The couple woke up this morning feeling that the Zhu family would be exceptionally lively today, so they quickly packed their belongings and went to live with the Liu family for a period of time.
By the time Liu Pengyuan arrived at the Zhu family in a hurry, he found that the Zhu family was in utter chaos. Apart from the bedridden Old Master Zhu and Madam Zhu, there were no masters in sight.
“Where is your Second Young Madam? I need to see the Second Young Madam.” As soon as he entered the main gate of the Zhu family, Liu Pengyuan couldn’t help but shout. He was truly anxious. If his sister had indeed been murdered as the servants claimed, and the culprit had fled the city, he needed to capture them quickly, otherwise, wouldn’t the murderer escape justice?
“Please wait a moment, I will go and announce your arrival.” The maidservant knew nothing of the events that had transpired in the manor. After all, she lived in the front courtyard and was merely following the usual custom of announcing a guest.
Liu Pengyuan’s gaze fell upon her expression, and he became suspicious again. Her demeanor and actions were so natural, it didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary had occurred.
As the maidservant left the living room, she encountered the butler who was rushing over. Upon hearing that she was going to announce his arrival, he casually found an excuse and sent her away. Others might not know what had happened in the manor, but how could the butler not? The more he knew, the more his head ached, wishing he knew nothing at all. What should he do now? He could only seek guidance from the Old Master.
For the past few days, perhaps it was Old Master Zhu’s illusion, but he felt his body becoming lighter and lighter. He attributed it to drinking the right medicine and was overjoyed, unaware that it was Wu Caiwei and Zhu Yuxuan who, sensing that many events would unfold in the manor soon, had kindly allowed Old Master Zhu to recover to avoid disturbing the servants.
This morning, after waking up, Old Master Zhu, for the first time, found that he could get out of bed and walk a short distance. He was so excited that he ate an extra bowl of breakfast.
Seeing the hurried butler, he chuckled and said, “At your age, why are you still so flustered? One would think a ferocious dog was chasing you.”
Seeing the Old Master’s good spirits, the butler breathed a sigh of relief and quickly recounted what had happened the previous night.
The more Old Master Zhu listened, the more shocked he became. The smile on his face gradually vanished. Upon learning that the Third Young Master of the Grand Tutor’s family had come to see his sister at his residence, Master Zhu was at a loss. He had never imagined that such a thing would happen in his own household.
This was not a marriage alliance, but a feud. Even if Zhu Chenxing were captured now and handed over to the Grand Tutor’s family for punishment, it would not resolve the conflict between the two families.
“Where is the Eldest Young Master?” Old Master Zhu knew that as soon as he revealed himself, he would have to bear the brunt of the other party’s fury. To avoid disgracing himself, he thought of his eldest son, hoping to send him to handle the situation. He wished he had never woken up, in which case he might have had a chance to abdicate responsibility.
“The Eldest Young Master and his wife left early this morning. This servant tried to stop them, thinking that since you were ill, you would want the Eldest Young Master to take charge of the situation. However, the Eldest Young Master clearly refused to get involved, as if he didn’t understand what I was saying, and insisted on leaving with his wife.”
“What does he think he’s doing? Does he think he’ll get away with it if the Zhu family collapses?”
Old Master Zhu angrily smashed his teacup to the ground. With a bang, it shattered into pieces. Thinking of his eldest son’s indifferent attitude, he became even more enraged. Was he completely severing ties with the Zhu family? Didn’t he consider that without the Zhu family, they would not have such a comfortable and affluent life?
The butler stood by, silent, doing his best to minimize his presence. The Old Master could scold the Eldest Young Master, but he, the butler, could not speak ill of him.
Liu Pengyuan waited in the living room for a long time, pulling on the maidservant beside him to ask questions, but unfortunately, the maidservant knew nothing.
To be honest, he had been here for a while and had indeed sensed a change in the Zhu family. In the past, as soon as he arrived, his sister would flutter over like a butterfly, showering him with affection. This time, not only had he not seen his sister, but he hadn’t seen any of the Zhu family masters either. This was very unusual.
Feeling extremely uneasy, he hurried out, intending to search for his sister himself. As soon as he entered the backyard, he encountered Old Master Zhu, who was being carried.
“Master Zhu, let’s be frank. What exactly happened to my sister?” Liu Pengyuan asked agitatedly, his mind racing with the possibility of his sister calling out for his help from some corner, which filled him with panic.
Master Zhu closed his eyes and glanced at the butler behind him. The butler immediately understood and made a gesture for Liu Pengyuan to follow. Liu Pengyuan, not understanding the reason, followed him, with Master Zhu trailing behind at a distance.
When the butler opened the door to his sister’s bedroom without regard for anyone else, Liu Pengyuan felt a slight displeasure, thinking the butler was too disrespectful for not knocking before entering.
However, seeing the somber faces of everyone and the absolute silence emanating from the room, his heart skipped a beat. He rushed to the bedside, his steps quickening.
If not for his sister’s ashen face, he would have thought she was simply asleep as usual. He reached out a trembling hand to touch her, and it was so cold, chilling him to the bone.
“How did she die?”
No one answered him. The anger in his heart could no longer be contained. Liu Pengyuan roared at the top of his lungs, “Speak up, are you all mute? My sister entered the Zhu family full of life, and now she lies here. Do you think you can get away with this? I want to see the servants of the Liu family.”
Old Master Zhu knew that he could no longer conceal the truth and ordered that Liu Zhiyi’s personal maids and attendants be brought out.
As soon as they saw Liu Pengyuan, these families seemed to have found their backbone and began to weep profusely, recounting the Zhu family’s various wicked deeds.
“You’re saying that before my sister was stabbed to death, she was also poisoned and wouldn’t have lived for more than a few years?”
Seeing the servants nod affirmatively, Liu Pengyuan couldn’t help but shed tears. What kind of ravenous wolves were the Zhu family? Thinking of how much pain she must have endured before her death, desperately seeking his protection, he couldn’t help but regret it. Had he known Zhu Chenxing was like this, he would have absolutely refused.
He wanted to take his sister’s body back, not wanting her to be buried in the Zhu family, as the Zhu family had caused her death. However, he also knew that upon his return, his father would surely blame him, as in this era, a married woman was considered to have a good resting place in her husband’s family.
He glared fiercely at Old Master Zhu, while ordering someone to return and inform his father of what had happened. Then, mounting his horse, he led his men out of the city in search of Zhu Chenxing’s whereabouts. To kill his sister and then simply leave, was that so easy?
Old Master Zhu couldn’t help but shed tears. He closed his eyes, letting events unfold as they would. After all, everything had gone beyond his control. He could only hope that the Grand Tutor, considering the friendship between their families, would be lenient.
From the soldiers guarding the city, Liu Pengyuan learned that the two had headed south. He inquired along the way.
Li Wenwen, with her disfigured face and limping leg, drew attention wherever she went, making her easily recognizable. Despite her efforts to stay in the woods and take back roads, she was quickly surrounded by those searching for her. Knowing that her death was inevitable, she tried to steel her heart and draw the knife at her waist to commit suicide, but she also wanted to witness Zhu Chenxing’s tragic fate.