Chapter 6 Yaoer 6 Former Personal Maid
As Su Mei finished speaking, He Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to bring up Fang Yan's name to suppress all of Su Mei's rejection and vigilance and to inquire for more information, he heard Xun Shu speak again.
"Because I suspect you are the murderer of Mrs. Zhao."
The clamor in the courtyard fell silent at that moment, even the birds in the trees fell silent. The servants around them all moved quietly, seemingly working diligently, but in reality their minds and ears were focused on Su Mei, afraid to miss a single word.
He Xuan sighed helplessly inwardly. Before he could figure out how to smooth things over, Su Mei, standing beside him, raised her eyebrows completely and angrily rebuked him, "Ridiculous! Madam and I grew up together. Although we are master and servant, we are as close as brothers. Why would I harm her?" She paused, as if finding a firm support point, and her voice became louder. "You said I killed Madam. There must be evidence and a reason, right? Why would I kill Madam? What good would I gain by killing her?"
Xun Shu seemed oblivious to her anger and slowly repeated his question, "You must first tell me what you and Madam Zhao were arguing about that day. Only then can I know why you killed her."
What's the difference between this and a false accusation? Su Mei glared at Xun Shu fiercely, her chest heaving violently: "I say again, this matter has nothing to do with Madam's death! That day we just had a few arguments over some rumors, there's no need to kill someone for it!"
He Xuan pulled Xun Shu's arm and dragged her back, forcing her to take half a step back. He then stepped forward and stood in front of her, blocking Su Mei's angry gaze and stopping Xun Shu from continuing.
He Xuan smiled and said, "You misunderstood. We are here today on the orders of County Magistrate Zhao to assist County Lieutenant Fang in finding out the cause of Madam Zhao's death."
Perhaps because He Xuan spoke with such conviction and sincerity, Su Mei's emotions gradually calmed down. She asked in confusion, "I heard that Madam slipped and fell into a pond and drowned. Why do we still need to find out the cause of her death?" She glanced at Xun Shu, who was only half exposed, and her tone was still annoyed. "And her, why did she slander me as the murderer? If there is a murderer, is there another hidden reason for Madam's death?"
Xun Shu looked at her flickering eyes and the hint of hostility between her brows, still suspecting that she was inextricably linked to Madam Zhao's death. She knew her own weaknesses, and she couldn't lie or say nice things, so she simply kept her mouth shut and let He Xuan handle everything.
He Xuan didn't intend to hide the truth from Su Mei, and only spoke half-truths to make it easier for people to believe: "Mrs. Zhao fell into the pond and drowned, but she didn't fall, she was pushed in. County Magistrate Zhao knows about this, so he asked us to help investigate it. We must find out the truth and avenge Mrs. Zhao."
Su Mei didn't say anything. Her hands were clenched into fists in her wide sleeves. She lowered her eyelashes and didn't know what she was thinking. He Xuan didn't rush her and waited patiently for her to figure everything out. After a while, when Su Mei spoke again, her voice was much softer, and there seemed to be a hint of bitterness: "The madam came to me that day because of something that happened many years ago. Madam suspected that the eldest young master was no longer her and the master's biological son. She suspected that the eldest young master had been swapped when he was in his infancy... But how is this possible? I thought this was ridiculous, so I tried to persuade Madam. But Madam thought I was teasing her, and we had a quarrel, and then left angrily." After saying this, Su Mei seemed to have put down the burden in her heart and breathed a sigh of relief. "Only Madam and I were at home that day. No third person knew about this. I swear to heaven that this matter has nothing to do with Madam's death. I would never hurt Madam because of such a trivial matter!"
Su Mei's expression was sincere and she certainly didn't seem to be lying, but He Xuan just looked at her quietly, thinking about something that happened a few days ago.
That day in the coffin shop, Xun Shu had already said that Madam Zhao was not blessed with children. At that time, He Xuan and Jiang Zheng thought she was joking. Now it seems that there might really be something hidden behind it, otherwise why would Madam Zhao rush to look for Su Mei early the next morning.
Thinking of this, He Xuan turned slightly to look at Xun Shu, but saw that she was looking at Su Mei seriously and asked a relatively gentle question: "Since you were Madam Zhao's personal maid, when the eldest young master was born, were you still in the mansion to take care of Madam Zhao? Were you always by her side?
Su Mei hesitated. "Although Master and Madam hadn't left Chaozhou at that time, I had already married and left the Zhao residence, and wasn't serving them there. But after Madam gave birth to Yuanming, I often came to visit. Although I wasn't always there, I was there six or seven out of ten days."
Xun Shu's gaze was as clear as a calm lake, "Since you weren't always by my side, how can you be sure that Madam Zhao's concerns were false and that the young master hadn't been switched?"
Su Mei frowned. "How can we be sure of this? From the time Yuanming was born until he was six months old, he was frail and sickly, so he never left the Zhao residence, let alone a time when he was unattended. How could the bad guys have gotten away from him and switched him? Only after he grew older and better did someone take him away from home to play at the nearby market. By then, Yuanming's eyebrows and eyes had already grown. If he had been switched, how could anyone around him not have noticed?"
What Su Mei said made sense, and Xun Shu couldn't figure out what was strange about it. He could only lower his head and think, and didn't say anything for a while.
