Chapter 540: Heresy (I)

The setting sun is slanting down, and the sky is reflecting the dusk.

Ever since Luo Hongxuan was injured, Ling Xiaoxiao would come to his room almost every evening, send away the servants, sit alone by the bed, and stare at her unconscious baby son in a trance, unable to extricate herself for a long time.

During this period, from crying like rain to being in despair, Ling Xiaoxiao's heart has been tortured by sadness, sorrow, and pain countless times. Especially after going through a serious illness, she knows how to bury her sorrow and sadness deep in her heart and not show it easily.

However, today she was acting out of character, especially when she recalled the conversation with Jiang Yiwei last night, her eyes couldn't help but reveal a mixture of sorrow and shame.

"Xuan'er, when will you wake up?" Ling Xiaoxiao gently wiped Luo Hongxuan's pale cheek with a towel, muttering to herself, "If you don't wake up, everything you have... will be taken away by outsiders..."

At this point, Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes suddenly changed, and she quickly changed her words: "No! No! Don't worry, Xuan'er, I will not allow anyone to replace you and take away everything that belongs to you, never! Your things will always belong to you, and no one can get their hands on them. Before you wake up, I will risk my life to protect everything that belongs to you. Whoever dares to covet it, I will kill him!"

After saying that, Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes turned red, and crystal tears rolled back and forth in her eyes. She choked and said, "But, mother feels more and more powerless. I don't know... how long can I support you? Last night, if it weren't for God's blessing, I ran into Li Jia outside the study. I'm afraid your father would have known that there are two bastards of his in the world. Xuan'er, you have to wake up soon and share mother's worries. Yu'er and I are both miserable women. Mother needs you as a son, and Yu'er also needs you as a brother..."

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The sudden knock on the door interrupted Ling Xiaoxiao's thoughts and made her unhappy. She scolded: "I've already said that no one is allowed to disturb me..."

"Ma'am, it's me."

Yan Bugui's voice sounded from outside the door. Ling Xiaoxiao frowned slightly and asked hesitantly, "Why are you here?"

"The Palace Master is concerned about the young master's injury, so he asked me to take a look."

"Then... come in!"

I don't know why? Ling Xiaoxiao's tone sounded a little hesitant.

In the dim room, a faint candlelight flickered gently on the table, as if Luo Hongxuan's life was lingering on and dying.

Through the dim candlelight, Yan Bugui could vaguely see the traces of tears on Ling Xiaoxiao's face.

"Madam, you..."

"You shouldn't have come here." Ling Xiaoxiao quickly put away the sadness in her eyes and murmured, "Especially... today."

"I know." Yan Bugui's expression darkened, and he said stubbornly, "But I am worried. How can I feel at ease if I can't see you safe and sound with my own eyes? I..."

"You made a big mistake by coming to see me, and you made it even worse by saying these irrelevant words. You have always been steady in your actions, why are you so reckless today?"

"problem occurs!"

Hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes suddenly changed, and she asked suspiciously: "What do you mean? Could it be that Brother Jin has found out the cause of Jiang Yiwei's death?"

"No." Yan Bugui shook his head and said, "The problem does not come from Jiang Yiwei, but from Li Jia."

"Li Jia?" Ling Xiaoxiao was surprised. "Last night, I ordered you to send Li Jia out of the house. Could it be...he is back?"

“Madam, don’t worry about this.” Yan Bugui’s eyes flashed with murderous intent, “Li Jia will never come back, because I have already…”

Having said this, Yan Bugui waved his hand and gently touched his neck, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"What?" Ling Xiaoxiao was shocked and said angrily, "The banknotes I gave him last night were enough for him to live a luxurious life for the rest of his life. He also promised me that he would never return to Luoyang City in this life. Why did you kill him?"

"Because he knows that Jiang Yiwei saw you before he died." Yan Bugui said coldly, "If this matter is leaked, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble. Only the dead will not leak secrets."

"you……"

Ling Xiaoxiao originally wanted to scold Yan Bugui, but then she changed her mind and realized that things had come to this point and the dead could not be brought back to life. Even if she had thousands of words, it would be of no use. So she said no more and let out a sigh to show her melancholy.

"When a person dies, what else can happen?"

"Last night, before Madam intercepted Li Jia, another person saw him." Yan Bugui said bluntly, "And Li Jia told that person the truth that Jiang Yiwei had woken up."

"What?" Ling Xiaoxiao's heart tightened, and she asked, "Who is that person?" "Liu Xunyi."

"This..." At this moment, Ling Xiaoxiao was in a state of confusion, and her head was as heavy as a bucket. "You mean... Liu Xunyi already knew that Jiang Yiwei woke up last night?"

"good."

"Liu Xunyi! It's Liu Xunyi again!" Ling Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and said, "I really don't know what I owed him in my previous life? This guy has been against me again and again. In the past, the person who helped Brother Jin and Xiao Zhirou to get together... was also him."

Suddenly, Ling Xiaoxiao had an idea and asked hurriedly, "Brother Jin, do you know about this?"

Facing Ling Xiaoxiao's nervous gaze, Yan Bugui remained silent and just stared at her quietly.

Seeing this, Ling Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in her heart, and instantly understood everything.

