Ma femme escalade le mur

Chapitre 51

Before she could finish speaking, Yue Yiyi, who had been sitting on the ground, suddenly jumped up and pounced on Liu Mandie, pinning her to the ground and grabbing her neck tightly: "I'll teach you to fight me for Ran-ge! I'll teach you to fight me for Ran-ge! Even though you're a ghost, why won't you let me go! I hate you! I hate everyone who likes Ran-ge! Ran-ge is mine alone, mine alone..."

The door and window were smashed open at the same time. Liu Yichen and Zhan Yun rushed to the two and, with considerable effort, managed to pull the somewhat delirious Yue Yiyi away from Liu Mandie. The others in the courtyard also rushed into the house. Master Xiao tossed a rope over and had the servants tie the people up securely before taking them out.

Liu Manye's cheeks flushed red as she coughed incessantly and collapsed into Liu Yichen's arms, sobbing, "Uncle... how could this happen... how could Yiyi... sob sob..." Liu Yichen helped her up from the ground and comforted her for a long time. The others had already left the room and were waiting at the pre-arranged location.

Inside the room, some sat, some stood. Yue Linran stood in the center, her face ashen, her head bowed. Yue Yiyi, her pressure points sealed and bound with rope, was in the next room, guarded. As soon as Liu Yichen entered the room, Yue Linran didn't turn around, but knelt down immediately. When Liu Yichen approached, Yue Linran knelt upright, her eyes half-closed, and said in a hoarse voice, "Everything started because of Linran. Linran is willing to pay with her life for Yue Ru's. I only ask that the young master send someone to return Yiyi to the Yue family. Yue Linran here kowtows to thank the young master for his great kindness!" With that, she prostrated herself on the ground and kowtowed three times. When she looked up again, blood was seeping from her forehead.

Liu Yichen stood before him, head slightly tilted back, fists clenched, eyes slightly red, as if overwhelmed with emotion. After a long while, Liu Yichen sighed, turned and sat back in his chair, waving his hand dismissively: "This matter should be left to the authorities! I, Liu, feel responsible for this, but Yue Ru is not my daughter after all. Both morally and logically, I must give the Lou family an explanation. Tomorrow morning, I will take Miss Yue, along with the two whips that can serve as evidence, to the city's government office. At the same time, I will write to the Lou family informing them that the murderer has been found. Then, the authorities will decide everything."

Yue Linran had been staring straight ahead. Upon hearing this, she clenched her teeth, but tears streamed down her face. After a long while, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "As an elder brother, Linran failed to protect his younger sister; he had long harbored true feelings for Yueru, yet he caused her to lose her life innocently. Linran has let down the Liu family and the Lou family, but Yiyi is still a member of my Yue family. Although she made mistakes, I cannot abandon her."

As he spoke, Yue Linran's smile was also bitter: "Originally, given my guilty conscience, I would have no face to see Yueru again. But I hope that the young master will consider my sincere feelings for Yueru and allow me to offer a few sticks of incense and pour a couple of cups of wine for her on the anniversary of her death each year. I dare not ask for anything more." After speaking, he kowtowed three times heavily, his handsome face already streaked with tears.

Liu Yichen, whose eyes were still red, nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Yue Linran smiled through her tears, stood up, clasped her hands in greeting, and then strode out.

Chapter Twenty-Two: New Hatreds and Old Grudges

The room fell silent. After a long while, Liu Yichen stood up, walked to Duan Chen, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Today's events are all thanks to Miss Duan's brilliant strategy, which allowed the true culprit who harmed Yue Ru to be exposed. On behalf of the Lou and Liu families, I, Liu, thank Miss Duan."

Duan Chen slowly rose, holding onto the armrest: "Second Master Liu, you are too kind. This matter was made so smoothly thanks to Miss Liu's quick thinking. Otherwise, we would only have physical evidence but no witnesses, making it difficult to persuade Miss Yue to willingly submit to the law."

Liu Yichen nodded, and Xiao Yiyi stood up beside him, helping Duan Chen to sit down carefully. She glanced at Liu Yichen with a hint of reproach in her eyes: "Sit down and talk! Luo'er has an injury on her side and can't stand or sit like this. Ask her what's wrong quickly, I still need to apply medicine for her later. I didn't sleep well all night. Now that everything is resolved, why don't you let our Luo'er go to sleep early and get some rest?"

Liu Yichen nodded repeatedly in agreement, then returned to the main seat and asked with a furrowed brow, "I wonder how Miss Duan discovered that Miss Yue..." Liu Yichen felt it was inappropriate to say the rest directly, but everyone present had clearly seen what was happening in the courtyard, so they all understood what Liu Yichen meant.

Duan Chen frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "I only became slightly aware of this the night before last, when we were all having dinner together. It was that pot of poisoned tea that reminded me of something."

"She poisoned him?" Xiao Changqing raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly suspicious.

