Chapter 243: Deep Within the Embroidered Bed (Part 1)
【Please note, he has cakey makeup.】
Before she even saw Jiang Cai Zhi, and before he even opened his mouth, Liu Sheng heard a voice in her mind say this.
【If he wants to look more pathetic, he should apply some blush under his eyes to create a tearful atmosphere.】 This Liu Sheng really knows how to apply makeup.
Then, there was a burst of mischievous, suppressed laughter.
On this side, Jiang Cai Zhi first welcomed everyone's arrival, then the Jiang butler led everyone inside, while he spoke from the side about his younger brother's current miserable state.
"It's hateful that the heartless fellow, Cai Bin took such good care of him, but he repaid him like this." Jiang Cai Zhi's voice was quite weak, and he coughed lightly after speaking a few sentences.
【Please elaborate on "took care."】
【Giving him the chance to take care of himself counts as taking care, right?】
Liu Sheng was frantically complaining internally.
"Cai Bin, you must take care of yourself, and not worry too much." Ruan Shizhi was already grieved, and seeing Jiang Cai Zhi, who was also heartbroken over a family member, made him feel a sense of shared suffering.
"It's nothing, I just took care of Cai Bin all night yesterday and caught a bit of a cold. I even specifically took leave from home today."
As soon as he said this, it drew even more concern and pity, and everyone offered comfort.
Liu Sheng subtly rolled her eyes countless times and directly said, "I think the Jiang is quite large; this residence is very nice."
At such an abrupt remark, everyone immediately fell silent.
Only Wang Dongdong, knowing Liu Sheng's intention and that she wouldn't say such things without reason, thought for a moment and also looked around, praising it.
"Yes, look at this garden; it doesn't lose out compared to the gardens in Jiangnan!"
"Haha, yes, the older generation put a lot of effort into it." Jiang Cai Zhi replied.
"And spent quite a lot of Lingtual, right!" Liu Sheng said words of flattery and envy, but her face was expressionless.
Bumpkin! Ling Yuke secretly disdained.
"Yes, the investment was considerable." Jiang Cai Zhi smiled.
He was about to continue lamenting, but this interruption made him forget what he wanted to say.
Then he heard Liu Sheng say indifferently, "It seems that the Jiang doesn't lack money, yet they can't afford to hire someone to help take care of Young Master Jiang Er? And the Young Master has to do it himself?"
Oh right, these two words involuntarily flashed through everyone else's minds.
Although the words were direct, they were not without reason.
Looking along the way, there were quite a few maids and attendants in the entire Jiang, so why was no one taking care of Jiang Caibin?
"Yes, yes, please forgive my audacity for saying this, but Young Master Jiang and Young Master Er have a deep brotherly bond. When Young Master Er had an accident, Young Master Jiang took care of him day and night without rest, often shedding tears and lamenting that he wished he could take his place." The butler was very quick-witted; seeing Jiang Cai Zhi unable to speak, he quickly chimed in.
Only then did Liu Sheng notice this butler who had been silently leading the way in front.
She saw that his attire was simple but of good quality, fitting the status of a butler, but his back was straight. Although his head was lowered and his expression was unclear, there was an inexplicable sense of unyielding pride about him.
With a slight curve of her lips, Liu Sheng stopped speaking.
Ling Yuke also noticed this butler.
Originally, she wouldn't pay attention to people she deemed insignificant, but as she followed behind the butler, the more she looked, the more familiar his figure seemed.
That waist, it even somewhat resembled someone.
Thinking this, Ling Yuke's face instantly turned red, and her mouth became dry.
What am I thinking!
It seems I'm really hungry.
She secretly reprimanded herself, turning her eyes away, not daring to look again.
The others, hearing the butler's words, felt even more sorry for Jiang Cai Zhi and lamented the deep brotherly bond, all offering words of comfort.
Wang Dongdong, however, almost imperceptibly frowned.
Ever since she heard what Liu Sheng said, she began to seriously consider the relationships among this group of people.
Recalling carefully, although Jiang Cai Zhi was protective, even doting, towards Jiang Caibin, to say their relationship was truly good was not necessarily true; they didn't have much to say to each other when together.
