Nanny Wei, gasping for breath, still fiercely threatened Xiao Jingduo: “There’s only the two of us here. If you kill me, you won’t escape responsibility. Save me, or else, if I die, you won’t have a good outcome either.”
“Save you?” Xiao Jingduo couldn’t help but laugh. Instead, he asked, “So it seems Wu Junru has the antidote?”
Although it was a question, Xiao Jingduo’s tone was very certain. He shook his head and sighed: “Wu Junru is indeed not to be underestimated. I didn’t know there were bees with such potent venom in this world, and she could even extract an antidote.”
“The Madam is clever and quick-witted, naturally extraordinary.” Nanny Wei was already feeling dizzy, but even so, she held on with her last breath to speak for Wu Junru. However, despite Wu Junru’s brilliant calculations, she had been outmaneuvered by a mere boy this time. Nanny Wei couldn’t swallow this bitter pill. She asked reluctantly: “You, how did you figure it out? The Madam clearly said that even if I came in, there wouldn’t be any danger.”
“Indeed, the problem lies with that set of clothes she sent…”
After Xiao Jingduo discovered that Wu Junru had used herbs to lure him into opening the incense burner, he became cautious and decided to turn the tables on Wu Junru. He took off the clothes Wu Junru had sent, arranged them to look like a person behind the curtains, and then moved the problematic golden qilin incense burner next to the clothes. He tied a thin string to the burner’s lid, hiding it around the wooden frame, while he held the other end of the string from a distance. Finally, Xiao Jingduo pushed another incense burner, deliberately making a loud noise to lure Wu Junru’s people in to investigate.
As expected, after a short while, Nanny Wei came in. When she lifted the curtains, she was indeed startled by the dummy, overlooking the golden qilin incense burner standing nearby. Xiao Jingduo seized the opportunity to pull the string tightly, lifting the burner’s lid and releasing what Wu Junru had hidden inside.
Seeing what flew out of the incense burner, Xiao Jingduo suddenly understood. Wu Junru had hidden poisonous bees in the burner, and their venom was so potent that in the time it took to speak a few words, Nanny Wei could barely stand.
Xiao Jingduo also pieced together the other parts of the plan. Wu Junru first sent Xiao Jingduo a new set of mourning clothes under the pretext of congratulations, then drove him to this secluded, empty prayer hall. Xiao Jingduo’s clothes had been soaked in a special honey water. Once he opened the golden qilin incense burner, the poisonous bees hidden inside would fly out. Guided by the honey water, the bees would only pursue Xiao Jingduo, while others staying far enough away would be safe. The venom of these bees was extraordinarily potent; once stung, the victim would quickly become dizzy and weak. With Nanny Wei watching nearby, Xiao Jingduo wouldn’t be able to go out and call for help. To ensure success, Wu Junru had deliberately used hallucinogenic herbs as a decoy. If Xiao Jingduo discovered them, he would open the incense burner himself, and at such close range, no one could escape. If Xiao Jingduo didn’t notice, the situation would be even better.
After Xiao Jingduo was dazed by the herbs, Nanny Wei would only need to come in and turn the mechanism on the incense burner. Xiao Jingduo would then be killed by these special bees without anyone knowing and with no external wounds or blood marks on his body. Who would know how Xiao Jingduo died, let alone suspect Wu Junru?
Wu Junru’s plan was intricately linked, but unfortunately, she hadn’t anticipated that her most ingenious element would become the biggest flaw. To protect the poisonous bees, she had specifically cleaned out the ashes from the incense burner and kept the fire extremely small, fearing it might suffocate the precious poisonous bees. Unexpectedly, this resulted in an unusual incense smell, which Xiao Jingduo detected.
Xiao Jingduo also turned the tables, successfully eliminating Wu Junru’s most capable nanny as a return gift to his stepmother.
Nanny Wei felt dizzy and struggled to breathe. At this point, she dared not put on airs anymore, but abandoned her dignity and showed a pleading expression: “Young Master, please, save me…”
“Save you?” Xiao Jingduo laughed mirthlessly, then his gaze suddenly became deep and dark. “When you were pressuring my mother back then, why didn’t you show any mercy? You knew her health was poor, yet you still used such vicious words to provoke her. Weren’t you intentionally trying to kill her? You dared to be cruel then, how can you now expect kindness from others?”
