After Li Hui finished speaking, he looked at Old Madam Deng with concern.

Old Madam Deng’s pupils dilated slightly, as if she hadn’t heard clearly what Li Hui was saying, her expression wooden.

Li Yan, who was supporting Old Madam Deng, suddenly staggered back several steps, bumping into a long table displaying calligraphy and paintings, making a sound.

Only then did Old Madam Deng seem to wake from a dream. Her eyelashes trembled as she asked: “Hui’er, what did you say?”

Li Hui couldn’t bear to look at Old Madam Deng’s expression anymore and lowered his head: “Grandmother, Second Uncle is gone…”

“Gone? How did he die?” Old Madam Deng struggled to maintain her composure, but her voice trembled slightly.

Li Yan was already covering her mouth, crying audibly.

Her father was dead?

The father who had once held her hand to teach her calligraphy was dead? The father who would scold her with a stern face when she wasn’t diligent in her studies was dead? The father she had accidentally caught painting her mother’s eyebrows, making her secretly wish to find such a husband in the future, was dead?

That… that father she had missed for over five years, but who had returned with a beautiful concubine, was dead?

At this moment, Li Yan’s heart was filled with sorrow as she covered her mouth with a handkerchief, suppressing her sobs.

She both hated and loved that person—he was her father. From now on, she and her sister would be orphans.

“Hui’er, speak up, tell Grandmother how your Second Uncle died?”

Li Hui shook his head: “Grandson isn’t clear either. I went with Father to the yamen to inquire about Second Uncle. The gatekeeper said he hadn’t seen Second Uncle leave after work, so we went in together to look. We found Second Uncle lying motionless on his desk. When Chen Guang went forward to check, he discovered that Second Uncle’s body had already gone stiff…”

“What about now? Where are your father and Chen Guang?” Old Madam Deng took a deep breath and asked.

She couldn’t collapse. When she received news of her husband’s death in her youth, she hadn’t collapsed, so she certainly couldn’t collapse now!

“Father is waiting for officials from the Ministry of Justice and Shuntian Prefecture to come investigate Second Uncle’s cause of death. Chen Guang went to track down the whereabouts of the two young servants who went out with Second Uncle this morning, so Grandson hurried back to report.”

After hearing this, Old Madam Deng was silent for a moment before calling out: “Nanny Rong.”

“Old Madam—”

“Take people immediately to prepare… to prepare that nanmu wood coffin I had made two years ago, and also arrange the burial clothes, shroud, and mourning hall.”

“Old Madam—” Nanny Rong’s face showed reluctance, tears streaming down.

The most bitter things in this world were losing one’s husband in youth and losing one’s child in old age. Old Madam’s fate was too harsh.

“Go on, I won’t die yet.” Old Madam Deng waved her hand, showing her full age.

Nanny Rong didn’t dare say more and left to carry out the orders.

“Hui’er, have the steward accompany you to the yamen. If there’s any news, send word back immediately, especially news about your Third Sister!”

“Grandson understands. Grandson takes his leave.” Li Hui knelt and kowtowed to Old Madam Deng, his voice choked with emotion: “Please take care of your health, Grandmother.”

He had no deep feelings for that Second Uncle, but he could understand his grandmother’s grief at this moment.

Never mind Grandmother—even his father, who occasionally scolded Second Uncle, was extremely sad now. If something happened to Third Sister, too—

Li Hui didn’t dare think further and hurried away with the steward.

Old Madam Deng sat blankly in the hall, dismissing everyone except Li Yan.

The room was very quiet. Li Yan didn’t dare cry anymore and silently kept watch over Old Madam Deng.

After a long silence, Old Madam Deng sighed deeply, breaking the quiet: “Fourth Girl, Grandmother remembers you’re the same age as your Third Sister?”

“Yes, Granddaughter was born in the same year as Third Sister.”

“Already fourteen, not young anymore. When Grandmother was your age, I had already married your Grandfather.”

Li Yan lowered her eyes.

“At fourteen, one should be sensible.” Old Madam Deng grasped Li Yan’s hand with her rough one and sighed softly. “Your father, after returning from Lingnan this time, I knew he would cause trouble sooner or later. I just didn’t expect him to bring about his death so quickly!”

“Grandmother, are you saying my father was murdered?”

Old Madam Deng looked toward the door without speaking.

Her second son had been wrong since his return. That Bing Niang, who had killed people and cast poison, how could she be an ordinary courtesan? She couldn’t guess what kind of trouble her second son had gotten involved in, but she was certain it boded ill rather than well. She had even wondered if the entire Li household would be destroyed by her second son’s actions. Her second son’s fate was something he had brought upon himself step by step—he couldn’t blame others!

“The one who can truly harm oneself is always oneself. Yan’er, remember Grandmother’s words: if one conducts oneself righteously, then neither spirits nor demons can invade.”

“Yan’er understands. Grandmother, what about Mother?”

“Let’s wait a bit.” Old Madam Deng thought of Lady Liu, her expression growing even more weary.

Lady Liu had just become pregnant and now lost her husband. She didn’t know if she could withstand such a blow. She even felt grateful for the cold relationship between the second son and his wife these past months. No matter what, no one else in the family could have anything happen to them.

As the black cloth was removed, Qiao Zhao finally saw clearly where she was.

It was a room with windows near the ceiling. Inside, there was nothing but a low couch and a screen, with even the light coming through the high windows.

“Third Miss Li is extremely clever, so you must have guessed the purpose of our invitation?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t guess.”

“Hehe, could it be that Third Miss Li thinks we’re all like your fiancé Marquis Guanjun, or your family members?”

Qiao Zhao looked calmly at the speaker.

The man had ordinary features—if thrown into a crowd, you probably wouldn’t recognize him in the blink of an eye. At this moment, he looked at her with eyes that held no emotion whatsoever.

Qiao Zhao knew this must be a death warrior who would never develop any tender feelings for a woman.

“Third Miss Li, I advise you not to harbor any false hopes. Whatever we ask you, answer truthfully, and you can suffer less.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Where is that string of prayer beads? Where did you hide it?”

“Prayer beads?”

“Don’t play dumb!” The questioner raised his hand and slapped Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao’s delicate and frail body immediately showed a high swelling on her cheek from this slap. Her neatly combed twin buns came loose, with black hair falling beside her ears.

“Third Miss Li, we aren’t trying to scare you.”

Qiao Zhao raised her hand to tuck the loose hair behind her ear, her dark eyes looking calmly at the man: “I understand.”

“Then hand over the prayer beads to us, and we’ll let you go back!”

The young girl lowered her head without speaking, revealing her long, slender neck, as if deep in thought.

The man raised his hand but was stopped by his companion.

“Where is my Second Uncle?” After a moment of silence, the girl looked up at the two men.

The two men hadn’t expected Qiao Zhao to ask this and couldn’t help but exchange glances.

Qiao Zhao smiled: “It was my Second Uncle who handed me over to you, wasn’t it?”

The two men stared intently at Qiao Zhao. After a long while, one of them smiled: “Third Miss Li is indeed clever—this time it’s not just polite words.”

“Since you think I’m not stupid, would I tell you where I placed the prayer beads?” Qiao Zhao asked coldly with a sneer.

One of them smiled: “That depends on whether Third Miss Li can withstand our hospitality.”