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墨書 Inktalez
"Alright, she's done for, we can really bury her now."
Xia Muxin leaned slightly to glance at Su Xiuning, who lay motionless on the ground. Her brows furrowed, and the corners of her mouth turned down. This was no fun at all; she shrugged and said, "Hurry, Imperial Physician, go check on her."
Su Xiuning's sudden collapse sent Su Rong and Suo Ao into a panic. They rushed over and cradled her in their arms, repeatedly calling her name. At that moment, Tian Ming Rui personally descended from the dragon throne, instructing the nearby Imperial Physician while his gaze shifted toward Xia Muxin's painting. Upon seeing it, he shuddered involuntarily and cast a meaningful glance at Xia Muxin.
Meanwhile, Shen Muhan's eyes also fell upon the painting. At first glance, his eyelids twitched, and then his gaze began to wander over Xia Muxin's chest and hands.
The painting depicted a horrifying ghostly figure. Xia Muxin had studied sketching before and was quite adept at it. In the coffin sat a woman, completely unclothed. One of her legs was stretched out while the other was bent to cover her private parts. One hand rested against the coffin as if tapping it, while the other hand clutched her abdomen. Her long arms, smooth as cream, partially concealed her chest. Her long hair cascaded down her back like silk, coiling into a pile due to its length; each strand was distinctly visible. The terrifying part was her fingernails and toenails—each measuring a full ten centimeters in length—dark blue-black as if poisoned.
Above that, her face was grotesque and terrifying: mouth agape, eyes bulging as if suffering from thyroid disease, with blood streaming from all seven orifices—not red blood but a dark purple hue.
A round birthmark adorned her neck; none of this seemed particularly shocking until one noticed that this woman's appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to the unconscious Su Xiuning. Moreover, those familiar with Su Xiuning knew she had a similar round birthmark on her neck.
This might just be the primary reason for her sudden fainting spell.
The craftsmanship of the painting was truly lifelike; even court painters could hardly match it.
Above the coffin floated two figures—one black and one white—whose faces were extremely terrifying and fierce. They held a book of life and death in their hands, with "Black" and "White" inscribed on their respective bodies in wild cursive script that seemed far too bold for someone as petite as Xia Muxin to have written. Yet it was indeed in her hand, characterized by an unusual style: the black figure bore white characters while the white figure bore black ones—a remarkable sight that opened everyone’s eyes.
At this moment, even Shen Muhan could not hide his astonishment; his gaze lingered on Xia Muxin for a long time, wishing he could take her back for some serious questioning.
"Look, your emperor's eyes are playing tricks on him," Xia Muxin remarked with amusement at Tian Ming Rui's dumbfounded expression. She nudged Shen Muhan with her elbow and whispered.
Shen Muhan shot a glance at this mischievous girl filled with schadenfreude; amusement flickered in his eyes as he leaned closer to whisper in her ear:
"When did you learn to paint like this?"
In truth, he was curious and anxious, eager to delve into her thoughts and discover what other surprises she had in store for him.
"I've been able to since I was born; it's called a natural talent."
Xia Muxin huffed proudly, stating it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Shen Muhan also smiled lightly, noticing that her mood had improved significantly, which eased his heart. At that moment, Tian Ming Rui cleared his throat and said:
"How is Miss Su doing?"
Tian Ming Rui felt he had embarrassed himself today, having been so entranced by such a terrifying painting that he lost track of time. If it weren't for someone coughing, he might still be immersed in that shocking masterpiece. Realizing his faux pas, he cleared his throat and directed his question toward the several Imperial Physicians who were still examining her.
"Your Majesty, Miss Su was merely startled and has fainted due to emotional distress. She will be fine after a few days of rest," the Imperial Physicians replied after some discussion.
"That's good to hear. What about her... poison?"
Seeing Su Rong's pale face, Tian Ming Rui's brow furrowed as he cautiously glanced at Shen Muhan and Xia Muxin. Noticing their expressions were normal, he finally relaxed.
Thinking about it, being an emperor felt quite frustrating at times...
"Your Majesty, the Severing Child Scatter poison is not deeply rooted. To be more precise, she may have only been slightly contaminated, which shouldn't have any significant impact on her," the Imperial Physicians concluded after checking her pulse again.
"What did you say?"
Upon hearing this, Su Rong grabbed the collar of the speaking Imperial Physician with bloodshot eyes and shouted loudly.
“Lord Susu, this is all true. If you don’t believe me, you can find someone else to examine it.”
The Imperial Physician was taken aback by his sudden outburst, and after a long pause, he finally found his voice and spoke softly.
