Chapter 191: Real or fake suicide?
The female servant's hand was about to make skin contact when Ning Xiaoyao stepped towards her and pressed a hand against her shoulder.
"What's your name?" she asked her.
The servant only felt a sharp pain in her shoulder that paralyzed her arm in place. Ning Xiaoyao released her before using her body to nudge her aside, but she accidentally used too much strength and broke the woman's shoulder. By the time Lou Zigui came over, the woman was already crawling away frantically, afraid to stay too close.
"It's fine," Ning Xiayao winked at Lou Zigui before dropping her voice. "She didn't touch Lady Wang."
Lou Zigui nodded lightly before smoothing down a few stray hairs on Ning Xiaoyao's head. He didn't like her messy bun today. Grand Preceptor Xie observed the two of them standing in front of née Wang's body and how his worthless servant had failed to accomplish her task, then said, "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"
Ning Xiaoyao countered, "You find me an offensive sight even though I'm just standing around?"
Grand Preceptor Xie replied, "Your Majesty, it's impossible for the dead to come back to life. Does Your Majesty have the skills to revive your maternal grandmother?"
Ning Xiaoyao shook her head, her tone docile. "Nope." If I could really raise the dead, would I have died in the apocalypse and woken up here? Still, your wife isn't dead at all, oh~
Grand Preceptor Xie gradually relaxed. He was depressed too since he was still swollen all over. The Lord Protector stepped forward with an urge to speak. Why are those two still standing around? If His Majesty really wants to leave, could Xie Wenyuan stop him?
"It'll be fine," Lou Zigui murmured to the Lord Protector.
"……." said the Lord Protector. You call this 'fine?' If that's the case, then what do you call problematic?!
"Look at my eyes," Ning Xiaoyao said before winking handsomely at the Lord Protector.
The Lord Protector felt like falling to his knees before Ning Xiaoyao. What are you planning? Can't you say something about it?
Xie Anji and the estate's various retainers were all standing outside the courtyard. Second Young Master Xie had already cried once, but as a grown man, he wasn't allowed inside the female's courtyards without Grand Preceptor Xie's express permission.
"All of you, go back to your boudoirs," Grand Preceptor Xie ordered the various granddaughters who had red eyes and swollen throats from sobbing.
"Fifth young Miss should return as well," Grand Preceptor Xie said expressionlessly to Xie Duoying, who was still kneeling on the ground. The little servant girl who helped to guide the Dragon Guards quickly ran to her side and helped her to her feet before the pair retreated to their rooms.
Ning Xiaoyao pursed her lips. This isn't over yet.
The justice courts quickly sent men over to answer the summons, accompanied by Elder Li and his disciples. News that the reigning emperor had forced his maternal grandmother to death had already started spreading in the capital city. When Elder Li heard, he narrowly died from rage. He was certain this was another one of Xie Wenyuan's schemes to ruin His Majesty, so he brought along a bunch of his followers to the estate. There was no way he would stand by to watch all this happen.
Elder Li stepped into the courtyard just as an old coroner of the justice courts uncovered the cloak covering Lady Wang. He quickened his steps and saw the blood-splattered face of the woman, which left him staring for a long while in silence.
"She—" Elder Li sucked in a breath after verifying Lady Wang's identity, then turned towards Ning Xiaoyao. "Your Majesty, this…?"
Ning Xiaoyao had already ducked behind Lou Zigui when she spotted Elder Li, but now she poked out her head. The sight of Elder Li's twisted expression gave her a fright.
"Elder Li," Lou Zigui began.
"You shut up, have His Majesty tell me himself," Elder Li only felt irritated by the sight of Lou Zigui. Why is it that His Majesty's always getting in trouble with that man around? (Author: Elder, you're blaming the wrong person (@﹏@) )
"Don't be like that," Ning Xiaoyao coaxed. "Old gramps, don't scold people as soon as you see them."
Elder Li stared at Ning Xiaoyao and said, "From what Your Majesty is saying, none of this has anything to do with Your Majesty?" He couldn't understand why the emperor didn't seem to treat this as a big deal at all and just stand in front of Lady Wang's corpse.
"Ah?" Ning Xiaoyao hastily shook her head. "It really has nothing to do with me, ah!"
Grand Preceptor Xie gave a cold snort.
"Why would Lady Wang commit suicide?" Elder Li asked. The Grand Preceptor's people couldn't help but think that even someone as shameless as His Majesty wouldn't claim that Lady Wang ran into the lantern stand by accident on her own.
Ning Xiaoyao sniffed a few times before staring at the skies.
"Speak!" Elder Li hollered. If he was one of my Li Clan's children, I'd definitely beat him up right now!
Ning Xiaoyao trembled at the shout. Lou Zigui shielded her and said, "Perhaps Lady Wang rammed her head accidentally."
"……." said the Grand Preceptor's people. I see, so it's Supreme Commander who's the shameless one.
If Elder Li could beat Lou Zigui in a fight, he'd be thrashing him right now. These two were all to infuriating!
Ning Xiaoyao looked at the coroner and said, "Old Mister, say something. You've examined the 'corpse' for so long, you should've gotten a verdict by now, right?"
Grand Preceptor Xie piped in, "If there's anything to say, then say it outright." What he meant was, you don't need to fear His Majesty, just tell the truth.
