The white silk ribbon over ten feet long fluttered and swayed. Luo Sheng reached out to grasp it in her hand, staring at it thoughtfully.

Hong Dou’s face looked somewhat unpleasant as she said urgently: “Miss, this servant will burn this unlucky thing right away.”

Luo Sheng understood: “This is the white silk I used to hang myself?”

“That’s right. It was chaotic at the time and this servant didn’t think of it. I thought someone had cleaned it up. Who would have thought it ended up here…” Hong Dou chattered away in explanation, reaching out to take the white silk from Luo Sheng’s hand.

Luo Sheng held the white silk without releasing it. Her gaze swept lightly over the furnishings in the room before looking up at the roof beam.

Hong Dou froze, then her expression changed dramatically: “Miss, you, you’re not still thinking of ending it all, are you?”

Luo Sheng’s gaze fell on Hong Dou’s face as she asked calmly: “Am I someone who can’t think clearly?”

“No! Although Second Young Master Su is handsome, you’ve flirted with men even more handsome than him in the capital. How could you seek death over a country boy?”

The corner of Luo Sheng’s mouth twitched slightly.

Just what kind of person was this Miss Luo? She had truly learned something.

“Miss, please give the white silk to this servant.”

Luo Sheng paid no attention to Hong Dou’s pleading. With a wave of her hand, one end of the white silk passed through the roof beam and hung down.

Hong Dou’s hair stood on end. She rushed over and hugged Luo Sheng.

Luo Sheng patted the little maid’s hair and instructed: “Go bring the stool I used when I hanged myself.”

Hong Dou instinctively released her grip and scurried off to fetch a small round stool, placing it directly beneath where the white silk hung.

After doing all this, the little maid slapped herself: “What am I doing?”

Seeing this, Luo Sheng’s lips curved slightly.

She had already seen that although this little maid had many shortcomings, she carried out her master’s orders without question.

This was what she needed most right now.

Luo Sheng stepped onto the round stool with one foot.

Hong Dou was scared out of her wits. Hugging Luo Sheng’s legs, her voice changed pitch: “Miss, do you really want to die again?”

A calm voice came from above: “Of course not. I just want to verify a hypothesis. Let go.”

Hong Dou unconsciously released her grip and looked up at Luo Sheng, who was now standing on the round stool, asking blankly: “What do you want to verify?”

Luo Sheng pinched the broken end of the white silk.

This white silk had one place tied in a dead knot, clearly from when it was used for hanging. The neat break was where someone had cut it when rescuing Luo Sheng.

Luo Sheng grasped the broken end, and the white silk formed a loop again.

Hong Dou watched Luo Sheng’s movements with trepidation, ready to rescue her at any moment.

She had been the one who rescued Miss before, so she had experience now.

Luo Sheng shook the white silk, her voice taking on a hint of coldness: “Three days ago, I used this white silk and stood on this round stool to hang myself?”

“Yes.”

“Do you see it?” Luo Sheng leaned forward, moving closer to the white silk.

Hong Dou nodded carefully, her eyes full of confusion.

If she said she didn’t see anything, would Miss die to prove it to her?

Luo Sheng saw the answer in the little maid’s eyes. No longer making it difficult for her, she pointed to the white silk hanging at her chest: “With the white silk at this position, if I were to hang myself, I would still need to bend my knees and legs. Wouldn’t that be too hard on myself?”

Hong Dou paused, then couldn’t help but agree: “Yes, too hard on yourself.”

Already seeking death, yet using such an inconvenient posture? Moreover, her miss had never been someone who made things difficult for herself.

Luo Sheng stepped down from the round stool, letting the white silk sway. Her eyes grew increasingly somber: “Hong Dou, don’t you understand? I didn’t want to hang myself—someone tried to harm me.”

“Really, really?” Hong Dou’s tongue tied itself in knots.

Luo Sheng looked at Hong Dou, revealing a helpless expression: “Besides, wouldn’t I know myself whether I wanted to die or not?”