At this moment, not only was Su Rong furious, but so was Suo Ao. Xiuxiu had never had any conflicts with anyone and was well-regarded among the young ladies of noble families. She was often seen as a model for others, yet they had no idea who could play such a cruel joke on them, causing them to lose face and even bring trouble to the court. How would he face his colleagues after this?
“Your Majesty, I implore you to thoroughly investigate Doctor Ding from Shen Manor. He claimed that Ning'er had been afflicted by the Severing Child Scatter. Matron Qin saw that the child was distressed and reported it truthfully. That’s why the child insisted on going home in the middle of the night, resulting in her crying and throwing a tantrum. I brought her to the palace hoping you would take charge of this matter.”
Su Rong knew well that Shen Yu had a deep bond with Ding Bo. Today, if he didn’t provide a satisfactory explanation for Su Xiuning, he wouldn’t let this matter rest easily. At this moment, he was trying to shift the blame onto Ding Bo.
Seeing his indignant expression, Xia Muxin couldn’t help but want to laugh.
Although Su Tian hadn’t interacted much with others, she was an incredibly innocent person. Moreover, having always been under Shen Yu’s protection, she was like a fragile porcelain doll—so delicate that she could shatter with just a touch. It was no wonder Shen Muhan and the others were so concerned about her.
As for Shen Yu, being a martial general, his expertise lay in wielding weapons; however, when it came to scheming and verbal sparring, he fell short compared to Suo Ao. The two of them—one soft and one strong—were indeed a perfect match.
Su Rong, as the mentor of the Retired Emperor, held great power and authority. He had grown accustomed to being in control and believed that the world should revolve around him. Selfish and driven by greed, he ultimately sought a reliable backing for the Su Family to ensure its legacy continued to thrive.
Yet he had turned his attention toward his married daughter’s family—a truly despicable act.
“Your Majesty, it is said that Matron Qin stayed at Shen Manor all day yesterday and only insisted on leaving when night fell. However, she tripped while exiting, which caused quite an uproar among the Su Family. Later on, somehow Miss Su ended up staying at Shen Manor with her. Then we heard that Miss Su fell from a tree. As you know, there are tall trees behind the kitchen at Shen Manor that can easily be seen from outside. The commoners speculate whether Miss Su saw something she shouldn’t have and got punished for it.”
Xia Muxin’s gaze was steady as she spoke seriously after much deliberation, almost like an outsider observing the situation.
“Regardless of how it happened, Ning'er was injured at Shen Manor. I earnestly request Your Majesty to allow Ning'er to recuperate at Shen Manor for some time; it would serve as their compensation for her.”
Seeing Xia Muxin’s relentless stance, Su Rong suddenly shifted tactics and suggested sending her home to recuperate—an argument that seemed rather absurd.
“Uh... your grandfather studied until he reached enlightenment; isn’t he supposed to be a scholar? Why is he acting more shameless than a bandit?”
Xia Muxin leaned closer to Shen Muhan and bluntly criticized Su Rong.
"Ah, you've never seen someone as shameless as me."
Shen Muhan's lips curled slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he spoke softly.
"Um... Marquis, what is the point of your waiting?"
This proposal was good; it meant he could sneak around, enjoy the excitement, and perhaps catch a hint about Jiao Jiao's whereabouts when Shen Muhan lost control one day. With this optimistic thought in mind, Tian Ming Rui turned to the Shen Family.
"Muxin, you decide."
Shen Muhan didn't bother to consult his grandfather or father and directly let Xia Muxin take charge, as if she were already the head of the household.
Xia Muxin glanced at the puzzled Shen Muhan and then shot a look at the gloating Tian Ming Rui. With a smile that lit up her eyes, Tian Ming Rui felt a chill run down his spine while Shen Muhan's brows twitched. Moments later, Xia Muxin clapped her hands and said cheerfully:
"This is naturally a good thing. Debts must be repaid; it's only right. The same goes for favors owed. No matter where the fault lies, wouldn't you agree?"
Su Rong stared at Shen Muhan with an expression of disbelief. This woman had taken charge even before entering the house; if she truly moved in, what would happen then?
However, it was he who had brought this up. Ning'er and Shen Muhan hadn't interacted much since they were ten years old. This was a good opportunity; he believed that soon enough, Shen Muhan would recognize her merits and drive that rough wild girl away to marry Ning'er instead.
Three days later, Su Xiuning moved into Shen Manor with packages in tow, accompanied by Qin Matron.
- End of Chapter -
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