Upon seeing this, Madam Su asked, "Does Youran have something to say?"
Su Youran could only say, "Since Sister-in-law Xin Xin has a headache, I wonder if you have called the family doctor?"
Hongyu hurriedly replied, "Of course there is. When I went to ask, the physician was writing a prescription."
Su Youran didn't ask any further questions, knowing that the royal physician wouldn't be able to find anything wrong either.
She said to Madam Su, "Mother, there's no need to rush about asking about Sister-in-law Xia. It's better to wait until the people who went to look for her return. Pei'er, go and tidy up first. If you remember any useful clues, just come and report back."
Pei'er quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude and withdrew.
Madam Su stared at her daughter, "You Ran, do you perhaps know something?"
Su Youran chuckled, stepped forward, took her mother's arm, and leaned against her, saying in a coquettish tone, "Mother—please don't meddle in what's going on in my brother's room!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Su's eyes, "Could it be..."
Su Youran shook her head and whispered in her mother's ear, "Mother, Pei'er told me a few days ago that she accompanied Sister-in-law Wenxia to a village behind a temple to visit a young boy. She inquired with the old woman in the village and found out that he was Sister-in-law Wenxia's younger brother, Shi Xing!"
Mrs. Su was startled. "What?"
Su Youran nodded, "Mother should inform my eldest brother about this matter and let him handle it."
After saying this, she took her leave.
Su was heavy-hearted. Yun Tianbai had been ordered to suppress bandits and would probably not return for several more days.
Shi Wenxia has disappeared again. If the news gets out, it will damage her reputation.
If the news that her younger brother, who should have been beheaded, was still alive were to spread, the Duke's mansion would likely be implicated in the crime of deceiving the emperor!
Seven or eight days later, as expected, the people who were secretly sent out to search for Shi Wenxia returned empty-handed one after another.
When Yun Tianbai returned, Su immediately told him about the matter and also informed him that Shi Xing was still alive.
Yun Tianbai's face was gloomy, and he didn't know what to do.
At this moment, the gatekeeper of the Yun family received a strange letter and immediately handed it over to the heir.
White banners were hung up at the Yun residence that very day.
Pei'er was the only one who witnessed Shi Xing still alive, so how could he possibly let her live?
However, when he went to Mulan Courtyard to have Pei'er "die suddenly" in place of Shi Wenxia's corpse, Mulan Courtyard was already deserted.
...
Pei'er carried a bundle in her arms and walked unsteadily on the road to the Zhou family's estate.
If she could just do one last thing for Miss You Ran, she could take the indenture and return to her parents.
Shi Wenxia is the master she has served all these years, but she is a servant of the Yun family and is loyal to the sixth young lady of the Yun family. What did she do wrong?
Besides, Shi Wenxia has been beating and scolding her all these years. She will die at the hands of this master sooner or later. What wrong has she done in order to protect herself?
Once inside the village, the old woman looked at her warily.
Pei'er said, "It was Miss Zhou who sent me here. She just delivered a message and then I went back."
The old woman let her in with some skepticism.
Seeing that she walked straight to the cellar, he dispelled his suspicions and opened the cellar door to let her down.
When Pei'er went down into the cellar, a stench was overwhelming.
It was pitch black, so she naturally didn't dare to light a lamp. She simply stood on the steps and softly called out, "Young Madam? Young Madam?"
Shi Wenxia, who had been feeling utterly hopeless, suddenly awoke with a start and asked in a hoarse voice, "Pei'er? Is that you, Pei'er?"
Pei'er nodded. "Madam, it's me."
Shi Wenxia suddenly felt a little strength return, but still couldn't get up. "Pei'er, you've finally come to save me... Come quickly and help me back to the manor..."
Pei'er said with a sorrowful tone, "Young Madam, you are dead. You can't go back!"
"You! What did you say?!" Shi Wenxia was completely bewildered.
“The young master announced to the world yesterday that you, the eldest young mistress, have died suddenly, and white banners have been hung up.” Pei’er said calmly.
Shi Wenxia was struck dumb, her voice trembling, "Wh...what?! Why is this?!"
Impossible! In her previous life, Yun Tianbai was so loving towards her that he even left the position of Duchess of the State vacant for decades because of her!
Why is she being treated like this in this life?!
Pei'er chuckled softly, "Because you've disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead."
"No!" Shi Wenxia shouted, "Impossible! I'm right here! I'm right here! Pei'er, please...please save me! It's all that bitch Zhou Qingqian's fault..."
Pei'er added, "Madam, please stop shouting. You probably don't know, but yesterday, the Prince received the letter your brother wrote!"
"What?!" Shi Wenxia was struck dumb again.
“Yesterday, the gatekeeper received a letter addressed to you, Madam. Since you weren’t here, it was naturally given to the young master,” Pei’er said. “The letter was from your good brother, Shi Xing. He said he took the wrong road. He was supposed to go to Dingzhou, but he ended up in Taizhou. His money was stolen by an old woman on the way. Now he’s wandering around Liujia Village in Dingzhou, a beggar. He’s begging you to give him some money so he can return safely!”
Shi Wenxia suffered a double blow and could no longer utter a single word.
Her last glimmer of hope was gone!
Her brother!
She risked her life to protect the only bloodline of the Shi family!
She suddenly understood why Yun Tianbai was in such a hurry to make her "die suddenly"!
As long as Shi Xing is alive, the Yun family cannot escape the charge of "disobeying the imperial decree"!
It turns out that all love and affection are no match for the threat of poverty and death!
Moreover, Shi Xing had even written a letter informing him of his location, so he was likely doomed to die!
Having figured all this out, she suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.
Why, after being reborn, did she end up like this?!
She stared intently in the darkness toward the direction from which Pei'er's voice came, and asked, unwilling to give up, "Pei'er, I've always treated you well, why...why did you betray me?"
Pei'er's tears streamed down her face. "Madam, ask yourself honestly, haven't you treated me well all this time? Last year, you kicked me and broke two of my ribs. The doctor said it almost punctured my heart and lungs! Last month, you kicked me again and almost broke my ribs that had just healed! And there are countless wounds all over my body! Where on my body haven't you pricked me with needles?"
Shi Wenxia remained silent for a moment, then finally asked, "So, who sent you here?"
She didn't believe that Pei'er could betray her and then join Zhou Qingqian's faction.
Pei'er said softly, "Sixth Miss."
The final straw broke the camel's back, shattering her will like a mountain.
So, all of this was a scheme set up by Su Youran?!
Su! You! Ran!
So... she knew everything!
She was reborn too!
"Ah—" she screamed wildly.
The man next to her finally lost his temper and kicked her in the chest.
She coughed up large amounts of blood and gradually fell silent.
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