These words shocked everyone present. Xiao Du hurriedly lifted the carriage curtain and followed Juan Bi inside without time for further questions. Not knowing what had happened, Yuanxi also helped herself down using Xiao Zhixuan’s hand. Just as she hurried past the carriage where Xiao Du had been sitting, she suddenly stopped abruptly, feeling a gaze watching her. A familiar sense of dread immediately swept through her entire body. Turning her head, she indeed saw Yunniang sitting askew in the carriage compartment, staring straight ahead, and her eyes, her eyes…

“Sister-in-law?” Seeing Yuanxi standing dazed before the carriage, Xiao Zhixuan tugged at her sleeve in puzzlement. Yuanxi snapped back to attention, bit her lower lip, and tried to make her expression look more natural. She nodded to Yunniang in the carriage, but Yunniang seemed completely unaware, as if she had maintained that posture for thousands of years.

Yuanxi suppressed the panic in her heart, knowing this wasn’t the best time to investigate this matter. She straightened her clothes and was led by the servants toward the manor. At this moment, the sunlight was brilliant, making the gilt plaque under the marquis manor’s eaves particularly dazzling.

Several people hurried into the main courtyard’s inner chamber, where Xiao Yunjing sat in the place of honor with a grave expression. Seeing Xiao Du and the others return, he only coolly instructed servants to help them sit. Beside him on the left sat Madam Zhao with hands clasped and face pale white. Her beautiful eyes had lost their usual composure and were now staring at Concubine Wang, who sat below continuously dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Next to Concubine Wang sat another person with delicate features but a coldly gloomy temperament—it was actually the second young master Xiao Qing, who hadn’t appeared for quite some time. The room was eerily quiet except for faint sobbing and gasping sounds.

After Yuanxi paid her respects and was guided to sit by a servant, she discovered someone kneeling in the center of the hall. Her hands were bound behind her back, her face covered in bloody scratches—it was actually Nanny Yu who served at Madam Zhao’s side. Upon seeing Xiao Du enter, she immediately rushed over crying, “Your Lordship, save this servant! This servant is innocent!”

Xiao Du coldly swept his gaze over everyone in the room and bowed to Xiao Yunjing, “Father, could you tell your son what exactly has happened?”

Xiao Yunjing’s eyes glanced down coldly, “Ask her yourself what good deeds she’s done!”

Nanny Yu wiped the blood and tears mixed on her face, kneeled up straight, and said in a trembling voice, “This servant truly hasn’t done anything! The Buddhist hall incident truly has nothing to do with this servant!”

Xiao Du’s heart sank. Everyone knew Nanny Yu was mother’s most trusted and close attendant, serving by her side since the day mother married into the marquis manor. She had even been willing to give up the chance to leave the manor and marry, becoming as close as family with mother. This time, interrogating Nanny Yu on the surface—wasn’t this announcing to everyone that they considered mother the true culprit behind the Buddhist hall incident? He quickly looked up at Madam Zhao, who was leaning weakly against the chair back. Her gaze toward Nanny Yu mixed resentment, reluctance, and pride she refused to abandon.

Xiao Du then turned toward Concubine Wang, who was softly weeping, “I wonder if Concubine Wang could explain to me what relationship Nanny Yu has with the Buddhist hall incident?”

Concubine Wang raised her tear-reddened eyes, but before she could speak, Xiao Qing beside her stood up, “Big brother speaks as if the concubine is deliberately targeting her. If this old slave hadn’t gone too far, daring to touch the very foundation of the marquis manor, why would we need to make such a great fuss?” As he spoke, he picked up a small figure pierced full of needles from the desk and threw it on the ground, shouting, “Speak! Isn’t this what was found in your room? You wrote Concubine Wang’s birth date and time on it, using these sinister methods—what are your intentions!”

Xiao Du frowned. Seeing Nanny Yu’s expression full of resentment yet speechless, he understood the general situation and asked again, “Then what does this have to do with the Buddhist hall?”

“Of course it does!” Xiao Qing’s voice rose slightly, “This was also found in her room.”

