The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Chapter 187 King Jing Returns

Xiao Shu nodded and said, "Yes! I will do it right away!"

In this matter, whether Xie Run can find the real culprit is not the point.

The key is her attitude!

Xie Run then found Mother Li in the princess's courtyard and asked her to quickly pass the message to the prince and princess in the palace.

She asked Mother Li, "Mother, I've only been in the mansion for a short time. I don't know what to do about the Fourth Young Master's matter."

The fourth young master died young, so it is not appropriate to hold a funeral.

But if we just leave it like this until Prince Jing and the Princess return, that would really not be appropriate.

Mother Li was also sweating profusely.

No matter how powerful she is, she is just a slave. How can she be so powerful?

Mother Li said, "Now the prince and princess cannot be contacted in the palace, and I don't know what to do."

"There's only one young master in the mansion who died young. Why not make arrangements according to the old rules for the second young master..."

Xie Run nodded and said decisively: "Just do as mom says first!"

Mother Li also breathed a sigh of relief and was extremely grateful that Concubine Xie was decisive when encountering problems.

The princess kept her in the palace to prevent any accidents.

But the accident still happened.

If she doesn't handle it well, she will be punished.

Xie Run added, "There have been a series of incidents in the mansion. Mother, remember to tell the maids and servants who are looking after the Third Young Miss to be more careful."

Xie Run said again: "Xiao Shu, send someone to Concubine Li's courtyard to deliver a message as well."

"As for the others, let them stay in their own yards and don't come over unless necessary."

"With so many people around, who knows if there will be people trying to take advantage of the situation?"

Mother Li nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, Master, you are right. I will pass the message down immediately!"

Concubine Li, Wan Linlang, and Concubine Lu, who had just reached the intersection, were all driven back.

It was rare for Xie Run to show such a strong attitude, so naturally there were some dissatisfied voices in the backyard.

However, these voices were suppressed when they encountered Xie Run's identity as a concubine.

Xie Run stayed in Concubine An's courtyard from dusk to dawn, and even the funeral arrangements of the Fourth Young Master were almost done.

King Jing and the princess rushed back exhausted.

The moment Xie Run saw King Jing, his eyes turned red.

I don't know why, but I suddenly felt my heart drop to the ground.

She suppressed her emotions and bowed to King Jing and Princess Wang first, "Your Majesty, Princess Wang, please accept my condolences."

Xie Run said methodically, "The imperial physician has come to see the Fourth Young Master. He has a high fever that has caused him to run out of breath."

"He was born with lung problems and had difficulty breathing. He must have caught a cold and injured his lungs, which is why he became so ill. He died before he could even see the doctor."

"I have already had the Fourth Young Master's body buried. I, An Shiyi, am now locked up in the bedroom, under someone's care, waiting for the Prince and Princess to return and deal with me."

"The several maids who served me personally have all been taken into custody and have already written their confessions."

"Everything in the yard has been counted, and there's nothing missing or extra."

Xie Run also spent a whole day in Concubine An's courtyard before he sorted out all these things one by one.

It was also discovered that the Fourth Young Master was not harmed by anyone, but died of a fever due to poor care.

Whatever the truth is, at least all the evidence points to this answer.

The princess looked at Xie Run in surprise.

On the way here, she heard the news that the Fourth Young Master was gone, and she thought she would have to work hard all night again.

Unexpectedly, Concubine Xie had already dealt with all the matters and was just waiting for her and Prince Jing to come back and make a decision.

The princess would naturally be willing to take a breath.

King Jing had a gloomy expression and was obviously unhappy, but he still reached out to support Xie Run.

He touched Xie Run's hand and asked, "Your hands are so cold, why don't you put on more clothes?"

Xie Runwen smiled gently and said, "Such a big thing happened in the mansion. I was so focused on handling it that I didn't pay attention to these things."

But she didn't know that when she spoke with a smile and red eyes, King Jing felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart.

King Jing had also noticed that Xie Run only had her hair tied up in a bun, without any decoration on her head, which showed that she had come in a hurry today.

