The sun was shining brightly, and the warm sunlight felt wonderful on my skin. The little black dog had just had a bath and was lazily sunbathing. The dog didn't know that its owner had passed away yesterday. Although dogs are very intelligent, their feelings are not as deep as those of humans.
The wind steward had just given it a bath, and then his tears fell uncontrollably. Even after seeing Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying, he couldn't help but choke up.
“Miss Dong…” Steward Feng turned his body and covered his face with his sleeve.
Yi Mei already knew that this steward always had a somewhat effeminate habit. Seeing him weeping alone, she couldn't help but sigh and ask, "They're sealing the coffins for your second and third young masters now. Aren't you going to take a final look?"
Steward Feng had already wiped away his tears, lowered his sleeves, revealing a pair of red eyes. He shook his head sadly and said, "I can't bear to see that kind of scene. Yesterday, the Second Young Master instructed that Old Black be given a bath. I think this is the Second Young Master's last instruction..." As he said this, tears welled up in his eyes, and he almost cried again.
Yi Mei had no choice but to change the subject, casually saying, "Your second young master really loves this dog."
Steward Feng sighed deeply and said, "The Second Young Master is a man of deep feelings..." At this point, his voice choked up again, and he could hardly contain himself. He held back for a long time, covered his face, and whispered, "Miss Dong, I was rude. I'll take my leave now..." Without waiting for Yi Mei's reaction, he hurriedly left.
Su Xiaoying said, "It seems that Chief Steward Feng has a good relationship with Xie Chuanli."
Yi Mei said, "Xie Chuanli seemed like a good person, it's a real pity he died." She glanced at the old man and shook her head.
Su Xiaoying asked, "What does liking this dog have to do with being sentimental?"
Yi Mei said, "You're asking me? How would I know?" As she spoke, she saw Xie Wangyi walking towards them. "Su Xiaoying, I say, let's go. What's so interesting about a dog?"
Su Xiaoying glanced at Xie Wangyi and asked with a smile, "Are you scared?"
Yi Mei said, "I wasn't afraid at first, but after what happened yesterday, how could I possibly fight her now? It's better to avoid her for now."
Unfortunately, before they could even take a step, Xie Wangyi called out to them, "Dong Yimei!"
Yi Mei had no choice but to stay still.
Xie Wangyi was dressed in plain white clothes, which made her look even more haggard. In fact, no one would look good after such a tragedy in their family.
Yi Mei asked, "Is there something you need?"
Xie Wangyi looked at her coldly and suddenly said, "You owe me a life."
Yi Mei said, "That's right."
Xie Wangyi said, "But I haven't sought revenge on you yet. Do you know why?"
Yi Mei said, "This... how would I know?"
Xie Wangyi said, "The Han Guang Sword killed him, but it wasn't Han Guang who killed him, it was you—the Han Guang Sword was just a tool."
Yi Mei smiled and said, "Your analogy is quite good. I am also a tool. You want to find out who bought me to kill Wuyi Peak?"
Xie Wangyi looked at her coldly.
Yi Mei smiled slightly and said, "Some things are better left unsaid. People who know nothing are often the most carefree."
A hint of resentment flashed in Xie Wangyi's eyes as she slowly said, "The moment he died, his carefree days were over."
Yi Mei looked at her, and Xie Wangyi snorted coldly, saying, "If you tell me who that person is, I will tell you everything I know about this manor. What do you think of this exchange?"
Yi Mei laughed and said, "This is a really good exchange! You're so clever! Using clues about your family's enemy to exchange for the name of your enemy, it's all beneficial to you in the end."
Xie Wangyi sneered, "Aren't you going to change?"
Yi Mei thought for a moment and said, "If you insist on changing, I will reluctantly agree. However, I feel that you should not know that person's name."
Xie Wangyi remained silent, only looking at her.
Yi Mei sighed and said, "The person who hired me was also a woman, surnamed Liu, named Liu Xingxing. Do you know her?"
