lcionline Chapter 202 Saved
Chapter 202 Saved
The crowd looked at each other, glancing at Jing Rong's unrecognizable face on the ground, and then at Duan Mingzhu's indifferent expression. Someone suddenly knelt down and cried out, "Madam, spare my life!"
One person knelt down, and then everyone behind him knelt down in unison, pleading, "Madam, spare our lives!"
Duan Mingzhu scattered a handful of gold leaves in front of them: "This is a reward for you."
The first person to kneel down was probably middle-aged. He held up a gold leaf, looked up, and said with a fawning expression, "Madam, the master is not in the west building, and the madam is not in the Zijin Nunnery either."
Duan Mingzhu pulled out another handful of gold leaves and threw them in front of him: "Where did they go?"
The man said, "Master has disappeared. Madam led a group of people into Xuanyuan Palace, and then Xuanyuan Palace caught fire."
Duan Mingzhu asked, "What's your name?"
The servant said, "My name is Ah-Dai."
Duan Mingzhu nodded: "Ah Dai, if you find the master and madam, I guarantee you will be promoted and make a fortune, with a bright future."
Ah-Dai was overjoyed and scrambled to his feet: "Brothers, let's split up and go find it. I'm going to get promoted and make a fortune, and you guys will definitely be part of it."
Ah-Dai is incredibly strong and usually does all the rough, tiring, and dirty work. He's easy to bully and a simple-minded, honest guy, but this time he's really showing off.
Seeing that even Ah Dai had a chance, everyone felt that they were better than him and had a greater chance, so they immediately rushed into the courtyard to search everywhere.
Duan Mingzhu rubbed her eyes, thinking that no matter how bold Jingzhao was, he wouldn't dare to openly oppose the royal family. Now that he's disappeared, the First Madam and Xue Yunting have also disappeared...
Jing Rong and Jing Fu clearly didn't take her and Liang Qingcheng seriously, feeling they posed no threat. If Xue Yunting and his group were safe, they would be hostages; if Xue Yunting were to be harmed, they could deal with them later.
The First Madam, of course, never expected that the seemingly weak and frail Duan Mingzhu could not only protect herself but even kill. Duan Mingzhu caught a glimpse of a figure flashing past the doorway out of the corner of her eye; the figure in the pale purple dress was none other than the Second Madam, who had been accompanying them at Shanshan Residence.
Duan Mingzhu's mind raced, and she raised her voice slightly: "Second Madam, the eldest and second young masters of the Jing family are dead, but where is the third young master?"
The second madam appeared at the door after a while, hesitated for a moment, and then came in: "The third young master went on a long trip the day before yesterday."
Duan Mingzhu asked, "Where did they go?"
The second wife said, "They said they were going to Qinzhou to inspect the business."
Duan Mingzhu looked the Second Madam up and down. She had many concubines in her family and was quite aware of the subtle thoughts among them: "Does the Second Madam have something to say?"
The second wife seemed to have mustered a lot of courage: "Young mistress, there is a basement in Xuanyuan Palace."
Duan Mingzhu immediately said, "I'll trouble you to lead the way, Second Madam."
The second madam took a deep breath and, as if throwing caution to the wind, led them forward. Reaching the farthest corner of the Xuanyuan Palace, she said, "This is the entrance to the basement."
Before them stood a rockery, bare and devoid of even moss. The second wife took out her hairpin and inserted it into a small hole in the rock. The long hairpin went all the way in, splitting the rockery in the middle and revealing steps.
The second wife said, "The basement is down from here."
Duan Mingzhu looked at the steps without moving. The second madam knew what she was thinking: "Young madam is afraid that I will harm you, then I will lead the way for you."
The second madam went down the steps first, with Duan Mingzhu carefully following behind her. At the end of the steps was a door, but the second madam felt around on the stone door without finding the way in.
The second wife said to Duan Mingzhu, "Young mistress, I only knew about the entrance, I didn't know there was another door."
Duan Mingzhu knocked on the door, then patted the stone, and called out, "Is anyone home?"
There seemed to be a noise inside, and after a while, someone seemed to be knocking on the door in response.
Duan Mingzhu was overjoyed and turned to Liang Qingcheng, saying, "They're inside."
Liang Qingcheng stared at her, then suddenly reached out like lightning, grabbed Duan Mingzhu by the neck, and pressed her against the stone door.
Clinging to Liang Qingcheng's leg, she kept calling out, "Mother, Mother, wake up, she's Auntie... Mother, please wake up..."
The second wife then came to her senses and quickly came over to pry Liang Qingcheng's hand away, shouting, "Help! Help! Help!"
Liang Qingcheng pinned Duan Mingzhu down, her eyes bloodshot, her grip tight. Duan Mingzhu opened her mouth, initially struggling, but her body slowly went limp.
Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps rang out. Ah Dai rushed down first, holding a black fire poker in his hand, and swung it at Liang Qingcheng on the head.
Liang Qingcheng crashed into the wall and fainted, while Duan Mingzhu slid down the stone door. Just as the Second Madam was about to help Duan Mingzhu up, the stone door moved.
Duan Mingzhu collapsed to the ground, clutching her neck and struggling to turn around, just in time to see Xue Yunting lying on the ground just a door away.
Duan Mingzhu struggled against her fear and crawled to Xue Yunting's side. Adai quickly helped Xue Yunting up and checked his breath: "He's alive, there's still hope."
Duan Mingzhu sniffed: "Quickly help them out, the secret room is poisonous..."
Ah-Dai called out, "Brothers, come quick! Saving them will be a huge achievement!"
The servants rushed in, and Ah-Dai directed them to carry Xue Yunting and the other three out.
The second wife slowly entered, and upon seeing the first wife lying on the ground, she suddenly knelt down and broke down in tears: "You schemed and plotted, but you never expected this day to come! You killed my son, you killed so many other children… Now your own sons are dead, two of them… Hahaha, two of your own sons are dead… It's a pity you can't see it… Hahaha…"
The second wife was crying and laughing hysterically, appearing quite deranged. Ah-Dai, feeling a pang of pity, went over and whispered, "Madam, shall we leave?"
The second wife looked up at Ah Dai in a daze, then suddenly said, "You're not stupid..."
Normally dull-witted, he was surprisingly quick-witted at this crucial moment. Ah-Dai repeated, "Second Madam, please go out."
The second wife looked around, somewhat bewildered: "They're all dead. I have no children and nowhere to go. Please let me stay with them."
Ah-Dai nodded thoughtfully. The Second Madam sighed heavily, raised her sleeve to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, losing consciousness.
Ah-Dai carried the Second Madam on his back, pushed the lampstand over, and as he went out, he pressed a protruding stone pillar on the right wall, and the stone door closed.
Without crying or making a fuss, he tried very hard to drag Liang Qingcheng up. Adai easily lifted Liang Qingcheng up as well, and Buzhi quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle."
Ah Dai climbed the steps, placed the Second Madam and Liang Qingcheng on the ground, squatted down next to Duan Mingzhu, and his tone, contrary to his previous obsequiousness, became somewhat respectful: "Young Madam, are they alright?"
Duan Mingzhu turned her head and looked him up and down: "I have already given them the antidote pills."
Ah-Dai seemed to completely trust her: "Young Madam, how could there be poison in the basement?"
Duan Mingzhu pondered for a moment: "The candles are poisonous. The candles in the basement are always on. The newly replaced candles must be specially made."
Ah-Dai suddenly asked, "Is the master's poor health related to this?"