Chapter 55 Dire Straits

A servant shouted at the top of his lungs, "That thief knows martial arts!"

In an instant, the entire General's Manor was thrown into complete chaos because a martial arts-wielding thief had broken in.

Servants ran about in panic, passing the word to one another, their faces pale with terror. Daring not to slacken for a moment, they immediately began searching everywhere for this audacious and skilled intruder.

Zhao Cheng, the head steward of the General's Manor, quickly regained his composure. Methodically, he organized all the male servants in the estate to divide and conquer.

While dispatching personnel to search every nook and cranny—from the grassy patches in the courtyards to the woodsheds and the stables—he repeatedly urged everyone to be extremely cautious and make sure the intruder did not escape.

Even Chu Xi's courtyard was disturbed by this commotion. The usually tranquil courtyard was now heavy with tension.

Hearing the disturbance outside, Wang Mu felt his heart tighten in his chest. He knew well that amidst such chaotic circumstances, Chu Xi's safety was of paramount importance.

He hurried to the courtyard gate, pulled it firmly shut, and carefully checked the latch to ensure it was secure. Turning back, he walked into the room and solemnly instructed Caiping to stay inside and guard the young mistress, warning her never to venture out casually. He kept muttering under his breath that the thief possessed martial arts skills, so nothing must go wrong at a time like this.

Chu Xi had been immersed in her own past emotions, but the clamor from the courtyard yanked her back to reality as roughly as a violent tug.

Slowly rising, she stepped out of her bedchamber and immediately saw Caiping standing on high alert, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists as if prepared to face sudden danger at any moment.

Filled with bewilderment, Chu Xi asked softly, "Why is it so noisy outside? What has happened?" The frail image of the Old Madam flashed instantly through her mind, and she wondered if the Old Madam's condition had taken a critical turn.

Caiping answered hurriedly, "My lady, a thief has broken into the General's Manor. Word has it that the thief knows martial arts."

"A thief?" Chu Xi felt a severe jolt in her heart upon hearing this. Her first reaction was the figure that had flashed swiftly past the Old Madam's window just moments before.

At the time, she had felt something was amiss but hadn't given it much thought. Now that she recalled it, could that figure have been the thief? Her brows knitted slightly, her eyes filled with a trace of worry.

Caiping asked indignantly, "Doesn't the General's Manor have guards patrolling? How did that person manage to get in?"

Wang Mu added, "There are still officials from the Court of Judicial Review stationed outside the estate. Who could be so brazen?"

Instead, Chu Xi asked, "How is the Old Madam? Is she any better?"

***

Wang Mu replied immediately, "I heard that the imperial physician arrived right after we returned. After acupuncture and heart-soothing pills, she is feeling somewhat better now."

Chu Xi gave a gentle sigh and murmured, "That is good."

"By the way, have you gone to check on the Qian family?"

Wang Mu nodded. "I went, but I couldn't see them. The guards said Steward Zhao had already sent them back to the Marquis's Estate."

"Sent back to the Marquis's Estate?" Chu Xi was surprised.

Wang Mu nodded. "I was thinking of going out to gather some news about the Marquis's Estate, but to my surprise, I was blocked by the officials from the Court of Judicial Review and not allowed to leave the grounds."

A cold smile touched Chu Xi's lips. "There is no need to go looking. News from the Marquis's Estate will be delivered right to us shortly."

Wang Mu was astonished. "My lady, why is that?"

Without another word, Chu Xi turned and walked back into her room.

Meanwhile, at the Marquis's Estate, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the stillness before a storm, and the situation was no better than the General's Manor plagued by a thief. The personal presence of the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review hung like a dark cloud over the entire household.

From the Marquis down to the lowliest servants, everyone's nerves were taut, feeling as anxious and terrified as if facing a formidable enemy.

In the dimly lit yet suffocatingly tense front parlor, Qian Mengyun stood with a slight tremor in her frame, her eyes darting from time to time toward Marquis Chu and his wife.

Sure enough, when confronted by Master Hu—an experienced, stern, and impartial official—Qian Mengyun felt a surge of fear. However, thinking that she could clear herself simply by shifting the blame entirely onto Chu Xi, she gritted her teeth and flatly denied being the perpetrator who poisoned the Dowager Madam Mo.

Though her voice quivered slightly, it carried a ruthless edge, and she stubbornly insisted that Chu Xi was the poisoner, her gaze as unyielding as if every word she uttered were absolute truth.

Nearby, Marquis Chu and Lady Liu were spinning in frantic circles, terrified that Master Hu might drag Qian Mengyun off to the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation.

Finally, Marquis Chu could bear it no longer. As if making a solemn resolution, he stepped forward, bowed deeply to Master Hu, and said, "Master Hu, you must investigate this thoroughly. My younger daughter has been carefully raised in the Marquis's Estate since childhood; she is well-read, courteous, and impeccably behaved. How could she ever commit such a treasonous act? Unlike that Chu Xi, who grew up amidst the uncultured commoners in a complex environment. This matter certainly has nothing to do with my own daughter; rather, that Chu Xi is extremely suspicious."

Upon hearing this, Master Hu stared at Marquis Chu in utter astonishment. His brows slightly furrowed, and with a gaze filled with doubt and incomprehension, he asked, "Lord Marquis, judging by your words, Chu Xi sounds more like your biological daughter. Why does it sound as though she were a completely unrelated foster child instead?"

***

Lady Liu hurriedly forced a smile and said, "Master Hu does not understand. Although Chu Xi is our flesh and blood, she was never raised by us personally, so we are not familiar with her."

"Yes, yes, that is precisely what this old man meant," Marquis Chu chimed in eagerly, grasping at it like a drowning man clutching a straw, while beads of sweat continued to roll down his forehead.

Hearing their explanation, Master Hu found it utterly absurd. He slowly stroked his beard, fixing his piercing eyes on Marquis Chu and Lady Liu.

"If you are so unfamiliar with her," he said, "then how can you be so certain and absolute in declaring that she is the culprit behind this deed?"

Stunned by this sudden interrogation, Marquis Chu and Lady Liu froze in their tracks.

They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with panic, mouths agape yet unable to utter a single word in reply.

Shaking his head as if unable to bear it any longer, Master Hu remarked, "While blood ties naturally draw distinctions, excessive partiality merely destroys fairness and invites the mockery of outsiders."

At these words, both Marquis Chu and Lady Liu hung their heads in silence.

Master Hu rose to his feet and announced, "We shall suspend the interrogation for today. I will take my leave."

From that moment on, the gates of the Marquis's Estate were also placed under strict guard. Although the suspect Qian Mengyun had not been formally arrested, she was prevented from escaping.

One of Master Hu's subordinates asked in puzzlement, "Sir, are we here to investigate a case? Whether at the General's Manor or the Marquis's Estate, it felt no different from merely going through the motions to ask a few routine questions. It bore no resemblance at all to hunting down a murderer."

Master Hu let out a sigh. "All the evidence currently points against Chu Xi, especially since Dowager Madam Mo has testified firsthand that she saw Chu Xi administer the poison with her own eyes. I fear her chances of escaping this ordeal are grim."

"Does my lord mean—?"