ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 123

“Someone’s dead!”

After that shout, the discussions outside instantly grew louder. The crowd was noisy, and someone asked, “Who died?”

“I don’t know, it seems to be in the private room up front.”

“Let’s go see.”

“In the Calling Moon Pavilion, just now Brother Liu pa.s.sed by and said he heard some strange noises from inside…”

The Calling Moon Pavilion?

Li Zhizhi was slightly stunned. Yang Shen suddenly looked at her and blurted out, “Wasn’t that the pavilion the restaurant staff just asked the Princess to go to?”

Hearing this, the Grand Princess immediately frowned and asked Li Zhizhi, “What exactly is going on?”

Li Zhizhi replied, “When I was returning with Brother Shen, we ran into a restaurant staff member who said Cousin Song asked me to go to the Calling Moon Pavilion for a chat. But I was thinking of coming back to see you, so I declined.”

“Cousin Song?” The Grand Princess thought for a moment before recalling someone by that name. “What did he want you to go for?”

Li Zhizhi shook her head. Not long after, a servant who had gone to investigate returned and reported, “There was an incident in the Calling Moon Pavilion. A man named Song Lingyun died. From what people nearby are saying, it looks like…”

He hesitated, and Yang Jun couldn’t help but urge, “Looks like what?”

The servant’s expression became difficult to describe. He hesitated before saying, “People are saying it looks like he died from ‘wind of the horse’ (a euphemism for a sudden death during s.e.xual intercourse). And I saw a girl in the room, disheveled. It seems to be true…”

Before he could finish, Li Zhizhi heard a familiar voice outside, faintly like Su Tangyu, speaking with someone. Yang Shen immediately stood up and opened the door, and sure enough, it was Su Tangyu and her siblings, who appeared to be pa.s.sing by. Su Tangyu happened to glance over.

“Young Master Yang, Zhizhi!”

Li Zhizhi quickly asked, “Where are you headed?”

Su Tangyu smiled and replied, “We were just about to head back when we heard something happened up ahead?”

Li Zhizhi opened her mouth, unsure whether to tell her that the deceased was Song Lingyun. Yang Shen remained silent, but Yang Jun spoke up with a smile, “Seems like someone died. You girls better not go look; you’ll have nightmares at night.”

Upon hearing this, Su Tangyu’s face indeed showed a hint of fear, and she shook her head, saying, “I won’t look.”

She then turned to her elder brother and said, “Let’s avoid that area, shall we?”

At that moment, a servant rushed over, out of breath, saying, “Young Master, Miss, something has happened. Cousin Miss, she’s… she’s in that room…”

“Which room?” Su Tangyu asked casually, but her face quickly changed, and she exclaimed in shock, “It can’t be… the room where someone died, right?”

With these words, the Su family members’ faces all changed, and they immediately headed in the direction of the Calling Moon Pavilion. Yang Shen quickly followed. Seeing the situation, Yang Jun pulled Li Zhizhi along and said, “Let’s go take a look.”

People are naturally drawn to commotion. By the time Li Zhizhi and the Su family group arrived at the Calling Moon Pavilion, the entrance was already packed, with people craning their necks to peer inside, all abuzz with discussion. Some bold individuals had even gone inside the private room.

“Is there really a dead body?”

“No kidding, the bed’s covered in blood, and the guy hasn’t moved at all…”

“I heard there was a woman in there too? Why haven’t we seen her?”

“Look, hiding under the table, not even dressed yet. Tsk tsk tsk, really a case of dying under a peony, and still being called a romantic even as a ghost…”

The faces of the people from the Su household turned green when they heard this, for the woman in that room was none other than Jiang Ziyu. She was probably frightened and was hiding under the table, disheveled, crying and trembling. Some bystanders even craned their necks to get a look at her face.

Su Tangyu widened her eyes in disbelief, speechless for a long time. Suddenly, a hand reached over and covered her eyes, shielding her from the disgraceful scene. The person said softly, “Don’t look.”

It was Yang Shen. Su Tangyu stood frozen in place for a moment before finally responding, nodding slightly. Yang Shen took her hand and led her a few steps back from the crowd.

Li Zhizhi looked at Su Tangyu with some concern and asked, “Are you… okay?”

Su Tangyu exhaled softly and shook her head. “I’m fine. I just didn’t expect… didn’t expect it to be him.”

She frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “Jiang Ziyu is also involved. This is trouble.”

The Su household couldn’t just leave Jiang Ziyu to her fate. But with so many eyes on her, if anyone saw her face, her reputation would be completely ruined.

The eldest daughter of the Su family cursed quietly beside her, “She deserves it, brought it on herself.”

…

The commotion outside was so loud that the news quickly reached Xiao Wen’s ears. Surprised, he asked, “Song Lingyun is dead?”

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sharp sound nearby. It turned out that Li Suwan had accidentally dropped her wine cup. Her delicate face turned pale, shock evident in her eyes. Seeing everyone looking at her, she stammered, “I-I slipped. Please forgive me, Your Highness…”

Xiao Wen frowned but said nothing. It was Xiao Man who suddenly reminded her, “Your collar is wet, go wipe it off.”

