Xue Changsheng quickly ordered his men to take Xue Jingjia away from the small courtyard and dismissed his attendants.
Then he stepped forward, bowed to the two of them, and said, "Your Highness, Miss Liu, sorry to bother you."
Liu Rumei nodded with a gentle smile and said no more, allowing Mo Liandi to lead her into the house.
Xue Zhan unceremoniously shut Xue Changsheng outside.
Xue Changsheng was rebuffed. His eyes were full of embarrassment, but he sighed and turned away.
Mo Liandi brewed a cup of tea and naturally placed it in front of Liu Rumei. "Have you found anything?"
Seeing Mo Liandi's action, Xue Zhan couldn't help but pout. He had to pour himself a cup of tea and gulped it down. "The young servant is named Qian San. He's always been honest and upright. It's just that he accidentally caught a couple having an affair. The man was afraid that Qian San would inform on them, so he knocked Qian San out when he got up to drink water in the middle of the night and pushed him into the well. I've taken the two of them to the yamen."
The maid died of illness, while Qian San was killed for discovering someone else's secret. These two incidents happened at the same time, accompanied by the eerie sound of the flute in the middle of the night, so no one suspected anything and simply attributed them to the flute sound.
A look of surprise flashed across Liu Rumei's eyes. "That's really a coincidence."
Xue Zhan couldn't help but nod. "Indeed."
Previously, they thought the deaths of the two might be related to the strange flute sound, but unexpectedly, they were just accidents.
"In that case, we just need to find out where the flute sound comes from."
Mo Liandi looked out of the window at the endless night and said indifferently, "It won't be long."
The other two nodded. It was almost time.
The three of them sat in the room for about half a cup of tea. Then they heard the sound of a night watchman.
They glanced at each other and got up, then went to the courtyard where Lu Qiaohui used to live.
Lu Qiaohui had been taken by Xue Zhan to a courtyard a bit farther away.
A servant in the mansion bravely led them into the courtyard.
Si Xi and Ye Zhe followed behind. Si Xi's black eyes scanned the surroundings from time to time. Her face was full of vigilance, and she couldn't help but get closer to Ye Zhe beside her for a sense of security.
Seeing her subconscious action, Ye Zhe's lips curved into a smile.
After leading the five of them into the courtyard, Xue Zhan told the servant to leave. The servant was so relieved that he quickly left.
Seeing this, Si Xi couldn't help but pout. A look of disdain flashed across her black eyes. He was really more timid than she was.
Ye Zhe secretly noticed the expression on Si Xi's face, and the curve of his lips deepened. She was scared to death herself but still had the time to laugh at others.
The five of them waited in the courtyard for a while. Xue Zhan somehow found some pastries and tea and placed them on the stone table in the courtyard. He sat with Mo Liandi and Liu Rumei, enjoying the boundless night.
Si Xi was so bored that she was almost asleep. Her chubby face was bobbing up and down like a chicken pecking rice. It was really cute.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, and the strange sound of the flute rang out abruptly. It was so enchanting and plaintive, mixed with the sound of flowing water. In the boundless night, it seemed extremely eerie, as if someone was crying. The sobbing sound inexplicably made one's hair stand on end.
Si Xi's drowsiness was instantly scared away. She became extremely alert and subconsciously grabbed the corner of Ye Zhe's clothes beside her. "What... what's that sound?"
Liu Rumei also felt a chill run down her spine. The sound seemed to be right beside her ears, like the wail of a ghost.
Even a brave person would probably be scared.
Mo Liandi frowned slightly and subconsciously held Liu Rumei's delicate hand. He listened intently, trying to find out the direction of the sound, but it was in vain.
Xue Zhan also couldn't find the direction. His eyes were full of solemnity, and a chill welled up in his heart. It was really lucky that his mother had lived in this courtyard for so long! She wasn't scared out of her wits!
For a moment, he hated Xue Changsheng even more. Such a big thing had happened in the mansion, but he hadn't sent anyone to inform them. He had to wait until this moment!
At this time, the servants around had already retreated far away, for fear of running into something.
Si Xi's legs were trembling. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, with a bit of moisture in them. If she had known she would encounter such things, she should have stayed in the Prince Guoan's Mansion with Yun Xi.
Just as she was having wild thoughts, her right hand was suddenly held. The scorching temperature seemed to reach her heart, and the panic in her heart gradually calmed down.
She came to her senses and looked up along the arm that was holding her small hand. She saw Ye Zhe with a cold face. Her small face instantly turned red, and she secretly cursed in her heart, "Rogue."
Ye Zhe raised his eyebrows slightly but seemed not to notice. He just held her hand still.
Strangely enough, it made Si Xi feel extremely secure.
"Does it come from the water?" Xue Zhan asked in a confused voice.
Liu Rumei nodded. "It must be from the water."
But they didn't know which part of the water area it was.
Mo Liandi glanced at Ye Zhe and said indifferently, "Have someone drain the water!"
They would surely find some clues.
Xue Zhan and Liu Rumei also nodded. This was indeed the best way.
Ye Zhe bowed respectfully, let go of the soft hand, and disappeared into the endless night in a blink of an eye.
Fortunately, Xue Changsheng knew that Mo Liandi and the others would take action in the middle of the night, so he had already led his men and waited not far away. After learning of Mo Liandi's order, he quickly ordered his men to drain all the water.
It took about half an hour for the water in the stream to dry up, but the strange sound of the flute had disappeared.
Xue Zhan frowned slightly. "Could there be something hidden in the secret passage? The flowing water drives the air, thus causing this sound?"
Liu Rumei also frowned. "If that's really the case, why didn't it appear during the day?"
Why did it only happen at this time?
"Maybe the water flows more rapidly in the middle of the night. During the day, with all the commotion, the water flows more slowly, so the sound is suppressed by the sound of the flowing water!" Mo Liandi said indifferently.
Moreover, the stream was deeper during the day than in the middle of the night. Maybe that thing was submerged by water during the day, so it couldn't make a sound. In the middle of the night, when the water became shallower, it was exposed and made a sound with the flowing water.
Xue Zhan also nodded. "Indeed. The Sima Mansion will open the sluice at night to introduce fresh water and change the water in the stream so as not to disturb people's rest. So the water can only come in slowly, and it's a bit shallower than during the day!"
Then he said, "Go down and search immediately, especially the secret passage. We must find that thing!"
Just as he finished speaking, a gentle breeze blew by, and the plaintive sound of the flute rang out again in the courtyard.