045 Godfather and Godbrother Reveal the Truth

Chapter 045: Godfather and Godbrother’s Scandalous Revelations

Sour liquid dripped down, one drop after another, filling the air with a pungent stench. Zhu Xishi’s mouth twitched involuntarily. “You—what! Do! You! Mean!”

Even if she refused to try on the red undergarment, was it really necessary for such an extreme display of protest?

Fang Rulai wanted to sincerely apologize to the person she had just vomited all over, but when she caught sight of Zhu Xishi’s pure white mourning clothes now streaked with unsightly yellow acid, forming abstract rivers and mountains, she couldn’t help herself—she burst out laughing.

“Hehehe, serves you right for not listening to my warning and insisting on touching it! Now you’ve brought this upon yourself.” Fang Rulai patted her chest, found a place to sit down, and after gloating heartlessly, finally explained, “It’s my first day in Ping City, and so many things have happened. I’ve had to use my abilities too urgently, and my stomach was already in turmoil. Add to that, I haven’t had a bite to eat or a sip to drink since I arrived, all for safety’s sake. Then you started tussling with me right in front of my chest—how could my stomach handle that?”

So, really, she couldn’t be blamed entirely for vomiting all over Zhu Xishi.

Zhu Xishi ground her teeth, her face full of disbelief. “Who are you trying to fool? If your stomach was upset, why did your face turn all flushed and look so bashfully lovesick?” Most people with stomach trouble would break out in a cold sweat, wouldn’t they? Why did she look just like a maiden experiencing her first stirrings of affection?

“You’d better give me a proper explanation, or—” Zhu Xishi snatched away the braised pork Fang Rulai was about to eat, “—or you can forget about eating the braised pork I made.”

“Sister Xishi!” Fang Rulai wailed immediately, “I haven’t eaten all day. How could you bear to let me go hungry after I finally made it home?”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Zhu Xishi’s gaze, but only for a moment. “No way. Not until you explain yourself.”

Fang Rulai recalled the shocking fragments she’d sensed earlier—things that had shattered her worldview. “Believe me, you’ll regret knowing.”

“Let me hear it first, then we’ll see.”

“…Even if it involves every conceivable taboo, every kind of forbidden affair?”

“Taboo? Forbidden affair?” Zhu Xishi’s mind blanked for a second. “S…M? What does that mean?”

“It’s more romantic than taboo, but the acts are wilder,” Fang Rulai replied.

Zhu Xishi’s grip on the red undergarment froze; in less than a second, she threw it aside and wiped her hands in disgust. “Whose undergarment is this? What on earth did you hear that was so revolting it made you both nauseous and flushed?”

“It’s Lin Wan’er’s undergarment!” At the mention of serious matters, Fang Rulai’s tone turned grave. “But what I heard wasn’t just her voice. There was also the county magistrate Sun Chi, his eldest son Sun Yao, and his second son Sun Ming.”

Zhu Xishi couldn’t help but imagine: a woman’s intimate garment, and Fang Rulai could only sense voices attached to objects when they’d been in contact with them. Didn’t that mean Lin Wan’er had some unspeakable connection with her godfather and godbrothers…?

“She’s recognized as the most gentle and proper lady in Ping City,” Zhu Xishi muttered.

Fang Rulai snorted in disdain. “A gentle facade is the perfect cover for a scheming heart, isn’t it? Besides, she has all the hardware: a godfather and godbrothers!”

“Then why didn’t you just finish her off earlier? If she’s done so many sordid things behind closed doors, then surely the death of the Zhao family’s third young master is linked to her. And at the restaurant, the poisoned tofu alone is enough to prove she’s in league with the Crown Prince. So why didn’t you kill her outright, instead of just poisoning her into unconsciousness?”

“Killing her would be easy. But then what? She’s not the biggest player behind the scenes in Ping City. Her death would only draw out another group we know even less about. So, it’s better to keep a familiar face in play.”

“But she already knows about Banxia! What if she tells Sun Chi?”

“Relax, she won’t. Now that she knows Sun Chi has planted spies around her, how could she not keep something back for herself? I dared to tell her the truth precisely to give her a sense of superiority—she knows something Sun Chi doesn’t. With that, she’ll feel bold enough to negotiate with him, to act friendly while plotting against him, maybe even to team up with others to take Sun Chi down.”

“But what happens when she’s in charge? Won’t it be even harder for us to investigate the Zhao family? After all, right now, she seems the prime suspect behind the untimely deaths of the three Zhao brothers.”

“Based on what we know, yes, Lin Wan’er is the main suspect. But I can’t find any direct evidence on any of her belongings to prove she’s the killer.” Fang Rulai’s gaze swept over the jewelry and clothing she’d sensed earlier. “There’s plenty about her plotting with the Sun family to take down the Zhao family, but not a single clue about the illness or circumstances surrounding the Zhao brothers’ deaths. Why? Either she’s so cautious she never speaks of her own crimes, or—she truly had nothing to do with it.”

Zhu Xishi was incredulous. “So you’re saying someone else is targeting the Zhao family from the shadows?”

