When Xie Tingzhou arrived, the Marquise was also present.
Upon seeing Xie Tingzhou, her expression turned mournful as she pointed toward the chamber door and said, “Yun Zhou died so tragically, yet his wife refuses to even keep vigil. I know you are upright and kind-hearted, thinking I must be bullying her, but you don’t realize her heart has long left the Marquis Estate. Who knows if she’s even in her room right now—she might be off wandering who knows where. I can no longer control her.”
Every word she spoke was meant to defame, as if Ye Zhen were truly so despicable.
Over the years, she had deeply understood one principle: to make others believe, one must first believe it oneself—only then would words and actions reveal no flaws.
“It’s also my fault. I previously pitied her for the difficulties of widowhood and indulged her too much, allowing her to become this lawless. Even I, her mother-in-law, came personally to invite her, yet her door remains shut. Fine, if she refuses, then I, as her mother, will keep vigil for my poor Yun Zhou…”
Weeping and wailing, she departed.
But upon reaching a secluded spot, she summoned a guard and asked, “Are you certain she hasn’t left?”
She had already stationed people to secretly watch Ye Zhen’s room.
However, the deaths of Yun Zhou and Granny Feng truly perplexed her.
She had agreed to let Yun Zhou bring Chi Heng back to the estate, which tacitly acknowledged their private relationship.
Thus, Chi Heng would have no reason to kill Yun Zhou in a lovers’ suicide.
Yet the Ye family had also assured her that Ye Zhen had merely worked on the estate since childhood and was only slightly stronger than the average woman—incapable of killing both Chi Heng and Yun Zhou.
So who exactly had killed them?
The matter was utterly bizarre. Ye Zhen must have secrets unknown to her, or perhaps accomplices.
She had to keep a close watch.
The guard nodded firmly. “We haven’t dared slack off. Indeed, no one has left the room.”
The Marquise gritted her teeth and ordered, “Continue watching.”
Ye Zhen had truly grown bold, daring to keep her door shut.
So be it. When the County Magistrate brought his men tomorrow, Ye Zhen’s actions tonight would actually work in her favor.
She added another order, “Keep an eye on movements outside the estate. The moment the Marquis arrives, have the County Magistrate bring his men immediately.”
Over the years, she had never failed to accomplish what she set out to do—this matter would be no exception.
Meanwhile, Xie Tingzhou knocked on the door. “Taozhi, is Shaofuren alright?”
Taozhi was the maid left by Old Madam Wang.
Recognizing Xie Tingzhou’s voice, she hurried to open the door but was stopped by Wan Xing.
“Sister Taozhi, you heard it too—the Marquise is full of slander against my young lady. It’s the middle of the night, and the Heir is a man. If we open the door, it will only make things harder to explain and might even implicate the Heir.”
Then, addressing the person outside, she said, “Thank you for your concern, Heir. My young lady is injured and was frightened during the day. She truly dares not entangle further with the Marquise. We hope you will understand.”
Xie Tingzhou frowned. “Taozhi, go check on Shaofuren.”
Taozhi knew how highly her own Old Madam regarded Xie Tingzhou, so she obediently headed toward the inner room.
Wan Xing panicked inwardly and softly tried to stop her. “Sister Taozhi, you saw for yourself earlier that my young lady isn’t well. She just lay down to rest. If we disturb her, she’ll likely become agitated and unsettled again. Please, have pity on my young lady.”
Taozhi had indeed seen that Ye Zhen wasn’t in good condition earlier. Thus, when Ye Zhen drew the bed curtains and said she wanted to sleep, Taozhi had followed Wan Xing to the outer room without disturbing her.
Later, when the Marquise’s people came, Wan Xing refused to open the door. As a maid of the Wang family, Taozhi naturally wouldn’t interfere.
But now that the Heir had given an order, she had no choice but to comply. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
But Ye Zhen had long since slipped out through the window and was nowhere near the bed. How could Wan Xing dare to let Taozhi enter?
Amid the standoff, Taozhi sensed something amiss. “Are you stopping me? Is Shaofuren not in the room?”
The Marquise had tasked her with keeping an eye on the second Shaofuren. If she lost track of her, not only would she be unable to explain herself to the Marquise, but even the Marquise would struggle to justify it to Marquis Zhongyong.
At this thought, she disregarded Wan Xing’s attempts to block her.
Yet how could she match Wan Xing’s strength? As the two struggled, the door was kicked open with a bang.
Xie Tingzhou, tall and long-legged, strode into the inner chamber in just a few steps.
