With Song Zhiyu absent, Lu Bai had no chance to speak in the mansion and could only watch helplessly as Xia Zhu's body was dragged away by two servants.
The lives of maids are worthless, especially those who have signed a death contract; they are left to their masters' disposal.
Xia Zhu's death was not simple; anyone with eyes could see that. Yet, the Marquis's mansion arbitrarily fabricated a crime against her and killed her, and even the government couldn't do anything about it.
Not to mention that the murderer has already fled far away, so even if she wanted to find evidence, she was powerless to do so.
Lu Bai lowered her eyelids in defeat. She couldn't protect the person the young lady wanted to get rid of.
And the secret Xia Zhu mentioned is also a death knell; all she can do now is wait for her mistress to return.
I just hope she can live to see the day the young lady returns.
Lu Bai bit her lower lip, staring intently at Shen Jinshu, who had arrived late, her heart clenching tightly.
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and clean this place up, lest you defile Second Sister's Songxi Courtyard." Shen Jinshu looked at Lu Bai, who was in a daze, and smiled with satisfaction, stepping forward to play the good guy at just the right moment.
Having just resolved a major threat, Shen Jinshu felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders and was in high spirits.
Upon receiving the order, the maids and servants immediately busied themselves. Although they felt somewhat emotional about Xia Zhu's situation, this was not the first time they had encountered such a thing. After the initial fear subsided, they had to continue serving their master and had no time for sentimentality.
Seeing Shen Jinshu's gaze fall on her young mistress's room, Lu Bai's heart alarmed. She hurriedly stepped forward to block the doorway and said with a forced smile, "Young Miss, you should know the Second Young Miss's temperament. She has always disliked others touching her things."
Besides, there's a lot of poison in this room. To avoid accidental injury, you'd better not go in.
Lu Bai's tone showed no sign of reluctance, but the underlying meaning in her words had already made her stance clear.
Shen Jinshu couldn't get into that room.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshu nodded knowingly and did not insist. She merely narrowed her eyes slightly and said with a half-smile, "Indeed, I actually forgot such an important matter."
After being rejected, Shen Jinshu left decisively. Her swift departure made it seem as if she had just said it casually, but it made Lu Bai's expression even more serious, and her unease became more and more obvious.
*
Mount Li.
Since its completion and opening, the hot spring resort has become a new favorite among the elites of the capital, who are even willing to take a one- or two-hour carriage ride to see it. Song Zhiyu has made a fortune, which has made many people envious.
Shen Feng was even worse. He was standing on a mountaintop a few hundred meters away from the hot spring resort, staring at the misty scene in the distance with a sinister look in his eyes. His face was so dark it could drip water.
"I'll give you three more days. If you still can't get the land deed for Mount Li, I'll recommend someone else for that case." Prince Li stood with his hands behind his back, his handsome face revealing neither joy nor anger.
Only Shen Feng, standing beside him, could feel the chill emanating from Li Wang and the deadly threat in his words.
Shen Feng's forehead was covered in sweat. If Ru Shan could successfully solve the case in Su City, he could regain his face in front of His Majesty and be reinstated to his original position.
"Your Highness, rest assured, the land deed for Mount Li originally belonged to me. I will do everything in my power to obtain the deed and present it to Your Highness." Shen Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, still feeling a bit shaken, and pledged his loyalty without hesitation.
Not to mention Li Wang, even he coveted the thriving hot spring resort. Not to mention that Song Zhiyu tricked him out of the land deed for Mount Li. He had no idea that there was such a large fortune in Mount Li. Now he regrets it to the core.
Li Wang remained silent, offering no words of loyalty. He had chosen the Marquis of Cheng'en's residence solely because it was profitable.
Who would have thought that three years ago, Shen Yuzhou had an accident, leaving him disabled in both legs and a cripple.
He finally produced a man as stoic as a mountain, but because of his useless maternal family, he was reprimanded by his father and demoted, almost ruining his grand plan.
He already harbored resentment towards the Marquis of Chengen's mansion, but out of consideration for the treasure and the prophecy, he tolerated it time and again.
Unfortunately, at this time, Shen Jinshu and Shen Feng were involved in scandals one after another, which also affected his reputation.
Even if Li Wang was very patient and never showed his emotions, he still found it difficult to be kind to Shen Feng.
*
On the other side, at the hot spring resort.
"Yu'er, you guessed right, these people were all sent by the Prince of Li." Su Jinyang grabbed the man in black by the back of his collar with one hand, a warm smile on his face, but his feet were ruthlessly kicking the man's knees.
The man in black suddenly knelt down in front of Song Zhiyu, letting out a few muffled groans. Just as he was about to bite the poison in his mouth, his jaw was suddenly grabbed by a large hand, and he was subdued in a few quick movements.
"Alright, there's no more threat. Ask whatever you want." Su Jinyang withdrew his hand and then dislocated the jaws of the other men in black to prevent them from committing suicide by poison.
Song Zhiyu slowly squatted down, her cold and deep gaze meeting the eyes of the man in black. She parted her red lips slightly and asked, "Besides Prince Li, who else knows about the mine?"
"I know nothing about mines or Prince Li. I just saw that the hot spring resort was doing too well, and I got the idea to ask you to give me some money." The man in black glared, refusing to admit that he was acting on Prince Li's orders.
Song Zhiyu smiled, her eyes crinkling into a smile, looking harmless. But in the blink of an eye, she swiftly raised her hand and brought down her knife. Before the man in black could even react, a bloody gash appeared on his neck.
“Stubbornness will not end well.” Song Zhiyu gently wiped the bloodstains from the dagger with a handkerchief, her calm gaze turning to the others.
The others were momentarily stunned by Song Zhiyu's swift and decisive actions, but they were all people who lived on the edge, and death felt more exhilarating than torture.
They couldn't wait for Song Zhiyu to finish them off with a single blow, and they were shouting defiantly.
Song Zhiyu approached the group step by step, the dagger in her hand gleaming with a chilling light. However, instead of slitting their throats as they expected, she used the sharp tip of the blade to carve a pattern on their arms, then sprinkled white powder on them.
In an instant, several men in black burst into painful screams. They had thought of all sorts of tortures, but they never imagined that a packet of white powder could cause them unbearable pain.
For a fleeting moment, they couldn't help but want to back down.
"Third Brother, I'll give you a reward." Song Zhiyu stood up, her bright eyes fixed on Su Jinyang, revealing a meaning that only the two of them understood.
Li Wang has always coveted this mine, so now she's not only going to prevent him from getting it, but also to create a huge, unspeakable problem for him.
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