Sha Man Yao

Chapter 304 Not Blood Related

Wen Mohan was bent over his desk, copying documents, not sparing a single extra glance. Guiyi knew that once Wen Mohan made up his mind, he would not change it. He had followed the Prime Minister's orders and concealed Xiao Man's situation, which had already crossed his bottom line.

Although Guiyi was reluctant, he had no choice but to leave. Wen Mohan was killing the chicken to scare the monkey, telling his hidden guards that since they served him as their master, they could only recognize him as their only master. Even if it was the Prime Minister's command, they could not obey, otherwise, they would be abandoned.

Cen Yu appeared silently in Wen Mohan's room. "He is loyal, why must you be like this?"

"What loyalty can a disobedient servant have?" Wen Mohan said softly. "They deceived me, and even you deceived me."

"Your words are truly heartbreaking. If I hadn't passed the message, you would still be kept in the dark." Cen Yu said irritably. "Now, when it comes to Xiao Man, you've lost your reason?"

Wen Mohan paused in his writing. "What exactly is going on?"

"My informants tell me that it was Old Madam Xiao who made the move. Old Madam Xiao wanted to interfere with Xiao Luo's marriage, but it was already decided, so she couldn't openly provoke Xiao Zhen. Therefore, she forced Xiao Man to break off the engagement."

Cen Yu looked at Wen Mohan as he spoke, unsure if Wen Mohan could bear to hear what he was about to say.

"Old Madam Xiao made Xiao Man stand in the snow for an hour and extinguished the fire in her room, forcing her to kneel for another hour. She gave a string of Crimson Blood Beads to He Qingyi, asking He Qingyi to often talk to Xiao Man. Those Crimson Blood Beads were soaked in a special medicine that could poison Xiao Man without her knowledge. On the same day, she lit Black Profound Incense, which triggered the poison in Xiao Man's body. Xiao Man had a severe poisoning attack on the spot. If Xiao Zhen had not encountered Ye Qing and brought her back to the mansion, what you would see now would be Xiao Man's corpse."

Wen Mohan's hand holding the brush trembled uncontrollably. His pale knuckles spoke of his anger. Xiao Man was frail from multiple severe injuries and was afraid of the cold. Old Madam Xiao had actually made her stand in the snow for an hour, then forced her to kneel for another hour, and even triggered her severe internal poison. Her wickedness was truly shocking!

"Only those present at the time would know the specifics of what happened. Xiao Zhen had everyone in Old Madam Xiao's courtyard killed and then ordered that Old Madam Xiao be sent back to Cangzhou and placed under strict guard."

"What a wicked old hag!" Wen Mohan growled through gritted teeth. "Man'er is her own granddaughter!"

"What is a granddaughter?" Cen Yu smirked. "It's not the first time she's wanted Xiao Man's life. Moreover, my informant got a vague piece of news."

"What news?"

"She said that the reason Old Madam made a move against Xiao Man was that she suspected Xiao Man was not Xiao Zhen's biological daughter."

"Impossible!" Wen Mohan retorted immediately. "If Xiao Man were not Xiao Zhen's biological daughter, do you think Xiao Zhen would dote on her so much?"

"I also think it's unlikely. Although Xiao Zhen is a military official, he is not a brute. He is shrewd and meticulous beneath his rough exterior. How could he cherish another man's daughter as if she were his own?" Cen Yu poured himself a cup of tea and drank it. "However, no matter what others think, as long as Old Madam believes Xiao Man is not Xiao Zhen's biological daughter, that is enough."

Wen Mohan's mind raced. "Someone deliberately framed Xiao Man!"

"I investigated Xiao Man's past. When Xiao Man was brought back to the capital, she was just an infant. At that time, Xiao Zhen personally took care of her, taking his precious daughter everywhere, attending to all her needs, and never letting anyone else do it. It was not until Xiao Man was five years old that Xiao Man was handed over to Old Madam Xiao for upbringing."

"If Old Madam Xiao had disliked Xiao Man from the beginning, she would have had many opportunities to kill a young child."

"This is the crux of the problem." Cen Yu refilled his tea. "Initially, Old Madam Xiao doted on Xiao Luo and Xiao Man. Even when Xiao Man was naughty and made Old Madam furious, she couldn't bear to harm a single hair on her head."

"Someone sowed discord in between."

"Mm, the most suspected person is the stepmother, Madam Yan. Unfortunately, Madam Yan is dead, so we have no way of knowing what she did to make Old Madam Xiao try every means to kill Xiao Man."

"Perhaps, we can start with the elderly servants who served Madam Yan," Wen Mohan said softly. "Those who served Madam Yan closely must know something."

"That's what I thought, so I had Madam Yan's wet nurse apprehended." Cen Yu's eyes were calm. "I unexpectedly learned why Old Madam Xiao wanted to kill Xiao Man."

"Why?"

"Madam Yan, unbeknownst to Xiao Zhen, had a blood test done for Xiao Man."

"As a result, Man'er's blood did not mix with Xiao Zhen's blood!"

Cen Yu nodded. "Indeed, they did not mix. I asked the old woman if they had tampered with it. The old woman said they originally intended to tamper with it, but Old Madam Xiao was also wary of Madam Yan, and they never found an opportunity to do so."

"Does this mean Man'er is indeed not Xiao Zhen's daughter?"

"It's possible." Cen Yu said slowly. "To verify this, I specifically found people to experiment. Among ten pairs of biological fathers and daughters, one pair had blood that did not mix. Then I tried a few more times. Although it's rare, it is possible for blood not to mix between biological fathers and daughters. So, it can only be said that Xiao Man might not be Xiao Zhen's daughter."

"I never expected that even though Madam Yan is dead, she has dug such a big pit for Man'er!"

"Do you believe Xiao Man is Xiao Zhen's daughter?"

"Whose daughter she is, is not important to me. What's important is that she is enough." Wen Mohan put down his brush. "Cen Yu, we are brothers of many years. I don't want us to go down opposite paths, do you understand?"

Cen Yu's eyes flickered. He understood the meaning behind Wen Mohan's words. "Don't worry, as long as you keep her in your heart, I will not harm her."

"Thank you."

"We are brothers, why be so polite? You have returned Guiyi to your father. Do you need me to send some people over?"

"No need, the Wen family's hidden guards are not limited to just Guiyi." Wen Mohan said softly. "You encounter no less danger than I do when you are out and about. How can you be without protection? Don't worry, the Wen family's hidden guards can still protect me."

Cen Yu sighed. "The Xiao family is probably going to make a move against Prince Han."

Wen Mohan was not surprised. Ever since Xiao Zhen suddenly mentioned attacking Wuyue Kingdom, he knew that Xiao Zhen was going to counterattack. The repeated attempts on Xiao Man's life had completely enraged this Grand Protector General! Su Dan Novel Network

"If he doesn't make a move, I will." Wen Mohan said faintly. "Once the Xiao family makes a move, others will understand that Xiao Man is not someone they can touch!"