Chapter 66 Ruru's Disappearance
In the Duke of England's mansion, white candles were lit, and the sounds of weeping were continuous in the main hall.
Because Zhang Tu was a married woman and died an unnatural death, very few people came to pay their respects. Ying Gong stood in the courtyard, looking at Zhang Huai who had hurried back.
"Father." Zhang Huai's face was full of fatigue. After leaving Yunwu Manor, he had been guarding Zhang Ran, fearing that Zhang Ran would lose his life because of the amputation.
Even the marriage arranged by the Empress Dowager was forgotten by Zhang Huai, who did not rest all night. After Zhang Ran woke up from his coma, Doctor Sun said that he was not seriously injured. Then he heard the news of Madam Xue's death.
"What's going on?" Zhang Huai's tone was filled with anxiety. When he learned of Madam Xue's death, he always felt that the Duke of Ying's Mansion was entangled in something unclean.
"I haven't paid attention to your situation for some time." The Duke of England's voice became a little deeper. "What kind of people have you provoked that you shouldn't have provoked?"
"Father," Zhang Huai said, not daring to act recklessly in front of the Duke of England. "You know what your son has been doing recently. You should ask A-Du who he offended."
There was a hint of unspeakable displeasure in Zhang Huai's tone. Whenever there was something wrong, his father would always blame him.
Just like what happened last time in Kaibao Temple, it was obvious that Zhang Tu took Zhang Ruru to Kaibao Temple and something went wrong. Although Jiang Yin was punished in the end, what Zhang Tu did in Kaibao Temple was downplayed.
Now that Zhang Tu is gone, the Duke of England comes to question Zhang Huai about who he should not have provoked.
"Ask Adu!?" Duke Yingguo's voice suddenly grew colder and harsher. "She's lying in there now. Go ask her!"
Zhang Huai understood his father's pain of losing his daughter, so his tone softened a lot: "Father, I'm so sad."
The Duke of Ying snorted coldly, "Ran'er's leg was broken, Ruru offended the Empress, and A'tu was assassinated. Each of these incidents is aimed at the Duke of Ying's mansion!"
Zhang Huai heard this and pondered for a moment before saying, "I will investigate A'tu's death and avenge Ran'er. Now, what about Ruru's marriage to the prince?"
The Duke of England looked at Zhang Huai coldly.
Zhang Huai continued, "After the Empress Dowager granted the marriage, Ruru became pregnant. After yesterday's Peach Blossom Banquet, many people in Bianjing knew about Ruru and Jiang Yin's affair. It seemed as if the Yongqin Earl's Mansion had cleared itself of the matter because of Jiang Yin's death."
"The Crown Prince knows Ruru is not innocent, so he must have something against our Zhang family and Ruru." The more Zhang Huai spoke, the more resentful he felt: "From the beginning of Kaibao Temple, it has been inseparable from one person..."
"The prince has arrived!"
As soon as Zhang Huai finished speaking, a report was heard, and the father and son looked towards the Moon Gate.
The prince approached with a cold face, his gaze lingered on the Duke of England's face for a moment, and then he looked at Zhang Huai.
"Your humble servant greets the Crown Prince." The father and son said in unison.
The prince nodded: "My condolences, Duke."
The Duke of England listened to the Crown Prince's words of condolence, and a tenderness flashed in his shrewd eyes. He looked towards the mourning hall in the main hall and said, "I didn't expect His Highness to come in person."
Zhang Huai was also surprised. He thought that the prince would have some opinions about the Duke of Ying's Mansion because of what happened yesterday.
"My Lord, this Crown Prince has just learned something about Madam Xue's cause of death." The Crown Prince stared deeply at the Duke of England. "Could you please elaborate on this somewhere else?"
A murderous intent flashed in the Duke of England's eyes, and he made a 'please' gesture to the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, please."
Zhang Huai originally wanted to follow, but stopped when he saw his wife's pale face.
Song grabbed Zhang Huai's hand and said, "Ruru is gone, Ruru is gone!"
Zhang Huai's expression tightened.
"Brother Huai, what should I do? I've sent people to look for Ruru for a long time, but there's still no trace of her." Song's face was covered with tears. Her two children had come to such a fate. "In half a month, it will be the date set by the Empress Dowager for her wedding to the Crown Prince. If Ruru disappears, how can she get married?"
Zhang Huai glanced at the mourning hall behind him and said, "Don't worry. The prince and father have gone to the side courtyard over there. You stay at the mourning hall first. I'll send someone to look for her. If we can't find her, tell father."
Song Shi felt much better after hearing Zhang Huai's words. She asked about Zhang Ran's situation, "How is Ran'er?"
"Let him stay with Doctor Sun for a few days, then I'll bring him back home." Zhang Huai looked at the silver hair on Song's temples, and a look of distress flashed in his eyes. "Go back and rest. There are plenty of people guarding the mourning hall. Don't worry. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up."
Hearing this, Song's tears couldn't stop rolling down her eyes.
"Someone, take Madam downstairs and let her have a good rest." Zhang Huai said.
*
In the side courtyard separated from the main hall, Duke Yingguo led the prince to sit in the pavilion.
When the Crown Prince saw the Duke of England sitting down across from him, he said, "I wonder if the Duke has any suspicions about recent events, such as Miss Ruru's accident and Zhang Ran's broken leg."
The Duke of Ying and the Crown Prince exchanged cold glances, "Prince, are you saying this is all related to the young lady of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion?"
"My Lord, to be honest, the reason this young lady from the Yongyi Marquis's mansion was able to marry into the Yongyi Marquis's mansion was because the Marquis's wife had deliberately chosen her. My Lord, you should also know that the Xie family came from a merchant background. It wasn't until Xie Jing's generation that no one mentioned their family's connection to merchants, but everyone knew that the Xie family had endless wealth."
As the Crown Prince spoke, he recalled the heroic figure at the Yunwu Manor horse farm and continued, "The eldest daughter of the Xie family was a valuable asset to the Yongyi Marquisate. However, after marrying into the Yongyi Marquisate, they discovered that Xie Rongying wasn't what they had imagined. Since they couldn't use her, they decided to deal with her."
"It's a pity that the Marquis' wife wasn't as skilled as the others, and was instead defeated by Xie Rongying. It was also at this time that Xie Rongying attacked Miss Ruru, and Madam Xue has always wanted to avenge Miss Ruru."
The Crown Prince saw the increasingly grim expression on Duke Yingguo's face, and he said more solemnly, "It was Madam Xue who told me about this matter at Yunwu Manor yesterday. She said she wanted to take revenge for Miss Ruru."
The more he spoke, the more he felt guilty. "I also feel deeply guilty about Zhang Ran's situation. If it weren't for his eagerness to take revenge on the Xie family and to embarrass the King of Wei, Zhang Ran wouldn't have lost his leg."
"Later, Yunwu Manor suffered a series of bad things that affected the Zhang family. Madam Xue went to look for Xie Rongying herself, but that's how she disappeared."
"So the last person Madam Xue saw before her death was Xie Rongying."
The Duke of Ying stared coldly at the Crown Prince and asked, "How did the Crown Prince know that the last person she would see would be Xie Rongying?"
The Duke of Ying still has some friendship with the Xie family, and he also intends to support Xie Yi in leading the troops to fight this time. After all, the emperor needs more confidants to compete with the Empress Dowager and the King of Wei.
"The wife of the Marquis can testify." The prince said confidently.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
