Chapter 49: Sudden death is indeed strange.
The flower hall was filled with the scent of incense, and the soft smoke slowly drifted in the air like a veil.
Shen Xingwan sat upright on a carved pear wood chair, leaning forward slightly, her eyes fixed on Mrs. Chen who was standing in front of her.
When Mrs. Chen heard Shen Xingwan ask this, she was stunned at first, then slowly shook her head and sighed.
She raised her hand and gently wiped the corners of her eyes, feeling very emotional, and her voice unconsciously lowered a few notes.
"In this world, I don't know if there really is retribution in the underworld." As she spoke, she raised her eyes and looked out the window, as if she saw scenes from the past through the carved window lattice.
Outside the window, a few rays of the setting sun's afterglow struggled to penetrate the thick clouds and fell on the courtyard of the palace, coating the flowers and plants in the garden with a layer of light golden glow, yet inexplicably revealing a sense of desolation.
"Someone from the capital did come to pick up the two young ladies that day."
Mrs. Chen paused, and suddenly seemed to understand, "Oh, so it was the princess's family who sent someone."
"Well, originally we were going to pick up the two young ladies together, and we have made all the preparations." Mrs. Chen folded her hands in front of her, rubbing them gently, as if she was recalling the busy scene at that time.
"During those days, everyone in the mansion was preparing for the two young ladies' long journey. The boxes were packed and the clothes were neatly folded and put inside." She felt a little melancholy.
"But somehow, the night before she was taken away," Mrs. Chen's voice suddenly lowered and her expression became solemn. She subconsciously moved closer to Shen Xingwan, as if she was afraid of being heard by others, "The daughter of Madam Tang died suddenly in the middle of the night." She covered her mouth unconsciously.
The atmosphere in the flower hall seemed to freeze in an instant, and the air became heavy.
Shen Xingwan frowned slightly, a little surprised, and sat up straight subconsciously.
"The nobleman who came to pick her up had no choice but to arrange her funeral and bury her with Madam Tang and Master Tang. He sold the Tang family's house and sent us all away."
She lowered her head, looking a little lonely.
"Only the second Miss Tang and her personal maid were taken to the capital." After saying this, Mrs. Chen sighed softly, slowly stepped aside, stood quietly, and waited for Shen Xingwan's next question.
The flower hall fell silent for a moment, broken only by the occasional crackling sound of burning spices in the incense burner.
When Shen Xingwan heard what Mrs. Chen said, her heart moved slightly. In an instant, Lu Yuzhi's pale face appeared in her mind without any warning.
Both of them died suddenly in the middle of the night. Is there some unknown connection between them?
Shen Xingwan's eyes suddenly became sharp, like cold stars, and the air around him seemed to condense.
She subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force, but she was completely unaware.
"He suddenly died in the middle of the night?"
She murmured to herself, and although her voice was soft, it echoed in the silent flower hall.
She raised her eyes and looked at Mrs. Chen, her gaze fixed on her as if she wanted to see through her.
Mrs. Chen was a little frightened by Shen Xingwan's sudden gaze. She subconsciously shrank her neck, and her hands unconsciously tugged at the corners of her clothes, her expression full of panic.
Shen Xingwan took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and tried to sound calmer: "How did Miss Tang die? Have you checked it out?"
She leaned forward slightly, waiting for Mrs. Chen's answer.
Outside the flower hall, the wind gradually picked up, making the carvings on the window frames rustle.
Mrs. Chen swallowed her saliva, and a dry sound came out of her throat. She hesitated for a moment, and then she spoke tremblingly: "To answer...to answer the princess, the incident happened suddenly, and the mansion was in chaos. When Miss Tang was found, she was already dead, and her body was cold."
As Mrs. Chen spoke, she gestured, her expression of fear becoming more and more obvious. "Everyone was so frightened that they didn't have time to check carefully. They only saw that her face was pale, and there seemed to be a trace of... a trace of black blood hanging from the corner of her mouth." When she said this, Mrs. Chen could not help but shudder.
Shen Xingwan frowned, sat up slightly, and slowly twirled the handkerchief in her hand, as if she didn't believe what she said.
"Was it buried so hastily?" Shen Xingwan's voice unconsciously rose a few degrees.
"Didn't you ask a coroner to examine the cause of death?"
She stared at Mrs. Chen, as if she wanted to find even the slightest trace of concealment on her face.
Mrs. Chen felt uncomfortable under Shen Xingwan's gaze. She lowered her head, clasped her hands together awkwardly, and her body trembled slightly.
"Oh..." Mrs. Chen sighed, her voice full of helplessness.
"At that time, the master and mistress were all dead, and Miss Tang was very young and only knew how to cry. There was no one in the mansion who could make the decision."
She shook her head, and the wrinkles on her face became more obvious. "Mrs. Tang was murdered again. We thought that no outsiders had ever entered the mansion. I'm afraid Miss Tang was too sad and died because of retribution from Mrs. Tang."
Mrs. Chen clasped her hands together and muttered, "It's dark and chaotic at night. We dare not go near to take a closer look."
"As the old saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. After receiving the severance pay the next day, everyone dispersed. No one cared about these things."
