Chapter 171: The Trap Behind The Blood
By the time Xie Rong arrived at Xie An’an’s chamber, the sight that greeted him made his footsteps halt.
A pool of blood had spread across the floor.
Xie An’an was sitting beside it, one hand tightly clutching her own wrist pressed against the wound, her face pale and streaked with tears.
"Grandmother... I am sorry..." Her voice trembled repeatedly. "I am truly sorry... I did not mean to kill Madam Liu. I did not mean for any of this to happen..."
Old Madam Xie was already beside her, visibly shaken by the sight of blood. "An’an, what happened? Why would you do such a thing to yourself?"
"This granddaughter..." Xie An’an lowered her head, her shoulders trembling. "This granddaughter only wanted to frighten Madam Liu into telling the truth."
She pressed harder against her wrist, tears continuing to fall, "I was afraid she would accuse me of something I did not do, and when she refused to listen, I... I lost control."
Her voice broke, "I only wanted her to stop talking. I never thought I would actually kill her."
Old Madam Xie’s expression changed. "You mean... Madam Liu’s death was an accident?"
Xie An’an nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Grandmother. I swear it was an accident. I would never kill her."
She looked up with tearful eyes. "I was frightened. I thought Madam Liu was going to destroy this granddaughter’s reputation and make everyone believe I was the one behind everything. I only wanted to defend myself because she threatened me first..."
Her voice became increasingly weak, "But when I realized she had stopped breathing, I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do."
She lowered her head again.
"This one made a terrible mistake, but I swear, Madam Liu’s hanging in her own chamber was not my suggestion. My servant did it on her own, claiming she only wanted to help this one."
Old Madam Xie covered her mouth, clearly struggling to process her granddaughter’s confession. "An’an..."
"I know it was wrong." Xie An’an began sobbing. "I know I should have told Father immediately. I know I should have asked for help, but I was scared..."
She tightened her grip around her wounded wrist, "I was scared everyone would abandon me."
Xie Rong’s expression remained cold as he listened. Until now, he had not spoken a single word.
His gaze slowly moved from the blood on the floor to Xie An’an’s wounded wrist before finally settling on Old Madam Xie. "Where is the physician?"
Old Madam Xie seemed to come back to her senses. "Already sent for. He should arrive soon."
Xie Rong nodded once, then looked back at Xie An’an. "Which servant?"
"Ah—" Xie An’an’s expression immediately changed, and the panic that flashed across her face was impossible to miss.
Xie Rong frowned slightly and turned around, his gaze instinctively searching the chamber for the maid who was almost always by Xie An’an’s side.
But there was no one.
His eyes swept across the room once more before settling back on her. "Where is your maid?"
"I..." Xie An’an’s voice faltered.
She lowered her head again, trying to maintain the pitiful appearance she had carefully built.
"This sister does not know. She probably left because she was frightened after everything that happened..." She sniffled, continuing before anyone could question her further.
"This granddaughter truly did not mean to kill Madam Liu. This granddaughter was only frightened and confused. When I realized what had happened, I didn’t know what else to do, and my servant said she could help me..."
She continued speaking as she looked at Old Madam Xie, mixing one explanation with another, as though the more she said, the more convincing her story would become.
But Xie Rong was no longer listening to her words. Something had caught his attention. His gaze had fallen to the hand she was clutching tightly against her body.
The wrist and the blood. Something about them looked odd.
He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the hand Xie An’an was desperately trying to conceal. "All of this blood came from your wrist?"
Xie An’an instinctively pulled it closer to herself. "This sister acted rashly earlier and accidentally cut her own wrist."
But that reaction only made Xie Rong’s eyes narrow. He reached down and caught her wrist.
"Brother!" Xie An’an immediately tried to pull away.
Xie Rong ignored her struggle and carefully removed the hand she had been using to cover the wound.
A thin red line appeared across her wrist.
He stared at it.
There was barely any blood.
The wound was so shallow that it could hardly be considered an injury, especially compared to the pool of blood that had been spread across the floor.
Xie Rong’s expression instantly changed. He released her wrist and stood upright.
"Mo Yan!" His voice thundered through the chamber. "Gui Lin!"
Both guards immediately rushed forward.
"Young Master!"
"Mo Yan, go to your Young Madam immediately!" Xie Rong’s expression was cold, but there was an unmistakable urgency beneath his voice. "And Gui Lin, do not let Young Miss leave this chamber."
"Yes!" Gui Lin answered immediately and stepped toward Xie An’an.
"What happened, Rong’er?!" Old Madam Xie was frowning.
But Xie Rong already turned toward the doorway without another word and his mind had already pieced everything together.
The pool of blood.
The shallow cut.
Xie An’an’s sudden confession.
Her missing maid and the frantic way she had made sure everyone was focused on her.
It had never been about confessing. It had never been about seeking forgiveness.
She had deliberately created a commotion large enough to draw him away from the courtyard.
Xie Rong’s expression turned frighteningly cold.
’She wanted me here.’
And if Xie An’an had gone to such lengths simply to make him leave Wang Gege’s side, then there was only one reason she could have.
’Wang Gege.’
His heart dropped.
"Mo Yan!" He immediately turned his head toward the guard who had already begun rushing out. "Do not stop to ask questions. Go directly to the courtyard and make sure no one approaches Young Madam."
"Yes, Young Master!" Mo Yan immediately accelerated.
Xie Rong followed after him, his steps quickening as the worst possibility continued forming in his mind.
’Please... don’t let me be too late.’