The fourth concubine was completely confused. She let Mrs. Liu hold her feet, forgetting her disgust, and asked Xie Nanjia with a dull look, "Is it really Hu Sanmu?"
Without waiting for Xie Nanjia to answer, several brave farmers came forward to check and shouted in a clamor: "It's the steward, it's really the steward, the steward is really dead..."
Li was also confused. She stopped yelling and cursing when she heard the second steward's shout. After the donkey cart stopped, she was still sitting on the ground, not daring to go forward to confirm. It was not until someone said that the chief steward was really dead that she suddenly came back to life, climbed up from the ground with a roar, and ran straight towards the donkey cart.
Immediately afterwards, heart-wrenching cries resounded through the sky.
The second steward briefly recounted what had happened amid Li's wailing.
He went to the county town early in the morning to purchase the items needed for Liantang. Halfway through the journey, he heard someone shouting for help. When he looked over, he found that Mrs. Liu was tied to a tree by the roadside, and the steward was lying on the ground covered in blood.
Mrs. Liu told him that the other maid who served the aunt suddenly disappeared last night. She was ordered by the fourth aunt to return to Beijing to report the news to her master. The steward originally wanted to send her to the county town, but he encountered bandits on the way. The steward refused to surrender and was stabbed to death by the bandits. All the silver on them was robbed by the bandits.
After hearing this, everyone sighed. That section of the road was indeed not peaceful and bandits often appeared there, so no one suspected anything.
Li didn't believe it. She cried and questioned the second steward: "How could it be such a coincidence? My man went to the county town, and you also went to the county town. He met bandits, and you met him again. I think it's obvious that you wanted to be the chief steward and deliberately killed my man."
"Don't slander me." The second steward spread his hands and said, "I decided to go to the county town to buy things yesterday. Several people in the farm knew about it. And I didn't know that the first steward was going to the county town in advance. How can you say it was a deliberate murder?"
"Yes, yes, we can testify to that." Several people in the crowd said, "Yesterday in Liantang, the second steward did say that he was going to the county town today, and he also asked us if we wanted to bring anything with us."
After crying for a while, Mrs. Liu calmed down a little and came over to testify for the second steward: "Indeed, they encountered bandits. When the second steward arrived, the first steward was already dead. Steward's wife, you should thank the second steward. If it weren't for him, the first steward would still be lying on the road now!"
"That's right, the second steward was kind enough to send your man back, but you slandered him without any reason. How can you act like this?" everyone said.
As soon as the chief steward died, the second steward instantly became the backbone and the object of everyone's flattery.
Only Li still didn't believe it and cried and wanted to report it to the police.
The second steward said: "Such a big thing has happened. Even if you don't tell me, I will report it to the authorities. Not only will I report it to the authorities, but I will also report it to the Marquis."
The Fourth Aunt didn't say anything for a long time. When she heard what the Second Steward said, she suddenly looked at Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia nodded slightly to her.
The Fourth Aunt's heart was in turmoil, but she knew that now was not the time to ask questions, so she straightened her clothes and stepped forward: "In this case, I will trouble the Second Steward to go to the capital and ask the Marquis to send someone to take charge of the situation."
The second steward had no choice but to bow and say, "As you command."
Xie Nanjia said, "There is no leader in the manor now. Although Auntie is the master, she doesn't understand the affairs here and it is not convenient for her to show up in public. Second Steward, please take care of the affairs here before leaving!"
The second steward looked at her and nodded.
Xie Nanjia called Liu Pozi and helped the fourth aunt back to the courtyard.
The courtyard gate was closed, blocking out the noise outside. The three people, each with their own fears, returned to the upper room in silence.
As soon as Liu Pozi entered the room, she knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the Fourth Aunt several times: "Aunt, I was too arrogant before, please forgive me and give me a chance to reform. From now on, I will serve you well and work like a cow or a horse for you. I will die for you."
The fourth concubine said, "I have no shortage of cattle and horses, so don't rush to show your loyalty. First, tell me how Hu Sanmu died."
When Granny Liu mentioned this, she couldn't help but tremble all over: "My aunt, it was Hu Sanmu who wanted to kill me. He was seen by the second steward who passed by. The second steward saved me, but accidentally killed him."
The fourth concubine looked at Xie Nanjia suspiciously.
Xie Nanjia suggested, "Madame Liu is very frightened. Auntie, let her wash her face and calm down first. We can talk about it later if there is anything."
The fourth concubine waved her hand and asked Mrs. Liu to go down first. After the people left, she couldn't wait to ask Xie Nanjia: "What's going on?"
Xie Nanjia said calmly: "I just want to use Liu Pozi to test Hu Sanmu to see if he will prevent Liu Pozi from returning to Beijing. If he does, it means that he has the same identity as Ma Pozi."
"What's his identity?" Fourth Aunt asked in surprise, "Could it be that he wants to kill me too?"
Xie Nanjia smiled slightly: "Auntie, you know it very well. Now, can you confirm who is the mastermind?"
"Who else could it be? It must be that evil woman Qin. Apart from her, who else could order Hu Sanmu around?" The Fourth Aunt gritted her teeth.
"I think so too." Xie Nanjia agreed.
"What's the matter with the second steward?" asked the fourth concubine.
Xie Nanjia said, "I asked the second steward to go, but I just asked him to follow Hu Sanmu and see how Hu Sanmu would act. I didn't expect Hu Sanmu to kill Liu Pozi, nor did I expect him to do anything to Hu Sanmu."
The Fourth Aunt was half-believing and half-doubting, but Xie Nanjia was too calm and she couldn't tell the truth from her expression.
She changed her mind and thought again, no matter whether it was true or false, things were developing in her favor. As long as the second steward could meet the Marquis smoothly and she could be taken back by the Marquis smoothly, what would it matter if a few people died
Thinking of this, she did not pursue the matter any further and only ordered Xie Nanjia to find the second steward. She wanted to bribe the second steward so that he would say a few good words on her behalf when he met the Marquis.
Xie Nanjia walked out of the yard and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Things were going according to her plan step by step, and returning to Beijing was just around the corner.
She looked up at the sky and suddenly thought of Zhao Jingyu. She smiled and said in her heart, "My dear half-brother, how about my sister-in-law's trick of killing someone with a borrowed knife?"
Zhao Jingyu, who was three hundred miles away, sneezed three times in a row. He took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid, wiped his mouth, and said to Cheng Zhiyuan, "I wonder which beauty is missing me again."
(End of this chapter)