Chapter 47 A Night of Horror 2
Pei Jiming watched the departing figures of the old women and guards, still filled with doubts.
However, they had already revealed their identities as people from the Duke of Qing's mansion, and that their late-night gathering was because Miss Xia Qingqing, the third young lady, had fallen seriously ill, and that's why they went to help.
Pei Jiming was still uneasy, so he sent his personal bodyguard, Qi Mu, to secretly follow them and see if what they said was true.
He then turned and walked towards the princess's meditation room.
Seeing that the princess's trusted nanny, Hai, was guarding outside the door, and that the guards were also keeping a good watch, she finally felt relieved.
When Hai saw Pei Jiming arrive in the middle of the night, she assumed something had happened at the Princess's residence and hurriedly went to inquire.
Pei Jiming said, "There's nothing wrong at home. It's just that my mother isn't here today, and I couldn't sleep, so I came to check on things."
She paused, then changed the subject: "Granny, I heard that Miss Xia, the third daughter of the Duke of Qing, has suddenly fallen ill?"
When Hai heard Pei Jiming bring this up, she laughed out loud, even though she knew it was impolite.
They recounted Xia Qingqing and Shen Xiao's "heroic feat" of copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall.
Pei Jiming's lips curled into a smile, knowing there must be more to the story.
He would definitely ask Shen Shu a lot of questions when he saw her later.
Recalling the strange old women I met earlier who were being evasive about Xia Qingqing's sudden illness, I suppose it's true.
Having heard this, Pei Jiming was completely relieved. He then told Hai that he would go to the Buddhist hall to meditate for the night and would come to pick up his mother to return to the city early the next morning.
Looking at Pei Jiming, Hai Shi thought to herself that their eldest son's filial piety was truly touching.
Meanwhile, Pei Jiming bypassed the meditation room and stealthily made his way to Shen Shu's courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he sensed something was wrong; the meditation room was far too dark.
It was so dark that even the candles used to guide the way at the door had gone out.
Pei Jiming had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to push open the door, he saw his mother lying on the ground by the door.
He sensed something was wrong and pushed open the door to look inside, but there was no trace of Shen Shu anywhere!
Madam Fang regained some consciousness, though her vision was still blurry. She looked at Pei Jiming as if grasping at a straw: "Young Master Pei, Second Miss... Second Miss has been taken away by them... Please save her..."
Pei Jiming's eyes were filled with panic: "Who took him away? Explain yourself."
Madam Fang tried hard not to fall asleep, and said intermittently, "I don't know... but I think it must be either Madam or Miss."
Besides the mother and daughter, who else would want to kill the second young lady?
Pei Jiming calmed himself down and was about to ask Fang Mama again when Qi Mu, whom he had just sent to gather information, returned.
Qi Mu, looking equally incredulous, replied:
“Young Master, those people were not servants of the Duke of Qing’s mansion at all. I followed them and ended up outside the Buddhist hall where Prince Cheng was meditating... Miss Shen’s mother was also there.”
"There were too many guards in that courtyard, so I didn't dare get too close. I only vaguely heard things like Miss Shen ran away..."
“I knew you would be worried, so I searched the temple but didn’t find anyone. However, the horse you tied up outside the temple was missing. I followed the hoofprints and found that the horse had died outside Lord Lin’s villa.”
Pei Jiming felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. Prince Cheng's Buddhist hall? Shen Shu's mother was there too?
Fang's mother was still weakly murmuring something, but Pei Jiming could no longer hear her. His mind was filled with only the information Qi Mu had brought back, and he was desperately trying to connect them together.
He arrived at a result he never dared to imagine.
No, he can't just wait like this.
Pei Jiming stood up.
He had to go to Lin Wei's villa to check on Shen Shu's safety.
Pei Jiming looked towards Prince Cheng's meditation room, his eyes filled with a chilling gloom:
"Qi Mu, don't follow me anymore. Just stay at the gate of Prince Cheng's courtyard. If you see Miss Shen, don't wait for me to say anything. Just call people and make a big fuss about it."
Pei Jiming clenched his fists and hurried down the mountain to the villa.
...
The female doctor had just brewed the antidote for the muscle-relaxing powder and given it to Shen Shu when a voice came from outside the door announcing that Pei Jiming had arrived.
Lin Wei frowned slightly, wondering what he was doing here.
Before Lin Wei could speak, Pei Jiming burst in: "Is Shen Shu here?!"
Lin Wei stepped aside and blocked Pei Jiming three feet away from the bed: "Young Master Pei, what are you up to by barging into the inner courtyard without permission in the middle of the night? My fiancée is none of your business."
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something: "How did you know Shen Shu was with me?"
Pei Jiming didn't care about any of that. He looked over Lin Wei's shoulder and onto the bed. He saw Shen Shu lying there with a pale face and a blood-soaked white cloth wrapped around her arm. His heart clenched immediately.
"How is she? What did Prince Cheng's men do to her?"
Lin Wei's eyes darkened, and the atmosphere around him instantly became more oppressive: "I will ask you one last time, how did you know that Shen Shu would be here, and how did you know about Prince Cheng?"
Pei Jiming was startled by the chill emanating from Lin Wei, and only then did he realize his loss of composure.
He took a deep breath, knowing that now was not the time to argue with Lin Wei, and told him everything that had just happened at Qiyun Temple.
"My lord, tell me the truth, is it really as I suspect...?"
Did Shen Shu's mother drug her and then try to send her to Prince Cheng?
Lin Wei's face grew even more gloomy after hearing Pei Jiming's words.
He simply couldn't understand how Shen Shuke could be Wen Lanting's biological daughter. What kind of deep-seated hatred could exist between them that would lead someone to be so cruel to their own daughter?
And his royal uncle... is very good.
He's even daring to mess around with women.
Looking at Lin Wei's expression, Pei Jiming knew that he had guessed correctly.
His anger was raging, and if it weren't for the fact that Shen Shu was still unconscious inside the room, he would have almost lost his temper on the spot. He tried his best to make his voice sound calmer: "I will go and send a letter of invitation to the palace right away."
Present to His Majesty all the actions of Wen Lanting and Prince Cheng!
"Young Master Pei, please wait."
A woman's voice came from outside the door.
Fang Lanzhi, dressed neatly and heavily made up, entered with the help of her maid.
With her makeup intact, her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her eyes and brows exuded a charming allure.
Her voice was melodious and pleasant, but what she said next sent chills down Pei Jiming's spine.
“If Young Master Pei wishes to report to His Majesty, that is certainly permissible. However, the situation in the court is complex, and I fear that no matter how His Majesty punishes you, it will be difficult to quell the hatred in your and the Marquis’s hearts.”
“Since Prince Cheng needs someone to serve him, why not let me go in place of Miss Shen? I am already terminally ill, and if Prince Cheng touches me, he will surely die.”
"It's not as satisfying as reporting to His Majesty. Prince Cheng is incredibly audacious, daring to lay a hand on the Marquis's betrothed. What's the point of keeping such a person, who has no moral compass or ethics, alive?"
“Miss Shen and the Marquis saved me and have been kind to me. Now that she has been harmed like this, how can I sit idly by?”
Fang Lanzhi gracefully knelt down, her eyes filled with hatred: "If Your Excellency agrees, I will arrange for someone to send me there, and I will definitely seek justice for Miss Shen."
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