Chapter 140: Elegant Young Miss Xie
Madam Liu frowned slightly. "Overlooked?"
Xie An’an’s smile remained gentle, glancing at the road to make sure, Shen’s carriage had already left the place, "That..." She slowly took a step forward, "dead people... cannot speak."
Madam Liu’s pupils instantly contracted. But before she could even retreat, the dark silk cord shot forward like a venomous serpent. It coiled around Madam Liu’s neck with astonishing precision.
"What—"
The remaining words never escaped her lips. Her eyes widened in disbelief as both hands instinctively reached for the cord digging into her throat.
She struggled violently. Her fingernails clawed desperately at the silk, but the slender cord only tightened further.
Xie An’an’s expression never changed. She calmly stepped behind Madam Liu, crossing the cord before pulling it taut with both hands. Her movements were practiced, steady and with absolute composure.
Madam Liu staggered backward, desperately trying to pry the cord away. Air refused to enter her lungs and her face gradually reddened.
Then a second later, a shadow quietly emerged from behind the nearby corridor.
Xie An’an’s maid.
Without waiting for instructions, she hurried over and firmly restrained Madam Liu’s flailing arms.
Only then did Xie An’an softly speak. "You know what to do."
The maid lowered her head, "This servant understands."
Without another word, she immediately stepped forward and firmly restrained Madam Liu’s flailing arms.
The last traces of resistance gradually weakened.
Madam Liu’s fingers, which had desperately clawed at the silk cord only moments ago, slowly lost their strength before slipping helplessly to her sides.
Her eyes remained wide open, filled with disbelief and regret.
A single tear silently rolled down the corner of her eye before disappearing into the stone path beneath her.
Only after her body became completely still did Xie An’an slowly loosen the silk cord.
Madam Liu collapsed limply onto the ground.
The place once again fell into complete silence.
The maid cautiously knelt beside the body before extending two fingers toward Madam Liu’s neck. After several moments, she withdrew her hand and respectfully bowed.
"Young Miss... she is gone."
Xie An’an did not respond immediately.
She merely looked down at Madam Liu’s lifeless figure, her expression as tranquil as the surface of an undisturbed lake.
The autumn breeze gently lifted a few strands of her hair. Osmanthus blossoms drifted down one after another, landing upon Madam Liu’s robes.
It almost looked as though she had simply fallen asleep beneath the osmanthus tree.
After a long while, Xie An’an finally spoke.
"Dispose of everything." Her voice remained as calm as ever. She glanced once toward Madam Liu’s lifeless figure before saying, "Take her back to her courtyard."
The maid quietly lowered her head. "Young Miss..."
Xie An’an’s eyes remained indifferent.
"Hang her there." She paused briefly before continuing, "Let everyone believe... that she could not bear the shame after her schemes against Shen Taotao were exposed. A guilty conscience often drives people to desperate choices. Isn’t that what they will think?"
The maid immediately understood. "This servant understands."
Xie An’an slowly dusted the osmanthus petals from her sleeves, her expression as gentle as ever.
"Make certain the room appears untouched. No one is to suspect another person ever stepped inside. And..." She turned toward the waiting carriage, "that embroidered pouch. Burn it. Not a single scrap is to remain."
"Yes, Young Miss."
Only then did Xie An’an lightly brushed the fallen petals from her sleeves, carefully smoothing every crease in her robes until they appeared as immaculate as before.
Without sparing another glance at Madam Liu, she gracefully turned and walked away, her steps were neither hurried nor hesitant.
Anyone who happened to pass by at that very moment would have seen only the gentle and elegant Young Miss Xie, strolling leisurely beneath the autumn sky.
No one... Not even those who had watched her grow up since childhood, would have believed that the same woman had, only moments earlier, calmly taken another person’s life.
Not far away, hidden behind the dense cluster of shrubs from which Madam Liu had emerged earlier, another figure remained crouched upon the ground.
The young maid pressed both hands tightly over her mouth, desperately suppressing the sobs threatening to escape. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Earlier, she had accompanied Madam Liu here.
When Madam Liu instructed her to remain hidden and wait, she had obediently concealed herself amongst the bushes, believing her mistress merely wished to confront Young Miss Xie in private.
Not even in her worst nightmare had she imagined she would witness such a horrifying scene. Her eyes remained fixed upon Madam Liu’s motionless body.
The woman who had looked after her for years. Who had taught her the rules of the household and who had scolded her whenever she was careless, now lay silently upon the cold ground.
The maid bit down hard upon her own hand. She dared not make the slightest sound and didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly. Because only a short distance away Xie An’an had yet to leave.
The young maid silently prayed.
’Please... Please don’t look this way... Please don’t discover me...’
Her tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks as she shrank further into the shadows cast by the shrubs, praying that the dense branches would conceal her trembling figure.
Just as Xie An’an was about to step into her waiting carriage, she suddenly stopped.
The calm on her face slowly faded as she turned around. Her sharp gaze swept across the quiet grove, lingering upon every cluster of shrubs and every towering tree as though searching for something hidden within the shadows.
The young maid’s heart nearly stopped.
’She heard me?’ The terrifying thought flashed through her mind.
Instinctively, she clamped both hands over her mouth even tighter, not daring to allow even the faintest sound to escape.
Her entire body trembled violently and she could hear nothing.
Not the rustling of the leaves and the breeze drifting through the osmanthus branches. Only the frantic pounding of her own heart echoed loudly in her ears.
Xie An’an remained standing there for what felt like an eternity. Her gaze slowly swept across the grove one final time.
Silence... Complete silence.
After a long while, the corners of her lips gradually lifted once more, a smile of satisfaction and only then did she turn away. Without another glance behind her, she gracefully stepped into the carriage.
A moment later, the coachman flicked the reins.
The carriage slowly rolled away, disappearing beyond the winding road.
Only after the sound of the wheels had completely faded into the distance did the young maid finally collapse weakly onto the ground.
Her entire body had long since been drenched in cold sweat.
At that moment, she had truly believed that she would never leave the grove alive.