There was a deathly silence in the hall, and no one dared to make a sound.
Even Shen Qingrong, who had already risked his life, was frightened by Lu He's cruel and sinister expression.
Aunt Bai didn't dare to look at Lu He. She avoided her gaze with a guilty conscience and glanced to the side and back.
Because this matter was disgraceful, all the servants stayed outside the courtyard, and only a few close confidants of the Lu family were waiting in the hall.
The whipping just now caused the women who had previously held them to step aside, and no one was restraining them at this time.
"Tell me! Who is that man!" Lu He was still asking fiercely.
Aunt Bai gritted her teeth, suddenly stood up, rushed out of the hall at an extremely fast speed, and slammed into the lacquered red pillars.
When the servants reacted and chased after her, Aunt Bai fell to the ground. Bright red blood flowed from her bruised forehead and spread all over her face, which was dazzling and shocking.
"Drag him in!" Lu He was so angry that he almost breathed his last.
Several servants hurriedly carried Aunt Bai into the hall, and Lu Mingke ordered the doctor to come forward to check.
"Master Marquis, Aunt Bai is dead." After checking her breath, the doctor reported solemnly.
Lu He was furious. He raised his hand and waved away the tea cups on several tables, his face looking very scary.
The servants held their breath and concentrated, and stood with their heads bowed in fear.
Mrs. Lu was afraid that Lu He would lose his temper, so she carefully comforted Lu He.
Mrs. Lu was very happy that Aunt Bai was dead, but she didn't dare to show it at this time.
There is no man in the world who can tolerate the betrayal of the person next to him. It is even more unbearable for a man to commit suicide to protect his lover. It is simply a shame and a great humiliation.
Being both men and having similar experiences, Lu Mingke understood how Lu He felt.
Wrinkling his eyebrows, Lu Mingke asked Shen Qingrong: "Do you know who that person is?"
Shen Qingrong glanced at Aunt Bai who was lying next to her. Shen Qingrong was horrified when she saw Aunt Bai's eyes open and staring at her intently.
"I...I didn't see the face, I only saw...the back." Shen Qingrong stumbled.
"Where did you see it? What does it do?" Lu Hechen asked.
Shen Qingrong thought deeply and said: "The rockery near the side door of the backyard, two days before Xiyue Fuzhong's wedding banquet last year, many people delivered goods to the house, and he also came to Fuzhong to deliver goods."
Last year's Xiyue wedding banquet was when Lu Mingke married Su Rou.
At that time, everyone in the house was busy preparing for the wedding banquet, buying and delivering various goods to the house, and there were so many people coming and going that no one would pay attention to an aunt.
"What kind of goods are you sending?" Lu Mingke asked.
As long as you know what kind of goods are being sent, you can definitely find them if you continue to trace them.
Shen Qingrong shook his head: "I don't know."
The only clue was lost.
Lu Mingke looked at Lu He and saw that Lu He looked very unhappy. He pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "Father, go and have a rest. I will handle the rest."
Lu He was filled with deep anger. He looked at Shen Qingrong and said, "Lock her up and report an emergency."
Aunt Bai's secret meeting with her lover was certainly hateful, but Shen Qingrong didn't report it and used it as a threat to force Aunt Bai to murder him and drug Lu Mingke, which made him even more damnable.
Shen Qingrong did not scream or struggle. Firstly, she was beaten to the point of losing her strength. Secondly, she understood that the Lu family hated her deeply and were determined to kill her. No matter how much trouble they made, it would be in vain.
Shen Qingrong was escorted back to the courtyard. Lu Mingke followed him in and ordered people to guard outside the courtyard.
Shen Qingrong was confused, what else did he want to do?
"I'm curious, how did you poison your father?" Lu Mingke said quietly.
Shen Qingrong sneered and said with some pride: "Kouzhi."
Aphrodisiacs must be taken by mouth, but they are easily detected in tea and snacks. So they mixed the medicine into the lipstick and asked Aunt Bai to apply it on their lips.
In this way, Lu He could willingly take poison without leaving any traces.
