freenovelworld Chapter 382 The Second Prince's Residence Was Ransacked
Chapter 382 The Second Prince's Residence Was Ransacked
Everyone in the household kept quiet about what happened that night, only knowing that the old lady had fallen ill from the stress and that Aunt Shen had been sent to the estate to recuperate.
The sixth young lady, Lu Sha, sat blankly on the veranda all day, clutching a faded rag doll. She didn't even respond when the maids called to her, only occasionally calling out, "Auntie, Auntie..."
A draft swept through the empty room, and the window frames creaked, sounding like someone sobbing.
-
To Yuan Wanru's dismay, Zhou Fang gave her a thousand taels of silver the very next day.
Zhou Fang led her people cautiously to Lingshui Residence.
Having eliminated the spies in the mansion, Yuan Wanru was in a rare good mood. She was pruning flowers in the courtyard when Zhou Fang arrived. She strode forward and said, "Wanru, your second aunt wants to see you."
Seeing her tense expression, Yuan Wanru thought something serious had happened. But when she got inside, she saw her take the box from the servant, open it, and place it on the table.
"Wanru..." Zhou Fang rubbed her hands, her smile more like a grimace, "Second Aunt has a thousand taels of silver here..."
Yuan Wanru looked at her suspiciously, "Second Aunt, what's going on...?"
"Jiang Xun is getting engaged, and he's short on cash..."
Zhou Fang stammered, her eyes darting around, "Keep it for now, and wait until your second aunt has more money..."
Seeing Zhou Fang's trembling appearance, like a mouse seeing a cat, Yuan Wanru was both amused and exasperated: "Second Aunt, are you still dreaming from last night? Why would you send me money for no reason?"
Zhou Fang shuddered upon hearing this, recalling Yuan Wanru's decisive and ruthless demeanor from the previous night, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.
She swallowed hard, her voice growing softer and softer: "Well, back then, Second Aunt was confused and didn't know that the old lady's coma was Liang Yusong's scheme, which is why she fell for Qianfangshu's trick and came to our mansion."
"Second Aunt really wasn't targeting you. Second Aunt knows she was wrong."
"Don't be angry, and don't take it to heart."
Settling scores later is even more terrifying.
Yuan Wanru raised an eyebrow. Did this second aunt think of her as a vengeful ghost?
Judging by this, even the sparrows in her yard would probably have to fly away.
"Second Aunt," Yuan Wanru pushed the box back, deliberately drawing out her words, "Well, I'm..."
Zhou Fang immediately perked up her ears, just like a young child in a school waiting for the teacher to give him a lecture.
"Although she holds grudges..." Yuan Wanru slowly sipped her tea, "she wouldn't go so far as to attack anyone she sees."
She suddenly leaned closer, startling Zhou Fang so much that she stumbled. "As long as Second Aunt behaves herself from now on..."
“I’ll definitely behave!” Zhou Fang nodded vigorously. “From now on, Second Aunt, I’ll follow Wanru wherever she goes. If you say go east, I’ll never go west! If you say beat the dog, I’ll never chase the chicken!”
Yuan Wanru couldn't help but chuckle; this second aunt was quite a character.
"You did offend me before, but in the end, we're family. As long as you don't cross my line, I won't really do anything to you."
"Take this silver back. Let bygones be bygones."
Zhou Fang, clutching the box, left Lingshui Residence in a daze.
Suddenly, I realized that Yuan Wanru wasn't obsessed with money after all; she actually didn't want her money.
It's actually pretty good.
-
The fact that the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion lost a concubine and that the old lady was ill meant that such events would not cause much of a stir in the capital.
One day, the Second Prince's residence was raided!
This is truly a momentous event.
Just after the dawn gong sounded and the morning mist had not yet dissipated, a troop of Xuanjia Imperial Guards arrived, their iron boots clattering on the bluestone slabs, startling the sparrows under the eaves.
"Surround it!"
