“Ah—” Shen Wencong sighed, grabbing the Imperial Physician’s arm with such force that he nearly dragged him. “What unfortunate timing. Xi’er just told me my niece left early this morning to offer incense and pray for her father and brother at the temple.”
“Making you come all this way for nothing is truly inexcusable. Perhaps… you could return first? When my niece comes back, I’ll personally visit the Imperial Hospital to request your services.”
“This…” The Imperial Physician looked troubled. After all, the Emperor himself had sent him, and returning empty-handed would make it difficult to report back. “Then I shall wait here in the residence.”
“Very well. This way, Physician. Please have a seat and enjoy some tea.” Shen Wencong led the physician in another direction, shooting Shen Qingxi a meaningful glance before leaving.
Shen Qingxi understood immediately. She turned and sprinted toward Shi Fang Courtyard.
Shen Wushi was pacing outside the courtyard gate like an ant on a hot pan. Seeing her daughter rushing over, she urgently grabbed her and asked, “What happened? Where’s your father?”
“Mother!” Shen Qingxi gasped for breath, her voice trembling. “The… the Imperial Physician is here! Father is stalling him! He told us to clean up inside immediately!”
Shen Wushi’s vision darkened, and she nearly collapsed, but was caught by Shen Qingxi’s personal maid, Chuntao.
Steadying herself, a look of determination flashed in her eyes. “Quick! Open the courtyard gate!”
Once the three of them entered Shi Fang Courtyard, they immediately bolted the gate behind them. The courtyard was eerily silent. In the central clearing, the white cloth covering a human-shaped outline was particularly glaring.
“This must be that maid Xia Zao having tidied up Shen Qingwu’s corpse,” Shen Qingxi said, forcing herself to stay calm. She glanced around and called out in a hushed voice, “Xia Zao? Xia Zao!”
Only the cold wind whistling through the courtyard answered her.
“Where has that wretched girl run off to!” She stamped her foot in anger, cursing under her breath. “Just wait until this is over. I’ll skin her alive!”
Shen Wushi pressed a hand against her pounding chest, staring at the corpse with a mix of panic and excitement.
If they could cover this up, their formation would be complete.
“Forget about her!” She pulled her daughter close, her voice urgent. “You used to live here; you know this courtyard well. Think quickly—where can we hide it?”
Dragging a corpse out in broad daylight was too risky, especially with the Imperial Physician still in the residence.
Shen Qingxi’s eyes darted around frantically until she suddenly remembered. “The dry well! There’s an abandoned well in the backyard!”
“There! Chuntao, quickly drag it over!” Shen Wushi ordered immediately.
“Y-yes, Madam!” Chuntao, her face pale, approached trembling.
Not everyone in the world could achieve Qi Induction by age six. Those like Chuntao, who couldn’t cultivate, were considered waste. Many servants were like her.
Without any cultivation, she could only grit her teeth, grab the arm under the white cloth, and pull with all her might.
The corpse was unusually heavy. As she dragged it, the white cloth ripped and slipped off with a tear—
“Ah—!” Chuntao was met face-to-face with a bluish-purple, festering countenance covered in pus-filled blotches! The eyes bulged grotesquely, the face so decayed it was almost unrecognizable!
But the familiar clothing was unmistakably what the eldest young miss had worn when she returned to the residence yesterday.
Terrified out of her wits, she screamed, let go, and fell backward onto the ground.
The horrifying sight also made Shen Wushi and Shen Qingxi gasp sharply, stumbling back several steps.
Shen Qingxi stared intently. This was exactly the gruesome effect of her snake venom!
Although that snake venom was lethal, its onset was slow. Anyone with even a bit of cultivation could expel the poison in time. But for a waste like Shen Qingwu, it was utterly fatal.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed her heart, only to be immediately drowned by greater fear. She lifted her foot and kicked Chuntao: “Useless thing! Why haven’t you covered it up and dragged it away yet?”
Chuntao scrambled up, hastily wrapping the corpse tightly with white cloth before continuing to drag it away.
Shen Wushi and Shen Qingxi followed step by step.
Only after personally watching Chuntao throw the corpse into the dry well did they feel as if drained of strength, their backs already soaked through with cold sweat.
“It’s fine now… it must be fine…” Shen Qingxi clutched her mother’s arm tightly, her voice trembling, unsure whether she was comforting the other or convincing herself. “The Imperial Physician can’t search the estate if he doesn’t see anyone… We just need to get through this, and then… then we’ll think of something…”
Shen Wushi forced composure, patting her daughter’s hand, though her eyes concealed the same terror: “Quick, check every corner of Shi Fang Courtyard again. We must not leave any traces!”
…
In the main hall, Shen Wencong was anxiously dealing with the Imperial Physician, feeling as if sitting on pins and needles.
“The trip to the temple takes a full day there and back. The Imperial Physician came right after court and surely hasn’t had proper rest yet.” Shen Wushi maintained a smiling face, her gaze frequently darting toward the doorway.
The Imperial Physician leisurely sipped his third cup of tea: “After all, this is His Majesty’s decree. I truly cannot report back without seeing Eldest Miss Shen.”
“Grand Princess’s people already examined her yesterday and found nothing seriously wrong. Actually, you could just report it as such.” Shen Wushi’s voice suddenly sounded at the doorway. She entered with dignified smiles, accompanied by Shen Qingxi, and gave Shen Wencong a slight nod.
They had already cleaned everything up.
Shen Wencong instantly seemed to have a thousand-pound weight lifted from his shoulders. After his wife and daughter sat down, he sighed toward the Imperial Physician, “This child has grown up without parental discipline. I was afraid she might offend you, Imperial Physician.”
The Imperial Physician merely smiled without responding. No matter how ill-mannered this Eldest Miss Shen might be, she remained the only bloodline left in this world by Yongyi Hou. As long as she didn’t commit major offenses, the Emperor would surely ensure her lifelong prosperity.
Recalling the recent turmoil, Shen Wencong couldn’t help but complain: “Imperial Physician must have heard about Shen Qingwu’s vulgar behavior in public yesterday. After returning to the estate, she became even more deranged, nearly reducing the Marquis Estate to ashes!” He rubbed his temples, appearing utterly exhausted. “We elders can neither beat nor scold her – it’s truly worrying us to death!”
“Well…” The Imperial Physician thought about how he’d heard that Shen Wencong had his own daughter impersonate Shen Qingwu to marry the Fourth Prince while disowning his niece, and secretly frowned.
Just as Shen Wencong’s lament hadn’t faded and Shen Wushi’s smile hadn’t vanished—
A soft yet crystal-clear voice, accompanied by several weak coughs, drifted eerily from outside the door:
“Ahem… It seems your niece has been troublesome, causing Second Uncle and Second Aunt… so much trouble.”
The familiar voice made the three members of the second branch stiffen simultaneously. They all turned toward the doorway, their faces revealing expressions as if they’d seen a ghost.