My wife has a secret

Chapter 15 Eyebrows
Nanny Chen was a little hesitant, as if she was struggling over whether or not to tell Xu Qing about this.

"Master Xu! I am here to tell you this! I only ask Master Xu to thoroughly investigate the cause of death of my Thirteenth Lady, so that she can be buried like a normal person."

The person who spoke was the maid who ran out of the house earlier.

She knelt down in front of Xu Qing and kowtowed twice to him.

"you are?"

"I am Xiaoqing, the maid who takes care of Chun Shisan Niang. I am responsible for her daily life and everything else. I know that Master Xu has a big family and great wealth. As long as you want, there is nothing you can't do in Suzhou City..."

Nanny Chen raised her eyebrows and angrily shouted, "What do you know, little girl! Shut up and leave!"

Nanny Chen didn't want to offend the eldest son of the Xu family again after Chun Shisan Niang's death. After all, Zuiyuan Pavilion had no wealth left.

"No, I can't leave..."

The little girl grabbed Xu Qing's trousers and started crying. "The two sisters who were learning piano on the second floor committed suicide by jumping into the lake, and Mother Chen covered it up with ease. My Thirteenth Lady is such a good person, we can't just close the case in such a muddled way."

Nanny Chen gnashed her teeth in anger, and the grief and anger in her heart also dissipated a little. She shouted at the maid, "What nonsense are you talking about in front of outsiders?"

"Okay, shut up."

When Nanny Chen saw that Xu Qing was really angry, she dared not say another word.

Xu Qing took a step forward, standing between Nanny Chen and the little maid, and said in a calm voice: "Tell me about Chun Shisan Niang's story. I guarantee with the Xu family's name that I will investigate the cause of this incident."

Hearing that Xu Qingyong was willing to take charge of his young lady's affairs, Xiaoqing's tense expression finally relaxed a little.

She adjusted her kneeling position and wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve.

"My Thirteenth Lady rarely receives guests on weekdays. She usually dances in the lobby only after distinguished guests spend a fortune... But the reason why she rarely receives guests is not entirely because of Mr. Xu, but because Thirteenth Lady herself does not want to."

"You don't want to?"

"Yes, my lady already has a man she likes."

Xu Qing nodded.

What the little girl said was not surprising, and it also explained why Chun Shisan Niang rarely received customers.

After all, with the personality of his previous incarnation, he didn't seem like the ideal husband in a girl's mind.

The reason why Nanny Chen didn't want to speak out was definitely because she was afraid that she would get angry and turn her upside down after knowing it.

But the current Xu Qing and the competitive Mr. Xu in the past are two different people.

"Who is that person?"

"The man was an oil seller at the end of Tianshui Lane, his surname was Fang. The young lady thought he was a simple and honest man who did business honestly, so she started to do business with him."

After listening to this, Xu Qing turned to look at Nanny Chen beside him.

"Is that true?"

Nanny Chen couldn't help but spit when she thought of the past, and replied in a low voice: "Yes, I saw that guy selling oil in Tianshui Lane at the beginning and felt sorry for him, so I allowed him to deliver oil to my building. But who knew that after only a few visits, he actually took away the red card in my building."

It's interesting that an oil seller of lowly status could win the heart of the top lady in Zuiyuange.

Xu Qing continued to ask the little maid, "Who was the person who saw Chun Shisan Niang for the last time today?"

Xiao Qing replied timidly, "Yes... I, I spend the most time with my Thirteenth Lady, and she has always regarded me as her own sister... Today we were supposed to practice the Red Skirt Dance of the Western Region, but the young lady heard a quarrel downstairs, so she sent me to the first floor to investigate the situation."

"When you came back to call her, something happened?"

"Yes."

Xu Qing looked at the structure and furnishings in the house, as well as the female corpse hanging on the beam, and a trace of doubt arose in his heart.

"Take a good look at your young lady. Is there any difference between her and when you came downstairs?"

From the beginning till now, Xiaoqing no longer had the courage to look into the room.

Now that she heard Xu Qing's question, she had no choice but to take another look at the corpse with its strange death.

"In reply...Master Xu, I don't see any difference."

"Look more carefully." Xu Qing reminded patiently: "When you perform the Red Skirt Dance of the Western Regions at Zuiyuan Pavilion, aren't you wearing red clothes?"

Xiaoqing tilted her head in confusion and looked at Chun Shisan Niang, and sure enough, she found something wrong.