"Not only does the mansion master know about this, but he also believes Liu Xunyi's words without a doubt." Yan Bugui added, "This afternoon, the mansion master has ordered a thorough investigation of this matter, vowing to get to the bottom of it."

Ling Xiaoxiao nodded absentmindedly and said, "Brother Jin is so smart. He must have guessed from Liu Xunyi's information that Jiang Yiwei's death was no accident. I thought that what happened last night was perfect, but unexpectedly Liu Xunyi showed up halfway. Could it really be God's will..."

"Madam, don't worry." Seeing Ling Xiaoxiao's panic, Yan Bugui's heart softened and he comforted her, "The mansion master ordered Liu Xunyi to find Li Jia's whereabouts. Now Li Jia is dead. Even if they find the body, it is impossible to get valuable information from a dead person. As for the real cause of Jiang Yiwei's death... The mansion master ordered me, Deng Changchuan, Huang Yulang, and Murong Bai to visit the coroners in Luoyang, and I have arranged everything."

After saying this, a hint of cunning flashed quietly in Yan Bugui's eyes.

Ling Xiaoxiao asked cautiously: "What do you mean by well arranged?"

"The result three days later was that Jiang Yiwei died of the poison in his heart, and Li Jia fled for fear of being punished, but unfortunately encountered an accident on the way and eventually died." Yan Bugui said word by word, "Madam, don't worry, there will be no omissions in this matter."

"You mean... you have bribed the coroner and fabricated a false cause of death to deceive Brother Jin?"

"It's not just one coroner that was bribed, but more than a dozen prestigious coroners in the Luoyang area." Yan Bugui corrected, "This matter is of great importance. It concerns their lives and property. No one dares to talk nonsense. Moreover, they will not only be introduced to the Palace Master by me, but also through Deng Changchuan, Huang Yulang, and Murong Bai, so as not to arouse the Palace Master's suspicion."

Ling Xiaoxiao pondered over it in her mind and said, "After this is done, these people..."

"Leave no one behind!"

"Then Li Jia..."

"I have made preparations as well." Yan Bugui replied, "Last night, after I took Li Jia out of the mansion, I deliberately created an illusion of murder and robbery by the Luo River, looted all the valuables from Li Jia, and then dumped the body into the Luo River. Even if Liu Xunyi finds it, he won't be able to find any evidence to prove that this matter has anything to do with us."

"Good." Ling Xiaoxiao said with relief, "You are efficient and clean, much more reliable and thorough than Jiang Yiwei."

"Jiang Yiwei only regards you as a benefactor, but I regard you as..." Yan Bugui hesitated to speak, with an indescribable tangle in his eyes, and said self-deprecatingly, "Back then, people called me 'Thousand Miles Lone Sword'. I always went alone and never joined any sect. Although many heroes promised me fame, wealth and glory, I treated them as grass and disdained them. In the end, I volunteered to join the Xianwang Mansion. Everyone thought that I was moved by Luo Tianjin's romantic and extraordinary character. Even Luo Tianjin himself thought that I admired him very much, and even had a secret crush on him and was willing to be driven by him. In fact, the person I really care about is not him, but you..."

"Don't say any more!" Ling Xiaoxiao interrupted with a wave of her hand, "Such remarks are against moral principles and human ethics. Don't mention them again in the future."

"What does it matter whether I mention it or not?" Yan Bugui said with a bitter smile, "I only hate that I am not a man, otherwise I would definitely snatch you away from Luo Tianjin and not let you endure shame and humiliation in silence beside this unfaithful man."

"Enough!" Ling Xiaoxiao said angrily, "No one can destroy the relationship between me and Brother Jin. Not you, and not Xiao Zhirou either!"

"If I hadn't told you about Luo Tianjin's affair in Xiangxi, how would you have known that the man you loved was actually doing something shameful without telling you?" Yan Bugui was unwilling to accept the result and argued, "If you had let me take action to deal with Teng Rou, there would never be Xiao Zhirou today!"

"At that time, you were not a member of the Xianwang Mansion. If you killed Teng Rou, Teng Sanshi and Brother Jin would have hunted you to the ends of the earth. How could you have survived until today?" Ling Xiaoxiao sneered, "What's more, when it comes to tracking shadows, you are far from being a match for 'A Reed Crossing the River'."

"Although Yiweidujiang is powerful, he feels sympathy for Teng Rou. It can be said that one wrong move can lead to a complete loss..."

Hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao's face suddenly changed, and she said angrily: "You don't know anything, how dare you speculate? What do you mean by sympathy? It's nonsense! You don't even know the real reason why Jiang Yiwei let Teng Rou go."

"What?" Yan Bugui was shocked and asked, "What's the reason?"

"In fact, Jiang Yiwei let Teng Rou go not out of mercy, but because Teng Rou was pregnant with Jin Ge's child at the time. Jiang Yiwei did this to continue Jin Ge's bloodline." Ling Xiaoxiao stared at the motionless Luo Hongxuan, thoughtfully, "Last night, the real reason why I made up my mind to kill Jiang Yiwei was not because he did a bad job back then, but because the secret he told would shake Xuan'er's 'only' position in the Xianwang Mansion and in Jin Ge's heart."

……

(End of this chapter)