An didn't expect Feng Yuheng to be suspicious, so she continued to talk to herself: "During the rainstorm, the old lady was in a bad mood. She said she wanted to embroider a Buddha statue to calm her mind, and she had to ask for the embroidery money from my shop, so I had to go and get it. I crashed the car on the way back, but fortunately the girl was generous and didn't make a fuss about it. Sister Jinzhen took the initiative to go under the car in the rain to accompany her, so the matter was left alone. Oh yes, I heard that the girl became friends with Sister Jinzhen because of this, and she also came to our house twice. This can be regarded as a fight without acquaintance."
While An was speaking, Jin Zhen, who was kneeling on the ground burning paper for the old lady, began to tremble involuntarily. In the end, she could not kneel any longer and sat down on the ground with a plop.
Feng Zirui saw this and asked in confusion: "Auntie, what's wrong with you?"
Jin Zhen's teeth were chattering and he couldn't say anything.
An was very smart, so how could she not see the truth? She exclaimed "Ah", and then looked at Jin Zhen with deep inquiry in her eyes.
Cheng Junman also frowned, thought for a moment and said, "That is indeed the case." After thinking for a moment, she added, "It seems that after the old lady was beaten by the mob and carried in from the gate of the mansion, the girl came again."
Jin Zhen's face was pale, and anyone could see that she was clearly guilty. Feng Yuheng didn't ask any more questions, but just patted An's shoulder and said softly: "It's okay, I'll take the third sister back to rest, and we should prepare to go to court in an hour."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and left, wanting to pull Zirui to follow her, but she found that Jin Zhen, who had been kneeling beside the brazier, also staggered to her feet and hurriedly chased after Feng Yuheng.
Xiangrong slowed down her pace and whispered to Zirui, "That aunt must have something to say to my second sister. Let's walk slowly."
They walked slowly, but Feng Yuheng did not stop. Jin Zhen's legs were weak and she was a little embarrassed chasing after him. It was not until Feng Yuheng was almost at the gate of the mansion that she was able to grab Feng Yuheng's sleeve, but he shook her off in annoyance.
Fortunately, Feng Yuheng also stopped, turned around and looked at her, and asked in confusion: "Aunt Jin Zhen, why are you chasing after this county lady so anxiously?"
Jin Zhen didn't care about that. It was still late at night, and there were few people in the mansion. The gatekeepers had all gone to bed, leaving only one person to guard. She gritted her teeth, knelt down in front of Feng Yuheng, and said, "Second Miss, I did this all for you!"
Feng Yuheng looked at Jin Zhen, then looked at the strange maid following behind her, and suddenly asked, "Where is Manxi?"
Jin Zhen was stunned. She didn't expect Feng Yuheng to ignore the previous words and ask such a question. She hesitated and didn't know how to answer.
Feng Yuheng did not wait for her answer, but turned his head to ask the maid: "Where is Manxi, the maid who used to follow your aunt?"
The maid was a little nervous, twisting her fingers and trembling as she said, "Ms. Manxi is... doing other things in the yard, and is not here to serve the aunt."
Feng Yuheng nodded and didn't ask any more questions, but just said a statement: "Since you don't like Manxi, let her go to the County Lord's Mansion to serve." After that, he winked at Wangchuan, and Wangchuan turned around and walked towards Ruyi Courtyard without saying a word.
Jin Zhen panicked and shouted, "Wait!" Then she looked up at Feng Yuheng and begged, "Manxi is just a maid. She did something wrong and I punished her. Miss, please... don't pursue the matter, okay?"
Feng Yuheng actually realized that Jin Zhen must have had a conflict with Man Xi when she first saw that Jin Zhen's personal maid had been replaced, but she didn't expect Jin Zhen to have the guts to really take action against Man Xi. Now, hearing her say how to deal with her, it was a bit heartbreaking. Man Xi was the first person to follow her in this mansion, and she was placed next to Jin Zhen just to assist and monitor her, but she didn't expect that she would become busier and busier, while Jin Zhen's ambitions grew bigger and bigger. As a result, she was unable to keep Man Xi alive.
It was a pity, but Feng Yuheng knew that she had no right to pursue the matter openly. After all, Manxi was Jin Zhen's maid, and as the master, Jin Zhen had the right to control the life and death of the servants in his own courtyard.
But... the corners of her lips slightly raised, a hint of gloom covered her. She asked Jin Zhen: "Why do you kneel to me?"
Jin Zhen knew that she couldn't hide this matter from Feng Yuheng at all, not to mention that she didn't think Feng Yuheng would stand up for the old lady, so even if she was afraid in her heart, she was just afraid, not terrified or desperate.
She looked up and said to Feng Yuheng, "To be honest with you, the old lady's death... was caused by me. It was the woman that Sister An mentioned on the road. She gave me the poison. She said that the old lady couldn't live any longer. It was a serious crime to gather a crowd to ruin the reputation of the second lady. But the second lady couldn't kill her herself because of her status. She must be very upset. If I want to do good for the second lady, I should help her. Only when the old lady dies can the anger in her heart be relieved."
Jin Zhen told Feng Yuheng the cause of death of the old lady that he had always wanted to know, and then he gasped for breath, as if he had just run several kilometers and was seriously exhausted.
Looking at Feng Yuheng again, his originally gloomy expression not only did not improve, but his eyes suddenly became sharp, and he stared at her intently, as if he was looking at a dead person.