Xiao Qing produced a bronze whistle, saying, “I had people investigate. Nanny Yu was originally born in the Miao borderlands. The Miao people are most skilled at raising snakes, and this type of whistle is used by their clan to call snakes. That day in the Buddhist hall, why would so many snakes appear out of nowhere? Naturally someone with ulterior motives deliberately lured them there. This wretched slave, for her own selfish interests and to protect the Buddhist hall, would rather let the marquis manor bear the name of divine punishment—how malicious her intentions!”

When he mentioned selfish interests, his gaze seemed to sweep intentionally or unintentionally toward Madam Zhao. Madam Zhao trembled with rage but still held her head high, absolutely refusing to defend herself.

Before Xiao Du could speak, Nanny Yu on the ground was already crying, “It’s not like that! Your Lordship, don’t listen to their nonsense. My clan is indeed skilled with snakes, but this whistle was left to me by my mother. I keep it with me out of longing for my relatives—it has nothing to do with calling snakes!”

Xiao Qing snorted lightly, “The Buddhist hall experienced many strange incidents for no reason. In this manor, only you understand those witchcraft and poison arts, and you happen to know how to call snakes. Where in the world are there such coincidences?”

But Xiao Du turned to Xiao Yunjing, “Father truly believes in such nonsense as witchcraft and snake-calling arts?”

Xiao Yunjing gently closed his eyes, “The Buddhist hall incident has been several days with no resolution. Now she is the person most likely to have manipulated this matter. This is also the only truth that can explain the Buddhist hall’s strange occurrences. If not, the rumors of divine punishment upon the marquis manor will continue. You are now the master of this marquis manor—tell me, what should be done?”

Hearing the meaning in these words, Nanny Yu despairingly knelt on the ground and covered her face, sobbing bitterly. Madam Zhao also reddened her eyes, turned her head away, and dug her nails deeply into her palms. Xiao Du felt a chill in his heart and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a gentle voice beside him say, “Master, may this daughter-in-law say something?”

Everyone immediately turned their gazes toward Yuanxi, whose face was still somewhat pale. Suddenly finding herself the focus of everyone in the room, Yuanxi’s heart panicked nervously, and the words she had prepared beforehand suddenly refused to come out.

Xiao Du slowly walked to her side, intentionally or unintentionally using his broad shoulders to shield her from everyone’s gazes. Yuanxi looked up and saw his encouraging eyes, slowly regaining some courage. She stood up and said, “The Buddhist hall incident that day was indeed man-made, but it has nothing to do with witchcraft or snake-calling arts.”

The people in the hall immediately began whispering among themselves. Xiao Yunjing frowned, “And how would you know this?” Yuanxi glanced once more at Xiao Du before her, took a deep breath and continued, “That day I touched those captured snakes and discovered their bodies were very wet, as if they had just been fished out of water, and they carried a strange smell. I wonder if any of the servants who entered to catch the snakes that day are here—I want to clarify something. Were there also many water stains around the snakes that day?”

A young servant who had been first to rush into the Buddhist hall stepped forward and bowed, answering, “Indeed so. When I first arrived, I saw those snakes crawling and leaving many water stains on the ground.”

“Did you also smell any strange odors?” Yuanxi asked again.

The servant thought carefully and nodded, “There was a very pungent smell, like sulfur!”

Yuanxi nodded, “Based on this reasoning, the method wasn’t actually complicated. It merely exploited snakes’ hibernation habits—first placing the snakes in an ice cellar to freeze them, making them think they were still hibernating. When the time was right, they were placed and hidden in the Buddhist hall beforehand. The workers’ clamoring sounds that day, combined with sulfur smell which most agitates snakes, would gradually wake the snakes while making them restless and irritable, attacking people on sight.” She paused before continuing, “Such a trick requires no Miao borderland snake-calling arts—anyone present could accomplish it.”

She had never spoken so much before so many people. Having said it all in one breath, she only felt her heartbeat accelerate and her body growing hot as if about to sweat. Xiao Du smiled at her, helped her sit down, then turned and said, “If it were calling snakes with a whistle, how could one ensure so many snakes were hidden in the Buddhist hall beforehand without being discovered? And how could the snake-caller control so many snakes to surge out together without appearing themselves? Your son knows Father is anxious to learn the truth, but we cannot wrongly accuse innocent people because of this.”

