Without hesitation, Samsoon shook her head and said, "This girl told me alone. No one else was there."
"She didn't mention anyone else?"
"No, they just told me to keep an eye on the private room. If I see a man go in, I should report it to the third floor. Gentlemen, please forgive me. I don't want this silver anymore. I'll give it back to you."
As Samsoon spoke, he pulled out a ten-liang silver ingot from his pocket. Silver is good, but you need a life to spend it.
These people in front of him could crush him as easily as crushing an ant, so he didn't dare to have any luck.
Shen Zhixiu raised his voice and ordered, "Take the man away. You can take this silver. Don't tell anyone about what happened today."
Samsoon felt as if he had been pardoned, and left with the servant, thanking him profusely.
Wen Zhu, who was guarding the door, walked in. "Third Master, the one who delivered the message to the inner courtyard today was the gatekeeper Fu Zi. He has been brought here. Shall we let him in now?"
"Let him in."
Fuzi was a 15 or 16-year-old boy with a simple and honest appearance. His parents both worked for the Shen family. When he heard that the Third Master had summoned him for questioning, he began to panic unconsciously.
His mother always said that he couldn't read people's expressions and wasn't thoughtful enough in what he said and did. So she asked the housekeeper to place him at the gate to give him more experience.
But he had only been guarding the door for ten days when the Third Master summoned him for questioning. Could he have done something wrong?
After all, she was young, and by the time she walked into the hall and knelt down, Fuzi's legs had already started to tremble.
"What message did you deliver to the West Courtyard this morning, and what jade pendant did you give?" Shen Zhixiu asked.
Fuzi nodded and replied, "It was the younger one who went."
"Did the third young master of the Lin family come personally to ask you to pass on the message? Or did he ask the servant of the Lin family?" Shen Zhixiu asked again.
Fuzi looked at Shen Zhixiu's toes with his honest eyes, "It wasn't the Lin family who passed on the message, it was Aunt Cheng who passed it on."
She then explained, "Mrs. Cheng gave me the jade pendant, saying it belonged to the Third Young Master of the Lin family. She said she met the Third Young Master outside and helped pass on the message."
"Then why didn't you tell the people in the West Courtyard? Was it Aunt Cheng who spread the news?" Su Qingyu asked.
Fuzi turned slightly and faced Su Qingyu, "In reply to the Third Madam, it was Concubine Cheng who told us not to say it. It's against the rules for her to pass on a message to the Third Young Master Lin, as she is a concubine in the mansion."
"I saw the word 'Lin' engraved on the jade pendant, so I thought what Aunt Cheng said must be true."
Seeing Fuzi's innocent look, Su Qingyu knew that what he said was probably true. It was just that this person was simple-minded and slow-witted. He was really too naive.
How can such a person be a gatekeeper?
Guarding the gate may seem simple, but it's actually not easy. It requires adaptability and a quick mind.
Cheng Ruijin really knew how to find someone. If it were someone else today, I'm afraid no one would be so rash as to pass on the message. Or perhaps Cheng Ruijin found Fuzi because she knew he was like this.
"Did Aunt Cheng come to you on her own?"
Fuzi nodded hurriedly, "Yes, she was alone. A little maid followed behind her from a distance, but she didn't come forward."
In the end, Fuzi was taken away, beaten with ten boards, and sent to the farm to raise pigs.
After Fuzi left, Su Qingyu asked again where Lin Wuchen got the jade pendant from.
Cheng Rujin said that she hired a thief to deliver a message to Lin Wuchen and stole his jade pendant. As for Lin Wuchen, she sent him to Ruyi Tower.
Su Qingyu asked with a hint of meaning, "You did this yourself, didn't you? It shouldn't have anything to do with the young master."
Cheng Rujin was stunned, and suddenly realized that Shen Zhao had nothing to do with this matter from beginning to end.
As for what they said in private, it cannot be used as evidence.
In other words, it was her intention to frame Su Qingyu, and it had nothing to do with Shen Zhao.
No, Shen Zhao was still the victim, the silver needle was shot out from her arm.
She was just thinking about how to explain the silver needle matter. She couldn't let Shen Zhao misunderstand her. How could she harm him?
At this moment, she suddenly understood. How could he not understand? He simply wanted to push her out as a scapegoat.
In the end, everyone who heard the story was convinced Cheng Ruijin had deliberately plotted to murder Su Qingyu. She had lured Su Qingyu and Li Chaoyun to Guangfulou, and then staged a secret meeting between Su Qingyu and Shen Zhao, allowing Li Chaoyun and Shen Zhixiu to catch them in the act. She even brought hidden weapons with her, intending to kill them.
As for Chen Zhao, he became the biggest victim. Not only did his fiancée misunderstand him, but he also got hurt.
Su Qingyu suddenly looked at Cheng Ruijin with pity. It must be unpleasant to be stabbed in the back by the one you love, right?
Shen Zhixiu asked Shen Zhao in a deep voice, "She is your concubine, what do you want to do with her?"
Shen Zhao said respectfully: "She deliberately murdered Third Aunt. Her crime is unforgivable."
"In my opinion, I will drag him away and give him a hundred lashes. Life and death are determined by fate."
Su Qingyu's eyes flashed with a mocking smile. Life and death are determined by fate? Isn't this just asking for someone's life?
What a pity, why wasn’t he the one who got beaten with a hundred sticks?
Cheng Rujin looked up at Chen Zhao, her eyes, which were usually as clear as water, were now filled with despair and hatred.
For him, she had walked step by step to where she was today. She had lost her reputation, become a concubine, and was drugged to make her infertile. With her mother and brother gone, she only had him.
Just yesterday, they were still snuggling together, and Chen Zhao had said that even if they didn't have children, he wouldn't let her die alone. Today, he could casually say he'd give her a hundred lashes, which showed that all their love and affection was fake.
He had been coaxing her these past two days, but he was just using her to deal with Su Qingyu.
Chen Zhao was frightened by Cheng Rujin's stare, and ordered the maid outside in a deep voice, "Drag him down, don't hold back, beat him hard."
Two maids came in and grabbed Cheng Ruijin, trying to drag her out.
Cheng Ruijin's face turned ferocious and he roared heartbreakingly.
"Chen Zhao, you are such a sinister and vicious villain. Even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go."
"I swear on my soul that you will be pierced by thousands of arrows and die without any descendants."
The old woman who was holding Cheng Ruijin quickly took out a cotton handkerchief, rolled it into a ball and stuffed it into Cheng Ruijin's mouth.
But it was too late, the curse had already been spoken.
Chen's face was extremely gloomy. How could she tolerate someone cursing her son in front of her?
"Beat him to death. It's over when he's dead."
Su Qingyu kept looking at Cheng Ruijin's back until she could no longer see him. The image of Cheng Ruijin standing in front of her in her past life, holding her child, came to her mind again.
She wanted to tell the old lady that she was going to see Cheng Ruijin off for the last time.
She wanted to watch her die and fall into the endless hell.
But before she could open her mouth, a servant came in to report.
"Madam, Prince Shan has come with his princess, Princess Chaoyun, and the fourth young master of the Li family."
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