BMECDAH 10

Chapter 10

When Jiang Wei walked into the hall carrying a tea tray, it was already crowded. A dozen manservants stood guard, and the atmosphere was heavy. Steward Zhao looked at her coldly. “Second Miss.”

“Mm.” Jiang Wei looked mockingly at Steward Zhao, who had a secret crush on the Second Concubine. Steward Zhao shot her a look that said, “You’re on your own.”

Shen Peirong was wearily comforting Jiang Yan, whose eyes were swollen from crying. The Second Concubine, meanwhile, pressed her handkerchief to her face and thumped Jiang Dahai’s chest. “Master, I am so scared.”

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid; lean on your master’s chest.”

Disgusting. The Third Concubine rolled her eyes. Seeing Jiang Wei arrive, her eyes lit up, and she stood up to greet her. “Greetings, Second Miss.”

“Greetings, Third Concubine.”

After the pleasantries, Jiang Wei carried the tea to her parents. “Father, Mother, please drink some tea.”

Shen Peirong nodded wearily. “You are thoughtful.”

Jiang Dahai was dissatisfied. “Your sister has suffered such a major incident, and you still have the heart to make tea?”

Pfft, scum father!

“Father, you have me confined; I didn’t know Sister had been robbed again,” Jiang Wei said, putting on a pitiful and helpless expression.

Chen Xiaolian (the Second Concubine) spoke up with malicious intent. “Oh, I happen to be thirsty. Second Miss, you don’t mind if I drink the tea you offered your father, do you?”

“But this is tea I offered to Father. If a concubine drinks tea offered by a mistress, I’m afraid you might be struck by lightning and get disfigured,” Jiang Wei replied.

The Second Concubine’s hand shook as she held the teacup.

“You brat! How can drinking a cup of tea cause disfigurement?! You rebellious child, if you keep speaking with such a weird tone, I will smash your mouth!” Jiang Dahai detested his second daughter; her sarcastic manner was exactly like the late Shen Zhennan.

“I understand. But Father, ‘rebellious child’ describes a beast. If you say I am a beast, then as my father, are you an old beast?” Jiang Wei asked, her clear eyes filled with a stupidity that thirsted for knowledge.

“You… you… you!” Jiang Dahai sputtered, his hand shaking and his mouth twitching. “I’m not bickering with you. I’m asking you—did you hear any noises last night?”

“No, I was sleeping like the dead last night, or perhaps I fainted from hunger.”

Shen Peirong frowned. “You didn’t eat the meal your sister had the kitchen prepare for you?” She hadn’t seen her for a night, and the girl had lost even more weight.

Jiang Wei looked blank. “Sister, you prepared a meal for me? But I didn’t see it. Could a maid have stolen my food?”

The maid who was suddenly singled out trembled. “Second Miss, I… I didn’t see any…”

“Sister, why are you yelling at the maid? She is just a poor person at the bottom of society. Perhaps you didn’t explain clearly, and she thought the food you sent was a reward and ate it.”

“Yes, yes! This servant thought the food brought by the Eldest Miss was meant for me, so I ate it all up!” The maid said in fear; the Eldest Miss hadn’t sent any food to the Second Miss at all.

“Sister, you are truly a good person. No wonder the thief didn’t steal from anyone else but only your things. Stealing is one thing, but what if he had stolen your virtue?” Jiang Wei wore an expression of someone worried sick for the family.

Jiang Yan’s expression stiffened. “Sister, you’re joking.” If the last time she was robbed was because she had gone to her mother’s room, she had stayed in her own room the entire time last night. Who on earth had snatched her things into thin air? If she found them, she would drain every bit of their luck dry.

The speaker may be unintentional, but the listener is not. The Second Concubine was terrified by Jiang Wei’s words, fearing the thief might have targeted Jiang Yan’s virtue. “Master, this is too terrifying! What if the thief really had lewd intentions toward the Eldest Miss? You must find the culprit quickly!”

Jiang Dahai was equally worried. “The strange thing is, it’s as if that person snatched the Eldest Miss’s things into thin air.”

