The main courtyard was in complete chaos. When Shi Lan arrived, the servants were huddled together like quails, and the soldiers with guns at the door stared intently at everyone inside.
"What happened?" Shi Lan walked into the courtyard with a cold expression.
The steward in charge of disciplining the servants walked shakily to Shi Lan and said, "Young mistress, the warlord has something bad happened."
Shi Lan frowned, her face so cold it could be covered in frost. "What's wrong? The warlord is just a little unwell, and you're already so scared you can't speak."
The steward glanced furtively at the soldier whose gun was already cocked, then quietly stepped forward and whispered, "No, young mistress. It seems the warlord has been tricked and poisoned..." He secretly made a gesture of dying, then quickly lowered his head.
Shi Lan's face immediately turned pale, and her voice trembled slightly, "Have you checked it?"
The steward nodded, knowing that the warlord was her backer, so her reaction was not surprising. "Young mistress, the warlord has been in this situation, and the young master is not here. What do you suggest we do?"
Shi Lan stammered, seemingly panicked, but inwardly she was sneering, thinking that Zhu Yan was probably hiding somewhere watching her.
"Has the person who poisoned us been caught?"
The steward nodded and said, "I heard from the people guarding the study that the warlord got into trouble after drinking the soup that Aunt Yuan's personal maid, Xiangxue, brought him. We just sent people to look for him, and they should be back by now."
Shi Lan nodded, thought for a moment, and then muttered in confusion, "Why isn't Xiangxue staying properly in Xianglan Garden? Why is she sending soup to the warlord?"
After pondering for a moment, the steward hesitated and said, "A couple of days ago, the young master had a big argument with the warlord over the matter of wanting to take a concubine. At that time, the warlord said that as long as he was alive, he would not allow any low-class masters in the house."
The steward, noticing Shi Lan listening intently with furrowed brows, voiced his suspicions, "Perhaps that's why Aunt Yuan sent Xiangxue..."
The steward didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning behind it was quite clear.
Shi Lan clenched her fists tightly, a hint of fear immediately showing on her face.
Seeing her like this, the steward couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If he had known that this young mistress was not capable of handling things, he would have known not to place his hopes on her.
Several men in dark blue military uniforms approached one after another from outside the door.
The men who passed by Shi Lan all nodded kindly to her.
Shi Lan tucked his robes in and bowed with his head slightly lowered.
The steward's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the crowd, and he clung to them as if he had found his pillar of support, "Commander Han, Commander Zhang. The Governor... the Governor has passed away."
Han Qingmo and Zhang Tieguai were Zhu Boyan's right-hand men, whom he relied on. They were familiar with the steward and often entered and exited the main courtyard. Therefore, both of them were taken aback when they heard the steward's words.
The steward was trembling all over, his legs were shaking, and he could barely stand.
Han Qingmo frowned. When the servants from the Zhu family urged him to come earlier, they only said that there was an urgent matter, but when he asked what it was, they hesitated. At that time, he felt that the situation was not good. Now, hearing the steward say this, he immediately felt that the sky had turned gray.
Zhang Tieguai had been a bandit with Zhu Boyan, and they had even sworn brotherhood. Seeing the steward's cowardly appearance, he immediately shouted, "What the hell are you talking about? I saw my brother perfectly fine yesterday!" With that, he pushed the steward aside, calling out "Brother!" and strode into the house.
Han Qingmo glanced at Shi Lan, whose face was deathly pale, and followed Zhang Tieguai without making a sound.
The group of regimental commanders behind them exchanged glances for a moment, then silently followed.
A dozen seconds later, Zhang Tieguai suddenly roared from inside the room. Everyone came out one after another, and Zhang Tieguai strode out and grabbed the steward.
"Who did this? Who did this?"
The manager felt as if his arm was about to break, and the waves of pain contorted his face.
"It was done by the maidservant of Consort Yuan," the steward stated crisply, identifying the suspect.
Zhang Tieguai's eyes widened like copper bells, and he immediately drew his gun, ready to rush out.
Han Qingmo grabbed him and said, "Old Zhang, wait a minute."
Zhang Tieguai turned and glared at Han Qingmo, "What are you waiting for? Big brother has already been killed, and you still want me to wait?"
Han Qingmo pulled Zhang Tieguai to his side, preventing him from acting recklessly, "Manager, what exactly happened?"
Previously, the steward only obeyed Zhu Boyan's orders and usually felt superior to everyone else, putting on airs with everyone. Since Wang Yuan was not liked by Zhu Boyan, the steward naturally neglected her a lot.
Now that Zhu Boyan is gone, everything has changed.
From now on, Zhu Yan will be in charge here, and Wang Yuan will be his favored concubine. Putting himself in her shoes, he knows very well that he won't have a good time coming.
Anyone who can become the general manager of a large compound has more inner turmoil than anyone else.
Back when Shi Lan arrived, the steward had already thought through the pros and cons thoroughly. However, Shi Lan was incompetent. Now that someone capable of taking charge had arrived, he naturally had to explain in detail the content of the argument in the main courtyard a few days ago and the matter of Xiang Xue bringing soup. Finally, he also emphasized the harsh words Zhu Boyan had uttered.
After hearing the manager's seemingly impartial reply, everyone exchanged glances. Combining this with the rumors their wives had spread about Wang Yuan, the men present all felt they had heard the truth.
The warlord, who had spent his life on the battlefield, died a miserable death at the hands of a concubine, and Xiangxue, who delivered the soup, was naturally the scapegoat she sent out.
Shi Lan lowered her eyes to look at the hem of her skirt at her feet, without saying a word.
At the courtyard gate, soldiers escorted Xiangxue in, with Wang Yuan, who looked flustered and kept glancing at the soldiers following a few steps away.
Zhang Tieguai was convinced that Wang Yuan had poisoned him, and immediately roared, "Take her down!"
The soldier immediately stepped forward, disregarding Wang Yuan's pitiful appearance, twisted her arms behind her back, and pushed her forward forcefully.
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