“That’s almost certain,” Fang Rulai recalled the people she’d met from the Yang family earlier that day. “The eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Suzhi, who bore the Yang family’s only heir but is suspected by the second daughter-in-law of illegitimacy. The second daughter-in-law, Xu Chunhua, who dares to brawl with her sister-in-law in public but is silent as a mouse before the yet-to-be-wed third daughter-in-law. And Old Madam Lin, who knows we’re on the same side but didn’t utter a word to stop her niece’s suspicious invitation. I suspect none of these three women are innocent.”

A chill ran down Zhu Xishi’s spine. “I can see the daughters-in-law being problematic, but why suspect the old lady? Just because she didn’t stop Lin Wan’er’s invitation?”

“That’s part of it,” Fang Rulai stood and beckoned Zhu Xishi to the window, lifting the curtain slightly. “See? We’ve been placed in the Zhao family’s outer residence, but the servants deployed around here are far more than what’s needed for a house that’s supposedly long uninhabited. Extra hands in the kitchen, fine, but look at the garden—so many people out late at night, trimming grass and tending flowers, with guards posted every few steps. With both elders of the Zhao family still alive, do you really think the daughters-in-law could arrange this?”

Zhu Xishi bristled with anger. “What is that old woman thinking? Doesn’t she know we’re here to help her investigate her son’s death? And she’s having us watched! I actually felt sorry for her before, an old woman burying her children… No, I’m going to confront her right now!”

“Don’t bother.” Fang Rulai quickly held her back. “What are you going to say?”

“At the very least, she should call off the surveillance!”

“What if she claims it’s for your own safety?” Fang Rulai pressed Zhu Xishi back into her seat. “With ambiguous actions like this, she can explain it any way she likes. What good will confronting her do?”

“So we just sit here meekly, like prisoners, and let them watch us?” Zhu Xishi slammed the table in frustration. “Trying to do a good deed and being treated like fools! No warnings about what to avoid, just secret surveillance! Has that old woman lost her mind from grief?”

“No, I think she’s more clear-headed than ever.” Fang Rulai took a seat opposite her, slipping a piece of braised pork into her mouth. “She had three sons—two dead, one bedridden and useless. If I were her, my only purpose in life would be to hunt down and destroy the mastermind behind it all, to avenge my children.”

“Then why treat those who come to help like this?”

“Because she’s too clear-headed—so clear-headed she can’t trust anyone.” Fang Rulai savored the pork. “I get it, honestly. Were I in her shoes, I’d probably go even further. But it’s hard to accept being on the receiving end, isn’t it? As you said, we’re here to solve the problem. If they don’t welcome us, it’s their rudeness. But to go so far as to show open hostility, well, I think it’s only fair to reciprocate.”

“Hah! I knew you’re not the type to swallow insults.” Zhu Xishi’s anger gave way to laughter. “Come on, tell me, how do you plan to strike back?”

Fang Rulai grinned slyly, cheeks full of pork. “Isn’t it better to enjoy the show live tomorrow? If I spoil it now, the effect won’t be nearly as good.”

“You—” Zhu Xishi lunged for the remaining pork in Fang Rulai’s hand. “If you don’t tell me, you’re not eating another bite!”

But Fang Rulai was quicker. Before Zhu Xishi could grab it, she tipped her bowl and polished off the rest of the pork in one go. “Mmmph, too late!”

Too late—you missed it!

Zhu Xishi stared at the empty bowl in her hand and could only curse helplessly, “You’ll be the death of me someday!”

Meanwhile, three people slipped out of the small kitchen, each heading in a different direction.

One entered Wang Suzhi’s room. “Young Madam, the widow went into the monk’s quarters and hasn’t come out since. I tried to get closer, but there were too many eyes around. I couldn’t find a chance.”

Wang Suzhi’s smile was sinister, as if she’d glimpsed a secret. “I knew those two weren’t up to any good. Traveling together, staying together—no one would believe nothing happened between them. Hmph! Tomorrow, I’ll make sure their affair is exposed for all to see.”

Another went to Xu Chunhua’s room. “Second Young Madam, the widow personally cooked a bowl of braised pork and brought it to that monk’s room. I followed her to the door, but for some reason I suddenly blacked out, and when I woke up, I was back in the kitchen.”

Xu Chunhua tucked the second young master in and spoke in a low voice, “If she was eating, she wouldn’t need to bring it to the monk. So the monk ate it? A monk eating meat? A fake monk? Why? Traveling so far to bring back a corpse, pretending to be a monk—are they after a share of the Zhao family’s inheritance? Not while I’m here!”

The third person went to Old Madam Lin’s room. “Madam, just as you thought, both young madams had people in the kitchen. When Cousin Honghong brought the braised pork to the monk, their spies followed—but one was stopped at the courtyard gate, and the other fainted and awoke back in the kitchen.”

Old Madam Lin’s eyes were deep and unreadable. “There are others among them, just as I suspected. It seems tomorrow I’ll have to add a little something extra to the plans of my two daughters-in-law.”

[End of chapter.]