“Old Madam, how could my sister suddenly die? If you can’t find out the truth about my sister‘s death, I will report it to the government office!” As soon as Old Madam finished speaking, a figure suddenly rushed in through the door, went straight to the bed, pushed away the maid and the old maid in front of him and shouted angrily.
It was Wang Shengxue, Wang Yishu’s brother.
In fact, he had been here for a while, but just stood outside and listened to their fierce argument, thinking about how to get as many benefits as possible from his sister’s death.
The fiercer their argument was, the better it would be. Either the First Miss’s or the Fifth Miss’s involvement in it could bring great benefits to him.
Unexpectedly, Old Madam intended to ascribe Wang Yishu’s death to her weakness in a few words. At this time, he, who was unwilling to accept this explanation, immediately came forward.
Old Madam, who didn’t expect Wang Shengxue to come, was shocked by his showing up, looked at him in astonishment and frowned.
“Old Madam, when I came to see my sister, she was fine. How could she die so soon? No matter she’s killed by the First Miss or her death has something to do with the Fifth Miss, your Duke Xing’s Mansion has to give me an explanation so that my sister can rest in peace!” Wang Shengxue said again.
Old Madam frowned tightly. The current situation was not as easy to deal with as she expected.
“Childe Wang, Miss Wang has always been in poor health. If it weren’t for the good medicine our mansion used to keep her alive, she probably would have been dead a long time ago. Today several masters came to see her, but didn’t expect that she failed to prolong her feeble life!”
Nanny Yu hurried forward and said with a flattering smile.
Although they had argued fiercely just now, it was the domestic affairs of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Wang Shengxue’s intervention made Old Madam want to patch it up immediately.
She couldn’t allow the government office’s intervention, because she didn’t know what they would find out. Moreover, even if they found out nothing in the end, a confrontation with Wang Shengxue in court might ruin the reputation of the Misses of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
Her eldest granddaughter was expected to be the next empress, so she couldn’t allow any damage to happen to her eldest granddaughter’s reputation at this time.
How could she allow a piece of rubble to collide with a piece of delicate jade!
“My sister was fine and in good health three years ago. If Madam of Duke Xing hadn’t asked her to deal with the Fifth Miss in the imperial palace by framing the Fifth Miss, how could she end up in such a tragedy now? I’d better report it to the court. I can’t let my sister die of persecution!”
Wang Shengxue continued saying with an angry face.
As he said, he turned to look at Shao Yanru. Compared with the unfavored Fifth Miss Shao, of course, the First Miss Shao was much more useful to him. Wang Shengxue decided to drag the First Miss Shao into this.
The First Miss Shao was much more important to Duke Xing’s Mansion than the Fifth Miss Shao.
Old Madam could make concessions for the First Miss Shao, but she would not necessarily do that for the Fifth Miss Shao!
Wang Shengxue was sure of this after he came in and heard their argument, so he mentioned the plot that the Madam of Duke Xing and Wang Yishu made against Shao Wanru in the past.
“What nonsense are you talking about!” As he expected, Shao Yanru couldn’t stand it anymore and rebuked him angrily.
Wang Shengxue sneered and said, “Cousin, am I talking nonsense? Do I need to call my Second Aunt over and verify it in person? My sister didn’t see Fifth Miss Shao before she entered the palace, so why would she frame her? If my Second Aunt hadn’t told her something and promised her some benefits, why would she do that?”
He didn’t believe that Old Madam would allow the news to go out.
Old Madam was enraged by him, who was overbearing. She sat in a chair on one side with her face turning livid and couldn’t say a word.
Noticing that things were not going well, Nanny Yu hurriedly advised, “Childe Wang, how can you say that? No one knows who spoke evil of the Fifth Miss in front of Miss Wang so that Miss Wang attempted to set up the Fifth Miss. Now that Miss Wang is dead, what do you want to do about it? Miss Wang is a Miss from an aristocratic family anyway. Do you want to disturb her peace after death by arguing in court about what she had done?”
“But I can’t let my sister die in vain!” Wang Shengxue refused to make a concession.
Shao Wanru glanced at him indifferently and turned her eyes slightly, thinking that Wang Shengxue was a scoundrel who wouldn’t make any concession without benefits at this time.
With such an opportunity, he, who must have lived a difficult life in the capital city, wouldn’t even mind trading his sister’s life for benefits!
Wang Yishu had been lying in bed for long, so she was a little clouded in mind with a lack of knowledge and experience. However, Wang Shengxue was in a different situation. After all, he was a man with extensive experience, so how could he know nothing about the current situation?
He had guessed it, but he didn’t say anything, because he had been waiting for this moment.
Shao Wanru lifted the corners of her lips silently and coldly watched the dog-eat-dog scene in front of her.
Seeing that Wang Shengxue refused to make a concession, Nanny Yu looked back at Old Madam, only to see Old Madam wink at her. Knowing that Old Madam wanted to gloss things over, she advised again, “Childe Wang, our mansion will certainly give an explanation of Miss Wang’s death. Anyway she is the cousin Miss of our mansion, and Old Madam has always regarded her as a member of our mansion. How could Old Madam not feel sorry for her dying young?”
