Meanwhile, Su Hua, accompanied by Yun Shuang, boarded the carriage back to the mansion.
Inside the carriage, Yun Shuang huffed indignantly. “Zhu Gui’s death… it was sudden and natural. Even the Guardian Elder of Yaowang Pavilion personally verified it. I don’t understand why the Old Madam still insists on having you come back. Could it be… she wants to use this to bring misfortune upon you?”
“You were just enjoying a pleasant stroll with Prince Mo, talking and laughing—what a nice atmosphere! And they had to ruin it. It’s infuriating!” Yun Shuang’s words became more animated as her anger grew.
Su Hua glanced at Yun Shuang’s expression.
If she hadn’t heard the latter’s last remark, she might not have realized what truly annoyed her maid.
A faint twitch appeared at the corner of her lips as she said calmly, “The other day, when you and Madam Xia worried so much after learning that Su Xuan and the others were scheming behind my back—after I was rejected by Prince Jing and then betrothed to Prince Mo—didn’t you two fret endlessly?”
Yun Shuang’s face flushed slightly with guilt. She murmured, “Miss, Madam Xia and I worried because of the Prince’s legs. If Prince Mo’s legs were healthy, we thought that you and the Prince would be a perfect match made by heaven.”
“Just now at Yaowang Pavilion, Prince Mo protected you and spoke to you with courtesy and respect. He trusts you. Setting aside his disability, he is truly remarkable. Honestly, I think he’s a hundred, even a thousand times better than that certain someone before.”
‘That certain someone’—she didn’t even dare speak a name. Su Hua couldn’t help but smile slightly; Yun Shuang certainly had a way with words.
Yun Shuang shifted closer to her mistress, lowering her voice even further. “Miss, just now I heard you tell Prince Mo that you have a method… to heal his legs. Is it true? I’ve heard that even the finest physicians in the land cannot cure him.”
Su Hua looked at Yun Shuang. Earlier, when she spoke with Mo Qian, she had controlled her voice so that only he could hear over the bustling streets.
Although Yun Shuang and the Prince’s guard Liu Ying followed behind, they kept a distance. If Liu Ying, trained in martial arts, could roughly catch the conversation from afar, Yun Shuang’s ears were far sharper.
“Quite the ears you have,” Su Hua said with a smile. “There is indeed a way—but it requires a proper diagnosis first, then treatment tailored to the condition.”
Yun Shuang hadn’t listened to the rest; she only reacted when Su Hua complimented her hearing. She immediately knelt at her mistress’s side. “Miss, I was not eavesdropping on your conversation with Prince Mo.”
Su Hua helped her up. “You silly girl, I was praising you.”
Yun Shuang explained softly, “I’ve had sharp hearing since I was little. If I concentrate, I can hear even the smallest details, so…”
“Don’t explain. I wasn’t upset. And stop kneeling at every little thing,” Su Hua said.
Yun Shuang nodded seriously. “Miss, don’t worry. My lips are sealed. I will never speak out of turn.”
Su Hua, confident in the loyalty of both Yun Shuang and Madam Xia, smiled faintly and patted Yun Shuang’s shoulder. “Good hearing is a virtue.”
Yun Shuang pressed further. “Miss, you really can heal Prince Mo’s legs, right?”
Su Hua arched an eyebrow. “Do you believe me if I say yes?”
“Miss says yes, so it must be true,” Yun Shuang replied without hesitation.
Su Hua smiled faintly, saying no more.
Before long, the carriage had arrived at the main gate of the Prime Minister’s residence.
Yun Shuang helped her mistress down, and they entered—not to the Old Madam’s Fuxi Hall, but to Zhu Shi’s Jinhua Pavilion.
Upon entering, Su Hua saw the body under the white cloth—obviously Zhu Gui.
She didn’t even glance at him and simply approached the Old Madam and Su Bingyan, bowing politely.
Before she could speak, Zhu Shi’s accusatory voice rang out.
“Su Hua! My brother was always healthy. How is it that today, upon meeting you at Yaowang Pavilion, after just a few words, he suddenly drops dead?”
Su Hua sneered coldly. “The Guardian Elder of Yaowang Pavilion personally verified it and provided a statement. And you still ask me? I’m not sure whether to think you are brainless or deaf.”
Su Bingyan interjected. “Hua’er, your stepmother only wishes to ask about the situation. This is hardly a matter requiring disrespect.”
Su Hua fixed her father with a sharp gaze. “Father, you are the Prime Minister, first among ministers, a man under no one yet above all others. Something so clear… do I really need to explain it to you? Or do you doubt the Yaowang Pavilion, insisting on pinning a murder accusation on your own daughter?”
Su Bingyan frowned slightly. “I never meant that.”
Su Hua sneered. “Good, Father. If others start thinking such things, it might tarnish your reputation.”
The Old Madam’s face was solemn. Zhu Gui’s death was indeed unusual, but even the Guardian Elder had publicly confirmed the circumstances. No other physician or coroner could overturn his statement.
“Enough. Zhu Gui is your stepmother’s brother. She is simply worried and overstepped her bounds. Just send him back to the Zhu family for burial.”
“Yes, Old Madam,” Zhu Shi replied obediently.
Zhu Shi noticed the Old Madam’s subtle gesture. Even if she didn’t fully believe Su Hua was innocent, she had to stop here—the Old Madam’s signal was clear: deal with it later.
Su Hua, noting the expressions of both the Old Madam and Zhu Shi, said coldly, “Grandmother, to speak frankly… Zhu Gui’s death is hardly a tragedy. Returning him to the Zhu family for burial, instead of tossing his body in the street for them to claim, is already being extremely kind on our part.”
‘Toss his body in the street?’
The words sent a shock through everyone present.
The Old Madam furrowed her brows, her voice stern. “The dead deserve respect. Even if you disdain your stepmother’s family, by familial principles you cannot ignore this. How can you speak such morally depraved words?”
Zhu Shi’s anger flared. “Old Madam speaks rightly. How can someone so young have such a cruel mind?”
“Cruel?” Su Hua said disdainfully. “It seems Grandmother and Father do not fully understand the facts.”
She calmly explained how Zhu Gui had secretly colluded with Zhou Xun, embezzled several debts from Jisheng Herbal Shop, and caused a batch of herbs to be withheld—then added that Zhou Xun had been dismissed, imprisoned, and awaited punishment by the Yaowang Pavilion.
One by one, the faces of those present darkened, especially Zhu Shi’s.