belt
"What? Something happened at the Xiao family again?" Zhu Qinghe was wide awake when she heard the news brought by Shen Wumei early in the morning. She was so frightened that she was wide awake.
Just yesterday, the young master of the Xiao family came to her to settle scores because of the death of the eldest young master of the Xiao family. How come one problem after another has arisen? Will she be blamed for this one too?
Seeing Zhu Qinghe's furrowed brow, Shen Wumei felt extremely uncomfortable.
"Alright, let's go check on the situation at the Xiao residence first. You hurry up and get ready." Chen Wumei's words reminded Zhu Qinghe. She touched her smooth chin and turned to call Ruyi, "Get me a beard."
Shen Wumei: "...Do you have some kind of perverted obsession with beards?"
Zhu Qinghe finished attaching the beard Ruyi handed her, and rolled her eyes at him after hearing this: "You don't understand, a good disguise requires attention to every detail."
Shen Wumei: "Hehe."
When Mo Wu waited for them at the Xiao residence, his usually calm and honest face showed some surprise. The young master behind the leader looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
While they were still some distance away, the constables around them quickly sidled up to Mo Wu and gossiped: "Brother Mo, what's going on with the boss? Isn't he always a loner? Who's that guy behind him?"
Mo Wu thought to himself, "I'm not a mind reader, how would I know what the boss is thinking?" But he remained outwardly calm: "The boss has his reasons for doing things, it's all for the case."
The junior constables seemed to understand but not quite. Shen Wumei strode over, glanced at them, and said, "You all stand guard outside the door. Report any suspicious persons immediately."
"Yes," the constables replied in unison.
Zhu Qinghe followed behind him, meeting the same curious and inquisitive gazes of the constables, stiffened her back, returned a smile, and hurriedly followed them inside.
The eldest young master of the Xiao family had just had an accident, and his body was still in the mourning hall. Now, the steward of the mansion had also had an accident. The atmosphere in the entire Xiao mansion was desolate and quiet, and a heavy atmosphere that made people feel depressed was floating in the air.
After they entered the mansion, only a young maid with red and swollen eyes bowed to them and led the way: "Please forgive us, gentlemen. There have been too many troubles in the mansion recently. The master is seriously ill and cannot get out of bed. The madam and the second young master are also depressed. So please forgive us for our poor hospitality."
Shen Wumei: "It's alright, we're here to investigate a case, not to be guests."
Zhu Qinghe interjected, asking the maid, "What's your name?"
The maidservant said, "My name is Qingchen."
"Qingchen, what a beautiful name," Zhu Qinghe exclaimed. Upon closer inspection, this Qingchen girl was slender, and although her features were only considered pretty, her eyes, though red and swollen, could not hide their clear and captivating beauty. The name inexplicably suited her temperament.
The young maid lowered her head shyly, a hint of nostalgic pain flashing in her eyes: "It was the eldest young master who gave me this name."
The eldest young master? That must be Xiao Yuanzhou, the eldest young master of the Xiao family who passed away the day before yesterday. It seems that Qingchen and this eldest young master were quite close.
The maid quickly realized what was going on and changed the subject: "Madam and the Second Young Master are in the mourning hall now. I'll take you there."
Zhu Qinghe subconsciously glanced at the layout of the Xiao residence, her brows furrowing slightly. The feng shui of the Xiao residence wasn't very good.
She pointed to the room in the southwest corner and asked Qingchen, "Who lives in that room?"
Qingchen looked in the direction she pointed and said, "That's the young master's room."
Zhu Qinghe continued, "Is your young master in poor health? Did he have an accident when he was a child?"
Qingchen stared wide-eyed in shock: "How did you know? The young master is indeed in poor health. When he was a child, he fell into a pond while playing and fell seriously ill. His health has been poor ever since."
Zhu Qinghe pondered for a moment, then continued to press on without answering her question: "So, did your young master really die because of that poisonous incense talisman?"
Qingchen's back stiffened slightly, and her expression carried a strange, restrained look: "That's what the doctor said, but I don't know the specifics."
As they spoke, Qingchen led them to the mourning hall, where a quarrel could be heard.
It was that spoiled young master, who was stubbornly shouting, "I won't kneel! He's just a steward, I am the legitimate second young master of the Xiao family, why should I kneel to him?"
"You good-for-nothing!" The lady, dressed in a plain-colored jacket and skirt, slapped the young master hard across the face.
The people at the door all paused for a moment. Zhu Qinghe and Shen Wumei exchanged a surprised glance, wondering why the situation at the Xiao residence seemed so complicated.
Qingchen called out, "Madam, the constables from the yamen are here."
Madam Xiao turned around in a panic. The young master was covering his slapped face and had his head down, making it impossible to see his expression.
Shen Wumei took the lead and walked over, beginning her routine questioning.
Zhu Qinghe wasn't a member of the government, and besides, she was very curious about the Xiao family mansion, so she asked Qingchen to show her around the mansion.
"Qingchen, when did the steward of the manor have his accident?" Zhu Qinghe asked.