The clothes that Chun Shisan Niang was wearing were a kind of gorgeous and intricate brocade silk, which was colorful, like a rainbow after the rain, showing several different colors.

"No, Mr. Xu, the dress my young lady is wearing doesn't seem to be the one I wore when I went downstairs... But I do know the origin of this dress. It was bought for my young lady by Fang Youlang with his savings for a year."

Xu Qing was slightly stunned, "Colorful clothes?"

"Yes, this is a piece of fabric that was popular for a while. It was very popular among the ladies. Almost every young lady from a wealthy family had one. When Fang Youlang knew that my young lady liked this dress, he ate porridge for a whole year and ordered this dress for her."

"It seems that this Fang Youlang is quite infatuated."

"No, ordinary people don't have this kind of perseverance."

Xu Qing's emotion was echoed by Zhu Yuande.

However, before they could even say a few words, a team of detectives with knives came up from downstairs and blocked the entrance and exit of the stairs without saying a word.

"The government office is investigating a case, no one should act rashly!"

The leader had a scar on his face and looked fierce.

He stepped on his heavy official boots and climbed up to the third floor step by step. When he recognized the appearance of one of them as Xu Qing, his brows frowned slightly.

"Why did the young master of the Xu family appear at the crime scene?"

Xu Qing turned around and saw that the man was wearing an indigo official uniform, which was different from the uniforms of other yamen runners and constables. He should be a minor official in charge of public security.

But judging from his unfriendly tone, he probably doesn't have a good impression of me.

Most of them are the mess left over from their predecessors.

The fierce scarred man stared at Xu Qing and asked coldly, "Are you involved in this case?"

Xu Qing smiled and asked, "Why, are you going to handcuff me?"

The other person's hand holding the knife trembled slightly, and finally put it behind his waist.

Not to mention that he didn't dare to take care of Xu Qing. Even if his immediate superior came, no one would dare to put handcuffs on this young man from aristocratic family and send him to jail.

"Don't dare."

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Nanny Chen stepped forward to excuse Xu Qing.

"Master Jiao, Master Xu is a guest in my building. He has been playing on the first floor the whole time. He came up to investigate the situation because Chun Shisan Niang died tragically in the inner room... You also know that Chun Shisan Niang has a deep connection with Master Xu..."

"Okay, Master Xu is frightened, please go back home."

Captain Jiao clasped his fists towards Xu Qingle, then turned and walked into the house.

"Leave all the witnesses to the crime behind, and all outsiders, please leave!"

When the crowd saw the real detective investigating the case had arrived, they all surrounded him, leaving Zhu Yuande alone to accompany Xu Qing downstairs.

After all, apart from that little girl, no one really believed that Xu Qing would thoroughly investigate the matter.

A dandy young man who spends his days wandering the streets must have jumped out to ask questions just to satisfy his curiosity.

"Boss, why do you think he, a mere pavilion chief, is so arrogant? He just has a knife on his hip... Boss, you haven't said anything for a long time, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking……"

Xu Qing's thoughts were in a mess because Chun Shisan Niang's death was very strange. If it was an ordinary person who committed the crime, breaking her limbs could be understood as a fear that she would escape, but gouging out her eyes was a bit too much, because it was a completely unnecessary act.

And why was she hung from the beam?
According to Xiaoqing, the personal maid, Chun Shisan Niang never cried out after suffering such torture, which is really intriguing.

This is not modern times, where can we get any anesthetic?

and many more.

anesthetic?

Xu Qing suddenly had an idea, and when Zhu Yuande was about to get on his carriage, he reached out to stop him.

"Yuan De, I suddenly remembered something I need to deal with. You go home by yourself."

"Ok?"

Zhu Yuande was completely confused. Before he could react, Xu Qing had already drawn the curtain and instructed the driver to drive to Doctor Ning's clinic.

……

Doctor Ning’s clinic is located on Hefang Street in Dongshi.

When Xu Qing entered the room, he saw that there was no one else in the room, only two waiters who were busy at the counter, ordering and dispensing medicine.

One of them recognized Mr. Xu's identity and led him to the backyard.

The middle-aged man in the square hat and cloth shirt was hunched over, checking the medicinal herbs spread out on the ground.

"Doctor Ning."

"Xu...Mr. Xu?"

Doctor Ning saw that the visitor was Xu Qing, and hurriedly asked him to sit inside. "It's cold outside, Mr. Xu, why don't you go to my small room..."

"No, I just want to ask a few questions."

Xu Qing interrupted Doctor Ning's polite words and asked slowly, "Is there anything in this world that can make people feel no pain?"

