"Oh no, she's taken poison!" Xie Nanjia exclaimed and stepped forward, but it was too late. Mrs. Ma died with her eyes wide open.
The tragic death scene frightened the Fourth Aunt so much that she almost lost her soul and hugged Xie Nanjia, screaming and howling.
A scream was also heard from the door. Liu Pozi, who was brought here by Hu Sanmu, witnessed the death of Ma Pozi and was so frightened that her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Hu Sanmu was also shocked, but he was a man after all, and was much braver. While comforting the Fourth Aunt, he went to check Ma Po's body. He concluded that Ma Po had hidden poison in her mouth beforehand, and committed suicide for fear of being punished.
Fourth Aunt's legs were shaking like sieves. She didn't even care how she died. She just kept ordering Hu Sanmu to drag the person out.
After Hu Sanmu dragged the man away, Liu Pozi woke up. She no longer had the arrogance she had in the past. She knelt in front of the Fourth Aunt, tears streaming down her face, and kowtowed loudly, "Aunt, please spare my life. I am innocent. I know nothing!"
The fourth concubine was still in shock and asked Xie Nanjia to question her.
Xie Nanjia said, "It's not up to you to decide whether you are innocent or not. You and Ma Pozi were both sent here to serve Auntie. Didn't the person who sent you here assign you any tasks? Maybe you and Ma Pozi were asked to do the crime while the other was covering for you."
"It's unfair, Auntie. I really don't know anything." Mrs. Liu cried out in injustice. "Before serving Auntie, I was just a servant who cooked for the servants. I have never seen a master, let alone a well-known steward. I swear to heaven that I have never been ordered by anyone. If I tell a lie, I will die like Mrs. Ma!"
Xie Nanjia naturally knew that Mrs. Liu was not lying, but she had other plans for her, so she said coldly: "This is just your one-sided statement, which cannot prove your innocence. It is late at night and I am tired. You stay in the woodshed and I will interrogate you carefully tomorrow."
The Fourth Aunt was just eager to leave this terrible place as soon as possible. After hearing what Xie Nanjia said, she hurriedly told her to lock the door and leave.
Mrs. Liu didn't dare to stay alone in the woodshed where someone had just died. She hugged Fourth Aunt's feet and begged her not to lock her up there.
The Fourth Aunt had no intention of showing any mercy to her. She kicked her away and told Xie Nanjia to lock the door. She left her banging on the door and crying, and walked away without looking back.
The poisonous gas in the side room had not yet dissipated, and the other rooms could not be cleaned up temporarily, so Xie Nanjia took the fourth concubine to the upper room and placed her in the room where she slept when she served Zhao Jingyu.
At this time, the Fourth Aunt no longer had time to be picky about her living quarters. She climbed onto the bed and shivered into the quilt.
"Xiu'er, come up and sit next to me for a while," she said.
At this time, Xie Nanjia was her last and only support.
Xie Nanjia did not refuse. She got on the bed with her clothes on, sat opposite her, and held her hand.
The fourth concubine held her hand, tears streaming down her face, "Xiu'er, it's a good thing you're here, otherwise I would have already crossed the Naihe Bridge by now."
Xie Nanjia said softly, "Auntie is kind-hearted and has the blessing of the Bodhisattva. People say that those who survive a great disaster will be blessed in the future. Auntie will definitely enjoy happiness in the future."
The fourth concubine said, "You are my lucky general. If I really enjoy happiness, I will definitely not treat you unfairly."
Xie Nanjia smiled slightly and didn't take her words seriously.
The oaths people make when they are frustrated will be completely forgotten when they are proud, just like a poor scholar who forgets the promise he made to his wife once he passes the imperial examination.
This is the case even between husband and wife, let alone the mutually exploitative relationship between her and the Fourth Aunt.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, the fourth concubine asked, "Who do you think wants to kill me?"
"Who do you think it is, Auntie?" Xie Nanjia asked back.
The fourth concubine gritted her teeth and said, "I first guessed it was the Madam. She was jealous of my favor in front of the Marquis and had long disliked me. It was not enough to send me to the manor by taking advantage of the matter of the Crown Prince's wife. She was afraid that I would be taken back by the Marquis again, so she simply killed me to prevent future troubles."
Xie Nanjia said: "I don't know much about the Marquis's Mansion, but I think that apart from the Marquis's wives and concubines, the existence of the aunt will not threaten anyone else, so even if it's not the Madam, it's your other sisters."
"Sisters are bullshit, they are all a bunch of vicious women who take advantage of others' misfortunes!" The fourth concubine said angrily, and then she shed tears sadly: "The Marquis doesn't know that he almost couldn't see me."
Xie Nanjia took the opportunity to persuade her: "Aunt, please don't blame me for being blunt. Judging from the current situation, if we just wait for the Marquis to come and pick us up, I'm afraid we will end up getting killed."
"What do you mean?" When the fourth concubine heard the threat of death, she was so frightened that she stopped crying.
Xie Nanjia said: "No matter who wants to kill you, his goal is to take your life. If he fails once, there will definitely be a next time. We can still deal with someone like Ma Po, but if it's a man who knows kung fu, we will have no way out."
"What should we do then?" Fourth Aunt began to tremble again.
Xie Nanjia said: "We can't just sit there and wait for death. We need to find a way to inform the Marquis, let him know your current situation, and send someone to protect you or take you back."
The fourth concubine's eyes sparkled, then dimmed again: "It's easy to say, but it's not easy to find a reliable person to inform the marquis. Hu Sanmu is Madam's spy, I'm afraid the person who delivered the letter can't even enter the capital."
Xie Nanjia smiled confidently, "Don't worry, Auntie. As long as you agree to deliver the letter to the Marquis, I will take care of the rest."
(End of this chapter)