Chapter 36: Killing someone
She was wearing a plain white dress, with only a simple wooden hairpin in her hair, which was inlaid with Zheng Chengyan's favorite white pear blossoms. The pale flowers looked particularly sad and beautiful against her purple face.
The white silk wrapped around her neck exudes an indescribable sadness.
The cold wind blew through the hall, Tao Xing's body swayed gently, her face calm.
On the golden plaque above the head, the four large characters "德泽桑族" flashed dazzlingly in the dim light, as if in a satire of this tragedy.
In the breeze, bits of golden light shone through the gaps in the plaque and fell onto Tao Xing's face.
There seemed to be a faint black aura lingering on her dark face, and her tightly closed eyelids reflected a subtle luster in the interweaving of light and shadow, as if telling an unfinished story.
Yunyi and Siqi stood by the door with their heads lowered, not daring to look directly at this heart-wrenching scene.
But Su Wanyu stared intently until a sharp scream broke the silence.
"oops!"
In the courtyard, the spring breeze blows and the fallen leaves fly. It is clearly early spring, but the air is filled with the bleakness and sadness of late autumn.
Soon, Old Lady Zheng, Marquis Zheng, Guo, Qian, as well as the children, concubines, and maids from all the rooms in the mansion came one after another, and the courtyard was suddenly filled with noise.
When they saw the shocking scene in the hall with their own eyes, they were all stunned with shock.
"What...what's going on?!"
Old Mrs. Zheng pointed at the horrifying scene with trembling fingers. Her cloudy eyes jumped in fear in her triangular eye sockets. Her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground.
The front hall, the main hall of the Changping Marquis Mansion, was originally a solemn place to receive guests, but now it has become a stage for tragedy.
In the past, disturbances in the backyard could always be quietly covered up, but this time, the incident happened in the front yard. Once the news leaked, the reputation of the Changping Marquis Mansion would face an unprecedented crisis.
Lord Zheng's gaze was like a sharp blade, deeply embedded in the plaque hanging above the main hall, and his iron-green face was like a sky covered with dark clouds.
His beard trembled uncontrollably with rage.
A stern command cut through the air, "Someone! Quick! Untie her! Now!"
Upon hearing the sound, the servants acted quickly, running towards the place where the peaches and apricots were hanging in a messy but hurried manner.
However, just as they approached cautiously and were about to untie the ropes, an ominous wind blew, and a piece of paper densely written on it quietly slid off the body and fell silently on the cold ground.
The crowd exploded in an instant, with whispers of fear and confusion everywhere.
Lord Zheng's anger did not diminish at all because of this accident. Instead, it became even more intense. "Hurry up and do it!"
He practically roared the order, the sound echoing through the hall, shaking everyone's nerves.
The servants looked at each other, and finally had to obey the order. They picked up the note tremblingly, and handed it to Lord Zheng with both hands as if it were a holy object. Then they continued to complete the task of understanding Tao Xing's body.
Tao Xing's body slowly fell to the ground, and the air was filled with an indescribable heaviness.
Old Madam Zheng covered her mouth and nose tightly with a silk handkerchief, trying to block the breath of death. At the same time, she pointed her sharp eyes at Su Wanyu who was standing beside her, "As the principal wife, how can you not even control a concubine?"
Su Wanyu lowered her head and bowed with the most humble attitude. Then, she narrated everything that happened yesterday without any embellishment.
At the end of her speech, her voice unconsciously rose a few notes, with a hint of imperceptible provocation, "Old Madam, you should have heard about this matter. Tao Xing's maid came to your room for help last night."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Zheng was speechless for a moment, her face slightly changed, and she immediately changed her target and complained to Guo: "That girl from the Jiang family is really capable. She caused a death within a few days of entering the mansion!"
Guo's face was equally gloomy. Yesterday, she was still deeply involved in the turmoil of her concubine sister and could not extricate herself. Today, she faced such an unexpected change again. A hint of indifference flashed in her eyes, "Mother, let's talk about this matter after Yan'er comes."
At this time, everyone in the mansion had gathered, except Zheng Chengyan and Jiang Yingying, who had not shown up yet.
Lord Zheng held the note tightly, examining it over and over again, as if trying to find the answer from it.
It was not until Zheng Chengyan hurried over that he suddenly threw the note and hit Zheng Chengyan hard in the face, accompanied by an angry shout, "Look at what you have done!"
Zheng Chengyan and Jiang Yingying were immersed in each other's world. The sudden news was like a cold shower, making them sober up instantly.
The note unfolded in her hand was a farewell letter left by Tao Xing. Between the lines, the first half was a heartfelt confession to Zheng Chengyan, while the second half was her strong proof of her own innocence and an accusation against Jiang Yingying's cruel methods.
As Zheng Chengyan read these words, his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably and he felt mixed emotions.
Lord Zheng's voice was deafening, "Did you see it clearly?!"
Zheng Chengyan nodded quickly, his voice trembling a little, "Dad, I see it clearly."
Lord Zheng turned his gaze to Jiang Yingying, his anger still unabated, he pointed his finger directly at Zheng Chengyan and scolded: "You don't study hard all day, and your mind is all on women. You have only been married for a few years, and you have taken four concubines! Do you have any sense of propriety? Taking concubines is fine, but you are also learning to favor concubines and destroy your wife! This Jiang is harming the concubines in the mansion today, and tomorrow she may harm you and me!"
Old Mrs. Zheng's face darkened and she simply turned her head away, unwilling to watch this heartbreaking scene any longer.
Guo's eyes swept across Miss Guo San who was not far away. The sneer on the corner of her mouth disappeared in an instant. She turned around and hid her emotions even more deeply.
Jiang Yingying curled up into a ball, her whole body trembling with fear and anxiety. A few strands of messy hair hung limply in front of her forehead, making her look extremely helpless.
Lord Zheng's reprimand sounded again, biting and merciless, "If she really had a beauty that could shame the moon and the flowers, it would be fine, but how could I have thought that she is such a beauty that brings disaster!"
This sentence made Jiang Yingying completely lose her composure. She knelt down on the ground in panic, mumbling something, but was interrupted before she could finish her words.
Lord Zheng was still furious, and he shouted, "How can a lowly servant like you have the right to interrupt the main hall of the mansion?"
Jiang Yingying's body trembled again, and the handkerchief in her hand slipped off. She hurriedly picked it up, buried her head deeply in the ground, and said in a weak voice, "...The master is right."
Her humble background made her seem particularly insignificant in this storm. As the daughter of a seventh-rank official, she had never experienced such a scene. At this moment, she even lost the courage to raise her head.
The glance Zheng Chengyan gave her was full of disgust, completely different from the protection he had shown her in the past, and it made Jiang Yingying's heart sink to the bottom.
Lord Zheng was still furious, and pointed his finger at Zheng Chengyan, warning him again, "Don't think that once your elder brother is gone, you can do whatever you want in my Changping Marquis Mansion! The imperial examination is coming up soon, and if you don't pass the exam, you will never be the heir to Changping Marquis Mansion in this life!"