After hearing this, Lu Mingke said with a sarcastic smile: "It's a good trick, but I underestimated you."
Shen Qingrong was noncommittal and looked at Lu Mingke with complicated eyes.
Lu Mingke looked at her for a moment and whispered, "You know who that man is."
Not a question, but an affirmation.
After all, they have been sleeping together for many years and know each other somewhat. From Shen Qingrong's previous reaction, Lu Mingke concluded that she knew.
There was a trace of panic on Shen Qingrong's face, and she pretended to be calm and said, "I don't know."
The image of Aunt Bai's tragic death lingered in her mind, and Shen Qingrong couldn't help but shudder when she thought of it.
She knew that the reason why Aunt Bai protected her lover was not because of an affair, but because the man was innocent and should not be implicated and died.
They just met once and didn't do anything else out of bounds. If she hadn't been forced, Aunt Bai would not have come to this point.
This is what she owes Aunt Bai. If she can't live anymore, she should keep this secret in her stomach.
Lu Mingke stared at Shen Qingrong for a long time. Shen Qingrong's whole body became hairy at first glance. She was afraid that when he would use any means to force him to question, Lu Mingke suddenly turned around and walked away.
It doesn't mean much to have one more person die and one less person die. Lu Mingke didn't want to get into it. I was in the main courtyard just now just to give Lu He an explanation so that he would give up.
Lu He was furious at the moment and wanted to find someone to vent his anger. After a few days when he calmed down, he might regret it.
How could a county governor and a dignified marquis kill innocent people indiscriminately out of personal anger? If this were known to others, they would be criticized and criticized.
Lu Mingke didn't want Lu He to bear this stain, so he simply stopped asking further questions and left the matter behind.
The strong sunshine at noon made Shen Qingrong feel dizzy. She looked at the back of Lu Mingke who was determined to leave, knowing that she wouldn't live long, so she said anxiously: "Don't blame Xingyuan, he doesn't know anything."
Lu Mingke paused slightly and said without looking back: "If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place?"
After saying this, Lu Mingke walked away quickly.
Shen Qingrong looked at the slowly closing courtyard door, saw Lu Mingke's figure being isolated and disappeared, and fell to the ground in despair, crying silently.
She looked up at the sky, her eyes narrowed by the glare of the sun, and her mind flashed back to six years ago, when she was still unmarried in Beijing.
How wonderful it would be if I didn't marry far away and came to Pingyang, and still had my mother and brothers to rely on.
It's like now, even if he is about to die, he won't be able to see his family for the last time, and he won't be able to ask them to take care of Lu Xingyuan.
Shen Qingrong felt regret and hatred, and was filled with grief.
In the afternoon, Jiang Shu waited in the guest house until she almost fell asleep, when Su Rou came to look for her.
The two went to the observation tower to enjoy the scenery and chat. Jiang Shu noticed that Su Rou was absent-minded and always distracted, as if she had something on her mind but couldn't tell her.
Jiang Shu stopped talking and said, "If you are tired, go back and rest."
Su Rou pursed her lips and frowned slightly: "But the princess will leave tomorrow."
Su Rou was really not in the mood to chat at the moment, but she didn't want to leave Jiang Shu.
Seeing through her thoughts, Jiang Shu smiled, patted her hand and said, "It's okay, we can communicate."
The relationship between close friends does not depend on how many times we meet, and the same is true for communicating through correspondence.
"Okay." Su Rou agreed and sent Jiang Shu back to the guest house.
Yu Zheng was making arrangements with Lu Mingke for tomorrow's departure. Jiang Shu had nothing to do, so he continued to pack his luggage.
Watching Leng Xing separate and organize her and Yu Zheng's belongings, Jiang Shu felt depressed and extremely reluctant to let go.
He went to the southwest and his return date was uncertain. Yu Zheng didn't know when he would be able to return to Beijing.
Moreover, the battlefield is dangerous and life and death are unpredictable...
The more Jiang Shu thought about it, the heavier her mood became. Finally, she made a decision.
