A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 345 Frame-up

"Are you leaving now? But haven't you finished reading the medical books that Zi Yangxun brought back?"

In the west courtyard of the Liu Mansion, Madam Liu's heart skipped a beat when she heard Si Yao suddenly ask for her resignation. She was reluctant to let her go, but she also knew that her youngest son had gone to great lengths to keep Si Yao, so she wanted to keep her again.

"Si Yao is very grateful for Mr. Liu's kindness, but there are too many medical books and I can't finish reading them all at once. Si Yao still has things to do. Now that we have been delayed for so long, it is time to set off." Si Yao replied sincerely to Madam Liu.

"Since I have something to do, I won't keep you here." When Madam Liu heard Si Yao say this, she didn't want to force her. She had already helped her son deceive the girl once, and she felt guilty. What's more, Zi Yang's courtesy in the past ten days failed to impress Miss Si Yao. It was just fate. If there was no destiny, don't force it, just let it go.

"Madam, please take care of yourself and be more open-minded about everything. The past is the past, so don't look back. Life is short and the present moment is the most important." Si Yao continued to advise Madam Liu.

"When are you leaving?" Si Yao's concern made Mrs. Liu feel guilty. She nodded with evasive eyes and asked again.

"I'll say goodbye to Master Liu and then leave." Si Yao replied.

"Take care, and if you have the chance in the future, please come back to see me." Madam Liu reluctantly sent Si Yao out of the west courtyard and gave instructions.

Si Yao nodded in response and bowed respectfully again to say goodbye to Madam Liu.

After leaving the West Courtyard, Si Yao was about to go back to the South Courtyard to pack her luggage and then go to say goodbye to Liu Ziyang with Xiaolu. However, before she reached the South Courtyard, she heard a burst of noise coming from the front yard in the distance, and vaguely heard Xiaolu's shouting, so she hurried to find the sound.

At this time, a large group of people were standing in the front yard. The path was surrounded by several yamen runners with swords. The maids and servants in the mansion were also watching and whispering. Liu Ziyang stood under the eaves on the steps and watched coldly. Beside him stood Wu, the captain of the police from Xucheng, and the water steward of the Liu mansion.

"You are clearly framing me!" Xiaolu glared at Liu Ziyang under the eaves with an angry face and said through gritted teeth.

"False accusation? Then tell me how this white marble lion ended up in your room when it was originally placed in my young master's study?" Seeing the anger on Xiaolu's face, Liu Ziyang remained silent with a cold face. However, the plumber next to him snorted and asked seriously, pointing at the exquisitely carved white marble lion placed on the table beside the hall door.

"Yes, if I hadn't been more careful when cleaning the room, who would have thought that you are such a thief at such a young age!" Another servant from the Liu Mansion was standing at the bottom of the stairs. It was he who discovered the stolen goods when he was cleaning the room in the alley.

"Nonsense, I haven't even been into your master's study, how could I take the stolen goods?" Xiaolu was furious, but after all, he was only seventeen or eighteen years old and felt powerless when faced with being wronged.

"What are you still standing there for? Tie this little thief back to the county government office!" Liu Ziyang still had a sullen face, but a hint of pride flashed in his eyes. He nodded slightly to the captain of the police beside him, and the captain gave the order directly.

After receiving the order, several yamen runners rushed forward and pressed Xiaolu to the ground.

Xiaolu is skilled in martial arts, so it is not difficult for him to escape. However, he remembered that Siyao was still in Liu Mansion. In addition, Yan Zong listened to Siyao and did not let the secret guards Xiaobai and Xinnu follow them. From the current situation, it can be seen that the Xucheng government has been in cahoots with the Liu family. It is almost impossible for Xiaolu to take Siyao out of Xucheng. Therefore, before he can think of a better way, he can only continue to pretend to be a weak medicine boy and not easily expose his strength.

"Wait!" Just as Xiaolu was tied up and about to be taken away by the bailiffs, Si Yao appeared in time.

"Sister Si Yao!" Xiao Lu was happy to see Si Yao, but he couldn't help but worry again. He didn't want Sister Si Yao to act stubbornly at this time. Openly breaking up with Liu Ziyang would only annoy the other party.

"Si Yao..." Si Yao's sudden appearance also surprised Liu Ziyang. She was not kept by her mother. Although he was nervous, he also hurried down the stairs to greet her. He just opened his mouth but was coldly questioned by her:

"What does this mean, Master Liu?"

"Miss Si Yao, don't be angry. We are just handling official business. After all, your book boy is suspected of stealing in the Liu Mansion. The priceless white marble lion in my fourth young master's study suddenly appeared in Xiaolu's room for some reason. This is hard to explain, but he is your medicine boy after all, so we have to treat him with caution. We report to the police to find out the truth." Without waiting for Liu Ziyang to speak, the butler came up to Si Yao and smiled respectfully.

Now everyone in the Liu Mansion knows that Miss Si Yao is the young lady chosen by the Fourth Young Master. Steward Shui knows the Fourth Young Master's mind and methods very well, so naturally he has long respected her as the young lady.

"Sister Si Yao, I didn't steal. They framed me!" Xiao Lu, who was tied up by the yamen runners, continued to defend himself to Si Yao while struggling.

"Xiaolu would never steal. There must be a misunderstanding here." Si Yao frowned slightly and defended Xiaolu to Liu Ziyang.

She naturally believed Xiaolu, but she didn't understand why the Liu family wanted to frame Xiaolu? Was it because the servant had a personal grudge against Xiaolu or was it Liu Ziyang's instigation? But what was his purpose in doing this?

"I believe you, but this jade lion was indeed found in his room. How do you explain it?" Liu Ziyang sighed as he looked at Si Yao pretending to be embarrassed.

"Only stolen goods were found in the room, and no one saw Xiaolu stealing. If he is a suspect, then the witness who found the jade lion is also a suspect. Why don't you suspect that he secretly put the stolen goods into Xiaolu's room and then turned around to frame him?" Si Yao looked at the silent servant San'er with cold eyes and asked in a deep voice.

Si Yao's words made Liu Ziyang, the housekeeper, and the servant San'er all feel nervous. They did frame Xiaolu just as she had guessed.

"Miss Si...Miss Si Yao...how could you wrongly accuse me?" The first to speak was the servant San'er. He spread his hands helplessly and stammered in grievance.

Si Yao ignored the servant San'er and looked up at Liu Ziyang. What she wanted was a word from him.

"Don't worry, Si Yao. Bring them to the yamen and let the county magistrate personally interrogate them and we'll know who is innocent and who is the thief." Although Liu Ziyang felt guilty, he still smiled gently at Si Yao without changing his expression. Si Yao's cleverness deepened his fascination with her.

Seeing that Liu Ziyang was determined to let the bailiff take Xiaolu away, Si Yao had no choice. After all, there was a theft in the Liu Mansion, and the lost property happened to appear in Xiaolu's room. In any case, Xiaolu was the biggest suspect, and as the master of the house, Liu Ziyang had the right to report to the authorities and let them try the case.

"Sister Si Yao, there is a god above us. I am a man of integrity and I believe the government will not arbitrarily accuse a good person." Si Yao sighed helplessly and came to Xiaolu. When she was about to say something, Xiaolu smiled and comforted her.

Naturally, not only did he not believe these words of comfort, but even Si Yao did not believe them. The Liu family was a family of officials, and Madam Liu's eldest son was an official in the court. How could this small county magistrate of Xucheng, who was busy currying favor with the Liu family, be fair and selfless?