“Father~” Jiang Wei stepped forward to knead his shoulders. Jiang Dahai felt a chill on the back of his neck; the feeling of being followed from yesterday resurfaced. He looked at Jiang Wei strangely. Seeing her staring at him stupidly, his hands shook. “What are you trying to say?” Could this unlucky child be possessed by my father-in-law again?

“Father, although there are no ghosts in this world, there are people playing god and ghosts. I suspect that the person who stole Sister’s things is among us…” She then stared eerily at everyone present.

“No kidding!” Jiang Dahai knew it was an inside job; the question was, who!

“Father, don’t be anxious. Listen to me analyze it for you slowly.” Jiang Wei continued to knead his shoulders. If it hurt, she would say his kidneys were bad, and the stubborn Jiang Dahai wouldn’t dare make a sound even if he were in pain.

Jiang Wei said, “There are five people in the manor capable of committing the crime: Father, Mother, Sister, the Second Concubine, and Steward Zhao. You and Mother are Sister’s biological parents; you couldn’t possibly steal her things. Sister couldn’t possibly steal her own things. As for the Second Concubine and Steward Zhao… it’s hard to say. One is a woman jealous of my mother; the other is an outsider holding the power of the household…”

“Second Miss, you are slandering me! Why would I steal from the Eldest Miss?” The Second Concubine, itching and scratching from the tea she drank, said in a fit of rage. Her face was flushed, looking guilty like someone caught red-handed.

Jiang Wei curled her lips as she watched the Second Concubine’s flushed face and neck. If you like drinking the tea I offered, then bear the cost of it. She had guessed that the irritable Jiang Dahai wouldn’t drink the tea, but the Second Concubine, desperate to climb higher, would surely snatch it. So, she had put the “Ugly Pill” in that bowl.

Scum father, don’t you pride yourself on your undying love for the Second Concubine? I wonder if you will still love her when you see her disfigured?

The seed of doubt was planted in everyone’s hearts. Having achieved her goal, Jiang Wei’s eyes filled with tears. “Second Concubine, I was only analyzing the situation. Why is your reaction so strong? Could it really be that you stole my sister’s things?”

“Nonsense! I have the Master’s favor; why would I steal?”

Jiang Wei pouted. “I didn’t say it was you. Isn’t there still Steward Zhao?” Steward Zhao was an accomplice in the murder of her maternal grandfather. She would not let anyone who harmed him off the hook; she wanted them to turn on each other.

Steward Zhao glared at her. “Second Miss, I have been in this manor for nearly 20 years, serving the Master and the Jiang family faithfully. Your words will inevitably make me and the other servants feel discouraged!” Steward Zhao felt the urge to kill Jiang Wei. Over the years, he had managed everything; he was the real boss of the Jiang family besides the Master. The Second Miss was too young and didn’t understand the dangers of life.

Jiang Wei pretended to be scared. “Father, look how fierce Steward Zhao is. Although you and Mother don’t like me, I am still his mistress. Today he dares to yell at me; tomorrow he will dare to kill you, Father.”

Jiang Dahai was by nature suspicious, and Steward Zhao held the evidence of his murder of his father-in-law. After hearing Jiang Wei’s words, suspicion had already taken root. He suppressed his thoughts and let Jiang Wei continue, wanting to see what she could come up with.

Jiang Wei continued, “Father, then I will say it. Treat it as entertainment. Actually, on my way back to the city, I heard a lot of gossip. People say Steward Zhao joined the family because of the Second Concubine and never married because of her. They also say the Jiang family’s Eldest Young Master is actually the son of you and the Second Concubine. No, that’s not right—my grandfather’s spirit told me that the eldest brother is actually my real brother, and Sister is the one who is the daughter of you and the Second Concubine.”

“Slander! Naked slander! Jiang Wei, you little b*tch, see if I don’t tear your mouth apart!” Chen Xiaolian could no longer sit still and jumped up.

“You dare!” Shen Peirong stopped the infuriated Second Concubine. “Xiao Wei, continue.”

Just moments ago, she had suddenly been able to hear Chen Xiaolian’s inner thoughts.