Chapter 280 The Sobbing from the Backyard
That night, Zhuiying, Zhufeng, and the others, dressed in black, sneaked into Yun Jiaoyue's room to search, but found nothing.
They also investigated people who had been in contact with Yun Zhaoxue in the past month.
Finally, they found a small doll riddled with needle marks in Aunt Chen's bundle.
When Zhuiying saw that there were more than a dozen silver needles stuck in the doll's abdomen, she was so angry that her eyes turned bloodshot, and she drew her sword and pointed it at her heart.
Zhu Feng grabbed his arm and shook his head slightly, saying, "Don't be impulsive. Take him back for questioning."
They put Aunt Chen into a sack and carried her away.
Before entering the house to search, the person had been drugged and rendered unconscious. When they took the person away, the person was still unconscious.
The moment Hua Murong got his hands on the doll, he stuck a yellow talisman on its forehead.
The inspection of the doll revealed nothing about Yun Zhaoxue.
Then he asked Xiao Xuance to look, "Come and see if there's anything related to that girl. The fabric on the doll, has she ever worn it?"
"No, Yun brocade is a bit rough, she doesn't like to wear it."
"That's really strange."
Xiao Xuance turned the doll over and said, "Divine Doctor, please look. There are cut marks here, like it was stitched up a second time."
Hua Murong was old and his eyesight wasn't very good. He held it up to the light and examined it carefully. "It does look like it. Could something have been taken out? No wonder the girl's condition improved a lot in the second half of the night. I thought it was because my acupuncture was working. So that's it!"
...
Zhuiying forcefully splashed a bucket of cold water onto Aunt Chen's face. "Slap!"
Aunt Chen was instantly drenched, the icy cold seeping into every inch of her skin.
She felt herself being thrown to the bottom of the lake, and with a powerful kick of her legs, she instantly regained consciousness, "Ah..."
With great effort, I opened my heavy eyelids, wanting to raise my hand to rub my eyes, only to find that my hands and feet were bound.
My first thought was that Yun Jiaoyue had kidnapped me, and she had finally taken revenge.
She had long anticipated this day, which is why she dared not face her own heart and accept Hu Feng's love.
I could vaguely see a person sitting at the head of the table.
She fearlessly declared, "You've finally arrived? Do with me as you please!"
Zhuiying drew his sword and placed it against her neck, a chilling sensation pulling her from her half-awake state.
In the instant I awoke, my eyes were able to see clearly again.
He turned his head to look at the person at the head of the table.
Isn't it Yun Jiaoyue?
It turned out to be Prince Xiao.
With a slight movement of his wrist, Zhuiying's sharp blade sliced through her neck, and warm blood seeped into her clothes along her neck.
Aunt Chen froze, too frightened to move. "Why are you trying to kill me? Did the princess send you to kill me?"
They initially promised to save her life for three months, but later they didn't kill her and instead gave her the Ice Skin Jade Dew Cream to treat her face.
Did she change her mind, or was she just teasing her?
"You still have the nerve to ask why? At first, we even suspected that someone was trying to use us to do their dirty work!"
The princess helped you avenge your family and even gave you the Ice Skin Jade Dew Cream, promising to protect your life for three months as agreed. Why do you repay kindness with enmity? Speak! Who ordered you to do this?
Aunt Chen was completely bewildered. She blinked, her eyes filled with confusion. "Princess? What's wrong with the Princess?"
Xiao Xuance tossed the doll in front of her. "Do you recognize this one?"
Aunt Chen glanced at it, then shook her head, "No, I don't recognize it, this isn't mine."
Zhuiying said, "This was found in your bag. If it's not yours, whose is it? Confess!"
"It's really not mine. I've never seen this before. I swear to God, if I used this evil magic to trap the princess, may I, Chen Yurou, be struck by lightning and sent to the eighteenth level of hell, and die a horrible death!"
Chen Yuru struggled to pick up the doll, but her hands were too tightly bound, causing them to become numb and engorged with blood, making it impossible to lift. She then moved her hands over the doll's abdomen.
"This doll is a pregnant woman. Her belly has been pierced. The baby looks like it's in a lot of pain, just like my baby who was kicked away. If you block it from being kicked, it won't hurt. It won't hurt, it won't hurt."
She laughed and cried at the same time. These past few days, she had been dreaming of her child, a very cute boy who called her "Mom." She recalled the days they lived together in the thatched hut, poor but happy...
Xiao Xuance waved his hand, "Release her."
"Your Highness, is it really not her who did it?"
"No! The murderer is someone else. Go find the person who knows this evil magic and give him the Princess Xuan's keepsake."
"I'll take care of it right away."
Aunt Chen was dumped at the back gate of the inn. He pushed open the bamboo door and entered the house, only to bump into a dark figure as soon as he stepped into the courtyard.
She was so frightened that she backed away.
"who?"
Aunt Chen hid in the shadows, "I..."
