Chapter 57 Ling Zixia borrows a handkerchief to rebuke the steward
Zhao Wenxuan immediately stepped forward and supported Ling Zixia, his face full of concern and worry.
He gave orders in a deep voice to the people around him, ordering them to quickly send Ling Zixia back to Jingsiyuan.
Qing'er and several nimble maids carefully carried Ling Zixia, while Zhao Wenxuan personally escorted her.
Prime Minister Zhao Wuji looked at this scene, and a complex and incomprehensible light flashed in his deep eyes.
He whispered a few words to the steward beside him, then turned and walked towards the study.
Doctor Sun, who had just returned from the gates of hell, didn't care about his own embarrassment. He followed the team closely, fearing that Ling Zixia would have another accident.
The group returned to Jingsiyuan in a mighty procession. Zhao Wenxuan personally carried Ling Zixia into the bedroom and gently placed her on the old wooden bed.
He looked at Ling Zixia's bloodless face, and an unprecedented feeling of irritation and powerlessness surged in his heart.
Zhao Wenxuan turned around and shouted at the servants in the room.
"What are you all standing there for? Go get the best doctor in town and get me all the top-quality tonics in the warehouse!"
The servants were frightened by his shout and immediately turned around to do it.
Just then, a flattering voice came from the door, interrupting Zhao Wenxuan's order.
"Sir, calm down. This is just a small matter. Why bother you to take care of it yourself?"
Wang Fu, the chief steward of the Prime Minister's Mansion, walked in with a smile on his face, followed by two servants carrying boxes.
Wang Fu first bowed respectfully to Zhao Wenxuan, and then turned his gaze to Ling Zixia on the bed.
When he saw Ling Zixia "unconscious", a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, but his face showed an extremely painful expression.
"Oh, look at our concubine Ling. What kind of suffering has she endured? It really makes me feel distressed."
As he spoke, he winked at the servants behind him, signaling them to open the box.
The two servants immediately carried a heavy pearwood box to the bedside and carefully opened the lid.
A whole box of dazzling jewellery was instantly revealed to everyone, glittering with gold and exuding a sense of preciousness.
Wang Fu introduced proudly, pointing to the treasures in the box.
"Look, sir. This is something the Prime Minister specifically ordered me to bring. He said it's for Madam Ling to calm her down."
"Here are the night-shining pearls sent as tribute from the East China Sea, ruby head ornaments from the Western Regions, and twelve sets of new fabrics for four seasons from the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau."
Every time he said something, the maids around him would let out a low exclamation of surprise. They had never seen such a precious reward.
Zhao Wenxuan looked at the box full of rare treasures, but the anger on his face did not ease at all. He knew that his father was trying to comfort him but also to test him.
Wang Fu obviously didn't notice Zhao Wenxuan's displeasure, and he continued to speak in that exaggerated tone.
"The Prime Minister said that Concubine Ling is a noble lady in our mansion and must not be wronged. From now on, all expenses of Jingsiyuan will be paid according to the share of the legitimate daughter of the mansion."
This promise carries great weight, as it means that Ling Zixia's status in the Prime Minister's Mansion is second only to the mistress and Zhao Wenxuan.
However, just when Wang Fu thought that his words would win applause, an extremely weak voice came from the bed.
"Ahem...take...take it away..."
When everyone heard the sound and looked, they saw that Ling Zixia, who was originally "unconscious", had opened her eyes at some point.
Her eyes were still weak and her face was still pale, but in those clear eyes, there was a hint of coldness that brooked no argument.
She looked at the box full of jewels without any joy in her eyes, but instead revealed a deep disgust.
The smile on Wang Fu's face froze instantly, and he asked with some confusion.
"Auntie...you...what do you mean?"
Ling Zixia ignored him and just used all her strength to sit up from the bed.
Qing'er hurried forward to support her and placed a soft pillow behind her.
Ling Zixia leaned on the pillow, looked at Wang Fu, and slowly stretched out her right hand.
In her hand, she was tightly clutching a silk handkerchief, the very one Zhao Wenxuan had given her before.
After going through a series of events, the silk handkerchief was still as white as new and exuded a unique and refreshing fragrance.
