Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 553 Xue Pan is dead
"Aunt Zhao has really started to get cocky lately."

Wang Xifeng, who had fallen from grace, took a while to recover before she could speak.

"He would take Huan-ge'er around in front of the old lady all the time, as if no one knew what she was thinking."

I closed my eyes to rest along the forest path, gently touching the hills and ravines, and casually responded with "hmm."

In Lin Dao's eyes, the private feuds in the inner quarters of the Rongguo Mansion were like ants fighting in an anthill.

He genuinely didn't have the mood or the time to pay attention to the ants' activities.

"Are you stupid?"

Wang Xifeng climbed up and stared at Lin Dao face to face, saying, "Your family simply can't pay back the money you owe!"

"Isn't there collateral?"

Lin Daohun replied nonchalantly, "If you can't pay it back, the entire mansion and its inhabitants will be used to pay off the debt."

Wang Xifeng laughed at these words.

"who do you think You Are?"

"This is the Rongguo Mansion!"

"The old lady is a Lady of the highest rank."

"The master is a first-class general."

"Lord Zheng is an official appointed by the imperial court."

"Even that green-haired bastard has an official position."

"Do you really think that a mortgage document can solve everything?"

At this moment, Lin Dao finally opened his eyes.

His gaze was fixed on Wang Xifeng, his eyes filled with mockery.

Do you know what the sky is?

"you do not know!"

“I told you, I would use armed force to collect the debt.”

"You frogs in a well would never understand."

"Pah!" Wang Xifeng spat. "You're the frog, a three-legged toad!"

Lin Dao smiled and reached out to take a silver note.

Wang Xifeng's expression immediately changed.

"It really won't work~"

"There are too many things to do in the Grand View Garden, and everyone from top to bottom is chasing after me to make arrangements."

"I managed to squeeze out this time with great difficulty."

"We really have to leave now!"

“I’ll call Ping’er in and have her take over.”

There are many difficulties, but the difficulties are not those related to the forest road.

He didn't say anything, he just stuffed the silver note in.

Wang Xifeng's cries of "I really don't have time~ I have to go~" gradually faded away, replaced by...
Rongguo Mansion, Lixiangyuan.

"Grandma~ Grandma~"

Xiangling stumbled and bumped into the house, looking flustered.

Aunt Xue, who had just rested, frowned and got up.

"what happened again?!"

She has been extremely heartbroken and irritable these days.

Xue Pan lay in bed, crying out in pain every day.

Seeing her beloved son in such a miserable state, Aunt Xue almost cried herself blind.

After taking care of her all day, she had just lain down to rest when she started crying again.

"Grandma~"

Xiangling hurriedly shed tears, "This servant fed Master porridge earlier~"

"But after the old man drank the porridge, he started coughing up blood."

"What?!" Aunt Xue was struck dumb. "It's just porridge, how could you cough up blood?"

She hurriedly put on her clothes and staggered towards Xue Pan's room.

Xue Baochai, who had been asleep, was also awakened by the noise and rushed over.

Xue Pan's room was packed with people.

The room was filled with maids, servants, and concubines.

Blocked by the crowd, Xue Baochai could only listen to Aunt Xue's cries.

She shouted urgently, "Everyone out!"

"Mom, I'm going to find the old lady."

Hearing her daughter's cries, Aunt Xue, who was rushing to the bedside, hurriedly cried out, "Your brother is vomiting blood, why are you going to find outsiders?"

"mom!"

Xue Baochai turned and ran, urgently calling out, "Please summon the imperial physician!"

Their family was supposedly imperial merchants, but that's all that's left of their identity.

In reality, his status was only slightly higher than that of ordinary people.

There's no need to even think about hiring a royal physician for your own family.

The only option was to ask the Jia family to intervene and help summon the imperial physician.

Even in the most critical moments, Xue Baochai remained calm.

She hurriedly woke up Grandmother Jia, who had fallen asleep, and asked her to go to the Imperial Hospital to fetch a physician.

The reason for not seeking out Madam Wang was mainly because Madam Wang didn't have that much influence.

You should know that Grandmother Jia was a noblewoman of the highest rank, but what was Lady Wang?
Moreover, because of the beating Jia Baoyu received, Lady Wang was busy taking care of her bedridden son day and night.

Grandmother Jia was concerned about saving face, so she had no choice but to get up and arrange for someone to help.

He then went to visit Rika-in.

'The Jia family has really been going through a lot of trouble lately.'

Even the relatives who came to stay with us suffered bad luck along with us.

'Our ancestors, why do you not bless the Jia family?'

Looking at Xue Pan, who lay stiffly on the bed, barely breathing, with the bedding stained with blood, Grandmother Jia was filled with grief.

The imperial physician on night duty arrived quickly and rushed over to save the person.

He quickly walked to the bedside.

First, I looked closely, then I peeled back the eyelids, then I placed my fingers on the neck to feel the temperature and blood flow, and finally I took the pulse.

Then~
He got up, slung his first-aid kit over his shoulder, and prepared to leave.

This action left Aunt Xue and the others dumbfounded.

He hurriedly stopped the imperial physician, "Where are you going? You're here to save someone!"

"His pupils were dilated, and there was no pulse."

"Even my body is cold~"

“The person is already dead. I have no way to bring him back to life. Atone for my sins, atone for my sins.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue gurgled in her throat, rolled her eyes, and collapsed to the ground.

That's good, the imperial physician doesn't need to leave, he can provide on-site emergency care.

They were finally brought back to life, but the room was in complete chaos.

The living and the dead, masters and servants, the rescuers and the sick, men and women, all kinds of words intertwined, making a noise that was maddening.