Jin Zhen's heart was trembling as he knelt on the blue brick floor. He felt a chill from his knees all the way up to his heart.
"Second Miss." She called out tentatively, but found that the fierceness in Feng Yuheng's eyes became even more severe.
Jin Zhen suddenly realized that she must have done something wrong. Feng Yuheng didn't want the old lady to die, and she was doing more harm than good. But why didn't Feng Yuheng want the old lady to die? That girl was so eager to instigate her to poison the old lady, could there be a conspiracy?
Her mind was moving frequently, but Feng Yuheng was not idle either. She had been thinking about the so-called "that girl", but in fact, she didn't need to think about it. As early as when Yao Xian told her that the old lady Feng was not poisoned by the Central Plains, she immediately thought of Yu Qianyin. For Yu Qianyin, Feng Yuheng not only ruined the marriage that Xuan Tianhua had personally agreed to, but also broke the pride of Zong Sui for hundreds of years. As a princess of Zong Sui, Yu Qianyin had reasons to hate her. But this did not mean that the woman could stretch her hands so long. She originally planned to take care of the old lady Feng until she died, but she didn't expect that she would be ruined by Yu Qianyin accidentally.
Feng Yuheng laughed coldly, making Jin Zhen's scalp numb. She finally spoke again, but she said, "Do you know what happened to the girl you mentioned?"
Jin Zhen shook her head and said, "I don't know." But she became even more panicked.
Feng Yuheng told her: "That woman is a spy from the enemy country. We captured her outside the city last night. Do you know how she got back?" She bent down slightly and stared at Jin Zhen. Without waiting for her to answer, she continued: "She was tied to the back of a horse with a rope and dragged back by a fast horse. Her body was covered in wounds. Do you know who initiated this torture? It was His Highness the Seventh Prince."
Jin Zhen couldn't kneel any longer and fell to the ground with a deathly pale face.
Feng Yuheng snorted again, turned to Wangchuan and said, "Since Ruyiyuan doesn't need to go, let's go to the mourning hall again and tell the two ladies about the crime that Aunt Jin Zhen took the initiative to admit. Then the two ladies will ask the master to see how the master should deal with this matter."
Wangchuan nodded and walked quickly towards the mourning hall.
Jin Zhen realized what Feng Yuheng said and was almost crazy with fear - "Second Miss! No! You can't tell the master!" She knew that Feng Jinyuan valued that mother very much. If Feng Jinyuan knew that she was the one who poisoned the old lady, she would definitely be skinned alive! Jin Zhen grabbed the corner of Feng Yuheng's clothes and begged bitterly: "Second Miss, I really did this all for you, please spare my life!"
Feng Yuheng was annoyed and pushed Jin Zhen away, saying coldly: "You knew the relationship between Man Xi and me, and you should have thought of the consequences today when you dealt with her, not to mention that you also harmed the old lady. I tell you, this county lady doesn't want the old lady to die at all. I originally planned to let her live out her life in peace. Also, you should never, ever, conspire with Yu Qianyin. This county lady never likes people who think they are self-righteous. You keep saying that you are thinking about me, but are you making decisions for this county lady? Jin Zhen, I tell you, for any master, people like you cannot stay!"
After she finished speaking, she raised her foot and kicked Jin Zhen in the chest, sending Jin Zhen flying two meters away. She spat out a mouthful of blood before she stopped. But when she spat out the blood and raised her head again, Feng Yuheng had already left the house with Huang Quan. Even Xiang Rong and Zi Rui, who came after her, didn't even look at her and hurriedly followed.
Not long after, Wangchuan brought the Cheng sisters to the front yard, and heard Cheng Junman say as she walked, "Junmei, go to Songyuan to find the master and tell him everything that happened." Then she quickened her pace and came to Jinzhen in a few steps.
Jin Zhen looked up at her with blood on the corner of her lips, but she saw a hint of mockery and murderous intent in Cheng Junman's eyes. She was so scared that she dared not look anymore and simply lay back on the ground and pretended to be dead.
But he didn't pretend to be dead for long, and soon there were footsteps again. She was curious, so she opened her eyes and saw Feng Jinyuan walking towards her with his coat on, and Cheng Junmei was following him. Cheng Junmei's mouth was moving, and it was obvious that she was telling him something.
Feng Jinyuan's face was as gloomy as the King of Hell. When he stood in front of Jin Zhen, he had heard everything. He looked down at his most beloved concubine and asked in a cold voice, "Is what the Second Madam said true?"
Jin Zhen didn't know how to answer. She was the one who took the initiative to admit the matter to Feng Yuheng. Even if she denied it now, would it be of any use?
She didn't answer, but Cheng Junman said, "That Miss Yu did come to the mansion a few times before the old lady passed away, and she was always looking for Aunt Jin Zhen. I heard that she was a spy of Zong Sui, and was arrested by His Highness the Seventh Prince and brought back to Beijing, and is now imprisoned in the palace."
These words were clearly meant to remind Feng Jinyuan that Jin Zhen was teaming up with the enemies of the entire Dashun. Why keep such a person around?
As expected, Feng Jinyuan was very decisive this time. The death of the old lady, coupled with the harm done to Yu Qianyin and Yu Dashun, made him no longer have any sympathy for this concubine, and he simply said: "My concubine Jin Zhen, you have served me for a year and were pregnant. Considering this friendship, I will not hand you over to the government for disposal. You... go to be buried with the old lady!"
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