12dz Chapter 274 Hanged himself
Chapter 274 Hanged himself
After the snow stopped and the sky cleared up, the snow on the roadside melted quietly, turning into trickles that seeped into the cracks in the bluestone slabs.
The Zhou household steward stood at the steps of the Jing'an Marquis's residence, his hands behind his back, his face a mixture of arrogance and disdain. He raised his hand briefly, and behind him, a dozen servants filed in, carrying the gift box, bound with red silk, two by two, steadily through the gate.
The prime minister’s doorman is a seventh-rank official!
Xie Jingliang did not dare to neglect and hurried out to greet him. With a smile on his face, he welcomed him into the front hall.
The Zhou family's housekeeper looked around the hall but saw no one from the third room. With a sneer on his face, he said, "Thank you, sir. Today, I, an old servant, have come to your house to propose marriage on the orders of my master. How come even the intended wife is nowhere to be seen?"
Xie Jingliang hurriedly bowed, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. "Butler, calm down! My third brother has always been pedantic and can't adapt to the new situation at the moment... But please rest assured, Master Zhou, this marriage has been decided and will never..."
"Snapped!"
The Zhou residence's housekeeper slammed the teacup down on the table and stared gravely at Xie Jingliang, "Master Xie, the bridal sedan will arrive on Master's birthday in six days. If Master doesn't see his new wife by then, Master won't get what he wanted. Not to mention that Master Xie's wish will be in vain, you... just wish yourself the best!"
Xie Jingliang's face hardened, his Adam's apple rolled, and he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "I will definitely...I will definitely not let Mr. Zhou down..."
"Second Master, something terrible has happened!" A servant stumbled into the front hall, his face filled with fear, his voice distorted. "Several of the Fourth Young Lady's personal maids forced their way out of the house and ran into the street crying... saying that the Fourth Young Lady..."
The servant suddenly fell silent and looked at the gloomy-looking housekeeper of the Zhou Mansion in horror.
Xie Jingliang grabbed the servant by the collar, his nails almost digging into his flesh: "Aren't those maids locked up in the woodshed? What did they say?"
The servant trembled like a sieve: "They say...they say that the fourth young lady didn't want to be forced to marry, so she hanged herself!"
Xie Jingliang's face turned ashen. He kicked the servant's leg so hard that he rolled three steps away. "You can't even keep an eye on a few slave girls, you loser! Bring him back quickly!"
The servant curled up on the ground, shaking like a sieve, and said in a trembling voice: "Reply, reply to the second master, we have sent people to chase them, but those girls fled in all directions after leaving the mansion. I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will be difficult to capture them all at once..."
Xie Jingliang's eyes flashed with hostility, and he shouted angrily, "If I can't catch him, I'll pay with the lives of you useless people! Get out!"
"Yes, yes!" The servant crawled out.
The Zhou family's housekeeper's eyes were like knives, glaring coldly at Xie Jingliang: "Good, it's really good! My master originally wanted to help Mr. Xie because of his difficult career, so he made an exception and agreed to this marriage. Now, the wedding has not yet taken place, and we have seen bloodshed! Such bad luck, our Zhou family can't afford it! This marriage is cancelled!"
He swung his sleeves heavily and strode out. Seeing this, the Zhou family servants immediately raised the betrothal gifts and hurried after him.
Xie Jingliang chased him all the way to the gate, bowing his head and repeatedly kowtowed to apologize. But the Zhou housekeeper didn't even slow down his pace, not even glancing at him again...
While the front yard of the Marquis' Mansion was in chaos, Xie Qingrong was leaning on the couch in the side room where she lived, savoring a piece of rose pastry carefully.
Xing sat on a carved chair nearby, looking at Xie Qingrong with affection. She twisted a handkerchief in her hand and finally turned to Xie Qingli, saying worriedly, "Miss, is this really feasible? The Zhou family is powerful, and we..."
Having said this, she sighed heavily and swallowed the rest of the sentence, leaving only an inconsolable sadness.
