Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows and looked ahead. There, a delicate-looking woman, supported by a similarly frail young girl, was slowly approaching. "This is..."
Shen Mingzhu had a vague guess but still looked at Xie Lang uncertainly, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"This is another concubine of General Xie," Xie Lang said, the look of amusement on his face becoming even more prominent. He sneered and said, "It seems that today will be the day to settle everything."
Shen Mingzhu frowned, trying to recall the origin of this concubine. General Xie had a wife and two concubines. Compared to Concubine Wang and Liu Shi, this concubine was rather inconspicuous. Shen Mingzhu couldn't even remember her face. She only guessed intuitively that this was Concubine Zhang, and the girl beside her was Xie Fanglian, the second young lady of the Xie Mansion.
"General," Concubine Zhang looked delicate. Different from Concubine Wang, Concubine Zhang was truly in poor health, and even her daughter seemed to be congenitally weak. Her lips were pale, and her voice was soft. "I heard that there was something going on here, so I came here on my own initiative. I hope the general won't blame me."
General Xie frowned. He didn't expect Concubine Zhang to come. He had a hunch in his mind, so his look at Liu Shi became even more unfriendly.
"I'm sure the general has already guessed what I'm going to say?" Concubine Zhang coughed a few times. Xie Fanglian beside her looked worried, with tears in her eyes as she looked at her mother. "I'm here today to tell the general what the madam has done over the years."
Saying that, Concubine Zhang waved to the maid behind her. The maid presented some items, and General Xie examined them one by one.
Liu Shi felt extremely uneasy. She couldn't say a word. She reached out and pinched her own arm hard. The pain made her regain a bit of clarity. She looked at Concubine Zhang and said, "Why did you come? You're not in good health. Why did you suddenly come out in the cold wind?"
Seeing the uneasiness in Liu Shi's eyes, Concubine Zhang suddenly let out a soft laugh. She looked at her gently and said, "How could I not come? Concubine Wang sacrificed her life but didn't even get a chance to die in peace."
"If I did nothing, wouldn't I just be waiting for the madam's knife to fall on me and Lianlian?" Concubine Zhang said such astonishing words in a calm tone. She patted her daughter's hand on her arm and comforted her, "Lianlian, don't be afraid. Mother is here."
"The madam has harmed me and Lianlian. But I have no family to rely on after my parents' death. I've been relying on you to live, so I didn't dare to speak up until today," Concubine Zhang said with a long sigh. "I don't care. I'm already half buried in the soil. But Lianlian is still so young. She was injured at birth and has been in poor health. It's only today that she can get justice."
"Madam," Concubine Zhang looked at her. Finally, a hint of hatred appeared on her face. "Do you never feel guilty for what you've done all these years?"
Liu Shi's face gradually turned pale. She finally understood what it meant that a barking dog doesn't bite.
After hearing these words, Shen Mingzhu turned to look at Xie Lang, with a complex look in her eyes. "Did General Xie really not know what Liu Shi had done all these years?"
Seeing the suspicion in Shen Mingzhu's eyes, Xie Lang smiled and said, "Who knows?"
"Making women jealous of each other is, in a way, a kind of pleasure," Xie Lang said with a sarcastic smile on his face and a flippant tone. He had returned to his original playboy appearance. "If you pretend to be stupid for a long time, who can tell if he's really stupid or just pretending under the guise of being awake?"
Xie Lang looked solemn, with a hint of melancholy that didn't match his age. When he frowned, his face was just split by the light and shadow, covering the look in his eyes. He looked a bit mysterious.
Shen Mingzhu looked at him for a few times. She always felt that Xie Lang at this moment looked like a famous sword hidden in its scabbard, so she admired him for a while.
"What?"
Xie Lang noticed that Shen Mingzhu's eyes had been on his face for a long time. The look in his eyes instantly turned into a faint smile. He looked at Shen Mingzhu and joked, "Your Highness finally realizes that I'm somewhat good-looking?"
[Tsk, why are you looking at me? Do you really like me?]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
She took back what she had just said. Xie Lang was still the same old Xie Lang. He was not a sword hidden in its scabbard at all. He was clearly a sparrow on a branch with its tail held high!
Shen Mingzhu gave him an annoyed look but still said seriously, "What about you, Xie Lang? Can you tell the difference now?"
Maybe the way they got along was always extremely strange. They met because of a conspiracy, and both of them were in a mess. If someone had told Shen Mingzhu a few months ago that she would be attracted to a playboy, she definitely wouldn't have believed it.
Now, the atmosphere between them was incredibly ambiguous. Shen Mingzhu recalled that she rarely talked to Xie Lang so seriously. Every time both of them were serious, the topic would become extremely ambiguous.
"What does Your Highness think?"
Xie Lang leaned closer. Seeing Shen Mingzhu in a daze, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, and her eyes looking at him faintly, he couldn't help but curl his lips. He lowered his voice and said, "Does Your Highness think I'm serious now?"
Shen Mingzhu was dissatisfied that he threw the question back at her. So she frowned slightly and said, "It's me asking you. Why are you so cunning?"
Xie Lang laughed. They were so close that his breath even blew the stray hairs by Shen Mingzhu's ear. He said with a smile, "How can this be up to me? How do I know what kind of person I am in Your Highness's heart?"
"If I said I was just pretending now, would you believe me?" There was a faint smile in Xie Lang's eyes. Shen Mingzhu looked at him for a few times and pouted.
"Then I'll believe that you're not lying now."
"Really?" Hearing this, Xie Lang's expression paused slightly. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Shen Mingzhu's hand. "Then I'm also sincere, Your Highness."
[Shen Mingzhu, I truly like you.]
Hearing Xie Lang's words, Shen Mingzhu's ears turned slightly red. She didn't ask what his sincerity meant. Pretending not to know anything, she said indifferently, "Come back to your senses. It's time to continue watching the show."
Xie Lang let out a soft snort.
"General."
Concubine Zhang's face turned pale after standing for a while. She looked extremely unwell.
She called out to General Xie softly. Then, supported by a nervous-looking Xie Fanglian, she coughed a few times. Her body trembled like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.
After General Xie finished reading, his expression was complex. He was silent for a moment before turning his gaze to Liu Shi and saying, "What else do you have to say?"
Liu Shi still wanted to continue to defend herself, but she was so frightened by General Xie's fierce look that her body trembled. She collapsed on the ground.
"Father," Xie Fanglian, who had hardly spoken, looked at him. Her eyes were gradually filled with tears. "Please, Father. Mother is in poor health. She can't bear too much joy or sorrow."
Xie Fangfei was also crying silently. Her face was covered with tears, which wet the front of her clothes.
Seeing this scene, General Xie closed his eyes.