Duan Chen glanced at Xiao Changqing with a hint of helplessness, then looked at Liu Yichen. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke: "She prepared the poison, but she was not the one who administered it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yichen's expression changed, and his gaze gradually darkened. Beside him, Xiao Changqing scoffed, his dark eyes darting around before he curled his lip again: "I told you long ago, that girl surnamed Liu can't escape this!"

Liu Yichen's expression grew increasingly grim, her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes, as she looked at Duan Chen, were filled with obvious guilt and unease. Just as she was about to say something, Duan Chen waved his hand and said softly, "This is not Miss Liu's fault."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changqing became anxious, his eyes widening as he pointed a finger at Duan Chen and scolded, "You silly child! She almost poisoned you! And you're still speaking up for her like this; she might not even remember your kindness!" He then turned to Xiao Yiyi, who was sitting next to Duan Chen, saying, "Sister Yiyi, you'd better teach her a lesson about this. Being lenient with the enemy is being cruel to yourself. In the martial world, being too kind-hearted won't work!" Hearing "Sister Yiyi," Zuo Xin couldn't help but twitch his lips; their relationship had progressed far too quickly!

Xiao Yiyi frowned slightly, but a smile remained on her lips. She didn't speak, only glancing at Duan Chen. She had watched this child grow up; although he was upright, he wasn't weak and easily bullied. She must have her reasons for saying that.

The three people sitting next to and diagonally opposite Zhan Yun also turned their gazes to Duan Chen. Zhao Ting still remembered the scene when Duan Chen, dressed in a blue robe, stood in the courtroom during the case of the elegant residence in Hangzhou, questioning Lan Lan word by word with a smile on his lips. A person who could say such things was definitely not a kind-hearted person. Zhan Yun also remained calm. Just now, Duan Chen's words were clearly only half-said. Judging from the looks of it, he was probably considering Liu Yichen's feelings.

Duan Chen curled her lips into a slight smile. This smile stunned Xiao Changqing! This girl, usually so aloof, had a truly captivating smile! Duan Chen glanced at Xiao Changqing, then turned to Liu Yichen, whose expression remained complex: "I said this wasn't Miss Liu's fault, not because I was blindly tolerating or protecting her. If she truly intended to harm me," Duan Chen paused slightly, not finishing her sentence, but a cold glint flashed in her already clear phoenix eyes, her expression crystal clear to everyone present. Even Xiao Changqing, who had been resentfully pursing her lips, couldn't help but secretly gasp. This girl, when she got serious, was definitely a ruthless character!

Duan Chen continued, "She did indeed administer the poison. But at the time, she probably didn't know that what she was holding was a deadly poison."

Zuo Xin nodded, then looked at Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun: "Indeed. At that time, the two of you followed closely behind and chased after him. Young Master Zhou picked up the teapot and poured it on the ground, which severely corroded the bricks and stones. I noticed that Miss Liu's expression at the time seemed to be very frightened."

Xiao Changqing glared at Zuo Xin, still somewhat displeased: "What does she think she's holding? Croton seeds, or itching powder? This girl's heart is not pure. If she's not properly disciplined, she might really poison someone next time!"

Liu Yichen looked ashamed and stood up again, bowing to Duan Chen: "No matter how you look at it, Mandie was wrong. Miss Duan is very magnanimous, not holding it against her and even clearing her name. I am extremely grateful. In the future, I will punish Mandie severely and discipline her properly. This child is too spoiled and doesn't know the consequences of her actions. I," Liu Yichen said, then sighed, "I am ashamed!"

"Alright, alright! Stop with the endless thanking and apologies! My Luo'er already said she wouldn't hold it against you, so why are you still agonizing over it!" Xiao Yiyi waved her hand, gesturing for Liu Yichen to sit down quickly: "It's been so many years, and you're still so mild-mannered. It's infuriating!" Although her voice was soft, everyone in the room heard her clearly.

Liu Yichen's face immediately stiffened, clearly embarrassed and afraid of upsetting Xiao Yiyi. He didn't know whether to stand or sit, and his face gradually turned red. In the end, having no other choice, he could only call out in a low voice, "Yiyi."

Xiao Yiyi rolled her eyes, raised her hand, and pointed to the chair behind him: "Sit!"

Liu Yichen didn't even bother to lift his clothes before sitting down with a "plop." Everyone who had been holding back their laughter couldn't help but burst out laughing at the same time, with Zhou Yufei and Xiao Changqing laughing out loud almost simultaneously.

Zuo Xin turned her head to look at Xiao Changqing, who was laughing so hard he was almost out of breath, pounding the armrest. Though a hint of helplessness crossed her face, a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. Zhao Ting sighed again, thinking how remarkable it was that Duan Chen had maintained his composure since childhood, having followed such a master and having such a junior sister by his side. Zhan Yun's eyes crinkled with laughter as she subconsciously turned her gaze towards Duan Chen.