Ning Xiaoyao agreed. "That's right, ah. Old Mister, just tell it straight."
Everyone's eyes rested on the old coroner. Elder Li's complexion was ashen. He had wanted to assist a righteous ruler to recitify the country, but now that the ruler had forced his grandmother to suicide, it was like a slap to his face. The old coroner knelt on the ground, still silent after Grand Preceptor Xie and Ning Xiaoyao expressed their views.
Elder Li clenched and unclenched his fists before he said, "Speak now, tell the truth. His Majesty is insightful and wise, he wouldn't blame you."
Even with Elder Li's promise, the oldest coroner of the justice courts still made the crowd wait before he finally stammered out, "Her, her ladyship isn't dead."
Silence fell upon the courtyard. Ning Xiaoyao stared at Grand Preceptor Xie, wondering if he'd go insane. Grand Preceptor Xie choked down the blood in his throat multiple times before he demanded, "What did you say?"
The old coroner seemed to have used up all his courage to say his sentence, because now he'd fallen mute again. Ning Xiaoyao gloated over Grand Preceptor Xie's misfortune. "That old Mister told you that your wife isn't dead, didn't you hear? Two words: not! Dead!"
"That's impossible," Grand Preceptor Xie shook his head.
Elder Li stared intently at Lady Wang. He couldn't believe it either after seeing all the blood on her face. She's still alive?
"Who are you?!" Grand Preceptor Xie roared at the coroner. This has to be one of Ning Yu's men!
The old coroner only raised his head to look at Grand Preceptor Xie. If this was any other day, he wouldn't have dared, but he really wanted to ask the Grand Preceptor whether he'd lost his mind. Order her ladyship to fake her death in front of everyone here? Do you think it's a simple thing to play dead?
"Speak," Grand Preceptor Xie shouted.
"Why are you losing your temper at him?" Ning Xiaoyao asked.
Lou Zigui murmured then, "When will Lady Wang wake up?"
Ning Xiaoyao squatted down and patted Lady Wang's face as she yelled, "Wake up!" Her slaps were quite powerful thanks to her strong body, so the painful thwacks woke up Lady Wang immediately.
"Ah!" she cried as her eyes flew open.
Many of the female servants fainted away at the sound of her shout. Everyone else stared at her in a mixture of fear and astonishment, but no one was happy to see her 'rise from the dead' again. Ning Xiaoyao surveyed the people in the courtyard before shaking her head at Lady Wang. You're too tragically unpopular, aye.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Elder Li raged at Grand Preceptor Xie.
No matter how intelligent, farsighted, or scheming Grand Preceptor Xie was, he was completely floored this time. He had clearly seen Lady Wang run into the lantern stand. Ning Xiaoyao seized the chance to tattle to Elder Li. "Grand Preceptor treated me injustly."
Elder Li looked at Grand Preceptor Xie, first in fury, then with doubt. Have Lady Wang play dead to slander His Majesty? Xie Wenyuan, is there something wrong with your brain?
The Lord Protector slowly crouched down and stuck a finger below Lady Wang's nose to test her breathing. When he felt air drift across his fingertips, he bolted back as if he'd been burned. He looked at Ning Xiaoyao and cried, "She's not dead?"
Ning Xiaoyao seriously nodded her head. "She's not."
"Then the blood?" Grand Preceptor Xie needed someone to explain things to him too.
"I don't know, ah," Ning Xiaoyao said, "Her ladyship carries blood bags on her? Heheh, she's pretty professional at this playing dead schtick."
The old coroner took a sample of blood-soaked earth form the ground and squeezed it before his fingers, before taking a sniff and even tasting a bit. Then he confirmed, "This is human blood."
Lady Wang started wailing. "Oh God in Heaven, why didn't you let me die?!"
Ning Xiaoyao said, "Can you not cry?"
Lady Wang continued to sob loudly. Ning Xiaoyao took a handkerchief and moistened it with Lady Wang's tears before helping her wipe her face. "Come and tell me, where do you feel uncomfortable?"
Lady Wang wanted to say it was her head, because that was where she'd rammed into the lantern stand and gotten her injury, but she realized that the gazes staring at her were beginning to grow strange and perplexed. She couldn't help but touch her forehead on impulse. Ning Xiaoyao tilted her head to look at her and said, "Come on, where do you feel uncomfortable?"
There were no injuries on her forehead, skull, or back of her head. Lady Wang touched her face in a fluster. Despite the blood on her hands, she didn't feel any pain. "H-how can this be?" she asked Ning Xiaoyao.
Ning Xiaoyao said, "Your ladyship, I'd like to ask you the same question. Why did you fake your death?"
Lady Wang looked towards Grand Preceptor Xie next, who was still sitting in his chair and staring blankly at Lady Wang. His entire figure seemed cold and unmoving.
"The Grand Preceptor's thrilled beyond words," Ning Xiaoyao remarked.
Lady Wang next looked at all the people in the courtyard and discovered that even Elder Li and his disciples had come. She could only lie dazedly on the ground. She was certain that she'd killed herself!
"Xie Wenyuan," Elder Li said coldly, "You had the gall to slander His Majesty?"
Grand Preceptor Xie slowly recovered his wits before his gaze sharpened like a knife on Lady Wang. This stupid woman, she actually faked her death?!
(Author: Grand Preceptor, she really did kill herself…)