Doctor Ning was stunned for a moment. He never expected that this playboy came to ask this question.

He was silent for a while, then said thoughtfully, "Mr. Xu, are you asking about Ma Fei San and Meng Han Yao? These two things are made of Yabu Lu and Cao Wu, and they will make people unconscious after taking them."

"Can you feel pain after being unconscious?"

Doctor Ning was confused by the question and asked in a daze, "I wonder what kind of pain Mr. Xu is asking about?"

"Break the legs and feet, cut off the ears and take out the eyes."

Xu Qing said it calmly, but Doctor Ning who was standing opposite him was shocked.

He looked at Xu Qing with fear in his eyes, and almost choked to death on a mouthful of water.

"Mr. Xu, please don't joke. Although Ma Fei San can make people unconscious, it can still make them wake up if they are in severe pain... I have been practicing medicine for so many years, but I have never heard of such a rare thing."

Doctor Ning's answer was similar to what Xu Qing had imagined. According to his memories and knowledge from his previous life, only modern medical anesthetics could achieve this effect.

The processing technology in ancient times was relatively backward, so how could such exaggerated things appear?

"However, Master Xu... I have thought of something that can achieve this effect, but it is only recorded in the Medical Manual. We doctors have never seen it with our own eyes."

Seeing that Doctor Ning was a little hesitant, Xu Qing smiled and said, "Just say it, Doctor Ning."

"The poison of love flower, Mandragora."

Hearing this familiar name, Xu Qing's eyes sparkled.

The investigation during this period also gave him some understanding of Mandragora.

This thing is produced in Southeast Asia and has to go through many places before it can be transported inland. The quantity is extremely rare.

He was almost certain that this had some connection with the Datura poison he had been poisoned by, and it was even very likely that they were from the same batch.

Doctor Ning explained: "Datura can cause hallucinations, so it is possible that it can make people feel no pain."

……

When Xu Qing returned to Xu Mansion, it was already sunset.

The news of Chun Shisan Niang's murder had already reached the Xu Mansion. The old lady was so anxious that she issued a house arrest order to Xu Qing and also put up a curfew for Zhu Yuande.

In Xu Qing's own yard, Xiaohuan was lying at the door, waiting for him eagerly.

When she saw Xu Qing's figure appear in her eyes, she hurriedly opened the gate and ran out to greet Xu Qing.

"Master, I heard from people in the compound that something happened in Zuiyuan Pavilion... Did you scare me? How about I go and boil some hot water to massage your shoulders and wash your feet?"

Xu Qing looked at Xiaohuan, who looked like a little sparrow, and rubbed her head with a smile.

"It's okay, they're just small scenes."

Xiao Huan blushed and said, "Master is bragging again."

Xu Qing found that this little girl was more shy than he thought, so he teased her intentionally and said calmly: "But I am indeed a little tired. Did you take a shower today?"

Xiao Huan didn't quite understand and answered in confusion: "Master, didn't you tell me to wash my body every day and apply the soap sent by the Fourth Young Madam?"

"It's so cold, are you planning to freeze me to death?"

Xiaohuan understood what was said.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, like a lotus blooming in the morning dew, shy and bitter.

"Xiao Huan will go warm the young master's bed right away."

When saying this, Xiaohuan didn't dare to look Xu Qing in the eye.

By the time Xu finished taking a bath, it was completely dark.

Xiaohuan wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, looking at Xu Qing shyly and timidly, as if waiting for something.

Xu Qing sat in front of the bed, lifted the quilt, and squeezed in from the other end.

This bed is not big, but it is full for two people to sleep in.

"Master, you slept on the wrong bed."

"That's right, this is where I sleep. Just give me one of the cushions at the head of the bed."

Xiaohuan bent her toes nervously and asked awkwardly, "If the young master likes that side, then I will turn over too..."

"No, you just stay there. My feet are cold in winter, so just keep them warm for a while."

After hearing what Xu Qing said, Xiaohuan felt a little regretful.

After Granny Wang's instruction, she has gained a preliminary understanding of matters between men and women, but even the most abundant theoretical knowledge still requires practice and adjustment.

The young master didn't seem to treat her as a woman.

But compared to those young ladies in the backyard, I am indeed far inferior.

As Xiaohuan thought about this, she followed her master's instructions and held her feet in her arms to keep them warm.

But suddenly, her little face turned red with shame, so red that water seemed to be dripping out.

The young master is so bad.

Why pinch someone's butt secretly?

(End of this chapter)