Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C017

Old Madam Mei's face turned pale with anger, her aged eyes flashing with fury. It went without saying that if Nanny Zhao could be found, the consequences awaiting her would be dire.

Liuzhu massaged her head, then retrieved a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, pouring out a nourishing pill for her to swallow. Mei Wuxia poured water and helped her calm down.

"Grandmother, don't be angry. It's no use getting upset now. The most urgent matter is to find her quickly."

Mei Wuxia analyzed, "The servants said she rarely left her room these past few days. The last person to see her was the girl Chuan'er, and that was last night. If she had run away last night, the rain had just stopped, and she had no carriage or help. How could she dare to travel in the middle of the night? If she had run away this morning, she might not have gone far. The roads were wet from the rain, and there were few people on the official road. It's unlikely she would have encountered a carriage to take her."

"How dare she run? Where does she intend to go? Does she not care for her family?" Old Madam Mei pounded the table repeatedly, sending a teacup crashing to the floor.

Her words were laced with fury, but Mei Wuxia took note. She quickly summoned a steward, instructing him to return to the capital.

"As Old Madam had said, Nanny Zhao was not alone. She had a husband, a son, and a daughter—a whole family. Even if she had truly run away, would she abandon them?"

After making those arrangements, she turned to see Granny Chen and Qian Si still weeping. Mei Wuxia couldn't help but feel a headache. She leaned closer to Old Madam and said, "Grandmother, this is too close to the East Wing. If we make too much noise, they will inevitably hear."

Old Madam Mei saw her granddaughter busying herself with arrangements and attending to her every need. She was now receptive to reason.

"You are right."

Her demeanor was kind and gentle here, but her face turned stern as she addressed Granny Chen and Qian Si.

"You two, leave." She then turned to Liuzhu and said, "Tell those kneeling outside to return to their rooms. They are an eyesore, standing there like that!"

Qian Si and Granny Chen quickly kowtowed and rose to their feet, leaving the room. Liuzhu followed them out.

A young maid entered to clear the broken porcelain shards and replace the tea.

Old Madam Mei took a few deep breaths and sipped some tea.

"Did Third Miss handle the funeral arrangements?"

Mei Wuxia nodded. "It is said that Great Aunt had a premonition of her impending death and made preparations beforehand. Nanny Zhao also helped."

The mention of Nanny Zhao reignited Old Madam Mei's anger. She sneered, "I trusted her, supported her entire family. And what does she do? She runs off to mourn for someone else, acting like a filial son."

She seemed to be deliberately picking a fight. "It shouldn't have been a three-day mourning period!" She had learned these details from the servants, piecing together their fragmented accounts.

"They said there was no ice on the estate, and the weather was too hot. If the body was left for too long... it would smell." Mei Wuxia paused at the words "it would smell" and covered her nose with a handkerchief.

"Do you think it's possible she gave something to Third Miss?" Old Madam suddenly asked.

Mei Wuxia was taken aback. She instinctively replied, "That's unlikely, isn't it?"

Old Madam furrowed her brow. "I know her well. She endured all these years for her own granddaughter." She let out a series of cold laughs at the words "own granddaughter." "To abandon everything halfway through, how could she be content to die?"

"But how can anyone control life and death? She had someone deliver a message to you, Grandmother, didn't she? It's clear she knew her time was short and was indirectly admitting defeat. It is said that Third Sister only saw her once, and there were others present. The woman died that very night. There wouldn't have been an opportunity."

Mei Wuxia wasn't defending Wushuang. She was simply stating the facts.

She spoke in a veiled manner. If she had been more direct, she would have said that Mei Wushuang had been under the control of the First Branch for years. She could only laugh when they allowed her to laugh, and she could only cry when they allowed her to cry. She couldn't, and wouldn't, escape the First Branch's grasp.

Though she didn't say it explicitly, Old Madam understood. She had always held herself in high regard and was narrow-minded. Naturally, she wouldn't believe that Wushuang could escape her control.

