Yingtao was in a complete muddle. Soon, she said, "Miss, let's get out of here quickly. I'll dispose of this corpse."
Shi Ning'an shook her head. "It's no use. That window is too small. Rong Sui can't get out. The place is in a complete mess. No matter how we try to hide it, people will still know that something must have happened here. Rong Sui..."
Yingtao was even more anxious. "It would be better if the Third Master was awake. In his current daze, as soon as he wakes up, he'll look for someone to have fun with. If this is seen by others, it'll be a huge problem..."
It would indeed be a huge problem. Even if they got rid of Shi Aoxue's corpse, once Shi Yongtang made a fuss tomorrow and just said that Shi Aoxue was missing, Rong Sui's crime of raping and then killing would still be made public.
Shi Ning'an gritted her teeth and said, "Yingtao, quickly dispose of Shi Aoxue's corpse."
Yingtao asked, "What about you, Miss?"
Shi Ning'an's heart was in turmoil, but she had made up her mind. "I'm going to marry him anyway."
Yingtao shook her head desperately. "No, no. You mustn't, Miss. If you lose your virginity, especially in front of so many people, how will you be able to stay in the capital in the future? Even if the Rong family still loves you as much as before, but... but your reputation..."
Shi Ning'an looked up and asked, "Yingtao, the Rong family has protected me for so long, and Rong Sui has protected me for so long. How can I just stand by and watch him get into trouble?"
Yingtao was so panicked that she didn't know what to do. But seeing her young mistress's determined face, she knew there was no better way. She quickly got rid of all traces of Shi Aoxue in the room, carried away Shi Aoxue's corpse, and finally, with a heavy heart, closed that window.
Shi Ning'an didn't have time to think carefully. She crawled to Rong Sui's side. Looking at Rong Sui's face, which was still struggling uncomfortably in his sleep, her tears fell in an instant.
Her Rong Sui had never been so embarrassed before.
She reached out and stroked Rong Sui's face. Rong Sui immediately reached out and grabbed her hand, putting it to his lips and kissing it.
Shi Ning'an lowered her head and planted a kiss on his forehead.
Rong Sui's tears flowed out. She heard his murmur. "Ning'an... Ning'an..."
She replied, "Rong Sui, Third Brother, I'm here..."
Rong Sui seemed a bit more awake, but still in a daze. He pulled her tightly into his arms. "Ning'an... Ning'an... I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"I can't hold on anymore, Ning'an... Will you blame me?"
"You're not Ning'an, but why do you look exactly like her? Even the smell on you is the same..."
"Ning'an, I love you. I want you..."
Kisses fell on her one after another. Shi Ning'an hugged Rong Sui tightly. Rong Sui was completely lost in a state of chaos. He was so rough that he was like a different person from his usual self.
Shi Ning'an cried in pain, biting her teeth desperately.
He was not sober, but she had to be. She still had to endure and take care of the aftermath. She couldn't let the Rong family fall into an abyss again.
Shi Qingmei, I will never let your scheme succeed.
...
When Rong Sui was woken up by a splash of water, he was startled. He sat there blankly for a long time before he finally showed some reaction. He immediately lowered his head to look at his clothes.
His clothes were in tatters. The blood holes on his body seemed to have stopped bleeding, but the coagulated blood clots looked even more terrifying.
He looked up in a panic and saw Shi Ning'an beside him.
He rubbed his eyes hard and stared wide. He confirmed that the person in front of him was Shi Ning'an, not the woman he had seen in his daze.
"Ning'an?"
Shi Ning'an's face was pale. She slowly nodded. "It's too late, Cousin. Are they coming?"
Rong Sui blinked his eyes. He quickly realized what was going on. He sat up straight.
Shi Ning'an endured the discomfort in her body with difficulty. She crawled to his side and whispered, "Don't worry. I've already disposed of Shi Aoxue. Later... there will only be the two of us. Even if we're discovered... we're already engaged. You won't be in trouble."
In just an instant, what had happened before flashed through Rong Sui's mind. He also immediately realized that it was Ning'an...
Shi Ning'an continued to explain, "Shi Aoxue is dead. You didn't kill her. She was already poisoned. These people just want to pour the blame on you."
"You..." Rong Sui wanted to say something, but he couldn't say a word. He understood what had just happened, and he could also see what Ning'an had endured.
But the lovemaking he had imagined should have been on their wedding day, when he kissed her gently and carefully, and held her in his arms.
How violent and terrifying had he been just now?
Shi Ning'an continued, "Listen. Someone's coming."
Rong Sui clenched his fists. When someone came in a while and saw this scene... He would be fine, but what about Ning'an? Losing her virginity before marriage, even if it was forced.
He suddenly remembered what Shi Ning'an had said to him on the night of the Empress Dowager's birthday. The consequence of Zhao Yiyi losing her virginity was a lifetime of seclusion in a Buddhist temple. What about her?
At that time, he had vowed that he would never let such a thing happen to her.
But so soon, this thing had happened, and the damned bastard was actually him!
Rong Sui gritted his teeth. No, he couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let Ning'an carry the reputation of losing her virginity before marriage for the rest of her life.
He pushed Shi Ning'an away and said hoarsely, "You... go over there."
His throat was burning. He could hardly speak.
Shi Ning'an was a bit confused.
Rong Sui helped Shi Ning'an up and helped her sit in the corner. He also tidied up her a bit messy clothes. Then he walked to the door and leaned against it, tightly holding the blood - stained hairpin in his hand.
