking for you now? And you still dare to ask me to save you!"
"Didn't the Third Miss say that as long as I take care of this matter, I can go to the Third Miss's courtyard to serve?"
Jiang Rulin said sternly, "When did I ever ask you to do this?"
Yunxiang's face turned pale when she heard this. "Didn't the young lady ask me to put the lime powder on..."
Jiang Rulin asked in a low voice, "When did I ask you to put lime powder in Jiang Rufei's water?"
Yunxiang's eyes widened as she stammered, "Little Miss, didn't the young lady tell me to get into the vat? I did just as the young lady told me to, and then I fetched water for the second young lady to drink."
"Idiot!" Jiang Rulin raised her hand and slapped him. "I told you to put it in the lotus pot! Not in the water tank!"
Yunxiang covered her face, which was red from being slapped, and said, "But Miss, you clearly told me to put it in the water tank where she drinks water."
"How dare you talk nonsense!" Jiang Rulin pretended to attack again.
Yunxiang quickly lowered her head and dodged.
Jiang Rulin gasped heavily. She couldn't even handle such a small thing, and she even caused such a big mess. She now wanted to kill Yunxiang.
"The stuff has already been downloaded. There's no point in saying this now."
"Miss!" Yunxiang knelt down, "What should I do now?"
Jiang Rulin's eyes darted around chaotically. She took a deep breath and said, "Now you have to admit your guilt."
"But, but if I confess my guilt, I will be beaten to death for poisoning my master." Yunxiang grabbed the hem of Jiang Rulin's skirt, "Miss, save me."
"Listen to me." Jiang Rulin said, "Although you didn't handle this matter well, considering your loyalty to me, I will definitely save you."
Jiang Rulin leaned over, wiping the sweat off Yunxiang's face with a handkerchief, and whispered, "If you betray me, I'll be punished too, and then no one will be able to save you. For now, just admit to putting the poison in the water tank and say it's because the Second Young Lady treated you harshly and you hold a grudge against her. I'll save your life."
Yunxiang struggled in her heart, "But, will the old lady believe it?"
"Why wouldn't you believe it? You definitely can't stay in this mansion anymore after this incident. I will get you out safely and give you three hundred taels of silver to keep you safe."
Yunxiang's tears fell down, "I understand."
Jiang Rulin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay, go out. Remember what I just told you."
A faint light flashed in Yunxiang's eyes, and she whispered, "I'll remember this."
Jiang Rulin slowly closed her eyes, raised her hand and patted her chest, and heard Yunxiang walk out of the bushes.
But the footsteps only stopped after a few sounds, and then there seemed to be the sound of someone kneeling to the ground.
"What's wrong again?" Jiang Rulin asked impatiently.
She took a few steps around the bushes and immediately froze.
Nanny Zhang had appeared there at some point, holding a handkerchief in her hand.
"Madam Zhang..." Jiang Rulin's voice trembled.
I don’t know how much of their conversation just now was heard by Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang knelt slightly and bowed. "The Third Miss's handkerchief was left at the Second Miss's place. I, an old woman, will run some errands and bring it to the Third Miss."
Jiang Rulin's mind was in a mess. She reached out to take it and saw that it was indeed her handkerchief.
She felt something was wrong. Hadn't she just used a handkerchief to wipe Yunxiang's sweat? How did it end up with Jiang Rufei?
Before I could figure this out, I heard Aunt Zhang say, "Now that the girl has been caught, I will take the others to report to the old lady."
Nanny Zhang turned around and was about to leave.
"Mammy!" Jiang Rulin rushed over and grabbed her sleeve.
Aunt Zhang turned around and asked, "Third Miss, what's wrong?"
Jiang Rulin tried to keep her voice steady, "Madam, how long have you been here?"
Nanny Zhang gently pushed her hand away and said, "Miss Third, I have been with the old lady for many years and I know her temperament best. I advise you to confess your crime and perhaps you will be given a lighter sentence."
Watching Nanny Zhang's back as she walked away, Jiang Rulin's legs went limp and she knelt on the ground.
Cuiru wanted to help her, but was pushed away.
"It's over..." Jiang Rulin muttered to herself, her face ashen, "It's all over..."
No one noticed that a hint of pleasure flashed in Yunxiang's lowered eyes.
…
Back to last night, Yunxiang slowly stretched out the hand holding the paper bag, and she threw the bag hard on the ground.
Jiang Rulin treated her as a fool. She had begged Jiang Rulin to stay with her before. What did Jiang Rulin do then?
She said that in her eyes she was already a useless person, and she didn't want to keep useless people in her yard, so she told her to get out.
And now he said that it was to let her stay with the second young lady and continue working for her.
She was a lowly maid, yes, but she was not a brainless fool.
The window door suddenly creaked.
Yunxiang was startled and looked towards the source of the sound.
Jiang Rufei leaned on the windowsill, shook the lighter in her hand to light the lamp in front of the window, and the room suddenly became bright.
She blew out the fire stick, glanced at Yunxiang, and said lightly: "Pick up the things on the ground and come in."
Yunxiang's heart was beating like a drum. She picked up something from the ground and crept into the house. She knelt down and said in a trembling voice, "Second Miss."
Jiang Fei blew out the fire stick and asked, "Let me see, what did Jiang Rulin give you?"
"I don't know." Yunxiang handed over the yellow paper bag with both hands trembling, and lowered her head even more.
Jiang Rufei took the paper bag and gently twisted it open with her fingertips, revealing the grayish-white powder inside.
She twisted it with her hands and found it smooth and slightly coarser than flour. She lowered her head again and smelled a pungent odor before she got close.
"Lime powder?" Jiang Fei raised her eyebrows slightly. "Did she ask you to put it in my lotus pond?"
If this stuff is sprinkled in the lotus pot, the leaves will probably turn yellow and wither by the time she wakes up tomorrow morning.
Fortunately, she was feeling uneasy tonight and thought that Jiang Rulin would not give up so easily given her personality, so she turned off the lights and pretended to sleep.
Sure enough, not long after the lights were turned off, I saw Yunxiang leave the yard, and then came back and stood by the vat.
Yunxiang fell to the ground, resting her forehead on the cold tiles, "Yes."
"Raise your head." Jiang Rufei's voice was neither cold nor hot.
Yunxiang looked up tremblingly and met Jiang Rufei's cold eyes.
"What benefit did Jiang Rulin promise you?"
"Third Miss gave me ten taels of silver." Yunxiang's voice trembled, "She said that after the matter was completed, she would let me return to her courtyard to work."
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