“Are you thinking of saying that Wu Junru has prepared an antidote, and if we call her here now, you might still be saved?” Xiao Jingduo’s dark eyes stared fixedly at Nanny Wei while a slight smile curled his lips. “But I don’t want to save you.”
In that moment, Nanny Wei almost felt as if she was staring at an evil spirit. She was terrified, glaring viciously at Xiao Jingduo, almost as if she wanted to bore a hole through him with her gaze.
Slowly, Nanny Wei’s breathing became increasingly labored. The fierceness in her eyes faded, replaced by the terror and pleading of someone on the brink of death. However, no matter how she behaved, Xiao Jingduo remained unmoved, just coldly watching her.
Only now did Nanny Wei realize that the person before her was a devil. He may have been blessed with a face as beautiful as an immortal, but his heart was comparable to a demon from hell. He was determined to let her die!
As death approached, the evil in her heart was infinitely magnified. At death’s door, Nanny Wei used her last breath to viciously curse Xiao Jingduo: “Don’t think you can escape. There’s only the two of us here. Even if I die, you won’t be able to clear your suspicion. Just wait to be thrown into prison! The Madam and the Wu family won’t let you off, you… you…”
But Nanny Wei couldn’t finish her words. Her fingers suddenly relaxed, falling to the ground like a lifeless object. Looking at her nose, her breath had already stopped.
Nanny Wei had been deliberately left to die by Xiao Jingduo. At the moment of her death, she still carried immense fear and hatred, her eyes wide open, refusing to close even in death.
However, Nanny Wei comforted herself in her final thoughts that even though she was dead, Xiao Jingduo wouldn’t escape the suspicion of murder. Wu Junru wouldn’t let him off easily.
Xiao Jingduo waited a while longer. After confirming that Nanny Wei had stopped breathing, he smiled and said, “You’re right. With your death, I’ll have a hard time escaping suspicion. But eliminating Wu Junru’s most capable nanny is worth it.”
“However, I must keep my life to avenge my mother. I want to rise to the highest position and return everything Xiao Ying has done to me, one by one. How could I fall here so early and spend my life in prison for murder?”
“I’ve never believed in fate. Even if I’m the only person at the scene, so what? I can still create an alibi for myself.” Xiao Jingduo murmured as he walked out. As he crossed the threshold, he stopped and looked back at the dignified, benevolent-looking Buddha statue.
The Buddha sat high above, looking down on the mortal world with a compassionate gaze.
Who could have imagined that a silent yet dangerous poisoning case had just concluded here?
…
Wu Junru waited for a long time in her room, but Nanny Wei didn’t return. Despite her initial confidence, she began to feel uneasy. Could something have gone wrong in the prayer hall?
As soon as this thought arose, Wu Junru dismissed it. Her plan was flawless and interconnected; it couldn’t possibly fail. Nanny Wei must have been delayed by something.
The door-keeping maid, who had been sent to Wu Junru by Nanny Wei, asked her mistress in confusion: “Madam, what’s wrong?”
Wu Junru tiredly rubbed her brow: “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“Oh.” The door-keeping maid responded awkwardly. For some reason, although the lady before her had a reputation for kindness, the maid felt uneasy standing in front of her now. The maid timidly asked: “Madam, Nanny Wei said you called for me. Do you have any instructions? If not, I should return to guard the door of the prayer hall. The young master is still inside.”
Wu Junru finally couldn’t take it anymore. She suddenly stood up and shouted, “Enough! Follow me.”
Wu Junru led a large group of maids towards the prayer hall. When the lady of the house was on the move, the servants didn’t dare to be negligent, and some quick-witted ones had already run ahead to prepare. A few maids chatted and laughed as they pushed open the door, but were suddenly shocked by the scene before them, their screams piercing the sky.
“Madam, something terrible has happened, Nanny Wei is…”
Hearing the maids’ screams, Wu Junru’s heart sank. Disregarding her image of kindness and grace, she pushed the maids aside and stepped forward.
