I was stunned by her words at first, but quickly pushed away Ying Xiang's hand, insisting on going in to see the situation.
I saw Ruo Lan lying sideways on the couch, with purple-black blood oozing from the corner of her mouth, and her body had already gone stiff.
I gasped in horror, stumbling backwards and nearly falling, but luckily Ying Xiang caught me.
Everyone was in a panic, with the household having lost its mistress, and I could not afford to lose my composure at this critical moment. After calming myself down for a while, I asked Ying Xiang to summon the Coroner to examine the body, as I had a feeling that Ruo Lan's death was suspicious.
As expected, the Coroner quickly determined the cause of Ruo Lan's death after examining her -
she had been poisoned with a potent toxin.
I couldn't help but feel alarmed and perplexed. "The food and supplies for everyone in the household are the same, so why was it only her that was poisoned?"
Of course, the Coroner could not answer this question, and the only difference between Ruo Lan and others yesterday was that she had visited the household of Prince Xiao Jingheng.
Although a servant girl had signed a contract to sell herself, she was still a human life, and I did not want Ruo Lan's death to remain a mystery. No matter what, I had to go to Xiao Jingheng's residence and get to the bottom of this.
I instructed Ying Xiang to make arrangements for Ruo Lan's funeral, notify her family to come and collect her remains, and give them some extra silver to help with the arrangements. After that, I went alone to his residence.
Upon arrival, the gatekeepers stopped me outside, saying that Xiao Jingheng had gone to a temple in the suburbs and was not at the residence.
I thought to myself that my Aunt lives in the suburbs, so I could look for Xiao Jingheng and visit my Aunt along the way, which wouldn't be a detour.
On the way to the temple, there was a secluded little path, and since it wasn't a day for Buddhist worship, there were hardly any people on the road.
Halfway along, I saw Xiao Jingheng and a young servant coming towards me.
He seemed surprised to see me and called out from a distance, "Miss Ning, have you also found the time to visit the temple for worship?"
I shook my head and got straight to the point, "I've come specifically to look for the Third Prince."
"Looking for me?" he seemed somewhat taken aback. "Miss Ning, you've come all this way to look for me, is there something important?"
I was about to speak when his expression suddenly became guarded. "Be careful!" he shouted.
He abruptly pulled me into his embrace, and an arrow whizzed past us. I looked towards the distance and saw five or six men in black robes riding towards us on horseback with bows drawn.
The servant stood in front of Xiao Jingheng, drew his sword, and warned cautiously, "The arrivals have ill intentions, be careful, my lord!"
I had never witnessed such a scene before, and even though Xiao Jingheng was shielding me, I was terrified.
I saw the bandits getting closer and closer, and initially thought they were after Xiao Jingheng, but when they approached, I saw them all glaring ferociously at me and shouting angrily for Xiao Jingheng to move aside.
"Leave the villainous Ning's daughter, and we'll spare your life, you dog!"
I was petrified with fear, my heart pounding violently.
Yet Xiao Jingheng did not retreat a single step. In fact, upon hearing that they were after me, he held me even tighter.
He leaned close and asked me in a very low voice, "Do you know them?"
I shook my head vigorously, then heard the bandits spit out:
"The villainous Ning killed so many of our brothers, yet his family gained great glory in exchange! Although we can't get to him, making him taste the pain of losing a daughter is just retribution!"
"Yesterday's poison failed to kill you, but today we'll make you join the ranks of the departed!"
From their attire, they seemed to be barbarians. My father had just recently crushed a barbarian force, so it seemed they had come for revenge.
And yesterday...
Suddenly, I recalled that last night I had a poor appetite and didn't touch my evening meal, asking for it to be taken away. Normally, the master's leftover food would be disposed of, but Ruo Lan was young and greedy, always sneaking bites of her favorite dishes.
Perhaps she had eaten my poisoned evening meal yesterday, becoming my unintended victim?
Those bandits dismounted and advanced toward me with swords drawn.
I knew I was outnumbered, and Xiao Jingheng, being a Prince, should not have been dragged into this because of me. So although I was terrified, I tried to remain calm and told him not to get involved and to ensure his own safety.
But he...
kept shielding me behind him, drawing his sword, his gaze sharp and determined as he faced the bandits,
"As long as I'm here, no one will harm her!"
