Chapter 142: Inauspicious Fate
The moment they arrived outside Madam Liu’s courtyard, Xie Rong’s footsteps abruptly halted. His expression changed beneath the blindfold.
"Furen." Almost instinctively, he reached out and covered Wang Gege’s eyes.
But... He was a heartbeat too late.
She had already seen it.
There... Beneath the wooden beam of the courtyard veranda, a white silk noose hung from above. Suspended from it... Was Madam Liu.
Her body swayed ever so slightly with the autumn breeze, the hem of her robes brushing against the wooden pillar beside her.
Her long hair had fallen loose, concealing half of her pale, lifeless face.
The embroidered shoes that had always stepped through the Xie Residence with quiet dignity now dangled several inches above the ground.
Motionless and silent. As though life had abandoned her long before anyone discovered her.
Wang Gege’s pupils slowly contracted. Her breathing unconsciously caught in her throat.
Only then did darkness fill her vision as Xie Rong’s hand gently covered her eyes.
"Furen..." His voice was softer than usual. "Let us return to our courtyard first."
As he stepped forward, intending to shield her from the scene completely, Wang Gege remained rooted to the ground.
Her eyes blinked only once. Yet the image of Madam Liu hanging beneath the beam refused to leave her mind.
"Husband." Her voice was so faint that it was almost carried away by the autumn breeze. "What happened?"
She slowly lowered her head. "Last night... You told this wife... that Husband would tell me Madam Liu’s story."
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around Xie Rong’s sleeve. "How..." She swallowed hard, "did it become like this?"
Xie Rong fell silent. He gently lowered his hand from her eyes before placing it reassuringly upon her shoulder.
"This husband..." His brows gradually drew together beneath the blindfold, "does not know either. I only—"
Before he could finish his words, a guard hurried through the gathered servants before stopping respectfully beside Xie Rong.
"Young Master!" He cupped his fists. "This subordinate has something to report."
Xie Rong slightly turned his head. "What is it?"
The guard carefully produced a folded piece of paper from within his sleeve.
"This was found inside Madam Liu’s chamber." He lowered his voice. "It appears... to be a final letter left by Madam Liu before her death."
At those words, the murmuring servants surrounding the courtyard immediately fell into complete silence.
Even Wang Gege instinctively lifted her gaze toward the folded note.
A final letter? Had Madam Liu truly taken her own life?
"What happened?!"
A panicked voice suddenly echoed from outside the courtyard. Everyone instinctively turned toward the entrance.
Xie An’an hurried through the crowd, her breathing uneven from rushing over after hearing the commotion.
The moment her eyes fell upon the courtyard, her footsteps abruptly halted.
"Madam Liu?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
For a long moment, she stood frozen, staring at the motionless figure suspended beneath the wooden beam.
Her lips trembled slightly. "N-No..." She slowly shook her head. "This... this cannot be..."
The color gradually drained from her face. Her knees suddenly gave way beneath her. She collapsed onto the stone floor, one trembling hand instinctively covering her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
"Madam Liu..." Her voice broke. "How... How could this happen?"
The surrounding servants exchanged uneasy glances. Many of them had watched Madam Liu care for Xie An’an since she was a child. To witness the usually gentle young lady collapse in tears, no one found it unusual.
Several maids quietly lowered their heads, unable to stop their own tears from falling.
"Elder Brother..." Xie An’an slowly lifted her head. Her reddened eyes searched for Xie Rong’s figure.
He stood motionless before the courtyard, his expression unreadable beneath the white blindfold.
"Do you think Madam Liu truly took her own life?"
There was no response.
Xie An’an’s fingers unconsciously tightened around her sleeves.
"Or..." She hesitated, as though afraid to voice the thought, "did someone do this to her?"
The words instantly caused the courtyard to become even quieter. Several servants instinctively looked at one another.
Xie An’an lowered her gaze. Her voice trembled ever so slightly.
"These past weeks... The blossom tree was burned. The servant died before the truth could be uncovered. And now... even Madam Liu..."
She slowly shook her head, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.
"I... I suddenly find the Xie Residence frightening." Her voice was scarcely above a whisper, "It feels...as though someone is quietly hiding in the shadows... waiting for the next victim."
She paused. Almost as though she were struggling with herself.
Then, in a trembling voice, she murmured, "When this sister was younger... I once heard the old nannies say... that whenever misfortune descends upon a household one calamity after another... it is often because someone has brought an inauspicious fate into that home."
The moment those words left her lips, the expressions of several servants subtly changed.
Xie An’an seemed to realize what she had just implied. Her eyes widened in alarm.
"N-No..." She hurriedly shook her head. "This sister merely spoke out of fear. I should not have said such superstitious nonsense."
She lowered her head apologetically. "Please... Do not take this sister’s words to heart."
Yet... The more she tried to dismiss it, the more the silence within the courtyard deepened.
No one spoke.
But more than one servant could not help but unconsciously glance toward Wang Gege.
The seed had already been planted. Whether anyone wished to admit it or not, the thought had quietly taken root within their hearts.
Wang Gege’s gaze quietly settled upon Xie An’an.
"Strange..." Her voice was calm. "For someone so heartbroken by Madam Liu’s passing..." She slowly looked around the now silent courtyard, "Young Miss has spoken of everything... except Madam Liu herself."
She then gently reached for Xie Rong’s hand, "So this sister-in-law wondered... is Young Miss mourning Madam Liu... or making use of her death?"
The courtyard instantly fell into complete silence.
Several servants lowered their heads, only now realizing that the Young Madam’s words were not without reason.
Wang Gege blinked thoughtfully for a few moments before slowly crouching down in front of Xie An’an.
A gentle smile curved her lips, "Does Little Sister know... that this sister-in-law can see ghosts?"
Xie An’an’s expression froze almost immediately.
Wang Gege’s smile only deepened. "Perhaps this sister-in-law should wait until Madam Liu returns tonight. Then I can simply ask her... who truly wronged her."
She scrunched her nose ever so slightly before adding with a light laugh, "Who knows... it might be much quicker than blaming everything on someone’s so-called inauspicious fate."