Moreover, Jiang Cai Zhi and Jiang Caibin were not brothers from the same parents, but rather cousins, and both were legitimate sons of the first and second branches, so their relationship should have been awkward.
Whether the others had thought of this, Liu Sheng and Wang Dongdong didn't know, but it was clear that anyone astute would not show it.
...
Passing through several moon gates and walking along several corridors, they finally arrived at a secluded courtyard.
The courtyard was shaded by trees, with a tall locust tree casting a pall over it, blocking out any sunlight. As soon as one entered the courtyard, a chill could be felt.
"Is the cold Qi in this courtyard too heavy?"
Shao Yan frowned, looking around. She felt that this place was damp, cold, and lacked sunlight, making it unsuitable for a sick person.
"Yanzi, you don't know, the poison Cai Bin was afflicted with is called 'Chi Yan (Blazing Flame)', which is a hot poison, so it needs such a cold and dark environment." Jiang Cai Zhi said.
Everyone sighed in dismay and followed Jiang Cai Zhi into the house.
The butler waited outside, with his head bowed and eyes lowered.
【Someone is watching us, do you feel it?】
【Yes.】
Liu Sheng turned her head, glanced at the still-bowed butler, paused, then looked further back.
Then, she saw something hanging above the locust tree, covered in a blood-stained white cloth!
A cold wind swept through, and the white cloth fluttered, revealing bloody, mutilated limbs beneath.
The eyes that were staring at her were probably also beneath the white cloth.
"What are you looking at?"
Wang Dongdong's voice suddenly came to Liu Sheng's ear.
Turning her head, she saw Wang Dongdong looking at her with a frown.
"Nothing." Liu Sheng shook her head.
Looking back at the locust tree, it was empty.
It was as if what Liu Sheng had just seen was merely an illusion.
"Let's go in first." Wang Dongdong said.
Liu Sheng pursed her lips and softly said, "Okay."
Upon entering the house, it was indeed scorching hot inside, as if someone had burned charcoal there.
But why would anyone burn charcoal in June?
With a soft click, the door was thoughtfully closed by the butler outside, and the heat inside became even more concentrated and didn't dissipate.
Wang Dongdong walked ahead, lifting a thick, dark red curtain, waiting for Liu Sheng to walk in together.
Liu Sheng looked inside; there was a carved wooden bed, surrounded by layers of brocade curtains.
Everyone was gathered around the bed, looking down at the person on the bed.
Motionless.
Silent.
As if everything had frozen.
Liu Sheng noticed that "Wang Dongdong's" movements also became stiff, as if her joints hadn't been oiled for a long time and had rusted.
Seeing Liu Sheng hesitate to enter, "Wang Dongdong" opened and closed her mouth, her skin tearing, revealing snow-white teeth, and said word by word, "Come in quickly."
The "people" standing by the bed inside the curtain were also like this.
They stood in two rows, as if forming a welcoming line, their faces distorted and eerily similar, their mouths simultaneously splitting open, opening and closing as they said, "Come in quickly."
"Come in quickly!"
"Why aren't you coming in!"
The urging voices, repeated over and over, and their faces, replicated as if by copying, became increasingly grotesque.
Their faces were on the verge of falling apart from such stiff movements, revealing the crimson muscles beneath their skin, their eyeballs staring dead at her, as if they would pop out of their sockets and fall at any moment.
Liu Sheng nodded, "Okay."
Then she naturally stepped into the inner chamber behind the curtain.
The blood-red curtain fell heavily behind her, cutting off outside prying eyes and also her retreat.
Being cooped up like this, the damp and hot air made it hard to breathe, and she could also smell a strong scent of blood.
Seeing her so calmly and composedly enter this inner chamber, knowing it was full of danger, the faces before her froze, their jaws nearly dropping off, and some eyeballs had already rolled onto the ground.
One landed at Liu Sheng's feet, which she gently kicked away.
At this moment, there was not a single sound in the entire space.
Only the faint gasping sound from deep within the embroidered bed.
Like a leaking old bellows, hoarse and faint, barely there.
As if about to breathe its last.
Happy Children's Day, everyone? (*^▽^*)
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