Xie Wangyi's expression immediately changed.
Yi Mei said, "According to her, Wu Yifeng got her pregnant but then abandoned her, so she wants revenge. It's that simple."
Su Xiaoying suddenly felt a little reluctant to look at Xie Wangyi's expression any longer. Xie Wangyi was indeed a very devoted woman, but unfortunately, the object of a devoted woman's waiting is not necessarily someone who is equally faithful.
Anyone who saw Xie Wangyi at this moment would think that she was about to collapse. However, Xie Wangyi eventually turned around. Her face was extremely pale, but she calmed down.
“Alright,” she said, “what do you want to know?”
Yi Mei looked her over with some surprise and said, "I'd like to know, what does the 'Incorrect Flower Picture' have to do with your family?"
Xie Wangyi said, "I don't know."
Yi Mei said, "You promised to tell me, are you trying to go back on your word?"
Xie Wangyi said, "I will only promise you that I will tell you everything I know. As for the matter you just mentioned, I don't know anything about it."
Su Xiaoying had been silent until now, when she suddenly interjected, "Then, tell me about your family, like your second brother who just passed away."
Xie Wangyi said, "My second brother is introverted and doesn't socialize much. Although he is the eldest son in fact, the family business has always been managed by my third brother, and he doesn't care much about it."
Su Xiaoying asked, "Is your second brother a sentimental person?"
Xie Wangyi suddenly felt a little strange. He glanced at Su Xiaoying and said, "That's right. He once liked a maid. That maid was just a lowly maid who did menial tasks in his room. Later, his mother found out about their affair, and the maid, in shame and indignation, hanged herself. From then on, my second brother never liked another woman, nor did he marry."
Yi Mei suddenly found it amusing, thinking to herself that all the people in their family were the same, but then she couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Xie Wangyi glanced at Lao Hei and said, "This dog is the puppy born to the dog that maid used to raise. Second Brother has always doted on it."
Su Xiaoying asked, "Why do you refer to his mother as 'his mother'? Aren't you two siblings from the same mother?"
Xie Wangyi smiled coldly and said, "My family has five sons and three daughters, but no two of them are born of the same mother. My father married seventeen wives."
Yi Mei was surprised. However, in wealthy families, having multiple wives and concubines was quite common. Yi Mei asked, "So, you have a sister?"
Xie Wangyi suddenly sighed and said, "I also have a younger sister, but... alas, she got married a few years ago and I haven't heard from her since."
Su Xiaoying asked, "The two stewards of the manor are both quite skilled in martial arts, so why are they willing to stay here and work?"
Xie Wangyi said, "Back then, Steward Xie challenged the thirteen strongholds of Qishan and was seriously injured. He and his wife were being chased and killed. It was my father who saved them. Steward Xie stayed to repay the debt of gratitude. As for Steward Feng, although his martial arts skills are not as good as Steward Xie's, he is meticulous and diligent in his work. My father also values him highly. He came to work at the manor more than ten years ago and is very close to my second brother."
Yi Mei asked, "Regarding the flower-patterned stationery, do you see any suspicious points?"
Xie Wangyi said, "I can't think of anyone who has such a deep grudge against my family."
Yi Mei asked, "Can't you figure it out?"
Xie Wangyi said, "I can't figure it out." She paused, then added, "However, we've already found out how my second brother died."
Yi Mei's eyes widened. "How did you die?" she asked.
Xie Wangyi said, "It's poisoning."
Yi Mei asked, "What kind of poison? How did you get it?"
Xie Wangyi glanced at Yimei and said indifferently, "I don't know."
The letter broke its promise.
March 17th passed quickly. There was still one day, twelve hours, until March 19th, as specified in the letter.
Everyone hoped that time would pass slowly, because with every quarter of an hour that passed, they were one minute closer to danger.
“I think,” Yi Mei sighed, gazing at the night sky outside the window, “Xie Chuanle won’t be spared either. My intuition has always been accurate, and I don’t think this time will be any different.”
