Chapter 423

**Chapter 429: Affection (Part 2)**

At that moment, a maid arrived!

Both Lord Xu and Lady Eleven were taken aback.

Lady Eleven, recalling that Lady Wen was also a member of the main household, felt a flicker of thought and instructed the maid, “Let her in!”

The maid obeyed and led Dong Hong inside.

“My Lord, My Lady,” Dong Hong said nervously, her eyes darting toward Lord Xu, clearly frightened. Lady Eleven smiled at Lord Xu briefly before beckoning Dong Hong closer. “Come, stand by me.”

Dong Hong approached Lady Eleven as if walking to the gallows. “Did Lady Wen send you to see me?” Lady Eleven asked gently, taking her hand.

Dong Hong nodded hurriedly, her eyes glancing again at Lord Xu.

Lord Xu understood immediately. He coughed lightly and withdrew to the eastern chamber.

Seeing that only she and Lady Eleven remained in the room, Dong Hong’s shoulders visibly relaxed. She let out a long sigh and leaned close to whisper, “My lady told me to tell only you. Some time ago, Concubine Qin asked her to exchange a large amount of gold. Over two or three months, it added up to over two hundred taels of gold. We don’t know what Concubine Qin needs so much for.”

Lady Eleven froze momentarily, noticing Dong Hong’s cautious expression. She quickly offered a reassuring smile. “Go back and tell Lady Wen that I understand.”

Relieved, Dong Hong curtsied with a smile and withdrew.

Lord Xu reentered.

Lady Eleven relayed Dong Hong’s words to him.

As soon as he heard, Lord Xu’s brows furrowed tightly. “Concubine Qin?”

“Yes,” Lady Eleven mused. “Lady Wen has always been shrewd. For her to pass on such a message at this time suggests it’s no trivial matter.”

Lord Xu gave a slight nod and was about to speak when hurried footsteps echoed from outside.

A maid guarding the door called out, “Young Master Xu!” The curtain was flung aside as Xu Lingkuan stormed into the room.

His head and clothes were soaked, his face drained of color. As soon as he entered, he shouted, “Fourth Brother!” His lips parted as though to continue, but upon seeing Lady Eleven, he pressed them shut and swallowed his words. After a brief pause, he softened his tone and respectfully greeted, “Fourth Elder Sister.”

“Young Master Xu,” Lady Eleven greeted warmly and instructed Amber to bring tea.

Xu Lingkuan looked at Lord Xu, anxiety flashing in his eyes—he clearly had something urgent to say.

“I’ll have the maids fetch some hot water for Young Master Xu to clean up,” Lady Eleven said tactfully, excusing herself to the eastern chamber.

No sooner had she stepped inside than a shattering crash rang out from the main room—the unmistakable sound of porcelain being thrown.

“What did you say?!” Lord Xu’s voice was low and heavy, like thunder before a storm. The tension behind the curtain was palpable, oppressive even through the fabric.

Lady Eleven’s heart lurched. She strained to listen but could only make out garbled, frantic whispers from Xu Lingkuan.

Soon, Amber returned with maids carrying hot water.

Lady Eleven signaled for them not to enter, and they waited together in the eastern chamber.

As steam rose from the basin and gradually dissipated, the curtain hung motionless, and silence lingered.

With growing anxiety, Lady Eleven’s mind raced.

What had Xu Lingkuan discovered that could provoke such anger from the normally unflappable Lord Xu? There was no movement from within—was the evidence incriminating Yanrong? Or Concubine Qin? Or was there some new revelation? And Lady Wen—was this her way of warning that attention should focus on Concubine Qin? What else had Lady Wen uncovered? Were she to confront her directly, would Lady Wen reveal everything? And if Concubine Qin was truly responsible for this scheme, how could she have pulled it off?

She thought of Aunt Tong’s death, of Xu Linyi holding her and saying those words “My jade will endure,” of Qiu Luo’s death, of Qiu Luo’s son’s death—even of Yuan Niang’s death… Before, she had believed that as long as she did not pry into those yellowed memories, these events would gradually fade away with time. But now, it was as if some unseen thread connected the past and present, making it impossible to escape or avoid.

As she pondered, the curtain was suddenly swept aside. Lord Xu and his brother Xu Lingkuan walked out one after another, their expressions grave.

“Lord Xu!” Eleventh Miss instinctively stood up, her eyes filled with concern.

Lord Xu noticed and nodded reassuringly at her. “Little Five found a poppet inscribed with Chun Ge’s eight characters of birth, pierced with needles, by the rear doorsteps of the Dowager’s quarters.”

The first name that flashed through Eleventh Miss’s mind was Qin Yi.

She looked questioningly at Lord Xu.

His gaze was icy, his expression rigid, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

Xu Lingkuan, however, seemed slightly troubled.

“Fourth Madam,” he said quietly, “this matter is quite serious. You’re pregnant now—don’t trouble yourself with these unsavory affairs. Fourth Brother and I will handle it. It’s late; you should rest.”

Eleventh Miss bit her lip.

Finding a cursed poppet was entirely different from merely scaring someone—with such an act even the Heir Apparent would be stripped of title. No wonder Lord Xu was in thunderous rage. This was indeed not something she should interfere with.