“What kind of explanation?” Wang Shengxue would not give in until he got a definite answer today.
Seeing that Old Madam didn’t give a definite answer with a livid face, he walked to Wang Yishu’s bed in a few steps and reached out to take out a small package under her pillow.
“Old Madam, I took the drug out for an identification after my sister felt uncomfortable a few days ago!”
With her heart skipping a beat, Shao Yanru suddenly felt that things were getting tough. Wang Shengxue acted so confidently. However, Shao Wanru spoke before her.
“Childe Wang, what’s in it? Is it the evidence of Miss Wang’s plot against me?”
“My sister was also set up by others, and this is the evidence left by them when they tried to kill her. The medicine she took not only couldn’t cure her, but also made her increasingly weak and even gradually unable to get up because it includes the medicinal materials counteracting each other. After taking this medicine for three years, even a healthy person wouldn’t be able to get out of the bed like my sister!”
Wang Shengxue raised his hand, looked at Old Madam complacently and said, “I took the dregs of decoction out to some famous doctors in the capital to identity and got this conclusion from them. Several famous doctors have identified it and wrote a note of the conclusion. If it is taken to the court, it can definitely be used as evidence of my sister’s being murdered!”
Shao Yanru went limp and almost fainted. With her face turning livid and then darkening, Old Madam, who was sitting in the chair, looked at the small parcel in Wang Shengxue’s hand in disbelief. If it really had been identified by the famous doctors outside as Wang Shengxue said, it would be solid evidence.
“Rest assured. I will investigate it. If your sister was really set up by someone in the mansion, I will definitely compensate you and won’t let you suffer losses.”
Old Madam had to stand up and promise.
“That’s great! In that case, I’ll go back and wait for your result!” Wang Shengxue put the small parcel into his coat and said to Old Madam with joined hands.
After that, he left under Old Madam’s gaze, showing no care for his sister, who just died a suspicious death, and leaving her body here.
Old Madam panted heavily in rage, only felt dizzy and intended to stand up with Nanny Yu’s help, but before she could stand up, she went limp and fainted directly.
The maids and old maids around her couldn’t help exclaiming.
Nanny Yu hurriedly drew a bottle from her bosom, took two pills out of it and fed them to Old Madam. Seeing that Old Madam got a little better, she instructed someone to help her back.
At the same time, she instructed some servants to clean up Wang Yishu’s body. In any case, since Wang Yishu died in Duke Xing’s Mansion, it was reasonable for Duke Xing’s Mansion to conduct her funeral. Moreover, judging from Wang Shengxue’s reactions just now, he didn’t seem to be willing to conduct his sister’s funeral.
Nanny Yu really thought that Wang Yishu was a poor person. Even her brother didn’t care about her and traded her death for benefits. Now even her funeral could only be conducted by Duke Xing’s Mansion.
“Big Sister, do you want to help conduct Miss Wang’s funeral? I heard that you have always been very concerned about Miss Wang and even sent her something from time to time in the past three years when she was sick.” Shao Wanru coldly watched them clean up Wang Yishu’s body and said to Shao Yanru, who was standing beside her.
While the servants in the room were busy, the two of them had got out of the room. Breathing the fresh air outside the room, they found the room was so stuffy that they even felt like throwing up.
Shao Yanru was quite good at fishing for fame and reputation. In the past, Wang Yishu was too sick to get up after failing to set up Shao Wanru in the imperial palace, so no one in the mansion thought highly of her. However, since Shao Yanru returned to Duke Xing’s Mansion, she always sent some food and clothes, which earned her a good reputation in the mansion.
“Fifth Sister, if you stay, I will also stay!” Shao Yanru took a deep breath, suppressed the rolling disgust in her heart and said.
Shao Yanru intended to drag her into this?
Shao Wanru sneered. Shao Yanru didn’t even forget to drag Shao Wanru into this at this time, and she must think it would be better if she could push Shao Wanru forward to conduct Wang Yishu’s funeral.
“Big Sister, you have always been on friendly terms with Miss Wang, while I had little contact with Miss Wang. Just now Childe Wang said that Miss Wang attempted to set me up on Second Aunt’s instructions three years ago, so I have no good impression of Miss Wang.” Shao Wanru said and looked at Shao Yanru coldly and sharply without hiding the hostility in her eyes.
“Fifth Sister, you must be joking. Wang Shengxue seemed to intend to blackmail our mansion with Wang Yishu’s death, so it was reasonable for him to push all the blame to our mansion. Fifth Sister, don’t be tricked by him!” Shao Yanru pulled herself together and said, while turning to look into the room, “Look, he is even so cruel to his sister. How can we expect him to be grateful to the members of our mansion? My father has treated him well in vain!”
Of course, she meant that Wang Shengxue was so heartless that he made a false countercharge against his masters as soon as he found an opportunity and even left his only family member here with no care for her. So how his words could be convincing?
“You’re right, Big Sister, but don’t you think it’s strange that Childe Wang left in such a hurry?” Shao Wanru rolled her eyes, looked at her with a smile.
Shao Yanru was stunned. Watching Shao Wanru smile, she froze and then suddenly reached out her hands forward with her face changing dramatically as if intending to grab something. Unexpectedly, she slipped and directly fell down in the corridor…