Hong Dou had no more doubts and couldn’t help crying out in alarm.

Cool fingertips landed on her lips, blocking the cry.

Hong Dou’s eyes filled with both terror and fury as she asked: “Miss, who exactly wanted to harm you? How utterly audacious!”

Luo Sheng was thinking about this question too.

Grand Commander Luo’s treasured pearl—even Old Madam Sheng couldn’t put on the airs of an elder before her, yet someone had attempted murder right in Miss Luo’s boudoir.

The early spring wind carried a chill as it surged in through the window lattice, stirring the quietly hanging white silk. The room seemed filled with invisible murderous intent.

Hong Dou unconsciously shivered, her anger intensifying. With killing intent, she said: “Miss, we must find the person who harmed you and kill her!”

Luo Sheng nodded: “That’s exactly my intention.”

She had died before, so she cherished life even more. The person who harmed Luo Sheng must be found.

“Sit.” Luo Sheng pointed at the round stool.

Hong Dou didn’t mind that this round stool was what her miss had stood on to hang herself. She plopped down on it.

Luo Sheng rested her chin on one hand, her expression indifferent: “Then let’s start by talking about my hanging incident.”

Hong Dou froze. Looking at Luo Sheng’s calm expression, she finally asked the doubt that had been growing in her heart: “Miss, do you mean you don’t remember?”

Luo Sheng nodded matter-of-factly: “That’s right, I don’t remember anything.”

Hong Dou covered her mouth in shock: “How could this be?”

Luo Sheng smiled nonchalantly: “Probably because I made a trip through the gates of death and accidentally drank a few sips of Old Lady Meng’s soup.”

“Is there really Old Lady Meng brewing soup by the Bridge of Helplessness?”

Luo Sheng looked at Hong Dou, her eyes gradually turning cold: “Hong Dou, you must remember that whether I remember or not, I am always your master.”

Hong Dou’s expression became stern. No longer daring to ask questions, she spoke of the reason for Luo Sheng’s hanging.

“Over a month ago, we came to Jinsha County. You encountered Second Young Master Su by chance and wanted to make his acquaintance, but he refused. After several such instances, you went to find Old Madam Sheng and said you fancied Second Young Master Su—”

“When did I go find my grandmother?” Luo Sheng interrupted Hong Dou.

“Three days ago.”

Luo Sheng’s eyes flickered slightly: “And then?”

“Then you were refused! Hong Dou spoke of this matter with considerable righteous indignation. “The old madam was too unreasonable. Of course you were angry. After returning, you even cried from anger… Later you rested, and this servant felt something was wrong and came into the room, only to discover a person hanging from the roof beam—”

Speaking to this point, the little maid’s face turned deathly pale, clearly still frightened in retrospect.

“How did you discover something was wrong?” Luo Sheng felt she had found a breakthrough.

Hong Dou patted her chest: “You have a habit of taking afternoon naps. This servant took advantage of that time to go to the peddler on the back street to buy some trinkets. Halfway there, I realized I’d forgotten to bring money and came back. Originally, this servant didn’t dare disturb your nap, but I didn’t hear your snoring from the outer room. Finding it strange, I came in to take a look.”

Luo Sheng’s expression became somewhat stiff.

In other words, this Miss Luo had a snoring habit.

This explained why she had discovered upon waking that the other maids all stayed outside, rarely entering the room. If it were her, she probably wouldn’t want anyone but her closest maid nearby either.

Luo Sheng organized her thoughts and asked again: “Did anyone come before my afternoon nap?”

“Yes!” Hong Dou counted on her fingers. “The young master came, and the eldest cousin miss and second cousin miss also came…”

The young master referred to Luo Sheng’s younger brother Luo Chen. The eldest cousin miss was Sheng Jiayu, and the second cousin miss was Sheng Jiayu’s concubine-born sister Sheng Jialan.

“Tell me about the circumstances when they came, including what they said.”