"Zheng'er, my Zheng'er, you're not dead, are you? You're just sick. Mother will take good care of you. When you wake up, you must be well..."
Cui Ruliu took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Hao Zheng's body, her expression both kind and solemn, as if she were polishing a precious piece of porcelain. Her gaze was completely fixed on Hao Zheng, as if her son were merely asleep and she was simply wiping his sweat, just like when he used to sweat in his sleep as a child.
If it weren't for Granny Shi's presence, Cui Ruliu's actions would only evoke a sense of sorrow. But in this situation, seeing this, Aunt Gui felt a sudden chill creep into her heart, her hands and feet turning icy cold. This time, she probably couldn't find any more excuses to escape.
"Madam, the young master is afraid of the cold. Let's find him some clothes to change into first."
After much deliberation, Aunt Gui realized she couldn't extricate herself, so she could only place her hopes on Cui Ruliu, hoping that Cui would let her go out of concern for Hao Zheng.
Cui Ruliu dropped the handkerchief in her hand, gave Hao Zheng a deep look, turned around, and said coldly, "The people in the courtyard haven't left yet, have they? Zheng'er is drunk. Find two people to come and help the young master change his clothes."
Cui Ruliu glanced at Granny Shi out of the corner of her eye, her voice unchanged: "She used the stone to seduce the young master, then locked them both in the woodshed, waiting for the master to return and deal with them."
"yes!"
At this point, Aunt Gui couldn't care less about Hao Yuchun anymore. She was focused on carrying out the orders efficiently and decisively, and minimizing her presence was the most important thing.
Hao Yuchun recovered and stood motionless by the wall.
Hao Xiangwan's words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, which was precisely what gave her a headache. The Enchantress was pressing her hard, and she hadn't been intimate with a man for several days. Now that her true colors had been exposed, if Cui Ruliu believed her, she would definitely be more wary of her, making her actions even more disadvantageous. The Enchantress's suggestion was to simply kill all these people, leaving no evidence and avoiding much trouble.
However, the thought of a weak woman killing so many people was truly troubling. If Hao Xuan found out about her absorbing **yuan** (a type of energy), or if it became public knowledge, she would truly become a monster in everyone's eyes, and being shunned by everyone would be the best outcome. If that happened, she would no longer be able to support the Enchantress, and all her beauty, figure, and charm, which she could rely on, would be taken away, and she might even lose her life. This was something she absolutely did not want to see.
So let's just kill them all. Nobody will know, and they can just move to another place and still live a good life.
Almost instantly, Hao Yuchun made up her mind. Having been reborn, her advantage lay in where she could meet men. Once outside the Hao mansion, there would be plenty of opportunities; why should she compromise herself any longer?
Looking at Cui Ruliu again, Hao Yuchun had regained her composure: "Auntie, may I leave now?"
Only Cui Ruliu and Hao Yuchun remained standing inside. Both of them had calmed down, and their gazes towards each other showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Yu Chun, Zheng'er was just being a bit of a flirt; I'll handle it. But it's best not to tell your father about this."
"Aunt, even if I don't tell, do you think Father won't find out?"
Cui Ruliu sighed, "Zheng'er just drank too much and slept with a servant. We'll do the same thing as before."
Hao Yuchun remained silent for a long time, looking down at the ground as if hesitating.
Xiang Wan's face had already had her makeup removed with special powder when she collapsed, and now that she was slowly waking up, it was just the right time.
"Miss, young master, young master..."
With a pale face, Xiang Wan hesitated for a moment after getting up, then immediately ran behind Hao Yuchun, looking back and forth anxiously. When she met Cui Ruliu's gaze, she quickly looked away as if she had been frightened.
At this moment, Gui Mama had already summoned two maids and a strong servant who had come to watch the commotion, and they separated Hao Zheng from Granny Shi.
The two maids, their faces ashen, trembled as they helped Hao Zheng change his clothes under the watchful eye of Granny Gui. As for Granny Shi, the burly man wrapped her in a sheet and carried her out.
"Give the order: the young master is drunk. If even a single word of what happened here gets out, he will be beaten to death!"
Cui Ruliu's words sent a chill down the spines of the servants. Without delay, Gui Mama had Hao Zheng carried to Cui Ruliu's courtyard. At this point, only Cui Ruliu's courtyard was relatively secure; no foolish servants would dare to come and inquire. As for those who had run away, as long as the people here remained united, any rumors they might spread would be considered gossip and no one would believe them for a while.
The servants had all left, and Hao Yuchun was about to take a step when Cui Ruliu called her back.
"Yuchun, your father has gone out and won't be back for a while. The wedding is approaching, and it wouldn't be good if any bad rumors spread in the manor and affect your marriage."
Only Cui Ruliu, Hao Yuchun, and Gui's mother knew what Xiang Wan had said. Shouldn't Hao Yuchun be the most worried at this time? Cui Ruliu's words meant she still harbored the desire to revive Hao Zheng. It seemed she believed Xue Rumei's words.
Regardless of what Cui Ruliu was thinking, Hao Yuchun was eager for the matter to remain unseen, so he readily nodded in agreement.
After Xiang Wan followed Hao Yuchun out, Cui Ruliu stared coldly at the corner of the bed. A pair of embroidered shoes gradually became visible in the sunlight filtering through the window screen. The owner of the shoes had already died, his eyes wide open, and the fear in his eyes seemed even more sinister and terrifying in the house.
Cui Ruliu's eyes were filled with venom as she stared intently at the embroidered shoes. Her fingers clenched tighter and tighter until the tips dug into her flesh, and blood dripped down between her fingers: "Those damned people, none of them will live!"
Lying in the corner was the maid who had informed Cui Ruliu earlier. Her skull had been smashed open in an instant, her death gruesome. She probably never imagined she would be killed in such a way.
Compared to the fact that Hao Zheng had slept with a servant, the rumor that Xue Rumei's ghost was still wandering in that bedroom was spreading like wildfire among the servants. As a result, no one was paying attention to whether Hao Zheng was dead or not. Those who knew the inside story covered their mouths tightly, not daring to gossip.
Whether it's true or not, it concerns the future heir of the Hao family and their future jobs in the Hao family. To talk too much is to risk one's life. Didn't you see that the maid who said something bad about the young master died suddenly in Aunt Xue's courtyard?
Since returning home that day, Hao Yuchun had kept a low profile, rarely even leaving the courtyard. Occasionally, she would ask Xiang Wan to run errands, but these were always trivial matters. Cui Ruliu, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened, continuing her usual routine. However, Xiang Wan found it inconvenient to go out at night; wherever she went, someone always followed her. She knew these were people sent by Cui Ruliu, and although she could find a way to get rid of them, she didn't want to cause that trouble. Since she had already stirred up a conflict between Hao Yuchun and Cui Ruliu, there was no need to do anything further.
They were all waiting, waiting for Hao Xuan to return to the mansion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