After Mrs. Chen finished her words, she raised her head slightly and curled her lips, "We are all working to earn some money to live on, so why would we care about those trivial matters?"
Shen Xingwan was silent for a long time, his eyes slowly moving towards the gradually darkening sky outside the window.
Various clues were intertwined in Shen Xingwan's mind, like a tangled mass of silk threads.
She frowned slightly and tapped the table unconsciously with her right hand, making a rhythmic sound, as if she was sorting out her confused thoughts.
After a moment, she seemed to have suddenly thought of something. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she looked at Granny Chen and suddenly asked, "Where is Miss Tang buried now?"
When Mrs. Chen heard her suddenly ask such a question, she was very surprised. Her eyes widened slightly and she looked up at Shen Xingwan secretly, as if she was trying to figure out her intention of asking this question. She couldn't help but ask, "Why are you asking this, Princess?"
Shen Xingwan pursed her lips, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a gentle smile, her eyes slightly turned, smart and cunning, and she said softly: "This sister is also very pitiful, I really can't bear it."
"Tang Lin'er has never been back since she came to Beijing, so I guess no one has gone to pay homage to her. Qingming Festival is approaching, so I will send someone to pay homage to her, just to show my gratitude."
After hearing this, Mrs. Chen's eyes were full of admiration and her face was filled with smiles. She nodded continuously and praised, "Princess, you are such a beautiful and kind person, with a heart as kind as a bodhisattva!" As she spoke, she told Shen Xingwan the location of the cemetery in detail, and while she spoke, she gestured with her hands to indicate the direction and distance.
After Shen Xingwan wrote down the specific location, he asked Mrs. Chen some more small talk. Seeing that Mrs. Chen really could not say anything new about the Tang Mansion, he gently raised his hand, motioned Feiyun to come over, and whispered a few instructions.
Feiyun nodded in understanding, turned around to get the reward money and handed it to Mrs. Chen.
Mrs. Chen took the reward with both hands, her face was full of smiles, she thanked repeatedly, her body bent like a shrimp.
She turned around and was about to leave when Shen Xingwan suddenly called her back, "I don't want to mention this matter again, or my sister Tang Lin'er will be upset if she hears it, and I don't want others to know about it either."
Mrs. Chen turned around and knelt on the ground. She nodded solemnly and said confidently, "Don't worry, Princess. I understand this principle."
"I promise not to leak a single word! Otherwise... otherwise I will choke to death from drinking cold water, eat leftover dumplings to death, or die from exhaustion from washing stinky clothes..."
"Forget it." Shen Xingwan laughed and raised his hand slightly, "Retreat."
"Oh, yes, yes, I'll leave right away. I'll leave right away." After saying this, Mrs. Chen bowed again and then retreated cautiously.
Feiyun escorted Mrs. Chen out of the gate of the Regent's Palace, and only turned around and hurried back after the woman's figure disappeared around the corner of the street.
She walked briskly, and the hem of her skirt swayed gracefully with her steps.
The light in the flower hall gradually dimmed, and a few rays of setting sun filtered through the carved window lattices and sprinkled on the ground, forming patches of mottled light and shadows.
Shen Xingwan was still sitting there with a serious look on her face. When she saw Feiyun coming back, she raised her hand slightly, motioning Feiyun to come closer.
"I always feel that there is something fishy about Miss Tang's death."
Shen Xingwan said in a low voice with some certainty, "There's black blood on the corner of his mouth, how can we easily conclude that he is too sad?"
Feiyun nodded and agreed, "Miss is right, this matter is indeed strange."
"According to common sense, if someone dies from excessive grief or back pain, there will usually be signs. How could he die suddenly? Besides, he was vomiting black blood, so it looks more like poisoning." Feiyun curled his lips.
Shen Xingwan bit her lower lip lightly, and after thinking for a moment, she solemnly instructed Feiyun: "Well, send someone to Yangzhou immediately, and be sure to find a few experienced coroners to thoroughly examine Miss Tang's body."
She paused, looked at Feiyun, and said word by word: "See if she died of poisoning."
"Miss, don't worry. I will definitely take care of this matter." Feiyun bowed slightly, took the order and turned to leave, but was stopped by Shen Xingwan again.
"You must be extremely careful about this matter and don't let anyone know." Shen Xingwan warned, "Once the news leaks out, something unexpected may happen."
Feiyun nodded in response, "I understand."
"What happened?"
Steady and powerful footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by the slight rustling sound of clothes, and Yan Jinghuan's slender figure stepped in from the door.
Shen Xingwan and Feiyun were sitting close to each other, talking in low voices. When they suddenly heard the voice, they were both slightly startled.
Shen Xingwan subconsciously straightened her body, turned her head slightly to look at Yan Jinghuan, a trace of panic flashed across her beautiful eyes, and then quickly returned to normal.
Feiyun bowed hurriedly and called softly, "Your Highness." Then he quietly stepped aside and stood with his head lowered.
Yan Jinghuan walked steadily, a slight smile on his thin lips, and slowly approached Shen Xingwan.
His eyes were as cold as a pond, and he looked at Shen Xingwan with some inquiry, "What are you talking about?"
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