When Wu Junru saw the person on the ground, even she couldn’t help but cry out, “Nanny!”
“Madam!” The maids hurriedly went to support Wu Junru, clumsily helping her outside. Wu Junru was still in shock, but when she regained her composure, she became unusually angry: “Only Xiao Jingduo was in the prayer hall. Where is he now? My nanny died under suspicious circumstances, and he’s nowhere to be found. He must have done something!”
The maids looked at each other, feeling a chill: “Madam, how could the young master do such a thing?”
“Silence, all of you!” Wu Junru shouted angrily. Nanny Wei was the first person she met after transmigrating, and had been a great support to her this past year. Wu Junru had come to see Nanny Wei as family, and now she had died tragically in the prayer hall. Wu Junru’s eyes reddened with hatred as she gritted her teeth and said, “Xiao Jingduo, how dare you. Someone, go call the Marquis and the Old Madam. I want everyone to see what kind of person the eldest son of the Dingyong Marquis really is.”
Hearing that someone had died in the mansion, the Old Madam was so shocked she dropped her teacup. Soon after, the Old Madam arrived at the prayer hall with her daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and numerous maids. As soon as she entered, the Old Madam asked anxiously, “What on earth happened? How did someone die so suddenly?”
Wu Junru’s eyes were red, clearly having just cried. She bowed to the Old Madam with red eyes and said, “Mother-in-law, today the young master was copying scriptures in the prayer hall. I was worried about him observing mourning so diligently, so I sent Nanny Wei to check on him. Unexpectedly, Nanny Wei…”
Wu Junru choked up for a moment before continuing: “Nanny Wei was cruelly murdered by Xiao Jingduo!”
“What!” Shrieks erupted from the women. The Old Madam repeatedly patted her chest, asking fearfully, “How could Duo’er do such a thing? Isn’t there some misunderstanding?”
“What misunderstanding could there be!” Wu Junru retorted bitterly. “Mother-in-law, you know that only Xiao Jingduo was in the prayer hall. I specifically instructed the servants not to disturb Xiao Jingduo while he mourned his late mother, and the Marquis knows this too. Nanny Wei entered the prayer hall and then lost her life. Only Xiao Jingduo was there, who else could it be? And now he’s nowhere to be found. He must have fled out of guilt after committing the murder!”
The Old Madam knew Wu Junru’s words made sense, but she still couldn’t believe her grandson could do such a thing. She mumbled weakly, “Duo’er is only ten years old. How could he alone overpower someone as big as Nanny Wei?”
“Mother-in-law, have you forgotten? Xiao Jingduo is well-versed in medicine! Poisoning someone without a trace would be all too easy for him.” Wu Junru raised her voice, addressing everyone in the courtyard, “The murderer is Xiao Jingduo. Mother-in-law, you can’t disregard a human life just to protect your grandson!”
The people from the second and third branches of the family were all present, and Xiao Su, who had just arrived at the mansion, was standing in the courtyard with her daughter. Hearing Wu Junru’s words, the women began to chatter incessantly, creating a cacophony. The women were afraid of death but also had a natural curiosity for gossip. They discussed among themselves, and unknowingly began to believe Wu Junru’s words.
After all, only Xiao Jingduo and Nanny Wei were in the prayer hall. Nanny Wei was dead, so who else could it be but Xiao Jingduo?
The Old Madam felt faint, and the maid beside her quickly supported her. Leaning on the maid’s hand, the Old Madam angrily exclaimed, “That wretched child!”
As people in the courtyard continued to whisper and discuss, a clear voice came from outside the courtyard gate, tinged with confusion.
“Grandmother, who are you calling wretched?”
Everyone turned to see Xiao Jingduo standing at the entrance of the prayer hall, holding a porcelain bottle in his hands and a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Wu Junru was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: “You murderer, how dare you show your face here!”
Wu Junru turned back to the Old Madam, giving her a deep bow. She looked at the Old Madam with earnest and resolute eyes: “Mother-in-law, I implore you to handle this justly. Hand Xiao Jingduo over to the authorities and let him pay for his crime with his own blood!”
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