She nodded at the Xu brothers, about to voice her stance, when the usually cold-faced Lord Xu unexpectedly explained, “Such things are always hidden in secret places. The best approach is a thorough search, but a haphazard search might yield nothing and only invite ridicule. We’ve decided to have Yi Yiniang brought for interrogation—perhaps she knows something.”

Eleventh Miss immediately understood.

Though they suspected Qin Yi, it was still just suspicion. Turning the place upside down to find evidence was necessary, but failing to find any would make the Xu brothers appear incompetent. Worse, rumors might spread that they were framing Qin Yi to clear Eleventh Miss’s name—how would Xu Siyu, far away in Le’an, react? Moreover, it could alert the culprit, making it impossible to ever uncover the truth.

The best approach was to start with Yi Yiniang, who was close to Qin Yi. But since Yi Yiniang was under the Third Household, it would be improper for the brothers to question her directly. Only the Dowager could intervene. Even if Yi Yiniang was wrongly accused, she would have to endure it—after all, no one, not even the Third Madam, could balk at the Dowager’s will.

But if the Dowager got involved, who would take care of the unconscious Xu Sizhun?

Eleventh Miss considered this. “What about Chun Ge—”

“Madam Du will handle it,” Lord Xu said. “You should rest. We don’t need you collapsing too.”

Xu Sizhun’s kick still weighed on his mind.

True. At a time like this, staying out of the way was the best help she could offer.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Lord Xu and the Fifth Lord.” Eleventh Miss made courteous remarks to Xu Lingkuan before withdrawing to the east-end chamber with Amber.

With such a major incident unfolding, even a blind person would tread carefully. The Dowager’s residence was eerily quiet, every tiny sound amplified.

Lying on the reclining couch in the east-end chamber, Eleventh Miss heard a maid announce, “Yi Yiniang is here,” followed by the Dowager’s slurred reprimands, Yi Yiniang’s frightened pleas, and her heartrending wails… By the time silence returned, it was already the Hour of the Tiger (3-5 AM).

“Madam, I’ll go check on things,” Amber said anxiously, hoping for a swift resolution. The longer Yanrong remained detained, the more rumors would spread—even if they were innocent, people might still blame them for scaring Xu Sizhun.

Gossip was always irresistible, especially when it involved a noble family’s secrets—succession struggles, inheritance disputes, feuds between a concubine-born son and his father’s wife, and murder plots. The sooner a conclusion was reached, the better to contain the situation within certain bounds.

“Be careful,” Eleventh Miss warned. “Don’t overreach!”

She didn’t want Amber blundering into trouble and getting entangled.

“I understand,” Amber nodded knowingly and slipped out quietly.

About half a cup of tea later, she returned.

“Madam!” Her eyes shone with triumph. “Lord Xu and the Fifth Lord have gone to Qin Yi’s courtyard.”

So it seems Lord Xu and Master Xu have already obtained the evidence.

"Oh!" Lady Eleven perked up, pointing to the small stool in front of the daybed. "Quick, tell me what exactly happened!"

Amber half-sat on the stool and whispered, "Once the Dowager lost her temper, Yi Yiniang confessed everything at once. According to Yi Yiniang, Qin Yiniang had always been deeply concerned about Xu Siyu, who was far away in Le'an, and wanted someone to perform rituals for him, praying for his safety and wellbeing while away. Coincidentally, when the Empress Dowager fell ill, Daopo was invited by Marquis Jianning and had no time available. Qin Yiniang mentioned this casually, and Yi Yiniang recalled Zhu Daopo, who used to frequently visit with the Third Lady's mother. Skilled in crafting protective charms and reciting calming incantations, Zhu Daopo was highly praised by the Third Lady's mother and much cheaper than Daopo, so Yi Yiniang introduced her to Qin Yiniang. As a result, Qin Yiniang and Zhu Daopo hit it off immediately and began visiting each other often. Qin Yiniang frequently donated incense money to Zhu Daopo's temple, while Zhu Daopo lit an eternal lamp for Xu Siyu and recited protective incantations for him morning and night.

Since Lord Xu disliked Qin Yiniang's devotion to incense and worship, Qin Yiniang dared not bring Zhu Daopo into the house, only meeting her at the back gate. Sometimes, when it was inconvenient, she would rely on Yi Yiniang as the intermediary to pass messages or deliver incense money.

Later, for some unknown reason, Qin Yiniang suddenly began giving Zhu Daopo hundreds, even thousands, of taels of silver. Yi Yiniang grew suspicious and, after repeated questioning, discovered that Qin Yiniang had followed Zhu Daopo's instructions to set up several spirit tablets behind the shrine in the warm chamber.

Being familiar with such matters, Yi Yiniang immediately recognized it as a setup for casting curses. She was terrified and earnestly advised Qin Yiniang several times, but Qin Yiniang remained noncommittal. Yi Yiniang considered reporting this to the Dowager, but fearing being implicated since she had been the one to introduce Zhu Daopo to Qin Yiniang, she hesitated and delayed taking action.

Last night, Qin Yiniang visited her room, and Yi Yiniang spent a long time trying to persuade her again. Qin Yiniang grew impatient and left after just a short while.

When Lord Xu sent someone to question her, she didn't know what it was about at the time and didn't think much of it, responding vaguely.

"So, this matter has nothing to do with her at all!" Lady Eleven smiled, a trace of mockery flashing at the corner of her lips. "Not only is she uninvolved, but she repeatedly tried to warn Qin Yiniang!"