Duan Chen, however, seemed unaffected by the joyful atmosphere, his brows still slightly furrowed, lost in thought. A sidelong glance, as if sensing something, met those smiling eyes. Duan Chen quickly looked away, his brows furrowing even more. Zhan Yun sighed inwardly, a faint smile still on her lips, her voice clear and soft, yet her tone held a hint of pleading, as if a thousand words were poured into that single soft call: "Chen'er..."

Duan Chen's long, delicate eyelashes trembled slightly as he frowned and glanced sideways at Zhan Yun, a hint of impatience in his eyes. Zhan Yun, however, smiled warmly and clearly, his eyes fixed intently on Duan Chen: "Chen'er, you just said that it was because of that pot of poisoned tea that you suspected Miss Yue. How did you come to that conclusion?"

At this moment, the laughter subsided, and Xiao Changqing and the others also composed themselves, waiting to hear Duan Chen's answer. Duan Chen's brow seemed to relax a little, and he replied softly, "I've always felt that the way the murderer killed Miss Lou was different from the other people. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it." Zhan Yun and the other two nodded; Duan Chen had indeed said this more than once.

“Until the night before last, that pot of poisoned tea…” Duan Chen paused slightly, then continued, “I suddenly realized that something was wrong. The ones who killed Fang Wenli and the rest of the men were undoubtedly Deng Dingbo and the third leader of the escort agency, and both of them were acting under Li Lingke’s orders to incite conflict between the martial arts worlds of the North and South of the Central Plains. So they killed them not because they had a grudge against those men, but because of their master’s plan. Apart from Master Zuo and Mr. Xiao, there was also my master. Everyone here should have seen those corpses. They were all killed with a single stab or sword strike, which means that the deceased were not tortured or humiliated before they died.”

The others nodded, and Zhao Ting said in a deep voice, "That's right. They value efficiency in killing; a clean and tidy death is more important than anything else."

“But Miss Lou was not only strangled to death bit by bit, but also had whip marks all over her body,” Zhan Yun said, glancing at Duan Chen, “It was time-consuming and laborious, and it was indeed different from the way those people died.”

Duan Chen nodded; that was exactly what he meant. Those whip marks, like that pot of poisoned tea, both seemed to carry resentment.

Xiao Changqing tapped his chin and hummed twice: "So, there must be a personal grudge to warrant such a vicious act." As he spoke, Xiao Changqing looked at Duan Chen with shining eyes, "Girl, you guessed it was Yue Yiyi just from that?"

Duan Chen chuckled: "How could that be?" She was just speculating, not a fortune teller. How could she directly suspect Yue Yiyi with such a tiny clue?

“I’ve met with Li Lingke twice. The information I got from him is that he tied up the person and he was the one who carried the body back to the room.” Duan Chen continued to explain, “What I’ve never been able to understand is what his purpose was in doing this. It wasn’t until the evening before last, when I saw Yue Yiyi limping into the room, with Yue Linran supporting her the whole time, that I finally understood a little.”

Upon hearing the phrase "he tied her up," Liu Yichen couldn't contain himself. His eyes glared fiercely, and he gritted his teeth, seemingly muttering Li Lingke's name. Duan Chen glanced at him, seemingly hesitant, paused for a moment, and then continued, "Second Master Liu knows that Miss Lou and I fought in front of the small wooden house in the plum grove that morning. During the fight, Miss Lou kept attacking with that soft whip. I had no weapon and didn't intend to get entangled with Miss Lou, so I only defended and didn't attack, fighting and retreating until Miss Lou was led out. Her whip was still under the plum tree in front of the small wooden house that morning. At that time, Li Lingke should have been inside the small wooden house."

Liu Yichen listened quietly until the last sentence, when his expression suddenly darkened. Duan Chen stopped speaking and didn't continue, nor did the others respond. Liu Yichen's lips tightened, and after a long while, he whispered, "When did Miss Duan guess that?"

The question seemed abrupt, but Duan Chen was prepared and answered calmly, "After falling into the lake."

Those present were all intelligent people, and after piecing together the events, they all guessed the gist of it. Li Linge's ability to move freely within the manor as if it were his own home didn't seem surprising at first glance. This man's skills were like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Regardless of how he managed to infiltrate Wanliu Manor, find a place to hide, and then seize the opportunity to steal four weapons, handing them over to Deng Dingbo and his companion so they could secretly kill Fang Wenli and the remaining men, thus fulfilling his role in sowing discord.

However, if we connect the dots, we find that even if Li Linke is highly skilled, he seems to be doing things far too smoothly; and even if Duan Chen and the others are acting openly, he seems to know far too much. The only reasonable explanation for this is that Li Linke has someone in Wanliu Manor. And this person's status is by no means inferior to Liu Yichen's.

The reason Liu Yichen's face darkened upon hearing those words was because he knew that the wooden house in the plum grove had always been a forbidden area of Wanliu Manor, and no one except him and his father had the right to enter. Li Lingke's presence in that wooden house was enough to prove that he hadn't lied before, and that Old Master Liu was indeed under the command of the Western Xia people.