“I didn’t, and I wasn’t talking nonsense either. The person who robbed me—I asked him, and he said you sent him to steal my money, brother…”
Seeing Liu Shi pin such a baseless accusation on her, though Wanqing was startled by her earlier claim that she had fallen ill the day before, she still mustered her courage and clung tightly to Leng Mingye’s sleeve beside her. Recalling the situation at the time, she watched as Liu Shi spoke with tears brimming in her eyes, turning to the man beside her with a pleading whisper.
“Young lady, please forgive me. This girl had a sudden episode the other day and completely changed…”
Liu Shi’s face instantly paled at Wanqing’s words. Noticing Mu Zhenfeng’s questioning gaze, she quickly stepped forward, trying to pull Wanqing’s sleeve as she spoke.
“Madam Mu, I find this little fool rather endearing. Whether her words are true or not, there’s no smoke without fire. Why would that person accuse you and no one else? Little fool, what do you think?”
Liu Shi’s reaction, along with her repeated mention of Wanqing’s supposed illness, made Leng Mingye, who had been silently observing, narrow his eyes. He recalled the night he had been assaulted, and the fact that the perpetrator remained at large. If it was a coincidence the first time, this second mention raised his suspicions.
With that in mind, he glanced at Liu Shi, his large hand once again resting on Wanqing’s small head. Noticing her rare silence and lowered gaze, he smirked faintly at Liu Shi but directed his question to Wanqing.
“Brother, it’s true. That man said it was my stepmother who ordered him to rob me. Stepmother, aside from the things I bought, which cost less than twenty taels, the remaining six hundred and eighty taels are all gone…”
Though Wanqing’s heart pounded with anxiety, silently praying that Leng Mingye hadn’t heard Liu Shi’s words, she couldn’t help but seethe inwardly at Liu Shi’s repeated accusations. When Leng Mingye questioned her, she quickly looked up and nodded emphatically. Pointing at the items Chunhong was holding behind her, she glared at Liu Shi with resentment as she spoke of the missing money.
“Young lady, it’s just a bit of money. I’ll give it back to you—I’ll have the accountant fetch it for you right away. Young Master, this…”
Though Liu Shi’s teeth gritted in silent fury—especially since the men she had sent had been beaten to a pulp—she had no choice but to play along, forcing a smile as she turned to Leng Mingye, who had just stepped forward.
“Follow them.”
Seeing Leng Mingye remain silent and head toward Wanqing’s small courtyard, Mu Zhenfeng, though listening, sensed something amiss. He wasn’t sure how much truth lay in the girl’s words, but Liu Shi’s fawning and evasiveness only deepened his displeasure.
With a reproachful glance at his wife, he put on an ingratiating smile and followed Leng Mingye and the others.
“Hmm, Marquis Mu, have you forgotten my earlier words, or are you simply choosing to ignore them?”
Entering the cramped, barely furnished room where Wanqing lived, Leng Mingye took in the sight of the two low stools and the uneven floor. He didn’t sit, merely sighing before turning to the Mu couple trailing behind him.
“This…”
Mu Zhenfeng, caught off guard by the question, lowered his head in confusion.
“You—Young Master, please don’t be angry. This humble wife is already making arrangements. Tomorrow, tomorrow we’ll have them move to the courtyard where her mother used to live.”
Liu Shi, recalling how her husband had been struck by Leng Mingye, was extra cautious around him. Noticing her husband’s hesitation, she nudged him and quickly spoke up with a forced smile.
“All of you, leave. I’d like Physician Xu to examine this little fool without distractions.”
Liu Shi’s obsequiousness, so different from her earlier demeanor, earned only a cold glance from Leng Mingye.
“Very well. This official and his wife shall take our leave. We entrust our daughter to you, Young Master and Physician Xu.”
Mu Zhenfeng’s face darkened with humiliation at the dismissal, but he could only swallow his anger. With a stiff bow, he led his wife and the servants out.
“Little fool, sit down. Let Physician Xu examine you. Physician Xu, check if the poison in her body can be cured. Also, take a look at this medicine—if it’s useless, discard it.”
Once the Mu couple had left, Leng Mingye’s deep gaze settled on Wanqing.
Noticing how she kept her head lowered, demure and tense as he approached, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He pressed her shoulder firmly, forcing her to sit, before elegantly taking a seat himself and issuing instructions to Physician Xu—even mentioning the medicine pouch in her hand.
“Hehe, brother, then I’ll trouble Physician Xu to examine me.”
Though Wanqing’s heart raced—her mind on the silver needles she had inserted into herself and the lingering effects of the rosemary poison—Leng Mingye’s sudden scrutiny made her uneasy. For some reason, she felt he was beginning to suspect her.
Blaming Liu Shi’s loose tongue, she silently cursed the woman’s meddling. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and extended her wrist to Physician Xu.
“Of course, of course.”
Physician Xu, seeing them both seated, quickly complied, taking Wanqing’s slender wrist to check her pulse.
“Well?”
Noticing Physician Xu’s furrowed brows and puzzled expression as he felt her pulse, Leng Mingye spoke up calmly.
“Young Master, Miss Mu’s pulse is… unusual. It resembles poisoning, yet not quite. In all my years of practice, I’ve never encountered such a strange pulse. Miss Mu, could you stick out your tongue for me to see? It’s truly peculiar.”
At Leng Mingye’s inquiry, Physician Xu withdrew his hand and bowed respectfully. Still baffled by Wanqing’s condition, he studied the veiled girl before him. When she hesitated but eventually removed her veil and opened her mouth, he frowned at the sight of her tongue.
“Physician, is there something wrong with my condition?”
Seeing Physician Xu’s intense scrutiny, though confident in her own preparations, Wanqing couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine.
“Strange… Miss Mu, may I examine a drop of your blood?”
Eager to impress the young master, Physician Xu considered possible explanations before making the request.
“My blood? Physician Xu, you…”
Hearing this, Wanqing noticed Leng Mingye’s sharp gaze fixed on her. Though inwardly relieved, she feigned fear and hesitation.
“Don’t worry, Miss Mu. I only need a couple of drops for examination…”
Misinterpreting her reaction as nervousness, Physician Xu reassured her before glancing at Leng Mingye for approval.
“Let Physician Xu take a little blood. Little fool, is your face truly beyond recovery?”
Leng Mingye’s narrowed phoenix eyes revealed nothing, but his next words left Wanqing momentarily speechless. For some reason, she felt he was testing her—probing for the truth right then and there.
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