"What did you say?!" Wang Chongling roared in fury. "Tell me everything that happened in detail!"
The bearded man thought he had found a backer, so he immediately exaggerated and recounted what had happened in the Yongguo Duke's Mansion.
"Master, this Su Qing is indeed a brute from the northern border. It's one thing that he didn't know about our Wang family's reputation when he came to Shengjing, but he even dared to publicly slander your reputation and oppose our Wang family! They are so arrogant. Our Wang family must teach him a lesson!"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped so hard that his body flew to one side.
"You useless fool who can only cause trouble!" Wang Chongling said coldly. "Someone, drag him out and kill him."
The guards standing on both sides immediately stepped forward, grabbed the bearded man, covered his mouth, and quickly dragged him out.
A moment later, the sound of a blade cutting through flesh came from the courtyard, and a life disappeared completely in the Wang family's mansion.
Inside the room, a clansman beside Wang Chongling plucked up the courage to say:
"Master, actually what he said just now makes some sense. Everyone in Shengjing knows the prestige of our Wang clan. This Su Qing dared to speak rudely to us. If we swallow this insult, the dignity of our Wang family will be greatly damaged."
"So what do you want to do?" Wang Chongling shot a cold glance at them.
"As Su Qing said, exterminate his entire family? Or trip them up secretly and make them suffer? Or drive them out of the capital?"
"Humph, a bunch of good-for-nothings." Wang Chongling said.
"You say he is a brute, but he is smarter than any of you. If we dare to touch him today, we will confirm the suspicion that our Wang family has the intention of treason. Su Qing has military power that can be taken away. What does our Wang family have? Do you want the emperor to depose the queen?"
Immediately, a large group of people knelt behind Wang Chongling, and they trembled as they said, "Master, please calm down."
"Don't underestimate Su Qing. To be able to single-handedly break into the Northern Barbarians' camp and kill the enemy general, it's not just brute strength. Lady Mo of the Yongguo Duke's Mansion is also a heroic woman. She has led troops and won battles, and she also has a noble title. We must not only refrain from touching the Yongguo Duke's Mansion, but also let them take root in Shengjing."
"What about that little thief..." a clansman asked tentatively.
"He really knows how to choose a place to hide. It doesn't matter. He was poisoned by our 'Heart-Eating Drum' poison. If he doesn't get the antidote within three days, he will surely die." Wang Chongling said.
"Order everyone to keep a close eye on all the medicine shops in Shengjing in the next few days. If anyone is seen grabbing the antidote prescription for the 'Heart-Eating Drum' poison, arrest them all."
"Yes!"
...
As the hustle and bustle in all parts of Shengjing subsided, the night full of undercurrents passed quietly, and the morning glow arrived.
"Chunxiao..." A strange, coquettish female voice came from beside his ear, and Cang Xuan suddenly woke up.
The habit he had developed over the years made him draw out his weapon immediately. He held his breath, crouched on the beam, and cast a freezing cold look downward.
The layers of bed curtains were gently lifted by a fair hand, and a delicate and lovely face like a lotus after the rain jumped into his sight.
The young girl let out a coquettish yawn, and a few teardrops hung on her curly eyelashes, looking extremely endearing.
And he felt his heart skip a beat.
Realizing where he was, the memories of last night came flooding back. Cang Xuan let down his guard, and couldn't help but raise his hand to touch his pounding heart, frowning tightly.
Was it the onset of the "Heart-Eating Drum" poison in his body? Why was his mind so chaotic?
His gaze couldn't help but fall on the young girl below. Unexpectedly, he met her dark and bright deer-like eyes. The young girl showed him a defenseless smile.
The frequency of his heartbeat seemed to become even stronger and faster.
Cang Xuan frowned tightly, and his breathing became a bit more stagnant.
He must get the antidote as soon as possible. If he delayed any longer, the consequences would be unimaginable.
With his mind full of ways to get the antidote, he didn't notice that he had slept soundly until dawn in this strange girl's boudoir.
Su Yuanyuan fell asleep in the second half of the night and slept until dawn. When she woke up, she stretched a big lazy stretch contentedly. Her fingertips touched a hard object beside the pillow. When she picked it up and looked, she found it was a token engraved with cloud patterns. Only then did she suddenly remember what had happened last night.
She also remembered that there was a strange man hiding in her room.
She had actually slept in the same room with an unknown and lying Jianghu swindler for an entire night!
Realizing this, her cheeks immediately became burning hot. She pretended to be calm and tidied up her facial expression and clothes to make herself look more dignified.
She called out Chunxiao's name to hint at her presence, and then lifted the curtain and sat up.
Cang Xuan's gaze was sharp and aggressive. She noticed it immediately when he looked at her. For some reason, she felt a little nervous. Su Yuanyuan deliberately yawned, and then carefully looked up at the beam.
Sure enough, she met his vigilant and somewhat murderous gaze. Su Yuanyuan quickly showed him a friendly smile to show that she was harmless.
However, unexpectedly, he immediately shifted his gaze, and his expression seemed to become even worse, as if he was annoyed by her.
Su Yuanyuan was a bit puzzled. Fortunately, at this time, Chunxiao and Xialu heard her call and pushed the door open.
In order not to let the two maids notice anything strange in the room, Su Yuanyuan jumped out of bed barefoot and ran towards the two maids. She touched her stomach and said aggrievedly:
"Chunxiao, Yuanbao is hungry."
Chunxiao quickly put down the things in her hands and walked towards her. "Miss, why did you get out of bed without wearing shoes? Be careful of catching a cold."
She coaxed her like a child. "Miss, be good. After you finish washing and dressing, you can go to the madam's place for breakfast."
Su Yuanyuan was led by her to sit on a chair. The two maids busily helped her put on her shoes and socks.
Su Yuanyuan took the opportunity to look up at the beam. The place where Cang Xuan had been was already empty. Presumably he had found a more concealed place to hide.
After putting on her shoes and socks, Chunxiao and Xialu helped her clean her cheeks and hands bit by bit.
Cang Xuan on the beam saw the maids carefully wipe each of the young girl's fingers with a handkerchief, and Su Yuanyuan looked so used to it that he couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
She was really delicate.
Then it was time to comb her hair.
The young girl sat in front of the dressing mirror. Her black, shiny and smooth long hair was held by the two maids. They carefully combed it with a fine comb, then applied hair oil full of floral fragrance on it, and finally tied it into the double-horned hairstyle that unmarried girls usually wore.
The young girl's face still had a childish look that had not faded away, but occasionally one could catch a glimpse of wisdom and playfulness that did not match her age in her flowing eyes.
Thinking of the decisive and brave look on her face when she had dealt with him last night, Cang Xuan couldn't help but curl his lips.
The young girl stood up gracefully with the support of the maids and walked towards the outside of the room. Just as her figure was about to disappear, he saw a red mole on the side of her neck.
All the smiles disappeared from Cang Xuan's face.
The position of that red mole was exactly the same as that of Su Yuanyuan, who had passed away half a year ago!