"Besides, Nanny Zhao ran away. If she wasn't guilty, why would she run?"

If it was simply a matter of failing a task, there was no need to run. She could simply admit her mistake and accept punishment. It was only possible that there was a significant matter at stake, a great benefit to be gained, that would make her dare to commit such a bold act.

Old Madam pondered this and agreed. The reason she had suddenly come up with those ideas was based on her understanding of Great Aunt's character. But the premise was that Nanny Zhao had run away.

She ran away, she must have taken something with her.

"It's all thanks to you being by my side, solving my worries and troubles. Unlike your short-sighted mother and your useless father." Old Madam held Mei Wuxia's hand and sighed with a hint of regret.

Mei Wuxia lowered her head, feigning embarrassment, and spoke up for her parents.

"Mother may not be very intelligent, but she manages the household diligently. Father is indeed weak in martial arts, but he has a good literary talent. If he hadn't inherited a title, he might have even become a top scholar in the imperial examinations."

"You're still defending them. Never mind, I won't be a petty person who stirs up trouble. Let's not talk about them anymore. You've been tired from the journey and busy with arrangements. If you're tired, go back to your room and rest."

"Granddaughter is not tired. You should rest for a while, Grandmother. We had a fright on the road, and you haven't had a chance to settle in. Now this has happened. Please rest for a while, and I'll take care of everything else."

Liuzhu happened to come in from outside. Seeing the eldest Miss helping the Old Madam lie down, taking off her shoes and tucking her in, she couldn't help but sigh: No wonder the eldest Miss is so favored by Old Madam.

***

The commotion in the main room naturally didn't escape the east wing.

Bailu, being Wushuang's personal maid, had escaped the summons along with the other servants. This made her both anxious and relieved.

Feeling guilty, she found an excuse to hide in her own room and avoid appearing. Without Bailu to hinder them, Xiaohong and Meifang both pricked up their ears and eavesdropped in the east wing, of course, they didn't forget to peek as well.

Seeing that everyone had gone to find Nanny Zhao and there was no sign of anyone coming to look for the Miss, both of them breathed a sigh of relief and told Wushuang, who was pretending to be asleep in the inner room.

"Don't let your guard down, be alert. This matter won't settle down for a while. Nanny Zhao has family in the capital. If they find out that her family is still in the capital, they might suspect others."

"Then, then what, what should we do?" asked Meifang.

"With Nanny Zhao missing, they won't tear things apart unless they have absolute certainty. They still have something to ask of me, so I told you to be alert. If they suspect me, they will try to probe my people."

Wushuang had been worried that the great aunt's remains would be disturbed. Now that the funeral was over and the body buried, unless the entire first branch wanted to shed all pretenses with her, they wouldn't dare touch the great aunt's grave.

As for herself?

She had never worried. Mei Wuxia was still thinking about her marriage. Could any amount of money compare to a position as a princess consort that could elevate the Mei family?

Before she secured her marriage, even if her usually harsh grandmother suspected her and wanted to deal with her, Mei Wuxia would stand in front of her.

Because the eldest sister was always a clever one.

Wushuang admitted that she was not as clever as her 'eldest sister', but she understood her 'eldest sister'. In her previous life, she had been in a miserable situation, powerless to change anything, but she had spent countless hours pondering the person who had caused her such misfortune.

"Miss, you should still be wary of them searching your chests or your room," Xiaohong reminded her hesitantly.

Wushuang smiled, "Don't worry, I've already hidden the things, in a place no one knows about."

Seeing Wushuang so confident, Xiaohong didn't ask any further. This girl always knew what to ask and what not to ask.

***

Just as Wushuang had predicted.

The people sent back to the capital discovered that Nanny Zhao's family was still in their mansion, as if nothing had happened. This made the whole affair even more mysterious.

They placed Nanny Zhao's family under surveillance and sent the news to the manor. Due to the poor road conditions, they didn't arrive until early the next morning. This news made Old Madam Mei suspect others.