Hearing her voice, the other person lowered their guard, quickly walked towards her, grasped her shoulders, pulled her into the moonlight, and carefully checked her for injuries, asking with concern, "What are you doing out so late? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, I'm not hurt. I just sleepwalked and ended up walking out. I'll go back now..."
"You're soaking wet, and you say you're fine? Is someone trying to harm you? Who is it? I'll kill her!"
He's a guard; it wouldn't be difficult for him to kill someone if he wanted to be out in the wilderness one day.
Aunt Chen remained indifferent to his concern, coldly brushing away his hand that was gripping her shoulder. "No one harmed me. I walked to the lake and accidentally fell in."
Hu Feng asked her, "How long are you going to keep avoiding me?"
Aunt Chen's eyes darted away: "Who's avoiding you? I'm going back to sleep. You go about your own business."
"I'm not busy. The rocking chair next door is making too much noise, so I can't sleep. I came out for some fresh air."
Do you want to know who those two people are?
"Who it is has nothing to do with me..."
"It does have something to do with you, you're the eldest son of the Yun family."
"Young Master? How could he be? Who is that woman?"
"Want to know? Take me to your house and I'll tell you."
"You shameless person, fine, don't tell me then." Aunt Chen could guess who it was.
She lifted her foot and walked towards her house, but after taking only two steps, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
Aunt Chen quickly backed away, bumping into Hu Feng who had followed her. Startled, she pulled him behind a bamboo grove and hid in the shadows.
Zhao Jiu stretched out his arms, yawned, and sat down on the steps, blocking the way from the backyard to the frontyard.
He let out another big yawn, "Ha!—"
"It's quieter here."
As he spoke, he took off his coat, spread it on the ground, and lay down to sleep.
Hu Feng was pinned against the wall in the bamboo forest, and a broken bamboo branch poked his wound, causing him to groan, "Ugh!"
Aunt Chen was on edge, afraid of being discovered. They only relaxed when the other party didn't notice them. They planned to climb over the railing after Zhao Jiu fell asleep.
Neither of them spoke. Chen Yuru's ear was almost pressed against his chest. She heard his breathing and the pounding of his heart before realizing they were too close and pushed him away.
"Waaah..." The sound of a woman sobbing echoed from the backyard, carried by the howling night wind. It sounded like the wailing of a wronged spirit, sending chills down one's spine and raising goosebumps all over.
She was so frightened that she clung tightly to Hu Feng.
Hu Feng raised his hand and put it around her waist, pulling her close to his chest. "Don't be afraid."
"Ah! A ghost!" Zhao Jiu jumped up in fright, drew his Xuan Tie sword, and pointed it at the backyard.
"Who's playing tricks? Come out here! Your Grandpa Zhao is here. Don't try to scare people with your tricks. Show yourself now!" He said as he brandished his sword with wide, sweeping movements, as if he were performing a ritual.
"come out!"
The sound of crying came from the corner again, "Waaah~~~"
Hiding in the bushes, Su Wanwan limped toward him, stumbling and nearly bumping into Zhao Jiu's blade as she walked too fast.
He quickly put away his knife, caught the person, turned around, and placed the person on the steps to sit down.
Su Wanwan grabbed his hand and said, "Zhao Jiu, I want to go home. Take me home, I can give you a lot of silver, a thousand taels, two thousand taels..."
"If two thousand taels isn't enough, then... five thousand taels. My father loves me so much, he'll definitely agree."
She was slapped today; her cheek is swollen and her lip is bleeding. It hurts so much. She wants to go home and doesn't want to be hit again.
"Hey, hey, don't cry! You're Prince Xuan's woman. If you don't go with him, you have to come home with me. I... I don't want to die!" Zhao Jiu was indeed tempted by the five thousand taels, but even if you have the money, you have to be alive to spend it.
His surname is Zhao, but not the Zhao of the royal family; he is just an ordinary citizen.
Su Wanwan then realized he had misunderstood, shook off his hand, and said irritably, "Who wants to go home with you? I want to go back to my parents' home, back to Jiangnan."
“Your family home isn’t safe either; the rebels have already reached Zhejiang.”
"Waaaaah..."
"Grandma, please stop crying. People might think I've been bullying you."
"It's because you bullied me, always saying things that others don't want to hear, ouch..." Su Wanwan spoke too loudly, pulling at the wound on the corner of her lip.
“If I stay by his side any longer, I’ll either be bullied to death or beaten to death. I don’t want to die.”
Zhao Jiu put aside his usual carefree attitude, sat down beside her, and patiently advised her, "You've been wronged. The imperial court has already sent a large army to suppress the rebels in Jiangnan. If Zhejiang can be defended, your family's wealth will still be there. They will have to think twice before trying to make things difficult for you. Be patient for now and don't go against them, otherwise you'll be the one who suffers."
Su Wanwan thought he made sense and looked at him gratefully, "Zhao Jiu, thank you. I didn't expect you to be able to comfort people as well as make them angry."
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