In the end, it was only when Grandmother Jia smashed the teacup that everyone quieted down.

Clutching her chest, Grandmother Jia forced a smile and asked the imperial physician, "Imperial Physician, how did the person die?"

"Poisoning." The imperial physician was absolutely certain. "It's arsenic!"

"Hiss~~~"

Now things have gotten even worse.

Aunt Xue started crying and screaming again, and the Xue family members who rushed over after hearing the news all had splitting headaches.

"Ah~"

Grandmother Jia sighed helplessly, "Let's report it to the authorities."

The person died in the Rongguo Mansion, and the matter must be reported to the authorities to clear the Rongguo Mansion of suspicion.

Other things, I can't afford to worry about.

Chief Constable Qin entered the Rongguo Mansion, a prestigious and wealthy household, for the first time in his capacity as an investigator.

He led the coroner and others into the mansion through the west gate.

After walking several dozen steps, I arrived at the corner of the front yard.

Pass through the hanging flower gate, walk along the covered corridor, and pass through the through hall.

After passing a huge marble screen, we arrived at the front yard of the main house.

Along the way, there were carved corridors and painted beams, artificial hills and strange rocks, and exotic flowers and plants, which showed the grandeur of a high-class family.

One of the constables muttered, "This is even bigger than Shuntian Prefecture!"

By this time, all the maids had left, and male servants had taken their place.

Chief Constable Qin entered the main hall alone and paid his respects to General Jia She.

Jia She, using his influence to his advantage, spoke for a while and then ordered his men to take them to the Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

All the places along the way that could be covered were covered with curtains.

I didn't see a single maid; all I saw were old women.

A mourning hall has already been set up at Lixiangyuan.

The coroner's examination of the body concluded that the person had been poisoned with arsenic.

Next comes the interrogation.

When Xiangling was brought up, all the constables' eyes lit up.

They would never have the chance to see such a beautiful woman.

After all, beauties of this caliber are either in the imperial palace, in wealthy and powerful families, or at the very least in the homes of local gentry.

In ordinary people's homes, they would never even see them, let alone have any contact with them.

The constables clearly had other ideas.

According to custom, female prisoners were always the ones they were supposed to take advantage of first.

Chief Constable Qin, a man of great experience and knowledge, couldn't be bothered with these fools.

This world belongs to the wealthy and powerful.

The women in their household, even if they are just maids, are not to be touched by cattle or horses.

Xiangling was clearly terrified, stammering and repeatedly saying that she knew nothing, except that she had fed Xue Pan a bowl of porridge.

The porridge came from the small kitchen, but the person who cooked it that night was nowhere to be found.

In this way, things have reached a dead end.

Chief Constable Qin had little interest in investigating such cases.

The reason he came in person was not only because of the prefect's arrangement, but more importantly because he knew that the dead man had been crippled by Wei Xiaobao.

He clearly remembered that on that day, the young lady from a wealthy family pleaded for Xue Pan.

Chief Constable Qin's main purpose in coming here was to find relevant information.

If I could meet the young ladies of the Rongguo Mansion, that would be wonderful!
Unfortunately, there were no girls, but there were old women everywhere.

Even within Rikain, there are many areas where entry and exit are prohibited.

He didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.

He decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go to the toilet, sneak out over the wall, and search secretly.

Wei Xiaobao has become his obsession.

'This couldn't possibly have been done by Wei Xiaobao.'

'Looking at the rebels' past actions, although they are ruthless, they have always dealt with things directly.'

'Poisoning?'

'He wouldn't do something so despicable.'

Chief Constable Qin, who was secretly wandering around the Rongguo Mansion in an attempt to find out the true face of the young lady in the mansion, got lost along the way.

There was no way around it; the Rongguo Mansion was too big, and it was surrounded by high walls.

'Let me see you~'

'As soon as I see her face, I'll know if she's the girl next to Wei Xiaobao.'

Chief Constable Qin was extremely anxious.

The case of the traitor Wei Xiaobao has made no progress for a long time, and he is under unimaginable pressure.

If it weren't for the fact that they couldn't find anyone to take the blame, he would have been arrested and punished long ago.

As he was walking, something suddenly flew over and hit him squarely on the forehead.

"Ouch~"

Chief Constable Qin looked down and saw that it was a peach pit.

His face showed anger as he looked up and searched around.

There is no one around.

Soon, another peach pit flew over.

This time, Chief Constable Qin finally got to see the person.

On a rooftop not far away, Lin Dao, who was eating peaches, was waving and greeting him with a smile.

In an instant, Chief Constable Qin was struck dumb!
He risked his life to search for the traitor Wei Xiaobao.

Who would have thought that we would be facing this terrifying, godlike traitor head-on!

While I was lost in thought, I saw Lin Dao get up with a bag of peaches and walk straight down from the roof.

They floated down from the roof, which was about ten feet high, as if they were floating on air.

The landing was extremely easy.

He stepped forward and walked up to Chief Constable Qin, whose body was trembling slightly.

Lin asked curiously.

"Who are you looking for after wandering around for so long?"

Chief Constable Qin's throat bobbed, his heart brimming with words, yet he couldn't utter a single one.

"You don't seem to be here to see me."

Lin Dao tilted his head and said, "Oh~"

"You're here to see my junior sister."

He stepped forward and placed his hand on Chief Constable Qin's wrist, which was gripping the hilt of his knife.

Lin Dao's voice was deep and slightly magnetic.

"It's okay to provoke me, the worst that can happen is death."

"I rarely torment people."

"If you want to mess with my junior sister~"

"Then I'll let you truly experience what it means to wish you were dead!"

(End of this chapter)