King Jing patted Xie Run's hand and said in a gentler voice, "Thank you for your hard work today."

Xie Run: "I don't want to complain, but please don't delay the prince and princess from handling their business."

Upon hearing these words, King Jing's satisfaction with Xie Run reached its peak in an instant.

He is knowledgeable and interesting, and never causes trouble.

She can stand up and take charge at critical moments, and can distinguish priorities... Such a person is definitely qualified to be a concubine, let alone a confidant.

Prince Jing and the Princess first read the confessions handed over by their two personal maids.

In addition to Ping'an, Concubine An also has three maids: Shunxin, Shunyi and Lizi.

She was a concubine and could only have two maids.

So Shunxin Shunyi is nominally the Fourth Young Master's man.

According to the confessions of these three people, the Fourth Young Master did indeed suffer a sudden fever and convulsion, and died before he could receive treatment.

I didn't eat or drink anything during the trip, and no outsiders came in to interact with me.

After reading the confession, King Jing's men brought Concubine An over.

When Concubine An, with a dazed look in her eyes, saw King Jing, her whole body trembled and she showed an expression of fear in an instant.

She knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "I was wrong, I was wrong!"

"It is my fault that I did not take good care of the Fourth Young Master. Please spare my life, Your Highness!"

"Please spare my life, my lord!"

After today's trouble, Concubine An was already in a mess, with her hair messy and half covering her face.

He only raised his head occasionally, revealing the fear that was hard to conceal in his eyes, and his whole body was trembling.

Fearing that she would struggle, the two maids held her down and made her kneel on the ground with her head raised.

King Jing was originally filled with anger, but when he saw the woman trembling in front of him, he fell silent.

Looking at Concubine An's fair and delicate face, King Jing even felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.

This woman served him and gave birth to two children for him.

But when he looked at this face today, King Jing couldn't find any memory of this face in his mind.

The only thing I remember is that she was incompetent and cowardly.

Every time I went to her yard, she stood quietly by.

If he moved even a little, she would look at him with uneasy eyes like a frightened bird.

King Jing didn't like such a cowardly person and never favored her.

She was lucky, as she only had sex once a year, and luckily she got pregnant.

King Jing never treated his woman badly and always let the princess look after her. Even though he didn't like her timid look, he would always go to sit in her yard for a while.

Because he knew that this would make her life easier.

She is also lucky.

Despite the series of incidents happening in the mansion, she managed to carry her child safely for more than eight months and gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.

Originally, King Jing had a good impression of her.

But after the twins were born, the boy had bruises on his body due to the mother being frightened, so King Jing became a little displeased with her.

It seemed like her good luck had run out.

Not long after, a charcoal gas accident injured the Fourth Young Master and turned the Second Princess into a fool. King Jing was left with only disgust for her.

Later, King Jing would hear news about the Fourth Prince's illness every few days, and his disgust piled up layer by layer until it reached its extreme.

If there were no reliable people in the backyard, King Jing would have taken the fourth prince away and arranged for another foster mother.

At this moment, King Jing was indeed extremely regretful.

I regret that I hesitated for a moment and harmed my son!

Looking at Concubine An's frightened pale face, King Jing felt very complicated.

As a biological mother, she can't even take care of her own child. She deserves to die!

But as his woman, I served him, gave birth to two children for him, and one of them is still alive...

He took a deep breath and said in a cold voice, "Mrs. An failed to take good care of his offspring. He is punished by being confined to the courtyard for life and is not allowed to step out of the courtyard again."

His cold gaze turned and fell on the three girls kneeling below.

"You are responsible for taking care of the Fourth Young Master. He suddenly fell ill due to your inadequate care. Each of you will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and sent to the farm to do hard labor. You are not allowed to return to the palace."

"All other maids and servants in the courtyard will be punished with ten strokes of the cane and assigned by the princess to various chores!"

"Today's matter ends here. If any more rumors spread..." King Jing swept his cold gaze over the crowd, "Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"