Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Chapter 280 Hanging in the Air

Soon, Li's father and Xiaogang also got up one after another. They put on their clothes and shoes.

"I finally feel a little more at ease. I only feel comfortable when I'm dressed; no matter how warm the fire is, it won't make a difference," said Father Li after putting on his clothes.

Xiao Gang and Su Shi echoed each other's sentiments.

"Xiao Nuan, who do you think this person who delivered the clothes could be?" Madam Su couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know," Li Xiaonuan replied. "Anyway, we shouldn't be in any danger this time. But just in case, let's escape under the cover of night." Li Xiaonuan said softly.

The person who delivered the clothes was quite interesting. Not only did she bring the clothes that Li Xiaonuan and the others rarely wore, but she also gave them a map of the capital.

On the map, places where one could hide were marked in red.

But Li Xiaonuan didn't dare to trust others too much. Therefore, she planned to find the most unexpected place nearby to hide for a while after she went out.

Li Xiaonuan had another worry. With such heavy snow, if they ran, they would definitely leave footprints in the snow.

In order to properly conceal the mark, Li Xiaonuan planned to leave closer to dawn.

Because Li Xiaonuan could clearly hear that the back alley of this courtyard was very lively all day long.

Therefore, they should be able to get the vendors and crowds to cover up some of their tracks by climbing out at dawn.

After getting dressed, Li's father and the others continued to sleep, still covered with their cloaks. Li Xiaonuan felt that she should go to sleep too.

Fortunately, the fire, which had been burning for half a day, had accumulated a lot of heat and wouldn't dissipate anytime soon.

After adding more fuel to the fire, Li Xiaonuan covered herself with her cloak, leaned against her father, and closed her eyes.

While Li Xiaonuan and the others were asleep, the courtyard was taken over by a group of men in black.

The two hidden guards exchanged a glance, and one of them quickly disappeared into the vast snow.

At this very moment, Prince Jing was also raging in the main hall of his own palace. The reason was none other than the events that had occurred during the day.

"I entrusted the Prince's residence to you, and such a major incident occurred, yet you didn't even inform me before carrying out the execution in private. Tell me, are you planning to replace me and take the throne of Prince Jing?" Prince Jing asked in a deep voice, looking at the kneeling steward, Uncle Qing.

"Your Highness, this old servant dares not. This old servant had no choice. At that time, Miss Li and her family had gone mad and were spreading poison throughout the palace. In order to get rid of the trouble as soon as possible, this old servant had no choice but to order them to be beaten to death." Uncle Qing replied, trembling.

Prince Jing looked at Uncle Qing, who was kneeling on the ground, with deep eyes, and no longer felt the reluctance he had before.

An old servant who has betrayed you, no matter how diligent he was before, cannot erase the fact that he was disloyal.

Once unfaithful, always unfaithful.

Keeping such a person around is tantamount to raising a tiger to cause trouble, or dancing with wolves.

"Uncle Qing, how many years has your family been living in the Prince's mansion?" Prince Jing asked, no longer fixated on Li Xiaonuan's matter.

"Your Highness, my family has been with you since the time you established your residence. It's been almost thirty years now," Uncle Qing replied, assuming that Prince Jing was showing consideration for their past relationship.

“Thirty years. Thirty years is enough to corrupt an honest and respectable person, causing them to be blinded by power and betray their master. It is clear that thirty years is a period that can test a person’s heart.” Prince Jing sat in the hall, stroking his chin, and said leisurely.

"Your Highness, this servant dares not! This servant swears to Heaven that this servant would never betray Your Highness. Please, Your Highness, investigate thoroughly!" Prince Jing's words terrified Uncle Qing. He couldn't help but think that their actions had already been discovered by Prince Jing.

"Alright, Uncle Qing, stop kowtowing. It's giving me a headache. Tell me quickly, what exactly is it about Miss Li that made her go crazy?" Despite saying that, Prince Jing did not take any action.

"Your Highness, this servant does not know why Miss Li went mad. When this servant received the news, Miss Li had already poisoned everyone in the courtyard and was still running around the mansion recklessly." Uncle Qing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Prince Jing did not continue to pursue the matter of her unauthorized decision.

If Li Xiaonuan were here now, she would be furious. It turns out that her ability to move freely in the Prince's mansion was all part of a trap set up by someone else.

"And then? Why was Miss Li able to move around freely in the manor? Didn't you take any measures?" Prince Jing sneered inwardly, but he still asked.

"Your Highness, the amount of poison in Miss Li's hands was quite large at the time, so our men dared not approach her carelessly, which allowed her to move around the mansion." Uncle Qing was pleased and brought out the explanation he had prepared in advance.

"Then how did you dare to beat that entire family to death?" Prince Jing's lips curled slightly, his eyes flashing with even colder light.

Uncle Qing was lying on the ground and didn't notice Prince Jing's expression at that moment.

"Your Highness, we chased after Miss Li all the way. When she realized she couldn't escape the mansion, she panicked and dropped the poison she was carrying," Uncle Qing reported.

"Oh~ that poison only works on the people in our household. Miss Li chased after it for so long, yet she didn't even show any signs of poisoning. I'd really like to know what kind of poison it is. Uncle Qing, why don't you show me that poison?" He spoke in a casual, teasing tone.

Uncle Qing suddenly had a strange feeling: he had been tricked by Prince Jing.

But Uncle Qing still tried to defend himself: "Your Highness, our men didn't find the poison. However, Your Highness can send people to examine those who died from poisoning; there should be residual poison in their bodies."

Prince Jing crossed his legs and said nonchalantly, "Of course. Those people are already investigating, and I believe we'll have an answer soon."

When Prince Jing said this, Uncle Qing felt a chill run down his spine, as if something was very wrong.

Soon, Uncle Qing realized that something was wrong.

Soon after, those who had gone to investigate the poisoning and died came to report back.

"Your Highness, those who died were drugged beforehand and then forced to drink poison." The one who replied was a poison expert under Prince Jing's command.

"Oh~"

Prince Jing's life was so long that Uncle Qing almost suffocated.

"So they were drugged beforehand. No wonder they didn't struggle when they were drugged. Uncle Qing, you said before that Miss Li poisoned them, so how come it's now that they were drugged?" Prince Jing asked, feigning confusion.

Uncle Qing was drenched in sweat and somewhat at a loss. But remembering the man's instructions, he forced himself to reply, "Your Highness, this servant doesn't know either. It was probably Miss Li's family who poisoned her."

"I see~" Prince Jing turned the wrench on his thumb, called out to Uncle Chaoqing behind him, and three people came out.

Uncle Qing glanced up slightly and was so shocked he almost fainted.