Xie Qingli stroked the teacup with his fingertips, the corners of his lips slightly raised: "Don't worry, Third Aunt. I have already arranged all the necessary connections. As long as Third Uncle is willing to lose face, even if the Zhou family doesn't die, they will at least carve out a piece of flesh from them."
She suddenly stopped smiling and sighed, "But after this incident, I'm afraid this mansion... won't tolerate you anymore."
The gloom between Xing's brows gradually faded. She stroked her belly, which hadn't yet shown any sign of pregnancy, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly. "Young Miss, you probably don't know, but ever since the day I married into the mansion, I've felt suffocated every day. If it weren't for Jingwen, that stubborn guy who insisted on being filial to the old lady, I would have moved out with Rong'er long ago to live a quiet life."
A trace of pain flashed across her eyes, but her voice grew firmer. "He treated me like his own mother with all his heart, but I treated him like a dog. If I can escape this now, it'll be a blessing in disguise."
As they were talking, they heard the rustle of the outer pearl curtain. Leng Shuang hurried in. She bowed to Xing before lowering her voice to Xie Qingli, "Miss, the Third Master has already entered the Dali Temple. Doctor Tang from Miaoxin Hall is on his way here and will be here in about half a minute..."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Xie Qingrong: "Please perform the whole act, Miss Rong'er, you..."
Before Leng Shuang finished speaking, Xie Qingrong had already picked up a handkerchief and hurriedly wiped the pastry crumbs from the corner of her lips. Suddenly, her body tilted and she fell limply onto the couch.
"Rong'er!" Xing's teacup slammed to the ground with a clang, her face instantly pale. She stumbled to the bedside, meeting Xie Qingrong's slightly opened eyes, which were filled with cunning.
Xing's heart finally settled down, but she still pretended to press the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said in a crying voice, "My poor son..." The trembling in her voice was three parts real and seven parts acting, making it difficult to tell the difference.
"Sister Rong'er, this performance is still a little lacking." Xie Qingli chuckled and pulled out a square brocade box from his sleeve. He dipped his fingertips in cinnabar and rubbed several terrifying red marks on Xie Qingrong's neck. He then took out a box of black ink and smudged two bluish-gray spots under Xie Qingrong's eyes. Finally, he pulled out a pill from his bosom and stuffed it into Xie Qingrong's mouth.
The pill melted in her mouth, but in a moment, Xie Qingrong's breathing became as weak as a thread, and her originally rosy lips were covered with a layer of deathly gray.
Xie Qingli leaned over to take a closer look. He saw that the person on the couch had a pale face, bloodless lips, and even his fingertips were bluish-white. He looked like he was terminally ill. Then he stood up with satisfaction.
The sun was rising outside the window, but there was no sign of Doctor Tang. Xie Qingli frowned slightly and said softly, "Aunt San, please stay here. I'll be back soon."
She took Leng Shuang to the bamboo forest in the backyard. After confirming that there was no one around, she jumped up, climbed over the courtyard wall, and walked quickly towards the gate of the mansion.
In front of the gate of the Marquis' Mansion, Doctor Tang was standing on the stone steps carrying a medicine box, looking anxious.
Xie Jingliang stood on the upper steps, his servants blocking the door tightly behind him. He looked down at the visitor, his voice as cold as ice: "Everyone in this official's household is in good health. Why have we ever asked for a doctor?"
His sharp eyes swept over Doctor Tang, then turned to the little maid leading the way: "How dare you, a lowly servant, have an affair with an outsider and tarnish the reputation of the Marquis's Mansion!"
The little maidservant was so frightened that she fell to her knees and said in a trembling voice, "Second Master, please understand. My young lady..."
Before she could finish her words, several servants rushed forward. The leading servant grabbed the maid's hair and threw her to the ground: "How dare you quibble, you lowly servant!"
The maid's forehead hit the stone steps hard, and blood gushed out.
Before they knew it, the gate of the Marquis's residence was already crowded with people watching the excitement. Seeing this scene, everyone was immediately shocked...