Wan Xing’s heart leaped into her throat. She immediately released Taozhi and rushed after Xie Tingzhou.
“Heir, you are the young lady’s elder brother-in-law. It is highly improper for you to barge into her room.”
Seeing her like this, Xie Tingzhou grew even more suspicious. He yanked aside the bed curtains.
Wan Xing’s legs went weak, nearly buckling beneath her.
Yet there lay her young lady, eyes open, staring at Xie Tingzhou.
Wan Xing discreetly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and hurried to the bedside.
“Young lady, you’re awake! Don’t be afraid. This servant will protect you with my life.”
Ye Zhen let out a soft hum, her gaze sorrowful. “Earlier today, I thought you and the Marquise were different.”
Ye Zhen’s presence in the room gave Xie Tingzhou a moment of surprise.
But Wan Xing’s panic had been unmistakable. Observing Ye Zhen’s flushed cheeks, he smiled meaningfully. “It seems to me, you’re not quite the same as you were earlier today either. Has your injury worsened? Are you running a fever?”
Or was it from rushing back in such a hurry?
No one, including Ye Zhen, expected him to suddenly pull back the quilt and seize her wrist.
Wan Xing’s legs weakened again.
Yet Ye Zhen remained composed. “Does elder brother also know medicine?” Her tone was faint and frail.
Her slender wrist was burning hot—she truly was feverish.
But if it were merely a fever, the maid wouldn’t have tried to stop them from entering.
Only then did Xie Tingzhou scrutinize her carefully. His phoenix eyes beneath the mask were sharp and perceptive, examining every nuance of Ye Zhen’s expression.
He smiled. “I know a little. My sister-in-law’s pulse is beating rather quickly.”
He didn’t care whether Ye Zhen observed the mourning rites, but he needed to determine if she was the person from the mountain. If she was, he had to extract all the information about the assassins from her.
Under his gaze, Ye Zhen felt as if needles were pricking her back.
She offered a mournful smile. “The Marquise insists I killed my husband and wants me dead. I admit I am afraid. Do you believe me, elder brother?”
As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed the front of Xie Tingzhou’s robe and pulled hard, causing him to collapse on top of her.
Ye Zhen bent her knee at just the right moment, pressing it directly against Xie Tingzhou’s injury.
Xie Tingzhou winced in pain, his eyes flashing with a sharp, murderous intent.
Ye Zhen acted as if she noticed nothing, closing her eyes to avoid his penetrating gaze.
She whispered weakly in his ear, “Since elder brother knows medicine, could you prescribe something to reduce my fever? I feel as if the heat has muddled my mind. It’s terribly uncomfortable.”
Xie Tingzhou pried her fingers loose. “Sister-in-law, you are indeed delirious from the fever.”
How dare she test him.
With little effort, Ye Zhen obediently released her grip.
She murmured, “Elder brother, remember to prescribe medicine for me. I haven’t had my fill of life yet.”
Then, she seemed to fall into a deep slumber.
Xie Tingzhou did not linger. He left a prescription for reducing fever with Taozhi and departed.
Wan Xing finally realized her young lady truly had a high fever.
But the young lady had just made a trip to the county town…
She hurriedly felt Ye Zhen’s forehead—it was frighteningly hot. Startled, she urgently asked Taozhi to fetch medicine for Ye Zhen from the Wang Family Estate.
The Marquis Estate’s own estate kept a supply of medicine.
When Taozhi saw Ye Zhen in the room, she assumed she had misunderstood the relationship between mistress and maid, feeling rather embarrassed, and immediately went to fetch medicine.
Only then did Ye Zhen slowly open her eyes.
“Miss, how are you feeling?”
“It’s nothing.”
It was probably caused by the dirty claws of that stray cat, combined with her emotional fluctuations since rebirth and two sleepless nights. “Some medicine will make it better.”
Wan Xing remained unconvinced while worrying about something else. “Miss, does the Heir suspect something?”
Ye Zhen gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.
But she had also discovered his secret.
There were few gazes in this world that could frighten her, yet Xie Tingzhou’s earlier expression reminded her of the Bearded Man.
That was why she had deliberately collided with his abdomen – and indeed found wounds there.
Xie Tingzhou was the bearded man from the mountains.
Though she had never met the Marquis Zhongyong’s Heir before, she had heard the Heir had half his face disfigured in his early years and had no choice but to wear a mask.
Although this man had a thick beard covering his face in the mountains, there were no scars on his face…