Li Suwan looked down and saw that her clothes were indeed wet. She quickly covered her chest with her hand, stood up, apologized to Xiao Wen, and left the private room. Shortly after, Xiao Man also came out. Li Suwan hurriedly asked, “County Princess, didn’t you say—”

Xiao Man gestured for silence, and Li Suwan immediately stopped talking, but the panic and anxiety on her face were clear as day.

Xiao Man looked at her and asked calmly, “How did you arrange things earlier?”

“I followed your instructions,” Li Suwan quickly whispered. “I asked my cousin Song for help. When he heard that he could scheme against that wretched woman, he didn’t refuse. B-but how did he end up dead?”

At this point, she suddenly recalled something Xiao Man had once said. Her face changed drastically, and she stepped back in fear, eyes wide. “It was the drug you gave…”

“Shut up,” Xiao Man glanced at her coldly and asked in a low voice, “Who else saw you meeting Song Lingyun?”

Li Suwan thought for a moment and said, “His servant boy and my maid Hongzhu.”

“You’re truly foolish,” Xiao Man scolded coldly. “Why didn’t you just go announce it to the whole world? Now, if anyone investigates, they’ll trace it straight to you.”

Upon hearing this, Li Suwan’s face turned even grayer. In panic, she grabbed Xiao Man’s sleeve and begged anxiously, “What should I do? County Princess, please save me! His death has nothing to do with me. I only gave him a bottle of aphrodisiac…”

Seeing her in such a helpless state, Xiao Man grew impatient. After a brief thought, she said, “Leave now. I’ll think of a way to handle this for you.”

Li Suwan asked nervously, “Will that… work?”

Xiao Man shot her a glance and said indifferently, “If you don’t leave now, once the authorities arrive, you won’t be able to leave.”

Li Suwan tried to defend herself, “But I didn’t kill him…”

Xiao Man raised her eyebrows slightly. “Then go tell that to the authorities.”

Li Suwan subconsciously shook her head. She bit her lower lip tightly, watching the expression on the other’s face, trying her best to suppress the unease and tension in her heart, and said, “County Princess, you must help me.”

Xiao Man, slightly impatient, snapped, “You and I are in the same boat now. If I don’t help you, who else would I help?”

Only then did Li Suwan calm down a little. After hesitating for a moment, she decisively turned around and disappeared into the night.

Xiao Man stood for a while longer when a person dressed as a servant approached, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “Only Song Lingyun is dead. The person in the private room is Miss Jiang Ziyu from the Su family, and she’s still alive.”

Xiao Man was startled, her gaze becoming sharp. “What about Li Zhizhi?”

The servant gently shook his head. Xiao Man’s lips twitched, and she cursed softly, “Useless!”

At that moment, a piercing cry came from the direction of the Hu Yue Pavilion. The noise was loud, as if a dispute had broken out. The Song family had already rushed over upon hearing the news.

Madam Song lay on her son’s corpse, wailing loudly. But when she saw the Su family trying to take Jiang Ziyu away, she immediately caused a scene. Her mouth was unrelenting, cursing Jiang Ziyu until “one Buddha ascended and two Buddhas emerged,” firmly insisting that Jiang Ziyu was the one who killed Song Lingyun. She even had people block the door to the private room, demanding that Jiang Ziyu pay with her life.

The faces of the Su family members looked quite unpleasant. The eldest son of the Su family, his face stern, said, “There is no evidence. On what grounds are you accusing her of killing your son?”

“It was her!” Madam Song shrieked, her bloodshot eyes glaring at the other side. “Shameless thing, pestering my son every day, following him everywhere. He didn’t want her, so she resorted to such a vile act! You venomous, heartless wretch!”

As she spoke, she grabbed Jiang Ziyu, hitting and cursing her. Jiang Ziyu cried out in pain, sobbing, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t harm Brother Song! He spat blood by himself, it has nothing to do with me…”

The scene became chaotic, with onlookers stretching their necks to watch the commotion. Li Zhizhi furrowed her brow, recalling what the inn worker had said earlier. A strange feeling arose in her heart. Her gaze roamed the private room and settled on the table where there was a white porcelain wine jug and two wine cups.

Two cups?

Li Zhizhi’s expression changed slightly. At that moment, the voice of the Grand Princess came to her ears: “Zhizhi, what’s wrong?”

Li Zhizhi shook her head. “Nothing.”

Although she said that, her thoughts were racing, quickly piecing together some clues. This incident was likely a trap set against her.

Using Song Lingyun to lure her out—there was no one else who would do such a thing except Li Suwan, possibly with Xiao Man involved.

While she was thinking, Madam Song had already started a heated argument with the Su family. Her sharp eyes caught sight of Li Zhizhi in the crowd. As if she had found a lifeline, she rushed over, grabbing Li Zhizhi’s hand and pleading, “Princess, you and the Grand Princess must help me! Lingyun was your cousin. Now that he’s been killed, you can’t stand by and do nothing!”

She burst into tears as she spoke, her sobs full of sorrow. For a moment, all eyes were on Li Zhizhi and the Grand Princess.

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