Su Xiaoying said, "If everyone thinks like that, Xie Chuanle is doomed."
Yi Mei was taken aback, then sighed, "You're right."
Su Xiaoying laughed and said, "You rarely do such humiliating business, do you?"
Yi Mei said, "I've never done such a humiliating business in my life. Especially when I saw Xie Chuanli die in front of me, it felt like a big slap in the face."
Su Xiaoying said, "You need to recall if he has eaten anything unusual or come into contact with anything unusual."
Yi Mei said, “I’ve thought about it several times: we’ve all eaten the things he ate; the tea was served in no particular order; if we have to say he came into contact with anything special, it’s that the black dog ran in that afternoon and he hugged it. But the black dog wasn’t there when he died. And if the thick fog was poisonous, of the four people in the hall, only he died.”
Su Xiaoying thought for a moment and said, "The murderer is not only highly skilled in swordsmanship, but also in poisoning. Now that things have come to this, there is a method that we might still try."
After hearing Su Xiaoying explain the method, Yi Mei's eyes widened, and she jumped up, shouting, "Let's go find Xie Yuanlan!"
Su Xiaoying grabbed her from behind and said, "Wait."
Yi Mei turned around and asked in confusion, "Is there anything else?"
Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "If this works out, how about you marry me?"
Yi Mei kicked him and shouted, "You old rascal!" Su Xiaoying laughed and followed Yi Mei to find Xie Yuanlan.
The main hall of Banshao Villa has been converted into a mourning hall.
As darkness fell, the eternal lamps in the mourning hall flickered eerily. The pitch-black coffin and the heavy white banners sent chills down one's spine. Xie Yuanlan, however, had been in this mourning hall for an entire day. During that day, he had eaten almost nothing and said nothing, and his temples were now covered with white frost.
The death of a parent outlives their child is a great misfortune in life, especially since he lost three children within a few days, and the threat of death still looms over Banshao Manor.
Xie Yuanlan turned his back, staring at the coffin in front of him. He seemed to have been standing there for a long time, as if he was about to be overwhelmed by grief. When Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying walked in, he did not turn around, but he called out to Yi Mei very accurately, saying, "Miss Dong, you've come."
Yi Mei paused slightly, then said, "Yes."
Xie Yuanlan sighed softly, "Now, do you have any better ideas?"
Yi Mei said, "If you can tell me one thing, perhaps I will have another way."
Xie Yuanlan slowly turned around and looked at Yi Mei. After looking at her for a while, he asked, "What do you want to ask?"
“The Mismatched Flower Painting.” Yi Mei stared into his eyes and asked, “What exactly is your connection with the Mismatched Flower Painting?”
Xie Yuanlan fell silent immediately. His face was extremely tired, and after a long while he sighed, "This matter must be closely related to the wrong flower painting. I know that, but I really don't know what I have to do with the wrong painting."
Yi Mei was taken aback and asked, "Really?"
Xie Yuanlan said resolutely, "How could I possibly treat my child's life as a game!"
Yi Mei was extremely shocked. A hint of sadness suddenly appeared in her eyes as she looked at Xie Yuanlan. If what he said was true, then this calamity of annihilation came without any explanation!
Yi Mei had no choice but to say, "On March 19th, we'll find another place to keep an eye on your fourth young master."
Xie Yuanlan asked, "Where?"
Yi Mei said, "In an open space."
Xie Yuanlan's face showed a somber expression. He slowly said, "Last time, it was in an open area. I originally thought that with everything around me and heavily surrounded, it was quite safe, but sending a message still..."
Yi Mei said, "This time is different. No one can get close to Xie Chuanle except me—" She pointed to Su Xiaoying and said, "and him."
Xie Yuanlan was taken aback and asked, "Can't I either?"
Yi Mei said, "You can't do it either; you can only watch from afar."
Xie Yuanlan pondered for a moment, then said, "I trust Miss Dong's swordsmanship, but—this Young Master Su—"