Chapter 711 You Frightened Me!
When they entered the mourning hall again, it was the time to offer incense. As the most honorable guest, Old Madam was the first to enter the mourning hall, which was too small to accommodate all of them at the same time.
w.a.n.g Shengxue led Old Madam into the mourning hall, while the five Misses of Duke Xing’s Mansion were waiting outside.
Old Madam only instructed someone to offer three sticks of incense before she came out with a gloomy face. She had to come today. Considering that she had shown enough respect for the w.a.n.g’s Mansion by showing up here, she was not willing to do anything else.
Ning Xueqing came up to her and said with a smile, “Old Madam, please go to the wing room for a rest. It won’t take long for several Misses to offer incense!”
Old Madam glanced at her and followed her to the wing room next door without answering her.
w.a.n.g Shengxue stretched his hand as a hint for Shao Yanru and Shao Jie’er to get inside and said with a smile, “First Miss, Second Miss, please get inside!”
Shao Yanru adjusted her expression and walked in. After giving w.a.n.g Shengxue a hard look, Shao Jie’er followed her inside. w.a.n.g Shengxue did not take it seriously and followed them in.
When they got inside, the old maid in the mourning hall gave each of them three sticks of incense. After taking the incense, they bent slightly toward the coffin and were about to insert the incense into the censer in the middle.
“Thump! Thump!” There seemed to come a series of strange sounds from the ground, which made the two of them raise their heads in shock. When they realized that the sounds came from inside the coffin, Shao Jie’er felt her legs went limp and almost fell down. Fortunately, the maid beside her supported her in time.
Shao Yanru took a step back. Although her face was as pale as snow, she was much composed than Shao Jie’er. She suddenly looked at w.a.n.g Shengxue and asked harshly, “Childe w.a.n.g, what do you mean by doing that?”
“Maybe it’s because my sister died of persecution, so she couldn’t rest in peace. I heard that someone dying of persecution will turn into a fierce ghost and go to ask the person, who killed her, to pay back with life!” w.a.n.g Shengxue said with a sigh.
Shao Yanru said with a sneer, “Childe w.a.n.g, you seem to be telling the truth. In fact, cousin Yishu died of illness, and our mansion has done all we could for her. Why do you seem to mean that there’s something fishy about her death?”
“First Miss, I’m really not sure of this. My sister has lived in your mansion for three years, but she died without a definite explanation. As her brother, I have neither the ability nor a way to find out the truth for her,” w.a.n.g Shengxue said, looking extremely innocent.
Of course, he got benefits. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had his current residence. Despite the benefits he had gotten, he didn’t intend to let it go so easily. At least, he could get more benefits.
However, Duke Xing’s Mansion would not promise him more benefits for the time being. It wouldn’t do any harm to leave room for negotiation. In particular, he had to make the First Miss Shao know that she was under his control.
Shao Yanru glared at w.a.n.g Shengxue angrily and said with her face darkening, “Childe w.a.n.g, do you mean that cousin Yishu died of persecution? In this case, why don’t you go to the government office to cry out about your grievances? Even our Duke Xing’s Mansion can’t treat people’s lives with utter disregard!”
Shao Jie’er looked at her and looked at w.a.n.g Shengxue. She learned what had happened that day later and only heard that when w.a.n.g Yishu pa.s.sed away, Old Madam, Shao Yanru and even Shao Wanru went to see her. Except for this, she knew nothing else.
In the beginning, she also knew what w.a.n.g Yishu had done. But she was surprised at the fact that w.a.n.g Yishu got increasingly sick later and could only lie in bed. No one had expected that such a healthy person would fall into such a situation after falling.
She was not surprised at w.a.n.g Yishu’s death. She didn’t think w.a.n.g Yishu, who had lied in bed for three years, would recover, so it was reasonable that w.a.n.g Yishu died at this time.
But at the moment, there seemed to be something fishy about it.
After figuring this out, she felt her legs again, but she still held the hands of the maid beside her, tilted her head slightly, leaned against the maid and slightly closed her eyes. She acted as if she were frightened, but actually she had been listening to the conversation between Shao Yanru and w.a.n.g Shengxue.
w.a.n.g Shengxue, who seemed to have a good temper, still said with a smile, “If I got any evidence, I will definitely show it to the government office so that they can make an investigation. Even if it is not the fault of Duke Xing’s Mansion, I should get an explanation for my sister.”
“You got no evidence?” Shao Yanru said while turning her eyes slightly.
“Of course I got no evidence. Otherwise, I will definitely send it to the government office, the only place where such solid evidence could be preserved properly. If it is in my hands, it may be missing at any time. In this case, I will not only be unable to seek justice for my sister, but even be likely to… get killed,” w.a.n.g Shengxue said meaningfully.
Shao Yanru looked down and blinked slowly. Then she looked up and fixed her eyes on w.a.n.g Shengxue’s face.
w.a.n.g Shengxue bowed deeply to Shao Yanru and said, “First Miss, I’ll count on you later.”
Shao Yanru suddenly cracked a beautiful and charming smile, looking as delicate as a spring flower, which added some vitality to the whole pale mourning hall. She bowed to w.a.n.g Shengxue sideways and said, “Cousin, don’t mention it! Since we’re family, we don’t need to be overcourteous!”