Seeing that Xun Shu had no further questions, He Xuan continued to ask, following Su Mei's words: "From the day Madam Zhao came to look for you until the body was found today, where did you go, who did you meet, and what did you do?" He paused, as if he found these questions quite offensive, and added, "This is routine. We need to ask everyone. You should also want to help us find Madam Zhao's murderer as soon as possible, right?"
How could Su Mei dare to refute He Xuan when he said that? She slowed down her speech and answered very carefully, as if she was seriously recalling everything that had happened in the past few days: "After the madam left that day, I thought about it for most of the day, feeling sad and annoyed, and I didn't leave the house. Yesterday, I thought, madam is the madam after all, and I can only be where I am today because of the madam's support. How can I be angry with the madam? So I thought about coming to the Zhao Mansion to apologize to the madam. Yesterday evening, I arrived outside the madam's courtyard and saw the closed door of the madam's room. Guessing that she was still angry, I felt a little timid and didn't go in. Later, I walked around the courtyard. The sky gradually darkened, and it was inconvenient for me to stay in the courtyard for a long time, so I left quietly, thinking that I would come to look for the madam again early this morning... But I didn't expect..."
Su Mei's voice was choked with sobs, and she was already sobbing uncontrollably by the end. She lowered her head and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
He Xuan looked at Su Mei's sadness and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, silently weighing the truth of her words in his heart. Xun Shu stood quietly behind him, also thoughtful.
After a while, seeing that Su Mei's sobbing gradually subsided, He Xuan spoke lightly, without the smile just now in his voice, but with a bit more coldness and oppression.
"Can anyone prove everything you said?"
Su Mei shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't hide my whereabouts, but I didn't intend for anyone to notice me. But the guard at the door might remember this."
"I will confirm what you said with the servants in the mansion. If there is any discrepancy, you will be the most likely murderer of Madam Zhao. Do you understand?"
Su Mei pursed her lips, and all her doubts, confusion, and dissatisfaction finally turned into four words: "I understand."
-
After the two finished their questioning, Su Mei went to help at the other side of the mourning hall. Xun Shu stood there, watching her figure for a long time without moving. He Xuan stood beside her with his arms folded, the fierceness in his expression completely gone, leaving only a bright smile.
"You, you're too straightforward."
A gentle breeze blew by, bringing a touch of coolness, ruffling the strands of hair at Xun Shu's temples, bringing a subtle tingle. Hearing these words, she felt a moment of trance, as if she were back in the mountains of her childhood, surrounded by the wind and the sweet chirping of birds. Back then, her master would whisper these words into her ears every day.
Xun Shu couldn't lie when she was young, but after becoming a disciple and cultivating her speech spirit, she couldn't lie anymore. As a teenager, she offended many people because she spoke without thinking. Later, her master devised a plan, teaching her to avoid speaking to strangers if possible. If she did have to speak, she should be careful and concise, speaking in a coherent manner.
She always kept her master's teachings in mind.
Later, she was expelled from the sect and came to the coffin shop. Jiang Zheng treated her as his own daughter, and gradually melted the ice in Xun Shu's heart.
She thought, Jiang Zheng should not be considered a stranger as mentioned by the master, right?
Not long after the two of them lived together, Jiang Zheng realized Xun Shu's unique characteristics and simply taught her how to carve and paint coffins, and did not force her to interact with outsiders. Over time, she got used to her casual life and completely forgot her master's advice.
Now, not only was her body expelled from the sect, but her soul was probably also expelled, and there was no trace of her former self.
Xun Shu hung her head, revealing a sense of frustration from hair to toe. He Xuan looked at her like this, not knowing what she was thinking, and was a little flustered: "I didn't say anything about you, why are you so dejected... Hey, it was all my fault, Ah Shu, don't bother with me!"
Xun Shu shook his head, his mood still low: "Nothing, just thinking about some things in the past."
Xun Shu never mentioned her life before she came to the coffin shop, but now that she brought it up, He Xuan couldn't help but ask, "What happened in the past? Was it the days when you lived with your parents?"
Xun Shu was about to answer when she heard a quarrel not far away. She swallowed the words in her mouth again and her eyes drifted away unconsciously. She patted He Xuan's arm and said, "It seems to be Su Mei's voice. Let's go and see what's going on."
He Xuan opened his mouth, feeling a little depressed, and finally scratched his head. He had no choice but to follow Xun Shu's slow pace, thinking about finding a suitable opportunity to ask her about her past.
The one arguing with someone was indeed Su Mei, but the other person was a young woman Xun Shu had never met before. She looked to be around thirty, with fair skin and a face as delicate and graceful as the misty rain of Jiangnan, hazy and gentle. Next to her stood a half-grown boy, his eyes naive. He stared at the frantic woman without flinching, just like the young woman beside him, watching quietly, as if he were looking at an insignificant, inanimate object.
Not only their movements and expressions are very similar, but their faces are also very similar, like a mother and son.
Su Mei was pointing at her and cursing, and she could hear every word she said without having to go up to her.
"You bitch! You seduced the master and broke the mistress's heart. Now, for the sake of the Zhao family's wealth and to squeeze out the mistress to become the principal wife, you have the heart to kill her! The mistress treated you well on a daily basis, but you have such a cruel heart! How could you do such a thing worse than pigs and dogs! You should pay for the mistress's life!"
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