Chapter 178 Bury her in Jiangnan
She's dead!
Xie Yanzhi looked down at the person huddled at his feet, his pupils suddenly contracted, and the air around him seemed to freeze instantly.
He can say she escaped, that she was sold, but how can he say she died!
"What did you say?" Xie Yanzhi's voice was terrifyingly low, with suppressed anger churning in his throat. He thrust the sword forward, as if to kill the coachman.
General Li was shocked upon hearing this! Yan'er had gotten herself into serious trouble!
Now that Xie Yanzhi has murderous intent, if this matter is not handled properly, not only will the relationship between the Li family and the Xie family be affected, but the entire General's Mansion may also face impeachment.
Seeing Xie Yanzhi's ashen face and his sword about to kill the coachman, he quickly threw away his teacup and deflected Xie Yanzhi's sword.
General Li strode forward and pressed Xie Yanzhi's wrist, which was gripping his sword, firmly with both hands, saying, "Young Master Xie! First, find out what happened!"
"Tell me everything you know. If you hide anything, you won't live anymore!"
General Li sternly addressed the groom.
The coachman was terrified out of his wits. He collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his teeth chattering as he said, "I... I was just following Miss's instructions to sell that girl to a madam from Yangzhou."
"But when I got near the ferry, I saw the madam already at the bow of the boat. I waved to her, but she didn't see me. So I got off the carriage and went to the side of the boat to call the madam. I walked a few steps away... but who knew that the carriage would suddenly catch fire!"
He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "Later, I heard from someone nearby that two vagrants accidentally set the carriage curtain on fire while fighting over lamp oil."
"One of them, carrying the oil lamp, simply threw it into the car..."
General Li frowned, looking very anxious, and said, "Then why don't you go and save them!"
"I wanted to rush up and save them, but the horse got spooked and started pulling the carriage away. I chased after it for a long time but couldn't catch up. The fire, fueled by the wind, blazed up instantly! The fire grew stronger and stronger until even the carriage collapsed..."
"Later, a kind passerby stopped the carriage and untied the horse, which saved the horse's life."
"But the woman in the carriage, I heard, was burned to a crisp." As he finished speaking, the coachman's voice grew softer and softer, too ashamed to look up.
Xie Yanzhi clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, and finally asked, barely suppressing his anger, "Where is that woman now?"
"They are...in the yamen (government office), waiting for their relatives to claim them."
As soon as the coachman finished speaking, Xie Yanzhi abruptly pulled his hand back and turned to walk outside.
"Your Highness..." General Li wanted to plead for his daughter, after all, she hadn't done it on purpose.
But Xie Yanzhi turned around and left, not giving him a chance to speak at all.
General Li watched Xie Yanzhi's retreating figure, then looked down at the still trembling coachman, and asked in a low voice, "Does Miss know about this?"
The coachman nodded tremblingly: "Miss already sent someone to inquire this morning..."
General Li sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.
He always thought his daughter was just a little spoiled, but he never expected her to be so malicious.
Today's events have likely offended Xie Yanzhi completely.
Xie Yanzhi spurred his horse and galloped away, the coachman's words replaying in his mind, his heart feeling as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.
He couldn't believe it; he couldn't believe that Shen Qingnian was gone just like that.
The day before yesterday, she was smiling as she proposed a wedding date for Ling'er and Yuan Qing, her eyes full of tenderness.
She also promised to stay by his side.
With the wind whistling past his ears, Xie Yanzhi spurred his horse toward the yamen, determined to see if she was truly dead!
Without his permission, would she really dare to die?
Upon arriving at the yamen, Xie Yanzhi dismounted and, without waiting for the yamen runners to announce his arrival, barged in and said coldly, "Take me to the morgue."
Seeing his noble air and imposing manner, the yamen runners dared not be negligent.
Yuan Qing entered at that moment and identified himself to the constable, who then quickly led the people to the morgue.
The constable pointed to a corpse covered with a white sheet in the corner and stammered, "Young Master, this is the female corpse that was brought in last night."
Xie Yanzhi stepped forward, his outstretched hand pausing in mid-air, his fingertips trembling slightly.
He took a deep breath and suddenly ripped off the white cloth.
The corpse was so badly disfigured that it was unrecognizable, except for the ruby and gold hairpin in its hair, which gleamed with a familiar luster in the dim light.
Then I noticed the few strands of shimmering gauze peeking out from her ankles; it was the fabric he had specially reserved for her.
He turned abruptly, strode out of the morgue, and didn't say a word.
Seeing his furious appearance when he arrived, and now that he hadn't said anything, the bailiff was completely bewildered and could only stand there dumbfounded.
Yuan Qing followed behind Xie Yanzhi, and his eyes instantly reddened as he looked at the familiar ornaments on the corpse.
How can someone who was perfectly healthy just suddenly disappear?
Ling'er cried all day yesterday. I wonder if she will be able to bear the news of Qing's death later.
And Master, he already recognized Miss Qing, so why did he leave without saying a word?
He eventually had the body transported back, and then quickly rode off to catch up with Xie Yanzhi.
"Master?" Yuan Qing called out cautiously.
I don't believe it.
Xie Yanzhi interrupted him, his voice hoarse but carrying an undeniable firmness.
"She was so smart, how could she have died so easily?"
He suddenly thought of something and immediately said to Yuan Qing beside him, "Immediately send people to investigate those two vagrants."
He wanted to know how those two homeless men could be so bold as to commit murder and arson in the street!
"I need to know whether they did it unintentionally, or if someone instructed them to do it!"
Yuan Qing immediately accepted the order and turned to arrange manpower.
He refused to believe that Miss Qing had died just like that; he was determined to find the real culprit and avenge Miss Qing.
When Yuan Qing finally caught them, he found that the two men looked like idiots and could only mutter to themselves. He couldn't get any useful information out of them.
"Sir, these are clearly two lunatics."
"Madman!" Xie Yanzhi repeated the word in a low voice, his eyes growing colder.
"Is it really such a coincidence?" He mounted his horse and headed towards the Marquis of Jingnan's residence.
For the next five days, Xie Yanzhi locked himself in his room and refused to see anyone.
Yuan Qing stood guard outside the door every day, watching the tightly closed door, feeling anxious but not daring to disturb it.
On the evening of the fifth day, a servant came to report that the body could no longer be kept.
He had no other choice but to bite the bullet and knock on the door: "Sir, Miss Qing's body... really can no longer be kept."
Xie Yanzhi slowly walked out of the room, his face pale and his eyes dark and swollen.
The voice was calm but tinged with sadness: "...Bury her in the Xie family's old house. It's quiet there, and it's the Jiangnan region she loved."
Yuan Qing looked at his lonely figure, her nose tingled, and she quickly nodded: "Yes, Master."
Unbeknownst to Xie Yanzhi, at this very moment, in the water towns of Jiangnan, Shen Qingnian was holding a cup of Biluochun tea, gazing at the babbling water outside the window, her expression relaxed.
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