Due to the great aunt's death, Wushuang was the first to be suspected.

The servants who had come with them were called to the main room one by one for questioning, including Bailu, Wushuang's personal maid.

Bailu trembled with fear. She was guilty. As Wushuang's maid, she had secretly colluded with Nanny Zhao and naturally knew things that others didn't.

She knew that Nanny Zhao had come on Old Madam's orders to retrieve the second branch's assets from the great aunt, but the great aunt died before she could get them. Nanny Zhao panicked for two days, and Bailu was also terrified. She wanted to curry favor with Nanny Zhao, but Nanny Zhao wouldn't see her. She also noticed that Granny Chen and Qian Si were avoiding Nanny Zhao.

Bailu wasn't foolish, and naturally understood the meaning behind Granny Chen and Qian Si's avoidance of Nanny Zhao. Fearing involvement, she dared not approach Nanny Zhao again, spending her days hiding in her own room.

Upon learning of Nanny Zhao's disappearance, Bailu felt a looming disaster. She knew Old Madam would eventually question her, for she had deliberately courted Zhao Shun, the eldest son of Nanny Zhao and Steward Zhao, taking advantage of their positions in the Hou Mansion. Their relationship was known to the mistress, and if Nanny Zhao suffered, she wouldn't escape unscathed.

Bailu expected Old Madam to inquire about Nanny Zhao, but instead, she questioned about Third Miss.

In the past, Bailu had looked down upon Third Miss, but now, facing imminent danger, Third Miss became her last refuge.

Therefore, she refrained from adding fuel to the fire or finding fault with Wushuang, instead speaking truthfully. She said that Third Miss had been behaving herself, diligently fulfilling her duties by attending to Great Aunt's mourning and funeral, and spending her time in her room, paying little attention to matters outside.

Mei Wuxia specifically inquired about Wushuang's behavior on the first day they arrived, the night Great Aunt passed away.

Bailu recounted the events truthfully, highlighting her own role, such as keeping an eye on Third Miss, preventing her from getting too close to Great Aunt, and subtly sowing discord to make Third Miss resentful towards Great Aunt.

Of course, she omitted her own laziness and shirking of duties, claiming that Third Miss had been uncomfortable in the carriage and had gone to sleep after returning from Great Aunt's.

Mei Wuxia dismissed Bailu.

"So, according to this, Third Miss is not only innocent but has been behaving herself. The only unusual thing is her haste in burying that person," Old Madam remarked.

It wasn't truly hasty, as there was an explanation. Under those circumstances, the conditions on the estate were insufficient, and leaving the body unpreserved for too long would have caused it to decay.

But if Old Madam perceived it as hasty, then it was hasty.

Mei Wuxia felt a pang of dread as she saw Old Madam raise an eyebrow. "Find someone to exhume the grave and open the coffin."

Mei Wuxia quickly stood up.

"Grandmother, didn't Granny Chen and Qian Si say there was nothing hidden in the coffin or on the body?"

While Nanny Zhao had inspected the body and coffin, she had later discussed the matter with Granny Chen and Qian Si. They had mentioned this during their previous questioning.

"She's run away, so her words are unreliable."

"But Grandmother, consider this: if Nanny Zhao lied, she would have taken the things with her since she fled. They wouldn't be in the coffin. If she told the truth, there's no need to exhume the grave and open the coffin."

Old Madam acknowledged the logic in her granddaughter's words. She admitted that her desire to "kill rather than let go" due to past grievances had led her to order the exhumation, but why was her granddaughter so insistent?

"You don't want people to dig up her grave?"

Mei Wuxia understood Old Madam's nature. To put it kindly, she was domineering; to be blunt, she was stubborn and couldn't be reasoned with. Moreover, she was sensitive and easily angered.

After a moment's thought, she put on a concerned expression. "Grandmother, think about it. Exhuming a grave is no small matter. What will Third Sister think if she finds out?"