“That’s right. Since we are family, I’ll be straight with you. Thanks to the help of Duke Xing’s Mansion, we conducted a decent funeral for my sister. You have always been on friendly terms with my sister, so you must have made a lot of efforts. Nevertheless, I don’t have a good job now. If you feel pity for my sister…”
w.a.n.g Shengxue immediately turned into a graceful childe. As he said, he bowed to Shao Yanru politely and leaned to one side to distance himself from her after they approached each other unconsciously a moment ago.
“Cousin, rest a.s.sured. I got it! I’ll tell my father about it after going back!” Shao Yanru said kindly, as if it were not she who acted fiercely.
They called each other cousin politely, which confused Shao Jie’er, who was beside them. Then she followed Shao Yanru out in confusion.
Shao Caihuan and Shao Cailing were the second batch to enter the mourning hall. They got in and out quickly.
Shao Wanru was the last one to get inside. The others got inside in pairs, leaving her alone to get inside at last.
w.a.n.g Shengxue also led her in with a smile. When she inserted the incense in her hands into the censer in the middle, there suddenly came a series of strange sounds from behind the coffin.
Shao Wanru glanced at w.a.n.g Shengxue calmly and inserted the incense into the censer. After that, the three sticks of incense stood steadily in the incense ash.
With her long eyelashes fluttering, Shao Wanru raised her watery eyes. She was an exceedingly beautiful lady with her skin as smooth as lard and her delicate face, which was almost perfect. Shao Yanru was a well-known beauty in the capital city. But when Shao Yanru stood beside her, Shao Yanru became inconspicuous and might even be neglected.
She looked up with a gentle but inexplicably chilling smile. There was a kind of strange deepness in her eyes, which made her smile look a little bit gloomy.
“Childe w.a.n.g, Miss w.a.n.g is talking to you!” She said with a smile.
w.a.n.g Shengxue, who had been fascinated by her delicate face, trembled and returned to himself. When he was about to speak, the maid beside Shao Wanru turned to look at the coffin with interest and said, “Miss, Miss w.a.n.g must feel aggrieved, because even her family members made use of her. She will even climb up from the Jiuyou h.e.l.l!”
“The Jiuyou h.e.l.l?” Shao Wanru said with a smile, seeming to be talking to w.a.n.g Shengxue as well as to herself. “The Jiuyou h.e.l.l is full of blood and hatred. All those who climb up from it are fierce ghosts and evil spirits. Even the G.o.ds three chi above our heads can’t stop her from revenging!”
Her voice was not loud and could be considered soft, but it somehow sounded gloomy.
w.a.n.g Shengxue s.h.i.+vered unconsciously, and his face changed slightly. He had never believed in the existence of ghosts and G.o.ds, so he carried out this plot in the mourning hall today. But at this time, he s.h.i.+vered in fear and immediately felt that the whole mourning hall seemed to be shrouded in a strange atmosphere.
He stretched his hand as a hint for Shao Wanru leave, didn’t dare to cast another glance at the mourning hall and hurriedly said, “Fifth Miss, you can leave now!”
Ning Xueqing was right. The Fifth Miss was not someone to be trifled with!
“Thank you, Childe w.a.n.g!” Shao Wanru said with a smile and walked out with Yujie’s help. But when she reached the door of the mourning hall, she stopped and happened to stand behind an flying white curtain, which hid most of her body except for her deep beautiful eyes, which were almost bottomless.
Perhaps the white curtain and her pure black eyes formed a sharp contrast. Perhaps the atmosphere in the mourning hall was too strange.
“Childe w.a.n.g, it’s your sister who lies in the coffin. Speaking of which, both you and your sister set me up before. If your sister sees what’s going on here, will she come to pay me back? In fact, I have been waiting for the people or ghosts, who hurt me before, to pay back the debt they owe me!”
Her voice was very gentle and could even be considered soft, but it somehow sounded chilling in the strange atmosphere. w.a.n.g Shengxue had never expected that he would be so timid. He stepped back and looked at the beautiful face, half of which was hidden by the white curtain in front of him, in horror.
He was frightened and wanted to raise his trembling hands, only to find that they were so heavy that he couldn’t raise them at the moment, as if they were held down by something. The atmosphere became ghastly.
“Miss w.a.n.g, it’s useless for you to hold down your brother… Someone should pay back the debt he owes.” Shao Wanru looked at somewhere around him and suddenly spoke with a smile. Then she turned and left with her maid.
With his hands and mouth trembling, w.a.n.g Shengxue turned his head back with difficulty, with an attempt at a smile which made him look like crying
Finally, he turned his head and glanced the coffin behind him. When he didn’t found his sister’s figure there, he breathed a sigh of relief and then suddenly glanced at the several sticks of incense. His face changed dramatically, because he remembered that the several sticks of incense had been burning just now. Why did they go out in such a short time?
Not only could he not move his hands, but he couldn’t move his feet either now.
“Sister, don’t blame me for being cruel. I was incapable of saving you even if I wanted to. If you want to take revenge, take it on Madam of Duke Xing, who killed you, and the First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion. It’s they… it’s they who killed you after making use of you and even intended to make the Fifth Miss Shao take the blame for your death… Sister, go and take revenge on them!” w.a.n.g Shengxue said to himself in a low voice and the words almost rolled off his tongue.
After he finished speaking, he felt relaxed. He hurriedly made a few deep bows to the coffin, lit up a few sticks of incense with trembling hands, and respectfully inserted them into the censer, while keeping mumbling fast in a very low voice which could only be heard clearly by himself!
“First Young Master, bad news! Please come out quickly!”