Before Shi Ning'an could react, she heard an exclamation from outside, and then there was a hubbub of voices. Many women were chattering away.
The noble ladies with high status and power liked to spread such explosive news the most. Not only did they spread it, but they would also exaggerate it to the extreme. They would describe it vividly, making the listeners feel as if they were on the scene.
The door was pushed open. Maybe they were startled by the bloody smell in the room. The ladies led by Lady Liang subconsciously took a step back.
When the whole door was wide open, the people outside could finally see the scene inside.
Lady Liang narrowed her eyes slightly. The situation she had imagined didn't seem to have happened. The young girl in front of her was a bit disheveled, but at least her clothes were still intact. Her hair was loose and her face was pale.
Alive?
Not only alive, but wasn't this girl the fiancée of Rong Sui, the County Mistress Zhonghui? Why was she here?
The Princess of Prince Zhuang exclaimed, "Ning'an, girl?"
Shi Ning'an was extremely flustered. At this moment, she opened her mouth and cried out, "Princess..."
The Princess of Prince Zhuang didn't care about the blood all over the floor. She took off her shawl and stepped forward to wrap Shi Ning'an up. "Why are you here?"
Shi Ning'an looked as if she was crying painfully. She trembled and pointed behind the door with her finger. "Cousin... Cousin..."
Only then did everyone notice that there was a blood - covered person sitting behind the door. Who else could it be but Rong Sui?
Rong Sui seemed to be out of his mind. He was still stabbing the hairpin hard into his leg. His hand and leg were in a terrible state. There were blood holes one after another.
It was so terrifying.
Some of the ladies couldn't stand it anymore and ran out vomiting. Those who could endure it shouted in succession, "Hurry up and save someone. The Third Master of the Rong family is in trouble. Hurry up!"
It was Rong Xuan who came, leading a group of guards, along with Zeng Haomiao.
When Zeng Haomiao saw the scene in the room, he was obviously stunned. He subconsciously ran towards Shi Ning'an.
Shi Ning'an shook her head and pointed at Rong Sui. "Brother... Quickly save my cousin... He..."
She gave Zeng Haomiao a hint with her eyes. However, Zeng Haomiao had always been honest and simple. He couldn't understand her hint at all. He turned around and walked in front of Rong Sui, about to feel Rong Sui's pulse first.
Rong Sui seemed to be out of control. He pushed Zeng Haomiao away wildly.
Rong Xuan scanned the room with his eyes and asked, "Ning'an, what happened?"
Shi Ning'an's eyes were full of tears. "Someone told me that my cousin was in trouble and asked me to come quickly. I thought that as a weak girl, I was useless and couldn't do anything. But I was still worried, so I asked someone to send a message to you and Cousin Zeng..."
She buried her head in the Princess of Prince Zhuang's arms and cried. "When I came, my cousin was like this. He..."
A gossiping lady said quickly, "Then... are you okay?"
Shi Ning'an paused for a moment and then raised her head aggrievedly. "Princess, I'm so scared. My cousin wouldn't let me get close. He just held that hairpin... Wuwuwu, Princess..."
The Princess of Prince Zhuang glared at the lady and sneered. "Anyway, even if there's something between A Sui and Ning'an, they're already engaged. Besides, what kind of person is my A Sui? He was drugged today. He would rather hurt himself than hurt others!"
Zeng Haomiao had already put his hand on Rong Sui's. He clearly knew that Rong Sui had been poisoned and then detoxified.
He widened his eyes and looked back at his cousin. Just one glance, and he didn't dare to look anymore. He lowered his head, but his hand was touched by Rong Sui.
He looked up and saw that Rong Sui's eyes were clear. He didn't seem to be out of his mind.
Zeng Haomiao's heart was in turmoil. He didn't know how to lie, but if he didn't lie today, his cousin's reputation would...
He gritted his teeth, took out a pill, poured some water for Rong Sui to take, and then said, "He was drugged with aphrodisiac. This pill of mine can detoxify him, but it may take some time to completely get rid of the remaining poison."
After saying that, he called the young servants over. "You guys stop the bleeding and bandage the Third Master first. He's lost too much blood. He needs to rest well."
Rong Xuan looked around coldly. "Such a thing happened in the imperial villa, and the person involved is a member of the imperial guards. It seems that we need to investigate this matter carefully."
Lady Liang's eyes narrowed. She muttered an "Amitabha" and wanted to leave first.
But the guards of the Military Police Brigade brought by Rong Xuan had already surrounded the entire north courtyard.
The maid beside Lady Liang was angry. "What does Officer Rong mean by this?"
Rong Xuan bowed and said, "Your Highness, I'm really sorry for offending you. This incident happened in the villa. If we don't find out the culprit, I'm afraid that the ladies won't be able to live in peace in the future."
The maid continued, "You're just an officer of the Military Police Brigade. How dare you interfere in the affairs of the imperial city?"
Rong Xuan insisted, "I'm of low status, but as a subject, I have to consider the safety of the monarch. Let's wait until the officials from the Ministry of Punishment and the Censorate come. Then we'll leave."
The maid was about to say something else when the Princess of Prince Zhuang nodded and said, "What A Xuan said is right. He's doing this for our safety. This matter must be investigated thoroughly. We were all in a mess today. No one can say that they're innocent. There are enough rooms here. Let's stay here and cooperate."
The Princess of Prince Zhuang was Rong Xuan's grandmother and a royal matriarch. For her sake, the ladies present could only endure it.