At the commander's order, hundreds of imperial guards surged toward various parts of the mansion like a tidal wave. Their iron armor gleamed coldly in the morning light, and the clanging of sword sheaths filled the air.
"By imperial decree, seize the property!" The commander held up the bright yellow imperial edict, his voice booming like a bell, "Second Prince Murong Xiao has colluded with the Liang family in a treasonous plot; arrest and interrogate him immediately!"
The mansion erupted in chaos. The screams of the head maid, the hurried footsteps of the maids, and the clatter of porcelain hitting the ground were particularly jarring at dawn.
Several clever servants tried to slip away through the side gate, but were caught red-handed by the imperial guards who had been lying in ambush.
The Second Prince's Consort rushed into the bedchamber barefoot, not even having time to put on her outer robe. Her hair was disheveled, and her gold hairpins were askew; she had no semblance of the dignity expected of a prince's consort.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, wake up!" She shook Murong Xiao desperately on the bed, "The Imperial Guards...the Imperial Guards have come to raid the mansion!"
Murong Xiao sat bolt upright, the brocade quilt slipping to the floor: "Nonsense!"
Veins bulged on his forehead. "Why would the Imperial Guards come out of nowhere?"
"Who's leading this team? I want to know who gave them the audacity to disobey their superiors!"
The Second Prince's wife is going crazy with worry.
She felt that something was wrong, that nothing was right!
Recently, they haven't been able to get anything done, so the Second Prince's wife sensed something was wrong.
Unfortunately, the Second Prince had long lost his mind because of his impotence. He acted without thinking and became estranged from her. The couple no longer had any intimate discussions. She had no idea what he was busy with!
Sure enough, something bad happened.
“At a time like this, you’re still saying these things.”
Before he could finish speaking, the sound of armor clashing came from outside.
The Second Prince's wife's face turned ashen: "The Imperial Guards have already stormed into the inner courtyard, could it be that someone would dare to forge an imperial edict?"
"Wake up!"
The second prince heard her words and also heard the commotion outside.
He raised his hand and slapped the Second Prince's wife across the face: "You're the one who needs to wake up. Shut your mouth and don't talk nonsense."
"Remember, we have never plotted a rebellion!"
"We are innocent."
The Second Prince's wife covered her face, her eyes filled with unfathomable sorrow.
Once the imperial edict is issued, how could it be without solid evidence?
Her husband was still indulging in pipe dreams.
Looking at the mess on the ground, she seemed to see the bright yellow that belonged to the prince on the vermilion palace wall fading.
The Second Prince's wife's heart sank to the bottom.
She thought that they probably had no chance of turning things around.
The palace doors were kicked open with a thud, and the commander of the Imperial Guards stood with his hand on his sword: "Your Highness, please."
-
"Madam!" Liu Yan rushed into the bedroom. "Madam, wake up! Something terrible has happened."
Yuan Wanru was half asleep when she was startled awake by Liu Yan's panicked tone: "What's wrong?"
Liu Yan swallowed hard, both surprised and delighted, and said, "Xuanying is outside. He said the Second Prince's residence has been raided! The charge is treason!"
"Also, the Liang family's residence next door was also raided."
Yuan Wanru instantly regained her senses.
She sat up, looked towards the palace, and smiled slightly: "Finally... it has begun."
However, remembering something, he immediately got up and dressed: "Let Xuan Ying see me, I have something to ask him."
Xuan Ying entered the hall, where Yuan Wanru was already dressed: "The people from the eldest branch of the Liang family are undoubtedly dead, but what did the Crown Prince say about the people from the second branch of the Liang family?"
Xuan Ying cupped his hands in greeting: "Madam, rest assured, the people who came to search the Liang family were quite polite, and the second branch of the Liang family did not suffer any punishment."
"The Crown Prince said he would plead on behalf of the second branch of the Liang family before the Emperor."
"The Duke of Wei has been traveling outside the capital for a long time; it's time for him to return."
Yuan Wanru breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, we must protect the people of the second branch of the Liang family. The death-exemption token in the hands of the Duke of Wei will always come in handy."