Xiao Yunjing’s expression changed several times before he finally sighed softly in resignation. But Concubine Wang spoke up at this moment, “My Lord, even if there’s no evidence to prove the Buddhist hall incident, she used sinister arts to curse this concubine—that cannot be disputed. Should this just be forgotten?”

At this, Madam Zhao slowly stood up and said, “Nanny Yu did indeed do wrong this time, but she was also acting out of indignation for me, unable to bear watching certain petty people play dirty tricks behind others’ backs. I see Concubine Wang has suffered no serious harm. This time, it was my failure in supervision. If My Lord wishes to punish someone, punish me instead.”

Concubine Wang lowered her head, bitterly wringing the silk handkerchief in her hands, understanding she had already lost. She was the Late Emperor’s own sister, the Marquis’s legitimate mother—even Old Marquis couldn’t do anything to her. What she most hated was failing to catch evidence of her manipulation of the Buddhist hall incident; otherwise, Nanny Yu would have been beyond saving no matter how much Madam Zhao wanted to protect her. Thinking of this, Concubine Wang couldn’t help but steal another resentful glare at Yuanxi.

Xiao Yunjing was already quite exhausted by now. He stood up and said, “Let it be then. Nanny Yu has already received punishment and admitted her error. Dock her one month’s wages as further discipline, and leave everything else to Madam’s discretion.” A faint smile floated across Madam Zhao’s lips as she bowed, “Thank you for My Lord’s mercy.” Seeing Xiao Yunjing had already spoken, Concubine Wang knew the situation was lost and could only reluctantly and unwillingly acquiesce silently.

Thus, a drama that should have stirred great waves concluded so blandly. Seeing everyone in the room leaving one by one, Yuanxi was just preparing to stand when a hand extended before her. She hesitated slightly but still placed her hand in his palm, allowing him to help her up. Xiao Du held her hand but was in no hurry to walk forward. Only after everyone in the room had gradually dispersed did he softly ask her, “You even understand snake-keeping?”

Yuanxi was startled and replied, “I once read books about crimes committed using snakes.”

Xiao Du smiled as if casually asking, “How is it that the Chancellor’s manor would prepare many such books for an unmarried young lady to read?”

Yuanxi’s heart jumped with alarm. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, she said, “I had An’he help me find them. She, she knows a few young servants who could ask them to go outside and buy some books to bring back.”

Xiao Du looked at her noncommittally, slowly released her hand, and instructed An’he to come attend to her. Yuanxi sighed lightly in her heart. Just as she lifted her foot to walk out the door, she encountered Nanny Yu waiting there. Upon seeing her, Nanny Yu immediately moved to kneel, saying, “Thank you, Madam! If not for you, this old servant would surely have died carrying false charges today!”

Yuanxi quickly supported her and was about to speak when she heard Madam Zhao say coldly from the side, “Don’t think today’s moment in the spotlight was necessarily a good thing. Do you think My Lord truly believed those absurd claims full of holes? It’s simply that the Buddhist hall matter has dragged on unresolved—he needed to find someone to take the blame, to give those outside an explanation. Concubine Wang conveniently staged this performance, and he went along with the flow. How could he care about who might be implicated?”

Yuanxi was stunned. She had never been good at reading people’s hearts, but thinking carefully now, she actually felt somewhat chilled. At this moment, Madam Zhao took a step forward and, facing the layers of wealthy and flourishing courtyards before them, said coolly, “Husband and wife bound by first marriage—this is all it amounts to.”

The desolation and loneliness contained in these words made Yuanxi’s heart inexplicably ache. When she looked up again, Madam Zhao was already being supported by Nanny Yu, walking away without looking back.

On the other side, Xiao Du quickly caught up with Xiao Zhixuan walking ahead, pulling her to a secluded spot. Xiao Zhixuan was about to ask in puzzlement when she heard Xiao Du staring at her and saying coldly, “Now you can tell me—where exactly did you go last night?”