"Manager Wang, let me ask you, are these things clean?" Although Ling Zixia's voice was weak, every word was clear.
Wang Fu was stunned by her question and answered subconsciously.
"Don't worry, Auntie. These are the best things in the warehouse. They are very clean. I have personally inspected them."
When Ling Zixia heard this, an extremely sad and cold smile appeared on her face, and that smile made her already pale face look even more miserable.
"Really? Then I'll have to ask the butler to examine it for me personally."
As she spoke, she gently threw the silk handkerchief in her hand towards the box full of jewels.
The seemingly light silk handkerchief drew a graceful arc in the air, and then landed squarely on the top phoenix hairpin made of red gold and inlaid with rubies.
At the moment when the silk handkerchief touched the phoenix hairpin, an extremely strange scene happened.
All I heard was a slight "sizzling" sound, as if cold water was poured into hot oil.
The surface of the phoenix hairpin, which was made of pure pure gold and was extremely gorgeous, turned dull at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The bright light of the pigeon egg-sized ruby on the phoenix hairpin was rapidly fading, and it became like an ordinary red stone on the roadside.
What was even more terrifying was that a black, ink-like liquid seeped out from the place where the silk handkerchief and the phoenix hairpin touched.
The liquid carried a pungent smell of metallic rust and quickly contaminated the other jewels around it.
In just a few breaths, the box full of gold, silver and jewelry that was once dazzling turned into a pile of scrap metal.
All the luster disappeared, replaced by a lifeless gray-black color.
The entire room fell into dead silence, and everyone was speechless at the incredible scene before them.
Wang Fu's mouth was wide open enough for an egg to fit in. He stared blankly at the box of waste, the color draining from his face.
He couldn't understand why these fine treasures that had just been taken out of the warehouse suddenly became like this.
Zhao Wenxuan's eyes were also filled with shock and horror. He stared at the silk handkerchief that was still as white as new, and a huge wave of emotion surged in his heart.
He knew that all these changes originated from that seemingly ordinary handkerchief and this seemingly weak woman.
Ling Zixia looked at the horrified expressions of the crowd, her eyes filled with tears and her face showed a heartbroken expression.
She pointed at the box of waste and asked Wang Fu harshly in a crying voice.
"Butler Wang! Is this what you call a clean thing?"
"The Prime Minister's reward, in your hands, has turned into these filthy things soaked in poison!"
"You...what are your intentions?!"
"You think I'm the daughter of a guilty subject and easy to bully, so you want to humiliate me in this way, or even take my life?"
Her words were like thunder from the sky, striking Wang Fu hard on the head.
Wang Fu's body trembled violently, and he fell to his knees with a plop, his whole body shaking like a sieve.
"It's unfair! Auntie! It's unfair!"
He banged his head so hard that his forehead soon started bleeding.
"I am loyal to the Prime Minister and would never dare to harbor such evil intentions! These things... I really don't know what's going on with these things!"
Ling Zixia didn't listen to his explanation at all. She turned her head and looked at Zhao Wenxuan with tears in her eyes.
"Sir, you saw it all."
"In this Prime Minister's residence, I can't even breathe a peaceful breath."
"They...they all want me to die..."
Her crying was so sad that it broke one's heart.
Zhao Wenxuan looked at her grief-stricken expression, then looked at Wang Fu who was kneeling on the ground crying out for justice, and his face turned ashen.
He knew that this matter was by no means as simple as it seemed.
These jewels must have been tampered with on the way from the warehouse to Jingsi Temple.
And who else could have done this in the prime minister's residence without anyone noticing, except the woman who had just been sent to the retreat?
They are the remnants of Li Ruolan!
They are avenging their master!
Zhao Wenxuan's heart was instantly filled with rage. He felt that these people were simply too bold and lawless.
He took a step forward and kicked Wang Fu, who was kneeling on the ground, to the ground.
He pointed at Wang Fu's nose and shouted sternly.
"Useless! If you can't even handle such a small matter, what use do I have for you?"
"I don't care who's behind this, I'll give you three days!"
"If you can't find the real culprit within three days, come to me with your own head!"
His voice was filled with undisguised murderous intent, which seemed to make the temperature of the entire room drop a few degrees.
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