As Ning'er entered the room and took off the soft hat on her head, she was dazzled.

The upper room of Song Shou Tang was brightly lit from inside to outside. Ning'er closed her eyes and took a moment to adjust herself.

It was a bitterly cold night outside, so dark that one could hardly see one's hand in front of one's face; but inside the house, the candlelight was shining brightly, as if it were daytime.

She looked carefully and saw that Old Madam Zhu was sitting at the very top. She was wearing an ivory cross-collared jacket, a satin jacket embroidered with a red gold lotus pattern, her hair was combed high in a bun, and she wore a flower ornament on her head that was decorated with kingfisher feathers, gold thread and rubies.

She was dressed solemnly, with a solemn expression, and a deep wrinkle between her eyebrows. When she saw me come in, her expression only relaxed a little: "Ning'er is here, please sit down."

Ning'er noticed that Madam Zhu's demeanor was very different from usual, so she stepped forward obediently, bowed, and sat down quietly.

She noticed from the corner of her eye that the high chairs on both sides were almost full, but no one spoke. It was so quiet that it seemed as if no one was there.

In the midst of the coldness, it was Feicui who broke the silence. She walked in, squatted down, and said respectfully, "Madam, it's the Madam who brought people here."

Madam Zhu asked, "Who did she come with?"

Feicui said, "She was the wet nurse that came with the Madam's family as a dowry, Ms. Liu, who retired a few years ago."

Old Madam Zhu indicated that she understood. She raised her head and looked around at the people seated, and seeing that most of the people had arrived, she asked Feicui to bring Luo Miaoyun and the others in.

In such weather, when walking from Guiyi Hall to Songshou Hall, even though they wore rain gear and held umbrellas, Mrs. Luo and her group could not avoid getting their shoes, socks and silk clothes wet.

She has always been outstanding and strong-willed, and she prides herself on her beauty and attaches great importance to her appearance. She has never been in such an embarrassing situation.

But the lights in Songshou Hall were bright, illuminating the surroundings, making it impossible to hide any trace of what was wrong with people.

Ning Er saw a wealthy woman in her fifties following her, but she looked a little unfamiliar, so she couldn't help but take a few more glances. But the woman seemed to notice her gaze and immediately looked up.

She quickly lowered her head and moved her body back, barely avoiding her gaze.

When Nanny Liu saw that everyone present was keeping their breath and lowering their heads, and no one was looking at each other, she thought she was being too suspicious and overly sensitive.

Luo Miaoyun, who was supporting her, did not notice Mother Liu's expression. In the crowd, she only saw her two children, whom she loved so much.

Mrs. Luo immediately ignored everything else and asked, "Ying'er, Yao'er, how are you? Is everything okay in the yard? Who helped you here?"

When Shen Ruyao saw her mother like this, she looked up at her grandmother who had a serious expression on her face, then looked at her mother who was in a hurry. For some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable and did not answer.

It was Shen Chengying who stood up and bowed respectfully to Mrs. Luo: "Please rest assured, mother. My sister and I are fine. Grandmother personally sent someone to pick us up and put us to bed."

He deliberately emphasized the word "grandmother". Mrs. Luo heard the hidden meaning in his words and realized that she was too concerned and had lost her manners for a moment. She hurriedly called her mother anxiously and said earnestly, "The daughter-in-law pays her respects to the old lady."

Madam Liu immediately knelt down and saluted: "Old servant Liu greets the old lady. May the old lady be blessed with good health and good health."

As soon as Madam Zhu raised her hand, Xiuyu handed over the pair of crystal lenses. She looked at Madam Liu carefully before calling out, "It turns out to be Miaoyun's wet nurse. Long time no see. How is Madam Liu at home?"

Madam Liu bowed her head and said, "Thank you for your concern, old lady. I am doing well. I haven't seen you in years, but you are still as charming as ever."

Madam Zhu waved her hand and said, "Miao Yun, please sit down." She pointed to the seat to her right and said, "Wait a little longer, there are still people who haven't arrived yet."

Ning'er was puzzled. Except for the people from the second house, all the masters of the mansion were present. Who were they waiting for?

There was silence in Songshou Hall for a moment, except for the crackling sound of burning candles.

Ning'er sat with her head down, her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, just contemplating her silent meditation. A thick rain curtain was hung in front of the upper door, but it still couldn't block the howling wind and rain outside.

She couldn't help but think of Han Guang who was alone outside, and her thoughts were wandering, and she couldn't help but worry about Chu Huan.

I wonder how Chu Huan is doing right now? Did Han Guang successfully meet him? Has he already ridden back or is he still waiting outside the mansion?

Suddenly, Ning'er's ears moved, and she heard a woman coughing softly outside the linoleum.

The maid guarding the door raised the curtain and announced, "Madam Ye is here."

This might be acceptable to others, but Mother Liu's eyebrows twitched and she hurriedly pulled Luo Miaoyun's sleeve from behind.

But at this time, the old lady at the head had already spoken: "Auntie Ye is here."

Before Ye Zhen could reply, her expression changed. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief in pain and coughed bitterly for a while.

Her personal servant named Huaping quickly took out a celadon medicine bottle from her bosom, poured out a few honey-colored pills, and put them into her mouth.

After taking the medicine, Aunt Ye gasped for a long time before she finally recovered her breath. She coughed until tears came to her eyes and said in a hoarse voice: "I am not in good health. I am sorry to have embarrassed the old lady and the madam."

Seeing her frail appearance and her gray hair, Old Lady Zhu softened her tone. She said to the painting, "Help your aunt to take her seat."

The master and servant responded submissively and sat at the lowest seat on the right, just opposite Ning'er.

Seeing Ning'er looking up at her, Aunt Ye smiled at her gently. She was wearing a narrow-sleeved lake blue cloak with a silver background today, and a moon-white stand-up collar jacket underneath, looking very pitiful.

Madam Zhu then clapped her hands, and everyone's eyes turned upwards: "Now that everyone is here, I'm sure some people have understood something about what happened in the mansion tonight, but some people are still not very clear. Xiuyu, come here."

Xiu Yu followed the old lady's instructions and walked to the hall. She greeted all the masters first before she spoke: "Today's incident happened suddenly. It was an extraordinary time and we had to do extraordinary things. It is inevitable that there will be disturbances and offenses. I apologize to you all."

A box of valuable treasures was lost in Song Shou Tang, which frightened the old lady so much that she sealed off the house and went to search for the stolen goods and catch the thief. Many of you here have heard about this.

Xiu Yu said in a deep voice: "If it were an ordinary treasure, no matter how valuable it is, it would be limited. However, there are several items among them that were bestowed by the royal family. If they were to be leaked outside, it would be a crime of disrespect."

She said sternly, "The old lady originally planned that since she couldn't find the thief for the time being, she would simply seal the mansion and take advantage of the thief's unpreparedness to detain the stolen goods inside the mansion, and then slowly search and confiscate it."

"But who would have thought that tonight, taking advantage of the heavy rain and strong wind, there would be some daring villains who would commit crimes at night. The old lady had no choice but to take the risk and gather the masters together so that they can at least have some support among each other."

Ning'er listened to Xiuyu explaining all the matters concerning the closure of the mansion today in one breath, and she was sure that there must be a follow-up.

As expected, Mrs. Zhu's face was as gloomy as water, and she said solemnly, "Madam Ye, since you said you saw the murderer before, why don't you explain it clearly in front of your wife and everyone in the mansion?"

Committing murder!

These words were like pouring a bucket of cold water into a boiling oil pan, instantly causing a storm in everyone's hearts.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like