Qingchen: "It must have been last night. The servant who was on patrol this morning found the body in the pond."
"In the pond." Zhu Qinghe's eyelids twitched. "So the butler drowned. Can you take me to see that pond?"
It's quite a coincidence that this pond is right behind the young master's room. This layout is really strange. Normally, if there is a pond in a mansion, it would be in a wide, central place, and it would also be accompanied by a pavilion.
Few people would build a pond behind a house. Putting aside everything else, the dampness is not good for the people living in the house. Besides, isn't this young master in poor health? So it's even more inappropriate to arrange it like this.
Zhu Qinghe voiced her question, and Qingchen said somewhat forlornly, "The young master's birth mother died early, and the current wife doesn't truly love him. She can't even take care of his basic needs, so how could she possibly pay attention to these things?"
Zhu Qinghe understood; it was another stepmother. No stepmother is ever a good one.
"May I come into the room and take a look?" Zhu Qinghe asked tentatively.
Qingchen nodded: "Of course, please come in, sir."
As soon as Zhu Qinghe entered the room, she smelled a faint, bitter aftertaste of Chinese medicine. It seemed that the young master was indeed in poor health and must be a frequent patient.
The interior furnishings were quite simple and straightforward, with only a square table, a few stools, a plain white porcelain teapot, and a few teacups in the center.
When Zhu Qinghe turned her head, she was stunned. Good heavens, the entire wall opposite her was filled with bookshelves, with an estimated number of thousands of books.
Several stacks of books were neatly stacked on the long desk next to it, and there were even several stacks of books on the floor.
Zhu Qinghe was somewhat taken aback: "These books... all belong to your young master?"
Qingchen nodded: "Young Master doesn't like to go out and usually only likes to read, so he inevitably has a lot of books."
There are indeed many books; the room isn't big, and books take up almost half the space.
Zhu Qinghe approached the desk, where the characters on the snow-white Xuan paper were elegant and neat, showing a lot of style. She couldn't help but sigh, "It seems that Young Master Xiao is very talented in literature. Did he not pass the imperial examinations or anything?"
Qingchen: "The eldest young master is weak, and the madam does not allow him to take the exam, saying that she is afraid that something might happen. The master has no objection."
Her words, though spoken softly, carried a hint of resentment. Zhu Qinghe's heart stirred, and she glanced at Qingchen. This little girl was quite protective of her young master. She had asked her many questions about Xiao Yuanzhou along the way, and Qingchen had answered them all fluently.
It seems she cares about him very much; even a personal maid wouldn't go to such lengths.
Could it be—Zhu Qinghe's mind raced, and she asked her, "Young Master Xiao is of marriageable age, isn't he? Has the Xiao family arranged a marriage for him?"
Qingchen's face paled, and she subconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes: "Madam mentioned this matter, but the young master refused."
"Oh? Does this mean that Young Master Xiao already has someone he loves?"
Qingchen forced a smile: "How could this servant possibly know what the young master is thinking?"
"That's true." Zhu Qinghe stopped pressuring her, stuffed the sheet of Xuan paper in her hand into hers, and turned to walk towards the door. "Let's go look around somewhere else."
Qingchen lowered his head, and familiar ink marks on the Xuan paper came into view—in the clear, floating light, the dust and dew awaited the sun's rays.
Her fingers clenched, and an overwhelming tide of sorrow and heartache welled up in her eyes.
Zhu Qinghe went to the pond behind the house. According to Qingchen, the steward seemed to have accidentally fallen into the water and drowned last night, but why was he here in the middle of the night?
This pond is located behind the eldest young master's house, and it's not a place you have to pass through to get back to your room. Moreover, the eldest young master has only recently passed away, so normally everyone would be wary and wouldn't go near this place.
Could it be that the butler and the young master have a deep friendship, and he rushed to his room in the middle of the night to secretly reminisce? That's just too much to believe.
Zhu Qinghe stepped onto the rough stones by the pond, bent over and peered down. Dark green moss grew on the wet stone wall, and dark green algae with aquatic insects tangled around the edges, making it look unclean.
The pond was usually neglected, but she seemed to catch a glimpse of a dark red color. She squinted and bent down, taking a step forward, but unexpectedly stepped on a rolling stone and tumbled into the water.
Suddenly, a strong arm swept across her waist, and the next moment Zhu Qinghe felt herself being lifted into the air, spinning halfway around before returning to the ground.
She gasped for breath, still clutching the waist of the person next to her, when a cold voice rang out above her: "Let go, or you'll rip my belt off."
Zhu Qinghe looked up and met Shen Wumei's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot. Then she looked at the thing she was clutching tightly in her hand. It used to be neatly and elegantly fastened around his waist, but now it was hanging loosely and listlessly. It was indeed his belt.
Zhu Qinghe: "...I'm sorry, sir, I'll tie it back for you right away."
Shen Wumei slapped away her outstretched hand and deftly fastened his belt. What was she doing fastening it? Why was she always taking advantage of him?
This is absolutely outrageous!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
